Official Review of Scorn of Secrets

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ALynnPowers
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Official Review of Scorn of Secrets

Post by ALynnPowers »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Scorn of Secrets" by B. Truly.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Scorn of Secrets by B. Truly is a young adult novel that tells the story of one teenager’s life-changing experiences. Madison was always a daddy’s girl, but she is left feeling out of place with her mom and sister when her father’s debt and gambling addiction leads to his murder. With no funds to survive, Madison’s mother quickly takes the opportunity to pack up the family and move in with her new boyfriend in Houston. Moving on without her father is hard, but Madison is prepared to deal with a new home in a new state. What she didn’t expect to find was the love of her life within the walls of her new home. She also didn’t expect her new home to become the setting for her worst nightmare.

I would describe this book as a realistic drama disguised as a romance. If there was anything in the book that I didn’t like, it was the romance part. Although it’s not technically incest, getting into a relationship with a potential step-sibling is just something I’m not super comfortable with, so I have to caution readers right from the beginning that such a theme is strong in this book. There are also pretty graphic scenes of sexual assault that might be triggering or traumatizing for some readers. Because of this, I think that this book is only suitable for older or more mature teens.

Though it is a fictional story, it is easy to believe that this could be based on a true story. The characters are very realistic, and I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the relationships between Madison, her mother, and her sister. Though Madison’s sister and mother were quite close with each other, Madison was more of the black sheep, and their relationships only became more diminished when Madison merely reached out to them for support. I think that many young readers can relate to this feeling of not fitting in within your own home, and finding more support from friends than from those supposedly closest to you.

While I absolutely adored the story (romance aside), there was still something that felt a little off about the pacing of the book. More than one year passes throughout the span of the story, and a lot of major events take place within the last few chapters of the book. This is a big contrast to the first half of the book, which progressed at a much slower pace. While much character development and set-up for the main plot points took place at the beginning, the ending felt a little too rushed in comparison. There is also not a strong conclusion to the story, with the expectation that there will be a sequel to this book.

Overall, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I loved most of the characters and the (non-romantic) relationships between them. The events are believable and filled with suspense that kept me reading for hours. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance nor the inconsistent pacing of the book, but I still enjoyed the book as a whole. I recommend this book to mature young adults who enjoy realistic fiction. There are lots of instance of profanity and a couple of disturbing graphic scenes. With only nine very minor errors throughout the book, the writing itself is decent as well.

******
Scorn of Secrets
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Kavita Shah
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Post by Kavita Shah »

It's a believable story with a rushed ending. Madison is finding comfort in others as her life has changed and the dream just turned into a nightmare. You've written a great review! And, I am hoping to read this story soon.
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angelap5467
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Post by angelap5467 »

This book reminds me of the basis of every big series that came up last year. I'm not a big fan of this type of book but I liked your review and the approach you took with it. Great job.
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Dzejn_Crvena
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

This is a book that may trigger some readers, so thank you for warning us early on about what to expect early on.
I guess the ending will be a major cliffhanger for me, and I might consider not reading it for now.
Thank you for your review.
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Reema Aydieh
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Post by Reema Aydieh »

I read this one and I agree to what what you said about the romantic relationship. I also felt like the pace was a bit off. It’s not my cup of tea, but you made it sound interesting I wondered if we’ve read the same book. :lol2:
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Post by Mishkah Simons DeVos »

I like the storyline and the name of the book is intriguing. I appreciate you mentioning that the book contains sensitive content, I think that is always important to note. Thanks for your review 🌻
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Post by Michelle Menezes »

I'm curious about the book, and I want to see how Madison deals with her sexual assault with no help from her family. I think I know who the culprit is, and I want to confirm if my guess is correct. I don't know how I feel about step-siblings romance either, so I'd just have to read a bit and find out. Thank you for the detailed review!
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

This is an interesting young-adult urban fantasy fiction novel highlighting a dysfunctional family, stepsiblings, and one teenager’s life-changing experiences. The book is temporarily free on Amazon Kindle and has an inciteful OnlineBookClub review. Congrats on the BOTD selection.
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Timothy Rucinski
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Post by Timothy Rucinski »

This isn't my type of story, so I'll take a pass on reading it. Nevertheless, it's obvious from the few pages that I read that the author has a fine writing style, particularly in providing the characters with good, realistic dialogue. Congratulations to B. Truly for achieving BOTD honors.
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Post by Rishi_reviews »

This seems like a really interesting story and the reviewer has portrayed the plot fantastically. I'm intrigued about it now. Thanks for the amazing review.
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Post by Sanju Lali »

A romantic young adult novel "Scorn of Secrets" by B. Truly, which tells us the story of Madison's life-changing experiences, when her father passed away. The story looks like an engaging read.
life is only knowing the unknown, we can do this by reading books easily- Online book club is a great place for this. This is what I believe.
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Laura Ungureanu
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Post by Laura Ungureanu »

I like how realistic this book seems. However, the almost incestuous relationship puts me off from wanting to give it a chance.
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Luchris_michael
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Post by Luchris_michael »

The book is an express presentation of reality. I would love to read the book. Thanks for your review.
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Post by DEEPA PUJARI »

This is a book about hope and positivity. It’s a story about Madison who is left alone to fight her fears after her family tragedy.
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Stephen Ikimi
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Post by Stephen Ikimi »

Wonderful! I like such young adult novel books telling of life changing experiences young people have gone through. It's through them that we learn more about life and avoid the mistakes they may have made. Bravo!
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