A difficult and heartbreaking story,where a teenager searches for the truth about her mother. Is it better to lie or to tell the truth?

The Secret Diary

Dani lives with her Aunt Carrie and sees her father every once in a while. No one talks about her mother. She was just told she was dead.

She is fourteen and has questions. Why is her father so distant, and why does no one ever talk about her mother?

One day while talking to a friend she wonders why she only has one picture of her mother. She goes to the attic to see if more are up there in storage and finds her mother's diary. She starts reading the diary and learns a secret they never wanted her to know.

Can she ever trust her aunt and her father again?

This is a story of a young girl coming to terms with her mother's death and a long held family secret that ultimately led to tragedy. Finding forgiveness for her aunt and her father in her quest to find the truth,

The book was well written, and the characters were realistic. It was a tearjerker at the end. I did enjoy reading it and would recommend it.

Thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy for an honest review.

What a great book!
Dani has spent her life living with her Aunt Carrie, with a dad who occasionally drops in to see her. She has grown up knowing that her mother died when she was four, but besides the one photo of her she has, no one mentions her or likes Dani to talk about her. One day Dani discovers her mother's diary hidden in the attic, and she secretly begins to read it. But what she discovers will change everything she has always believed to be true.
A very moving story of family, love and secrets. Nice, easy read book that was hard to put down.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. I read this book in record time because I just could not put it down. Dani is a 14-year-old who lives with her Aunt Carrie because her mother drowned 10 years ago. Dani does not have any friends until she sticks up for a classmate who is being bullied. The bullied girl, Josie, and Dani become friends. One day, Dani has Josie help her get into her aunt's attic and Dani discovers a diary written by her late mother. As Dani reads what turns out to be some of the last thoughts of her mother before she drowns, family secrets come to light. This is a tragically sad story and you will need to keep those tissues handy. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this beautifully written sad story in exchange for an honest review.

You have found the love of your life and created the family you have always wanted with him. 

One confession and your world is collapsing. It's not what happened that blows you away, but the fact that nobody told you about it and kept it a secret for several years. Now you need space and time to think. Seems like a plan, right? Then, fate strikes hard ...

Would you rather know the truth even if you know it's going to hit you hard or would you rather be kept in the dark?

A beautiful story about a family being ripped apart, secrets being revealed, guilt and grief. Clearing the air is the way to go if you want to start (re)building certain relationships. 4 stars.

Thank you, Ali Mercer and Bookouture

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this story but the more I read it was hard to put down. I didn’t like all the characters but I guess that’s what makes a good book.

Dani's mother died when she was four years old. She doesn't remember much about it, just a quiet car ride with her dad and Aunty Carrie, then living with Carrie from then on. She's now fourteen and after her aunty seemingly overreacts to Dani breaking one of her rules, Dani discovers her mother's diary in the attic. As she reads her mother's words, and works her way towards discovering truths that have been hidden from her, she's not sure who she can trust anymore.

My Mother's Choice was such an interesting read, as it flicked back and forth between Dani in the current time and her mother writing the diary. There were a few good twists, as each of the secrets were revealed, that I genuinely didn't see coming. It's a book full of emotions - despair, fear, anger and grief and I felt like I went through most of them right alongside the main characters. The ending was a a tear-jerker for sure!

I wish to thank Net Galley and Bookouture Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Life is full of secrets and choices.

I chose this book because the cover really grabbed me as did the book description. I was not familiar with the author but I am now. I loved the book from the very beginning until long after I have finished it as I continue to think about the story. All the characters are wonderfully developed. The story is set in England. A teenage girl whose mother died when she was small begins to wonder who her mother really was and what there is to learn about her. The Aunt she lives with and her father do not talk about the mother so she begins to dig into her past to see what secrets they are hiding. Just when you think the story is over you turn the page and go in a different direction over and over again. What a great storyteller. This one is an emotional rollercoaster that you will not want to put down. I highly recommend this one. The Title for this book is perfect.

