Julie is a single mother and struggling to come to terms with her part in the tragic death of her friend, Reba. Sweet, innocent Reba's death was ruled a suicide but Julie believes that she may have killed her friend. When Reba's old boyfriend, August, shows up with questions and tells her that Reba kept a diary, she travels back to home with August to find the diary and find out what really happened to Reba.

This book had a great beginning. It takes place in a town full of racism and Reba and August were the star-crossed lovers there. Julie was an orphan who lacked the love she needed from her new family and looked for it elsewhere. In addition, there seemed to be an element of a mystery that was unfolding. It lacked any kind of surprise and the ending was very predictable, though. While the writing was fluid and kept me moving in the beginning, that lack of a complex story line made it difficult for me to enjoy the book towards the end. The characters were very stereotypical and lacked authenticity. I think that the theme of the problematic relationship between Reba and August would have done better if the story were to take place during the civil rights movement. It would have made it more believable. While I did enjoy the first half of the book and don't regret reading this, it wasn't my favorite.

Secrets of southern girls by Hayley Harrigan is a beautifully written novel.
The story is based around a few main characters my favourite was Julie, Julie believes she pushed her best friend Reba into the river off a bridge in a moment of drunken, angry, jealous rage and has been hounded by this thought all through her life. Rebas boyfriend August was meant to meet her on the bridge but doesn't turn up due to his house having been set on fire, thought to be arson due to racist people in the village. August has blamed himself for her death ever since. Many years later August contacts Julie to arrange to go back to where it happened and try and find out what really happened on that fateful night.
At the beginning you get to know Julie and her life and I have to admit this was a slooooow start and I could have given up but I ploughed on and am so glad I did, the book really picked up when Julie and August find out Reba wrote a diary and they try and track it down. The book had a few twists and turns along the way and kept me very interested and couldn't wait to unearth the real events.
A great debut novel.
I would like to thank netgalley and sourcebooks landmark for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

How well do you really know your best friend? I really liked Secrets of Southern Girls, I gave it four stars only because it started out a little slow. Once Julie and August go back to Mississippi it really started to pick up, then I could not put it down.

Julie tells herself it’s not your fault she is dead. She had told herself this same thing for ten years. But it’s a lie and Julie knows it. Julie had just been in a scene in a workshop for actors and screenwriters that had hit close to home. Julia is a tour guide on a bus in NYC. Julie has a daughter named Rebecca/Beck. Evan is Beck’s father who is an actor. Is in a private kindergarten paid for by her father. Julia feels Beck is poised and smart even at her young age. Julie’s best friend was Brighton. How long had Julie told herself acting would change her life. No more part time jobs ? Julie also teaches Yoga classes . Brighton is the only one of Julie’s college friends who chose her over her ex husband -Evan- after their divorce. Brighton used to be an actor but was a double major in college and had degrees in both drama and finance. He really seems to like the financial job he chose. Julia is thinking of Ruby again as she does most every day. Julia is with Brighton at a jazz club where Brighton’s boyfriend is in the band. Julie realizes that August is at the bar. This is the third time August has found her although he would have no way of knowing it. The most recent contact was the letter from six months ago. The email was the first attempt to contact Julie three months before the letter, Julie and August finally meet up and he asks for Ruby’s diary. Julie hadn’t even known Ruby kept a diary and then August convinces Julie to go back to Mississippi to see if they can find the diary.
I liked the story but I did get a little confused at times. It dragged some at times for me also. But I did enjoy reading the pages of Ruby’s diary. I like the plot and couldn’t wait to find out what really happened to Ruby. It did keep my attention all the way through the book. I liked the characters a lot and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend.

I really enjoyed The Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan. The main character of the story is Julie Portland. Julie grew up in a small town Lawrence Mill in Mississippi. We get hints of something bad that happened in her past. Something involving her best friend, Reba. When August, a friend from back then, finds her in Manhattan and asks her to go back home to find out what really happened to Reba, she does.

