Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Secrets of Our House by Rea Frey

3 reviews

boiler_bookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read this because I thought it was a thriller (based on title and summary). This is a family drama—- not mysterious and def not a thriller. Main character Desi is truly awful. 
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kelizakreads's review

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 This domestic drama / suspense is narrated by mother, Desi, and daughter, Jules, over the course of a year - beginning the summer before Jules goes to college. I really loved reading Jules POV as she is deciding whether to go to college or become an EMT and falling in love for the first time. Seeing her use her skills to become an EMT was really cool. Desi is a tough character to connect with as she wants everything done a certain way, which isn’t always how life is. Seeing the parallels between her and Jules were quite interesting. This story didn’t lack suspense or action either. There are multiple chapters with life or death situations with secrets to share. It was an overall easy read and at times predictable. Once I hit halfway, I couldn’t put it down.
• TW: Death of a parent due to cancer, life/death situations with blood. 
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bookmarkedbybecky's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Special thanks to @reafrey @stmartinspress and @getredprbooks for the #gifted copy of Secrets Of Our House in exchange for an honest review. 

Desi manipulated events to portray her life and family as happy and successful, sweeping long-buried secrets under the rug.  As the family spends the summer in their new gateway home, the secrets start to unravel, and the strength of the family is tested.  

Calling all fans of Family Drama and Women’s Fiction...this one won't disappoint, so add this to your February TBR! 

I rarely quote lines from books, but I love this one: “Hard is where the good stuff is.”   There's a lot of hard in this book.  

For someone who outwardly appears to have it all together, Desi is a hot mess.  You want to root for Desi and yell at her 
simultaneously. She is self-centered and controlling, never realizing the ripple effect of her lies and need for control.   I wasn't surprised by Desi’s secret, but I enjoyed how Rea Frey slowly unraveled it.  The tension felt real as Desi and her husband Peter struggled with their long-term marriage - love lost in the acts of co-parenting and career building.  Her relationship with her daughter isn't much better - always choosing work over family time.  The emotional contagion of Desi’s actions ripples farther than she could ever imagine.  

Please review the trigger warnings before reading.  Rea Frey successfully showcases both emotional and physical survival. The tragedies devasted me.  And my heart raced as the characters battled the wilderness, so please beware that some scenes are not for faint of heart. 
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