Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Sheryl Browne for this ARC in exchange for a review.

It all started when Ellie agrees to babysit for her boss Jake and his wife Megan, taking care of their daughter Fern. That one night leads to a job, and Ellie begins to see that things aren't quite right. We travel around the twists and turns throughout multiple POV's building the bigger picture as to what happened that night. Not all is as it seems.

This mystery thriller will keep you wanting more, it's such an addictive read! On the edge of your seat, we find hidden secrets in this sinister journey right till the end.

-Dysfunctional relationships
-Betrayal
-Multiple POV

Trigger warnings
-loss

A secret wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…

Book Information

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne is a 368-page psychological thriller that is due to be published on November 6, 2023. The audio version is narrated by Tamsin Kennard and spans 9 hours and 34 minutes. Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.

Summary

Megan and Jake Harrington bring Ellie Taylor, a 21-year-old, into their home to care for their six-year-old son, Ollie, and their three-month-old baby, Fern, following the sudden departure of their previous au pair. Initially, all appears well, but what initially seemed like a dream job takes a nightmarish twist, and reality becomes a far cry from what it might have been.

My Thoughts

"We All Keep Secrets" by Sheryl Browne left me with mixed feelings. The initial prologue had me intrigued, but the story lost its momentum as I delved deeper. The first half is primarily told through the eyes of Ellie, a character who repeatedly makes questionable decisions, which can be frustrating. It's hard to believe she wouldn't have quit early on based on how she was treated, derailing the entire plot.

The characters in the book are generally unlikable or detestable, making it challenging to invest emotionally. I found myself unconcerned with any potential consequences for them which is unsatisfying. The only real exceptions were the two kids, Ollie and Fern, who deserved better.

The second half of the book retells the first half but from different perspectives, often repeating the same dialogue. While this provided some new insights, it felt very repetitive and didn't add much to my overall enjoyment.

The book's ending fell flat for me, as I was hoping for a grand twist that never materialized. The epilogue left me similarly frustrated.

On a positive note, the audio version of the book features a skilled narrator with a pleasant voice. Her performance aptly captured Ellie's innocence and Meghan's bitterness and spitefulness.

Recommendation

I might be an outlier in my opinion, as many others seem to have enjoyed the book. Sometimes a particular story simply doesn't resonate with a reader so your mileage may vary but this just wasn’t a hit for me.

Rating

2 Secret Stars

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne has a lot of toxic, flawed, unreliable characters and makes the reader wonder how twisted can a person's mind be!
Ellie who works for Jake happens to agree to be his child minder for one night when he and his wife Meghan have appointments which couldn't be moved around. Ellie starts to dislike Meghan from the 1st meeting as she is rude, sarcastic and really condescending towards Ellie.

After the one night, Meghan realizes she needs Ellie's help and ends up going back to hiring her as her full time child minder. Every once in a while Ellie bears with Meghan as she has started to develop love towards Jake - but is that really love or is she just blind to the manipulative nature of his which is clearly missing?
Jake and Meghan have a secret from their past and so does Ellie - almost all the characters in this book have something or the other to hide - till the end!

Fast paced, thrilling - this was a good listen. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, Sheryl Browne for the audio ARC.

I thought this book was intriguing. The title got me to think I would enjoy this book. I gave this book a 3. I thought it would have a better ending.

“I look into baby Fern’s crib, and my heart pounds. I’m her nanny, I was supposed to keep her safe. I hear the police downstairs, and the next words I hear make my legs buckle underneath me. ‘It was the nanny. She’s guilty’.”

This book starts out with the nanny’s perspective. Towards the end of the book you hear the baby’s father and mother’s perspective. I thought the switch in perspective added to the story.

I listened to this memoir at 2 times the speed. There were no issues with the quality being sped up. My thanks to Net Gallery for the gifted audiobook of this memoir. It was my pleasure to read and review this title which is set to publish in November of 2023.

