Haley HarriganRezensionen

I received this book free from the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Please see my full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.com.

Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan is an intriguing novel about a young woman who is haunted by the death of her best friend ten years earlier.

Although Julie Portland managed to escape from the small southern town where she grew up, she is still haunted by the death of her best friend Reba McLeod. While the events surrounding Reba's fateful fall from a bridge are hazy, Julie is certain she is responsible for her friend's death. Haunted by her memories, she is barely getting by as she raises her five her old daughter, Beck, in New York City. When Reba's former boyfriend August Elliott tracks Julie down and begs her to return to Lawrence Mill, Mississippi to find Reba's diary, she reluctantly agrees to his plan. Will finding Reba's long lost diary provide Julie and August the answers they both need to finally lay the ghosts of their pasts to rest?

Best friends from the moment they met when they were five years old, Julie and Reba are thick as thieves until their senior year in high school. The two begin growing apart soon after the school year starts and Julie begins practicing for an upcoming play. Reba continues working in the local flower shop where she meets newcomer August Elliot. Immediately attracted to the young man, the two begin secretly dating since Reba's bigoted father will not approve of his daughter having an African American boyfriend.

Julie knows that Reba is keeping a secret from her and after she sees her leaving her cousin Toby's bedroom late one night, she is stunned by his revelation. Julie and Reba have a huge fight over this disclosure and although they finally make up, things are not quite the same between them. Reba's behavior is completely out of character and Julie wants to get to the bottom of what is happening with her best friend. However, before she can uncover the truth, Reba is dead and soon after, Julie leaves for college.

Julie and August's return to Lawrence Mill quickly resurrects their unsettled feelings about the events leading up to Reba's tragic death. Despite repeated warnings to leave the past alone, Julie finally locates Reba's diary. The diary entries are somewhat shocking since Reba wrote detailed accounts of exactly what she doing in the months before falling from bridge. Both Julie and August are stunned to discover the truth about Reba but will this newfound knowledge help them come to terms with the demons that have plagued them for so long?

Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan is a captivating novel of healing and redemption. Written from multiple points of view (including Reba's diary entries), the story unfolds in a leisurely fashion that quite is riveting. With unexpected twists and turns, this well-written, suspenseful read comes to a completely satisfying and somewhat surprising conclusion.

Julie Portland killed her best friend, Reba, in 1998. In the ten years since, Julie has left their small hometown of Lawrence Mill, Mississippi, for New York. She attended NYU, studied acting, married a classmate who becomes a Broadway star, has a baby, divorces said classmate, and is now trying to make ends meet. Her daughter, Beck, is the light of her life. Julie has lived a full life, but every day that goes by, she remembers that girl from Mississippi---the one she killed.

In a crowded, Manhattan restaurant, Julie sees a man from her past: the man who came between Reba and herself. She tries to escape, but the man, August, manages to track her down to her apartment.

August hasn’t come there to cast blame or seek revenge; he’s come to New York to persuade Julie to return to Mississippi and free Reba’s memories. What follows is a page-turning story where author Harrigan feeds readers information slowly, like a stray breeze on a hot and humid Mississippi afternoon. Sometimes the tension is almost unbearable, and there are several twists in the story that I didn’t see coming.

August is sure there Reba left behind a journal that could unlock the mystery of her death. Julie may feel that is responsible for her friend’s death, but August isn’t convinced she is. He knows that the journal holds the answers to all his questions.

Dueling timelines between 1997 and 2008 make for fascinating reading. Especially when Toby, Julie’s cousin, enters the picture. I wanted to give this debut 6 stars, but it dragged a bit about two-thirds through, but picked back up near the end. Therefore, Secrets of Southern Girls receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I really did not enjoy this novel. There were a lot of things that just didn't work for me. I thought this novel would be primarily told from Julie's point of view. And while most of it was, there were also other perspectives thrown in that took me aback. With no introduction, a chapter would suddenly be told in the perspective of some other character. This really affected the flow of the novel, making it choppy. There were diary entries scattered throughout the book, and while I usually enjoy that, I didn't like it here. That was mostly because the voice of the diary entry was very awkward. The story took a long while to get going and I kept waiting for that moment where the story would pull me in ... but it never happened. There was nothing really appealing about the story. None of the characters were likable, and I didn't really care about what they were going through because they were just so selfish and immature. I thought there would be more twists and turns in the plot but it was really just about Julie and August getting the diary (which happened pretty easily, in all honesty) and then reading the entries that the reader has had access to already. Nothing really made this novel shine or took it over the edge. All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this book and for those reasons, I'm giving it a 1/5 stars.

