The Secret to Letting Go

Bravo! A book for teens that isn't filled with swear words and sex. I loved the story it was great and the writing style was perfect. I also enjoyed that there was also some suspense that wanted me to keep turning the pages. I liked the book so much I read it all in one day. There were a couple times when the main characters actions didn't seem to match up with there personality otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. Can't wait to read more from this author.

The year has only just now begun but I feel like this is a top candidat for my favorite book of the year.

The book is about Daniel, who can't wait to get out of town, and Clover, who showed up in town out of nowhere, looking for someone. They both have secrets and they both had something bad happen to them in their past. Both have huge walls build around them. I love these two characters, there were so many layers to them.

I loved the journey they made in the book, how they both changed each other in a really natural way without the whole 'they make each other better because they are in LOVE'.

When talking about characters, I just loved the side characters. There were so many of them but they all had their own place in the story. Amelia, who is Daniel's sister and quickly becomes a best friend to Clover. Sam, Daniel's friend, who has a thing for Amelia. Daniel's grandmother, who is just so lovely in her own kind of way. Sam's father. Mr. Alexander. There is even homeless Pete, who was just mentioned twice, I think, but who I kind of feel attached too?!

The relationships were wonderful. Especially the family ones. They are just the most important to me.

The story was wonderfully written (even the sad moments where just so beautiful!!!). The story is told from Daniel's and Clover's POV. It doesn't switch every chapter, something that I really enjoyed. The switch was made clear on top of the page but other than that, I feel even without that I could tell after a while who was who.

i think the pace was really good. Daniel talked about his secret, the thing that happened in his life that changed him, a bit earlier than Clover. Which I thought was the right thing to happen. When we finally found out what happened to Clover, I loved how that was written. The flashbacks were really well written and something that I always look for, that they were cleary marked/visible as flashbacks. Amazing twists that happened around the time that Clover's secret got out. I really needed a breather after that, cause it felt just so intense.

I won't go into details, cause I seriously had no idea what the heck I was getting into, at the same time I expected a lot from it. I just had a feeling. And I didn't get disappointed at all. The book was everything I wanted, and so much more.

Let me start by saying that this book was not what I expected in the least. Maybe I missed parts of the synopsis when I was too busy admiring the gorgeous cover, I don’t know. *shrugs* Somehow I thought I was going into a light YA with a dash of suspense, but what I got was…entirely different.

Daniel Hudson doesn’t let himself get close to anyone, not since his girlfriend died tragically and the guilt still haunts him about whether or not he could’ve saved her. The last thing he needs is to meet a girl who constantly needs saving, be it from the drowning in the ocean or an approaching hurricane. But Clover Scott is different from most girls, and he knows it and can’t seem to stay away. Clover has been through alot in her short life. She grew up very sheltered and in an unstable environment. So when she ends up in Florida searching for grandparents she’s never met, homeless and alone, she doesn’t expect to fall in love with the boy who is constantly saving her. But the secrets of her past come at a cost - will she be able to move on from her past and tell the police, and Daniel, the truth?

Told from the perspectives of both Daniel and Clover in parts (starting with Daniel), this book had me surprised at every chapter. I honestly didn’t even know how I felt about it until I was about halfway in! Clover had a genuine and simplistic outlook on life that made her childlike and it was endearing. Daniel could be a little infuriating at times, but you can understand why and his feelings for Clover were beyond cute. Their relationship was romantic, but the message of finding yourself before diving into a serious relationship was realistic and well done. I appreciated the fact that the initial secrets Clover kept weren’t revealed only in the last two pages, like a lot of books I’ve read in the past. The author did a really nice job with giving us a well-rounded, complete story. And I just found out that this is her debut YA novel, which is amazing!

My only "complaint" was that while the subject matter was serious, I felt like I wasn’t getting any real depth from the main characters and it ended up coming off more distant than it could have been. BUT, the last half of the book was so much better than the mysterious nature of the first - the characters started showing growth and secondary characters like Amelia and Henry were the backbones of the story and made me smile. By the end, the warm sense of family and belonging that Clover experienced was enough to bring tears to my eyes and make me feel all gushy inside.

Emotional and genuine, Daniel and Clover’s story of young love amidst chaotic circumstances is sure to pull at your heartstrings. Such a fantastic debut YA from this new author! If you’re looking for a YA different from the “norm” then you should give The Secret to Letting Go a shot. Not what I expected, and I can confidently say that it’s a very good thing!

*I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know how I’ll be able to write this review without giving too much away. This one of that books that is good to go without knowing a lot. But first like just all admire the gorgeous cover that this book has. I’m going to be honest this cover was one of the reasons why I requested this book.

I really liked this book. I loved that it was told in two different POVs and that we could know what was on the MC’s head. The MC’s are completely different from each other but in the end they end up helping each other with the issues they have. Daniel is a normal guy who grew up having everything but that still feels guilty over his girlfriend’s death. One the other hand, Clover is a very mysterious character. In the beginning you only know that she hasn’t had a normal life and that there is something that haunts her life. I spent all book trying to figure out what happened to her for her to be like this. The girl doesn’t even know what an exercise bike is. While the author drops a lot of clues about Clover’s past I was still shocked when I found out the true. I also liked the romance but in the end I wanted a little bit more. My only problem with the romance was how Clover always wanted to get back to Daniel and thought that she needed him in her life. I understand where this comes from but sometimes it would annoy me a little bit. Another thing I loved was the other characters. I loved Daniel’s twin sister Amelia. She was an amazing character and I would read a book about her and Sam because they are the cutest and by now you know how much I love cuteness.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and even more than what I was expecting. I’m pretty sure that after this I’ll keep Katherine Fleet under my radar because I want to read her next books.

Working in his father’s sporting goods store Daniel Hudson never expected to come across a customer quite like Clover Scott. Clover has a hair cut that looks like she’s been attacked by a pair of scissors, clothes that don’t quite fit right and sometimes says the strangest things but Daniel is immediately drawn to her. After coming to Clover’s rescue twice Daniel finds himself wanting to help this girl that so obviously needs someone to do so.

The Secret of Letting Go is truly a touching tale of two teenagers that each have had tough times in their past to deal with that somehow end up in each other’s lives. The story changes POV a few times between the two to get to know each side a bit better.

I don’t even really know what to say about Clover, her life growing up was the things nightmares are made of. She is naive to the world because she’s never experienced anything that a normal teenager would. She is obviously a lot stronger than most would give her credit for though since she had made her way down to Florida and had been taking care of herself for a while. A character that will make every day problems seem a lot less significant in the scheme of things.

Daniel was a kind, caring and compassionate soul that was made that way because of his past. A few years before his girlfriend had passed away which made him grow up in ways that he wouldn’t have otherwise. Even though he has had a much easier life than Clover he still feels things a bit deeper than normal teenagers due to his past.

There are also quite a few of other great characters involved, a small town feel to the story when people open up their homes and lives to welcome Clover in and help her when she needs it. With a bit of suspense involved with the touching tale it made for a real page turning read that should touch your heart. Would definitely recommend.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.