Joanna Johnson was startled when she received the mysterious letter from Rivers End, her one time home which she'd left twenty five years before and never returned. Her Aunt Beryl still lived in Rivers End while Joanna lived next door to her parents in Brisbane. But it seemed things were about to change - could she go back to the place that had torn her heart apart, and had her burying secrets so deeply, no one else had ever known? When Joanna arrived, she was so pleased to see Aunt Beryl, even knowing her aunt was travelling to Brisbane to spend some time with her sister - Joanna's mum - after a long time between visits.

As Joanna tried to work through her memories of the past, as well as keeping out of sight so she wouldn't run into people she'd known all that time ago, she knew the stress and pressure from what was happening were weighing her down. The pieces of an old shipwreck which were washing up at Willow Bay taunted her; was it part of her long ago past? And could it be possible to move forward from the past, and for both Roslyn and Lucas to become part of her life once again?

The Secrets of Willow Bay is the 4th in the Temple River series by Aussie author Phillipa Nefri Clark and I loved it. Catching up with past characters - Christie especially - felt good, while the mystery surrounding Joanna and her traumatic past captivated me while it unravelled. I always enjoy Phillipa Nefri Clark's writing and recommend The Secrets of Willow Bay highly.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

When Joanna Johnson left her hometown of Rivers End twenty-five years ago, she lost her best friend and the young man she loved because of betrayal. She vowed to not return. Her friend Roslyn sent a note about something washing up on the beach. Does Roslyn know something? Joanna does have a secret she’s kept for twenty-five years. Why did she send it? It’s not like they are friends anymore, especially after she stole her boyfriend, Lucas. She decides to face the past and heads to her auntie’s beautiful cottage to stay there. As the lies, betrayal, mystery of a missing boat and misunderstandings come to light, it’s time to solve it all. A lot of mystery surrounding the missing boat. Will they solve it? Will she forgive Roslyn? What does Lucas know? How could he just leave her and be with her Roslyn? Why is he single father of three boys? The characters are wonderful. They all need to forgive and move forward with their future. Can they? Phillipa Nefri Clark always writes wonderful stories that draw you in. It was hard to put the book down. Worth the read. I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review. I give it voluntarily.

ahhh, i do love this type of book. the genre and the layout and the themes. its one of my favorite kinds and always rush to read them if i see a new one coming out.
so it suprised me ive not read the others in this series. im disappointed in myself! but for me it worked find as a standalone but i will be making sure i go back for the others who from looking them up look like they feature different characters from the local community of Willow Bay which excites me for future reading very much.
when i read the blurb about Joanna fleeing her first and only love decades aog i was instantly intrigued as to why? and also her best friend?
i felt so horribly for her when it was revealed she left through a believed betryayel and one devastating night which led to more secrets Joanna had to bury deep and swore never to think of or bring up again, even to her closest family.
her young wish to be a fashion designer hasnt exactly come to fruition but she does get to travel in her job as a fashion buyer. i feel her constant need to be on the move and never settling has alot to do with her past. and of course she has never felt anyone could come close to Lucas, so never found a love to settle with.
of course of course she is called home. and of course of course one of the first people she meets is Lucas. and it is clear in that instant that she was correct. her feeling never left and he was the love of her life. the flame in her heart still the same for him.
too soon her secrets of the night she left and her part in the blame are washed up on shore in the shape of shipwrecked items of the yacht from that night.
i felt all the emotions from this set of characters. Particularly our Joanna. she had so much pain and hurt inside of her. so much of her life has played out by that one night fractures on her soul. and how does she both deal with that and then move on to different things when all of her life has been centered about the person she became from that one night that damaged her so much.
there is such depth to this book. such great characters and i loved the enduring power of love and friendship. and the power and support that brings. how having people who truly love and know you can heal and help even the worst things in ourselves.
i felt it all in this book. and i was swept up completely in this story as if i was reading about people outside my door or in my living room. it was the perfect read for me and im so glad this genre exists!

