Reading Between the Wines book review #62/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 ROUNDED UP TO 4
Book📱: The Secrets of Us
Author: Lucinda Berry
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES on June 1 2021!!! GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!!
Recommended to readers who loves a mystery inside of a mystery.

Sipping thoughts: Lucinda Berry puts the PSYCHOLOGICAL in thrillers. I am never disappointed with the psychological background she brings to each character in her books. This is no different in the 2 characters Nichole and Krystal who are foster children in a system that is abusive, cyclical and uncaring and grow into women trying to forget and forgive their past.
The plot stems on something that happened while in foster care that seems to break Nichole's psyche and causes her to do something Krystal thinks is uncharacteristic. I find myself feeling sorry for both women and hoping for the best.
The one thing I would change/add was the ending. I figured out the final twist about 75% in but was hoping and desperately needing an epilogue. I don't like epilogues just for the sake of them but the way TSOU ended, I felt readers needed a little more closure of what happened next. As always, I look forward to Berry's next book!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review of it. Another great book by this author! The title is perfect because there are so many secrets and twists up to the last page. Highly recommend.

This was a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed my it. There were multiple storylines that were all related in one way or another. There were many surprises throughout the book. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

If you haven’t read anything by Lucinda Berry, go check out her books now. Every single book has been excellent. You know you are in good hands when you pick up a book that she’s written. And The Secrets of Us was no different.

Krystal is fiercely loyal to her sister (they are foster care sisters) Nichole. And when Nichole is committed to a hospital and has a psychotic breakdown, Krystal is desperate to get through to her, to figure out what has happened in Nichole’s brain to cause her to nearly murder her husband.

Synopsis

Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole have always been there for each other, so when Nichole is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Krystal drops everything to defend her.

Scarred by a hard upbringing, Nichole and Krystal managed to construct comfortable lives for themselves. Krystal became a respected lawyer, and Nichole was happily married to an architect—until Nichole starts raving that her husband isn’t her husband, believing that he’s an imposter.

Driven by fierce loyalty, Krystal starts asking questions, but she’s not sure she can bear the answers. Her investigation leads to the sisters’ dark shared past…to a horrible tragedy and a well-guarded lie that cemented their sisterly bond.

But that lie can’t kill the truth—the battered, gasping, clawing truth that’s coming for them both. Now Krystal and Nichole must both fight for the lives they’ve built before they’re consumed by the one they left behind.

WOW. The writing, the pace, the story… all very, very good! A must-read. This book is out now so get it today and start reading!

I really enjoyed everything about this book. I cannot believe this is my first time reading from this author. I will be reading others from her. Love her writing on psychological thrillers and love her knowledge/background in psychology too!!! Thanks for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one!

I love the history between the two main characters, the story of them meeting in foster care and becoming basically like sisters was done well and it was really believable. You like them from the start. I also loved the idea that with each other's help they both made nice lives for themselves. It was a really sweet story that I wish were the reality for more foster kids.

My favorite thing about this story was that are you're reading you're not really 100% sure if Nicole is crazy, or if Aiden is a murder, or both, neither, you're just not sure.' However, my least favorite thing about this book was that even the end, you're not really sure. Clearly Nicole is a murderer, but is she crazy, too, or was she just driven to it by the reemergence of Veronica? I guess I wanted it to lean one way or the other, but I'm sure that there's also a good subset of readers who love that it's never really decided for them.

The only criticism I have is that I love the Texas setting, but I wish there would have been a touch or two of local tidbits. This story said outright twice it's set in Texas (when talking about Aiden's family's money) but you don't really get any sense of the place and I thought the story might have been a bit more grounded had the setting been fleshed out. But admittedly I'm partial-- I happen to live in the North Texas area part of the year for several years and in the last 5-10 it's gone from being cow country to being an amazingly affordable place with safe neighborhoods, nice houses and it has all of the little Texas touches (the outdoor bars with the string lights, the local vodkas and small businesses, while at the same time having all the conveniences of suburbia. It's truly one of my favorite places in the country and every time I read books set there I wonder why the author's don't help show off the area to readers who haven't been,

Anyway, this wasn't my favorite Lucinda Berry ("Best of Friends" is), it was a quick read with good characters and I'm really looking forward to more stories from her!

