back then: Krystal & Nichole are foster sisters who've been living with Veronica Wheeler & her mom since they were young. then something terrible happens at a sleepover they have and it sticks with one of the sisters for years to come...

now: Nichole is put into a psych ward after starting her house on fire while locking her husband inside. Krystal races to her side & tries to figure out what really happened....

first of all, you got to love dual timelines & dual POV's. all the craziness the two sisters went through when they were young & then while adults. this book definitely shows how there's always 2 sides to every story and also, not everyone can handle certain things the same way. oh how I love Lucinda Berry! every book of hers I've read so far is amazing.

Whenever I pick up a psychological thriller written by Dr. Lucinda Berry, I know it is going to be a good read. Berry has a background in clinical psychology with a focus on childhood trauma and she definitely utilized her expertise in this book! Two young girls are placed in a foster home in a rural area. They both endured difficult childhoods and were now living under the rule of cold foster mother focused on making her troubled and manipulative daughter happy. The book goes between then and now, giving the reader small glimpses at the lives of these self proclaimed sisters. They thought the trauma of their childhoods were behind them when Nichole has a psychotic breakdown. She tried to burn down her house and kill her loving husband. Now Krystal is determined to find out why.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

The Secret of Us takes you on a wild ride with foster sisters Krystal and Nichole. The story goes between the current events of Nichole being admitted to a psychiatric hospital and their past when they were teenagers. Even though they had a very tough childhood with scarring events, they moved on and Krystal was working as a Lawyer and Nichole as a teacher married to an Architect, Adian. That was until Nichole believed her husband to be an imposter and some crazy events led to her stay at the hospital. Pick up this book to see how Krystal helps Nichole and in doing so finds out about some grueling events from their past in their foster home.

Very interested in reading more from Lucinda Berry.

This book was sooooooo good! Dual timelines and dual POV that worked so incredibly well, each being super interesting and engrossing with likable and highly unlikable characters. I didn't see any of the twists coming and that's impressive for someone who seems to read a lot of thrillers and can generally guess or at least figure a portion out way sooner than I'd like. This book was a home run and I highly recommend!!

Loved this story!! The twists in this one are amazing. Loved the way the characters play off each other and the depth you get to know them.

I really enjoyed this one with all of the twist & turns. There was so much intensity of who did what & who to believe. The ending was not what I expected and I hope to read more by this author @lucindaberryauthor in the future!

First of all I love that the author is a clinical psychologist. It made me super intrigued to read this book and it definitely did not disappoint. This book was filled with unpredictable twists and turns. It was a page turner and fast read because I didn’t want to put it down. Highly recommend if you like psychological thrillers! This was my first by this author but I’ve now purchased some books off of her backlist since reading this great book!

This was a great read. Well written with twists and turns that kept me hooked. Have read others by Lucinda Berry and I will definitely add this to the list of recommended reads.

Thank you Netgalley.

This book was honestly addicting right from the start. I found it extremely interesting that Lucinda Berry is a trauma focused psychologist and I think that really lent a lot of depth to the characters.

This story shifts between Nichole’s POV of her past living in foster care and Krystal’s POV of the present while Nichole is hospitalized. I really enjoyed the dual perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the difficult themes it tackles.

Lucinda Berry’s book never disappoint me. Always keeps you on the edge of your seat and when you think you know how it will end. NOPE it sends you in another direction, love her work and anxious wait for the next books to come out.

I can't say enough good things about this book AND its author. I have recommended Berry many times when a customer or friend is looking for dark psychological thrillers. Somehow, Berry knows how to really dig deep into the psyche of the mind. Wait a minute.. that's because she has background as a psychologist! If you really want a dark novel.. a serious pageturner.. this is it!

First time reading from this author and holy cow! This psychological thriller had me hooked throughout the story. Love the characters and how the story unraveled. Lucinda Berry did a great job of writing about ordinary people and how they react when thrown into situations. Will definitely look out for more from Lucinda! Thank you!

Nicole and Krystal are sisters, but they are really more than that… they have a special. The story started out kind of slow, IMO, but it did end up being fairly interesting. I understand why she ended it the way she did, but kind of wish there was a little more leading up to the ending itself - in the way of Aiden, her husband. But overall, it was a pretty solid story. I would recommend it. I liked the two-person narration. I found the ending pretty interesting, all things considered. I would give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Holy heart-pounding, edge-of-your seat, furious page turning book! This story opens up with one of the most unforgettable scenes in a thriller…ever. Krystal and Nichole seemingly overcame a very challenging upbringing in and out of foster care. They have both managed to make something of their lives and are considered productive members of society. Nichole, happily married to perfect husband and loving the all-American dream suddenly seems to have gone off the deep end. No one knows why she burned the house down with her husband in it. No one knows why she claims to have imposters taking over her life. No one knows why she clearly has stepped away from reality. But Krystal, her foster sister now turned lawyer, knows something isn’t right. She knows her sister.
After I learned about Lucinda Berry’s background as a trauma psychologist I knew that she had the ability and talent to create characters who fit the profile of a someone experiencing a psychotic episode. She had a fabulous way of weaving the clinical and medical piece of the story together with the psychological thriller piece to create a heart pounding story with a twisted plot!

Readers won’t believe how this story unravels! DON’T trust anyone!

First off, the author of The Secrets of Us used to be known as Dr. Lucinda Berry. She was a psycholist and researched childhood trauma. What a wonderful foundation for a fiction author to have? The Secrets of Us delves into the shared trauma of two foster sisters - Krystal and Nichole. Krystal has become a lawyer and made something of herself. Nichole got married and then burned down her house while her husband was in it. Krystal attempts to help Nichole because she knows something bad is happening. This is a psychological thriller that goes between the past and the present and is full of twists. I found this to be a wonderful read. I am an only child but it gave me perspective on the intense bond that family has.

First read by this author. Some things were disjointed and slow. I have heard better reviews about another book and want to give that a chance before I write this author off.

I still have so many questions especially when it comes to Aiden and those injuries

If you enjoy alternate povs and psychological elements, this could be a good read. But for me it was engaging enough for me to finish but I wasn't in love

As a frequent reader of Lucinda Berry, she does it again, as only she can. The story is unique and draws you in slowly from the start before dropping you over the edge.

Excellent writing. Strong characters.

A strong storyline which keeps you in the edge of your seat and guessing throughout

I read a book by this author long ago, and would definitely read another

This is the first book I've read by this author and will probably be my last (I was not even able to finish the book). I felt the book was full of extraneous material which made the book confusing and disjointed.

I was given an ebook ARC by Netgalley but read a hardback copy and this is my voluntary, honest review.