Seven Little Secrets

Gigi gets a phone call a little after seven a.m. from Dani telling her that Natalie is dead. Gigi asks how she did it. Dani is surprised but Gigi gives her a general answer. Natalie was the head cheerleader of the cheerleaders group. Gigi didn’t think it would happen but now wonders if she did the right thing by not telling. At lunch in school, they decide to say a prayer for Natalie but are rudely interrupted. It’s decided that they need to go some place more private like the forest where Natalie died. When they get to the forest, they each end up telling a “little secret” they knew. It hurts but makes the survivors stronger. They never thought that Natalie had secrets.

This is a story that revolves around secrets kept and Natalie killing herself. It is a subject not talked about — that is suicide. Secrets one has don’t usually get talked about. Is it good to keep secrets? The story is written expertly about the two subjects. I think the conversations seem real. It’s a great book for discussion with your friends or even a teacher or parents. Death is never easy but suicide is worse yet so very seldom talked about. It’s something that would be a good thing to do.

Wow. This book was amazing. I've always loved book that revolve around the high school drama and high functioning teenagers. This book also shows the flipside of all the popularity and fame that the Janes aka the cheerleaders experience on a daily basis when one of them commits suicide. It goes back and forth in time to bring us to the main incident. It is narrated in different POVs that makes it an interesting read and gives us a deep insight into the mind of every Jane.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you're looking for a fast paced book, this is it.

When I started reading “Seven Little Secrets,” I thought it would be a young adult mystery that spoke about how Natalie died and if it included a murder mystery. However, the story turned out to be something different, and in a way, made me appreciate it more. It’s a story about how a group of girls reveal their secrets after Natalie’s death and come to terms with what they have done.

Firstly, I adored the way the author told the story. All the characters brought a new perspective to their relationship with Natalie. Brynn was my favorite, and I liked her backstory with Nick and the tough time with her stepsisters. Similarly, I also like Tina and her complex relationship with Natalie. Even though Tina got on my nerves sometimes, my heart went out to her towards the end. Sasha and Haley also had intriguing backstories. Probably the weakest one was Gigi, perhaps because she did not get prominence compared to the others.

Moreover, the author also covers topics like rape, body shaming, and other relevant issues. Natalie’s diary entries were the highlights of the tale, and I thought the author portrayed her emotions realistically. The entire story is beautiful and heartbreaking and makes you think twice about the company you keep.

However, the only downside to the tale was the pacing. It was a bit slow for my taste sometimes, especially the repeated conversations the characters have, like Danni trying to impress Mr. Harrison.

Overall, “Seven Little Secrets” turned out to be a beautiful book that turned out to be much better than I thought. I encourage anyone who loves contemporary YA to give it a chance.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Being a girl in this society is hard. These girls' characters opened up the discussion to how our society pushes young ladies to act or look a certain way. The girls' pain came out in different ways, usually in self-harm. Even though the content was sad, it was realistic. I identified with these characters and it was interesting to see that the "popular cheerleader" persona could be a negative one. The book helped me realize someone's life can look perfect from the outside, but we never know what they're going through.

Seven Little Secrets takes you inside the minds of each of the “Janes,” a group of cheerleaders at your normal, run of the mill high school, and how they all see each other and themselves after one of their own commits suicide in the woods. Each girl turns inward to try and understand why they didn’t know Natalie was going to do this or didn’t speak out on what they did know to help her. What they learn about themselves are lessons that we all need to learn at some point in our lives- that it is okay to be who we are and who we are not.

I went into reading this book with almost an open mind. I was expecting a typical teenage-based novel with a typical happy ending. What I found was a novel that needs to be read by every teenage girl in high school, with friends, without friends, in need of friends- any group a teenage girl can fall under!

This book had me thinking- not so much about my friends in high school- but about how I view those friendships then and now. I am sure you know what I am talking about! We all had that friend who looked perfect, the one who was funny, the chatty one (this one was me, always), the sporty one, the artsy one, the sexually confused one, and the one that never quite feels like they belong. We all had those friends, but were they? Really friends, I mean. Did we ever truly take the time to get to know them or did we merely scratch the surface of who they were and what their life was like behind the closed doors?

But if you are looking for reality in fiction form, in rawness, then read this! It’s a hard look at how we perceive those around us that we keep close and at a distance at the same time. Seven Little Secrets is a look into what keeps us aligned with the people that we choose to call friends before we are old enough to understand the meaning of the word.

With all that said, this really isn’t a book about friendship, or at least not your typical book about friendship. It isn’t sappy or easy- there is no happy ending. If you are looking for that and you need that this isn’t going to be the book for you. But, if you are looking for truth in words, a new look at how we perceive people- especially from a teenage standpoint- take the time to read it. Take the time to own which girl you are. Revel in that!

Future reader, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the sheer fact that it made me think, for the fact that it wasn’t typical, and for the fact that I can see myself more than I expected to.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me this book for review. This is my first NetGalley review!!!!!!
One of the Janes (Group name for the cheerleaders), Gigi, wakes up early morning to a phone call telling her that one of her cheerleading members, Natalie Greene, had died. After getting this news, all the other members along with Gigi start recalling the secrets they had regarding Natalie.
Natalie Greene was a very popular cheerleader with a very arrogant and bully kind of attitude. She bullied each of the Janes in some way. But when she died, all the secrets started coming out about what she did and why she did it.
This book represents a lot of things. It talks about major issues like mental health, eating disorders, suicide, bullying, and rape and molestation. It is a mix of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why, only that this story is not stretched unnecessarily for many seasons (Sorry all the PLL and 13 Reasons Why fans!!).
This book is very deep. You can read it if you don't mind reading about heavy issues like rape and suicide. It represents the stress and struggles a young high schooler goes through to appear perfect in terms of relationships, body image, beauty, etc. in school or faces bullying and made fun of.

This book is tough. It’s well done and the story is amazing however it’s deep. I really enjoyed it and the way the girls were portrayed.

This was published in 2017 so it is more of an ~older book~ if you know what I mean. Despite this, I actually quite enjoyed this book. Usually, mysteries/thrillers like this are told from the perspective of a "viewer" like a less popular person or somebody who doesn't like the popular girls. However, this one is told from the perspective of the popular girls which I found cool. This was a super cool book and I haven't ever heard of it before, surprisingly.
I literally don't know what else to say, but yes, I recommend this book!