Twisted and a true definition of a psychological thriller. Nichole's mind is a knot and her character is an onion. There are so many layers to Nichole that makes the story so amazingly interesting to read. The younger Krystal is an integral part of the story; however, as the story moves along, I find that she is now just a background shadow. Aiden's character is so minor in the end, yet he is an integral part of the story. The style the author writes is very differently innovative.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets Of Us - Lucinda Berry

This is the first book I've read by former psychologist / successful author Lucy DNA Berry, so had high hopes.

The story of two 'sisters' Krystal and Nichole. They aren't related but have lived like sisters since being in foster care, living on the farm owned by the strict Mrs Wheeler are her 'devil child' daughter Veronica.

There is a past and present narrative, the past covering their teenage years on the farm, the present begins with Nichole in secure psychiatric care after apparently setting fire to her marital home after trapping her husband inside to burn.

It is unusual and quite involving, the psychiatric details are all dealt with extremely convincingly. It took a certain incident in their past to be revealed before I was truly hooked and from then on I found it increasingly tense and gripping.

Altogether a satisfying read. I will definitely read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

Krystal and Nichole met as kids in their foster home. Quickly they learned to lean on eachother, and developed a relationship that is closer then blood sisters. Their sisterhood was formed from a shared fear, and secrets kept just between the two of them.
When Krystal gets a call that her sister is in the hospital, after a horrible fire, she cant get to her fast enough. On arrival she finds that Nichole is locked up in the psych ward, and is being accused of trying to murder her husband. Nichole is talking crazy, not making any sense. She says Aiden is a murderer. But then why is she being accused?
Krystal must protect her sister, even if it means keeping an important secret to herself.

The Secret Of Us is a slow burn thriller that explodes at the end. I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book, but Nichole and Krystal's back story kept my interest. If it hadn't been for that, I might have given up on the book.
I'm glad I followed through and finished it. At about 60% in, things get good. A lot of important things are revealed, and things start making sense. You just have to sift through all the crazy to get there. lol The big twist is a good one, and changes the whole story.

This book had a great premise and shocking plot twists. And yet it didn't captivate me as much as it should have. 

Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole have been thick-as-thieves ever since they met as seven-year-olds at their foster home and there is nothing that they don't know about each other. So Krystal is beyond horrified to find a deranged Nichole locked up in a psyche ward and charged with attempting to murder her husband. Convinced that Nichole is being framed, Krystal leaves no stone unturned in trying to prove her innocence. But the key to that lies in the dark and shady past that the sisters had left behind, or so they thought.

The plot had an eerie, creepy quality to it that makes you wary of what to expect. The author explores the effect of childhood trauma on the human psyche which in itself is a very intriguing topic. Despite that, I was not very taken with the writing style, which I felt was all over the place. Also certain points defied logic - like a comatose burn victim who had taken a turn for the worse due to fluid collection in his lungs is miraculously up and about, two days later.

Overall, an average psychological thriller that could have been brilliant with crisper writing and better editing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A good psychological thriller with twists to the end. With her experience in psychology the author gives some good insight into the mental disorders and the contributing factors. But it becomes more technical and less humane that we could not empathise with the characters who come out as more ruthless and less of a victim.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have only read one other book by this author, The Perfect Child and I couldn’t put it down. It was an intense psychological thriller with so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This book is the same, we follow two girls put together in the same foster home and have a sisterly bond that nothing can break. Enter current time and a life threatening incident puts one of them in the hospital with a psychotic break, did she do what the police are saying. It’s up to the other sister, now a lawyer to figure it out. An excellent, quick read that will have you on the edge of your seat but also leaves you wondering... highly recommend

The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry After a experiencing an abusive childhood in foster care and witnessing the shocking death of one of their friends, Krystal and Nichole are emotionally dependent upon each other. Interesting psychological drama with insights into mental breakdown. The story was more in the telling rather than feeling in touch with Krystal and Nichol. The ending was confusing, ended abruptly and left much unsaid.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Secrets of Us is a hard to put down, psychological thriller full of surprising twists and turns. Krystal and Nichole are family from the moment they meet and their loyalty to one another knows no bounds. They've been through a lot, together and Krystal doesn't quit until she finds out what Nichole has been going through without her. You won't know who to trust until the very end. I hope we'll see more of Krystal in the future. It seems like there's a lot more to her story.

