Thursday, September 6, 2018

BLOG TOUR: The Secrets We Keep


Today is my day for the Blog Tour for The Secrets We Keep by Kate Hewitt.


DESCRIPTION:

My whole body aches. I trawl memories of her, now so precious... my darling child. I can’t lose her…

When Tessa arrives at the little house by the lake with her two children, it is an escape. The rental house may be a bit small – but it’s theirs for the summer. A place to hide…

However, their isolation is disrupted by the family from the big house next door. Three 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.


PURCHASE:

Title:  The Secrets We Keep
Author:  Kate Hewitt
Genre:  Women's Fiction
Format:  Kindle ARC
Publisher:  Bookouture
Date Published:  September 6, 2018
No, of Pages:  374
My rating:  4 Stars

When Tessa McIntyre and her children go away for the summer, they rent a cabin on the beach. They meet their immediate neighbors, Rebecca Finlay and her three children. At first, it seems that the two families will not get along. The women could not be any different. However, for reasons unclear to Tessa at the time, Rebecca wants to befriend her. So, they begin to spend a lot of time together. For their many differences, they both have, at the very least, difficult marriages.

Tessa and Rebecca escape for the summer for entirely different reasons. Tessa is hoping to not just get away from the city and life that has for some reason become unbearable, including her relationship with her husband Kyle. Rebecca has been relegated to a "lesser" vacation by her husband, due to previous actions of hers. He has denied her their usual vacation in the Hamptons. So, she will just have to make the best of things. Enter Tessa and things just got interesting.

We learn quite a bit about Rebecca and the deep problems that she is suffering, and the coping mechanisms she chooses to deal with them. Tessa has her own demons, but rises high in this book as she spends time with Rebecca and her family. Poor Tessa blithely allowed Rebecca to steamroll over her life for a time.

While I was exceptionally connected to these characters, both the parents and all of the children, I was incredibly grief-stricken by the conclusion. I found that shift to be just a bit over the edge. I felt as if I needed a much-better resolution. Even knowing that this was designed to be an emotional read, I truly felt the twists were extremely overwhelming. The ending of this story left me wrecked. The issues dealing with mental health and self-harm were tragic and truly affected my sensibilities. With the exception of the shocking twist at the end, I found this to be a very well-written book.

All said, this compelling story was impossible to put down and I read it in one sitting. It is a fast-paced and emotional read all of the way through, if not rushed during the last few chapters. I have read Kate Hewitt before and will say that she has a fantastic way of pulling at your heartstrings. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


READ A BRIEF EXCERPT:

Prologue

You are so silent, so still. I can barely hear you breathing, and I don’t think I’d know you were except for the barely there rise and fall of your chest under the starchy hospital sheet, visible only when I lean forward and look for it, for a desperately needed sign that you’re still here, that you’re holding on, despite what the doctors say, the way they shake their heads.

It all happened so quickly—a blur, the blood, screams and shock. So much shock. My mind is still spinning with disbelief, that this happened to my child, but I know if it stops spinning the guilt will rush in, along with the terror. This is all my fault. I can’t escape that awful reality, that I could have stopped all of this if I’d seen it coming… I could have kept you safe, and I didn’t.

All around me the hospital is quiet, the long, lonely hours of the night ticking by as I wait for the verdict. The doctors say they’ll know more soon… whether you will wake up or not. Whether you will live or die.

I stare at you, willing you to open your eyes. To smile sleepily as recognition dawns. I crave that, the unutterable relief of it, because I can’t stand to think that you might not be all right, that a moment was all it took, a moment when I wasn’t watching, when I didn’t see.

Because no matter what I try to tell myself now, I’m sure, I’m so sure, that I could have kept all this from happening if only I’d been strong enough. If only I’d been different.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of many books of women's fiction and romance. Her latest releases are A Mother's Goodbye and A Vicarage Wedding. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell. 

She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, and historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.

Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.


Kate loves to hear from readers—visit her website www.kate-hewitt.com or you can contact her at katehewitt@kate-hewitt.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment