Every once in a while, I read a book that makes me wonder how an author managed to do so much with so little. The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman is one of those books.

This book is AMAZING.

Book "The Secret to Belonging" on a plate with napkins, forks, knife and a stem of Holly rests on top of the book

I received an advance review copy of this book from Simon & Schuster. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Quotes are taken from an ARC and may differ from the final published edition.

Once I started reading, I genuinely could not put it down. Freeman tells this story in verse and in second person, and the result is an incredibly intimate reading experience. There are fewer words on each page and plenty of white space, but somehow those spaces become part of the story. What isn’t said can feel just as important as what is.

That absolutely blew my mind.

At the center of the novel is a teen who has spent years feeling invisible in her own family. Her brother’s addiction consumes her parents’ attention, energy, money, and worry. Meanwhile, she becomes the child who is assumed to be okay—the one who doesn’t cause problems and therefore doesn’t seem to need anything.

But being “the okay one” comes with its own kind of hurt.

When an opportunity takes her far from home to Norway, she finally has the chance to discover who she might be outside of her family’s problems. What follows is a story about anger, loneliness, family, first love, starting over, and the radical realization that choosing yourself doesn’t make you selfish.

When a Book Hits Close to Home

This story was especially emotional for me because I could relate to it on a deeply personal level.

I also have a sibling who has struggled with addiction and mental illness, so I understood that feeling of becoming the child who gets overlooked because someone else needs more attention. When one person in a family is constantly in crisis, everything can begin revolving around them. The child who seems fine can slowly disappear into the background.

That feeling of not quite belonging in your own family? I understood it.

And Freeman captures it with remarkable honesty.

One passage that immediately got me was:

“who do you rival?
no one, you say
I am always eclipsed.”

Eclipsed.

What a perfect word for that feeling.

As a parent now, I can also understand the other side more than I could when I was younger. When one child is struggling, of course a parent wants to help them. Of course that child may temporarily require more time and attention. But this book is such an important reminder that parents still have to see the other children. We cannot assume that the child who isn’t screaming for help doesn’t need us.

Sometimes the quiet child needs someone to notice them most of all.

So Few Words, So Much Emotion

What impressed me most about The Secret to Belonging is Freeman’s ability to create tremendous emotional depth with such sparse language.

Verse novels can sometimes make readers worry that they’ll be missing the detail or character development of a traditional novel. That is absolutely not the case here.

Freeman gives us exactly what we need.

A gesture. A pause. A few carefully selected words. An image.

And suddenly you understand everything the character isn’t saying.

Another passage I loved describes a piece of gum from her mother:

“the mint tastes like all the apologies
your mother couldn’t speak”

How can something so simple hurt that much?

That’s the magic of this book. Freeman doesn’t need pages and pages explaining the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. She can give you a piece of gum and a handful of words, and somehow you understand years of hurt, love, disappointment, and things left unsaid.

The second-person narration makes everything even more immediate. Instead of standing outside the protagonist’s life watching her experience these emotions, you are constantly addressed as “you.” Her anger becomes closer. Her loneliness feels sharper. Her moments of hope feel personal.

And when she begins discovering what it feels like to be noticed—to be wanted, welcomed, and appreciated—the shift is beautiful.

A Fantastic Choice for Reluctant Readers—and English Teachers

I also think this would be a fantastic book for reluctant teen readers.

At 336 pages, it may look like a typical YA novel from the outside, but the verse format and generous white space make the pages move incredibly quickly. A reader who is intimidated by dense blocks of text could pick this up and experience the satisfaction of moving through a book quickly without sacrificing emotional complexity.

But don’t mistake “quick to read” for “simple.”

There is SO much here to discuss.

English teachers could build incredible conversations around family dynamics, addiction, identity, second-person point of view, symbolism, word choice, negative space, feminine rage, guilt, boundaries, and what it means to belong. Students could spend an entire class discussing only a few lines because Freeman packs so much meaning into them.

This is the kind of accessible book that could show students how powerful poetry can be.

Final Thoughts

I honestly think The Secret to Belonging has the potential to become one of those YA books people continue recommending for years.

It is heartbreaking without being hopeless. It acknowledges the damage addiction can cause throughout an entire family while still allowing its protagonist to be angry. She doesn’t have to erase her own pain because someone else is suffering.

Most importantly, this book understands that sometimes finding where you belong begins with deciding that you are worth choosing.

Five huge stars from me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Megan E. Freeman completely won me over with this one, and now I need to go back and read her other books—starting with Alone.

If The Secret to Belonging is any indication, I have a feeling I’ve just discovered an author whose books are going to stay with me for a very long time.

About the Book

Title: The Secret to Belonging
Author: Megan E. Freeman
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
Genre: Young Adult / Novel in Verse / Contemporary

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Synopsis:

A neglected teen travels to Norway for a fresh start in this “lush…aching” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) coming-of-age novel in verse about longing, love, and the courage to create joy from the ashes of despair by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman.

You are invisible in your own family. Your parents spend all their care and attention on your brother, who is addicted to drugs. Your dreams don’t matter to anyone but you.

Your only ticket out is a college fund left by your grandfather—until your parents use it to pay for your brother’s drug rehab.

Just when your future seems about to collapse, you are offered a lifeline: a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It’s an invitation to begin a new life in a new place with new people…a place where you might finally feel like you belong.

Meet the Author

Megan E. Freeman author — Megan E. Freeman (Photograph © Matt Crossley)

Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week, and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan taught multiple subjects across the arts and humanities to students of all ages. She divides her time between northern Colorado and the Texas Gulf Coast. Visit her online at MeganEFreeman.com.

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