My whole body aches. I trawl memories of her, now so precious… my darling child. I can’t lose her… children and their glamorous mother Rebecca – who seems determined to invite Tessa into their lives.
Rebecca, however, is harbouring a dark secret. And when it becomes too much for her to bear, Tessa seems to be the only person she can turn to.
But as powerful bonds form between the two families, choices will be made that can never be undone. And as the summer comes to an end, nothing can keep everyone safe. And one family will pay the ultimate price…
A gripping, powerful emotional page turner with a heartbreaking twist, for fans of Jodi Picoult, Emily Bleeker and Diane Chamberlain.
Readers are loving The Secrets We Keep:
‘Holy heck!!! Kate Hewitt brought her A-game with this must read… I was completely entranced… There were so many well-timed twists and turns and just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore, there was another bomb waiting to drop!! … A complete 5 star novel that will most certainly “wow” you!’ Steph and Chris’ Book Review, 5 stars
‘A powerful, emotional and captivating book… very gripping… a fantastic story.’ MoMo’s Book Diary, 5 stars
‘Emotional, suspenseful, truthful…these all describe this gut wrenching story of two very different women and the summer they share… I couldn’t put it down! The suspense built higher and higher feeling almost like a Hitchcock movie.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘It had me on the edge of my seat with tears in my eyes. It is a very heart wrenching book to read and incredibly moving.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Captivating, suspenseful, entertaining novel! This beautiful thriller kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading it!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh my god!! What a heartbreaking twist…I absolutely loved this book sooooo much.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An absolutely, heart wrenchingly, emotional book… Be warned, you will shed tears! Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A story about friendship, hope, and how we can help each other get through the tough times in our lives… captivated me from the start… I love, love, love this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I could not put [it] down, I just had to find out what happens next… I enjoyed every minute.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘The ending… tore at my heartstrings.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘I was totally immersed in this beautifully told story and felt really sad by the time I reached the end. Uniquely wonderful… I loved every single page of it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I cried so much during this book. I couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I have just finished reading this book, and am blown away. I didn’t want the book to end, but I couldn’t put it down… Engrossing.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow! This book really kept me on my toes. There are a lot of twists and turns that I was not expecting… I highly recommend this book, but prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Does not let go until you have read the last page. It will pull at your heart strings and break your heart at the same time.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A highly emotional and suspenseful book which left me in tears in some parts and biting my nails in others… One emotional rollercoaster of a story with twists and turns aplenty.’ Stardust Book Reviewsmore
I cried so much during this book and honest to God couldn’t put down.
I thought this book was great and the story line was stupendous and I thought the author was great with the telling and introducing.
The character built was spot on and the perfect people to play them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and leaving this reviw voluntarily.
Rambled a bit too much for me. I expected a more fast-paced book and it’s really not what I got. A very slow burner. I wish I can say it gets better but it felt stagnant throughout for me.
What an amazing story of secrets…between families and between family members. As the book begins, you are wondering what really happened to bring these two women and their children to their respective lake houses.
Well, get ready! You will be in for unbelievable revelations. The characters are well developed and their personalities very unique. You definitely will develop strong opinions about them. Lots of family dynamics, love, loss, and emotional and physical trauma.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This one has been difficult for me to rate. I found this book impossible to put down and I was so invested in the first 3/4 of the book.
It follows Tessa and Rebecca who become fast friends when they rent lake houses next to each other for the summer. Even though their lives are completely different, they still form a friendship and start spending alot of time together with their children as well.
We know throughout the book that Rebecca is harboring a secret which is causing her to act recklessly. Both women are unhappy in their marriages and worried about their children.
So, why three stars since I couldn’t put this book down? The last quarter of the book made me angry. I felt like some completely unnecessary and unbelievable things happened.
While I appreciate the themes in this book, I felt like there would’ve been less dramatic ways (and those more in line with the story) to accomplish getting them across.
I received a free electronic copy of this modern novel from BookSIRENS and Kate Hewitt. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. The Secrets We Keep is a compelling tale that keeps you reading long past your bedtime.