The story is told in the past and in the present. The past is told from Reba’s diary. As the past unfold’s, we watch Julie and August try and unearth what happened. Julie had always been a little wild and she had loved that her best friend was the opposite, all sweet and innocent. As she reads the diary, she learns that maybe she didn’t know her best friend very well at all.

A well crafted mystery. It held my interest from beginning to end, I found myself sneaking away and finding extra time to read. At first I was not happy with the ending, I’m not sure that it rang true to the character. But then I realized that’s the sign of a good book, when you care enough to think about whether the characters actions ring true or not. Then I decided I was okay with the ending.

I received an ARC copy of this book.

This story didn’t go the direction I thought it would. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised.

Reba and Julie are completely opposites growing up in a small town in the south. Reba is good and pure, and Julie is reckless and lives on the edge. Reba’s life ends tragically when she is 17. Julie, too drunk to really remember, feels responsible even though Reba’s death is ruled a suicide. Julie runs off to New York to escape her past. As an adult 10 years later, Julie still can’t get over Reba’s death. She thinks she doesn’t deserve the happy life she has. When August, Reba’s old boyfriend, shows up saying that Julie must come back to their hometown and help him find Reba’s diary, Julie sees a real chance to make peace with her past. Believing the diary will help them both get closure, August and Julie travel back to Lawrence Mills and the Reba in the pages.

First, I have to talk about the writing in this book. The author has a rare talent that can transform the reader right to a place by description. The writing is really beautiful. I loved the small town of Lawrence Mills and the feel of this whole story. The mystery of what happened to Reba is the central theme of this book. The other thing this story really highlights is secrets. While everyone has something they hide, the people in this small town have more than most people. The characters in this story end up being not even close to how I originally saw them.

I have to admit I was scratching my head at why August would wait so long to pursue this diary. I also admit that I didn’t feel the sadness that a teenage death should have made me feel. There were a few convenient circumstances in this story that made me roll my eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that I needed to find out what happened to Reba, I might have put this down. I am honestly glad I didn’t now because the good outweighs the bad.

Reba’s diary entries were a big highlight of this story for me. Reba doesn’t really sound like a 17 year old, but having the story in her own words really ties everything and everyone together. This story was really able to capture the feel of summer for me. Along with learning the truth about Reba, Julie comes to realize that she alone has the power to create her future. I liked the idea of this and I enjoyed this book for the most part. Everything and everyone in this story got wrapped up except for one thing, that has got me wondering how I would want Julie to choose.

I loved the author's descriptive writing but I was easily confused with the back and forth between characters when the dialogue was in first person. I thought the era was off about twenty years in reference to racial tensions in the work place. Being from the deep south myself, I could better see the storyline in the early seventies.

Secrets of Southern Girls

A Novel
by Haley Harrigan

SOURCEBOOKS Landmark

Sourcebooks Landmark
Mystery & Thrillers , Women's Fiction

Pub Date 06 Jun 2017

I am reviewing Secrets of Southern Girls through Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley:

It has been ten years since Julie Portland accidentally killed her best friend Reba and she feels guilt for having gotten away with it. Afterwards she left the small town of Lawrence Hill Mississippi to Manhattan where she tries to pursue a career in acting.

Julie lives in her Manhattan apartment with her five year old daughter Beck.

At five years old Beck is already better at most things than Julie.

Soon someone from her old life is trying to find her, August. August has been following her.

August finally convinces her to go back to Lawrence Hill to find Reba's diary, and convinces Beck's father to keep her for the weekend.

Julie had been five when her parents died and her Aunt Molly had come to get her and take her back to Lawrence Hill. Her Uncle Ted had mostly been soft and gentle with her but her Aunt Molly always hard and angry.

Jules remembers being there when Reba went over the bridge, and she blames herself for her friend going over the bridge, she's certain she pushed her though she does not remember it.

She remembers someone else on that bridge too, a guy. Toby finds out that Reba was sneaking around with August, a black man. Toby has secrets too, he deals drugs, but people are going to care more about Reba's.

What will August and Julie find out from Reba's diary? Find out in Secrets of southern Girls!

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Julie may have physically moved from her hometown of Mississippi, but her mind and thoughts are still in her hometown and after someone comes to find her in New York, she travels back to confront the things of the past and maybe finally put them to rest.

