I am a sucker for books that focus on different perspectives and the characters are somehow connected, so I knew immediately that I was going to like this book, and boy was I correct. It was beautiful and sucked me in until the end. I found myself invested, even though I knew when certain things were going to happen, I couldn't put this down. This is one that's going to stay with me for a while.

The description and cover attracted me to this book but the begining development of the plot was confusing to me. There are several time lines and two families which connect from 1919, 1969 and to present day. There is a priest hole in an old house and a young child is hidden away which you can imagine never ends well.

A young girl named Alice disappears in 1969 and she is never found (Not a spoiler as it's in the description of the book).

The hidden room in an old house called Yew Tree Manor reminded me of Kate Morton's book The Clockmaker's Daughter. For this scenario you may conjour images from Sarah's Key by Tatianna de Rosnay. Not at all the exact same circumstances but if you've read those you'll get what I mean.

I liked the cover and I liked the old house as a "character" in this book. Old houses and mysteries grab me every time. I would not seek out more by this author based on this book but I see she has several books in publication so, maybe those would keep my interest more than this one. This one just didn't grab me.

Publication date October 28, 2021 by Mobius Books. Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Not so much of a secret as much of an obvious 'who done it' story spanning decades and two different families.

Thankfully - it was a quick read?

I didn't enjoy this as much as some people might. Maybe I would have in another time or place.

Honestly, any book that begins with someone hiding another human in a small, enclosed space in a house is just not going to end well, and of course it will involve that small, enclosed space. So if you had you fill with Sarah's Key a few years back and/or are claustrophobic, you can give this one a miss. Even if you're not, you can still give it a miss: it's not particularly compelling, and the characters are pretty flat, and of course there's not much tension because after all you know what's going to happen or has happened or is happening in that small, enclosed space.

The Midwife’s Secret is the 1st book I have read by Emily Gunnis. It has a slight Gothic vibe that I found intriguing, The story follows the intertwining families the Hiltons and the James families, not always for the good of either family. The story line covers several decades, the 1940’s, late 60’s and 2017. The Hilton family are the gentry and the James family the servant class. The James family has not always been dealt with fairly by the Hilton’s and are railroaded into a couple of supposed crimes against the Hilton’s. In 1945 Tessa James (the midwife of the title) is accused of killing Evelyn Hilton who died in childbirth, and in 1969 Bobby James is accused in the disappearance of Alice Hilton. In 2017 the Hilton family is selling Yew Manor and the young daughter Sienna disappears like her aunt before her. This was a story of family secrets and how they can destroy people when kept from the light of day.

I enjoyed the story and look forward to more books from this author. Thanks to Netgalley, Mobius books and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley electronically for review…the author has woven a story about a missing child…those on loved…those suffering and others wondering…the characters are real to life and the reader becomes immersed in the story…although it moves slowly at times, at times, the ending brings closure…try this one.

Quite confusing. Three story lines, two families through the generations. Lots of characters that intertwine through the stories. Wasn't what I expected but some readers will enjoy this book.

For decades the Hilton and James families have been intertwined in Yew Tree, one in the manor and the other in the old vicarage.

Tessa James has been a midwife for thirty years. Saving countless lives and working with women to help ease the pain of childbirth, she is not well received by a male dominated society, after all it is 1945. When she’s called out to the Hilton household after the towns male Doctor has made some serious errors in the birthing room, Tessa ends up taking the blame for the deaths of mother and child.

In 1969, Alice Hilton, a six year old girl goes missing from Yew Tree Manor on New Years Eve, never to be seen again and the last person to see her is Bobby James.

In present day, Willow James is working with Leo Hilton to finally sell Yew Tree to a group of developers. When seven year old Siena Hilton goes missing, much like her Aunt before her, Willow must unravel the past to stop history from repeating itself and finally right the wrongs committed long ago.

A multi-generational saga of family secrets, love, loyalty, treachery, and social injustice. Told in three timelines this book grips you from start to finish. So grab your Pumpkin Spice latte, your cozy blanket and settle into your favorite chair, because this one has you saying just one more chapter until the final page is turned!

Not much of a secret here despite what’s promised in the title. Everything about this plot was painfully obvious from the first chapter. The wording used was in some cases very odd for the timeframes in the book. Not much research done I guess.

Just didn’t work out for me as a whole. At least it was a fast, if unfulfilling, read.

