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bibliobethreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is a nice light read, nothing too taxing, as part of the Richard and Judy book club 2012. I didn't quite believe the relationship between Sarah and Alexander however and predicted the ending.
sarah5's review against another edition
5.0
This is the new novel by one of my favourite authors, Louise Douglas. I was lucky enough to be sent this as part of the Transworld Reading challenge. This is her third and this didn't disappoint. It starts with Sarah, recovering from a broken relationship meeting Alex and his young son, Jamie in Sicily. We soon learn that Alex's first wife, Genevieve is missing and the novel unfolds the mystery of her disapperance. Sarah moves in with them in a small village in the South West.
This novel is wonderfully atmospheric, tension runs through all the short chapters and is remniscient of 'Rebecca', another favourite novel of mine. All the characters are believable and on the most part, likable. It is cleverly written in the first person so we learn the secrets as Sarah does throughout the novel. This is a fast-paced book and I read it in one setting, always a good sign when you just can't put it down!
I love the detail in her novels, from the evocative decriptions of Sicily and Somerset to the smallest thing, such as the food and the houses, you can help but be captured in her novels. I'm looking forward to further novels and would highly recommend this one if you haven't already one from this author.
‘I’m part of the Transworld Book Group!’
This novel is wonderfully atmospheric, tension runs through all the short chapters and is remniscient of 'Rebecca', another favourite novel of mine. All the characters are believable and on the most part, likable. It is cleverly written in the first person so we learn the secrets as Sarah does throughout the novel. This is a fast-paced book and I read it in one setting, always a good sign when you just can't put it down!
I love the detail in her novels, from the evocative decriptions of Sicily and Somerset to the smallest thing, such as the food and the houses, you can help but be captured in her novels. I'm looking forward to further novels and would highly recommend this one if you haven't already one from this author.
‘I’m part of the Transworld Book Group!’
shelleyann01's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
With vibes of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Secrets Between Us is a Gothic mystery filled with atmospheric doom and a romance for the ages. The author brilliantly disguises the characters' motivations, so that the true causes of things remain a mystery until about two-thirds into the novel when the main crisis unfolds. We then realize that the heroine, who sees things through the lens of her own feelings of inferiority completely misses the truth, which is to her a shock and relief at the same time.
I loved the descriptions of the various settings and the character development...and in this book the estate Avalon is both. Descriptions of the plants and the grounds and the woods and the animals were so detailed and beautifully done yet they weren't distracting from the story. I had lovely images of the Somerset dancing in my head.
Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Louise Douglas and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#TheSecretsBetweenUs #NetGalley
dawncox's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't like the writing style when it started, seemed short and clunky with cliches or obviouse phrases. Could have been because I'd just finished something much older with more elegant prose.
But after a while I could push that aside because actually it wasn't a bad book. There were echoes of Du Maurier's Rebecca in it which would explain why I thought Sarah was an absolute numpty for taking up with this stranger.
Loved the conclusion.
Not a long,complicated or intense book-I read it 4-5 hours on a lazy saturday (stats say a couple of weeks because I add things to "curently reading" and then actually take a while to get to them.)
But an enjoyable and fast paced story.
But after a while I could push that aside because actually it wasn't a bad book. There were echoes of Du Maurier's Rebecca in it which would explain why I thought Sarah was an absolute numpty for taking up with this stranger.
Loved the conclusion.
Not a long,complicated or intense book-I read it 4-5 hours on a lazy saturday (stats say a couple of weeks because I add things to "curently reading" and then actually take a while to get to them.)
But an enjoyable and fast paced story.
butterflybec's review against another edition
2.0
This is chick lit lite, an ok story but the characters were a bit flat and the book could have done with some serious editing.
logophile_life's review against another edition
1.0
Perhaps I wouldn't have been quite so disappointed with this book had I not gone into it with such high hopes. Other books I have read by Douglas in the past I have enjoyed and thought that I would be in for another absorbing, surprising read.
The plot itself had potential, and I probably would have rated this higher had not the narrator been so bland, uninteresting and prone to such stupid and incomprehensible actions. I find it hard to get behind a character whose decisions leave me so often rolling my eyes.
The rest of the characters were hardly any better, the ending seemed to tie off a very complicated situation a little too neatly and, although the descriptive details in the book redeemed it a little, I will likely have forgotten all about this book in a month or two.
The plot itself had potential, and I probably would have rated this higher had not the narrator been so bland, uninteresting and prone to such stupid and incomprehensible actions. I find it hard to get behind a character whose decisions leave me so often rolling my eyes.
The rest of the characters were hardly any better, the ending seemed to tie off a very complicated situation a little too neatly and, although the descriptive details in the book redeemed it a little, I will likely have forgotten all about this book in a month or two.
catherine_brooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read for a holiday - not too deep but atmospheric
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