The picture was Emily Rossi's favourite, it was a picture that portrayed a happy family, a picture of perfection. Emily, her loving husband Eric, their son Daniel who was a tennis superstar and their quiet,sensitive daughter Zara. If it is true that every picture tells a story then the Rossi families would be a fairy tale.

But their fairy tale is about to take a dark turn when Zara brings a bad apple into their perfect world, a girl who Emily takes a instant dislike to. Soon Zara is sneaking out, drinking, possibly taking drugs and hanging out with bad company. Emily has no idea what to do and really needs Eric to be an involved father but he seems more concerned about his job in London... plus, he is drinking again.

Emily's picture perfect world is crumbling apart and she is not prepared to just stick her head in the sand and pretend it's not happening. But how far is she prepared to go to save her damaged family?

This enthralling, domestic drama is voiced almost entirely from Emily's perspective, a character who I didn't like or feel any sympathy towards for various reasons. I know many readers will probably have thought that Zara was a brat but I actually felt a lot of empathy towards her and fully understood why she behaved in the way that she did. I can also say the same for poor Bethany, she didn't stand a chance in life really but that didn't excuse her behaviour. The difference in the two girls upbringings raised the question, does whichever side of the social decide that a child grows up on affect their behaviour as they grow up and strive for their independence? I spent most of the book disliking Bethany's mother Janet but then the truth behind her actions was revealed and I suddenly felt quite guilty for being so judgemental. Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that slipped back in time and were voiced from Eric's perspective. I had mixed feelings about Eric as the story unfolded, there was times when I felt sorry for him and other times when I found him very unlikable.

Little White Secrets is a well written, captivating Domestic drama that hooks you in and draws you into the author's diverse characters fictional but realistic world. It's a tale of deception, addiction, mental health issues, lies, teenage angst and relationships that plays with the reader's emotions and pulls at your heart strings. I really enjoyed this book and would happily read more of this author's books in the future. Very very highly recommended.

Wow this book is completely different to what I’ve read before and I LOVED that about it!

This book follows a family who from the outside look like the perfect family in their big house, long marriage, nice things! However when a new girl comes to town their lives start falling apart!

There are so many secrets to uncover (some I found predictable and others were huge shocks) Eric (the dad) continues to succumb to alcohol! Daniel (the son) is the idle son however Zara (the daughter) goes extremely downhill when the new girl (Bethany) comes to town!

I don’t want to say too much about the story as I’m too worried about giving things away, but many secrets surface, many lies are told, many threats are made and life for Em (the mum) is extremely tough!

I really felt for Em throughout the whole book because she put everyone’s happiness before her own and tried to keep the family together and going! I can imagine there are many families like this where one person might be doing the same!

Everything falls apart for her, however she has done nothing wrong so I just find this heart breaking for her!

There is some sadness to the ending but also some peace and happiness!

I can imagine so many parents struggling with their teen who is going down the wrong path and feeling at a loss to what to do to get them back in the right path!

I found this book, intense and thrilling, dark and secretive and that just kept me invested the whole time!

Another 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating from me as I thoroughly enjoyed this and would love to read more of this authors writing!

Secrets and deceit. Carol Mason has crafted a fast-paced addictive story filled with drama, lies, and misdirection. Emily seemingly had the perfect family a loving husband, a super athlete son, and a sweet daughter. That is until it all began to unravel one secret at a time. What I really liked most about this book is Emily was such a likable character. She seriously did not deserve the hot mess that her life turned into. Struggling to keep her family afloat while her husband grew more and more distant and her daughter found her way into a bad situation. And then to compound things the past starts to rear its ugly head. Tense, riveting, compulsive, entertaining, and dark. This is a book that will definitely appeal to anyone who is a fan of a dark domestic drama with some unforgettable twists.

*** Big thank you to Lake Union for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

The reader is told that the husband in the story has a secret from the outset. From outlookers Eric has the perfect family but it's all a facade. There are a multitude of cracks tearing their family portrait and it's barely clinging together. There's not a lot of drama until you're well and truly towards the end of the story but it didn't seem to compensate for the long drawn out first half of the book.

