This was a super fast read that deals with tough situations. I don’t think that it scratched the surface of what it could’ve been though, as it didn’t make any sort of impact on me as a reader. I think that it tries to be an updated version of The Outsiders, but it doesn’t quite make it.
Julia and Colt are high schoolers who are in s secret relationship after meeting up at the river accidentally one night. They are from opposite sides of the economic spectrum and therefor Julia can’t tell her friends about him, not to mention that she also has a boyfriend and Colt can’t tell his friends about her because they wouldn’t believe him. Then Julia dies in a drunken car wreck and Colt is left to deal with his feelings and the loss by himself. That made the book standout for me because we don’t get a lot of stories told from just the make POV when dealing with tough subjects. One day Julia’s brother Michael gives him Julia’s notebook that he finds in her room and it’s full of poems and letters she wrote to Colt but never gave him. Can he bring himself to read the notes and finally bring closure to the most intense year and the biggest loss of his life?
I was hoping for a roller coaster of emotions but sadly that never happened. The characters were kind of flat and despite it being a fairly short story, it started to fizzle about mid way through. That being said, it’s one you can read in a sitting, so it has that going for it. I don’t mean to say that it’s not good by any stretch, but it’s nothing memorable.
Thanks to Viking Juvenile for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I read this book years ago. Saw it was being republished. I forgot I already read this. I didn't like it the first time so I did not reread it again.

Romeo and Juliet retelling. It sounded so intriguing and I thought i would love it. Alas, it was a big miss for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel.

Colt, a high schooler, is reeling from the unexpected death of his secret hookup partner Julia of a year. Colt is from a working class family from the wrong side of the tracks, while Julia is from the country club world of Black Mountain and has an upper class boyfriend to match. Julia's brother discovers letters and poems that Julia wrote to a "CM" and figures out that it's Colt. Armed with her writings, Colt reads them to try and figure out what happened with their relationship.

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard is an interesting novel about class and grief. It had many Outsiders tone to me, and even though it was set in today's time period, the class wars kind of seemed dated to me. It's nice to see a book written from a male teenager's point of view. I think it was detached retelling on purpose because it's hard for teenagers to actually deconstruct their feelings. .

Two teenagers fall in love; a secret relationship since they are from 2 different sides of town. But then Julia dies suddenly. Colt is devastated but can't let anyone know why. He discovers the truth about their relationship through a journal Julia left behind.

I enjoyed the story; it was a quick read overall. However, since it was so short it didn't pull me in emotionally like other romance books often do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This book would be a great book group read. I would love to discuss it in a group setting with other readers.

It is thought provoking and has stayed with me for days.

The story line and characters are so good. I have already recommend it to several friends a pre-ordered a hard copy for my library.

Five stars. Recommend.

'The Secret Year' by Jennifer Hubbard is a YA book that quietly tugs at your heartstrings. Reading a story like this from a male perspective felt refreshing—I’m so used to these types of first-person narratives being told from a female point of view. It added a layer of uniqueness that pulled me in right from the start.

What stood out to me was how linear and straightforward the storytelling was. There wasn’t any fluff to wade through, which made it easy to follow and kept me hooked from the very first sentence. The simplicity of the writing was definitely a strength, but I also found myself craving more depth.

Since the story revolves so heavily around Colt and Julia’s secret relationship, I wished there had been more flashbacks to their real-time interactions. That would have helped me feel their connection even more deeply. The same goes for Julia’s diary entries—I wanted more of those, too. Colt’s silent grief over her death was palpable, but I felt like a bit more insight into their relationship could have elevated the emotional weight of the story.

Overall, 'The Secret Year' is a great, bittersweet read. It’s quick and compelling, though I found myself wanting more layers and complexity in the characters. Perhaps that’s part of what made it so easy to breeze through, though!

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for providing the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm afraid I didn't connect with this book. It felt very light on plot. I kept expecting something big to happen - some shocking twist or revelation - but it never really did. The story remained a flatline for me. And although it's mostly told via Colt's first-person POV, I always felt held at a clinical distance. I was told how Colt feels/felt but never truly FELT anything. An example of the distance with which this story's told is when Colt's brother Tom announces he's gay at Thanksgiving. It's handled capriciously, almost with a shrug, with none of the truly emotional impact, positive and/or negative, that this type of vulnerable moment generally brings about. Julia's diary feels chatty and inconsequential. Similarly, when Colt's secret is finally revealed in front of everyone at his school...the fallout is ultimately pretty minimal.

I'm sure there are some readers who will connect with Colt's story. Alas, I just wasn't one of them.

