I have read several Natalie D. Richards novels and "My Secret to Tell" was one of my favourites. It had less gore and more romance than some of her others but it was still full of action and drama.

Emmie was very relatable. She was a girl who never got into trouble, volunteered at an animal shelter, never worried her parents and achieved good grades at school. She also struggled with OCD, her parents' expectations and trying to fix everyone's problems. The fact she had a crush on her best friend's bad-boy brother made life interesting as Emmie finds herself doing things she never imagined she would do when Deacon is blamed for a crime he says he didn't commit.

I liked the interaction between Emmie and Deacon and their banter made me smile. It felt natural and realistic, and I thought they were good for each other. I also liked that Emmie didn't believe Deacon just because he said he was innocent, but used logic and sifted through the facts before trying to find the real culprit/s. Although she made mistakes along the way, she was determined to clear Deacon's name.

While there was a mystery in this novel I guessed who the baddie was fairly early on. However, that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of "My Secret to Tell", and I look forward to my next Richards' read. ( )

The phrase "just okay" is going to come up a lot :(

Emmie has been in love with her best friend's (Chelsea's) brother Deacon for a long, long time. Everyone knows it, but no one talks about it. Then Deacon turns up in Emmie's room covered in blood. Due to a childhood trauma, when Deacon sees blood, he goes into a state of shock. She knows this looks bad because Deacon's dad was violently attacked and is fighting for his life. The police are well aware of Deacon's bad boy reputation and zero-in on him quick. Emmie doesn't want to believe Deacon could do it, even if his own sister does. And she's going to prove it to everyone... even herself.

My Thoughts:
I've been searching for great YA Mysteries and Thrillers for a while now. I have found a few ([b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356513050s/16074758.jpg|21869436], [b:All Unquiet Things|6370307|All Unquiet Things|Anna Jarzab|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320430671s/6370307.jpg|6557877], [b:The Night She Disappeared|12013031|The Night She Disappeared|April Henry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334406165s/12013031.jpg|16978071]), but unfortunately this didn't turn out to be one of them. Now just because I say it wasn't great, doesn't mean it wasn't perfectly okay, because it was. It was an okay, average, decently written YA mystery. It wasn't anything special though. It didn't go that extra-mile and it didn't do anything different from many other YA Mysteries that I've read. There was also an issue with me liking the characters.

I wanted to like Emmie, and at times I did, but other times I found her just ehh. She was portrayed as OCD, but it wasn't really something that was ever dealt with beyond "she likes things clean". She was painfully in love with Deacon and only after he's about to go to jail for the rest of his life does he want to acknowledge her feelings and return them. BLAH! I also didn't care for Deacon being the resort-town man-whore.... and Emmie is miss perfectly pure in every way. The relationship between Emmie and Chelsea left me feeling sad. I know there were extreme circumstances going on, but I don't really want to read about another YA girl friendship that sucks. I want to see girl relationships where we treat each other better.

I did like Emmie's family backstory, and because of the fact that her brother went rogue she had all these expectations on her. It did make me understand and like her a little bit better.

So should you read this?? I don't know! I mean, if you like the same old, same old, I say yes. It's perfectly nice, but it's nothing special. I also knew who the baddie was.... so that was disappointing.

OVERALL: An okay book. Nothing special or new, which is what I was hoping for. I didn't care for the characters, and found the mystery really predictable. I'd recommend it for younger readers.

My Blog:

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My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards is a very intriguing young adult mystery. With just a hint of romance, this suspense-laden novel is sure to be a hit with teen readers.

Emerson "Emmie" May is a good girl who does everything right but even she is feeling the strain of her parents' expectations for her future. Ever since her older brother Landon crashed and burned during his first year of college, all of her parents' dreams are resting on her shoulders. However, even her fear of disappointing them cannot withstand her loyalty to the Westfield family and despite their pleas to stay away from them after their father is brutally attacked, Emmie cannot abandon her friend Chelsea and her brother (and Emmie's secret crush), Deacon.

Emmie and Chelsea have been best friends for years and the two share everything. So when Chelsea's father is assaulted in their home, Emmie is the first person she calls. Emmie is shocked to learn that Deacon is the prime suspect in the attack due to their tempestuous relationship. But when she returns home to find him waiting in her bathroom covered in blood, Emmie does what she does best: she cleans him up and offers her support. However, even she begins to doubt his innocence in the days after the attack once Deacon goes into hiding. Although Emmie remains unsure of his guilt, one thing is absolutely certain: both Chelsea and Deacon are keeping secrets from her. But do these secrets have anything to do with the attack on their father?

Emmie and Deacon are well-developed, multi-faceted characters. Emmie is caught between her loyalty to her friends and her need to please her parents (which is something teens will definitely relate to). The issues she is dealing with are pretty straight forward but it is only a matter of time before she has to decide whether to follow her heart regardless of her parents' expectations.

On the surface, Deacon certainly seems troubled but he is also a caring and compassionate young man. He has had a few scrapes here and there but there is no denying his relationship with his father is deeply troubled. Although the police have good reason to suspect he has something to do with his father's assault, it soon becomes obvious the police have focused exclusively on him. Deacon is not just avoiding the police; he is conducting an investigation of his own. He uncovers some puzzling clues, but, to his frustration, this new information does little to help him figure out the identity of his father's attacker.

My Secret to Tell is a clever whodunit with a fabulous cast of characters and an alluring romance that will appeal to teens. The mystery element is interesting and full of unexpected twists and turns. The motive for the crime remains elusive and Natalie B. Richards skillfully utilizes numerous red herrings to keep readers guessing the perpetrator's identity right up until the novel's rather dramatic and pulse pounding conclusion.
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I loved Emmie. Incredibly likable main character. ( )

This was my 3rd Natalie Richards book to read and I LOVE her writing style. I am literally hooked within the first chapter. Well balanced romance,mystery and suspense. ( )