The Secret Girl by C.M. Stunich – A Book Review

Posted June 27, 2019 by Booksandblurbs in Contemporary, Reverse Harem, Reviews, YA/NA / 1 Comment

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The Secret Girl

(Adamson All-Boys Academy – Book 1)

by C.M. Stunich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Contemporary, YA, Academy Slow-burn RH, Bully Romance

Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down and Dirty

No matter your stance on Bully Romances, this one is worth taking a chance on. Free on KU!

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

Shh, I have a secret.

The sinfully gorgeous members of the Student Council—Church, Ranger, Spencer, Micah and Tobias—can’t ever find out.

I already get picked on because my father’s the headmaster.

I don’t need them to know I’m the only girl, too; I’d rather dress like a boy.

Adamson All-Boys Academy now has its only female student, but I’m not about to be their guinea pig.

Not when there’s a secret at this school nobody is talking about. Not when the last female student here ended up dead.

***THE SECRET GIRL is a 90,000 word lighthearted reverse harem/high school bully romance novel with a mystery/suspense twist. This is book one of three in the series. Contains foul language and sexual scenes; any sex featured is consensual. Please note possible trigger for mentions of suicide.

Thoughts on The Secret Girt

Not so much bully

First off, I dislike the bully books coming out. I’m not trying to kink shame, we all enjoy different things and that is just not my style. In the words of one of my favorite Facebook Groups; Your Kink is Not My Kink.

That said – this isn’t one of those, no matter what the blurb says. Thankfully, I listened to recommendation posts and gave this KU darling a shot. These guys? They’re not bullies. They are retaliatory… and with good reason. Charolette, Chuck, comes in to an all boys school and hides her gender, because, yeah…. wouldn’t you? But she’s kind of a jerk, to everyone. She just wants to be left alone, but she goes about it the wrong way and abuses any goodwill the students might have felt for her.

So, as guys do – they strike back…. but not hard. The worst she gets is a swirly and threatened with a justifiable beatdown…. which still didn’t happen.

All in all, it’s tense but far from cruel. Reactions are age appropriate and the mystery building in the background soon sweeps the entire group up in its net, overriding most, if not all of the bullying the blurb alludes to.

Pros:

Well written.
Age appropriate, but still not overly immature. This is a books YA and Adult readers can enjoy.
Good mystery.
Spencer!!! He thinks he may be gay or bisexual and JUST GOES WITH IT! He’s confused and questioning his sexuality, but he’s willing to figure it out – without attacking the target of his affection. Society, take note… THIS is how you react to an unexpected physical attraction.

Cons:

I may understand her, but Chuck baby…. chill.

Favorite Line

I’m so into these reverse harem reads right now, it’s ridiculous. It’s practically an addiction. Ugh, don’t even get me started on how much I love The Royal Trials series by Tate James. (19%)

Perspective

First Person, Single POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Rating

PG-13…. for NOW. Sounds like it should edge to R for the upper YA genre.

Romantic Dynamic

I don’t really know yet, LOL! At least MMMF, but it may be MMMMMF…. and I might have forgotten one.

Verdict

Whether Bully Romance or YA settings are for you, this one is worth taking a chance on. Well written and uniquelly captivating, this is C.M. Stunich at her best. Free on Kindle Unlimited!

Published May 24th, 2019

420 Pages

Please note, this is a YA Reverse Harem series which may feature sexual themes or scenes more suited to an older (upper YA) audience.