#BeingHenry
#netgalley
@netgalley
@crystalthereader

Thank you @netgallery, @bookouture and author Sheryl Brown for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy via @audio.com narrator Tamsin Kennard in exchange for my honest review.
This Suspense read is dropping November 6,2023.

I really enjoyed this book Jake & Megan Harrington and their two children appear like a perfect little family that need a nanny. 21 year old Ellie works for Jake, but he finds out from reading her resume that she used to work at a nursery. One night he is in a bind and asks her if she would consider babysitting for them. That leads to a live in nanny job. Megan is not completely on board for this. Ellie finds out that their previous nanny just up and left them. They have a beautiful immaculate home, made of glass with a pool and workout room. Ellie is looking forward to staying their and instantly falls in love with their children. It is all going well until she overhears their first fight. Then Megan starts gaslighting Ellie.
There is much more depth to Jake, Megan and Ellie and they all seem to have their secrets-this had me going from page to page quicker as the story goes on.
This is a character driven mystery show casting flawed people with secrets.
The story is told in 3 Point of Views, Part 1 is Ellie, Part 2 is Megan and Part 3 is Jake.
What I disliked: The repetitive POV when each character tells their side of the story. I felt like I was rereading the book.
What I liked: Constant plot twist and turns that keep me at the edge of my seat. Final plot twist that totally surprised me.
This is great storytelling and I loved this book. Highly recommend this book and give it 4 1/2 stars

Ellie has been trying to work as much as she can because she needs a new water heater in her bed sit. This is what she was doing when she got the notice of her boss Jake who was in desperate need of a nanny for him and his busy wife Megan. Ellie was so impressed with their beautiful house made of glass but not so impressed by Megan and how she totally disrespected her husband but when Jake asked if she would like to be their nanny full-time she agrees. Unlike Megan Jacob is so kind to Ellie So she really gets upset the more she is around in the more she sees how Megan avoid her children and totally puts down Jacob who seems to be downtrodden but goes out of his way to tend to the needs of Little Ollie and baby Fern, Who Ellie is also starting to care for especially when she thinks about the haunting memories of her brother Theo and the “thing“ that happened to him. The house is in a frenzy because they’re having a big to do for the award winning artist, who it Megan seems to be over the moon about but before that happens there will be a personal tragedy for Ellie. It will also be the beginning of the end! This book is toll from three different POV‘s and I loved it I love the narrator I loved the innocent way she portrayed Ellie and the classy but bitchy way she portrayed Megan I think she is a stellar narrator whenever I see the Tamsen canard is the narrator you know it will probably be a great thriller end it definitely was a Sheryl Browne has written a twisty surprising read in one I definitely recommend. I want to thank Bookoucher audio and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes I am blind.

This is a chilling little tale full of secrets and jealousy with an amazing ending. There is not a single likeable adult character in this book. You are left not knowing who to trust and wanting rid of all of them. Which clearly makes for a good read as you try to unpick the threads of the tale.
You will want to read this book.

I have really enjoyed listening to this audiobook!
The way the story is told by the different characters really drew me in and made me think a lot about who was actually telling the truth and who wasn’t.
The narrator told this story really well and brought it to life in a way that gave it even more depth to the characters.
Great story and narrator that held my focus throughout the whole audiobook.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne, an audiobook narrated by Tamsin Kennard was a gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller with so much going on!
To be honest I did enjoy the parts from different perspectives. At first, I thought it was repetitive but once I kept going it was good giving more background and understanding. There was so much going on! There was constantly something going on!
I must say that the ending was a bit confusing. I can't say that I liked it at the same time I can't say that I didn't like it.
It is absolutely well-deserved 4 stars!
I enjoyed the narration by Tamsin Kennard, her voice felt suitable and I liked how she managed to change intonation when presenting different characters.

It is hard to understand which character you want to stick with as from different sides they all look good and bad! So you just must go with your gut feeling.