Once again MS Nefri Clark has taken me on a moving emotional journey, to a place that I feel very at home, River’s End this time can there be a second chance at love and friendship after everything that happened twenty five years ago, come along and meet Joanna, Lucas and Roslyn and see how things pan out when secrets and mystery are uncovered.

Joanna ran twenty five years ago when she felt so very betrayed by her best friend Roslyn she left behind her first love and a secret that she has done her best to bury deep, when she followed her parents to Queensland and left her aunt in Willow Bay she asked them never to bring up Willow Bay or her friend Roslyn and as time when on, although giving up her wish to be a fashion designer she found her place travelling the world as a fashion buyer, she has stayed single never forgetting her first love. But when a letter arrives she must now go back and face what she left behind.

Arriving back in the place she loved so much has her emotions flying in all directions and one of the first people she runs into is Lucas her heart jumps but he still has a place in her heart after all that happened not knowing what has gone on with Lucas and Roslyn has Joanna presuming what happened, which is probably not a good thing, will she ever be able to put the past behind her and find out exactly what happened?

With parts of a yacht washing up on the beach the reason she in in Willow Bay, Joanna worries about what this could mean for her is she partly to blame after that terrible night all those years ago? Getting to know Lucas and Roslyn again is so good but can she open up and tell them what really happened the night she ran, and she fears that she is in danger now with more questions than answers with more bits and pieces of the yacht washing up.

I did love this one so much, it is so well written the author has bought the characters to life on the pages I felt all of the emotions. The anger, the hurt, the pain and the love that still flows between friends and first loves, this is a story that I would highly recommend, and it has a bit of everything in it mystery, romance and a fabulous story.

This one is going to stay with me for a long time to come, many thanks MS Nefri Clark for a wonderful story.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

Twenty-five years after Joanna left Rivers End she receives a letter from her old BFF calling her back as something has been discovered.
The story is told by a series of flashbacks between the present day and Twenty-five years.
This is a mystery with a touch of second chance romance. Joanna is haunted by something which happened then, the story of which is gradually revealed. She is also coming to terms with what caused her and her old BFF to acrimoniously past ways all those years ago, along with a decision she had to make about her future career. A suspenseful story that kept me guessing all the way through on what happened all those years ago.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I absolutely loved this book! Mystery novels aren’t usually my go-to genre, but this one might just change that—it was such an enjoyable read.

The story follows Joanna, who has kept a life-altering secret for 25 years. She left the place she grew up and loved to escape the events of a terrible night. Since then, she’s tried to move on and forget both Roslyn, her childhood best friend who betrayed her, and Lucas, her first love, who also seemed to betray her... or did he?

Now, decades later, Joanna is forced to return to Rivers End when pieces of a boat—one she was on the night of the incident—begin to resurface in Willow Bay. Will the truth finally come to light after all these years?

This book is a thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat as I raced to uncover what really happened. I loved how the story weaved between flashbacks and present-day chapters, adding depth and tension as Joanna worked to uncover not only the truth about that fateful night but also the reasons behind the betrayals of the people she once trusted the most.

At its heart, this is a story about hope, friendship, and second chances, and I couldn’t recommend it more. Even though The Secrets of Willow Bay is part of a series set in Rivers End, I hadn’t read the previous books and had no trouble jumping right in.

🌊⛵Fatal historic mystery and romance rolled together: lovely😍

I've read this Temple River four-book series right through from the beginning and enjoyed each subsequent one just a bit more. And something I really like about this series: the stories are set in the same general location in and around a small coastal town called Rivers End in southern Australia yet each is really a standalone. So it really doesn't matter if you read them in order and you don't have to rely on what you remember about the last novel's plot and characters. That so suits my reading style because I read so many books it's hard to pull the details of a plot from a year or 18 months ago and hundreds of reads ago out of my memory!

