Book Review: Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz

Publisher’s description

How far would you go to keep a promise? Told from alternating points of view, Hidden Truths is a story of changing friendships, the lies we tell, the secrets we keep, and the healing power of forgiveness.

Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape.

Until one summer when everything changes.

Did Eric cause the accident that leaves Dani unable to do the one thing in the world she most cares about? The question plagues him, and he will do anything to get answers about the explosion that injured her. But Dani is hurting too much to want Eric to pursue the truth—she just wants to shut him out and move on. Besides, Eric has a history of dropping things he starts. Eric knows that and is determined that this will be the one time he follows through.

But what if his pursuit brings him into direct conflict with another friend? Where does Eric’s loyalty really lie?

Amanda’s thoughts

Important fact to know before you read this book: You’re going to need to buy some donuts. The kids eat approximately one million donuts in this story, and now all I want in life is a Boston Cream.

I always appreciate stories that focus on how complicated friendship can be, especially as kids. There are often ups and downs, hurt feelings, lies, distance that grows, and resentment. But there’s also often apologies, understanding, learning, and growing. It’s all normal. And even though Dani and Eric are super duper best friends, things get really hard for them. They actually spend most of this story not particularly being friends. When Dani gets hurt in an accident while camping, Eric saves her, but also wonders if maybe he is to blame for the accident. When he shares this hard truth with her, she shuts him out. She’s furious. They both spend much of the story either alone or with their new friends (or perhaps “friends”) while they work through their feelings—feelings that change as the story goes on and other truths are revealed, not just about the accident but about other people in their lives. It’s a really sensitive look at how it feels when an important friendship falls apart and how you go about building it back up. Eric never gives up on Dani, even when it seems like she’ll never want to be friends with him again. Theirs is a really lovely friendship and provides a good model for working through hurts and to come to forgiveness and to remember why you are friends in the first place. It takes a lot to apologize, to forgive, to admit you were wrong or acted poorly. Full of heart and vulnerability, this look at friendship and healing is not to be missed. A solid read.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9780593483664
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publication date: 10/31/2023
Age Range: 10 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews