In Katherine Tirado-Ryen’s, The Secrets Inside, Connie had everything mapped out. A promising future with a scholarship meant boys had never turned her head. She’d much rather have a new project to fully immerse herself into. Chemistry was her passion, her love, that was until a different kind of chemistry turned her head. The last few months have been rocky, her home is filled with drama from a sister who’s moved back in, a vibrant grandmother who doesn’t miss a thing, and last but not least, her father’s widowed friend. And therein lies the issue. He has been mourning for years. He was keeping to himself, until she pulled him from his shell and uncovered feelings she thought were best left to those who had the promise of a future. But her path looks rocky as choices and decisions descend and she must make a choice, which future path she should walk, and will she be willing to accept the consequences?
If you’re looking for a slow-burn romance with conflict and turmoil while providing fleshed-out characters and real-life drama then The Secrets Inside could be right up your alley. Connie is a plan-driven teenager who has never known love but for that she feels towards her studies. Paired with her best friend Dee, her polar opposite in every way, you will never be short of drama, add that to a house full of people, each with their troubles, and the unfolding events, and you have a recipe for an involved read. It was fun to watch the slow draw, the forbidden pull towards Nick, as Connie finally starts to look at something other than her textbooks only to find a lot more than she bargained for, especially since theirs is a love fated never to be, at least, not without driving a wedge between her and those she loves. Katherine Tirado-Ryen writes in a smooth style, paying attention to detail allowing the reader to feel fully immersed in the scene and scenery as the well-developed characters. This is a tale to pull at the heartstrings, a coming of age story which breaks free of the normal mould to offer the reader a new and emotional journey.
K.J's Athenaeum 