At sixteen years old, I lost my first love, and it shook me to my core. My parents thought taking me out of town for the summer would help me to move on, but I returned home the same way I left: a broken girl who was the last person to see her boyfriend alive.The night before school started back up, I went to an open mic night and poured my heart and soul into a song I wrote for the boy who never … for the boy who never made it home.
That night, I met Elijah, and we had an instant connection that I couldn’t ignore. For the first time in months, I felt alive again.
But the next day, Elijah walked into my drama class…as Mr. Larson, our new teacher.
How was I supposed to go back to the way things were when my whole life had been turned upside-down? And how was I supposed to stop myself from falling for the man who had brought me back to life?
Note: My Lips Are Sealed is the first book in the Sealed With a Kiss series, and the first book of Zoe’s trilogy, which must be read in order.
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5 Stars
My Lips Are Sealed (Sealed With a Kiss Book 1) by Carmen Richter
My Lips Are Sealed is the first book in the Sealed With a Kiss Series by Carmen Richter. I truly enjoyed this story and found myself lost in the pages and couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen next. I’m not going to lie there were parts of this story I was ugly crying so have some tissues close by as you to might need them. I swear I felt everything single emotion that Zoe felt. Zoe is a young lady who’s boyfriend comes up dead and she’s heart broken. Her family thinks a vacation away from everything will help her heal, she doesn’t expect to meet him. These two have a real connection but what will happen when she finds out he’s her teacher? Find out what happens next in this must read. I can’t wait to read more from this Author.
This is one of those books that has so much going on…but I couldn’t stop reading.
To deal with the loss and heartbreak after the death of her boyfriend, Zoe’s parents move her to a town where hopefully she can heal. After writing a song to cope with her loss, she performs at an open mic night. This is where she meets Elijah. Sparks immediately fly and the two find out they have so much in common…much more than they should…when she find out Elijah is her new drama teacher.
This is definitely a forbidden romance. However, I found myself pulling for Zoe to find the happiness that has eluded her so she could heal. The author just kept throwing more into the mix and there were so many emotions. From heartbreak to hope…and frustration to anger…the rollercoaster of emotions went every which way.
I won’t give away the ending…but please have tissues at the ready if you are an emotional person (like myself). I will definitely be checking out the next book!
A wonderful start to an intriguing series. This novel is vastly different that one would expect. There’s drama amd more drama, but there is also love, intrigue, mystery to go along with it. Most seventeen year olds don’t have it as put together as Zoe does in this novel. However, it makes for a great young adult read.
This is the first book in the Sealed with a Kiss series. This is a Contemporary Romance novel and is 464 pages. This story follows Zoe and Elijah. Zoe is 16 and her boyfriend has died. She is completely devastated so her parents take her away thinking this would help but it did not. She goes to an open mic night and sings her heart out and this is where she meets Elijah. There was an instant spark. Until the next day at school she realizes Elijah is one of her new teachers. How is she supposed to get past the feelings from the night before?
My Lips are Sealed
By Carmen Richter
4 stars
My Lips Are Sealed was a really great read, I like a forbidden romance story so this was definitely my kind of book. I was quickly engaged in although I will say I did struggle to connect with the main character Zoe at times, this may have been due to her age but there was just something however it didn’t mean that I didn’t like the story because I really did. There is definitely. Lot of angst and drama in the story and I did really feel a connection between the characters at times. I did feel for Zoe and the things she has been through. The author did a good job with getting the emotion across in the story. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
I must say that I did enjoy reading My Lips Are Sealed. In book 1 of Carmen Richter’s Sealed With a Kiss series and Ms Richter did a very good job of keeping you on your toes and wondering what was going to happen next. This story is has it all loss, love, drama, friendship, heartache and more.
Zoe is dealing with loss and heartbreak, and in a way to help her find closure she writes a song to start the process of healing. She goes to an open mic night and pours it all out. It’s there, at that open mic night, that she meets Elijah. Could it really be love at first sight?
Zoe and Elijah are two people with common interests that form an instant connection. After months of feeling the pain of loss, there’s a glimmer of hope that healing will come. And then she gets a shocking surprise when she walks into class to find Elijah is her new drama teacher.
The teenage girl in me was cheering her on every step of the way. The mom (of teenagers) in me was not. I found myself conflicted. But with every page I turned and with each new challenge that she was forced to face, I found myself hoping that it would all work out.
My emotions are still trying to register all that’s happened. From happy, to sad to tears to angry to devastated to rage to tears again…. Just make sure you have a box of tissues ready.
I’ll start off by saying I applaud Carmen Richter for how well she wrote about a lot of important topics. Young girls being pressured into things they aren’t ready for, coming out as gay, high-school drama. So many things!
For me personally the romance between Elijah and Zoe moved so quickly in the beginning it took a while for me to get into that aspect of the book. There were so many other things going on, the mystery with Brody and the drama with Paisley I kept reading. And I’m so glad I did!
My Lips Are Sealed is an intense emotional rollercoaster ride for being a young adult story. Being the first of the series it’s not too long at 464 pages but the story hooked me hook, line, and sinker from page one. My Lips Are Sealed has everything a reader could ask for love, death, conspiracy, drama, and a ton of emotion. The characters really brought this book to life for me, Miss. Richter describes their looks and their emotions in such detail that you’ll find yourself feeling like they are real people that these emotional scenarios are happening too. Overall My Lips Are Sealed is an amazing read and I would highly recommend it. This reader for one can’t wait to catch the rest of the series.