The Secrets of Us by author Lucinda Berry is a psychological thriller that captivates your reading attention throughout the entire story. It’s about 2 foster girls, Krystal and Nichole, who become inseparable, they are as close as sisters. They depend on and look out for each other no matter what comes their way. While living in a horribly cruel foster home, a tragedy takes place that forever impacts Nichole’s mental state of mind. This accident is the cause for everything that happens and leads up to the girls present life. The story is told in 2 timelines, past and present, making you aware of everything tragic that takes place in their life. It was sad hearing about how they lived and eye-opening as to how such tragedies can have such a huge impact on a persons mental state. If psychological thrillers is a genre you enjoy reading, I highly recommend you check out this book. I have read and enjoyed almost all of her books and I am looking forward to reading what she writes next. Lucinda Berry is an author you don’t want to miss out on. I’m giving this a 5 star rating!

Krystal and Nichole became sisters when they were in foster care together. The horrific events that they suffered through brought them closer together. After finally escaping this life, they work hard to find success. But a phone call changes all that! This was a twisty thriller! I enjoyed it!

4.75* this is a terrific read which kept me totally engrossed.
A US author who is new to me. By the amount of reviews she is a best selling author.
Foster sisters Krystal and Nicole share a troubled past which they have tried to bury with lies. They are really close, so when Nicole is institutionalised after trying to kill the husband she adores Krystal,a lawyer in mid trial drops everything to help.
The timeframe alternates between them as children and the present. Nichole is the narrator of the past and Krystal the present.
Both are instantly likeable and got me on side, rooting for them both through the book. It’s very emotionally engaging as the characters are so well written.
It’s a great pace to the book, it never lags, there’s so much going on to grab you.
We get a heart rendering insight into Nicole’s torment with her psychotic episode, but also the traumatic event in their childhood.
A fav quote ‘ they spread their meanness like an equal opportunity plague’
There was one small exchange between Krystal and Aidan that didn’t sit right with me which is why it’s not 5*

Thank you NetGalley, Lucinda Berry and Thomas & Mercer for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets of Us is a slower-burn psychological thriller delving into the experiences of two foster sisters and their childhood trauma.

Krystal is absolutely thrown when she hears that Nichole has tried to kill her husband and is now under psychiatric observation. Krystal attempts to unravel the mystery in the present while the reader also gets to take a peek at their past.

Berry created a tense, curious and dark thriller but I do wish we learned a little bit more about some characters. I would have liked to see Nichole and her husband’s backstory a little bit more, as well as Veronica and her mother. The Secrets of Us is a fast and easy read, perfect for a quick thriller bite.

I had no idea that Lucinda Berry is actually Dr. Lucinda Berry, a former psychologist, until I read the author blurb at the end. The Secrets of Us dives right into how childhood trauma manifests when children are young and how trauma progresses into adulthood.

TW: childhood trauma, abuse, psychiatric hospital

The story really took an interesting turn of events toward the end, I had some suspicions as the story went on (because everybody is hella suspicious 😂) so I wasn’t too surprised. However, I really like how things played out.

It wasn’t as twisted as I wanted it to be and had a few pacing issues with the first half, like a few chapters and information weren’t that relevant to the plot.

Overall, a pleasant experience. I already have Phantom Limb by Lucinda as an ebook and plan to read it soon.

Lucinda Berry writes an amazing book in her latest, The Secrets of Us. Ms. Berry lists in her credits that she is experienced in dealing with youth with childhood trauma. Her expertise is evident in this thriller. The story opens as a young woman tries to determine what has caused the mental breakdown and suspected arson and accusation of attempted murder committed by her foster sister. The book continues to explore the crime around that breakdown while masterfully traveling back to the past of two incredible young women who have found family and comfort in each other in the traumatic world of foster care. The author explores that trauma in a way that few understand and transfers that understanding to the amazing story in the present with a multitude of twists and turns. I loved this book and it was a definite "can't put down" for me. One night of sleep lost was worth finding the answers to this mystery. Or did I find the answer? Love this book. I will be looking for more by Lucinda Berry. Thanks to #The SecretsofUs#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.