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yetanothersusan's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This was not a thrilling domestic drama as stated in the summary. The first 70% of the book was a slow family saga of a couple who don't want to be in their marriage anymore but then do odd things like spend the summer trying to rekindle their relationship, going to marriage counselling, etc. I couldn't grasp why when they both wanted out. Instead of a suspenseful drama, this felt very much like women's fiction, trying to get in touch with what you really want kind of story. The problem with that for me was that I didn't like Desi. I didn't understand the choices she made, how she interacted with her family, and the foreshadowing that seemed overly dramatic. Finally, at about 70% of the way in, some drama and suspense finally makes it into the story. This part was very good and I wish it had been a larger portion of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
debra_reads_'s review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Dear Secrets of Our House,
You were a quick listen, and I liked your story. Your characters were interesting, if a bit one note. Desi was hard, and a bit single minded, often putting important things to the side to think about "the one that got away'. Jules was the exact opposite of her mother, all feeling and impulse, when some level-headedness would have served her better for her life decisions. There were a few parts where the timeline had me scratching my head, wondering how things had developed so quickly, or characters recovered from major accidents in a short period of time. But the thing that really knocked me down was pretty much everything that happened after the plane crash. The medical stuff felt unrealistic and poorly researched. I had a hard time suspending my sense of reality while listening to you, and I just didn't get locked into any of the characters.
You were a quick listen, and I liked your story. Your characters were interesting, if a bit one note. Desi was hard, and a bit single minded, often putting important things to the side to think about "the one that got away'. Jules was the exact opposite of her mother, all feeling and impulse, when some level-headedness would have served her better for her life decisions. There were a few parts where the timeline had me scratching my head, wondering how things had developed so quickly, or characters recovered from major accidents in a short period of time. But the thing that really knocked me down was pretty much everything that happened after the plane crash. The medical stuff felt unrealistic and poorly researched. I had a hard time suspending my sense of reality while listening to you, and I just didn't get locked into any of the characters.
danireads1225's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Today is my stop with @suzyapprovedbookreviews for Secrets of Our Hoise by @reafrey. Oh my gosh….this book was so good!! I love a good descriptive story and the author definitely did not disappoint. Desi has a secret she never wants her family to find out. But when things happen, the bonds of the family are tested. I loved how this story portrays the strength of family, and how it truly is everything.
itsbibliotherapy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This story had great potential but didn’t deliver for me, for several reasons. First, the writing style felt stilted, and I never quite felt “inside” the story—the awkward prose kept me at a distance. The plot was a bit ridiculous, with random, far-fetched disasters happening somewhat randomly and without clear explanation. At first I thought this was a stylistic choice, but the more I read, the more I realized that it was just shoddy plot development.
I did enjoy the setting…the Blue Ridge is my happy place, and that’s what initially drew me into the story. I liked the flawed characters, but so many of their little dramas never came to a close; I felt like the story stopped suddenly without proper resolution. It read more like a TV show than a thriller or intergenerational family drama. Unfortunately, just not for me.
I did enjoy the setting…the Blue Ridge is my happy place, and that’s what initially drew me into the story. I liked the flawed characters, but so many of their little dramas never came to a close; I felt like the story stopped suddenly without proper resolution. It read more like a TV show than a thriller or intergenerational family drama. Unfortunately, just not for me.
a_stylish_bookworm's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you @stmartinpress @netgalley for ALC. I could not stop listening to this story. It grabs your attention from the first chapter with the lives of Desi and her family. I love how the truths unravels and so much twists and turns.
The last 25% of the book hard my heart pounding and crying.
The narration was great and kept me invested in the story.
The last 25% of the book hard my heart pounding and crying.
The narration was great and kept me invested in the story.
katieneedsabiggerbookshelf's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Desi and her family are headed to the black house for the summer. This is the last ditch effort to save her marriage, and her daughters last summer before heading to college. When Jules falls in love and decides she doesn’t want to go to college, that does not fit with Desi’s plans for her daughter. She makes a choice that will change all their lives.
