Clemmie Judges

IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A SECRET

BOOK INFO 

Title: It's Not Like It's a Secret

Author: Misa Sugiura

Pages: 400

Publication date: May 9th 2017

Description: Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don't invite her to parties. Some are big, like that fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there's the one that she can barely even admit to herself—the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.

When Sana and her family move to California she begins to wonder if it's finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana's ever known. There are just a few problems: Sana's new friends don't trust Jamie's crowd; Jamie's friends clearly don't want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad's affair is becoming too obvious to ignore anymore.

Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy... what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.

CHARACTERS (AND DIALOGUE)

The characters are fun, and more real than I thought they'd be. Each one has struggles of their own, and these struggles make us understand why they're the way they are. I like the message it sends: How society treats us shapes us, whether we want it to or not.

I especially love the main character, Sana, and how flawed she is. There are moments in the book where the author does not hold back with her. Moments where we see her ugly side, or, as the cringelords would put it, her Black Wolf. 

Same thing goes with the other characters. They may not be 100% realistic, but they're real enough. They each have their own views of the world. Their beliefs. And it's fun to learn more about it through Sana's eyes, and see how she thinks.

The people here don't always say the right thing. Sometimes they don't say anything at all. They trail off, they stutter (in a... in, like, a realistic way, you know? N-not l-l-like t-t-this-s-s), and they get distracted. It links with their character.

Rating: 10/10

RACE (AND SEXUALITY)

Now, this! I've never seen the topic of race explored this deeply since Nicola Yoon's The Sun is Also A Star. And even then, it's not like this. This book explores all kinds of racism. Racism in a "good way" and racism in a "bad way." 

It explores how one minority can be racist to other minorities. How people who don't want to be racist can come across as racist. How sometimes it's misunderstanding, and other times, it's not. The line is blurry. 

Same thing goes with sexuality, and how people view it. 

Rating: 10/10 

CONFLICT

One thing I find confusing in this story is how easily some of the conflicts are settled. There were moments where characters make mistakes, and I thought, "Well, this should be interesting to tackle." But it's... never tackled.

Some of the conflicts in this story are resolved in a Disney Fairytale way. An easy way, I mean. It's not so bad, considering this is a YA book, but I thought that, with how realistic the book is when it comes to every other stuff, it would be realistic with its conflict too. 

Like I said, this only happens with some of the conflicts. Other conflicts—especially the main one—get resolved in a steady way. 

Rating: 8/10

ROMANCE

Oh. My. God.

I've never squealed so hard while reading a book. Not since Eliza and Her Monsters. Guys, this book is the epitome of fluffiness. Sana is a total simp and I am here for it.

I would say more about it, but I'm afraid I'll spoil the book. Just know that this is the shit. What I like best about it is how it ties in with all of the other stuff I've mentioned—racism and sexuality and stuff. We get to see Sana and Jamie—the love interest—tackle these issues together. It's so fun to see!

(Ironically, I also happen to be writing a book where the two main characters are Japanese and Mexican. This book is a great way for me to learn more about these two cultures.)

Rating: 10/10

OVERALL

Rating: 9/10

(I literally spent all night finishing this book. That's how fun it is.)

Good for: people who want to tackle old issues in a modern light, people who want realism, people who want angst.

Not good for: people looking for simple fluffy stuff, people who don't like secondhand embarrassment.