Review: Silver-Lined Secrets by Aleksander Petit
Author: Aleksander Petit
Edition: eARC
Publisher: self-published (February 15, 2022)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+
Synopsis
The Rowan Institute for Gifted Youth often feels more like a prison to Bailey Lowe than a spy academy. His lukewarm opinion worsens after meeting Oliver, a new student whose ties to the outside world are weaponized against him by the school. To complicate things more, Bailey forms an ill-advised friendship with Lucien, a tenderhearted barista who has taken a suspicious shine to him. This school and the people in it have taken Bailey’s ability to trust, and earning it back is a challenge he may not be brave enough for.
But Bailey’s caution isn’t misplaced. An unknown entity is targeting students—Bailey included— and the Rowan Institute staff refuse to explain how or why anyone managed to bypass the so-called “fortress.”
Bailey can only hope to be the ace spy the Institute wishes him to be. Otherwise, he risks failing his friends while the illusion of safety crumbles around them.
If he’s lucky, they won’t run out of tea first.
My review of Silver-Lined Secrets
Silver-Lined Secrets is a queer YA adventure following a teenage spy as he navigates relationships, mental health struggles and spy life.
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
⚠ Content and trigger warnings for violence, vomiting, hospitals, minor character death, bomb explosion, car crash, kidnapping, brief mention of transphobia, ableism, obsessive behavior from an emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend, mental illness and depictions of panic attacks. ⚠
Spy School Shenanigans With an Edge
If you present me with any kind of vaguely heist and spy-related story, my ears will perk up. So when I heard about Silver-Lined Secrets, I was immediately intrigued. A whole cast of teenage spies-to-be? Sign me up! Admittedly, getting into the book took me a few chapters. The very first chapter felt very exposition-heavy and a little clumsy in terms of the writing. But once I passed that initial hurdle, I fell right into Bailey’s world! I found myself enjoying the balance of spy stuff and the cute little café romance vibes that blossom between Bailey and Lucien. It’s just so cute! Lovers of café romance fanfics, this one might be for you.
One of my favourite aspects of the whole spy school theme is that the Rowan Institute isn’t presented as unquestionably good. There’s a lot of nuance to how Bailey thinks about the institution and his place in it. I appreciated following a protagonist who is somewhat of a reluctant spy in training and had an understanding of the institutional issues at hand. He struggles with anxiety and I felt that that representation was executed with care and nuance. I also just love that Bailey is a master at martial arts and will protect his friends at all costs…but he’s also a soft boy who loves all kinds of tea. He’s simply got the range.
Without giving too much away, there’s a bunch of action in this book, but in a way that didn’t stress me out! I appreciate this because too much conflict (even the fictional kind) will definitely get me stress pimples. Reading about Bailey and his friends and the forces they’re up against was delightful!
Queer Character Chaos
Speaking of characters, this is where Aleksander Petit shines. Our cast of characters is big, queer and quirky in all the right ways. I am a sucker for a good, supportive friend group in fiction and Silver-Lined Secrets delivers on that front.
Unfortunately, I did struggle a bit with the size of the cast. There’s a bunch of people to keep track of! Because I know that that’s sometimes an issue for my two little brain cells, I actually made a little relationship and character mindmap in an attempt to keep everyone apart. All characters are wonderful and I appreciated the diverse range of queer representation! But if you’re also someone who struggles to keep track of names, maybe read this book with a pen and paper at hand.
Overall…
Silver-Lined Secrets was a really fun read with all the queer spy vibes you can imagine!
This book is for you if…
…you like spy stories
…you are looking for a book with a bunch of queer characters and mental health representation
A post you might also enjoy: My Review of Victories Greater Than Death
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