Tuesday 4 July 2017

Book Review: THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS by Michael Robotham

Author: Michael Robotham
Publisher:
Hachette Australia
Read:
July 2017
Expected publication: 11 July 2017
My Rating:๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ1/2



Book Description:

Two pregnant women are counting down the days until their babies are born. They may be of similar age, but their lives could not be more different. Meghan, already a mother of two small children, seems to have it all: a successful husband, a big house, a comfortable life as stay-at-home mum and regular latte’ dates with her equally privileged friends. This pregnancy is their “oops” baby, the one they never planned on having. Then there is Agatha, who has a lowly paid job in a supermarket, and whose childhood trauma and failed marriage are still overshadowing her joy of finally becoming a mother. This pregnancy is her salvation, the answer to all her prayers, the baby she has longed for forever and the one she never thought she would be able to have. When these two women’s worlds collide, their lives will change in ways neither of them could have predicted ...


My musings:

I first discovered Michael Robotham through his Joe O’Loughlin series, and he soon made his way onto my favourite author’s list. I have since learned to look out for new books by the author, knowing that they would guarantee a cracking good read! I admit I did a happy dance around the house when I heard that I had been granted an ARC of his latest book, The Secrets She Keeps.

I am happy to say that The Secrets She Keeps is every bit as good as all the other books by the author. Before reading it, I may have thought that featuring two pregnant woman protagonists is a strange choice for a male author, but I need not have worried, because Robotham always knows how to get into the hearts and heads of his characters and reveal their deepest, darkest thoughts and feelings. When your heart aches even for the “bad guy” in the story, you know the author has done a great job in forging a connection between his characters and the reader. It truly is a rare art to be able to make the reader empathise with each and every character of the story, which is the one thing I loved most about this wonderful read. Now there is a REAL psychological thriller – character driven, disturbing and intense. Told in alternating viewpoints by Meghan and Agatha, the story unfolds in all its creepy, chilling and nail-biting glory, laying both of these women’s souls bare for everyone to see.

This may be a very brief review, as I do not want to give anything away about the story, or the characters. The Secrets She Keeps is one book you should go into blindly, let the story highjack your heart and your brain and take you on its journey. Do not despair if you think you have figured out the “secret” early on, because this is not what drives this book – it’s about what follows, how it ends, and how it gets there. And what a journey it was! I could not put the book down until I had reached its inevitable finale. Emerging somewhat stunned and bleary-eyed from a late night read-a-thon I know I will have a massive book hangover today!
  

Summary:

The Secrets She Keeps is a tense, chilling and disturbing psychological thriller about secrets, obsession and the longing for the “perfect life” from a master of the genre. Very highly recommended!

Quotes:


She says I should reach out and build bridges, but I think certain bridges are meant to burn and it's a shame some people can't be on them when it happens.

That's the difference between children and adults - children don't put as much energy into being sad.


A massive thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the free ARC of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

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