This book is a bit of a slow burner, it took a bit of time to get into this. But do persevere with it.
It’s an overall good read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Avon Books for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I enjoyed this book . It was slow to begin with and a little confusing but once I had settled into the switching between locations and timelines I found it impossible to put down. I did not figure out the twist at the end!

It is the first book that I have read by Tracy Buchanan but I will be looking out for more of her books.

Thank you Net Galley for the free copy of this book and for introducing me to the author.

This is a story of troubled teens which are seemingly unconnected eventually turning out to connected. Well written with very good descriptions of Scotland and Iceland .
A bit of a love story,a bit of a mystery ,lost memory,tradegy and a happy ending.

This was an enjoyable read. I am a sucker for snow scenes and Christmas preparations. I loved the imagery the book conjured up of snow, frozen lakes and mountains despite their treachery. The wildlife parts were interesting too and Gwyneth's research. I was intrigued by the experiment about how to evoke memories without giving too much away. The characters have unusual issues. It was neat how the two parts of the stories came together although it's not my favourite format. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

I really enjoyed this book. Amber finds a young woman wandering on the beach. She has a slight head injury, and cannot remember who she is or what has happened to her. Nearly 20 years earlier, Gwyneth, a wildlife documentary maker, finds herself stranded in a snowstorm in the highlands of Scotland. She is taken in by the McCluskey family, and finds herself drawn to one of the sons of the family. The two stories move forward and start to become entwined. This is a real page turner which will keep you guessing. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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This story has an instant impact, something terrible has happened, but who is the victim and who is to blame?

Told in flashback chapters over a twenty year period the story follows Amber and Gwyneth's lives. Amber is a woman in her thirties who suffered a terrible accident when she was four, and a life-changing loss as an adult. Gwyneth is a loner, sent away by her parents, she follows her dreams after a chance encounter, and years later meets a strange family with a deeply buried secret.

The depth and realism of the characters make this story a spellbinding read. You empathise and want to know what happens to them. The plot winds around the characters like ivy on a tree. Burying them in grief, strangling their finer feelings, and forcing them to fight for the happiness and life they deserve.

Romance, family secrets, the bond between mothers and their children are explored, against the vivid and sometimes brutal setting of the Scottish Highlands and Iceland in Winter and the spectacular wildlife who make their lives there.

Family drama full of mystery and secrets with a subtle twist makes this story a perfect Winter read.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I could not out this book down and read it in 3 days. Amber comes across a girl in the beach with amnesia and tries to help her regain her memory. A really enjoyable read.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy of The Family Secret.
I found the story a little slow just at the beginning but once it got going I was enthralled and was not disappointed.

This book is an absolute must read. Its written over two timelines, but they have a connection. Its superbly written. The characters and the locations are wonderfully described. I found it hard to put this book down and was so disappointed when it ended.

Amber runs a gift shop on the beach. One winter’s day she sees a teenage girl on the beach, cold and with amnesia. We also follow the story of Gwynneth who gets lost in the Highlands on a winter’s night in 1989 and is saved by a family who share their Christmas with her. The two threads run in parallel throughout until the stories converge at the end with the revealing of family secrets.

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. The story flowed well and kept moving along. I didn’t have any problems with the two threads as I felt they were very clearly defined.

Although I did enjoy this book I don’t feel that it is anything particularly special. It was a light and enjoyable read with a fair amount of predictability. The characters are not that deep and although we do have some background to them I didn’t feel they were as three dimensional as they could have been. We get some back story of Amber with the loss of her child and the end of her marriage but I didn’t feel I understood totally how this made her feel. I also didn’t feel that I totally understood how debilitating her disability was – it seemed to be something that was mentioned and significant at times but brushed over at others. I did feel that all of the characters required a bit more depth.

I should also point out that this is yet another book with amnesia as a crucial plot device. There seem to be a lot of books in recent years which have relied upon amnesia as a crucial part of their plot. Could the book have been written without this – possibly.

This is an easy read and a good enough book. I just didn’t feel there was anything to make it stand out from the crowd and could have been better.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I always enjoy Tracy Buchanan’s books and this one was no exception. There are two stories in his book that span 20 years and as the book progresses we find them becoming intertwined which makes for a very good read.
Amber runs a gift shop in a small seaside town. Christmas is approaching and as she goes to open up her shop she spies a young girl who is only wearing a dress and no shoes, wandering on the beach and suffering from memory loss. Amber befriends the girl as she is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her child and the breakdown of her marriage. She is determined to help the girl and comes up with a plan of how to do it.
Gwyenth’s story begins 20 years earlier. She is a wildlife photographer but is hiding a terrible secret. When she becomes stranded in Scotland she is befriended by Dylan and his family who are also harbouring secrets. As these stories merge these secrets are slowly revealed . This is a brilliant read, interesting characters and lovely description of the scenery. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

have read all of Tracy Buchannan’s books and enjoyed them all. This latest, is her first ‘all winter’ story, that is so emotional and such a page turner that it had me reading well into the night!

