This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A beautifull wrote story thats set within Dublin amongst Primrose Square. There are many different charcaters and ages of the residents here... within 3 households of the square.
Susan and her Husband have lost their daughter and her death is apparent in the stroy to quite a bit through it. But keep with it. Nancy is trying to understand why her family are all so obsessed with money.
Then we have Jayne, the older neighbour who looks out for sarah and her other daughter Melissa. J she is also on the run from something, jayne likes to talk to her deceasd husbands ashes...
All three household come together in the story and its not all happy smiles and laughter, theres a lot of pain too. It was an all round specialy wrote book which i loved.

The stories of several of the residents of Primrose Square, including long term residents Susan and Jayne and then new resident Nancy. An emotional read full of great characters.

This charming and beautifully written book is set in Dublin and about the lives of the residents at Primrose square.

Without giving anything away, we have Susan and her husband who is grieving over the loss of their daughter, we do not find out how she died until later on in the story. Their lovely neighbour Jayne is a widow and talks to her dead husband’s ashes, she keeps an eye out for Susan and her other daughter Melissa.

The book is told from 3 house holds, the characters really come to life and I loved finding out what their secrets were. The neighbours lives were intertwined and it was lovely to read how they all helped each other out in times of trouble.

I was pleased the story was not all sweetness and light, the characters had their own problems to deal with. There were times for laughter and for sadness but told in a very compassionate and understanding way, that kept me wanting to read more about these wonderful people.

A very engaging book. I enjoyed meeting the residents of Primrose Square. It made me envious as I can count on one hand the names of my neighbours, where you are lucky to get a hello as they are rushing from their car to their house. Primrose Square sounds idyllic and I would love there to be a sequel to this book to find out how the residents are getting on.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I like anything that this author has done and this book did not disappoint, day in the garden read with a glass of something white.

This is the best book I've read so far in 2018 and by far! This book is very intelligent, very beautiful, full of strong emotions (you sometimes want to cry, sometimes you want to smile, sometimes you feel lovely, sometimes you feel stressed, sometimes you feel angry), this book is also full of wonderful characters living a very charming neighborhood of Dublin where people living there are not only neighbors but also friends. This book is mostly about a mother grieving over her dead daughter and about a sister grieving over her dead older sister. I really liked how we discovered only very far into the book how the girl died and what happened exactly. It gives suspense and tensions to the book. Also it's really really well written. I can only rave about this book! 5 stars out of 5 for me and even more!

With Claudia Carroll's last book Our Little Secret, I felt her writing was venturing in a new direction and I loved it. It was vastly different from her earlier novels, every one of which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I think she is continuing this move with her new book The Secrets of Primrose Square. The colourful cover is inviting and makes you eager to venture to a unique little corner of Dublin. You may think upon first judgement of both the cover and title that this book will be all lightness and just nothing but good things will happen for the all the characters but that is not the case. From the opening chapter it's clear that although Primrose Square may be idyllic and yes it does offer comfort and solace and a sense of community and friendship to those that live there all is not as it seems.

Beneath the surface the residents all have issues they are trying to cope with. Some would prefer their business to be kept private and that they keep going the way they are. Others are venturing down new and unexpected paths in life and are eager and excited to see what direction these new choices will take them in. One thing is for sure with this book Claudia Carroll takes the reader on an interesting journey following three women and a young girl as they face testing and challenging times. All are connected through Primrose Square but little do they realise just how important the friendships and bonds that they form will become for each of them.

The story had a very powerful opening as Susan Hayes stands in the pouring rain outside a teenage boys house. She does this most nights and as she says herself she is 'just an ordinary woman dealing with the unimaginable the only way she knew how'. She has become fixated on this one house because of the person it contains. The guards have been called several times but she just keeps returning. Clearly Susan is not functioning properly and is being eaten up by something she cannot forget. I thought it was brilliant the way we were drip fed the reasons explaining why Susan was in the state we find her in. I could guess parts of it but not until the exact cause was revealed did everything make perfect sense. Susan must have been a challenging character to write about simply because the author had to get the exact tone of her situation and state of mind right. I think Claudia did this very very well. I felt every bit of Susan's anger and hatred and understood why she directed it in the manner she did this but I did question was it fully justified or was it just a coping mechanism? Had she all the answers or was she simply looking to lay the blame at someone else's feet? Susan is consumed by grief at the loss of her older daughter and she wants answers and if you could call it revenge then that too.

Susan presents a front when in contact with her husband Frank, who is away in the army and also to kindly concerned neighbours, Jayne being one of them but to all intents and purposes she is lost and floundering and her life is falling apart. Yes she has at some stages tried to pick up the pieces for the sake of her younger daughter Mellissa who is only 12. But 'there were two many memories at every turn, just waiting to creep up on you, even when you were trying to be brave and not cry and keep the whole show on the road'. Susan is on a path of self destruction and her method of climbing out of the doldrums can only lead to even greater devastation. Dealing with the loss of someone and the ensuing grief is a tricky subject when writing a book but time and time again I found myself nodding along to some of the brilliant writing from Claudia. I went back and reread numerous sentences several times because they just really hit home with me and expressed a lot of the feelings and opinions I myself have felt in the past. This statement being very true in my mind, 'You were expected to keep on keeping on, in spite of the fact your insides felt like they'd been ripped out and splattered up against a brick wall'.

