The Thomas family seem to have it all on the surface. Ben has a successful accountancy business, his wife Dominique is the archetypal yummy mummy and they have two beautiful children, teenager Ruby and Amber, their thoughtful sweet younger child. But scratch beneath the surface and they are a family falling apart, so much so that the on Christmas Day the police are called after gunshots are heard.....

This is one of those stories that begins at the end. A family home been searched by police, a scene of carnage laid bare. We're then taken back to the days leading up to the tragedy. Which family member cracked? Dominique who has a complicated history of violence? Ben who is on the edge of bankruptcy or worse? Troubled Ruby, tormented by her bullying peers? Harry, Ruby's best friend and boyfriend who struggles to care for his family and is becoming increasingly furious at Ruby's mistreatment? Or even little Amber, so quiet they nickname her Mouse? Or could it be one of Ben's unsavoury clients? This will honestly keep you guessing til the end. I really could not put this down. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but not enough to ruin a damned fine read.

See link to goodreads review

Well OMFG! I am not going to beat around the bush with this review – let me first say a massive *thank you* to the author and Netgalley for an ARC. Then I have to say – Bloody hell….What-A-Book!

Set in London, the reader becomes embroiled in secrets and lies; (dysfunctional) relationships; rebellion; betrayal; anger; bullying; obsession; jealousy; frustration and unhappiness.

From the moment I started this book, my interest was piqued. Immediately questions were racing through my mind as the suspense and intrigue build up beautifully! Set at the perfect pace, the reader is drawn into a story that keeps you guessing throughout. I mean seriously! I was thinking to myself…”I know exactly where you are going with this clever author lady…” and then I was like….Whaaaaaaaat?? The timeline switches back and forth seamlessly as the countdown to Christmas – the fateful day – has you gasping for air! Told in the third person POV, we get a range of perspectives and I thought this was done brilliantly!

I absolutely ADORED the characters in this book – even the ones I didn’t particularly like! Dominque comes across as a slightly paranoid but concerned mother. She seems to be stuck in a bit of a rut and has quite an interesting condition…not sure if I should actually describe it that way as it must be awful…but I’m a weirdo and certain things fascinate me! Not going to spoil it though…you will know what I mean when you come across it! Full of secrets, part of me really felt sorry for her, but then I was like “Woman…get a grip…sort it out…and bloody move on!” – I am pretty terrible, aren’t I!?

Ah Ruby…the typical rebellious teenager. However, she too has a secret that she is keeping from everyone but her boyfriend Harry. She is full of anger and rage – so understandably, she acts out but also is hiding behind a mask of self-loathing. I really felt for this character. Amber – or Mouse as she is known is Ruby’s baby sister- quite an insightful character for someone so young. She sees and hears things that probably put her beyond her years. My heart went out to her at times.

Kendra…Kendra….Kendra…what an annoying cow bag! At times I felt sorry for her, but also found her to be quite a selfish and immature woman. Ok, so she was a little insecure, but she also came across as needy and desperate- not very attractive qualities, right?!

Benjamin…what a arse. Plain and simple. I felt absolutely nothing towards him…well, that’s not true…I pretty much despised him. Materialistic, narcissistic, and ever other #istic going! I am not even sure he had any redeeming qualities. But a fab character! LOL!!

Finally- Harry, Ruby’s boyfriend- another rebel without a cause, he came across as quite a lost soul. He was the complete opposite to Ruby in terms of his economic background and I really felt for him. Ruby and Harry found in each other what they felt was missing from their lives: understanding, acceptance and love. Awwww. Another great character.

This was such an emotive read. SUPERB! As a reader, you are innocently led down the garden path by the author, fairly confident of where you are going until….BOOM! – Barbara Copperthwaite blows it all out of the water and you are standing there frozen, mouth gaping open, thinking…What-the-actual-frig-just-happened!? Well played, Mrs!

Would I recommend this book? Is the Pope Catholic? Of course I would- with bells on! This has one hell of a jaw dropping twist that I didn’t even see coming…it is dark, emotive and absolutely unputdownable – so readers…don’t wait, grab a copy of this book now…you can thank me later!

This book is completely gripping. You are presented with what seems to be a typical family; Mum, Dad, two daughters. There are tensions and there are arguments, but that's normal, right?

You soon discover that the issues within this family run much deeper than that of your average household. There's an air of mystery with everyone's story and you just can't help but keep turning those pages to find out what will happen next.

Well crafted characters and a great read that keeps you guessing.

Recommended.

