December 15, 2017
Secret and her younger sister, Penny, are desperate to get away from their alcoholic, abusive mother, Jackie. Secret's best friend, Isis, moves to a foster home after her own mother goes to prison. When Isis' beloved foster mother passes away, the three young women live together and work hard at low-paying jobs to pay the bills and keep Penny in school. Secret is weary, however, of her fast-food and bargain-warehouse jobs and perks up when her childhood friend, Kirk, tells her about opportunities to make better money. Soon the women find themselves involved in criminal ventures, enjoying the large payouts until the dangers of the life hit them hard, including the betrayal of Isis' boyfriend. Saunders' focus on the women's friendship is a rare theme in the urban fiction genre. She concludes this realistic tale of struggle with the discouraged women finding no reason compelling enough to keep them from working for Kirk. Readers will be waiting to find out what happens to Secret and Isis in future books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)