This felt like a fairly predictable domestic read and a good 'holiday' read. I've read other reviews claiming they thought there was a huge twist in the story but it all felt too easy. It's a dark book with cracks forming in the various character's friendships, relationships, home and work lives respectively. It wasn't easy to keep picking the book up and I felt a bit disappointed that I'd instinctively figured out the ending of the book. Clearly I read too many mystery books.

Having said that, it's a well written book and one that has an accessible style to read easily. Mason has created realistic characters who are easy to sympathise with. She paints the picture of living with an alcoholic in brutal honesty. The denial, anger and chaos they inflict upon those they love is captured in painful clarity.

Not an easy read but on which shows the importance of telling the truth to our loved ones. Not all little white secrets are as little as they seem.

Carol Mason British author and this is her sixth novel. I'm not sure how I missed reading her books but after reading Little White Secrets I plan to read her earlier books. This was a well written book about a family in trouble and the lengths that a mother will go to make sure her family is safe.

Emily and Eric Rossi live in a small town in England. Eric works in London and only comes home on the weekends and Emily is a professor at the local university. They have two children: 18 year old Daniel who is a tennis superstar and Zara, 14 years old, who is quiet and sensitive and doesn't fit well into her school life or her family life. Life may not be perfect for the Rossi family but it's pretty close to perfect. As the reader gets to know the family, we see the cracks developing that may tear them apart. Emily resents Eric being gone all week and leaving the parenting to her. Eric is developing a drinking problem. Zara who hasn't had a friend since they moved finds a new friend and she and Bethany become inseparable . The problem is that this friendship is toxic - Bethany has no respect for authority, drinks and has a boyfriend 10 years older than her. Bethany's mom turns a blind eye to all the trouble that her daughter causes and doesn't get involved in her life. When Emily finds out that Zara has been skipping school and hanging out with Bethany's older friends, she forbids Zara to see her friend again. We all know how well that works out with a teenage daughter! We are aware that Zara has secrets but it's the secrets that Eric and Emily are keeping from each other that may implode this family. Even small secrets, over time can become major. Can Emily save her family as the secrets come to light or will the secrets keep her family from surviving.

This is the story of family and love and acceptance. It's full of suspense that keep the pages turning and make it into a very satisfying novel. It kept me up most of one night to see how it would end. If you enjoy family-centric novels, this is one to add to your to-read list.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This was a very enjoyable book. A well written tale of a middle class family, living in a small English suburb. Emily is a Professor of Communications at the local University, Eric is an engineer currently working in London and home on weekends. Their son Daniel is a talented and up and coming tennis star, while his younger sister Zara is a introverted teenager, struggling to make friends and get out of Daniel’s shadow. The marriage is rocky and damaged by
Eric’s drinking and the job away from home.
A work colleague Janet is fixated on Daniel, dangerously so, and her willful daughter Brittany is a bad influence on the impressionable Zara. Many secrets and lies have infiltrated this cast of characters and a blowup is bound to happen.
Carol Mason is a skillful storyteller and has brought strong characters into this book. The tale of lies and deceit festers to a breaking point and the result is a real page turner.
My thanks to #LakeUnionPublishing and #NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own. A book worth the journey!

This has been a great and emotional read which I have not been able to put down. I have been kept gripped from the beginning to end of this book.
The characters in this one are likeable and the plot keeps you guessing from beginning to end.
This is my first read by this author but it definitely won't be the last. I have really enjoyed reading this one. I can't wait to add more to my TBR list.
This is without a doubt a five star read which has really lifted me out of a reading slump. I highly recommend this book.

I knew from the very beginning that I was gong to love this book! Mason carefully wove together an interesting cast of complex, flawed characters, showing us that even the most perfect looking family can be hiding the most terrible secrets.

An intense and gripping story of family secrets that threaten to tear a seemingly perfect family apart. Fans of women's fiction and suspense will absolutely love this novel. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for granting my request for an ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

I have to admit, I did struggle a bit with this one, but plugged away and in the end was rewarded with a pretty decent family drama/mystery! At time of seemed to drag and covered the same issues over and over which made the characters seem "whishy-washy", but about halfway through the story and plot devolved more body and picked up. I had the ending sort of figured out but not all of it and it was great!
Ended up earning a 4 star rating.