I hang my head in shame and admit that this is the first book I’ve read by Barbara Copperthwaite, I am now seriously giving myself a swift kick up the backside.
I’m quite late in writing my review as it’s been a couple of weeks since I read the book. I usually like to try to give myself a couple of days after reading a book then I get on with the review, but two weeks later and I still don’t know what to write apart from holy sh*t balls, what an absolute friggin brilliant read Her Last Secret is.
The story starts on Christmas day when the police are called to an incident at the home of the Thomas’s. A neighbour has heard gunfire and when the police arrive, its evident that something bad has happened but we, the reader don’t find out until later the what’s the who’s and the why’s of what is found.
From the outside the Thomas’s seem like an ordinary family but as we delve deeper into the story it’s obvious that all is not what it seems. Each character has a secret, some much bigger than others and as the story is told through some of the characters it wasn’t difficult to feel sympathy for some and real loathing for others.
Reading Her Last Secret, my emotions were all over the place. Copperthwaite really knows how to make the reader feel like they are part of the story and I couldn’t help just being totally engrossed. It was that bad I woke one morning at 3am and found myself thinking about what was going to happen next, how it would all unfold. It’s been a while since a book has really unsettled me in that way, I just had to get it finished to find out what happened.
Her Last Secret really is a fantastic read, it’s full of surprises, lies and betrayals. The writing style is brilliant and really draws you in. It’s an emotional roller-coaster of a read and one that will stay with me for a long, long time. This will definitely be one of my top reads of 2017 and of course I will be highly recommending it to EVERYONE!

I've read some good books lately but it's a while since one really left me thinking about it for ages afterwards- that was until 'Her Last Secret' came along.

It's taken a while before writing a review as I wanted to sort out what I wanted to say- apart from, "This is well worth a read!"

We know what has happened. Seen through the eyes of the detective on the scene we walk through the house. We see the injuries and the bodies; we know that this is not going to be a Merry Christmas for this family!

The lead up to this bloody event is told through the eyes of various characters. Most of whom I didn't find particularly likeable- apart from poor wee Mouse!

Dominique, the mother seems very self absorbed. She wants to keep things to herself, but if she had communicated a bit better it would have saved a lot of heartache. Ben, the father is an obnoxious bully who believes that the world owes him everything & he has the right to decide how everyone else behaves (brilliantly drawn character though!!) Ruby, the teenager- another one who finds it hard to communicate except by anger. I felt for her whilst being annoyed with her attitude. Then there was Ben's mistress-lets just say they richly deserved each other! The mix resulted in the mess the detective found that Christmas morning.

Barbara Copperthwaite skillfully weaves these characters together keeping the reader guessing right until the very end when the reader is left muttering- "WHAT???"

Great book & definitely five stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this great read!

The book revolves around the Thomas family, all of whom have secrets to hide. Ben in particular has a secret so huge that in trying to cover it up (and prove to himself that he is the successful businessman he wants the world to see) his actions detrimentally impact on everyone close to him.

At the start of the book the reader is aware that a shocking tragedy has occurred and it seems that there are no survivors. The book then deals with what led up to the horror that the police uncover on Christmas morning.

The initial suspicion is that the teenage daughter is responsible, based on the evidence in her "book of hate" but as the story progresses it seems that any one of the characters could have committed the crime. From the mistress, Kendra, to the best friend who really doesn't like Ben, to the Russian businessman, to Ben's business partner. Woven in amongst these threads are issues about teenage bullying and the role that social media has to play in this, issues about perception and reality and the need to impress when living within a consumer society.

The book is well plotted and does keep you guessing until the end, but I struggled to really immerse myself in the book. I think this is because I just didn't feel anything for any of the characters, and I felt at a remove from them all throughout the book.

Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

5 stars. I haven't read any books by Barbara Copperthwaite before but have heard so many good things and was really looking forward to this. I can honestly say it did not disappoint and it is by far one of the best books I have read this year. I was hooked from the very first page and there were so many twists and turns I just couldn't put it down. I enjoyed all character viewpoints although didn't like most of the characters. You knew straight away that something tragic had happened but not what and I really did not know how it was going to turn out. Would highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading this authors other books.

If you enjoy the kind of psychological thriller which will draw you in from the very beginning, laying a foundation of mystery and intrigue, building layer upon layer of mystery, slow building tension and discovery, and infused at just the right moments with a startling revelation or heart-stopping, perhaps every heart-breaking, pause, then Her Last Secret may well be the book for you.

Called to the scene of a possible shooting on Christmas day Chief Inspector Paul Ogundele could not possibly be prepared for what he will find when entering the Thomas’s home. As a reader you are not privy to the full information straight away, and it is this small fact, this rather important omission, which guarantees that you will want to keep reading, to uncover, just as the police will, what has occurred on that fateful morning.

