Member Reviews

It is rare for a book to leave me feeling as conflicted and unsure as This Secret We're Keeping did. I don't even know where to start sorting through my muddled thoughts but here it goes:

The Good
* I found this book to be utterly engaging and hard to put down. It was gripping all the way through.
* It was very well written, Done is descriptive and imaginative with her prose.
* It left me so conflicted and confused but in a good way. It leaves the reader to decide many things which I think worked in its favour.
* The chemistry between Jess and Mathew is undeniable, uncomfortable and immense.
* The characters, all of them, are genuinely human and deeply flawed.

The Not so Bad
* There is a lot of angst in this book. There are barely any light moments which makes the book a heavy read.
* Having her boyfriend be a dick head was too easy. Had he been more decent it would have made the feel of the book different towards the end. He was so unbearable that you had no choice not to root for him.
* Jess does not have one person in her life who isn't toxic. Her love interests, family and even her best friend judge and manipulate her. None of them want what's best for her.
* The ending was a little rushed, confusing and not good. The last page was really disappointing. If this was my book I would have ended it a completely different way (view spoiler).

The Ugly
* The relationship is between a 15 year old child and her teacher. Some of the scenes between them are explicit and more often or not she is portrayed more as an adult and not a child.
* Again, SHE IS A CHILD
* relationships like these are complicated because I do believe they loved each other and I do not think he would have had a relationship with any other 15 year old. But not enough emphasis was put on the fact that she was a vulnerable, uncared for, lonely child and he was her teacher. I think Done empathised with him too much

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.
full review to follow.

_________________________________________________

Was this review helpful?

Enjoyable, but not mind blowing, interesting storyline.

Was this review helpful?