What a page-turner-I was completely hooked by the premise of this book and then when I started reading it was hard to put down! Watching a seemingly perfect family crumbling so fast was disturbing yet made for a fascinating read as you watch the author Carol Mason put it all into motion.
There are so many internal and external struggles within each character- Emily trying to shield her teenager from a troublesome girl while she continues to clash with the girl's mother, trying to support her athletic son and struggling to understand why her husband spends so many weekends away. The author did a beautiful job of peering into the inside of each of the characters without giving away too many secrets upfront.
I had an inkling where the story was going but there were plenty of surprises to keep me interested and anxious to get to the end. It's a perfect read if you are looking for an intense, suspenseful family-centered book! This was the first Carol Mason book I have read but I will be on the lookout for more in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Carol Mason for an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first novel I have read by this author, and I enjoyed it. The writing had a good flow, and Ms. Mason created very realistic, human, flawed main characters that made you want to know the outcome of their story. I had predicted the ending early on, but I still found the revelations of the little white secrets compelling and well-written. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Who knew there could be so many little secrets in the Rossi family! The son Eric is a star tennis player and the daughter Zara is the introvert living in her brothers shadow. The protagonist Emily is a strong female who teaches a communications course at University. Eric is the father/husband who works in London and comes home on weekends. The story is told in the past and present from the prospective of Emily and Eric.

Zara starts staying out late, drinking and taking drugs when she starts hanging out with the new girl Bethany. Emily realizes that Bethany is no good for her daughter and tries everything to keep them apart. This is where the story starts to unfold along with all the little secrets. Eric's past is slowly revealed and you start to understand how it is affecting his present family problems. Emily is in the dark when it comes to Eric's past, but hell knows no fury like a woman scorned.

There are characters I felt sorry for and characters I hated. The book is a well written intense story that kept me turning the pages. I figured out one of the secrets but still enjoyed the book and the ending. If you like stories filled with suspense, anger, and family issues, I highly recommend this book. This is the first book I have read by Carol Mason and I will be looking up her other books. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book and this is my honest review.

It's hard to believe that I have not read any of Carol Mason's books. I was thrilled to have received an advance reader's copy of Little White Secrets and after reading it, I now want to read all of her books. This book had me captivated from the beginning. A story very well written with a good plot, believable characters, at times intense, and very realistic. I applauded Emily Rossi for doing the best she could to keep her family together even with a husband that wasn't always around to help as he worked away from home in London and had issues of his own, and a teen daughter who suddenly becomes friends with a girl who is not a great influence and causes many problems for the Rossi family. Many lies and many secrets. Did they cause this family to be torn apart? Well, you will have to get a copy of this book to find out. This is one I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Make sure to put it on your TBR list.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This is the story of a family that looked like the perfect suburban family from the outside... but had SO MANY secrets. It’s a quick, engaging read, I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next. The story is told mainly from the mother of the family’s point of view, with some perspective from her husband. Though the story jumps around in time, the author did a great of job of not making that confusing. My only reservation with the book is that there almost seemed to be too much going on - husband/wife drama, husband work drama, wife work drama, mother/daughter drama, daughter/friend drama... but it all came together, and I definitely wanted to know the resolution of all of it. If you are feeling like your life is out of control, let me tell you, this book will make you feel way more normal! :) This is the first I’ve read by Carol Mason, but would definitely read more!

Things are rarely as they appear. As this story unfolds and hidden truths surface, you realize this very thing. One "little white" lie, compounded over time creates a landslide for the whole family.
I enjoyed the flow of the story as well as the characters (most of the time). I am a sucker for a female character who stands up for herself!

