Deadly Little Secrets (Touch Series #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

From the Publisher

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...
 
Until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades, an okay relationship with her parents, and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown.  But when a mysterious boy named Ben starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise.  Instead, she's inexplicably drawn to Ben.and to his touch.  But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a new series that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.

KLIATT

It all begins with a near-death accident. A mysterious boy saves Camelia from an out-of-control car in the school parking lot, and then speeds off on his motorcycle before she can thank him. She is left wondering who he is. Her friends think she's overreacting, or that she needs a boyfriend, or that she should forget him. But when Ben Carter starts school in the fall, she's interested in him. Best friend Kimmie may think that she should go back to her ex-boyfriend and good friend Matt, but Camelia can't shake the feeling that Ben is special, even if he was with his girlfriend the night she died. Scattered throughout the story are what seem to be journal entries of a boy watching Camelia. He's obviously fallen for her, but he's lying low. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get Camelia to notice him and keep her away from everyone else. From Camelia's point of view, life is increasingly more disturbing. Someone is leaving her gifts, calling her on the phone, pounding on her door, and breaking into her room. Camelia needs to know who to trust before it is too late. This is an engaging, eerie tale about the darker side of relationships—when it becomes a matter of life and death to know who your friends are. Reviewer: Aimee Cole

Kirkus Reviews

The prolific Stolarz (Blue is for Nightmares, 2003, etc.) here launches the new Touch series. Three months ago a handsome boy saved Camelia's life; now he's enrolled at her school, followed by rumors that he killed his girlfriend. As if that's not excitement enough, Camelia seems to have attracted a secret admirer, and her lively first-person narrative is interrupted by passages from the perspective of this prospective suitor. Is it new boy Ben? Jock John? Ex-boyfriend Matt? Or even Camelia's young boss at the pottery studio and shop? Whoever he is, he's determined to win Camelia at any cost, and the tension ratchets up until the action-packed ending. Meanwhile, Ben reveals his ability to sense the future through touch, a power he only partially controls and which failed to save his ex. Camelia can't help being drawn to Ben even when he warns her to stay away. CW-worthy dialogue, quirky secondary characters, romance and suspense: a winning combination. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)

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