Secrets (Ivy, #2) by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

*Spoilers from the first book may be present in the summary, so if you have not read it and/or don't want the book be spoiled, please do not read this review.*

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Gregory or Clint? Clint or Gregory? Matt, anyone? And what is Lexi up to . . . exactly? When we last saw Callie Andrews, she was caught on the horns of a dilemma. Lexi was threatening to expose all of her safely guarded, deeply buried secrets from high school, and Callie had just hooked up with bad-boy Gregory—despite the fact that she had a perfect (sort of) boyfriend and her BFF Vanessa had claimed (sort of) Gregory as her own. Yow. Entertaining, hilarious, addictive, scandalous, sexy, and smart, The Ivy series is an insider’s look at freshman life at Harvard University. This isn’t high school anymore!

Review:

Just when I thought the world of The Ivy could not get any more scandalous, dramatic, or suspenseful, Secrets, the newest addition in The Ivy series, comes along and blows my expectations right out of the water.

Quite simply, Callie is not looking forward to returning to the drama and deceit she left back at Harvard. However, not going back is not an option so there she is back in her freshman year after an uneventful Thanksgiving break. As usual, nothing is going her way. For one, Lexi is still threatening to unleash the secret Callie would do anything to hide, and because of it, Callie’s now doing all of Lexi’s dirty work, even if means letting go of the things she loves the most. Next, her BFF Vanessa is not talking to her, which is causing major chaos in their dorm. Most importantly, Gregory, the boy she hates to love, is acting weird around her, leaving her to wonder once again whom she will end up with… Gregory, Matt, or Clint? Better yet, will she ever get out of Lexi’s hold on her? Moreover, will her and Vanessa every call a truce and make up? Only time and more pages will tell in this unforgettable sequel to what started it all- The Ivy.

Just like in The Ivy, the characters in this were one of the best parts of the novel. For one, there was some much-needed development into them and their relationships, and for two, they became just all around three-dimensional for the most part. My favorite would still have to Callie, as not only is she very much likable and root-able, but parts of her story are very much ones that any girl can relate to, no matter how young or how old. The only aspect I didn’t like about her character in this was the fact that it took her quite a bit of time to stand up for herself involving that one secret, but it did cause for some great suspense to occur in the long run as well as nail-biting type scenes, so I suppose it was worth it in the end.

I also enjoyed the focus on Callie’s love life, because if anything, it is very eventful, and best of all, it moves in some great directions. For instance, Gregory steps it up a bit in this novel, as does Clint, which made me forever indecisive when it came to picking whom Callie would end up with.

Furthermore, I once again think the Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur did a great job with the plot in this. Full of drama, secrets, lies, and romance, there wasn’t a time when I wasn’t dying to flip the page, so I could finally find out what would occur next. Better yet, I also loved that while a big portion of Secrets has to do with love, there still is a focus on friendship and day-to-day college life, as I feel it give this series an edge to most YA books out there. Most importantly, I also liked how they faced a particularly heavy issue in this, though I will not say much more about that, since I don’t want to spill any spoilers.

Even better than the prequel, Secrets once again has the ability to win over fans, as they become fully involved in Callie’s story. I can only hope the third one will be as amazing, if not more.

Grade: A+

Secrets is now out!

Source: Melissa at HarperTeen- thanks!