Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union publishing and Mary Elizabeth Mayhew for the chance to read This Secret Thing in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The story begins with a woman on a podcast explaining how a neighbor had managed to run a prostitution ring out of a spa and how no one knew it.
You meet Norah, her daughter Violet and Norah's mother, Polly. When Norah is arrested, Polly comes to help Violet while her mother is away and you begin to see into their lives and the lives of other neighbors and how everyone has a secret.
Secrets can hurt you or help you. As you read more, you discover how they do both as these friends, neighbors and families share insight into the past and how they all became involved.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good story, inter generational characters and layers to the friendships and relationships of the characters.

This was a five star for for me by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen! I loved the characters, the intertwined stories, and that nothing was what you expected or typical. It could have been a simple story but she made it so interesting and I didn’t want to put it down. I liked This Secret Thing so much and I highly recommend it. If you are a fan of audiobooks this is even better to listen to with narration by Joshilyn Jackson.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

This was pretty good - however - there was MUCH that was too extra/side. It wasn't needed.

This is about family, motherhood, sex, money, and secrets. It's not as shocking as I would have assumed, I mean a prostitution ring in suburbia.....I'm sure I've seen 10 Lifetime movies with this as a plot.

Still - I think a certain sect of middle American will love it.

This Secret Thing by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is a novel centered around Noorah Ramsey who is arrested for running a prostitution ring in a spa. The book then jumps to her daughter Violet who is now without an adult to care for her. We are introoduced to a variety of characters such as Violet's grandmother and estranged neighbors after she stopped being best friends with Nicole. There are a lot of characters and even more secrets that it sometimes was overwhelming. The multiple viewpoints was interesting but some characters were less compelling. Overall this book was a slow burn that had complex characters that developed from their experiences.

Many thanks to the publisher Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book has a lot of different puzzle pieces, and to be honest, I'm still not sure how some of them fit together. There were a lot of characters and at times they were hard to keep track of. Overall though, I enjoyed this book and seeing how the mystery unwound. I think we needed a little more background information, but were ok without. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of This Secret Thing!

I'd read a few great reviews of this book and was excited to read it based on the reviews I read, but unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

It starts out with a podcast interview from someone slightly on the edge when her neighbor and former best friend Norah Ramsey was arrested for running a prostitution ring. The book then goes into the past when everything was happening. Told through 6 POV and each person has their own secrets too.

It was too disconnected and too many POV and secrets for me. While it did come together at the end, honestly I wasn't too invested in the characters to really root for anyone.

What a story! I loved it from front to back. It sucks you in and makes you wonder what will happen next. Definitely one to add to your must read list.

This is my second book that I have read from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, and alas this will be my last. This book was a bunch of hodge-podge story lines that mismatch at many times, that try to come together in the end, and it just did not work.

The book opens when Norah is arrested, which leaves her daughter Violet without a caregiver. This brings us to the meat of the story, where we are introduced to Bess and Casey, Violet’s neighbors which they have been estranged from and Polly, the grandmother she has not seen since she was a little girl.

I found this book at times extremely confusing. In the beginning there were so many characters and points of view, I had no idea who anyone was and what was going on. Nothing about this book was really relevant to Norah, she was just a literary device, at least until the end of this story.

This book tried to emulate books like Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson, where a secret occurs in a neighborhood and that moves the story along. The difference is there were multiple secrets and unfortunately, I did not care about any one of them. The author tried to tie everything together in the end, but by that time that happened I just did not care.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like multiple points of view, then this is the book for you because there are six of them. The interesting thing about this book is the perspectives are from people of all ages. A high schooler, a mother, and a grandma to name a few.

The story starts out with Norah being arrested for using a spa as a cover up for a prostitution ring. After her arrest a lot of the chapters focus on her daughter, Violet. Then we have a neighbor kid who everyone thinks killed his girlfriend, a cop whose brother is missing and his wife is cheating on him, a grandma who has a bag of cash but nobody knows where it came from, another neighbor who has a cheating husband and a big heart and more!

Everyone is keeping a secret which makes you keep turning the pages. The author does a good job putting little clues in each person's chapter to help you figure out their secret. There are also a few secrets that are easy to guess.

At first I thought that six points of views was going to be hard to keep straight, but they all intertwine together nicely.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the #gifted copy. This one is out today!

This Secret Thing begins with Bess Strickland participating in a podcast about her neighbour and former best friend Norah Ramsey, alleged suburban madam running a prostitution ring.
Set in Raleigh, North Carolina, the author takes the reader back to the day of Norah’s arrest and the subsequent events that affect Norah’s daughter Violet, although it’s not just this young girl’s life that is thrown into turmoil. At the same time we wonder why Violet is no longer best friends with Nicole, youngest daughter of Bess Strickland, why her eldest daughter Casey has run back home from college and why Norah is estranged from her own mother Polly. So many secrets for the reader to discover but it doesn’t stop there. Senior student Micah Berg, living across the street from Violet, unknowingly the object of her ongoing infatuation also has his own secrets to keep hidden so this is a storyline jam packed with intrigue and one that is so addictive. It’s thanks to detective Nico Rinaldi searching for his missing brother that sends so many lives into free fall thereby unearthing so many truths that have yet to see the light of day.