Let me start by saying that I loved the premise of the book and how it was laid out. Without spoiling too much, Julie thinks she killed her best friend and come to find out there is a diary that has been floating around from this best friend that may have some answers in it. So while you are reading the adventures of Julie and August as they travel back to Mississippi, the reader is also getting tid bits from Reba's diary to set up the events before her death. I love getting this information and I loved the moment it intersected with the story - it was just at the right moment.

I say all of the above to also say this book moved so slow for me. At times it was painfully slow and when books aren't moving at a good enough - not quick, just a good pace - then I can set a book down easily. It took me awhile from beginning to end for this one and not because it is chunky.

So I liked it, but I would hesitate before reading another by the author. I would want to make sure I was in love with the synopsis before I started reading it. Has anyone else read this one? Was it just me or was it a very slow burn?

When I saw the description of this book, it really left me intrigued and raised a lot of questions. I am really glad I chose this book, because it is full of secrets and sorrow, and it is amazing to read, how it all unfolds in front of you.

When I finished reading this book, first mind which came to me was “Looking for Reba” (instead of "Looking for Alaska" by J. Green). I think it had that vibe going on, but this book was way better for me. The characters of this book are very interesting and really diverse; most of them seem really complicated and tired of Reba’s memory/ghost following them around. The main characters of this book supposed to be Julie and August, but Reba and Toby steals the spotlight with their story. Reba’s memory seems to ruin all these people’s lives. Julie separated from her husband due to constant memory of Reba, and the guilt, which was eating her. August never forgot his first love and never moved on in his life, looking for answers. Toby left obsessed with Reba’s memory and chooses not to let go of it. I really loved the way author portrayed the feelings of these characters, especially Reba’s. The detail of it, the teenage confusion of what she wants, choices which had to be made when you are still in school. They absolutely fascinated me. I really enjoy when authors tell the story from different character’s perspective, and this books didn’t leave me disappointed. All the characters are different personalities, and reading from different perspectives made the book more colourful and way more interesting to read.

The plot of the book starts quite slowly, by introducing Julie and her family. Well let me be honest with you, it dragged a little bit at the beginning, but once Julie and August got the diary, the whole book turns around into this fast paced and incredibly twisty adventure. So my advice would be, just be patient, because what is coming up will shock you, and will grip you so hard, that it will be hard to put it down (At least that’s what happened to me) . The plot takes the story back to the times when Reba was alive and back to present day, to show how those discoveries influenced the living characters. I had to put down the book couple of times, just to take a breath and let the truth sink in. I just didn’t expect to find out so many secrets and well hidden lies.

The writing style of this novel is very pleasant to read, with easy and understandable manner and short chapters. I would like to throw in a warning (for parents), that this book contains sex scenes and foul language, even though this book is about teenagers, it is an adult read. Even the ending of this book left me surprised, by throwing in some more unexpected turns, which help to come to nice conclusion of this book and leave the ghosts to rest. Haley Harrigan used her degree in Creative Writing very well in this debut novel, and I will definitely be waiting for her upcoming books. So if you looking for some good, secrets unfolding novel, with twists and turns that grips you in, get this book and indulge yourself into Southern heat.

The writing in this book blew me away. It's utterly fantastic, and haunting. The prologue starts with Julie, living in New York, taking lovers in the winter. This need for companionship during a season of cold and indifference speaks volumes of her guilt. It's her survival tactic that she's developed after suffering a traumatic experience.

The pace is a bit slow as it introduces Julie's life in New York. It's a slow burn so to speak, but needed to create a juxtaposition to Julie's past. In the present, Julie has taken great care of recreating herself. She has a sweet daughter, and is divorced with a mediocre acting career. She has swept her trauma under the rug.

When August finds her, his mere physical presence makes her confront her past. He's Reba's first love, and the only person to maybe truly understand the grief that Julie has been carrying for years.

