As soon as I sat down to dinner I could tell my parents were upset.
"Something has happened," my father admitted. "And it's pretty bad. I've been fired."
"What are we going to do?" I whispered.
Nobody answered.
Cathy's life changes forever after that night. She switches to a new school, and must cope with her parents' depression and anger as her father is turned away from one job after another.
Her new life holds some happy surprises though. Cathy fits in with the kids at school, lands a job of her own, and realizes that her friend Benedict is becoming more than just a friend...
It's interesting that the title is Secrets and that the summary mentions nothing about a secret. There is one, and the summary should have mentioned that part of the plot.
This is a very good book.
Would it always be like this? Would Robin always have to look out for Rae? Give things up for her? Robin knows she shouldn't overprotect her sister—but Rae is different...
Robin doesn't really mind moving to the little town on the St. Lawrence River. She's not crazy about the cold weather, but she's looking forward to making new friends. And the first one she makes is Chris, who turns out to be very special!
Everything is terrific—except for Rae. Rae is handicapped, and so self-conscious she spends all her time alone. Robin feels guilty about her own life—the dates, the parties, the boyfriends—until Rae begins to change. Before Robin knows it, Rae has her first boyfriend. The only problem is, it's Chris...
I was surprised that the "handicap" is a slight limp. I guess I was expecting a bit more than that. I feel like the early part of the book exaggerates Rae's problem a bit, even though having a limp would be difficult for a teenager who is self-conscious. Robin states her feelings about Rae on page 5: "I felt guilty that I was strong and healthy and popular."
I can see where Rae might not be strong or popular because of the limp. I find it odd that the limp also makes her unhealthy. Huh.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I found a number of things odd. I was a bit unsettled and puzzled by the ending.
The rest of this post contains spoilers. Quit reading now to avoid having the ending spoiled.
When Chris first meets Robin and Rae, he is clearly interested in Rae instead of Robin. Rae remains aloof, which is how Chris and Robin end up together. After Chris and Robin have a falling out, Chris goes out with Rae. They seem to get along pretty well.
Meanwhile, Robin works at a nearby greenhouse and meets Jeffrey. Jeffrey is cold and arrogant at first, and Robin doesn't like him. Later, they become friendly, and Jeffrey makes it clear that he is interested in Robin.
Rae and Chris break up. And then, Robin reflects that she will get back with Chris. The book pretty abruptly ends. Uh, what?
I don't like Chris. Something just doesn't feel right about his relationship with Robin. I really thought that Robin would develop a relationship with Jeffrey. She just abandons Jeffrey without any closure. She isn't even sure about Chris, but she's going to get back with him, even though he has bad traits. I don't get it. I thought the author was headed towards a different ending.
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