This is a great novel! It’s extremely well written and it’s gripping plot pulls you in at the very beginning. The characters are very well developed and the story is at times suspenseful and has many twists and turns. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I was not sure what to expect going into this book as I had read reviews that the multiple timelines made it difficult to follow. Not true for me! I found it made the book better and more suspenseful. The book focuses on two families one of high class and one of the lower class that are intertwined through time. Two little girls go missing years apart. I found that it kept me guessing until the end. There are not many books that I find myself thinking about when I'm not reading them. But this was one of them. It contains plenty of twists and turns and who doesn't like a "hidden room"? I will be looking forward to more from the author in the future. If your looking for a book that will keep you up reading late in the night this one is for you!!!

The Hiltons live in the manor house on the estate while the Jameses live in the old Vicarage. Two families, two social classes yet so connected to each other. The story follows the two families through several generations through ups and downs, love and loss. Through the years bad blood develops and yet the families are linked in different ways. This is a story of love, loss, lies and hope.

This was a great read that was hard to put down as I had to know what happened next. I figured a few things out early on, but a few were complete shocks to me. It’s a story that is well told and intriguing. You’ll want to read this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @mobius_books for the opportunity to read Emily Gunnis', The Midwife's Secret.

In a story spanning decades, the lives of two remarkably different families, the Hilton's and the James', are intertwined in a heartbreaking tale of loyalty, betrayal, injustice, and love.

Emily Gunnis' story begins with a cruel injustice that leaves the reader feeling angry and seeking retribution. As the story proceeds and regresses through the decades, the mysteries and betrayals escalate as the lives of each member of both families suffers unfortunate consequences.

The Midwife's Secret is a complex and captivating tale of
heartbreak and loss. Cruelty and suffering. Loyalty and love.
A compelling, page turning saga from beginning to end.

☆☆☆☆

This is a historical mystery that follows several generations of two intertwining families who experience significant loss and trauma. There is very much a class divide in this novel, and the greed of the upper class is the cause of many tragedies throughout the novel.

The mystery side of the book is rather weak; the two twists were easy to guess (especially if one has ever read or watched Sarah’s Key). The myriad family connections were confusing at first, and as a result, the book moved slowly in the beginning. The mystery plot did propel the book forward.

I found the retelling of the tuberculosis sanatoriums to be the most compelling part of this book. Of all the topics that came up (which included midwives tried as witches or tried for murder, abortion, cemeteries of the underprivileged discovered through development projects, and illegitimate children’s tenuous roles in highly divided societies) I found this to be the most sensitive and unique historical aspect of the book.

Also, the cousin incest was a very gothic touch, though it was almost entirely unexplored.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys late 20th century historical fiction, midwives, and a simple (but still tragic) mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mobius Books, for the ARC.

The Midwife's Secret, was my first book by Emily Gunnis, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This is a story love, loyalty and secrets, many secrets.

Alice is 6 years old. Born into a wealthy family, daughter of the powerful Richard Hilton. On New Years Eve in the late 1960's, Alice goes missing. Bobby James, stands accused. Bobby had some problems with Alice's father. Alice is never found.

Decades later, another little girl goes missing in the same house Alice went missing in. Are these two missing girl cases linked together? Does the key to what is happening now, lay buried in the past?

Willow, an architect now working at Yew Tree Manor, uncovers a secret. Willow knows a connection needs to be made between the two missing girls. There are wrongs that need to be made right and Willow will stop at nothing to find out what had happened all those years ago.

This was an exceptional novel and perfectly narrated. I would highly recommend everyone jump at the chance to purchase this novel on October 28, 2021.

“The Midwife’s Secret” is a sweeping tale about two families whose lives and livelihoods have been intertwined for generations. The Hiltons, living in Yew Tree Manor, are well-to-do; while the James, residing in a vicarage on the property, live in relative poverty. The two families are linked by love, hate, lies, and secrets.

This is a fairly complex novel, with three separate timelines. We get a family tree before we even get to the prologue, so you know there are going to be a lot of characters and relationships to keep track of. Admittedly it took me a bit of time to get everyone straight, and I had to refer back to the family tree multiple times, but overall I really enjoyed this well-crafted and well-paced story. Themes of social classism, sexism, and the value of midwifery are woven throughout. The suffering and injustices endured by the James family are heartbreaking.

Two of the storylines feature mysteries that revolve around missing children. It was fairly easy to figure out the 1969 scenario where Alice goes missing and is never found, but there were several twists in the 2017 timeline that I didn’t see coming. I did find the voices of both little girls to be a little too “old” for 6 or 7 year olds, but overall the characters are skillfully drawn and sympathetic (except the ones who are horrible people, of course!).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mobius Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.