The actions of Susan have repercussions for many and none more so than Melissa. Oh poor, poor Melissa, so young and having to deal with so much. Her father away, her sister gone and her mother away in a world of pain and suffering. How Melissa coped was admirable in one way, trying to keep the whole show on the road and make like normal not even telling people in school the stark, true realities of her situation. The descriptions of trying to keep the house clean or not having enough food to eat were realistic and heartbreaking but I desperately wanted Melissa to confined in someone. She shouldn't have had to shoulder the burden on her own. She too was grieving and her mother should have been there for her. Melissa wasn't childish and was quite mature for her age but it was great to see that vulnerability coming through in her character and that she needed love, support and guidance just as much as Susan did.

Thankfully in steps kindly neighbour Jayne. She became like the grandmother figure of the book and offered solace and support and made an attempt to get things back on an even keel for the Hayes family. Jayne's own story offered light relief in contrast to the abyss the Susan had plummeted into. Jayne is seeking her own form of happiness, she is coming out of the cloud of getting over her husbands death several years before. The way she goes about it is typical of the dating scene these days and even if she is of the older generation what about it. Although her son Jason and daughter-in-law Irene are more interested in getting Jayne to sell her house rather than accepting that she deserves to be happy and contented. I didn't like either Jason or Irene who had no good intentions at all. OK I understood their hesitancy with regard to Jayne's dating option and what ensues. I felt myself it was a bit dodgy but maybe you shouldn't judge people on first glance rather persist and dig a little deeper. Taking risks may pay off after all but Jason and Irene had only one intention and they couldn't open up and embrace the fact Jayne was her own woman and perhaps wise beyond her years.

The third woman to feature in this book was Nancy, recently arrived in Dublin to start her new job as assistant director in the National Theatre. She rents a house by pure chance in Primrose Square. The owner unknown but he has always garnered the residents interest. For me Nancy's story was the weakest and I found myself focusing more on Susan, Jayne and Melissa. I knew she was fleeing from a nasty experience in London but I felt it was brushed under the carpet and when revealed it was too late in the book and I was far more consumed as to how things would turn out with the others. As for her interactions with the home owner, I guessed fairly early on what was going on there. I think the book would have worked fine without the inclusion of Nancy but I do appreciate the good effect she had on Melissa and how she helped her work through what her family was experiencing.

'Life has a funny way of going on, no matter how hard you struggle against it'. Yes it certainly does and boy do we rally against things moving forward when we wish everything to remain the same but that can't be possible and in this book Claudia Carroll shows us how it possible to come to acceptance and to heal in some way. A beautiful bond developed between the characters and it made the book a special ad engrossing read. There was the dark side to grief shown but also light as to how we can come through the other side. As in 'one day at a time. One foot in front of the other. And you will heal, trust me you have it in you'. Advice we can all take on board. I enjoyed my time spent in Primrose Square, the characters really do get inside your head and get you thinking and experiencing a wide range of emotions. It's definitely a book to curl up on the sofa with and lose yourself in the brilliant story.

This book had tons and mystery and intrigue but also loads of heart. I don't want to give away any spoilers so forgive me if I'm a little vague on the details but safe to say I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't work out how things would turn out for our lovely characters until the very end!

I love the fact that we have a book about neighbours as well, setting this in a square and having the neighbours all link together somehow and all be there for each other is such a unique concept but also something that I feel like we've lost of late, I don't know my neighbours but I can hear what they're watching on TV! So while there are some dark aspects to this book dealing with addiction, mental health and grief, there are definitely heartwarming moments in these friendships formed from being neighbours.

I really liked main character Susan, she seems like she's really falling apart in the start of the book but she is aware of that and wants to do something about it and that's what endeared her to me. Her daughter Melissa is a real gem, as keeps being said in the book. I also love when we get to see some of a story from a child/teenagers point of view and this was no exception. She is so open and honest but really brings to light the kind of things that young carers have to go through. They we have Jane and Nancy who are definitely supporting characters but have their own troubles to deal with and weave into Susan and Melissa's story beautifully. I thought that Jane was way too trusting but it really suits her. I would love to hear more about Nancy in future.

Obviously this book is set in Dublin which made for a wonderful change since there are so many books set in English cities or the coast these days, I liked reading a book set in Ireland. The theatre is covered, school is covered and having a partner and father in the armed forces is also covered. I loved the way Internet dating is seen in this book and as I say, although dark topics are included, they are dealt with in a great way. I listened to this on audio because I am a big fan of this narrator and would really recommend doing all of Claudia Carroll's books this way!