Although this novel is relatively short, it packs a mighty punch. Told from multiple viewpoints, I was completely absorbed in these fictional characters lives, practically inhaling every word and in terms of overall reading experience this is a book easily deserving of 5 stars. This may sound weird but I sometimes struggle with novels set across the pond, with place names and everyday references going way over my head! So I thoroughly appreciated this storyline which is so strong, the setting is almost irrelevant. It is these women/girls lives that are the main focus and the way their individual stories are interwoven felt so natural and seamless. In fact every single character has a backstory relevant to the main storyline of Nora Ramsey and her secret life. I loved how these characters lives overlap with unexpected friendships blossoming in the face of this unfolding drama.

Tightly plotted, the pace steady , this is a storyline to celebrate the strength of women characters who certainly know how to kick ass in their own individual ways. Most definitely it’s about the power men have over women and vice versa, how interactions between the two can be whittled down to mere physical transactions, some beneficial, others not and it’s about women taking back control of their own destinies. The clear message in the narrative is that women don’t need to be defined by the men in their lives, that they possess inner strengths and are more than capable of standing independently on their own two feet. In this way I think Norah,Polly and Bess can be great role models for future generations like Violet,Casey and Nicole, educating them to avoid the same pitfalls, not repeating the same mistakes. Lastly but by no means least an overriding theme is one of keeping secrets and the impact this can have on those around you. As in the words of Bess her ‘household specialised in unasked questions and unrocked boats’ which pretty much sums up the secretive lives in which many of these characters live. I loved how these all come to light, tantalising drip fed to the reader so that I couldn’t help but be impressed by their actions imagining them as real life superheroes.

Rather predictably my favourite character has to be Violet, although once you become immersed in this storyline you will appreciate the strengths of all involved, and how their individual efforts have a profound effect on the final outcome. I felt immediately sad for this young girl,separated from her mother, shy and awkward, unaware of her blossoming beauty, oblivious to how alike she is (not just in looks) to both her mother Norah and estranged grandmother Polly. They are literally peas in a pod. Violet is a survivor though and I was in awe of her resilience considering her young age and lack of life experience.

The male contingent aren’t portrayed in a favourable light compared to their female counterparts but this is by no means a storyline that intends to denounce men per se. Without divulging any spoilers the author has written into the narrative a few good male characters to balance out the less desirable ones and you may be surprised, as I was, at the involvement of one in particular in bringing about a dramatic ending to Norah’s story.

Finally, as if I haven’t even effusive enough, I liked how the narrative comes full circle ending with the podcast in which Bess lays to rest rumours surrounding Norah and those in the neighbourhood, determined for listeners to hear her interpretation of the truth. A perfect ending to one of the best novels I’ve read this year. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT. I’m grateful to the publisher for inviting me to read and review this wonderful title, otherwise I may have remained ignorant of this author’s writing. It’s such a pleasure to discover yet another talented writer to add to my list of ‘must read’ authors. If like me , you’ve not read anything by this author then I can highly recommend This Secret Thing. You won’t be disappointed!

Norah Ramsey is a successful single mother who seems to be her own woman, on her own terms. The town is shocked when she goes to jail busted for running a money laundering and prostitution ring. We see the fallout through others' eyes - her teenage daughter, former family friend, her mother, and others - as they each have secrets of their own.

I liked how the author didn't go into sordid details of the business Norah ran, but rather focused on each of the impacted people in Norah's life - how they responded to the news, supported others (or not), and tried to figure things out. It kept me up reading at night to finish!

Content warning: infidelity, death, and sexual assault

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for a review - all opinions stated are my own.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed this story! I enjoyed how everything came along in this book! Highly recommend

Amazing book alert!!
Marybeth is one of my favourite authors so I was really looking forward to this book. I am happy to say this is another amazing book by this author. Her books are multilayered and always have engaging characters. In this book Norah has just been arrested for running a prostitution ring. Her 15 year old daughter is left stunned, betrayed, and without anyone to take care of her while her mom is in jail. Luckily her estranged Grandma arrives but she brings her own drama. The story evolves from here. There are some very intriguing subplots that are both endearing and heartbreaking. I like books with great character development along with a compelling plot and this definitely has those components. I loved this book from beginning to end! You need to put this one on your TBR!

