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A review by jesikasbookshelf
The Secret of You and Me by Melissa Lenhardt
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If you're looking for a great sapphic romance, honestly, this isn't it. Every single woman in this novel that is romantically/sexually interested in other women was either cheating, lying or forcibly closeted and filled with pent up shame about their life choices for the full book. One of them manages all three. It's ridiculous - this isn't a sapphic romance, it's a series of women who hate themselves making each other miserable.
Nor is this women's fiction, which I think was closer to the intention. The book brings up so, so many big and important themes - homophobia, prejudice in small towns, alcoholism, coming out, lost friendships, bad marriages, PTSD, casual racism, strained familial relationships. I'm pretty sure that's not them all. It does nothing with them. No one learns anything, nothing is changed by the end, there is no important exploration of any of these issues in the microcosm of small town life that could have been powerful.
Nor is this women's fiction, which I think was closer to the intention. The book brings up so, so many big and important themes - homophobia, prejudice in small towns, alcoholism, coming out, lost friendships, bad marriages, PTSD, casual racism, strained familial relationships. I'm pretty sure that's not them all. It does nothing with them. No one learns anything, nothing is changed by the end, there is no important exploration of any of these issues in the microcosm of small town life that could have been powerful.