I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

SECRETS of SOUTHERN GIRLS
HALEY HARRIGAN

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️▫️
PUBLISHER Sourcebooks Landmark
PUBLISHED June 1, 2017

SUMMARY
Secrets of Southern Girls is a debut novel for Haley Harrigan. Julie Portland and her best friend Reba grew up in a mill town in Mississippi in the 1990s. Julie thought they shared everything. But when they were seniors in high school Julie learned there were some big secrets Reba had been keeping from her. Julie was hurt and mad. And then something terrible happened. Reba was dead. Her body was found down river from their favorite bridge. Did Reba commit suicide? Or was she pushed? Did Julie have something to do with it?

It's now 10 years later, and Julie is single and lives in New York City with her daughter Beck. Julie has been stalked and finally approached by August, Reba's old boyfriend from high school. August wants Julie to join him on a trip back to Lawernce Mill, Mississippi. August knows that Julie had a diary that she had planned to give him that fateful night. No one knows what happened to it. August is able to convince Julie that Reba's diary might be the key to figuring out what really happened on the bridge that night.

REVIEW
Overall, I liked the book. It was fairly easy to read and the story was interesting. For a debut novel I thought the writing was good. I particularly liked the use of Reba's diary entries to tell her version of the story. I also liked how the intensity of the diary entries coincided with the intensity of the experiences Julie and August had in Mississippi trying to obtain the diary.

Secrets of Southern Girls contained a robust cast of characters, most all of which were adequately developed. The main characters were Julie, Reba, August, Nell and Toby. In addition there a host of minor characters such as Julie's aunt and Uncle, Reba parents and the famous actor, Evan, who was Julie's ex husband. I would have love to see Evan play more of a role in the book. I thought the artist, Toby, who was Julie's cousin and the antagonist, added a little creative spice to the story.

I found it a little unbelievable that Julie would hang out for 10 years without pursuing what really happened that night on the bridge. I also struggled somewhat with the perspectives from which the story was told. The chapters jumped between August, Reba, and Julie's point of view. Additionally chapters jump back and forth in time as well. It was a little hard to follow at times. Overall, it was an entertaining read. It's would probably appeal most to younger women between the ages of 13-35.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Haley Harrigan for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years ago, Julie Portland accidentally killed her best friend, Reba. Even worse, no one else knows. Consumed by guilt, Julie has long left her small Mississippi hometown behind, but she can't escape the memories. They have already ruined her marriage, and they threaten to take over her life. So when Reba's long-ago high school boyfriend shows up, claiming Reba left behind a diary, Julie reluctantly returns home with him to help search. Once there, however, she's caught up in a swirl of memories and secrets.

Oh, I have mixed feelings about this one. The novel switches POV and time periods in an effort to set up suspense. Our main character is Julie, but we hear from others as well, and the author includes snippets from Reba's diary. Bits and pieces of the story unfold slowly, with portions coming from the past and then others as the characters think back and remember. For the most part, this does work; you become almost frustrated, waiting and wondering what on earth happened back then. Reba's diary entries don't always seem to be in the voice of a seventeen-year-old teen, though, and some of the plot (both current and past) just seems odd. Plus, we also get bits and pieces of more recent parts of Julie's life and those really just distract from the real story.

I think the hardest thing for me was that while I really didn't have a major problem with the novel, I just wasn't incredibly connected to it, either. I liked Julie well enough, but I wasn't really invested in her, or really, Reba's story. I was curious about what happened to her, but I didn't particularly care, and there's a big difference there. In the end, I felt like there was a build up for... not much. I found the story intriguing and suspenseful, but somewhat disappointing. I kept waiting for some big shocker, or reveal, but it never happened. The ending felt a little cliche, and I was just sort of frustrated by the end.

So, overall, this isn't a bad book. In fact, it's often quite intriguing and can be a real page-turner at times. Unfortunately, I was bogged down by its uninteresting characters and a plot that I found to be a bit of a letdown. I'd go with 2.5 - 3 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 06/06/2017.

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This book needs to get interesting long before it does! We spend a great deal of time with the main character in her head full of angst without really getting to know her or understand her current day or past relationships. All the while we are teased with this "mystery" and given no real nuggets of information to keep us interested as she looks for answers. And in the end, the secrets of these Southern girls aren't even large enough to hold the book together. Sorry, but this one is a clunker.

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Haley Harrigan delivers a twisty mystery southern debut SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS – a grown woman and mother, with demons from her past which surface. . . part young adult, and coming-of-age; haunting secrets that shape lives.

Julie Portland has a secret. Years ago she escaped this small southern town; however, she has never forgotten the trauma. Now she is in New York, and the ghosts of the past stare her in the face.

Ten years earlier, Julie’s best friend Reba died after falling off a bridge in Lawrence Mill, Mississippi. Julie feels responsible. They had an argument. She killed her friend. She swore she would never return to this awful place.

Now, August Elliot shows up (Reba’s first love). A walking, talking, tangible reminder of the past.

August is African American and Reba’s dad would not have accepted a relationship. They began dating in secret.

In New York, her young daughter Beck wants to know, “who is Reba?"

Julie dreams of Reba. She has tortured herself. She knows she will have to forgive herself in order to move on with her future.

She now comes face to face with August (Reba’s love).

He wants her to return to Lawrence Mill with him. He wants the diary. She does not know about a diary. She thinks of how dangerous a journal of Reba’s could be in the wrong hands.

Who has the diary? Someone will learn the secrets of her shameful past. Would her friend be so careless as to document the things that happened that year? August thought Julie (Jules) had it. Now if she doesn’t, who does?

Nell must have the diary. With Reba’s diary entries sprinkled throughout, the ghosts of the past are unraveled. What really happened?

Told from two time periods 1997/2008. Two best friends Julie had lost per parents in an accident and turned a little wild. Reba works at Nell’s Flower Shop. Reba appears to have the perfect home life. However, her dad is a racist and Reba has her own secrets.

August never found closure after Reba died and he is convinced that someone has the old diary Reba once told him he should read.

Does anyone know the real Reba? What is the real truth behind August? Then and now?

Both Julie and August are shocked to learn the truth about Reba. Will they be able to come to terms with her death and the ghosts of the past? Things are not always as they appear.

A slow-burning suspense. I was not really connected to any of the characters and feel it would have flowed a bit easier if the chapters had been broken down the characters, for a little more organization.

However, for a debut the author clearly is a talented writer and for readers who enjoy young adult fiction, Southern Gothic, and coming-of-age mysteries.

A journey of healing and redemption. Looking forward to seeing what’s next for this newfound author.

A special thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an early reading copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars

JDCMustReadBooks ½

This was a slow moving read that told the story of Reba and her death while still a teenager. Julie, her best friend, and August, her boyfriend at the time, find each other and set out on a mission to find the truth of what really happened to Reba.

Both of these characters think that they have something to do with the demise of Reba, a girl they both loved very much.

When the final moments of Reba's life are brought to light, the results will both shock you and disgust you.

As I said, a slow moving read, but, for me, was still entertaining.

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for the free e-galley for me to give my honest, unbiased opinion.

Secrets of Southern Girls is an intersting story about a woman named Jules who is still haunted by the death of her childhood friend Reba, a death she believes she may be responsible for. Jules returns to her hometown with her friend's former boyfriend August to find answers on what happened to her. The novel cuts back and forth between August and Jules' quest and diary entries from Reba.

I initially wanted to put this novel down when I realized there was a race-related element to it, as I wasn't sure it would be in my particular taste. However, I was relieved the story acknowledged southern racism but didn't attempt to tie a neat bow over it. The plot and pacing was good although I struggled at time with the diary element, as the viewpoints of Reba and Jules read almost too similar.

Additionally, there were a couple of unneccessary twists at the end that I just didn't care for, but I was pleased with the overall resolution of this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!

I was intrigued by the premise so I went in with high hopes. Harrigan overall seems to have a great talent at writing through vivid descriptions that really make you feel like you are there. The downside though is in her dialogue writing. She would be well deserved in having people act out her dialogue as though they’re in a play so she can hear how disparate and stilted it often sounds then rewrite once she can get it to sound like people are having a true conversation. As it stands now, if no setting was given and you just had people up on a stage using only her dialogue the play would crash and burn in dress rehearsals with theater goers demanding they be compensated for their time. I’m not normally so harsh in a review but it’s all the more frustrating when you have an author who so clearly knows how to write but fails in the endeavor of conversation and this somehow was not picked up in the editing process. It’s so unrealistic and socially awkward but if this is how the author meant it to be there is nothing within the context of the story that gives rise to explaining why.
Repeatedly changing perspectives can work, I’ve read a few books lately where doing this actually made the book absolutely amazing because it added a depth to the story that would not otherwise have existed. However, in Harrigan’s book it doesn’t quite give the same effect and in fact takes away from the story because it seems unnecessary to the point of confusing at times.
There isn’t very good characterizations either. I like being able to create a character in my head, especially if the book is turned into a movie then I can see how well the actor matched up to what I had but in this book there is little to nothing to give me a basis to work with. It’s hard to connect when you have nothing to hold onto. The way she writes her characters, you could just randomly pick people off Times Square and they’d all fit.

The diary inclusions need serious work. Harrigan was a teenage girl once, surely she remembers what she was like, what she would’ve written and how she would’ve described things but these entries don’t reflect that. I just don’t buy that these were written by a teenager in the midst of teen angst who is dealing with the emotional rollercoaster that is going on during this time in a girl’s life.

The way she writes about Reba’s view on the KKK seemed completely unbelievable especially since Harrigan is from the south and should know better. I’ve lived all over the world but went to high school in North Texas and learned about the KKK inside of my first few months. I highly doubt Reba, who has spent her life encased in this culture, would actually be surprised about anything to do with racism.

I think there is a lot of promise here but Harrigan needs a more strict editing process to clean up the dialogue and smooth out the fake realism.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to review this.