Deadly Little Secret (Touch #1)

Camelia has a strange encounter with a boy whose touch literally saves her life. Thinking that she will never see him again, she is surprised when he shows up at her school three months later. His name is Ben, and rumors circulate that he is suspected of murdering his girlfriend.

Drawn to Ben and his mysterious touch, Camelia starts receiving strange phone calls, gifts, and threats. As she grows closer to Ben, her fear escalates, and she worries that whoever is sending her these threatening messages may act on them.

This was a fairly quick read, yet very enjoyable. I liked the way the author balanced the romantic tension with mystery, and did not let the romantic aspect completely overshadow the greater plot. I thought the idea of a potential stalker was well executed, and the notes and threats were intriguing, creepy, and kept me reading on.

I appreciated that none of the characters came across as 'stock' characters. They weren't just copies of other YA protagonists and clichés. Ben was a great love interest for Camelia, and I liked that this wasn't a case of love at first sight or random attraction, but that there was actually a good reason for them to be drawn to each other.

I wasn't expecting that twist at the end, and I was very surprised at who was behind all of the stalking and harassment. I found that quite impressive because many mystery books I've read have been predictable, yet this one threw me off. As for the conclusion of the book, it left me wishing I had the sequel on hand! I want to know how Camelia and Ben's story continues.

I definitely recommend this book, especially to YA and mystery lovers. If you like mysteries with a little romance sprinkled in, this one would be a good choice. If you're looking for a short yet enjoyable novel, look no further.

This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogspot.ca/2016/03/deadly-little-secret-by-laurie-faria.html

Reader reviewed by Book Sp(l)ot

Until just a few months ago, Camelia's life was a pretty average teenage life: she got along well with her parents, had a great job at an art gallery, and a cool best friend. But then the new boy showed up. Everyone else thinks he's bad news (as in the possibly criminal kind) but Camelia finds herself unexplainably drawn to Ben.

Strange phone calls and noises in the night might mean that Camelia's in more danger than she wants to believe. But from whom?

Reader reviewed by Sara

Ideas expressed/message/plot: From book jacket: SOME SECRETS SHOULDNT BE KEPT& Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelias life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelias life becomes far from ordinary.
Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriends accidental death, Been is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. Shes reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, shes inexplicably drawn to Ben& and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he wants to help but can he be trusted? She knows hes hiding something& but hes not the only with a secret.

Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Ben: he was really intense and pretty well-adjusted for a guy with his issues

When I finished this book I felt: When I read the plot I thought that I would like this book. It had lots of elements that I usually like: romance, a major change, and a mystery. This book just wasnt really that good though. Camelia ends up being stalked and her best friends basically just think that shes imagining it or, if she is right, that the stalker must be Ben. All her best girl friend can talk about is the guys that Camelia should date. And Camelia doesnt tell anyone (like her parents or the police) that someone is threatening and stalking her. Like the problem will just go away. When the identity of the stalker is discovered after Camelia finally is kidnapped and held hostage, everyone just accepts it calmly& And Ben is now a hot person that Camelia should date. Camelia seems to have just forgotten that she was stalked, tortured, and almost died: shes just worried about dating Ben. The only character that seemed to have a brain was Ben. I was sorely disappointed by this book Im not sure Ive ever liked a book less. I probably will read Deadly Little Lies when it comes out though, just to see what happens& The book ends kind of abruptly. The bright spots that the book did have were Bens powers and Ben and Camelias chemistry. Id like to read about happens with those two aspects of the plot. The reactions to the stalking were just pretty ridiculous.

Other books to read by this author: Blue Is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver Is for Secrets, Red Is for Remembrance, Project 17, Bleed, and Deadly Little Lies (coming soon)

I would recommend this book to: People who like the authors other books, unless this book is just an unnaturally bad book

Reader reviewed by kim

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

I have mixed
feelings about this book. I'll tell you now though, I really enjoyed it
and it kept my attention throughout the entire story. I was able to
understand the characters well and be able to get an idea of what sort
of a person they were. I liked the diverse personalities of them:
Camelia, the control-freak who doesn't quite know what she wants; Wes,
your typical pervertive and immature teenage boy; Kimmie, the unique
and ditzy bestfriend; I could go on and on. The novel had a great
storyline and I liked how even though it was overall suspenseful, there
was romance put in as well. Some side plots in the book (such as the
issue with Camelia's aunt) were never explained at the end though.
However, this is just book one in the new Touch series, so maybe it
will be further explained in the next book. A lot of other reviews
about this book that I've read talk about how much of a Twilight copy
this is. While reading, I have to admit that I kind of agreed at first.
Ben, mysterious and handsome, was very similar to Edward's character.
And there are little things - such as they are lab partners in
chemistry; they want to be together but he doesn't want to hurt her
with his powers, etc. - were a lot like Twilight. HOWEVER, halfway
through the book, it becomes it's own story and has twists and turns
that were unexpected. In a way, it seems like a handful of books could
seem like Twilight copy-cats but in reality aren't. Well, I'm getting
off track so let me just say it blantly. This book was great, and kept
me attentive and anxious. I actually bit off most of my fingernails
during particular chapters (see quote above), so I blame Laurie for
that. :) I just think that it ended a little too suddenly; like right
after the climax, there wasn't much "falling action" like my English
teacher would say. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