I really enjoyed this book. It is heartbreaking in places, but heartwarming too. A story of families, grief, love, loss, friendship and hope. Beautifully written, I really loved the strong characters who supported each other throughout the story, particularly Jayne who I would love to live next door to me. I was drawn into each of the individual stories and enjoyed how they developed throughout the book.

Highly recommended, perfect for a Sunday afternoon on the sofa or in the garden.

An excellent four and a half stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

So enjoyed this - from the setting (I want to go to Primrose Square now : )) to the storyline...captivating from first to last. A memorable array of characters...you couldn't fail to fall for Nancy, Melissa and Jayne in particular - though the in-fighting between the two theatrical grand dames was also a glorious touch

An enjoyable read with a somewhat predictable ending....typical Carroll read and her fans won't be disappointed. An easy summer read

This was a well written and lovely book which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are three intertwining stories of the women who live on Primrose square. Nancy is in Dublin to direct a play, Jayne is considering a new life, and Susan is trying to work through her grief after the death of her eldest child. Melissa is Susan’s youngest daughter who is trying to find her place in the world without her sister and when her family seem to be falling apart.
I liked all of the stories and how the characters supported each other when strength was needed.
The sub story of how Susan’s daughter died and who was responsible unfurled throughout the story which I really liked as all is not what it seemed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Zagreb for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This novel is an engaging account of the lives of four female characters of varying ages. Set in the picturesque and seemingly idyllic Primrose Square we soon find out that all is not as it seems and each resident is hiding various secrets and heartache. The characters within these pages are all relatable and as their stories entwine the force and healing power of a kind-hearted community becomes a pillar of hope for these women creating a feel-good theme. Although I felt the mysteries were a bit long drawn out at times, overall it is an enjoyable read and you'll find yourself rooting for the residents to overcome their dilemmas - can they give each other strength and support to come out the other side?

Thanks to Netgalley and Zaffre for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

This is a lovely story that flows easily from the pages into your imagination. You are in Primrose Square observing everything that happens. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend it.

I really love books that are set in Ireland, and Claudia has been one of my favourite authors for some time now. I’ve read most, if not all, of her books.

We meet some of the people who live in Primrose Square, which is more of a community than just a residential square. Their secrets were interesting, sad, amusing, and heart-warming. Claudia writes beautifully; I really felt for some of the characters’ situations and I also felt myself there with them.

A beautiful book that I didn’t want to put down and was left wanting more when it finished. I’d love it if Claudia took us back to Primrose Square in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

What an impressive story of women's friendship, of their strength or to borrow a well known 90s phrase - Girl Power! For that is what this is 4 very different females, of assorted ages, all showing their inner strength and courage in assorted circumstances.

There are four main characters and the focus changes between them all. The one thing they have in common is their address is on Primrose Square.

There is plenty I would like to say about the specifics but I think this works better as a book you don't know too much about in advance. It will mean the writing is even more powerful especially in the case of Susan and Melissa's stories.

This is a book that makes me proud to be a woman and the writing deals with a whole host of issues with great compassion. It is a very well written and researched book, and feels like a slight change of direction from the author.

I tend to think of romantic comedy when it comes to Claudia Carroll, but yet this is a book that had me thinking and feeling far more than it did laughing. The Secrets of Primrose Square is a book that needs to be read steadily so that you don't miss anything, as there is a lot going on, and some information is shared really slowly building up not to shocking reveals but ones that make sense in the context of what you have been reading.

Without a doubt its a very good book, and I will be sad to say goodbye to Susan, Melisa, Nancy and Jayne.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zaffre for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This story captures the stories of several people who live or pass through Primrose Square, a piece of tranquillity and respite from the madness of Dublin life. Claudia captures people’s emotions so well that I found it difficult to read some of the early chapters but it was well worth persevering. As you progress through the book the threads of individual’s stories become unravelled. A very satisfying read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this book! I love Claudia Carroll’s books and this one is excellent! We meet a whole host of characters who live in primrose square in Dublin. A teenager, a theatre director, a retired widow, an army captain, a scammer, a greedy son, an American silver fox, a grieving parent. Each one has a story, a secret, which are revealed as the book unfolds. I really enjoyed the different chapters being debated to different characters, the exploration of family dynamics and how they shift, evolve and reshape as circumstances changes
This book is written with warmth, kindness, empathy and understanding and tackles some fairly hard hitting topics but in a very acceptable way. I loved loved loved it and hope there is a sequel

I liked this book. There wasn't a huge emphasis on romance, and of the romance there was, the main focus was on an older couple, which was refreshing. This book is more about families and loss and the friendship between three women. I really felt for Melissa, and I felt she was let down by her parents. A difficult situation I know, but I think her father in particular made a bad decision. The ending was done well. I liked the theatre theme, and the spiritual references. All in all a good read.