Yet everyone has a version of Reba - Julie, August, and Tobey (I'll get to him in a bit). The diary serves as a way to show Reba's true self - one that she kept hidden from everyone. Her entries are placed in between chapters of the others' and are flashbacks to the past. Her diary is what moves the plot forward because nothing really drastic happening in the present as Julie and August try to find it.

Tobey is the curveball I wasn't expecting at all. He's Julie's mean, drug-dealing but handsome cousin. I find his character to be very problematic. At first there doesn't appear to be a nice bone in his body. His relationship with Reba is manipulative, abusive and dark. Yes, it's passionate but it doesn't make the rest of it okay.

Secrets is what this story is all about. They carry power, and they shape each characters' identities and perceptions of themselves. Ultimately, it's not about how Reba dies but rather all the secrets that lead her to her death. Was I little disappointed that her death wasn'



t as dramatic as I wanted it to be? Yes. But it makes it that more tragic.

Overall, I really enjoyed Secrets of Southern Girls. It's superbly written, and I felt the hot Mississippi sun burning down as secrets unraveled page by page. It's a whirlwind of a thriller that I'd definitely recommend to pick up this summer!

The author’s writing was beautiful, but the book took me a while to read because the story was slow and it doesn’t pulled me in. I was hoping for more suspense that’ll keep me turning the pages, but there were hardly any and I had already figured out what happened about halfway through the book. Also, I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters.

Julie has never been able to get over the death of her high school best friend Reba, not even ten years later and she’s not happy to be back in her small hometown, but the allure of a diary Reba left behind is too strong for her to ignore. This is told mainly through Julie’s eyes in 2008, though there are a few brief chapters from August and Toby as well. (Toby is Julie’s cousin who she lived with after her parents died.) There are also chapters from Reba’s diary in 1997 where the truth about the months and days leading up to her death are finally revealed. I especially liked the diary entries as it was the only way to see what really happened and they were also clearly labeled. I say this because the other chapters were not labeled and I think it would’ve helped to do this in order to avoid confusion.

This was a slow burn of a book, one that takes a bit of patience in the beginning, but if you stick with it, things speed up around the halfway point and the suspense heightens. When August and Julie finally get their hands on the diary everything they thought they knew about Reba is shattered. This girl was hiding some serious secrets and nothing is as they thought it was.

I liked some of the issues this one touched on, it showed how racism was still sadly prevalent in the late nineties and how this affected so many lives in an negative way. Harrigan has a really beautiful writing style and this was a solid debut that I had minor issues with, but nothing that ruined my reading experience. If you like a read that takes a little time to warm up, but still gradually reels you in, give this one a try.

In Secrets of Southern Girls, Haley Harrigan does a fine job of keeping the reader guessing from beginning to end who's the culprit.

In my opinion Secrets of Southern Girls is a total page turner. The story is full of flashbacks between past and present unveiling everyone's secrets as the story unfolds. As secrets come to light, the reader understands the reason Julie has held back and hasn't felt worthy of anything good that's come to her life.

Julie isn't the only main character. Reba, her best friend, and Toby are the other main characters. The confessions in Reba's diary shock Julie as she realizes her sweet friend isn't who everyone thinks she is, and that her cousin Toby may not be as wretched as everyone thinks either.

I didn't understand Julie's hatred for Toby. Yeah, Toby was a jerk growing up and still is, but I actually liked him and didn't think he was that bad at all. Toby has always been misunderstood and perhaps that is because he doesn't want people to really see him.

Toby's love for Reba is a shock to everyone involved. His relationship with Julie and others can never be repaired--I think that's what makes him more relatable/likeable than Julie and Reba. I didn't care much for August, his role in Reba's life is important because he helps her discover herself but they're never meant to be together.

Secrets of Southern Girls touches upon racism and certain views of people living in a small southern town. You wouldn't think it was 1997 and that said people were Christians with the things they think. Overall, this was a pretty good read.

Being a born and raised Southerner, I really wanted to like this book. And I did like it at some points. I thought the plot concept was really fascinating and had a lot of potential. I thought there were some great and vivid descriptions that helped established a sense of place for me and other readers. But, ultimately I had a hard time keeping my attention focused on the story and had a hard time making it through to the end. The time jumps and changes in narration felt sort of messy to me, which contributed to my lack of focus because I felt like I couldn't keep up.. This can be a really hard element to incorporate into a book, because it has to be done the right way.

I didn't hate it by any means, but I also didn't love it.

This is a well written and thoughtful meditation on love, loss, and second chances. Julie's guilt about the death of her friend Reba has colored her life= understandably so given the circumstances and the role she might have played, Her return to town and resumption of a relationship with August, her first and enduring love, is a catalyst for what turns out to be the sort of story that will make you think. These are well formed, highly believable characters in a belieavable situation none of us would want to face. Good storytelling and a modulated plot made this a good read. It is slow in spots but not every novel has to race to solve a mystery. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. I'd like to read more from Harrigan.

Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan is the kind of book that takes time to fully grab your attention but once it does, you end up finding yourself totally engrossed to the last page. The story starts out a bit slow with Julie at New York. I struggled a little with the beginning. I couldn’t figure out where the story was heading to and I wasn’t interested in what was going on at that point. However, the pace quickly changed once August came into the story. He shows up in Julie’s life trying to get her to go back with him to Lawrence Mill, Mississippi and try to find Reba’s diary.

Once the two arrive at Lawrence Mill, I was totally hooked. The narration alternates between Julie and August. In addition, there are diary entries by Reba. I am usually fascinated by narrations about the past and so naturally, I loved the chapters narrated by Reba. These are the chapters that help us learn about the past and especially about the events leading up to the death of Reba. There are other narrators throughout the story. One of them is Toby. I enjoyed learning more about him through the diary than even his own narrations. Toby was one of the realest characters in the book. He is flawed and easy to dislike but there was something endearing about him.

The story is about secrets and lies. The diary holds the most devastating revelations. I found myself wondering about how well we really know the people in our lives. Could they be having secrets/other lives that we totally don’t know about? Do we really know anybody at all and do they know us? Anyway, I digress. All the people in Reba’s life thought that they knew her. However, they all knew just versions of her but the diary bares shocking revelations that leaves everyone torn apart.

Lawrence Mill, Mississippi was an interesting setting. Reba’s diary reveals events that took place in 1997. I was surprised by the open racism. African Americans in the town are not easily accepted and interracial relationships are sort of a taboo. To date someone from a different race, you had to sneak around to avoid condemnation. The small town holds many secrets and I was intrigued by the character’s attempt to unravel the secrets from the past.

I ended up reading Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan in just two sittings. The suspense was thick especially after the first chapters and the introduction of the diary. I was curious about the past. I wanted to know how Reba died. Was Julie the killer? Who else was involved? I was curious about Reba herself. She had so many secrets such that each diary entry was a revelation. Harrigan’s writing is beautiful and this added to the appeal of the book. In some aspects it was poetic. She managed to get me fully immersed in the story. In the end, despite the slow start, I enjoyed this book.

This story is about confronting the past and marrying it with the monsters that haunt you in the present. Julie and Reba were best friends when they were teenagers, loyal to a fault. But tragedy strikes when Reba dies and feeling responsible for her death, Julie leaves the town of Lawrence Mill. At least ten years have passed and Julie now has her own family.

When August, Reba's old love returns looking for Reba's diary, Julie confirms that she doesn't have it. So a quest begins that will put Julie and August back in their old stomping ground with the hope of finding the diary and maybe then, uncovering the events surrounding her death.

I love stories told from multiple points of view and this one was no exception. I especially enjoyed entries from Reba's diary. And as Reba's secrets unfold, Julie and August realize that they didn't know her as well as they thought they did. The jumping back and forth from the various timelines (past and present) muddled things for me at times but I read an advanced copy in e-format so that may have just been a formatting issue for me. But it still didn't detract from the story and Harrigan's writing talent shines throughout the book.

I'm always interested in the complexities of the human race. As August and Julie begin to see all these layers uncovered, we learn that Reba wasn't quite the innocent person they originally believed and their conceptions of her begin to shatter. One of the POV characters I really did enjoy was Toby, Julie's cousin. I found him fascinating and appreciated that he was nuanced and sympathetic despite his flaws. And as most of the other characters, they were believable and fully-formed.