In this touch novel, Camelia, has a normal life. When a new student, Ben, arrives to her school for their junior year, things change dramtically. There are rumors said that Bed killed his ex-girlfriend, but she refuses to listen to any of them. She suddenly starts reciveing mysterious phone calls that are taunting her. She knows Ben has secrets, but are the rumor's true or not?

I liked this novel, every page put together a story that is both mysterious and secretive. You are going to want to read every page over and over. It's great!

Reader reviewed by Max

Three months after Camelia is almost hit by a car, the handsome boy who pushed her out of the way and saved her life turns up at her school. Rumors surround him about killing his last girlfriend, and he seems to take interest in Camelia. She is attracted to him as well, but he keeps telling her she's in danger. Meanwhile, she receives creepy notes and gifts from a stalker.

Deadly Little Secret kept me turning pages. The writing style is light, somewhat acerbic, and overall enjoyable to read. The plot is thought-out and interesting. It was a very satisfying book, and it left me wanting more.

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Reader reviewed by Alex11181992

What would you do if you could see into the future of a person or an object by just touching it.
Will you want to know what happens to your friends tomarrow or would u hide from everyone hoping not to see the evil that is yet to come
After being touched after a close call of dying, one girl seems to want more from this mysteries guy.
Being stalked by a unknown person, who could she trust now the new mysteries guy or her friends.
A tale of romance and how one touch could make you want more
follow the story of a stalker with parts of the stalkers diary in the boo and how he shows his love.....maybe u will be the next girl to be TOUCHED

Reader reviewed by Taylor

Deadly Little Secret starts out with a bang, going back three months to the memory of the main character, Camelia, being swept out of the path of an oncoming car by a mystery boy. His black knight appearance leaves Camelia wondering, and wishing, for the whole summer that she could see him again and at least thank him. Being the sucker for boys that I am, I found myself craving the return of mystery boy.

The books pace stayed constant from there, always interesting enough to keep me from putting it down, but never so fast that I found my heart rate accelerating or peeking ahead.

Maybe I'm just a jealous person by nature, but I'm constantly finding myself wishing I had friends as cool as characters in books. Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest friends I could ever ask for, but it always seems like the friends in books are always just a little bit cooler. Their fashion sense is a little more noticable, their interests a little more interesting, their love lives a little more compelling. Not to mention the fact that they always seem to know just the right things to say at the right time.

Anyways, Camelia has the perfect set of friends. Her best friend Kimmie is cute and enjoys making chic clothes in her spare time. Camelia's other best friend, Wes, is gay and always has in interesting opinion. Oh and just to top off the perfect friends part, her boss is gorgeous, in his early twenties, and definitely wishes Camelia would notice these things. Man, I feel like I'm the only girl in the world who doesn't have some super-hottie watching me from the corner.

Although the book indended to make me believe Ben was the stalker, the stories never really matched up for me like they were supposed to. To be honest, it was a little to cliche of a plot for me.

Another interesting aspect of this book was the build up vs. the actual revealing of the stalker. The notes written by the stalker were some of the creepiest things I have ever read, and gave me shivers while I was reading. Ew, I shivered now just thinking about it. But their creepiness was exactly the right ingredient for this book. The notes added a layer of horror to the typical boy trouble drama.

When the stalker finally revealed himself as Matt, I was so surprised! I was convinced it would be John, yet another guy who wants to be with Camelia. He was the only person besides Ben who I thought knew enough to write the notes and take the pictures. But it was Matt, and well... he was creepy! He had everything planned, including the "perfect" little place to stash Camelia and keep her all to himself. His character turned from sad but nice ex-boyfriend into psychopathic and delusional stalker-freak. Although the scene where Matt has Camelia tied up and camped out in the woods was scary and written very visually, I just had this gut feeling that nothing bad would really happen and of course Ben would come save Camelia yet again- dark knight style.

Deadly Little Secret is a quick and easy read as well as a good that is guarenteed to keep your interest. The only problem was how predictable it was, and it sounded bit cliché.

If you haven't read Deadly Little Secret I would suggest doing so!

3/5