The Secret Year is an incredible moving and powerful novel that will take your breath away. Hubbard has this amazing skill of making the reader feel as if they are apart of the novel. By the time I finished this novel, I was blissfully overwhelmed with all the emotions and realism that Hubbard uses. And I must applaud her for using the male point of view so effortlessly. Unlike some other novels I have read, the male thoughts, feelings, and even dialogue are so realistic and believable. There was no part of this novel that made me question what Colt was doing or saying... it just felt right.In regards to the plot, I was very engaged with the approach that Hubbard uses. It was very interesting to view the male perspective in regards to the relationship when most authors tend to focus on the female. I loved reading about Colt's feelings for Julia and subsequent girls, and how to had to come to terms with Julia's death.While the ending at first bothered me due to its openness, after taking some time to contemplate, I have decided that the ending perfectly suits the novel. Hubbard has this amazing ability to leave certain detail undefined. And while this may annoy some readers, for this novel it works. She gives just enough details so that readers have an idea of the situation, but allows for the ultimate feelings to be the readers. This novel is not a case of black and white, but rather one filled with various hues of grays. In the end, you decide how you feel: about the choices that Colt has made...whether you love or hate Julia... if their relationship was perfect, etc.This is a power charged novel full of emotions and questions. And I loved absolutely every moment. I honestly believe that this is a novel that I could read tens, hundreds, possibly thousands of times and continuously come to a different conclusion of what this or that situation meant. There is so much depth to this novel that I want to go read it again to make sure I did not miss a thing. I highly, highly recommend this novel.