Ellie works in the shop until her boss Jacke asks her to help out and babysit his 3-month-old daughter. Jake's wife, Megan, is not too excited about the new nanny as has a bad experience with the previous one. But as they say "Keep your friends close but enemies even closer", so Megan decided to offer a full-time nanny position to Ellie. Good money comes with a lot of problems!
Ellie didn't realize that by accepting this offer everyone's lives would change upside-down!

As I said, it is hard to understand and decide who is the good guy and who is the bad guy as they all have motives and secrets to protect!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this fantastic book!

3.5 stars. This book was bonkers. I did not know who to call out for being the "bad guy!". There did not seem to be a full protagonist, because every character had their faults. So, that made things a little confusing, since I usually pick a side while reading/listening to books with different viewpoints. It was super twisty, which I enjoyed, but I was not a fan of the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Sheryl Browne for the early release copy of We All Keep Secrets. This book was a quick read and grabbed my attention right away! Ellie starts working for her boss, Jake watching his two children. His wife Megan doesn’t seem to like Ellie and quickly there are issues and a lot of drama between the two of them. The twists and turns are quick and you don’t see them coming. The ending wasn’t what I had expected at all! Enjoy!

3.5⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Publication date ~ November 6, 2023
Page Count ~368 (66 chapters p+e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 35minutes
Narrator ~ Tamsin Kennard
POV ~ multiple 1st
Featuring ~ unreliable narrators, unlikable characters, toxic relationship, infidelity, gaslighting, baby death

Ellie is 21 and works at a store that Jake owns. He and the wife are in a bind and he asks if she can babysit one night, which turns into a full time nanny position. She's hurting for money, so she jumps at the opportunity.

Jake's wife, Megan, is not too thrilled with the new nanny and comes off as a bad parent and all around mean person. But is that just how Ellie is seeing her, or will we learn something different when it switches to Megan's POV? Hmm...

Something I found funny ~ at the first meeting Megan tells Ellie not to touch her stuff and she will know if she did. Well, Ellie decides to wash her hair. Umm, who washes their hair in someone else's home that you're supposed to be babysitting in? Like she won't know when you just hang the wet towel. Maybe I could see it if the baby threw up on her, but nope she just had greasy hair.

There is a bit of repetition with the multiple POV's. And too much with Ellie hinting to us about something over and over in her past and taking ages to tell us. Overall, I enjoyed this one well enough, and I liked the twist, but hated the ending.

Narration notes:
This is my 3rd book in a row that Tamsin narrated. I do feel her voice was a little older sounding for this character. And it was going along fine until we get Jake's 1st person POV and then Megan's 1st POV and she didn't alter her voice at all.

I loved all the different POVs that were used, loved the way that the prologue dragged me in as I had no idea where is was going to land, there were so many twists and turns in this book. Every POV was an unreliable narrator and just kept you guessing. The ending WOW

I loved the narration she really brought you into the book.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

3.5/5 rounded down
We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne is a thriller that will keep you enthralled from the first page to the very last.
Although very captivating, the first half of the book seemed very repetitive. I felt that the same thing kept happening time and time again with no developments made. The second half then sort of tries to make up for it by speeding up the pacing. It was a bit jarring, but didn’t take too much away from my experience.
I do think that the main character was written a bit strangely. At times, she acted a lot younger and more naive than necessary.
Over all, this book was a fun read that had a compelling story.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne is a captivating audiobook that will keep you hooked from start to finish. With its intriguing storyline and well-developed characters, it offers a perfect blend of suspense, mystery, and emotional depth.

The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, allowing you to vividly imagine the scenes and immerse yourself in the story. Browne skillfully builds tension throughout the audiobook, keeping you on the edge of your seat and constantly guessing what will happen next.

One of the highlights of We All Keep Secrets is the complex and relatable characters. Each one has their secrets and motives, adding layers of intrigue to the narrative. The audiobook delves deep into their emotions, making you empathize with their struggles and dilemmas.

