It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura

Did I want to sit her down and give her a talking to for constantly taking the easy way instead of practicing a little responsibility? Absolutely. She really screws up -bu in very human, realistic ways (for the most part). So yes, Sana is VERY MUCH a sixteen-year-old girl who, more than anything else, is a collection of contradictions fighting to work themselves out.Īlthough some of Sana’s choices are so cringe worthy it made it hard to like her at times, she also has some really great come of age moments and realizations that made me sympathize with what it’s like to be so tender and emotionally jumbled at that age. She wants to hang out with her Asian friends, but she doesn’t want to become a stereotype herself.

She loves her mother and hates things her mother stands for, and she loves Jamie, but she believes many racist stereotypes about latina people. She is kind, she is awkward, she says things she shouldn’t say, and she says wonderful things that can make somebodies day. Sana Kiyohara is very much a sixteen-year-old girl struggling with identity. Meanwhile, her dad's affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy.what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.Overall Star Rating: 80/100 Protagonist: 7/10 There are just a few problems: Sana's new friends don't trust Jamie's crowd Jamie's friends clearly don't want her around anyway and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her.

Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana's ever known. And then there's the one that she can barely even admit to herself-the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it's finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don't invite her to parties. Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets.

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature This charming and bittersweet coming-of-age story featuring two girls of color falling in love is part To All the Boys I've Loved Before and part Simon vs. Well-paced, brimming with drama, and utterly vital.-Kirkus (starred review)

It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura