Mini review: Secrets & Lies by Kody Keplinger

Review: Secrets & Lies by Kody Keplinger
Goodreads
Release date: June 1st, 2013
Publisher: Poppy (Little, Brown and Company)
Rating: So cute! Witty, funny, and breezy, while still having good lessons, as is the usual for Keplinger.



Kody Keplinger both returns to the halls of Hamilton High and explores new territory in her collection of two e-book exclusive novellas. In these short stories, the author revisits a familiar cast of characters from THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) and A Midsummer's Nightmare. Explore the uniquely teen world of high school drama, secrets, and romantic entanglements from completely fresh perspectives that will intrigue fans of Kody Keplinger and new readers alike

The cover: I like it! I'm a little bit obsessed with her eyeball (is that weird? That's weird. BUT LOOK SO PRETTY). It's also pretty close to how I picture Casey, so I like that.

The stories: This book is comprised of two short stories, the first featuring Casey, Bianca's best friend from The DUFF, the second starring Bailey, Whitley's stepsister from A Midsummer's Nightmare.

 Abbreviations & Alliterations
 This was my favorite of the two stories, because it was just DROWNING in the adorable. The DUFF is one of my favorite contemporary reads ever, and one of the strengths of it was the friendship between Bianca and Casey. While The DUFF was from Bianca's POV, A&A hands the narrative reins over to Casey. Which is awesome, because I LOVE Casey! She's a lovely medium between crankypants Bianca (who is back in fine, hilarious form) and bubbly sweet Jess, their other best friend.

But the best part was the adorably blossoming romance between Casey and... Toby Tucker!

Those of you who read The DUFF may remember Toby as the almost-guy--the nice guy who Bianca briefly dates, but who is obviously not THE guy (because hello, Wesley). I found him a little flat in The DUFF, but oh Lord, was I ten different kinds of wrong about him. He is SO CUTE and nerdy and blushy and he wears blazers to parties, and really, it's kind of refreshing to read about an honestly good guy.

There's a bit of drama about Casey keeping Toby a secret from Bianca, and all the guilt and stress that induces... but all in all, this is a light and lovely short story, perfect for those of us who loved The DUFF and were excited to get back into this world.

People Worth Knowing

Speaking of cute, nerdy, nice guys... I really loved Nathan, the love interest in A Midsummer's Night Dream. This second story is told from his little sister Bailey's POV. Keplinger did a really good job at capturing her naive, upbeat, friendly voice. The story focuses on bullying, and basically how evil and manipulative teenagers can be, and while most of the story was a little after school special-y, what makes it shine is Keplinger's humor, how truly kind of a person Bailey is and grows to be, and how awesome Whitley is when she finally shows up. Also, Nathan. My baby.

I also loved the very last development in this short story. It surprised the heck out of me, and twisted what could have been a cliche into something a lot more.

All in all, if you've read and loved Keplinger's other novels, you DEFINITELY don't want to miss Secrets & Lies. I defy you not to squee during the first story. I, T, LYTT.