An emotional story about secrets that have a way of coming to the surface. Imagine how heartbreaking it would be for a child to find out that the last years have been built on lies. Dani lives with her aunt, and it seems a rather cold and distant relationship. Her father does not seem able or willing to talk about her mother's death ten years ago. At age fourteen, Dani finds herself searching for answers as to what happened the day her mother drowned.

I'm giving an honest review of this book, for the publisher and the author, Ali Mercer.

AMAZING read, and a great way to really get into books written by Ali Mercer. While I have read other books by this author, this one kept me intrigued throughout the book, especially with the secrets that came to light throughout the diary that was found.

It's full of mystery, family, secrets and lies, and I really rooted for Dani throughout this book.

Thank you for writing this book and for allowing me an early release for an honest review.

My Mother's Choice is an enticing and engaging tale of lies, deceit and secrets, that unravels beautifully keeping the reader turning the pages. A fantastic read.

My Mother's Choice is about a teenager girl who lives with her aunt as her mother passed away when she was 4 years old. Her mother is never discussed and she only has one photo to remember her by. When snooping around in an attic, she finds her mothers old diary and starts to uncover family secrets. While this is an easy enough read I didn't find it particularly gripping. The chapters alternate between the daughter and the diary entries. I didn't connect with either of the characters so found this book a bit of a chore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer.

This follows Dani whom in which has been living with her auntie for the past decade as her mother had died due to a drowning incident which was very unfortunate but her dad did all he could to save her mum! She ends up finding her mums secret diary in which was hidden in the loft and she discovers in which things arent quite in what she originally believed to be... so she goes on a voyage in order to find the truth behind it and what the real truth actually is! As she slowly finds out what really happened that day Dani ends up loving and embracing the love for her dad and auntie! as she finds out her mum's last words and what a hero her dad actually was.

I loved the way this story was structured and written and how it was set out and played the part, i love all the mysteries and how she ended up loving what family she had left for the sake of her mum! This was a very enjoyable 5 star read for me i definitely recommend this one.

5 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this book it's a great family mystery full of secrets,lies and deciet,a book that will have you turning the pages.

This one didn't draw me in.. I had a hard time picking it up. Just wasn't for me.
It was interesting enough however none of the characters caught my attention was a slow burn.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

I was interested in learning of Dani’s past especially the reasons for her distant relationship with her Dad and why her Aunt seemed less than thrilled about much of anything. The story being unveiled in part by Dani’s mother’s journal was a nice approach. But ultimately I found this book to be a bit boring and the truth, once revealed, left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Ali Mercer for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Dani has been living with her aunt for the last ten years, ever since her mother tragically died in a drowning accident. All she has is a photograph of her mother but apart from that she has no other memories. Her dad and aunt don't talk about her mother and so Dani has no idea what she was like.

When Dani finds a secret diary belonging to her mother, Laura, she begins her journey to discover her mother and some family secrets that have been buried deep in lies and deceit over the decade.

This book is a family drama that is filled with lies, secrets, survivor's guilt and forgiveness. It was well written, wherein the chapters alternate between Dani and her mother's dairy. It was interesting to follow Dani's journey as she read her mother's diary and tried to find out what her mother was like and what had really happened to her.

Overall, while I didn't find myself getting emotional over this book, it was a great family mystery which had some surprising twists. It was enjoyable to read and kept me hooked on till the end!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

This book specialized with the topic of love, life, lies and deception .. all in on family. Beautiful job of limitless boundaries and the real question ‘ just how long do we stay in a loveless/untrusting marriage. A story of hope and love and turning a blind eye for way too long. Some creepy great twists?
Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a fascinating family mystery that I had a great time reading. The book was very well written and the characters were believable. Highly recommended!

Emotional moving a book that I read through tears.Famiky issues that draw you in characters that come alive invoke & move you#netgalley#bookouture