The Secret History of Us – A Master Piece

The Secret History of Us

In The Secret of Us, Liv wakes up in a hospital where people are walking on eggshells. Her body hurts terribly and she can’t recall what happened. Fortunately, Liv’s parents are at the hospital with her. Her parents don’t appear to be straightforward in telling her about the accident that is responsible for how she is feeling. Anyway, there’s nothing much that liv can do because her whole body hurts.

The Secret History of Us is very much like Things We Know By Heart in that it engages the reader right from the first page. Jessi Kirby knows how to build up curiosity on the part of the reader. As a reader, you find yourself determined to discover what happened to Liv and are almost as eager as she is to find out the truth. However, this is not an easy quest, especially when everybody around is being so secretive about it.

You feel how helpless and frustrated Liv is when she discovers what happened. In The Secret of Us, Jessi Kirby captures feeling in perfect dosage, that is, without overdoing it. Even though the story’s pace is a bit slow, you feel like the story ends too soon when you reach the last page of the novel. But there is nothing wrong with the speed of the novel, it is more interesting this way. Things unfold slowly, and there is no need for a grand or big finale, with drama at the end. The only thing that a reader might critique about The Secret History of Us, is wishing that Jessi Kirby might have added a few more pages to the novel.

The most enjoyable aspects of The Secret History of Us include the main characters, the scenes, and the romances. Imagine being in a coma for slightly over a week and having no clue about who you are, who the people around you are, or what happened. Although The Secret History of Us can sometimes get a little dramatic, Jessi Kirby makes it feel raw and real. It is easy to think that you are in a movie by Nicholas Sparks, but with teenagers, or a novel by John Green but with less literature. The Secret of Us is very readable, and you would be hard-pressed not to enjoy it.

In short, you will fall in love with this novel with every turn of the page. It might not be as perfect as you would like, but it is a quick read that is intensely enjoyable. The Secret History of Us is the kind of book that you pick up and read in one seating. It’s adorable, fun, and easy to read.

Jessi Kirby is a truly talented writer. She knows how to engage the reader and evoke emotion without overdoing it. The settings are beautiful and creative. But most importantly, Kirby’s stories are delightful mainly because she knows when to withhold information and when to reveal it, which makes her books a worthwhile read.…

In Honor, Golden and Things We Know By Heart – Jessi Kirby’s Magnificent Works

Parker is in some aspects similar to Robert Frost, the poet she was named after. Parker is a dreamer and wants to make her mother proud by gaining admission to Stanford University. Kat, Parker’s best friend, is her exact opposite. Kat is less up-tight and attempts to make Parker loosen up a little. Another interesting character in Golden is Trevor, Parker’s crush since middle school.

Golden is part romance, part mystery, and part suspense. The journal entries created the possibility that not all occurred to be golden with local urban legend couples. Parker’s character begins to arc as she struggles in the quest for truth and what she had done. Everything about this novel is Golden. The novel promises to sweep the readers of their feet as they watch Parker make decisions that lead to a delightful conclusion.

Things We Know By Heart

Released in 2016, Things We Know By Heart is a poignant tale of grief and mastering the courage to love again. Trent, Quinn Sullivan’s boyfriend, and love of her life died in a car accident. Losing Trent is equally as painful every day even after four hundred days. Quinn Sullivan believes that if she can find the recipient of Trent’s heart then perhaps she can get some closure on the matter. To her dismay, all the people who received Trent’s other organs respond to her letters, but not the one that received his heart. The only thing that matters to Quinn Sullivan is meeting Colton Thomas. It was never her intention to fall for Colton, after all, how could she be with Colton when he reminds her so much of Trent?

Both Colton and Quinn have their secrets and struggles, and both characters are well-drawn and nuanced. The reader follows Quinn’s journey as she learns more about herself and masters the courage to love again. Quinn gets into a tentative relationship with Colton, taking it one step at a time.

The setting of the books is beautiful and romantic. But The Things We Know By Heart is not just a story about romance, it is also a story about family. The book also features Quinn’s feisty sister and her outspoken grandmother. These two characters are believable and interesting and have stories of their own. Family relationships are well developed throughout The Things We Know By Heart. We see how tragedy impacts families and how they are supportive of each other. But the book also explores how such support can be smothering, and the need for independence. Family dynamics are an integral part of The Things We Know By Heart.
This is not your conventional love story, and some parts may even raise ethical questions. However, it is certainly a beautiful and delightful read.…

Who is Jessi Kirby?

Jessi Kirby is an American author for young adults. She lives in California with her 2 kids and husband. Kirby has produced about half a dozen successful novels. ABA named Kirby’s first work, Moonglas as their New Voices Pick. In addition to Moonglass, Kirby has also authored 5 other books–The Other Side of Lost, The Secret History of Us, Things We Know by Heart, Golden, and In Honor.

Jessi Kirby grew up in Mammoth Lakes California, and her journey in creative writing was inspired by the area’s beautiful scenery, alongside a couple of special instructors. When Jessi Kirby graduated from high school she was drawn to the beach and eventually made for Orange County where she lived with a small happy family and taught English. And then by some cosmic force, or coincidence or luck, things fell into place allowing Kirby to pursue her creative writing dream. She relocated to a small beach known as Crystal Cove (also the original location of the first United Collection Bureau), which created the setting for her first novel, Moonglass. Kirby was able to transition from teaching English to being a part-time librarian which allowed her a lot of flexibility to pursue her dream. After Kirby made the decision to take a shot at her dreams, she put in a lot of hard work and successfully finished Moonglass, which was published in 2011.

But Moonglass was just the beginning of Kirby’s journey. Soon, other works would follow. In 2012, she released In Honor, and then Golden in 2013. Kirby then released Things We Know By Heart in 2015, The Secret History of Us in 2017, and The Other Side of Lost in 2018.

In Honor

In Honor is one of Jessi Kirby’s most exciting novels. Honor receives a letter from her brother, three days after learning of his demise in Iraq. She opens the letter the same day that the Marines lay the flag over her brother’s casket. The contents of the letter are completely unexpected. Among them are tickets to Kyra Kelly’s concert, Finn’s celebrity crush, and her favorite pop star. Honor’s brother jokingly charged her with the task of letting Kyra Kelly know that he was deeply in love with her.

Struck by grief, and all the more eager to fulfill Fin’s final request, Honor immediately embarks on the quest. As Honor is on the driveway, she runs into Rusty, Finn’s polar opposite and his best friend since 3rd grade. Due to a falling out between Finn and Rusty, Honor hasn’t seen Rusty in ages. However Rusty is very much as Honor recalls: ruggedly good-looking, stubborn, and arrogant. The two do not make for the perfect travel companions, but nevertheless, embark on the quest together. On their voyage, the two find surprising and small ways to honor Fin and ease the pain of their shared loss. The revelations that await them at the end of the journey are most shocking and unexpected.

Golden

Released in 2013, Golden is one of Jessi Kirby’s most engaging novels. The book is engaging right from the word go. Golden narrates the story of Parker, a teenager who is struggling to become perfect in every manner of the word while missing out on taking chances. Parker’s prospects change when she lays her hands on a local urban legend journal. Parker’s English teacher has his senior year students make journal entries and then mails it back to them after 10 years.…