I have loved the books I have read from Rea Frey, so I knew that I needed to get my hands on a copy of this one! Frey is just such a fabulous writer. Desi was one of those characters that you don’t really like all that much, but you also feel for at the same time. I loved Jules and Will together and wanted everything to just work out. I really enjoyed the turns this one took.
letmetakea_shelfie_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
abookwormwithwine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
4.5/5
I can say without a doubt that Secrets of Our House by Rea Frey completely blew me away. I went in expecting women's fiction and some family drama, but I got a hell of a lot more than that! This is definitely in the domestic fiction genre but there is a ton of action that I wasn't expecting, and I got to the point where I literally couldn't put it down because it was so tense. I guess the beginning of the synopsis does call it a "thrilling domestic drama" but I really didn't consider how accurate of a statement that would actually be. I stayed up until almost 3 AM to finish and once it gets to a certain point you legit won't be able to stop reading since that would mean stopping in a very critical part of the story. I experienced so many emotions while reading this and there was one point near the end that I was bawling like a baby. I can't believe this was my first time reading Frey and clearly, I have been missing out!
The audiobook is completely fantastic and narrated by Samantha Desz who I noticed has narrated all of Frey's novels so far. I love when they stick to one narrator for an author, especially when it is someone as talented as Desz. I was listening via the NetGalley Shelf app, so the audio quality wasn't great (think robotic sound above a 1x speed and skipping at anything over 2x speed) but that didn't stop me from loving Desz. Her voice was great, her tone was on point throughout, and she was AMAZING during the emotional and heart-pounding scenes. I was really impressed by how great of a narrator she is, and I will just tell you now that I plan to listen to every single book of Frey's past and future from now on. Secrets of Our House is domestic fiction at its finest and while Desi drove me crazy sometimes, I still couldn't help but feel for her and I truly loved her daughter Jules. As the title suggests, this family has secrets galore, and I couldn't wait to find out every single one of them.
Thank you to the publishers and Get Red PR for my advanced listening and digital copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I can say without a doubt that Secrets of Our House by Rea Frey completely blew me away. I went in expecting women's fiction and some family drama, but I got a hell of a lot more than that! This is definitely in the domestic fiction genre but there is a ton of action that I wasn't expecting, and I got to the point where I literally couldn't put it down because it was so tense. I guess the beginning of the synopsis does call it a "thrilling domestic drama" but I really didn't consider how accurate of a statement that would actually be. I stayed up until almost 3 AM to finish and once it gets to a certain point you legit won't be able to stop reading since that would mean stopping in a very critical part of the story. I experienced so many emotions while reading this and there was one point near the end that I was bawling like a baby. I can't believe this was my first time reading Frey and clearly, I have been missing out!
The audiobook is completely fantastic and narrated by Samantha Desz who I noticed has narrated all of Frey's novels so far. I love when they stick to one narrator for an author, especially when it is someone as talented as Desz. I was listening via the NetGalley Shelf app, so the audio quality wasn't great (think robotic sound above a 1x speed and skipping at anything over 2x speed) but that didn't stop me from loving Desz. Her voice was great, her tone was on point throughout, and she was AMAZING during the emotional and heart-pounding scenes. I was really impressed by how great of a narrator she is, and I will just tell you now that I plan to listen to every single book of Frey's past and future from now on. Secrets of Our House is domestic fiction at its finest and while Desi drove me crazy sometimes, I still couldn't help but feel for her and I truly loved her daughter Jules. As the title suggests, this family has secrets galore, and I couldn't wait to find out every single one of them.
Thank you to the publishers and Get Red PR for my advanced listening and digital copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
novelgossip's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
The very beginning of the synopsis for this one calls it a thrilling family drama so I assumed I was about to read a tense, suspenseful book. I was wrong and so is the synopsis this is NOT a suspense, a mystery or a thriller whatsoever and had I know I was going to be reading regular old fiction (or women’s fiction whatever) I may have liked this one more. Expectations are so important to me as a reader and mislabeling it did this book no favors at all. I will say the very end did have some tension but that is not enough for me to call it a thriller. Just wanted to get that all out because I have a feeling had I known what I was getting into here this would’ve earned a higher rating from me. It was dramatic but in a soap opera kind of way with the characters making very stupid choices and then the secrets? Really predictable and honestly disappointing. I’ve really enjoyed this authors books in the past, but man this one just didn’t do it for me. I spent most of the book wondering what the point was and I’m still sorta feeling that way now. If you do read this go into knowing it’s fiction and try the audio because I swear that’s the only way I finished it.