The narration of the audiobook is excellent. The voice actor brings the characters to life with their skillful portrayal and dynamic range of voices. Their delivery enhances the suspenseful atmosphere and adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the overall listening experience.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the pacing of the story. It is well-balanced, allowing for the gradual unraveling of secrets while maintaining a steady momentum. The audiobook keeps you engaged and invested, eagerly awaiting the next twist or revelation.

Overall, We All Keep Secrets is a highly recommended audiobook for fans of suspense and mystery genres. Sheryl Browne's gripping storytelling, combined with the superb narration, creates an immersive experience that will leave you wanting more. Whether you are a fan of the author or new to her work, this audiobook is sure to captivate and entertain you.

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne is very entertaining. Being a wife in her late 30s, I connected with Megan more so than Ellie, who is too sanctimonious, but I was still engaged, especially once when we started hearing from Jake and Megan. This is also when things start to get juicy and twisty. I saw a couple things coming, but I did not see the biggest twists. By the epilogue, I felt like they deserved each other. 😂

Tamsin Kennard is a great narrator who I usually enjoy listening to. I struggled with her voicing Ellie because Tamsin's voice is not that of a 21-year-old, so I was regularly reminding myself that Ellie is acting her age, albeit so immature and dumb, but nonetheless, her age.

This book is a resounding 5 stars. Between the storyline, the twists, and the ending, it is perfect to me. I will note that, while I like Freida, I never read The Housemaid. I see that a lot of the reviews that rate We All Keep Secrets 3 or less stars are comparing these books to each other.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Did someone say Psychological Thriller?? Well, here we go!!

I believe this is the first I've read by this author.

We begin with Ellie. She is at work and her boss (Jake) asks her to do him a favor and watch his kids. She is taken aback, but being as he's in a crunch, she helps him out.
And, she meets his wife (Megan) who is NOT happy to see or meet her. She's a total BIATCH, as my kids say...
And Ellie says she will never go back...even though she could really use the extra money.

And then, Megan comes to work and apologizes for her behavior and asks if she could possibly come and be the nanny for their kids. Ellie thinks about it and decides to give it a go.

We go thru all the crazy stuff (which I will not give away, but let's just say dysfunctional is not a word in this family, it's a LIFE force...) and Ellie is narrating for us.

About 2/3 thru the book, the narrator changes.
Well, that's ok. Except that I've heard all of this before.
The book literally then repeats with the POV from Jake and then from Megan.

I thought that we could have cut out 90% of this out...but there is a reason.
We are building up the foundation of the story...
But, when it finally does come to an end...well, I was not in the least bit happy.
I was scared throughout the book, but I was terrified by the ending.

Let me know your thoughts...

#WeAllKeepSecrets by #SherylBrowne Narrated by #TamsinKennard (Great job narrating too!!)

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of the audiobook which will be released shortly on November 6.

4 stars for me!!

Check out all my upcoming reviews on Instagram @ #BookReviews_with_emsr

Happy Reading!!

Book Title: We All Keep Secrets
Author: Sheryl Browne
Audiobook Narrator: Tamsin Kennard
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Psychological Domestic Thriller
Pub Date: November 6, 2023
My Rating: 4. Stars
Pages: 368
Story is told by the three main characters: Megan, Jake and Ellie.
First part of this story is told by Ellie Taylor the twenty-one year old nanny
Second Part Megan Harrington the wife –telling the same story even same dialogue but the situations are Megan’s POV which of course is not exactly the same as Ellie’s.

Jake and Megan are young parents of three month old Fern and six year old Ollie. Megan is super busy with her career. She has suffered from Post-partum Depression with Ollie and is with Fern as well; although on medication she devoted her time and interest in her career and not her children.
Young Ellie comes from a sad childhood and there is a situation with her little brother that she feels responsible. When she meets Jake she is immediately attracted to him. He tells her that their much loved Au pair Phoebe up and left with her boyfriend and they are in need of someone with child care experience. Ellie is excited and applies and is offered the job.

