Review Detail

I LOVED Patrick Hodges’ debut book ‘Joshua’s Island’, with its important anti-bullying message. There was a standout character in this tale that I’m sure everyone loved, just as much as I did. So I was excited to find out that Kelsey in fact had her own book, with her own story.

Ethan, a new student at Kelsey’s middle school, is mysterious… and okay, really cute. Kelsey finds Ethan fascinating. She’s obsessed with solving mysteries and even has the nickname Detective. What begins as an innocent fact finding mission turns into an adorable teen love story.

Steering away from the bullying theme, Ethan’s Secret focuses more on the many aspects of friendship, secrets, trust, and love. It’s done in a fast paced plot that, while aimed at teenagers, managed to keep me (who is very much NOT a teenager anymore) on the edge of my seat, wanting to know how it was all going to play out.

Hodges is an expert of transporting me back to my teen years with his realistic dialogue and awkwardness, giving me a wistful, nostalgic feeling that lasted long after I’d finished the book.

And while the main plot revolves around extreme circumstances that’s not a fact of everyday life, current issues for teens are addressed through secondary and supporting characters, making it not only an entertaining book, but one that has an important message: to accept your friends for who they are.