The format alternates between a critical summer from long in the past with the present. Joanna, the main character, had a horrendous time that summer during her summer break from fashion studies, so bad that she picked up and abruptly left, only returning in the present in response to a cryptic message connected to a decades-old shipwreck just now disturbed from the seabed and floating in to shore. She fears she knows which boat they'll retrieve and her connection to its captain.

There's small-town life, romantic heartbreak, friendship destroyed, nostalgia for the halcyon days spent along the beach in her youth, a professional crossroads, and Joanna realizing that the past and all the slings and arrows attached can no longer be ignored. The mystery of Joanna's fears regarding the shipwreck were strung along, pieces slowly revealed and I found the answers, as they came late in the story, surprising: just like I prefer.

Loved the writing, plot and suspense, the happy ending, and an Australian setting is always a plus in my view!

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 1/11/25 with Waterstones, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and Bookbub. Will be shared with kobo when published.

Joanna has never revealed what happened to her in Willow Bay twenty five years ago as she was about to enter adulthood. Her betrayal by her very close childhood friend and this horrible event triggered a sudden move to start a new life elsewhere. She was successful in the fashion industry and seemed to have fulfilled her dreams of a prosperous career. Even her parents later moved to be closer to her and were never aware of what triggered Joanna’s sudden departure out of Willow Bay.
The prologue of this book is a real attention grabber. It offers hint of what transpired on that fateful night in Willow Bay. An unexpected message from her estranged friend brings Joanna back to Willow Bay where she must confront her past and make peace with a long depressed memory that has haunted her for twenty five years. The book held my interest and it was an enjoyable read.

This is a dual time-line story, switching between Joanna at age 19 in 2000 and present day. She and her friend Roslyn had planned to open a boutique, but several things happened in 2000 that caused a rift between them and Joanna fled to Queensland. Parts of an old yacht have washed up and Roslyn suggests that Joanna come back to Rivers End. The first chapter pulls you in as Joanna dives off the yacht to get away from Trent. Great story!

Twenty five years ago Joanna Johnson fled her hometown of Rivers End in Victoria after discovering a shocking and dangerous secret about someone she had made friends with that summer. She also felt betrayed by her best friend Roslyn and decided to cut all ties with her and their dreams of starting a fashion label together, also leaving behind a new relationship with Lucas, a young man who had just moved to Rivers End.

Following her parents to Queensland, Joanne settled on the Gold Coast and started a successful career in fashion. Now in her forties, Roslyn has summoned Joanna back to Rivers End where an old wreck is washing up on the beach and the secret Joanna tried to escape is at risk of being discovered.

This is a slow burn of a tale as Joanna rediscovers everything she loved about Rivers End, slowly rekindling her relationships with those she left behind and trying to decide where she wants the future to take her. I very much enjoyed visiting this picturesque small coastal town and meeting all who live there in this feel good story of second chances.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Wow! This book had me captivated right from the beginning. The author weaves the story between past and present which is very effective. This book is all about the mystery, history and a little romance thrown into a small coastal town.

The past may not be Joanna’s favorite place but can she mend fences and make things right in the present? All the while trying to figure out the mystery of the past?

A very emotional read and one I could not put down. 5 star read.

Joanna's life suddenly changes when she receives a letter from her former best friend, Roslyn who lives in Rivers End. Her Aunt Beryl, the last of her family members still lives there and highly suggests that Joanna take a break from work and come and see if an old shipwreck that washed up twenty-five years later doesn't implicate her in anything. Could the boat be Spee-Dee-One, the one that belonged to Trent? But how can it be, if she left him alive when she swam for her life after she discovered his deadly secret. Joanna's past resurfaces after all those years when she ran away from Trent, Rivers End and possibly the love of her life, all because of many misunderstandings and young people making bad life altering decisions.

Thank you Netgalley for this lovely ARC!

This was my first read from Phillipa Nefri Clark, and it won't be my last. I absolutely loved this story. All the characters were beautifully written. I was hoping for the best for Joanna throughout the whole book. I have learned this is the 4th in a series. I will immediately be buying the other 3.