All of the women in a Raleigh neighborhood have secrets and they are all spilling out in the wake of the arrest of Norah, who is allegedly a madam. Wow. Her mother Polly comes to town to care for Norah's daughter Violet but she's got a problem of her own. Then there are the neighbors= Bess and her daughter Casey. Throw in Nico, the law enforcement officer who is pursing Norah and his missing brother and you've got a stewpot. There are, perhaps, too many story lines here but you won't have trouble following them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good characters and a smooth storytelling style make it a good read.

Strong Multi-Generational (and multi-POV) Tale of Secrets And The Havoc They Wreak. This is a tale told from half a dozen or so intersecting POVs - the teenager whose mom has just been arrested for prostitution, the detective investigating the case, the grandmother who must now care for a granddaughter she hasn't seen in over a decade, the down the street neighbor who had a major falling out with the mother years ago, and the neighbor's oldest daughter who has suddenly left college under mysterious circumstances. Every single person, even the non-POV characters, has secrets, and all of these secrets are causing all kinds of problems.

Truly an excellent tale, though you may need to be reader for the multi-POV thing to really appreciate it (and hence the reason I spent so much of that first bit detailing that). Couple of lines in there that fit perfectly within the story that we *all* need to apply to our lives today - which is always an awesome find.

Ultimately Whalen did another excellent job, and I'm yet again very much looking forward to her next book. Very much recommended.

Okay, I’ll be honest. I usually go in blind when I read a book because I like to figure out the story as I go along. I went back and read the summary on this because I had no idea what I was reading or what the story was about. It was receiving high praise, so I trucked along time figure out why.

There was a main plot, but then there were.. 4 or 5 subplots. Each character had 2 or 3 issues, so it was definitely a web trying to connect the dots. I was thankful each chapter started with a name so I knew who it would be about, but they all sounded the same, so it was still hard to keep track.

This is listed as a thriller, so I was excited to pick it up, but it was more... women’s fiction than anything. The thriller part really threw me off to where I thought we were going to get a slow burn twist or something, but it was not there.


Overall, I enjoyed the flawed characters that were able to overcome their issues to have a good arc. I do believe this fell a bit flat for me as it was too much crammed in such a small space.

Thank you to the publisher (Lake Union Publishing) and Net Galley for the gifted copy. This one is out October 1st.

Loved it!!! Loved the story, characters and writing style. Enjoyed how the book alternated between all the main characters. It's hard to write a review without giving so much away. Loved finding out who was secretly involved with Norah's illegal activities. It was definitely a shock. I wonder who wakes up and decides to be a madam. That wouldn't be on my top ten job list. There are so many secrets. Everyone in the book is hiding something. Some worse than others. Most of the people make really bad decisions. Norah though prostitution was a great way to make money. Polly makes horrible choices in men. Casey went home with a man she didn't even know. (He ended up being extremely scary and creepy.) That large pumpkin on Norah's porch was mentioned so many times, that I was convinced her client list had to be hidden inside it.

Definitely recommend the book. I was hooked from the moment I started it. I liked reading about the characters and getting to know them. There were many twists I never saw coming. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This Secret Thing is filled with scandals, drama, and mystery. Taking place just outside my potential new town (Raleigh, NC), Norah Ramsey is accused of running a prostitution network. The big secret is revealed immediately in the story (and in the plot summary), but that doesn’t take away from everything that builds on after Norah’s arrest and all of the twists and turns to follow.

There are a lot of characters and point of views to keep track of, but once you have that under control the story flows together so well with each character building on the last’s story. TST is centered on three different generations of women and how their secrets can unravel everything. It’s equal parts neighborhood drama and mystery thriller. While I was up way past my bed time finishing it, I noticed how fast my heart was pounding as I raced to figured out what had just happened. It’s absolutely a page turner and I can’t recommend it enough!

Side note: I love how strongly the women in this novel are written. I think it’s a testament to how women don’t have to be weak-willed/unreliable/mentally unstable to sell a book. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – in the year of our Lord 2020, I expect better written women from our authors and publisher and I’m so thankful that this book delivered in that department.

I really enjoyed this book because it kept me interested all the way through and the ending was not predictable or tied in a pretty bow. I loved how the characters were believable as were the events. Family drama is an enjoyable genre for me and this had all the perfect elements. I love how the two surprising items really were shocking to me and it blew me away.

This book was extremely enjoyable and can go under many genres, coming of age, women's fiction, crime...to name but a few. I loved the cover as well. Add in some wonderful writing and you have a book I highly recommend.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book about women of different generations who make choices, or have other people's choices thrust upon them, was an enjoyable read - with a few caveats. The character at the center of the narrative, Norah, who should be the driving force, is absent as a personality. What little we know of her comes across as rather flat. And there are a LOT of characters and plot lines, which can be confusing The author did a good job of building multiple story lines, and gradually connecting them, but invariably there were some loose threads and open questions at the end. My favorites among the many characters were Violet, Norah's daughter, and Polly, Norah's estranged mother. Their voices were spot-on, and really affecting. The book could have done with a bit more stringent editing, it was a bit long for what it was.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4