The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

About the book

The Secret of Ella and Micha is the first in a new adult series by Jessica Sorensen. The book was published by Sphere on 11^th April and it is 320 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.  

Plot Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.

Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home.

Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.

Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes.

What I thought

I read one of Sorensen’s other books not too long ago and absolutely loved it. I would go as far as saying that The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden has been my favourite new adult novel so far this year. Due to liking that one so much, I jumped at the chance to get this one for review. It didn’t take me long to start reading it and it only took me a few hours to finish it in one go.

The Secret of Ella and Micha quite obviously tells the story of Ella and Micha, two people who have been friends since as long as they remember. However, Ella has a pretty messed up past and doesn’t deal too well with certain things in her life. After one really bad night eight months ago, Ella ran away to college without saying a word to anyone, even Micha. The story is told from alternating narratives from both Ella and Micha which is always something I like. I like knowing how each of the main characters feels and how different events affect each of them. Not only do the narratives alternate, but Sorensen also goes back to eight months earlier a couple of times, so we are able to see what really happened on the night Ella ran away.

Even though Ella ran away, she is forced to go home for summer break, which also means having to see Micha again. Although Ella could be a little annoying at times, due to her changing who she really is to be someone she thinks is better, I did really like her. Yes, she has problems but she does really think that she’s doing the best thing for her to get over the bad things in her life. Ella has a sort of split personality throughout the book which I found quite funny, even though it probably shouldn’t have been. Away at school, Ella is a nice, quiet and polite girl but where she comes from she is known for being loud, brash and with a not give a shit attitude. The different sides of Ella couldn’t have been more different but I did enjoy seeing her realise who she really was and what was best for her in the end.

The plot follows Ella as she is forced back home for the summer and Micha’s reaction to this. Micha was utterly heartbroken and really hurt when Ella ran away and has been looking for her for the whole eight months. I cannot express just how much I loved Micha as a character. As soon as he sees Ella again, all of his feelings and emotions come rushing back to him but he knows something isn’t right. Gone is the girl he used to know and instead, a stepford wife stands in her place. Getting to know Micha was wonderful and even though he is slightly known as the bad boy, with his lip ring, loud parties and being a musician, he was really so much more than that. It was clear to see that he cared so much for Ella and would do anything to make things better for her again. He’s also a little bit full of himself but in a good way – he does it jokingly and doesn’t take himself too seriously.

The majority of this book is spent with Ella and Micha bantering back and forth. Micha wants his old girl back but Ella is reluctant to change anything or admit her feelings for him. However, although the plot is predictable, I enjoyed how everything turned out. Micha and Ella have sizzling chemistry and a hell of a lot of sexual tension between them. Unlike other new adult books, this one doesn’t revolve around sex as much but the scenes of this nature and wonderfully done. The passion between the two main characters was great to read about without it being vulgar or over the top.

Although the plot doesn’t sound very exciting, it is. Being from a broken town with a bad reputation, there is plenty going on. I wasn’t expecting the wild parties or the drag racing but I loved these little extra touches. Sorensen puts Ella into situations from her old life in order to make her realise who she truly is and for Micha to get to show off a little bit. This is really a book about soul mates and being there for one another no matter what but the added extras really made it that little bit more special.

Jessica Sorensen writes fantastic new adult novels and I will read anything with her name on it!