Trading Secrets {by Melody Carlson}

Title: Trading Secrets

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Christian YA fiction

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Received from publisher

Back in fifth grade, Micah Knight got an Amish pen pal, and over the years, they've exchanged many letters--and many secrets. At age seventeen, Micah finally has the chance to meet her pen pal face-to-face. The only problem is that because of confusion about her name when the pen pals were assigned, her pen pal was a boy, Zack Miller. And all this time, Micah's never told Zack that she's actually a girl! While she wants nothing more than to experience life on Zack's Amish farm, she's afraid he'll hate her for deceiving him all these years. But she makes up her mind to face the music--and that's where the fun really begins. 

Bestselling author Melody Carlson brings young adults another fascinating tale of worlds colliding, secrets being revealed, and friendships forming. Teens will love this story of miscommunication and mishaps along the way to the truth.

I don't read Amish books as a rule of thumb. I don't understand this Christian fiction trend of being obsessed with the Amish, and I don't partake in it. But when I saw this blurb, I was intrigued. I had to know how it played out, and I've read quite a few Melody Carlson books, enough to know that I liked her writing, and decided to give this one a chance. 

This one was interesting, to say the least. If you know anything about the Amish, then you should know enough to know that boys and girls mixing is no bueno. Which is why Micah hid the fact that she was a girl once she was old enough to understand their culture. But now that she has the chance to meet him face-to-face, she doesn't know what to do.

This was a fun story. I had a point, that I said if Micah didn't tell them she was a girl, then I was going to stop reading. But she does tell them, and I kept reading. And it was interesting. I did enjoy the culture, and the differences between Amish and the English. But we also got to see both sides, from Micah going there and liking it, to Zack wanting to leave the farm and go out into the world. Both sides were represented, and there wasn't a bias of which one was better.

Micah enjoyed her time at the farm, even with Zack's mother hating her, and I felt both Micah and Zack learned a lot from the experience. Zack's siblings were adorable as well. This was a fun and entertaining story, and I am definitely happy with the way everything worked out.

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