This read was an enjoyable coming-of-age read. Andrea's summer will be fantastic - she has her best friend, Hallie, and a list full of fun and firsts. The secret item on her list is to stop being in love with her best friend.
I loved the disability and queer representation in this book -All the characters were well-rounded with their little backstories.

I truly enjoyed how Keah went about the drama in this book because we've all read a best friend in Love with a best friend before, but this unfolded in a new and exciting way, and I was very invested in the characters' happy ending.

A few chapters at the end were not needed - Once the happily ever after happened, there was still a lot o wrap up, which I thought was a bit much.

This book is an actual teen book with all the fun-loving trappings.

'The Secret Summer Promise' by Keah Brown is a fun and lighthearted summer read! We follow Andrea, a 17-year old who is recovering from her latest surgery to treat cerebral palsy. This summer, she wants nothing more than to finally have the best summer ever with her friends - if it weren't for the growing feelings she has for her best friend threatening to ruin it all...

This book is a light and funny read for the upcoming summer months! Andrea has great chemistry with her group of friends and the disability rep was amazing. I loved reading about Andrea's bond with her loved ones and how they incorporated her needs into their daily routines. The way Andrea deals with the discovery of her queerness also feels genuine and could be great for young readers coming to terms with their own queer feelings. The diverse chast of characters was a BIG plus for me too. I loved reading about all of them.

That being said, I had some small issues with this book. Firstly, (but also mainly) I had a problem with the writing of this book. It felt clunky and a bit forced at times and wasn't really for me. Also, the conflicts in this book felt a bit premature for me and not really fit for 17-year olds. One of the love interests also drops a pretty hideous comment towards the disabled main character, implying that the other love interest could be ashamed to be seen with them (this happens at a time in the book where the first love interest has no way of knowing this). However, these points of criticism could also be due to me not really being part of the target audience - I think I would've probably loved this as a teen!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

4.5/5

First and most important: the protagonist is a disabled, queer POC! Right off the bat, I was stoked to see this kind of representation because we need so much more of it!!! There was even discussion in the book about how the main character has never seen herself represented in the media in leading roles. People like her are always smaller side roles or represented in less than positives ways. It’s about gosh darn time that changes, and this book does a great job of it.

This book would probably be good for a younger high school audience. It was a little bit more juvenile than a lot of the YA I’ve read (which is not a bad thing at all). The characters felt so real and were well developed. There were several different relationship arcs, and I was invested in them all.

I had a few issues with some aspects of the writing style but they were very minor and did not take me out of the story! I got goosebumps and teared up on several occasions!

I am very sorry to say that I couldn’t finish this title - it just didn’t appeal to me and nothing in the first 15% caught my attention.

I’m mature enough to know that this is mostly about me, less about the book, but it’s the first time in a long while that I can’t even bring myself to keep on reading.

I hope others enjoy it more than I.

Thank you to Keah Brown, Levine Querido, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The Secret Summer Promise comes out June 6, 2023.

The Secret Summer Promise is a wonderful novel that featured both queer and disabled representation. Andrea Williams wants to have a fun and exciting summer after recovering from a surgery for her cerebral palsy. Part of that is trying to fall out of love with her best friend, so she ends up dating the popular guy at school. Through the twists and turns of that relationship Andrea is forced to consider what she really wants. I thought this novel was really wholesome and warm. I loved Andrea's parents and friends. Do I think that this is more of a coming-of-age story than a true romance, yes, does that take away from the story, no. I think it's a perfect story for queer and disabled teens that are trying to find stories that fit them. It makes me wish there were more stories like this one when I was growing up. I highly suggest trying The Secret Summer Promise.

This should have been aimed at a younger audience, like preteens, or people under 15, at least. The writing is very juvenile and the characters act and sound much younger than teens about to enter their senior year of high school. Even so, this book is so boring. So much exposition dump and dialogue that's so uninteresting. I think there still will be people who like this book, but one of them isn't me.

This book had excellent representation of queer and disabled characters and I loved it, it was a heartfelt summer story and I loved the romance and friendship themes, definitely an enjoyable read

Keah Brown's "The Secret Summer Promise" is a wonderful YA novel filled with true-to-life representation for LGBTQ+ and/or disabled readers that is sure to be a delight for any young reader. If you're going into this thinking these teenage characters will act like they belong on the CW or Freeform, I would manage your expectations before you start. Drea, Hailee, and friends would be the kind of characters you would find more on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, even Hallmark. In my mind, there's nothing wrong with that. Despite popular theory, a lot of teenagers do not go out and party and live semi-adult lives as are depicted on some teen tv shows. I appreciate Brown's depiction of her teenage characters here.

I also thought it was refreshing that nothing about Drea's disability or anybody's sexuality was overexplained to the reader. Everything was treated as if we were already clued in on how Drea's cerebral palsy affected her and no one's sexuality was explained or reasoned with. It all just "was;" in an effort to normalize disabilities and LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, I enjoyed this aspect of Brown's storytelling.

