"Secrets of Southern Girls" by Haley Harrigan

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As a Southern girl, I wish I could say that I liked this book, but I just cannot. I loved the cover from the moment I saw it. It was so beautiful with the shades of purple and the two girls on the front that reminded me of my sister and me. I was also intrigued by the change in the color of the font. I wanted to find out just what secrets these Southern girls had.

I do think this story has potential; perhaps it’s just not quite ready for publication yet. Give it a good rewrite and it could be a decent story. I did like how the author told the past through Reba’s diary which held the key to figuring out the secrets of everyone (not just the girls).
Frist, the book seemed to drag. I thought I would never get to the end. Also, I really disliked Jules from the beginning. She picks up men for one night stands. Her only intention is to use them. When in High School, she was a party girl and drank quite heavily. She would drag her best friend to bars even though they are both under age even though she knows her friend does not want to go. She did not seem to appreciate her Aunt who raised her and was mean to her odd cousin Toby. After moving away, she pushed away the perfect man and did not even want her child when it was born.  And maybe she didn’t kill Reba in the end, but she didn’t get help (and neither did Toby).

Moving on to Reba. She has everyone convinced that she is this perfect, angelic teenager. However, she hops into bed pretty quickly with August and then Toby even though both she and Jules dislike him, know he is a druggie and think he is weird. Then she lies to her family, best friend and boyfriend while continuing to sleep with both boys.

I also found it hard to believe that this good girl turned bad wrote down all of this in a diary that she carried around openly at school where anyone could have grabbed it and read it. When I was a teenager, I would never have been stupid enough to write these things down. If I did, I would have had that thing written in code or under lock and key.

Supposedly, family friend Nell has everyone’s best interests at heart. However, she has kept this diary that contains the answers, for years. She claims to “take care” of Toby now, but he is clearly tormented by Reba’s memory. This comes out in his artwork.

Everyone in this book is just so darn miserable.  None of the characters can move on (except Jules’ Aunt Molly). It just left me feeling sad, especially for Jules' daughter, Beck. In the end, I gave “Secrets of Southern Girls” three stars. If half stars were possible, I would have given it 2 ½. It did have a bit of a twist at the end and has potential with a rewrite, otherwise I would have given it two. In the end, I think August and Jules deserved each other.