My Secret to Tell by Natalie Richards

I really enjoyed Richards's Six Months Later, so I was eager to read another story of hers. My Secret to Tell didn't work for me as well as that one did, though. I thought the characters were well written (the entire book was, really), but I struggled to connect with Emmie even though I feel like she was the right character for the book. I didn't like Deacon at all, so the romance aspect didn't do anything for me. I also called the end right away, so this wasn't the page-turning, suspenseful story I was hoping it would be. This was an okay story. It's not the book I will immediately jump to if someone asks for a YA thriller/mystery recommendation.

The book did not really work for me. I DNF'ed it. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the many characters in the book and I found myself putting down the book a lot because it was never really catching my attention

Emerson is a young lady that tries to see the best in everyone, especially Deacon. Deason is her best friends brother that she has a crush on. Emmerson is OCS and likes to keep everyone in order. When bad boy Deacon comes to her one night with blood all over him, Emerson is determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

Deacons dad had been hurt and with blood all over his hands, he is going to be blamed for it. Deacon and his dad don't get along at all. Especially since Deacon is known for his bad boy ways. Deacon has been in trouble with the police several times and so everyone sees the bad in him instead of giving him a chance, everyone but Emerson that is! Emerson sees the good side of Deacon, the one that he hides from everyone else.

I loved the mystery and suspense that went along with this story. While it was easy to figure out that Deacon was being framed for his father's attack, there were many twists and turns in this story that had you wondering where it was going. I thought the characters were matched really well. The story line flowed easily and kept you interested. I am sure YA readers are going to love this one! Great job!

Requested, but I was not able to review this in a timely manner. I do not foresee having time to review it in the future. My apologies.

No longer interested in reading this. Clearing out old galleys.

Pleasure to read this romantic mystery YA!

I am big fan of both genres and this is a pleasant mix of both. There is enough romantic pleasure to remember the guy at the grammar school and enough mystery to feed my cozy cravings this fall.

Emmie is a truly good girl, trying to save anybody around her - her parents with their marriage broken by her brother's choices, her best friend Chelsea or Chelsea's brother, Deacon. Deacon, handsome and irresponsible, a rebel maybe with a clue, but rebel nonetheless.
When Chelsea and Deacon's father is attacked, Deacon is the obvious choice for the culprit.
And the only one standing beside him is Emmie. But is this a good choice? Might be that he is truly just a bad boy?

I enjoyed reading this mature-in-writing, sweet book.
I would love to have Emmie as a friend, she is a sweetheart. And she is not alone, the good guys here there are truly good, if a bit broken (in the best way, as you get their personality in their quirks and mistakes).

The story is a bit predictable, yes, but interesting, catchy and fast-paced nonetheless.

Thanks be to God, there is this lovely romance, but NO erotica! I can't stand erotica or lust in YA (or anywhere, to be honest, but in YA it feels truly disturbing).

I enjoyed the reading and will follow the authoress from this moment on.

This one just didn't do it for me, it didn't hold my attention and honestly, I only got through half of it before putting it down. They say not every book is for everyone and I really thing that's true. I wanted to love this book, but sadly I just didn't. I would give this book a 2 1/2 stars.

Another great book by Natalie D. Richards. Her thrillers have me on the edge of my of seat until the very end. I highly recommend this title.

Emerson May is your perfect example of how someone should act and is a super organizer. She is the perfect daughter, volunteers and gets good grades. The other thing she is is a good friend. The thing though is that her friends are frowned upon from her family and labeled as troublemakers. Walking home from work one night, Emerson receives a phone call from her best friend, Chelsea. Her dad was beaten and has ended up in ICU, and her brother Deacon is nowhere to be found. Turns out though that Emerson doesn't have to look far as he is sitting in her bathroom covered in his dad's blood. Emerson cleans him up and tries as much as she can to get the truth of what happened that night from him. It turns out that the police aren't looking too far for a suspect as they believe Deacon is responsible for harming and trying to kill his Dad. This is the same person who goes catatonic at the sight of blood due to the way his mom died when they were younger. It seems that Emerson is the only one who believes that Deacon is innocent, even her best friend Chelsea believes her brother is guilty. What will happen though when during the case secrets and lies are revealed and ones that will start to make everyone a suspect? In My Secret to Tell, Emerson will have to put on her Nancy Drew hat to decipher what's what and find the truth before her friend goes down for an attempted murder he didn't commit. Can Emerson find the truth though before she ends up in trouble like Chelsea's dad? Find out in this Edgy YA Mystery from Natalie D. Richards - My Secret to Tell.

The characters were both dull and clichéd and hard to connect with so it made the entirety of the book such a drag.