The only hang-ups I had with the story was the actual romance plotline itself. I found the conflict very predictable and the romantic dialogue between our two main protagonists very cheesy for my tastes. My favorite parts of the novel were actually when Drea was with her family or friends, not any of the romantic scenes. While I am not the target audience for this book, I can still put myself back into my teenage mindset and I know I would have enjoyed the storytelling back then. Despite any criticisms I may have as an adult reader, I think this book is great for teens and I recommend it to any YA reader.

Thank you to Keah Brown, Levine Querido, and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! (3.5 stars)

i could not get into this book ( and i really tried) but ultimately the diary-like writing style just bothered me too much to even remotely start caring about the characters

This felt young. The story itself was interesting and I liked the concept, but I kept getting caught up by how young the characters felt- especially given that the main character is 17. I don't think this was bad, it just wasn't for me. I loved the rep in this book and I would love to read more YA about characters with disabilities!

a cute and sweet book with an entertaining premise but it somewhat fell a little short. The MC seemed younger than seventeen in the way she acted and argued with her friends, and unfortunately, it kept me away from enjoying the book as much as I had hoped.

Andrea is a 17 year old girl with two very loving parents, a best friend named Hailee, and a close knit friendgroup (minus her frenemy). She wants to fall in love over the summer, and to fall out of love with Hailee who Andrea thinks will never like her.

My favorite parts of the book were the family and found family aspects. Andrea is close with her parents as well as her friends' guardians. I also love when LGBTQIA+ books don't feature homophobia. While unrealistic, it can be exhausting to read about homophobia and outing when using reading to escape the real world. I also loved the disability rep and I am always looking for more books featuring disabled characters. It was something that was incorporated very well. The story captured its title well and truely felt like summer.

I went into this story thinking it was an upper level YA book. I'd classifiy it as more of an upper middle grade or a younger YA read. The pacing felt off, regardless of its age category. I needed more time in the scenes. I found that the story was juggling too many things at once, and with its short sentences and simple structure, I found myself feeling rushed between conversations and movements.

The friendships in this story feel juvenielle, ones I would expect out of a set of 13 year olds, not 17 year olds. Hailee is supposed to be super likeable, but we are told that, not shown it. I wasn't sure why everyone seemed to like her.

A personal gripe due to me thinking about it during my entire read: In the first few chapters, around five side characters are mentioned. We don't actually meet these characters or know anything about them until 70% of the way in. I still don't understand how a few of them connect to Andrea. I am not sure why this choice was made but it was frustrating.

Overall, The Secret Summer Promise wasn't for me. However, I think it is great with the mindset of a younger read with your typical teenage angst and antics. It absolutely felt like summer.

One of the unfortunate things about Young Adult as a genre is that there is such a wide variety inside it. There’s so much development going on in your teenage years that you aren’t the same person at the end as you were at the beginning. As such, its hard to accurately judge whether a book about 17 year olds is more on the older or younger ends of the Young Adult genre.

The Secret Summer Promise was more on the younger.

We follow Andrea and Hailee, two best friends creating a list of things they want to accomplish before the summer ends. But Andrea has a secret, ninth thing on that list she wants to complete all by herself: she wants to fall out of love with her best friend.

To be honest, this book felt a little more like a middle grade to me than it did a YA title. The writing was juvenile, and it felt like it was more suited to someone just entering high school than someone about to start their final year.

One of the bigger things I disliked in this book was the relationship between Andrea and Hailee. In order to have a romance readers truly care for, I believe you have to introduce details that make the reader fall in love with the love interest as well, and I just wasn’t getting that out of this book. Instead, the book opens by saying Andrea is in love with Hailee… and then never expands upon that. There are no details as to why Andrea likes Hailee. No reason for readers to care for her as well. It’s just simply “Andrea likes Hailee”.

I cared more for the relationships Andrea had with a few of the side characters, such as George and Olivia. Olivia is Andrea’s ex best friend, and it was very obvious as I read that there was something going on with her behind the scenes. I could imagine a romance developing between her and Andrea better than I could Hailee and Andrea.

George felt the same way to me. Despite his red flags throughout the book, if this book ended with him and Andrea getting into a relationship, I would not have been surprised. There was just more development in both Olivia and George, more of a reason for readers to care about them, than Hailee’s single detail of “Andrea likes Hailee”.

This book had the potential to be good, and while I still think a middle grade audience would really enjoy this story, I’m not a fan of juvenile writing and no details about our love interest.

*I was provided with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review*

This was a sweet, easy read with a relatively uncomplicated happily-ever-after and low stakes drama, that I whipped through in a single session - definitely recommend as a summer read for a teen.

I loved the authentic representation of a bisexual teen with CP, and also that Drea's character was fully fleshed out beyond these aspects of her identity. Similarly, I like that the story explores relationships beyond just romance - Drea is grappling with her sexuality, her relationship with her crush and the cool boy who asks her out, her relationship with her body, family and friends.