Much of the book is based around the days leading up to Christmas Day; in setting the scene for what the police have yet to discover, the whole book taking place over a period of just eight days. In that time, Barbara Copperthwaite sets out to paint a picture of a family, of their highs and their lows, and to capture the imagination of the reader. Oh and what a magnificent job she does. This is no ordinary family and this is no idyllic setting, no matter what the neighbours may believe. For like every family, the Thomas’s suffer more than their share of problems. On one hand you have the teenage anger directed from daughter Ruby toward her parents. On the other you have little ‘Mouse’, Ruby’s younger sister, Amber, a child so quiet, so introverted, that it is easy to forget she is there.

And then you have the parents. Ben and Dominique. Outwardly perfect. Inwardly both nursing their own demons. Dominique is paranoid, nervous, Ben overbearing and cock-sure. Neither makes a particularly sympathetic protagonist. Barbara Copperthwaite has done a superb job here of keeping them on just the wrong side of likeable, their character flaws irking somewhat, although Ben’s are far more obvious and probably unforgivable than Dom’s. Even Ruby is hard to like initially but as you learn more about what is driving her, what is tormenting her, the sympathy begins to build. If there is a true victim in this story, other than Amber, then it is Ruby.

I don’t want to go too far into the story or the plot as I feel it may give away potential spoilers and I truly believe this is a book you need to read for yourselves, that the slow reveal, the gradual build of the story, is the true value of the book. With each page turn, I could sense I was taking a step closer to the inevitable. Yet, while the conclusion of the story had been served to the reader from the start, the path which led us there was still full of twists and turns, peppered with half truths and misdirection.

I love the way in which the characters have been developed throughout the book. The author has a real knack for creating believable protagonists and then pushing them to their absolute limits. Each of the main players in this book goes on a tumultuous journey, is forced to a point of self realisation with tragic consequences. There is one really moving scene at the end of the book, where one character makes the ultimate sacrifice for one they love, which is both moving and heartbreaking, a sad but poignant moment on which to end the story. And yet… there is one more moment, one last turn of the screw and one last confession to be heard. It is quite simply, fabulous.

As well as being great entertainment, the book does contain a serious message too. Touching upon the darker side of the internet and cyber-bullying, the story may well resonate with many teenagers and young adults, even some parents who may have seen their children suffer. Noticing a change in someones persona, not stopping to really consider why… Well, maybe, just maybe, this book will finally make you stop and think. Laughter is a more socially acceptable way to hide tears, and anger a way to conceal fear. And sometimes, behind them both, lurks the darkest secret of them all.

Well that was one hell of a read and quite a rollercoaster of a ride.

Having not read this author's books previously, I honestly didn't know what to expect when I decided to give this book a read.  As you can see from my first sentence to this review, I wasn't disappointed. 

I was literally gripped from the very first page, the opening scenes really drew me in and I spent the entire book sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what would happen next. Could not turn the pages fast enough.

I thought the story plot was so cleverly entwined and really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and seeing how each of their stories developed throughout.

My favourite character was Mouse, as a lot of her personality traits were very much like me when I was her age, always had my head in a book, in my own little world.

The ending was brilliant, with a few surprises thrown in, not to mention the little shocking twist at the end, certainly didn't see that one coming.

Highly enjoyable and I'll certainly be looking to read Barbara's previous and future books.

I requested Her Last Secret from NetGalley because I'm a sucker for thrillers. It was a bit slow going at the start but I felt like it paid off at the end.

Her Last Secret is about this seriously dysfunctional family and what happened that resulted in all of them seriously injured (and even one dead). The book starts with the police arriving at the house and basically jumps back and forth in time. Fulfilling Tolstoy's words that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way:

- Dominique (Dom), the mother, just found out her husband had an affair and that has triggered her sleepwalking

- Benjamin (Ben), is in some kind of mysterious financial trouble that I will not elaborate on because it'll become a spoiler.

- Ruby, the eldest, is being bullied and feeling like no one understands her.

- Mouse (Amber), the younger daughter, is arguable the most innocent character in all this and most of her chapters are about her trying to make sense of the world

- Kendra, the mistress, wants Ben to leave Dom for her but nothing is working so far. Which means she has to take more and more drastic measures.

To be honest, I came very close to giving up on this book because all the characters (apart from Dom) were annoying. Yes, even Mouse, who is annoying in the way small kids who know nothing can be. Plus all the problems could be solved if everyone just communicated honestly and openly and that was frustrating.

But the dysfunctional dynamics eventually pulled me in and I ended up reading the second half of the book in one go because I wanted to find out what happened. It definitely gave me moments of frustration because I was like "JUST TALK WITHOUT YOUR PRIDE IN THE WAY" at all the characters but I couldn't put the book down.

If you're in the mood to read about a train wreck of a family then this is definitely the book for you. Most of the characters are unlikable to me, and while that normally means I don't finish the book, I found myself unable to put it down.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

There are some secrets you can never tell.
The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.

They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.

But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.

But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.

Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?