With the story being told from the various POV, I was switching who is the good guy, and who is the bad guy. However, I got to the point that these unlikeable foul-mouth characters are all guilty of something.
I kept rolling my eyes or yelling at Ellie – not only for her attraction to Jake - (true he was being overly friendly!) Why was she doing such dumb things - e.g. using Megan’s private bathroom to wash her hair and using the towel and leaving it to dry on the heated towel rack. Oh Please! - Who does that on their first day on the job?

There is no doubt that Jake and Megan are in a toxic relationship.- definitely something going on- thus the title informing as that secrets are kept.

Having read this author before I was expecting twists and turns, and of course hidden secrets,

There is indeed twist and turns including the ending!
Although a 4 Star story- it wasn’t what I would call enjoyable!
I wonder if there might be sequel.

This is my third author, Sheryl Browne novel. I am a big fan of psychological thrillers which is her genre.
While reading her bio; my interested was peaked when she mentioned that according to her readers ~ she
would make an excellent psychopath.
You can sign-up and Follow her @Bookouture Mailing List and grab a FREE short: https://t.co/bIigwwALCs

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 6, 2023.

A new nanny, an infant death, and a can of worms you won't expect.

The first half of this book is told from Ellie's POV. Her boss, Jake, & his wife, Megan, offer Ellie a job as a nanny for their kids and promise to pay her more than she's making now. How could she say no? Ellie quickly realizes nothing is ever that simple. Tension between Ellie's boss and his wife ramp up and, in combination with his wife's post-partum issues, make things very uncomfortable. This half of the book was a little slow because I feel like I've read an amazing amount of nanny stories in the last year, but generally held my interest. The second half, told in turns from Jake & Megan, unfortunately did not. Something about the back half, with the two characters basically playing mental games with each other, just lost me a lot. They both sounded whiney and a little nutty. Neither of them are particularly sympathetic or endearing and it makes for a very slow second half.

I would probably give this author another go, I'd just hope for a more unique plot.

Since the name of this book is "We All Keep Secrets" I will honor the title and try to keep this spoiler free. But there is no secret here, this book was 50% too long.
The story was building intrigue with Ellie working for the most messed up couple via Nick and Whats Her name in Gone Girl. They only tolerated each other and seemed to be only in the marriage because of some secret that held them together. Ellie, while totally frustrating niggled her way into their home as a child carer for a 6 year old. boy and infant girl. Hubby had a past with hiring young eye candy, red flag number one, so Megan treats Ellie terribly. But Ellie is not winning any brownie points because she does things like, "I walked past the master bedroom and saw her makeup bag open so I used some of her make up.." On the first time alone in the home she TAKES A SHOWER AND USES THE TOWELS. Like what? Who does that....she even makes comments like, I know I should do this but.....Yeah Ellie, you shouldn't. So unlike (I cannot believe I am about to say something positive abut McFadden, but here we go....) in the Housemaid I felt no sympathy for Ellie because she was just so dumb. Sleeping with the boss thinking he actually loved her, yet he saw how pitiful his marriage was? She was always snooping and using Megans stuff, Im sorry I was just so frustrated with her. But I plowed on because I really wanted to know what was behind the stupid closet door and what the big secret was between the married couple.
Well enter boring land.
Browne used the all too familiar troupe of retelling the eXACTT SAME STORY from Megan and Husband's POV. Like almost WORD for WORD, with very little new insight. I was so mad/bored and frustrated.
I suggest reading the first 1/2 then totally skipping over the last part until you get to about 90% when new information is released.

The new information that was released was so obvious that you probably could get the way the cookie crumbles. It must have been a vegan gluten free dairy free cookie because those crumbs wern't so good.
The ending was pretty unsatisfying.....
Hoping my next cookie is a nestle chocolate chip cookie with all the real stuff!

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced copy listen of "We All Keep Secrets" I was not paid or influenced in exchange for this honest review.