Although I did think the story suffered from a slow start, once it picked up, I wanted to know all the secrets. A wonderful debut book, I look forward to reading other works written by Haley Harrigan. And now you also have the chance by entering the giveaway. This is a great book to add to your summer reading list so good luck, and happy reading!

In Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan, one person ends up dead and three others have their lives completely changed because of it.  This novel is told in the present time mostly by Julie and in the past by diary entries of Reba's.  Julie and Reba were friends from the time they were very small.  They grew up in a small rural town in Mississippi.  The action of the story is set during the time the two girls are seniors in high school.  Even in such a small town, it is impossible to know everything about another person.  Julie's current day quest to discover what happened the night Reba died reveals that her friend had more facets to her than she realized.  

The action of the story is set during the time the two girls are seniors in high school.  Even in such a small town, it is impossible to know everything about another person.  Julie's current day quest to discover what happened the night Reba died reveals that her friend had more facets to her than she realized.  

This is a well written and enjoyable read.  It took me a while to get into it but once I did it went very fast.  I found it interesting to see the far-reaching impact of one event on the three people left behind.  Julie, August, and Toby all three are adults shaped by the death of Reba when they were teenagers.  Each blames themselves for her death but August's discovery that Reba left a journal behind sends him and Julie back to Mississippi to find the diary.  

I did have a bit of trouble with the fact that the diary entries sounded nothing at all like a teenager's diary entries but once I moved past that fact I enjoyed hearing Reba voice her point of view.  Overall, this was a good read and I would not mind reading more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Looking back in time, I realise that we harbour a lot of secrets in our hearts. Some that we have shared with people very dear to us, and some that will remain in our hearts touching no other soul. Reading the blurb of this book had me drawn to it as it talks about two friends, their past and the secrets between them.
Rebecca and Julie are inseparable from the moment Julie came to live with her Aunt at Lawrence Mill. Julie lives with her Aunt who seems indifferent to her presence and her cousin Toby, who harbours no love for her or her friend. Between the two of them Reba is the innocent, invisible one while Julie chooses to be more bold and flamboyant in her ways.
Both friends work at a local flower store, where Reba meets August. Life takes a turn in such a way that there is distance built between the friends and August becomes Reba’s secret. Her best friend has no knowledge of the happenings in her life, until one day Reba takes a deadly fall into the river. Julie, too drunk to remember anything is told by Toby that she pushed Reba to her death. Julie leaves Lawrence Mill with her guilt for company and leads a life that is heavily influenced by her best friend’s death. August finds her, and urges her to accompany him to find Reba’s dairy. Julie doesn’t know that Reba had a dairy, and together they embark on finding it.
Reading Reba’s dairy uncovers a lot of secrets that she harboured in her heart before she died. Was August the only secret Reba had? Julie discovers truths of her best friend’s life that she never could have fathomed. Did she know Reba at all?
The secrets unearthed through the book make it an interesting read as they are quite unexpected. It shows each person in varied perspectives, as if it were peeling away layers of their personalities to finally reveal what lies in the core. It starts with the perspective people have of the lead characters, leading to the hidden facets of their personalities and culminating with their real selves that are no longer hidden under masks of pretence. It also shows how the death of one person breaks people who love them in the most irreparable way, leaving a hole that can never be filled.
In all fairness, I did not expect to enjoy the book as much as I did. On the onset it seemed like the documentation of the friendship of two friends who are as different as chalk and cheese, but the development of characters really surprised me. Characters that I had not expected to be important slowly paint the plot an interesting shade with their presence making it all the more intriguing.
There are moments when you are torn between liking a person and hating them- and it is at this point, that you realise that the characters have been made as realistic as they come and painted in the most beautiful way where there is no elevation of depreciation of their being. They are as they are- laden with secrets, broken, a little sly and still harbouring a degree of goodness.
I quite enjoyed this book as it is real, and intriguing with the right amount of mystery, emotion and brings to fore the lives of these very broken characters in a manner that is heart warming.