I finished this book a couple of days ago and it’s been on my mind ever since. This book is brilliant! People to love, people to hate even people to feel sorry for. I ended up crying my heart out as the book finished. I loved it. 5*

What a fantastic read! This is a book that you cannot put down. From the first pages you realise that something horrific has happened to the Thomas family on Christmas Day and leaves you wondering just what has led up to this. The Thomas family, Benjamin, wife Dominique and daughters Ruby and Mouse seem the perfect family but all is not what it seems. All is revealed in chapters going back to the days leading up to Christmas Day. There are so many deep and disturbing secrets and so many twists and turns that you will be left totally breathless and will keep you guessing right until the end. A brilliant read. This is the first book I have read by Barbara Copperthwaite but won’t certainly be my last. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received this book via NetGalley and was initially afraid that I might not like it enough to enjoy writing a review for it. It turned out that the very last few chapters were a turning point. I am not a fan of the book for the sole reason that I tend to need certain closures to feel satisfied with a book. This information I offer ahead of the actual review because it colours it, and if that factor is removed the book is good.

The story is of a dysfunctional family, each with their own demons plaguing them every step of the way. It brings to question our logical assumptions of actions and their respective reactions. We are given the end picture to begin with and while swinging back and forth, each day's page turns changing things a little bit at a time. Every time we assume the path to the end we already know seems standard, someone does something unexpected. I was not a fan of the writing style by itself and the struggle of the characters got a little too much for me at times which is why I am just giving it only two stars.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts at the ending, where something horrible has happened and the complete story is told through flashbacks in the week leading up to Christmas Day.

The characters in this book were very unlikable. Except for Mouse. I loved Mouse. The fact that I disliked the characters so much is a testimony to how well Copperwaite writes her characters. The storyline was extremely well done. The troubles that each character had were believable and very detailed.

The conclusion surprised me, but it was satisfying.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Her Last Secret follows the narrative of a family falling apart. Each character has its own issues, contributing to a massive culmination on Christmas day. A bit dark, the reality of these characters were extremely well written but they were so flawed the reader is left with any redeeming qualities to root for. You'll have to read to the end to see how it all fits together.

I felt empty after reading this book. To be honest, I really didn’t like any of the characters in the book so I couldn’t feel sorry for any of them. Ben is a total jerk who is cheating on his wife, Dominique, who is a snobby, snob snob. Ruby, their oldest daughter has some serious issues and it’s no wonder because her parents completely ignore her when she tries to ask them for help. And Mouse, well, okay, I liked Mouse. She’s the youngest daughter who is super intelligent, but again, she is stuck in this horrible family. The whole story tries to go back and forth between present day and Christmas Day of that same year with some awful tragedy happening on Christmas Day where the police end up barging in and finding a “scene” in the Thomas’ home. The build up wasn’t very well written though. I don’t really know why but the chapters about Christmas Day didn’t make me think “ooh, I wonder what happened!”. Not at all. All of the characters pretty much hate each other so the ending wasn’t a surprise at all. The author even threw Ruby’s boyfriend into the mix in the Christmas Day chaos so you had one more character to question. The book had a good enough story but fell flat since the characters were not likable.

Thank you to Netgalley, Barbara Copperthwaite, and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent psychological thriller with so many twists and turns I felt quite breathless. Anyone who says they guessed the plot is lying! Although I’ve read well over 100 books this year, this is definitely MY BOOK OF THE YEAR!

Ben Thomas on the outside has a successful life with a beautiful wife and two gorgeous daughters. If you look closely enough though you can see the cracks in their perfect life with everybody hiding their secrets. On Christmas Day the police are called when a gunshot is heard from their house and arrive to see a horrific scene of an entire family lying lifeless on the floor. The story goes back and forth from the present to a week back trying to figure out what exactly transpired before the incident to lead to this gruesome scene of crime.

A quick psychological read with unlikeable characters that made the book even more interesting. Barbara Copperthwaite builds up the suspense slowly and surely and kept me hooked till the end. A definite must read from me .

Many thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Barbara Copperthwaite skilfully weaves a tangled and relentless web of a family’s secrets and lies and doesn’t stop until the reader is dizzy with possibilities about who is up to what.

The horrific scene at the beginning casts its terrible shadow over the entire book and the author compounds this by reminding us, periodically, of the awful carnage to come as she leads us through a most dreadful week before Christmas. This makes for a nervy, tense read as one becomes fond of certain characters (particularly Mouse), it’s unbearable to imagine who may or may not perish at the end of the book.

The excellent characterisation had me rooting for some and loathing others. I was fascinated by Benjamin’s deviant life and awful secret.

HER LAST SECRET is a confidently written, flowing novel with a steadily building tension and a dark undercurrent that kept me turning the pages to the very end. Recommended!