Krystal and Nichole are sisters, at least that’s how they see themselves. After meeting as young girls in the foster care system, they’ve developed a bond that is deeper than most blood relatives have. So when Krystal gets a call that Nichole has been admitted to the mental health ward of the hospital for trying to burn her house down with her husband in it, Krystal knows there must be some mistake. Except when Krystal goes to see Nichole, it becomes very clear that Krystal is the one who is mistaken. Although I’ve read a couple other books by Lucinda Berry and really liked them, this one didn’t sit as well with me. I thought the scenes in the book were unnecessary and/or confusing and some areas were quite exaggerated---making me doubt the special “bond” the two women shared. It wasn’t a bad book, but definitely one that falls into the “just okay” category for me.

Special Note: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This had sooo much potential but it just was so boring. The characters had no depth and I didn’t really care what happened to any of them and as the story progressed I didn’t care about the storyline either. I ALMOST DNF at 50% but plugged away. I would consider this a psychological drama, not a thriller.

This felt very slow to me and overall I didn't connect with the characters. For a psychologist as the author, I feel the mental health aspect of this was also poorly handled. The wrap up was also highly unsatisfying.

The Secrets of Us was touch and go for me. It was past and present throughout the book. I did like the book, but could not stick to it, had to put it aside and continued. I am sure it was my not going past and present and which was in the part.

This psychological thriller caught my attention immediately with it's dual perspective narrative. The story alternates between Krystal, the older, more sophisticated sister, and Nichole, the sister that is unhinged. Although the women call themselves sisters in the novel, they are foster children who have lived together since they were eight years old. As the novel begins the younger sister is accused of setting her house on fire while her husband was inside, and she is taken to a mental hospital for observation. While the story alternates between present time and events in the past, we learn about the sisters' tragic upbringing and the cause of Nichole's mental illness. I don't think the dual perspective works well here because the voices are not distinct enough. But that's ok because it serves it's purpose of allowing the reader to learn the backstory. And what a backstory it is! This thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat, but just not close enough to the edge for me. I prefer a few more twists.

Just finished this last night and enjoyed it. Maybe not my favorite book by this author but it was still good and kept me going back and forth with my thoughts of how the story would play out. I enjoy her books and always look forward to the next one. Would recommend! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It is very evident that this disturbing psychological thriller is written by clinical psychologist who specializes in childhood trauma. This gripping tale follows two foster sisters whose childhood experiences and trauma haunt them into adulthood. The story is told from the sisters' points of view, one who speaks from the past, and the other speaking from present day. Having worked in a mental health hospital for years, I appreciated the accurate and realistic descriptions of the behaviors and procedures in the story. Readers will find themselves wondering what really happened and who to believe. There were some points that real 'stretches' that needed to be more believable, for instance, the computer that was left behind by investigators, medical care and behaviors of burn victims and several others. I felt that the ending was too abrupt and either the story needed another few chapters or an epilogue to be more complete. All-in-all, I highly recommend this book, and I will certainly look for more of this author's books. Thank you Thomas and Mercer and Net Galley for the free copy.

Thank you to publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This is the first one I’ve read by this author but have heard wonderful things about her work. This book did not disappoint. It was fast paced and well done. The book provided what you needed to know without random exposition or details that don’t move you forward, so I’m appreciative of that. There was also very little repetitiveness that I’ve seen in more and more books. The characters were well developed and the past/present timeline flowed well and wasn’t confusing or hard to follow at all. I was itching to keep reading and see where it was heading and how it would end. I definitely look forward to reading her other work after getting a taste for it with this one.

I loved the alternating past and present chapters. It was interesting to see the future and past build to the epic conclusion. I found the characters very relatable and loved the relationship between the sisters. Do you ever really know someone?

Lucinda Berry is an auto read author for me. She never disappoints and is a master at the psychological thriller.
Krystal and Nichole are foster sisters, rising from the adversity of their childhood and are successful adults. Until Krystal gets a phone call that Nichole is in the hospital and she’s suspected of trying to kill her husband by trapping him in their burning house. Childhood trauma and secrets upon secrets made this incredibly hard to put down. Another great book by Lucinda Berry

I’ve read & loved every book by Lucinda berry, so I had high expectations for The Secrets of Us. Not only did I love it, I would say that this is now my favorite book by the author. I love that the story is told from two characters, Krystal and Nichole, and from 2 different periods of their lives. I’m always fascinated when a book talks about mental health issues & enjoyed reading about Nichole’s battles & demons. The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out the ending & was blown away. I’ll be telling everyone about this book!!