Joanna returns to her childhood home following an urgent letter from her estranged best friend, hinting at a damaging secret about to be revealed.
Following Joanne now, and back in 2000 when the mysterious incident took place we follow the character unpicking her long held firm beliefs about what happened in the past and finding out some startling home truths.
The characters and setting of the book are vividly described and the gradual reveal of the true truth keeps the pages turning.
An excellent read.

What a lovely reading.
I loved the characters and the touch of mystery that makes reading more enjoyable.
The beginning is incredibly fascinating, leaving you with many questions and it’s this that drives you to devour the pages, to understand what really happened, what drove Johanna to leave Rivers End, a place she loved.

Lose yourself in The Secrets of Willow Bay

Finding your people and yourself, travelling to beautiful places, returning to places you left. Those are recurring themes in my own work, and they all come together in this stunner. The Secrets of Willow Bay will make you laugh and cry. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but one I feel lucky to have been on.

Colourful
I could almost taste the salt in the air and nearly felt a spider land on my shoulders while reading this book. Phillipa Nefri Clark’s descriptions are vivid and on point. I wouldn’t mind a trip to Willow Bay and definitely got the Australian summer vibe that I experienced on my own travels to Victoria and Queensland.

What most intrigued me was the theme of bold choices taken in certainty, and returning decades later to find out that shake that certainty. The author deals with this in a colourful and brave way, no black-and-whites here. I love that, tied with the fact Joanna does not at all want to revisit her choices.

Heartwrenching and optimistic
I also wouldn’t mind living in the cottage where Joanna stayed (minus before mentioned spiders). The coziness sparks off the pages, but it all fits and serves the story, that is heartwrenching and optimistic at the same time. Because those choices that led Joanna away, also led to beautiful events that otherwise would not have happened. I love that, too! And isn’t that just life?

No surprises, I am handing out five stars to The Secrets of Willow Bay.

The Secrets of Willow Bay is the first book I read by Philippa Nefri Clark, but it certainly won’t be my last. Thank you, Storm Publishing for providing The Secrets of Willow Bay for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

With thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of The Secrets of Willow Bay by Phillipa Nefri Clark which is based between two time lines - current time and early 2000.

Joanna is called back to Rivers End after receiving a urgent letter from her once best friend Roslyn. She'd blocked Roslyn from her life 20 plus years ago and had refused to let anyone mention her or Rivers End since then. What's in the letter is urgent enough for Joanna to hesitatingly return now and revisit things that happened in her previous life that she'd worked so hard to move on from.

You’ll be eagerly turning the pages and will be left with many different scenarios in your head - why are parts of an old yacht washing up now, did Joanna kill someone accidentally, is he really dead, who is making the threats, can she trust the first person she fell in love with, why did Roslyn do what she did, can she forgive her and move on with life now? So many questions that need answers. To find these answers you must read this book, you won't regret it.

Emotions are at the forefront when Joanna returns to Willow Bay after twenty five years. Heartbroken when she left, she swore she would never return. But here she is, brought back by a letter from the one who betrayed her.
Relationships, second chances and a journey back to where it all began is at the heart of this wonderful book. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an arc of this five star book. This review is my honest opinion.

The Secrets of Willow Bay kept me on my toes. When Joanna returns to her childhood home, she is full of trepidation. Will they find out about what she did when she was a teen? Would her life be ruined? Would she be able to mend fences? This idyllic little town on the ocean is everything she dreams about, but things are getting scary. Will Joanna even live to tell the tale? Great characterization in this novel... I felt like I knew them. If you like something that will keep you turning the pages, pick this one up.

This is a wonderful story about long term friendship. Joanne left Willow Bay many years ago, never to return, for good reasons at the time. Twenty five years on, new information comes to light and a mystery is solved, and a friendship and a love rekindled. There are a lot of very likeable characters in this book and I enjoyed the portrayal of a small community. I have liked previous books by this author and this one maintains that high standard. I hope to read more about the folk in Willow Bay. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.