This was a really enjoyable read. The story is essentially about the life of Holly, an only child who’s parents take in another child, the daughter of their best friend. The implication was that it was only short term but Amy never left. Fast forward and the story becomes modern day with flashbacks of Holly and Amy’s childhood, the death of Holly’s mum and the illness that is in danger of taking over Holly’s life.

The author kept the twist and turns coming and threw many red herrings in so I didn’t know what the outcome would be. However the ending was very believable and lots of loose ends were tied up for me.

My thanks to Netgalley for my kindle copy of The Secret Keeper's Daughter. Overall I enjoyed the book although I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Their refusal to either query a situation or say 'I'll tell you later' was very frustrating as was the charcter of Holly overall. I found it very confusing when she kept talking of 'you' rather than marley by name.

I did enjoy the twists and turns but it seemed to be turning so dark that I expected the outcome to be far worse than it was.

Thank you NetGalley, for the opportunity to read The Secret keeper's daughter
I did enjoy this book however sometimes I felt I was lost in some of the descriptions or lead up to events that were happening or had happened. This novel is written in the voice of Holly main character both present and past, this is easy to follow, her as a child and as a grown woman, married with children. When she was a child, the daughter of another couple came to live with them, this changed her childhood experience and the amount of attention she got from her parents. This other girl Amy stays with her throughout young adult and adult years. Holly finally uncovers some secrets that her father and Amy have been keeping over the years, when her daughter starts to act strangely. Holly starts asking questions
I felt the lead up to what these secrets were had me expecting something bigger. Overall good story line and characters, I recommend it to read.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me gripped until the very end. I was maybe expecting a bigger secret and something more dramatic to happen but it didn't matter as the expectation is what kept me gripped. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the arc.

Holly and Jordan live by the sea with their two children. Marley, their older child, starts behaving out of character and becomes very quiet, whilst Jordan appears to be withdrawing from the family.

The story goes back and forth, from the present to when Holly was growing up in the same town with her parents and Amy, another young girl who was brought into their family as a favour to friends. Lots of secrets, deceits and lies follow.

This book started well and up to halfway I was quite enjoying but the last half of the book was full of unnecessary dialogue, repeated conversations that appeared to be cut and paste between the different characters, most of whom were unbelievable (still trying to work out the point of Phil and the power cut?).

This was definitely a book of two halves, and the second half needs serious editing. Sorry, not a book I would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley.

Holly has a seven year old daughter who begins acting unlike her usual self. At first Holly puts it down to the new baby brother that arrived recently but then her daughter actually becomes skittish. When Holly becomes concerned she makes her daughter a "worry box" so she has a place to put her feelings. One day Holly finds a note that says "Secrets make me sad." And so begins Holly's investigation as to why her daughter is acting so unlike herself.

This book goes back and forth from when Holly was a child and Amy the "new kid" moves in to the present. There was a lot going on in this book, with many questions...Why did Amy move in? What happened to Holly's childhood friend, Jane? Why is Holly's husband, Jordan, acting so distant? And the main question, what is going on with Marley!?

The plot and the writing were okay and there were a lot of twists, turns and of course secrets. The characters were a bunch of deplorables or schmucks and I couldn't connect with them at all. With so much going on and it being repeated constantly I found the pace a little slow for my liking. I knew the ending because I had read a review with an undisclosed spoiler in it. (I HATE THAT!) I wasn't really into the book much anyway so I don't believe it affects my review or rating.

Holly and Jordan live happily with their two children, 7 year old Marley and baby Benjamin. When Marley starts acting uncharacteristically. Holly gives her a worry box in the hope of learning what is troubling her daughter. Instead, she finds a whole plethora of secrets and lies that threaten everything she’s ever known.

This book could have been a great deal shorter. There’s a lot of unnecessary dialogue and it rarely gets to the point.

I didn’t really take to any of the characters and parts of the story didn’t ring true at all. There’s no way Holly wouldn’t have known about Jane for a start! There were so many twists and turns it was tricky to keep them straight in your head, but they weren’t exactly a surprise.

It’s not a bad book, but it’s too waffly for my tastes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