I do think the characters and the book as a whole felt a bit younger than the 16/17 year old characters, and the ending/messages were a bit saccharine, but on the whole this was a quick, enjoyable read and I would absolutely get it into the hands of teenagers in my life.

This is a heartfelt YA summer read. Two best friends make a list of eight fun things they want to do this summer. Drea is 17, black and has cerebral palsy. Her girlfriend group is supportive of her and her disability. Drea also just realized that she is probably Bi as she is attracted to her best friend Hailee. Things get confusing when the most popular boy in school asks Drea out upsetting the friend balance.

There is a lot of teen girl drama going on in this story. Part of the friend group is Olivia who use to be BFF’s. I’m not sure why they still hang out together when they are constantly sniping at each other. It is almost like Olivia missing Drea’s mom more than her friend. And the friend’s lie to manipulate Drea and Hailee which I didn’t love. The antics and arguments all felt more middle school than seniors in high school. There is a lot of shouting, tears and texting drama. Also there was some outing within the friend group which I didn’t like either.

These kids are priveleged. Drea’s mom is a well known fashion designer, the friends have access to a Lake House, and even a driver. That isn’t a bad thing as most of the parents are wonderful but it is unexpected. In fact I think Drea’s relationship with her parents is one of the better aspects of the story. There is no fear in coming out to them.

Of course everything is going to work out. And HEA is getting the title of girlfriend. The story is all very innocent. Nothing more than hand holding or kissing among any in the friend group again making this seem like a younger plot line. I did like the inclusion of a MC with a physical disability. I would have like to have learn something about the disease but I guess it fits that her friends already know all about it. This can easily be recommended for middle school and up. Thank you to Levine Querido and NetGalley for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

Thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours and Levine Querido for the opportunity to spotlight this anticipated book.

Trigger Warnings: past surgery, past death of a grandparent, and ableism

The Secret Summer Promise is an YA, disabled and queer novel about a bisexual teen girl with cerebral palsy named Andrea Williams who is determined to have a fun, adventurous summer after recovering from a surgery related to her CP. Andrea is in love with her best friend, Hailey, and she decides she is going to make herself fall out of love by dating the most popular boy at school, George. Later in the story George shows his true nature by hurting Andrea in a big way to force to ask herself what she wants. This fun, coming of age novel was Very well-written. It's about celebrating one's uniqueness.

This YA debut from the creator of the hashtag #disabledandcute was a good ownvoices story about a bisexual teen girl with cerebral palsy who is determined to have a fun, adventurous summer after recovering from a surgery related to her CP.

While I liked the cast of diverse characters and thought the disability rep was great, I thought the friendship/romance relationships were a bit messy and I wasn't particularly rooting for any one couple. More a coming of age story than a romance for me but still good!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much Hear Our Voices Tours and Keah Brown for sending me an ARC as a part of this tour! Also thank you NetGalley for sending me an E-ARC to review! (Totally didn’t mean to get two ARCS 😭)
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This one is a must-read for summer! All the summer vibes for sure! I really enjoyed the vibe surrounding Andrea. I really loved her parents and her friends! This book is just such a fun wholesome read! There isn’t too much tension (there is a little miscommunication) and I really enjoyed reading. I think this book tends to read a bit young for the main character being 17, but there's nothing wrong with that. I think this would be perfect for 8-9th graders or anyone just wanting a more simple read. I really enjoyed how diverse the cast of characters is and how Andrea’s dad hosts a cooking class for disabled kids in honor of his daughter. Andrea’s parents are so supportive and loving! I thought this one was so cute and can definitely see myself coming back to reread to hear the audiobook.
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The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown comes out on May 9th!

This was a really cute and warm-hearted YA novel. It was well-paced and I loved the representation and the authors approach with the book.

It follows 17 year old Andrea Williams after spending last summer recovering from surgery due to cerebral palsy she’s determined to make this summer the best one ever. With the help of her friends and the support of her parents Andrea plans to live it up. The only thing that could get in the way is her best friend Hailee finding out she’s in love with her. But in an attempt to push those feelings behind her Andrea figured dating the popular cute guy in school George would do the trick.

The author created such a well-rounded character with Andrea from her confidence, vibrant personality, and how outspoken she was. She didn’t let her disability own her and I think she could be very relatable to a lot of younger readers.

All of the characters were lovable and supportive when it came to Andrea. We even see growth within her friendships. Although there was quite a bit of miscommunication between the characters forgiveness was an important aspect in the novel. It took a lot for Andrea to mend her broken friendship with both Hailee and Olivia. But I loved the dynamic between them all and how quickly they made up. George wasn’t right for Andrea I knew he’d be a problem as soon as he popped in the picture.

Overall I enjoyed the complexity of the novel, the diverse characters, and again I applaud the representation. It was fun, sweet, and well-developed I definitely recommend for a younger audience. Special thanks to the author, @hearourvoicestours, & @levinequerido for my advanced copy!!!!

loved this so so much. would definitely hand-sell and add to my staff recommendations. will probably go buy a hard copy when out because this was honestly amazing. normally have a little trouble getting into books but this was perfection.