Loved it! I was a huge fan of the characters. Very conflicting but I could I identify with all of them. The narrator was tolerable to listen to and told the story well.

Thank you so much for allowing me to preview this.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed listening to this book - but it likely won't be one I frequently recommend or one that I think about in the future. It was a dynamic family drama with plenty of twists and turns; the end reminded me of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.

The narration was good - sometimes it was hard to figure out which POV I was hearing - but I think that was more on the editing, than the narrator's performance.

Dear Secrets of Our House,
You were a quick listen, and I liked your story. Your characters were interesting, if a bit one note. Desi was hard, and a bit single minded, often putting important things to the side to think about "the one that got away'. Jules was the exact opposite of her mother, all feeling and impulse, when some level-headedness would have served her better for her life decisions. There were a few parts where the timeline had me scratching my head, wondering how things had developed so quickly, or characters recovered from major accidents in a short period of time. But the thing that really knocked me down was pretty much everything that happened after the plane crash. The medical stuff felt unrealistic and poorly researched. I had a hard time suspending my sense of reality while listening to you, and I just didn't get locked into any of the characters.

Secrets of Our House is a domestic drama filled with a plethora of long kept secrets within one family. Told in dual POV, this book is told over a period of 1 year through the eyes of the mother, Desi and her daughter, Jules. How many secrets can a person keep before their lives all around them come tumbling down??

Desi has the life she has always wanted. Successful at her job, a home in the city, a beautiful vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina, and a happy family. But she is NOT happy. Her marriage is falling apart and her daughter is about to leave for college. Life is about to become way too real. As a last ditch effort, the family of 3 get away to their vacation home for one last family get together and that's where things begin to unravel and extra guests arrive to add to the drama.

Jules has fallen in love. She is about to turn 18 and has found the love of her life. Will is older and is a pilot, but seems like he cares for Jules just as much as she does him. But Will has a lot going on at home that has affected the decisions he's made with his life. Will his decisions weigh on Jules or has she made decisions unbeknownst to those around her?

Rea Frey created a layered story of one family and the secrets that they've kept from one another, ultimately creating a whirlwind of chaos. The story builds and builds peeling away the layers slowly through loss and tragedy, until all that's left is a naked truth.

I enjoyed the way Ms Frey took one family's secrets and made them our own. This family had a lot to unpack and it was obvious to the reader, but not always to the characters. I felt like some of the dramatic scenes weren't absolutely necessary (the things that happened during Jules 18th birthday? what the heck?), but then again, they also showed us who these characters were and wanted to be.

Secrets of Our House is wonderfully written and with a pacing that reflects well on the story and the journey of the characters to get to their truths. I liked how it was divided into the four seasons and we got to see how the characters evolved with each season.

Lastly, as I listened to the audio, I have to add that Samantha Desz did a phenomenal job with both Desi and Jules. Her performance of the mother and daughter really made me feel the relationship between the two as their stories collided. I felt their relationship was just as much at the core of this story as the secrets that were unspooling.
If you enjoy character driven stories with a bit of drama to them, pick up this Dramatic Domestic Suspense.

The Narration for Secrets of Our House was fantastic. It really kept me invested in this domestic thriller. I enjoyed the way to story slowly built to what the moms true secret was, though I was able to guess what it was. But that didn't take away from the story for me. I liked the duel perspective of Desi and Jules, you see life through mom and daughters eyes. I felt for Jules and there family dynamic, it seemed they had it all but they really didn't. There is a lot that happens between their own family and also with Will's (who's Jules boyfriend) family. Bear attack to plane crashes, They all seemed to handle it all remarkably well. I do have to say that were things that I felt really didn't need to be in the story and didn't add much to the story.


Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin's and Netgalley for my free audio copy for review

Secrets of Our House is categorized as a slower-paced domestic thriller by Rea Frey. The book alternates between the perspectives of the two main characters, Desi, an interior designer who is tied to a problematic, rather loveless marriage, and her daughter Jules, who is headed off to college in the Fall. The story takes place while the characters are vacationing at their summer home in mountains of North Carolina, (though we get the full plot over the course of a year) before Jules heads off to college, though she is reluctant to leave due to her new relationship with Will, who has family troubles of his own.

This is an atmospheric story riddled with secrets, and the potential consequences that accompany them. The story steadily builds momentum, and tension mounts as traumatic and shocking events begin to unfold. The first half of this book is a rather slower-paced build toward the apex of the story, while the latter portion is definitely a fast-paced, heart-pounding ride. So if you’re not a fan of a slower set-up, this might not work for you. It’s truly more of a darker family drama with a heavy dose of thriller added.

The audio narration of this book was done by Samantha Desz, and she did a beautiful job voicing both Desi and Jules. She portrays both women as strong female leads with clear, distinct voices.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for my free audio-version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story filled with secrets. A family living . . . tiptoeing around each other and finding themselves weighed down by their hidden things.

The story is told by alternating between the voice of Desi (the mom) and Jules (the daughter). Desi isn't an incredibly likable character, and yet I was very interested in her perspective. I really enjoyed Jules as a character. I wanted everything to work out for her, and I found myself connecting with her easily.

There is so much tension in this narrative. Desi has just built the house of her dreams in a remote location, giving the family space to breathe. Unfortunately, there is a stress marriage weighing down on them, and it doesn't feel like there's any air. The author did a great job of bringing this tension to life through the story!