On the surface, this book relates to the concerns a mother , Holly, has for her young daughter , Marley, who has started acting out of character, mentioning a secret, and becoming silent and withdrawn. Recently having given birth, complicated by a genetic heart condition, she is struggling to deal with everyday life and its problems believing that a worry box may give an insight in her daughters concerns. However much of the narrative concerns the difficulties she herself endured within a complicated family life. As an only child aware her mother was struggling with ill health, her father a strict disciplinarian, her protective lifestyle was shattered by the introduction of a cuckoo in the nest. What was supposed to be a brief holiday for a friends child , Amy, became an uneasy alliance of secrets, lies and jealousy that would impact until adulthood. As Holly reflects on previous childhood traumas, her character never becomes able to understand or interpret any past events. Living her life accepting without question slights, unfairness, misunderstanding and confusion to the extent most normal childhoods would be impossible to sustain. This blanket acceptance of numerous damaging incidents was intrinsic to the plot line in order that the enlightenment would be revealed in the final conclusion. Frustratingly, the character goes along so many false avenues that the conclusion feels a little like Pandora’s box, with our protagonist the only person not aware of the skeletons in her families cupboard . The premise for a good story which could have been enriched with less dialogue and tighter editing towards a more thrilling climax. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow what a fantastic read. Holly is happily married with two children when suddenly her daughter Marley starts behaving strangely and Holly is really worried about her and as she sets about trying to find out what is happening to her,many secrets are uncovered and things come to light that will change things for all the family. A real page Turner that keeps you gripped from the beginning and as you discover the secrets of the past you won't be disappointed. A brilliant 5⭐read

I am not a fan of this type of story, where secrets are piled upon secrets, and the reader is left trying to untangle them to get to the heart of the story. It’s one thing using this ploy to create a mystery, but not using it as the basis for an entire book. This is an exceptionally slow burner of a story. I’m afraid I got tired of trying to unravel the many secrets, this was a DNF for me, I’m sure it will appeal to many readers, just not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

It took me some time to get into the storyline.. A couple of times I nearly put it down to start another netgalley book. However I did finish it and by the end I found it an interesting read. I can see the reason why Samantha chose this storyline largely about the insecurities children may develop when young which can continue into adulthood. This pandemic certainly will cause many problems in this respect that could last for many years. The only downside to the storyline is that there is to much dialog for my taste however, writers are encourage nowadays to describe rather then tell when writing a book. Samantha will have got the balance right for many readers.

This book is based on the story of Holly talking to her seven year old daughter Marley.
On the outside they seem to have the prefect life living with Holly’s husband Jordan and son Bb.
However Marley is troubled by conversations she’s overheard and things she’s been told so Holly introduces a worry box to see and get to the bottom of why Marley has become quiet and withdrawn since her baby brother was born.
A story of family relationships and tragedy, of misunderstandings and misinterpretation.

I flew through this book in a day!

I loved it. It really had me gripped and desperate to know more. My heart broke for Marley and at the beginning of the book, my thoughts really did think the worst but as the story unfolds the twists just become addictive.

The final line at 75% "daddy wants to kill you" was the icing on the cake. An absolute must read for everybody.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Holly Mayhew has the perfect family set-up. But when her seven year old daughter, Marley, begins to act strangely, refusing to speak and rushing off to hide in her room, she knows something isn't right. Desperate to find how why Marley has come so withdrawn, Holly creates a worry box, where Marley posts her thoughts each day. At first the messages seem innocent. But when Holly finds a note saying secrets make me sad, she begins to question everyone trusted with her care, even her own family.

This story is a bit of a slow burner. The characters are well developed and believable. At times it could be heart=wrenching, dark and twisted, You will keep changing your mind with your suspicions. There were a lot of secrets revealed but the book was a little drawn out in places. Overall, I did enjoy the book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQDigital and the author #SamanthaKing for my ARC of #TheSecretKeepersDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book as I couldn’t figure out why things were happening as they were.
It kept me wanting to read it continuously to find out what the notes in the worry box meant.
It was full of intrigue till the end.

The Secret Keeper's Daughter is about Holly and her 7 year old daughter, Marley, who suddenly starts acting withdrawn and scared. Holly endeavors to discover what's bothering Marley. She sets up a Worry Box for Marley to leave messages for her. The messages are cryptic and cause a lot of worry for Holly who suspects all kinds of things. It takes a long time for the truth to come out.

I really didn't like this book. It's all about family secrets, paranoia and anxiety. In the book there is less than 10% action and the rest is dialogue between characters or internal talk of the main character, Holly. The secrets or twists aren't very interesting, nor surprising.

This was an ok well written book which had an interesting storyline. A bit slow burner for me and it wasn't as thrilling as I imagined but the characters were interesting and well developed.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A dark and twisty drama which keeps you guessing as to what secrets are really being kept. Who are the guilty parties and of what are they guilty? Creates nervous tension as you try to work out what is going on. Well written and even if I didn't necessarily like all the characters, they were well defined and had depth.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s two timelines worked well and the narration was well written. It fell a bit flat for me towards the end, not with the family secretes revealed so much as Holly’s relationship with her husband that I felt deserved more of the storyline - it all resolved way too easily with little explanation,

This book had me gripped from the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. A similar writing style to Susan Lewis so fans will love this one.
It had suspense, loyalty, suspicion and plot twists.
Excellent!!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
I just reviewed The Secret Keeper’s Daughter by Samantha King. #TheSecretKeepersDaughter