Great book, gripping thriller and wonderful writing. This is the first time I read this author's book and I was impressed. The way she had explained the psychological aspects and the behavior was very impactful. Great job. I would definitely recommend this book.

@lucindaberryauthor always, always, writes a jaw dropping story. ‘The Secrets Of Us’ is @lucindaberryauthor’s newest and once again she did not disappoint!

This psychological thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat the entire time & you will not be able to stop thinking about the characters. Also you will probably be thinking ‘what is actually going on?’ because I promise this is not an easily predictable story.

One thing I love about this author is she always (and I mean in almost every single book I’ve read by her) is so meticulous in describing the characters thoughts. It’s like you are inside the mind of these characters & actually part of the story.

@lucindaberryauthor always gives her readers such an amazing reading experience on so many different levels. If you desire an actual 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 thriller this is the book and author for you!

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 is an imposter.”

✨✨✨✨

QOTD: have you read any @lucindaberryauthor novels? Which is your favorite?

I liked this book for the most part, it was interesting and kept me hooked but the ending felt really predictable. I really enjoyed the way that Lucinda Berry writes though and I'll definately check out more of her work.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has an interesting premise, with strong characters and good suspense. I just felt like it took a really long time to get to the climax and conclusion. It's a welcome entry to the domestic noir/suspense genre but not one of my favourites this summer.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was excited to get this ARC, because I loved The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry. In The Secrets of Us, we follow fellow foster sisters, Nichole and Krystal. Though not blood related, they might as well be, because they are so close and have learned to get by with just each other. Nichole and Krystal live on a farm with their foster mom, and her daughter, Veronica. The story floats back and forth between the past and present, which I really enjoyed. As with The Perfect Child, I also continued to enjoy the author's writing style. I loved reading about the childhood experiences between Krystal, Nichole, Veronica and Alice. This book focuses a lot on mental illness, which I also found interesting. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that I just did not like how it ended. I was left feeling..."well I knew this was gonna happen, but is this IT?!" 3 stars from me!

This book was a really easy and quick read for me, I finished in just over 24 hours. I love all kind of thrillers, mysteries etc so the blurb of this enticed me in. I much preferred the present day timeline as opposed to the past but I understand we had to learn about the past in order to understand the future. The only issue I had with the book was the ending, it seemed so abrupt and still left me with so many unanswered questions but apart from that I would recommend this to read.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

I loved this book and read it in less than half a day.

Sisters Nichole and Krystal have lived a tough life, but as adults things have fallen into place after years of hard work. Krystal is a lawyer, and Nichole a high school tea her, married to the love of her life, Aiden.

But one night, everything falls apart. Aiden and Nichole’s house is set on fire, by none other than Nichole. Krystal races to find out what happened that night as Nichole weaves the backstory of their childhood for us.

My only complaint is that this book ended so abruptly! I wish the ending had men more flushed out. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers. Lucinda Berry does not disappoint.

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.

After I read Lucinda Berry's The Perfect Child in one sitting, I was SO happy to get my hands on this one! This did not disappoint and I couldn't put it down. The characters Berry creates are so relatable and her way of getting into the human psyche through her writing always comes through. Recommend this to any fans of thrillers in need of a compulsive read!

Wow. I'm completely lost for words with this story, this psychological thriller will literally get inside of your head. I've read some crazy books in my life and this one would be somewhere in the top 5.

What lengths would you go to keep your sister safe from the secrets that you both keep? Who can you trust when your sister isn't making any sense?

The book is written both past and present as well as told by the two sisters; Krystal and Nichole. I like the aspect of knowing about their childhood and what they did to get out and away from their trauma.

My only downside would be it's left me hanging with some questions. Which I wished was explained because I couldn't decipher/imagine what the answer could be. Hoping there might be a sequel to tie up the loose ends.