Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis: In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.
Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

Rating: 3 stars

Pros: The best part about this book is Holly Cupala and her writing; her narratives are engaging and her story telling is as natural as it can be. It is simply effortless, and it flows as if I am simply reading a close friend's diary/journal.
Another thing I liked about the book is how fast paced it is, and the fact that I never found myself bored with it. I actually had a difficult time putting it down. I didn't want to, as I truly wanted to find out what happens next, and the "secrets" in the story. The story itself caught my attention, and kept me interested throughout.

Cons: Character and plot development were disappointing for me. Truthfully, I actually ended up disliking every single character in the book. I didn't understand, connect, or empathize with any of them; not even with the main protagonist.
As for the plot development, I just felt as if it was a bit anticlimactic. When it was time for the secrets to be "revealed..." I immediately thought to myself, "That's it??" I was not content with how the story was wrapped up, and there were too many loose ends left. It was just underwhelming.

Overall: I thought the book was okay. It was a good enough read because as I said, the story telling is great. However, the plot fell flat. The conclusion was out of nowhere and felt like it happened all of a sudden. Also, I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters, which is the biggest turn off for me. I don't know why exactly I couldn't find myself to connect with the story; I just didn't. I can see how some YA readers may like this -- as it has gotten mostly 4-5 star reviews -- but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.