Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis via Goodreads:
Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend’s death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he’ll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she’s hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble.
Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life’s story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets—even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after.
*Publisher approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Secret to Letting Go was quite an interesting story. Initially, I thought Clover was from a cult and had escaped, with the way she was so naive, wasn't aware of certain things and didn't understand a lot. She also portrayed the behavior of someone who lived in fear of authority figures and seemed as if she was in hiding, so that was another sign, to me, that she had run away from captivity. Well, in a way she had. Her situation might not have been the same as those from cults, but she was restricted from living a more freer life and she had to endure emotional torment and witness physical abuse by people who were supposed to love and protect her.
I liked that Clover finally left it behind in hopes of finding something better, but it frustrated me with how long it took for her to come clean about what happened and why she was like that. She was also a frustrating character in the sense that she was so needy and couldn't just be strong on her own, but in a way that's understandable because of what she'd been through and before Daniel, she had only one other person in her life that cared for her. So after losing that intense bond, she wanted to cling to the next person who made her feel that way.
Daniel had gone through his own emotional torment when he'd lost his girlfriend. He held a lot of guilt over her death and when Clover came into the picture, he couldn't help having the need to make sure she was okay and wouldn't end up in that same predicament. Their relationship quickly turned into something that seemed a tad unhealthy, because it was as if Daniel had to be around Clover for her to be alright, and she just couldn't stop clinging on to him. I liked Daniel and connected a lot with him during his narration. His thoughts were realistic and I understood everything he felt and had the same questions as he did. However, I didn't care for the romance part of the story and like Daniel, I also thought Clover only believed she loved him because she liked the idea of feeling so safe. So the best thing Daniel did was break things off before going to college. The separation was good for the two, but I wasn't a fan of the ending.
In conclusion, the story was intriguing from start to finish. A little draggy on the mystery of Clover's character but I liked that it turned out to not be what I thought had happened in Virginia. The writing's good too; fast and fluid. And I loved the way the author pulled me into every scene. I could smell the salty sea and felt like I was in Florida. This is definitely a great debut and I look forward to reading more from Katherine.
About the Author
Originally from Newfoundland, Canada, Katherine Fleet moved with her family to the Caribbean island of CuraƧao in 2007. The slower pace of island life gave her time to pursue a long-time goal - becoming an author. When she’s not writing, she spends her time baking, chauffeuring her three amazing, talented kids around, and having sun-filled adventures with her wonderful friends. She is a member of RWA™ and several of its chapters. She also loves NaNoWriMo and is an active supporter of the associated Young Writers Program. She is represented by super-agent Carrie Pestritto of Prospect Agency. The Secret to Letting Go is her debut novel.
Does sound intriguing and katherine sounds like a character I could enjoy as well
ReplyDeleteHope you give it read. It's the kind of story that keeps your interest until the end.
DeleteOh gosh. I would be frustrated, too if her it dragged on too unnecessarily long. But I'm glad you had the patience and ended up enjoying it in the end.
ReplyDeleteYeah I think readers definitely need patience to keep up with a character like Clover, but it's still worth reading.
DeleteHi Shane, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read and review my debut book. I really appreciate it and I'm really glad that you stuck with it:) Thanks again! Katherine Fleet
ReplyDeleteNo prob! You wrote a great story :)
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