I really wanted to like this one but had a hard time feeling connected with any of the characters. The storyline had great potential, but the lack of character development in this book kept me from being very invested in any of the characters' fates. I do think YA readers may enjoy this as a lighthearted, simple read, but they won't find much depth as far as characterization goes. Had there been more detail, this would have had much more potential. Thanks for the ARC!

In the synopsis of the book, the characters Romeo and Juliet serve as comparative figures to Colt and Julia, denoting the latter pair as reflections of the former's romantic dynamic. However, upon examination, the depth and complexity attributed to Romeo and Juliet's relationship appear to surpass those presented in Colt and Julia's story. The portrayal of their love as forbidden and extraordinary lacks the novel essence and emotional depth that might engage the reader more profoundly with the characters. Additionally, while the narrative navigates teenage heartbreak with an appreciable underlying message, the overall plot and character development may benefit from additional elaboration to enhance the story's depth and engagement. The consideration of extending the narrative to include more detailed exploration of themes and character dynamics might address these concerns, potentially enriching the reader's experience.

Book:
THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubbard
Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the earc (Jan 7)
Review:
2⭐
I'm not sure how I felt about this one. Did I love it? Hate it? Honestly, it was just eh. I liked the idea of the book: a secret romance torn apart by death, grief overtaking the one who lived---it was a nice premise. The execution felt off. Almost like the story was incomplete. It needed more heartbreak and description---maybe a scene from Julia's pov to add to what she was feeling right before she died to allow a glimpse into her grief. Especially with the comparison to Laura Nowlins work. I don't know. It just needed more...

As much as I wanted to love this, I just had a hard time with it. It all seemed so far fetched to read.

If you’re in a relationship with somebody and it’s a secret, is there really a relationship?
Colt and Julia we’re in a secret relationship for a year when tragedy strikes… Coltis handed Julia‘s diary,
He gets to relive that year from her words!

Emotionally heartbreaking, a total ugly cry!
My first book this, but it definitely will not be my last!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group I Viking Books for Young Readers for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Jennifer R Hubbard's The Secret Year. The idea of the book intrigued me; the Outsiders meets Romeo and Juliet. Honestly, I don't think I saw the Romeo and Juliet so much as their families didn't know about their relationship so they didn't forbid them from seeing each other but this book definitely had an Outsiders vibe.

Julia, a wealthy girl who has a boyfriend decides she wants to have a secret, no strings attached relationship with Colt, a poor boy from the flats. They are still secretly together when Colt gets the news that Julia has been killed in a car accident. The book explores the loss Colt faces alone since no one knows they were together, to stop feeling like he is to blame for the accident, and his trying to move on.

This book was a fast read and I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what would happen next. The book didn’t really dig very deep into feelings and was surface level but perhaps it is because this book is meant for high school, however I know high schoolers can handle more in-depth writing than this. I liked the book being from Colt’s point of view but I felt like it ended abruptly with no real resolution.

2.5 stars. This one fell flat for me. I really like to read YA, but this one had such a juvenile tone to it. I notice that this is a re-release of one of Hubbard's earlier books, and I venture to bet her writing has gotten much better over the years. The storyline was good, but I just couldn't get very into this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC.

This book had such an interesting premise, and I have been loving some YA reads this year. Unfortunately this one was too YA for me. I did not like Colt and his POV and so I struggled to get through.

Eh decent YA book similar vibes to He Should Have Been With Me but He Should Haven Been With Me was much better with likeable characters who your root for and grieve for… this one had characters that were annoying and not likeable and honestly at the end of the day I am not sure what the purpose or plot of the book was

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers group for the copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard. I loved the premise, a teen in a secret relationship dies, leaving behind mourning friends, including Colt, who has to grieve in private. I could have loved this book but the execution was off. The male POV was so unemotional I never really cared about Colt. To be fair, I don't read many books with just a male POV so maybe I was expecting too much. The events felt choppy and weren’t cohesive. There were parts I loved and others that seemed just thrown in. I think people who enjoy an episodic narrative will love this. 3 stars.

This book was excellent I truly did not want it to end! There were also some unexpected twists and turns! Very well written this was my first time reading this author but I will be looking for more in the future!

The setup: a rich girl and poor boy in a secret relationship. A year later, Julia is dead and Colt is left to silently mourn her.

The premise of this story was intriguing and dealt with some tough subject matter. This story has a lot of great potential, but I do feel like some parts could have been executed better.

Overall, I've got some mixed feelings about this book as it is a bit hit or miss, but I'm still glad to have checked it out.