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steph1rothwell's review against another edition
5.0
First of all I have to say how good Alex Marwood is at creating characters that the reader will loathe. I have read books before where I struggled to like anybody but the ones in this book were the most despicable that I have ever come across. There were a handful that I liked. Mila, Ruby, Joe and Claire. Apart from Claire they were all children in 2004 when Coco disappeared.
The story covers two events. The weekend of Sean's 50th birthday party when Coco disappeared and twelve years later at his funeral. Mila has very reluctantly agreed to accompany Ruby to the funeral so they can say their goodbyes to the father they never really knew. Mila spends some of the time suspecting that she is more like him than she wants to admit. She questions why the friends she socialises with have been absent since the news broke about her father's death. She also enjoys the time she spends with Ruby who she hadn't really got to know.
The revulsion I felt towards the other characters was there all the way through but at one point I actually felt sickened by Sean. If you have read the novel you would probably be able to work out which part of the novel I mean. If you haven't you will just have to read it to find out. Another character was a manipulator who would turn the situation into something that would make them look wonderful and they could control everything.
It's a cracking read and very addictive. Each chapter focuses on a different character and covers both periods in time. You want to read another chapter so you can go back to the period that interested you to see what happened next.
I have read all the books by this author and this is my favourite one. Not the easiest topic to read but It didn't really focus on Coco and an investigation. It was more about the people who failed her.
The story covers two events. The weekend of Sean's 50th birthday party when Coco disappeared and twelve years later at his funeral. Mila has very reluctantly agreed to accompany Ruby to the funeral so they can say their goodbyes to the father they never really knew. Mila spends some of the time suspecting that she is more like him than she wants to admit. She questions why the friends she socialises with have been absent since the news broke about her father's death. She also enjoys the time she spends with Ruby who she hadn't really got to know.
The revulsion I felt towards the other characters was there all the way through but at one point I actually felt sickened by Sean. If you have read the novel you would probably be able to work out which part of the novel I mean. If you haven't you will just have to read it to find out. Another character was a manipulator who would turn the situation into something that would make them look wonderful and they could control everything.
It's a cracking read and very addictive. Each chapter focuses on a different character and covers both periods in time. You want to read another chapter so you can go back to the period that interested you to see what happened next.
I have read all the books by this author and this is my favourite one. Not the easiest topic to read but It didn't really focus on Coco and an investigation. It was more about the people who failed her.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
4.0
To start with I have to admit I did slightly struggle with this novel. The story flicks between past and present as well as characters and to be honest it did take me longer than I would have liked to fully get into the story.
Once I got into the story though, I was well and truly hooked.
It's quite obvious from the start that there is more to the disappearance of Coco Jackson. When the father, Sean Jackson dies, the truth of what happened that awful night starts to come to light.
I have to say that my dislike of all the characters that were adults on that awful weekend grew even more through out the story. There really isn't that much likeable about them at all. It was the children I very much felt sorry for.
My favourite character had to be Mila (Camilla/Milly). She doesn't feature much in the chapters set in the past, but it's through her character in the present ones that we can feel the emotions and feelings that she has of her father and for the other family members and friends that are left behind..
The Darkest Secret is a story full of lies and deceit. There are certainly a few twists in there that I was not expecting even right up until the very end. The last twist literally left me with my mouth wide open as I couldn't believe what I was reading. Yet another cracker of a novel by the author that will seriously mess with your head.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Once I got into the story though, I was well and truly hooked.
It's quite obvious from the start that there is more to the disappearance of Coco Jackson. When the father, Sean Jackson dies, the truth of what happened that awful night starts to come to light.
I have to say that my dislike of all the characters that were adults on that awful weekend grew even more through out the story. There really isn't that much likeable about them at all. It was the children I very much felt sorry for.
My favourite character had to be Mila (Camilla/Milly). She doesn't feature much in the chapters set in the past, but it's through her character in the present ones that we can feel the emotions and feelings that she has of her father and for the other family members and friends that are left behind..
The Darkest Secret is a story full of lies and deceit. There are certainly a few twists in there that I was not expecting even right up until the very end. The last twist literally left me with my mouth wide open as I couldn't believe what I was reading. Yet another cracker of a novel by the author that will seriously mess with your head.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
lisagmayo's review against another edition
4.0
The main character, Mila, is a sympathetic character and I enjoyed how the secret untangles slowly. The ending could have been better, but I’m picky about endings.
torilshi's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
afraidoftimebeforeigrew's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
seddso's review against another edition
1.0
Can't be bothered with this. Promising beginning, but dull story with unlikeable characters. No wonder it's took me so long to admit defeat with this
justmevictoria's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on My Books Are Me
I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mysteries, secrets, lies - this story is not what it seems, and what really happened will shock you.
The takes place over two time periods, the first being the long weekend in 2004, and the second being twelve years later at the funeral of Sean Jackson. During a long weekend at the beach, Sean Jackson celebrates his 50th birthday with his close friends, and their children. It's a weekend of sex, drugs & alcohol, and Sean's wife Claire it sick of her husband's actions and his treatment of her. Furious, she heads back to London on Sunday morning, leaving her twin daughter's in their father's care, too emotional to wake and taken them with her. Little did she know, this was the last time she would see her daughter Coco, who mysteriously vanished in the early hours of Monday morning. It's not until twelve years later, that secrets about that weekend start to unfold on the weekend of Sean's funeral. When his eldest daughter Camilla, and Coco's twin Ruby, reunite after several years with those who attended Sean's birthday weekend, secrets and lies are thrown about, because Coco's disappearance is a lot more than meets the eye.
The synopsis of this book grabbed me instantly, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Alternating between 2004 and 2016, it was drama, drama, drama, and I could not get enough of what was happening. Alex Marwood's writing style fitted so perfectly with the story, and it managed to capture the different perspectives of each character.
