Review | Dirty Little Secrets by C.J Omololu

Title: Dirty Little Secrets
Author: C.J Omololu
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 210
Rating: 3/5

"Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others. For sixteen years, Lucy has kept her mother's hoarding a secret. She's had to -- nobody would understand the stacks of newspapers and mounds of garbage so high they touch the ceiling and the rotting smell that she's always worried would follow her out the house. After years of keeping people at a distance, she finally has a best friend and maybe even a boyfriend if she can play it right. As long as she can make them think she's normal.

When Lucy arrives home from a sleepover to find her mother dead under a stack of National Geographics, she starts to dial 911 in a panic, but pauses before she can connect. She barely notices the filth and trash anymore, but she knows the paramedics will. First the fire trucks, and then news cameras that will surely follow. No longer will they be remembered as the nice oncology nurse with the lovely children -- they'll turn into that garbage-hoarding freak family on Collier Avenue. With a normal life finally within reach, Lucy has only minutes to make a critical decision. How far will she go to keep the family secrets safe?"

My thoughts:

Dirty Little Secrets is a window into what it feels like to have a hoarder for a mother and the difficulty of living that life.

Lucy, the main character, has lived with her mom and all the 'stuff' that lives with them. She hides everything from everyone she knows. I felt bad for her throughout the whole book. She was relateable when it came to constantly thinking what people think of you. Kaylie, the best friend, is constantly there for her, but doesn't know the secret that Lucy holds away. I feel her character supports Lucy in a way.

The plot was fast, and moved with a span of twenty four hours. But I felt that it was just Lucy trying to clean up the mess of the home she had, and hiding the secret. That's about it, but it was much deeper than that. And I liked that. The writing throughout the book portrayed exactly how bad the house would be in real life, and the emotions that Lucy felt about everything that has happened. The ending, to me, filled out well and tied together well.

Overall, I different book about something you hardly see. Even though it's a little disturbing, the message is there. I definitely recommend.

Disclaimer: Given by the publisher.