This was more of 3.5 than 4, but closer to that than just a 3.

I enjoyed this book, and can say I didn't see the twist coming. But the twist didn't shock me, it was just like "oh, that explains a little bit". It wasn't a big shocker!!

Storyline flowed well, and was written in a wonderful way. I liked that I could learn first hand about Charity's story as well as Willows.

This was more of 3.5 than 4, but closer to that than just a 3.

I enjoyed this book, and can say I didn't see the twist coming. But the twist didn't shock me, it was just like "oh, that explains a little bit". It wasn't a big shocker!!

Storyline flowed well, and was written in a wonderful way. I liked that I could learn first hand about Charity's story as well as Willows.

Anticlimactic; just okay

I liked this book a bit, but couldn't love it. A couple good twists to it, just enough to keep you on your toes, but overall lacking.

Meh

This booked sucked me and I couldn't have been happier! The story revolves around 3 siblings, Willow, Charity and Hope, and is told through multiple perspectives. I thought the book gave the characters a lot of dimension and the detail was very engaging. I did find that it dragged a little in some places and just wanted to see the story keep moving. As the title suggests, this novel explores secrets and how whether they are big or small, they can really affect a lifetime. While it's hard to discuss much more than that without giving the plot away, it really was a wonderfully crafted story. I think if you enjoy domestic suspense, you will like this one!

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Find all my reviews at: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com

Date Read: 06/11/16
Pub Date (US): 06/30/16

4 STARS

Everything you’ve built your life on is a lie

Willow’s memories of her parents are sun-drenched and full of smiles, love and laughter. But a mysterious invitation to a photographic exhibition exposes a secret that’s been buried since a tragic accident years ago.

Willow is forced to question everything she knew about Charity, her late mother, and Hope, the aunt she’s lived with since she was a child.

How was the enigmatic photographer connected to Willow’s parents? Why will Hope not break her silence?

Willow cannot move forward in her life without answers. But who can she really trust? Because no one has been telling the truth for a very long time.

*I’ll be including genres other than just MYSTERY/THRILLER/SUSPENSE on this blog; excited to expand my reviews and hope you join me for these new ones as well!

This was one gorgeously written story. The blurb above does a great job summarizing and giving you just enough to go on without spoiling all the good stuff. There are multiple POVs as we jump around to piece together what Willow discovers of her parents, but its also a story of the three siblings and their loss of one which causes a tragic divide between the remaining two. The story includes a good bit of Willow traveling the world as she begins to form a tale of deep emotions.

I think one of the best aspects of this book is the depth and connection the author was able to create with these characters. By the end of this book, I felt like I had become attached to this makeshift family and their dysfunctions felt as if they were my own. There were a few sections I felt were a bit padded and could have been slimmed down a bit, but it still was an extremely compelling read that caused me to want to pick it up at all hours. Loads of emotion in this one, but it wasn’t all sad. I found myself rejoicing with our characters during happy moments and sharing in their sorrow, especially during the struggles with the three siblings. The main theme I took from this book was how secrets, big and small, can rip apart generations of a family and cause more heartache for others than we realize in the midst of our immediate actions. This is a FANTASTIC read for the summer; I can particularly see this being a big hit at the beach. I look forward to more from this author and would recommend for fans of Diane Chamberlain and Carla Buckley; this totally had the “domestic fiction with a tinge of suspense” thing going for it.

*Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing my copy of this new to the US release in exchange for an honest review.

This was more of 3.5 than 4, but closer to that than just a 3.

I enjoyed this book, and can say I didn't see the twist coming. But the twist didn't shock me, it was just like "oh, that explains a little bit". It wasn't a big shocker!!

Storyline flowed well, and was written in a wonderful way. I liked that I could learn first hand about Charity's story as well as Willows.

When Willow's parents died in a tragic accident when she was just a child, her Aunt Hope stepped in to raise her. Willow's memories of life with her parents stand in stark contrast to her life with her aunt. While her parents were loving, happy socialites, her Aunt Hope kept a house filled with secrets, and kept Willow at a distance.

Coming back home in her mid-twenties, Willow finds a discarded invitation from Niall Lane, a famous photographer who has personally invited her to his next exhibit. When she confronts her Aunt Hope about why she would have thrown it away, a lifetime of secrets comes crashing down around her.

I could not put this book down! I picked it up after I got home from work and read straight through until I finished, stopping only to halfheartedly eat a bowl of cereal for dinner. (And I really like to cook, so that's saying something.) Every time I thought I had it figured out, another bombshell was dropped, and I was scrambling to figure out what had really happened all over again.

I loved the way that Charity's story and Willow's story became interwoven throughout the book. Willow's mother was taken from her when she was far too young, but it was touching that she ended up in so many of the same places that her mother had visited over the years, even finding the same hut on the beach where she had stayed many years before.

The only thing I really didn't care for was Hope's attitude toward her family. I understand that it must have been painful for her to lose both her sisters, but for her to not only pretend that Faith had never existed, but also to deny Willow any closure by refusing to talk about Charity and refusing to let her visit their former home was a little over the top. I suppose, though, there would have been no story without the secrets.

It's hard to believe that this book is 400 pages with the way I flew through it. A big thanks goes out to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book!