New York City mother’s Tessa and Rebecca are both seeking tranquility from their life pressures, each renting a place on New York’s Finger Lakes for the summer. Though the rentals are side by side, Rebecca’s is a showplace with all the bells and whistles with lots of rooms and entertainment for her three children, and Tessa with her two is renting a tiny cabin, each room small and dark and careworn, but they have the beach and the water, though very cold, is always beckoning. Despite their varied background, the two women grow close, as do their five children all between the ages of 8 and 11. There are however pressures on both households that keep the women from settling down and using this time to work through their problems, though they do work into a routine that suits the children, including daily swim and tennis lessons courtesy of Rebecca at the local Country Club. Although Rebecca’s husband Josh makes an occasional visit or two, Tessa’s husband Kyle spends his weekends trying to establish an income with his friends and fellow musicians to supplement and hopefully, eventually replace, his income from a job he truly abhors.
And then Rebecca mentally implodes. She no longer finds any relief from cutting, and her drinking is out of control. Josh comes up and enrolls her in a 28-day program at a health center in the area, but he must return to NYC for pressing happenings at his job. Tessa moves into the big house with her children and cares for Rebeccas three, maintaining the pattern of their summer lives before Rebecca’s mental break. Josh makes the effort to come up every weekend, visits Rebecca, and eventually brings their children up to visit her, and life rolls along at a normal pace. And then Rebecca is released. Life goes back to what it was before. Or does it? Can it?
I completed this book in less than 24 hours I couldn’t put it down. I was touched in an emotional way that I still haven’t been able to shake .
An intriguing novel of family and motherhood that questions ‘the secrets we keep’ and the selves we present to the world.
This exploration of pain, grief, and the possible and sometimes tragic consequences of not speaking your truth to the ones you love was not the book I thought it would be, but it was an entertaining and engaging read nonetheless!
This is a tough story. A story of depression. Of two women so lost they ultimately become each other’s crutch. One desperately hanging onto the other to keep her afloat. The other wanting to be so done else. Their friendship is mired in insecurity and fear and desperation.
Seeing, or not seeing, how loved ones become collateral damage is devastating. Depression is an illness and it affects everyone around you. This author tackled a very difficult topic and parts of it are very familiar to me, as I have faced some of these same demons. It’s not a book for everyone, but it’s a good book. Healing is what these women found the strength to do, but the path to healing was fraught with so much loss.
Really good and really sad. Face paced read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first book I’ve read by Kate Hewitt and I am now looking for another. Well developed characters although I did not like Rebecca at all. The book was about Tessa and Rebecca and their children. How during one summer there lives entwined though they were for two different social classes. I couldn’t put it down. And will probably read again.
At 1st the book was simply entertaining. As I read on, the complexity of each woman and the childrens lives evolved and drew me in. While some I expected, much of it twisted and turned. While sad, the book also highlights the ability for change, insight and hope.
Why do we keep secrets from others? Are we embarrassed by ourselves, our families, our lives? Secrets can be difficult to maintain and when you have a best friend, it’s even more difficult. Even more difficult are the secrets that we keep from ourselves – those little truths that we don’t think about or realize are really true. This is a novel about secrets – secrets from family, from friends but mostly from ourselves.
Tessa and her two children have rented a cabin for the summer to get away from NYC, to get away from the husband she is growing further apart from and the life that she doesn’t seem to fit into. The cabin is a tiny dilapidated house in the midst of huge lake mansions. Next door is the very rich and beautiful Rebecca with her three children, also escaping from her life. Despite the huge difference in their lives, Tessa and Rebecca become friends as do their children – though the children become friends very reluctantly. As Rebecca starts to shower Tessa with things like make- overs and new clothes, it also becomes apparent to Tessa that Rebecca is harboring a deep secret about her life. As the secrets come to light who will be most hurt by the truth – friends, husbands or children or will the real harm be to Tessa and Rebecca?
This is a novel about friendship and secrets and family. It’s a story of two woman, though leading very different lives,who are still very much the same because of the secrets in their lives. Both women are very well written – flaws and all – and I found myself rooting for both of them from page 1. This is a wonderful character driven book and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
This book will draw you in and then run your emotions through the wringer. Two women who wouldn’t normally be friends are thrown together when they rent houses next to each other on a lake. Both have their own secrets and difficulties that they are trying to overcome. There are not enough words to describe this novel. It’s about family, love, secrets, and truth. Each mom is dealing with their reality or their perception of it and what it will be going forward. The downside comes when, while their friendship grows, their children aren’t always in the top of their minds.
The ending was hard and real and a reminder that things in life don’t always end up perfectly or with a happily ever after. Sometimes life is hard and you have to find a way to deal with the fall out. And you have to find a way to live your life, with its ups and downs, not someone else’s.
#TheSecretsWeKeep #KateHewitt #Bookouture