Book Review : Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; First Edition edition (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423111443
• ISBN-13: 978-1423111443
• Available on Amazon
  

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.

This book piqued my interest from the first page onwards. Camelia's life is normal, until she is saved by a mysterious boy from a car accident. The boy touches her on the stomach, then leaves quickly. Wanting to find out her saviour's true identity, Camelia approaches the newcomer of her school whose name is Ben. Ben looks exactly like the guy who saved her life, but he denies about having seen her before, much less saving her.

Ben is an outcast in the school, as he is accused of causing her ex-girlfriend's death, despite the fact that it was an accident. Camelia's curiousity makes me want to know more about Ben and the person he really is behind his facade.

I can only say one word : Wow. Intrigue, suspense, mystery... all these elements are present in Deadly Little Secret, and Laurie's way of presenting her story is truly amazing. As the story unfolds, we discover that the main character, Camelia, is being stalked by someone. And the creepy guy keeps on harassing her by making strange phone calls and sending weird items to her. She is scared, but she is unable to tell her parents about it because she doesn't want to burden her mother when she is too emotional about her aunt's mental health.

Now the question is, who is the stalker? I was totally fooled by the characters' appearances. I didn't realize it was him until the final chapters. Now, a book which can trick me into selecting the wrong baddie deserves some compliments.

This book is entertaining and fast-paced. Some may compare it to the Twilight saga because of the few things that are similar to it, but aside from those little things, this book holds its own charm and good points. Laurie is a brilliant writer and I'm hope to read more by this author in the future.

Notes: Deadly Little Secret has some kissing scenes, but there's nothing overboard. Recommended to teenagers above 14 years of age.

Rating:

Thanks to Crystal from My Reading Room for ordering this book for me! I won $10 to The Book Depository on her blog.

About the Author

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of the hugely popular young adult novels Blue Is for Nightmares, White Is for Magic, Silver Is for Secrets, and Red Is for Remembrance. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Laurie attended Merrick College and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson.

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