3 Stars
My Lips Are Sealed is the first book in the Sealed With A Kiss series by Carmen Richter. This is my first read by Ms. Richter, so I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but as it was recommended to me I took a chance and snapped up a copy to read.
I’m going to be honest here- I struggled with this story, I really did. I think I had a preconceived idea of what I was getting into and may have had my expectations set too high.
That’s not to say that the story was bad, it was ok- but I really struggled with the ages of the characters. I think I would have enjoyed this more, and related more to the character/s, if Zoe had been of college age, say 18/19/20- instead of her 16 years. But, that’s just me- there are probably heaps of people that wouldn’t be bothered by her age, but I was for some reason.
Zoe has endured so much heartbreak for someone so young, she has struggled to find her way back from her grief. Pouring her heart out into her music, she decides to perform at an open mic night and sing about her loss. It’s there she meets Elijah, who sparks something in her for the first time since her loss. She feels a small spark of her former life start to kindle within her, and for the first time in months she feels a little hope. Something promising blossoms between them- so imagine her surprise at school the next day when Elijah turns out to be her new drama teacher. They should just walk away- but instead decide to keep what they have a secret. What happens when secrets are revealed? Will this only lead to more heartbreak for Zoe? Well, you will just have to read the story for yourself to discover how everything unfolds.
The story is full of teen angst, friendship, love, loss, heartache, chemistry, secrets, and more.
Thank you, Carmen Richter.
This book is so much more than just a forbidden romance, the plot is so unexpected. There is so much happening it is very detailed. Zoe is a great character and when she falls for a new sexy man she deserves happiness but it turns out he is her drama teacher and not only that, news about her missing boyfriends disappearence comes to light. But that ending.. I can’t believe it!!! I’m so emotional after finishing this. Can’t wait for the next book.
This is the first in a trilogy of books Carmen Richter has written about a girl named Zoe. The stories are meant to be read in order and My Lips Are Sealed (Sealed With a Kiss Book 1) will sure to have you invested in the characters. Zoe’s story is heavy and is not typical for a young woman of 16 years old. When she was only 16 she lost the person who she felt was her true love and it destroyed her world. Her well-meaning parents sent her away for the summer but the distraction didn’t help her mind or her heart. To voice her pain, Zoe went to an open mic night and shared a song she wrote about her grief. It seemed life had a plan to turn her pain into hope again. Here, Zoe met Elijah, and for the first time in a very long while, her heartfelt something more than unyielding pain. Zoe felt a bit of a connection and she began to feel happiness. Life has a way also of giving us twists and turns and for Zoe, this meant meeting Elijah was not going to be a straight road. Zoe discovered the next day at school Elijah was also her drama teacher and this would only bring more drama into her life! Can Zoe’s heart handle this drama after suffering the recent heartbreak? What will her parents or the town think? Is it even a real possibility to think of having a relationship with Elijah or will this lead to more heartache? My lips are sealed with the ending which you will have to read for yourself!
I enjoyed this young adult story. This is a well written story about young love, broken hearts and finding a way to heal. The characters brought the story to life on each page I read. This is an engaging story that pulled me in from the beginning. I found the characters to be relatable and made the story entertaining to read. A teenage girl is broken from her first love when he turns up dead. She goes on vacation for the summer trying to heal but it doesn’t work. Then one night she meets him and they have a real connection. But what will happen when she finds out that he is a teacher? Things are now turned upside down, will they ever go back to normal? The characters are what made this story for me and the emotions they go through. I enjoyed watching their growth throughout the story. This is truly a great story that I highly recommend.
I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to read this series…..
Zoe is such a sweet and caring character.
I’m still processing everything that took place after chapter 24. Those last chapters had my eyes red and puffed.
Carmen, after EVERYTHING Zoe & Elijah went tru, you giving them that ending?!!!!
Just know, I’m crying myself to sleep
Well, just a quick nap…. I’m starting My Heart is Sealed…. and yes, I’m freaking excited as to how u gonna be tugging at my heart since there’s still one more book for their story.
Wow what an amazing book. It was definitely a emotional roller coaster. I laughed and cried. The love between friends and a high school crush.
What an emotional roller coaster. This story has it all: loss, love, pain, heartache, friendships, passion- I can go on and on. I truly felt everything Zoe was going through. I cried with her, I laughed with her, I lived through her eyes one page at a time. Highly recommend- and I’m going for book 2!!
Zoe (aged 17) and her family have just come back from a trip. Her family felt it best to take her away after her boyfriend went missing. Now Zoe feels ready to move on (or at least try to) she meets the handsome Elijah (who just graduated from college) at the local coffee shop and falls head over heels. After spending a fantastic evening with him, ending with a kiss, she feels guilty for not telling him her true age but decides she’ll tell him the following day. As Zoe heads into drama class, she’s confronted with her new teacher, Elijah. Oops! Both of them are sensible enough to know this isn’t ethical, however, the love they feel for each other over rules ethics and so they continue their relationship in secret.
This book has a little of everything. Forbidden love, twists and turns for the pair of them to overcome, and many moments of “I didn’t see that coming!” It’s a real page-turner and tear-jerker.