What a great book! Lucinda Berry is at her best with this twisty psychological thriller. Highly recommended.

This haunting book is so atmospheric and twisty, I loved reading it and devoured each page in one sitting. I sat down with my Kindle and looked up at the clock, and it was 10:30 pm and the book was done. This beautifully written thriller was spooky to the core. One sister's journey to figure out why her other sister is committed brings an eerie, The Silent Patient vibe to the story. The writing was beautiful as well as evocative. When I got to the ending I was wriggling with discomfort and biting my lip, eager to know what happened, down to the last paragraph.

This was a solid mystery, so perfect for spooky szn. It’s not my favorite Lucinda Berry book, but an interesting read nonetheless. It’s a slow-burn most of the way through and then the last 30%-ish gets wild. There were some plot holes though. If all the loose ends were tied up, it definitely could have been a 4+ star read!

Lucinda Berry has such a substantial background - her writing leaks it onto the page, sucking empathy and rage from the reader.
Sisters Krystal and Nichole escape from the horrors of their foster home - a farm owned by Mrs. Wheeler, who absolutely cashes in on the free labor. Even the house is divided - foster kids separated from "the family"- Mrs. Wheeler and her daughter Veronica, a terrible bully.
Krystal receives a frantic call - Nichole's house burned down. It appears Nichole started the fire, prevented her beloved husband from escaping by blocking the door with a desk.
Aiden comes from a very wealthy family - who are hungry for Nichole's arrest and punishment for her attempt to kill.
Nichole's admittance to a psych ward buys Krystal some time to figure what happened and how to protect her sister.
Great twists and wow shocks. Great read, loved this characters. The background just lends so much credit to the story.

Lucinda Berry definitely has what it takes to write psychological thrillers! While this wasn't one of my favorite books by her, it definitely had suspense, secrets, jaw dropping reveals.

Lucinda Berry is always an auto buy author for me. Her books always have a psychological mental health issue that is so well written. This book was no exception.

This book has two foster sisters who have always been there for each other. One of the sisters ends up in the psychiatric hospital after being accused of trying to kill her husband. Krystal her sister fights to figure out what really happened and how to keep her and her sister's lives from crumbling down, as they have been keeping secrets.

The twist and turns in this book did not disappoint and I will continue to keep auto buying Lucinda Berry's books

Foster sisters, Krystal and Nichole have always been there for each other so when Krystal gets a call that Nichols has been committed to a psychiatric hospital, she will do anything to help her.

This was a twisted ride! The story goes back and forth from present day to the sisters’ past in foster care. I enjoyed both parts of the story, but really loved the last told from Nichole’s perspective.

Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist so she knows how to write a great psychological thriller. She delves into her characters’ psyche and makes us question what is true and what is not. Although I didn’t find either sister particularly likable, I did enjoy reading their story and to see what led Nichole to do what she did.

There’s a big twist at the end that pulled the story together and gave me that WOW moment I look for in a thriller. I look forward to reading more of Berry’s books.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

Another compelling and exciting psychological thriller from Lucinda Berry. I really enjoyed the slow burning pace and the care the author took in developing the backstory. Overall, a must have on your summer reading list.

I have not read a book by this author. I really enjoyed her writing style and loved the twists and turns. I will reading some of her other things. I feel my suspense fan patrons at the library will enjoy this author.

Two foster sisters. They have grown with a rough past and have a horrible secret to hide. And suddenly one of the sisters has a psychological break and is accused of attempted murder on her husband, a seemingly perfect marriage. Is everything truly what it seems? What is really going on? You will never believe the twists and turns that happen at the end, and the real truth of the secret between them. It I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 stars

The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Krystal and Nichole, although only foster sisters, are close.  They managed to survive their troubled past.  Nichole is happily married to Aiden, and Krystal is a lawyer.  Life is good.

So when Nichole is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Krystal is confused, but she is right there to defend her sister.  And defend her she must, because Aiden's family is out to have her charged with murder, and Aiden is being a little sketchy.

After visiting her sister, Krystal agrees, Nichole definitely needs to be in the psych ward, but she can't understand how this could happen.  She starts asking questions, but some of the answers are not what she was hoping for.  Krystal and Nichole share a dark secret, but now it appears that it is coming back to haunt them once again.



My Opinions:   
I struggled with this one.  The premise was good, as was the writing.  Usually I like books where the timelines go back and forth between Then and Now, but for some reason it didn't work for me in this book.  It seemed to make the direction the story was taking too obvious.  As well, it was a very slow moving book, partly because so much time was spent in the past.

Then there were the characters.  I found it difficult to like anyone.  I would have expected to feel more sympathy for the sisters as they grew up in an awful foster family.  But I didn't.  They seemed to cope just fine until the accident.

The main topic of the book centers around mental illness, but it also looks at childhood trauma, lies, and deceit.  At times, those topics made it a difficult read.  But overall, I started to enjoy the book.  I wanted to know what was going to happen to Nichole next.  I started caring.  Unfortunately for me, it was too late into the story.

So, overall, I think a lot of people will love this, and  I did end up enjoying it...just not as much as I had hoped.

really like this author, but this book was a little lackluster, in my opinion. The ending was rather abrupt, even though there was an attempted build-up...
Lucinda books always keep me turning pages. This one did not.
Thank you for letting me review it

In Lucinda Berry's "The Secret's of Us", we follow two non-biological sisters that are thrown together due to bad situations from their own parents. They become the only true family member that either of the girls can rely on.

As they turn into adults, Krystal becomes a lawyer and Nichole a school teacher. Krystal must stand by Nichole and dig up the truth when she is accused of burning down her house and trying to kill her husband. We follow them through a dual POV as things from Nichole's past haunts her and has a direct impact on her actions in present day.

This is my first Lucida Berry novel and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this book to readers that enjoy thrillers and mysteries.

This book is a real page turner! It’s the story of Krystal and Nichole, not related by blood, but sisters of circumstance raised in the same foster home. The story is on fire from the beginning – literally – as it looks like Nichole may have tried to burn down her house with her husband trapped inside.

The storyline and POV alternate between Krystal in the present and Nichole during her childhood. Both storylines were well done, and it was fascinating to see how the women’s adolescent experiences shaped who they became as adults.

The current day storyline is twisty and kept me just as off balance (in a good way) as Krystal was. Did Nichole really try to murder her husband? Is her mental health struggle real? Is Aiden a victim, a jerk, or something worse? And how does it all tie into the past? I enjoyed this gripping thriller from beginning to the completely unexpected ending!

This is an author I have loved from the first book I picked up of hers. I loved being pulled into the story but her use of details that make the story realistic. It is a well written story that has twists and turns that kept me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen. I really enjoyed this suspenseful story and how connectable the characters are. I also enjoyed what they bring to the story. It is a story full of action and easy to read. I highly recommend this book and this author.

Lucinda Berry never disappoints. She delivers a dark, twisted thriller that grabs your attention from start to finish. Her books are always well researched and executed well. A great read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. This is the first book that I have read by Lucinda Berry and it won't be the last. The story moves back and forth between different perspectives and time frames. I enjoyed the book and it has lots of twists and turns at the end.

Thank you for providing me a copy of this book.
I run out of time so sorry I wasn't able to finish this.

Hi! I've linked my video on this book below (https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/6992351973295099142?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1). Thank you for sending it to me!