Forever Obsession: Review: The Secret to Letting Go

The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet

ISBN13: 978-1682810705
Pages: 334
Source: Entangled Publishing

Publication Date: February 1, 2016

Genre: Young Adult

Initial Reaction:

One summer can change everything...

Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend’s death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he’ll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she’s hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble.
Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life’s story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets—even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after.

Hello everyone! Today is the publishing day for The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet so be sure to check it out on Amazon (linked to cover) if you're interested in picking this one up.

Before getting into the novel, I had heard some people say things about how the romance in the novel wasn't really a romance and how that played a factor in diminishing the overall book for them. With that in mind, I went into this novel expecting less romance and more suspense and that was exactly what I got. My biggest advice for those picking up this book is to mentally prepare yourself because things start to get dark pretty fast.

Daniel Hudson kind of embodies the friend who constantly goes out of his way to make sure you are okay. He saves Clover's life (literally) multiple times in the novel and keeps trying to make her feel welcome and loved. He's pretty much a "nice guy," but he's been hurt before when his last girlfriend committed suicide. I don't really know how I feel about him but I have to say that he definitely grew on me as the story progressed.

Clover Scott is as secretive as they go and the author honestly did an amazing job is creating this web of mystery and aura of suspense throughout the novel. I was not expecting the twists that were thrown in the story and the revelations had be grasping at straws. She's a very fragile person and her relationship with Daniel marks the beginning of her journey to healing.

The relationship between Daniel and Clover is something very special and beautiful. He easily becomes her rock and she begins to develop this form of dependency on him. When the story hits its "climax" in terms of the romantic plot line, I have to confess my eyes were watering up. One thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the fact that romance was not the most important thing. The romantic relationship became this stepping stone for Clover as she begins the road of healing, but she had to step outside the relationship and learn to stand on her own without Daniel for her healing to actually being.

Katherine Fleet creates this very suspenseful aura around the entire story as Clover's past isn't revealed until the end. The build up of the plot was really well executed and when the pieces begin to fall into place everything clicks. The story isn't extremely dark but it does address some darker elements that make the story more than just a contemporary romance.

*Huge thanks to Entangled Publishing for providing a copy to review. All thoughts are 100% my own*