This is my first book by this author and won’t be my last.
I enjoyed this book although I do admit I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected pub date: May 1, 2020
Little White Secrets by English author Carol Mason, is the ultimate “family skeletons” drama. Emily Rossi and her husband Eric have a seemingly perfect life; both have great careers, an ideal country house and two beautiful children, one of whom is on his way to becoming the next great tennis star. When her daughter, Zara, starts hanging out with the wrong crowd, Emily and Eric must band together to try and keep Zara away from the life of drugs, lying and partying that is following her. However, in doing so, Eric’s little secrets also pop up, revealing themselves in a vicious way. Between their daughter’s dangerous behaviours and Eric’s potentially life-changing secret, can the family survive?
This novel is the first one I’ve read by this author and I’m intrigued! A new novel in a done-to-death genre always has me a little skeptical going in, assuming a trite storyline, banal characters and predictable twists, but “Little While Secrets” surprised me!
Emily is a great character, full of spunk and intelligence, taking on anyone who interferes with her family and the life she has worked so hard to build. Right from the beginning, the reader knows that Eric has secrets he is keeping, but Mason does a decent job at keeping him relatively likable as we try and sort out his mystery.
This novel hooked me from the get-go and didn’t slow down. I found it very easy to read, and I was easily pulled into the plot. Dramatically told and well-developed, Mason has found her calling in writing. She knows what she’s doing and she does it well.
As an avid (ridiculously avid….almost dangerously so) reader, I was able to predict most of the ending before it got there. But it was still a heck of a ride getting to the end point, and I was satisfied with the way it played out all the same.
A delightful surprise of a novel, bound to draw in fans of women’s fiction and family dramas, with great characters and a satisfying ending!

I did some day-reading with this one. I wanted to finish it last night but my eyelids refused to cooperate!

Ok, this is a good book, loaded with suspense and wondering. When Emily and Eric's daughter starts hanging out with a new friend, life spirals out of control. In a span of not much time, all sorts of nasty things happen to this family of four. The characters are very vivid and their internal chitchat really sounds like a regular joe. You can feel what Em is thinking. You sort of have an idea of one of the mysteries early on but you don't/can't know the depth of it. The timing is kind of strange in this one. You have back and forth from past to present but the present seems like way too much happening in such a small amount of time. But the book works well.
The pages practically turned themselves. The other night, I started reading at chapter 12, hoping to get in a couple chapters before I fell asleep. I read to chapter 26. I would absolutely recommend this one to friends. I was invited to read an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

OMG just WOW. As a book blogger I get to read some pretty amazing books but now and again I come across one that absolutely blows everything out of the water – and Little White Secrets is one of them!

Right from her first novel, Carol Mason has delivered an evocative and almost poetic style of prose, and over the years I have seen this grow into something that is quite remarkable. Her last book The Shadow Between Us saw a slight shift away from her usual genre of Women’s Contemporary Fiction, with the plot bordering Psychological Suspense. This was one of my favourite reads for 2019 and how the author has now managed to push the boundaries of her already exceptional voice yet again is quite beyond me. But she has, and Little White Secrets delivers a domestic noir style narrative at its absolute finest.

In true Carol Mason style, the protagonist, Emily, is a strong female character who is both easily identifiable and likeable. At the beginning of the novel it seems as though Emily has a pretty much perfect life: a happy marriage, nice home, two happy and successful children. However; as the story progresses small seeds of doubt are cast as to just how perfect this family is – first with Zara, her introverted daughter who lives in the shadows of her successful brother; and then Eric, Emily’s husband, who not only works away but sometimes chooses to stay away at weekends. The story begins with Emily and her family being interviewed for a newspaper, as her son, Daniel, is a teenage local tennis celebrity. This event leads to the story’s intriguing hook that had me whizzing through so fast, at one point it felt like I was watching the scene playout in front of me with the remote control stuck on fast forward! How was this person involved in Emily’s life – I just had to find out.

The novel is structured around both a dual perspective and timeline. The present day is from Emily’s perspective, and the past timeline is from Eric’s perspective. This complex structure not only draws the reader into the lives of both characters it also adds a layer of dramatic irony as we start to understand how what happened to Eric in the past is affecting the problems his family are facing in the present; and all the while Emily is left in the dark and you're just itching for her to find out. When reading Emily’s present-day perspective you start to think Eric is a bit of a dick, especially when the reader is privy to flashback scenes. But when drawn into Eric’s past timeline you really empathise with him – but just how much can you trust him?

But this twisted and heart-wrenching plot is only part of what makes this such a brilliant read, and as the sub-plots merge, Emily’s true strength of character is revealed, making for one extremely satisfying read. I really can’t recommend this fabulous novel enough, and I am absolutely certain that as brilliant as Carol Mason’s previous books are, this is the one that will bring her reputation as the outstanding and exceptional writer that she is, well and truly under the spotlight.

I would recommend this book for anybody who likes any of the iconic Queens of Domestic Noir such as Louise Jensen, Lisa Jewell, Jane Shemilt, Jane Corry …