This is a family drama which is packed with plenty of punches offering suspense and shock. The book tells of two families, so you get two stories in one book, and the connection between both families will have you guessing until you discover it for yourself towards the end of the book. Tragedies affect by both sides and have lasting effects on them all.

The Family Secret has some great interesting characters that are totally believable and real. I particularly like the way that the two stories from different time lines are told in alternate chapters as I found this kept my interest going.

My thanks to Net Galley for this digital copy –this is my own opinion.

This was superb! I loved the writing, characters and plot. It alternated between two narrators, each in a different time frame. Also each is dealing with a past tragedy that they have never fully dealt with.

I liked Amber’s story and the journey she embarks on with Lumin was interesting. However, Gwyneth’s character, profession and her settings stole the show for me!

There is a lot of sadness in this story and guilt. The secrets are revealed at the absolute ending and then the story concludes rather abruptly. I would have liked an epilogue but would still highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this book but wanted more, although there was a resolution to Amber's emotional well being there were things left unanswered. For example was Dylan still in Lumin's life?
The characters didn't ooze charisma but were nice enough for a very pleasant read.

An interesting read that wasnt what I expected it to be. Told in alternating view points I found this story to be a bit confusing at first. The mystery of the story did keep my interest but the jumping around in time did offer me a little confusion. Overall a good read. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Firstly, let me say that this is a well written book, with two main characters Amber and Gwyneth telling their own stories alongside each other, and with completely different backgrounds. The chapters in the book switches between the girls, and during different time frames, but this is done with ease and did not confuse me (as other books have done!).

The author also wins my praise for the locations described, English south coast, Scotland and Iceland. Each one creates a warm, cosy but sometimes very cold atmosphere, but draws the reader in with good use of many adjectives.

Without giving much of the story away, Amber helps a younger girl, Lumin to find her family after an incident that leaves Lumin disorientated. Amber's family background has some sadness as does that of Gwyneth and her boyfriend's family - hence the book title. Gwyneth's job is a photographer for wildlife documentaries, and i really warmed to her character throughout. The two characters story lines merge to create an unusual ending which I also found a bit 'soppy'.

Tracy please also note that i live close to many beach huts and nobody paints them during the cold weather.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Avon for the chance to read and review.

The early copy I read of this book is my first by this author, and I’m grateful to Avon Books UK for providing me a copy through NetGalley. It is extremely well written and beautifully edited, which I always appreciate. This story has a lot of emotion, fascinating family dynamics, and an interesting twist at the end. I also enjoyed the mix of past and present to give the needed background.

Amber certainly captured my heart, with the challenges and losses she suffered, and it was interesting to see her dormant protective instincts rise to the surface when she found the young girl with amnesia walking along the beach in winter with no coat or shoes. The story kept me engaged easily as the plot built to the climax of the story, but I was a bit disappointed in the conclusion.

Rather than showing the reader how new changes would be carried out, it was left to a short amount of internal dialogue, resulting in a decision, but there was little evidence that the positive changes took place. With as beautifully as the story was written and how well the plot was carried out, I was a bit let down to not see some follow-through on these resolutions. But if you’re the kind of reader who's more about the journey than the destination, I have no doubt this book will appeal to you.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.The early copy I read of this book is my first by this author, and I’m grateful to Avon Books UK for providing me a copy through NetGalley. It is extremely well written and beautifully edited, which I always appreciate. This story has a lot of emotion, fascinating family dynamics, and an interesting twist at the end. I also enjoyed the mix of past and present to give the needed background.

Amber certainly captured my heart, with the challenges and losses she suffered, and it was interesting to see her dormant protective instincts rise to the surface when she found the young girl with amnesia walking along the beach in winter with no coat or shoes. The story kept me engaged easily as the plot built to the climax of the story, but I was a bit disappointed in the conclusion.

Rather than showing the reader how new changes would be carried out, it was left to a short amount of internal dialog, resulting in a decision, but there was little evidence that the positive changes took place. With as beautifully as the story was written and how well the plot was carried out, I was a bit let down not to see some follow-through on these resolutions. But if you’re the kind of reader who's more about the journey than the destination, I have no doubt this beautifully written, evocative book will appeal to you.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Amazing read! The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

This was a great book weaving two different time lines. Gwyneth was rescued in 1989 and is now a wildlife photographer and Amber , who runs a craft shop and rescues a girl who has lost her memory.
I loved the characters and the setting is wonderfully drawn, enabling you to imagine yourself right in the middle of the story. You wonder what secrets are going to come out.

When Amber discovers a young girl with a head injury and no memory of who she is she discovers that she can’t just leave her in the hospital and sets out to help her recover her life.

Set 20 years apart, we also discover the story of Gwyneth, a wildlife filmmaker, who falls through the ice in a frozen loch and is rescued by a family whose lives are full of secrets.

Full of secrets, the book unravels them slowly keeping you guessing right to the end