There were several times when I thought I had figured out 'the darkest secret' but I was really surprised by what it really was, and I really want to reread the book and see if I can pick up on the signs throughout. It was unexpected, but totally worked. Although, I would have loved to see how the story would have turned out if my theories were correct.
This story was so captivating, and I can't wait to read some more work by Alex Marwood, as well as more mystery thrillers. If you want a captivating thriller that is not what you expect, you definitely need to pick this book up.
Overall, if you only read one 2016 release this year, this is definitely one you shouldn't miss. It's got a little bit of everything and you won't know what's going on until the final page.
I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mysteries, secrets, lies - this story is not what it seems, and what really happened will shock you.
The takes place over two time periods, the first being the long weekend in 2004, and the second being twelve years later at the funeral of Sean Jackson. During a long weekend at the beach, Sean Jackson celebrates his 50th birthday with his close friends, and their children. It's a weekend of sex, drugs & alcohol, and Sean's wife Claire it sick of her husband's actions and his treatment of her. Furious, she heads back to London on Sunday morning, leaving her twin daughter's in their father's care, too emotional to wake and taken them with her. Little did she know, this was the last time she would see her daughter Coco, who mysteriously vanished in the early hours of Monday morning. It's not until twelve years later, that secrets about that weekend start to unfold on the weekend of Sean's funeral. When his eldest daughter Camilla, and Coco's twin Ruby, reunite after several years with those who attended Sean's birthday weekend, secrets and lies are thrown about, because Coco's disappearance is a lot more than meets the eye.
The synopsis of this book grabbed me instantly, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Alternating between 2004 and 2016, it was drama, drama, drama, and I could not get enough of what was happening. Alex Marwood's writing style fitted so perfectly with the story, and it managed to capture the different perspectives of each character.
There were several times when I thought I had figured out 'the darkest secret' but I was really surprised by what it really was, and I really want to reread the book and see if I can pick up on the signs throughout. It was unexpected, but totally worked. Although, I would have loved to see how the story would have turned out if my theories were correct.
This story was so captivating, and I can't wait to read some more work by Alex Marwood, as well as more mystery thrillers. If you want a captivating thriller that is not what you expect, you definitely need to pick this book up.
Overall, if you only read one 2016 release this year, this is definitely one you shouldn't miss. It's got a little bit of everything and you won't know what's going on until the final page.
siyun's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
snazzybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed at www.snazzybooks.com
I was so excited to read The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood because I read and reviewed The Wicked Girls and loved it (read my review of it here). Therefore I entered this with high expectations!
This novel is a hugely enjoyable, intense story about many things, including families, relationships and responsibility. The characters are wonderfully crafted, and Alex Marwood is really skilled at developing three dimensional, convincing people that you want to read more about- even though a lot of them were utterly despisable people!
It’s interesting that the reader is presented with the story from various points of view; this way we learn more about Claire’s feelings. Although at the beginning of the novel I really disliked her, I actually felt really sorry for her as the novel went on which I was very surprised about!
Sean and many of his friends are bloody horrible! As I read on I really felt like I got to know the characters well (though I did get a little confused sometimes with remembering who exactly was who,a nd who was related to who! I think that’s partly because so many people were linked, in so many ways, to others!) It’s surprisingly, and utterly, engrossing to read about these abominable people and their shallow, indulgent lifestyles, and I feel that this novel is more about the how and why rather than what actually happened (though this does provide a mysterious undercurrent to the story). I think because of this I felt that The Darkest Secret was a little less gripping than the brilliant The Wicked Girls, but I still hugely enjoyed reading it! This novel also had more of a dry humour to it, which I loved.
The novel flits between two different timescales; one is set in 2004, right before and during the disappearance of Coco, and another focuses on the ‘present day’, when Milly (or Mila as she likes to be known) agrees to take Ruby, Coco’s twin, to their father’s funeral. Slowly, everything that happened that weekend unravels and the half sisters discover just how many lies were woven.
I would really recommend this novel. It’s an intriguing, atmopsheric and engrossing story which I became really immersed in!
* Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review *
I was so excited to read The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood because I read and reviewed The Wicked Girls and loved it (read my review of it here). Therefore I entered this with high expectations!
This novel is a hugely enjoyable, intense story about many things, including families, relationships and responsibility. The characters are wonderfully crafted, and Alex Marwood is really skilled at developing three dimensional, convincing people that you want to read more about- even though a lot of them were utterly despisable people!
It’s interesting that the reader is presented with the story from various points of view; this way we learn more about Claire’s feelings. Although at the beginning of the novel I really disliked her, I actually felt really sorry for her as the novel went on which I was very surprised about!
Sean and many of his friends are bloody horrible! As I read on I really felt like I got to know the characters well (though I did get a little confused sometimes with remembering who exactly was who,a nd who was related to who! I think that’s partly because so many people were linked, in so many ways, to others!) It’s surprisingly, and utterly, engrossing to read about these abominable people and their shallow, indulgent lifestyles, and I feel that this novel is more about the how and why rather than what actually happened (though this does provide a mysterious undercurrent to the story). I think because of this I felt that The Darkest Secret was a little less gripping than the brilliant The Wicked Girls, but I still hugely enjoyed reading it! This novel also had more of a dry humour to it, which I loved.
The novel flits between two different timescales; one is set in 2004, right before and during the disappearance of Coco, and another focuses on the ‘present day’, when Milly (or Mila as she likes to be known) agrees to take Ruby, Coco’s twin, to their father’s funeral. Slowly, everything that happened that weekend unravels and the half sisters discover just how many lies were woven.
I would really recommend this novel. It’s an intriguing, atmopsheric and engrossing story which I became really immersed in!
* Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review *