This was a slow-burn that had me trying to figure out what exactly was happening. The start was a bit slow as I tried to understand what exactly this story was about, but about halfway through, it sped up, and everything started coming together.

I would recommend this one for readers that enjoy getting to know characters in a story that peels back the story layers slowing, letting you savor every moment!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I've seen this book be called a "thriller" or "suspense"... but it just wasn't that. It's more of a family drama in which none of the family members are particularly likeable so it's difficult to root for anyone.
So, if you're into that kind of thing this book is for you, but if not... avoid.

This book was a little slow to get going, but once it did it was an intriguing domestic drama.

The narrative is divided between two main characters: Desi, an exacting home designer who is in a troubled marriage to Peter, and Jules, their young adult daughter. They live in Chicago, but are spending the summer at their house in a small town in North Carolina. Jules is supposed to be heading to college in the fall, but she is in a budding relationship with Will, whose mother is dying from cancer, and Jules doesn't want to go away to school.

The book goes back and forth between the two perspectives. There are a few surprises, but I wasn't a fan of how everything played out in the end, it seemed very unrealistic (view spoiler) I think if the pacing had been a bit more even rather than such a long, long buildup, I probably would have liked this book better. As it is, the last third is incredibly exciting and gripping, but the first two-thirds is sloooowwwwwwwww.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator Samantha Desz is excellent giving voice to Desi and Jules. She has narrated Frey's previous novels and does a great job with them. She gives the female characters a strong demeanor rather than whiny, which is how some of the interactions could have come across with a less skilled narrator.

If you like domestic drama and can handle a slow build, you might want to give this one a try.

Looks like my review is NOT in line with the majority of the others, which is fine with me since I'm giving an honest review after getting the opportunity to listen to it from Netgalley.

To me, Desi is the "pot calling the kettle black" with the advise she gives her daughter Jules, but never followed herself. Situations and circumstances portrayed in the story were so over the top and unbelievable. I've never disliked a main character more than I did (do) Desi.

Thank you @stmartinpress @netgalley for ALC. I could not stop listening to this story. It grabs your attention from the first chapter with the lives of Desi and her family. I love how the truths unravels and so much twists and turns.

The last 25% of the book hard my heart pounding and crying.

The narration was great and kept me invested in the story.

I did this one on audio, and it didn't do a great job of keeping my attention. To me the audio narrator didn't really bring the story alive, there were some really intense moments involving a plane I just felt like she was reading along the story in the same voice she had used the whole book. Maybe I've gotten spoiled by some outstanding audio narrators but I just didn't connect with the story through audio. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my copy.

Desi is an interior decorator living in Chicago and she built her dream vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina. They will spend the last summer before her daughter, Jules, goes off to college but it is also the last ditch effort to save Desi and Peter's marriage. Jules has also fallen in love with a local boy and is questioning her future plans to stay and become an EMT. When Desi tries to intervene she sets events in motion that will change all of their lives.

This is a domestic drama told in dual POVs from Desi and Jules and really shows interesting mother-daughter dynamics fraught with tension. The first half was a bit slower for me but the second half when tensions were high and the story line started to fly. This is a family that has secrets, regrets, and must learn to survive amidst new challenges. I didn't fully understand some of their choices but loved the drama and was so invested in their characters and where they ended up.

This is also a highly atmospheric book, taking place in the wilderness of North Carolina.

The audio was fantastic with great pacing, bringing each character to life.

This book feels like a story that might play-out well in a film format but, I, unfortunately, struggled to get through this audiobook. The narrator did a good job & I wanted to like the story but couldn't really ever invest my energy into becoming invested in the story. This is why I feel as though a visual means would be a good way to have the story play-out; we could quickly work our way through twists & turns without feeling like we were walking through mud fields to get there.

This book reads like a soap opera filled with family tension, infidelity and a “big secret” which was easy to guess from early on. This was labeled as a mystery and thriller, but I found it to be mainly a family melodrama. Although there were many plot lines, I thought the characters were rather flat. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. The narration by Samantha Desz was very good, but the story was just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio copy of Secrets of Our House, in exchange for an honest review.

Desi is a successful interior decorator living in Chicago. She has built her dream vacation home in the lush mountains of North Carolina where her family is the happiest. She is able to decompress in the perfect home she has crafted while her survivalist husband and daughter can spend their days in the wild. They will spend the last summer before her daughter, Jules, goes off to college but there is more riding on this summer than any other, Desi and Peter must decide if their marriage can be saved. Desi has sacrificed and stayed with Peter for years but has secretly been in love with another man. When they cross paths just prior to the trip Desi's head begins to swim with the possibility of leaving Peter for her long lost love. At the same time, Jules has fallen in love with a local boy who she wants to skip college and just become a local EMT in order to stay with him. When her mother tries to intervene she sets events in motion that will change all of their lives forever.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read/listen to Rea Frey's newest work because I was such a huge fan of her previous works, but I had to confess that this one was a disappointment. It is told from the perspective of both Desi and Jules which I did like. The whole story is very predictable and the characters are extremely selfish and self-centered, tending to blame others for their bad life choices. I still enjoy Frey's writing style but this one was missing the cleverness of her previous novels. I had the audio version read by Samantha Desz who did a great job.

I was given a copy of this arc by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A good story to be told, with some redeeming features, although I found some of the characters somewhat annoying and I really did not think the title of the book fit with the story.

This story was wow, could not put down!
Desi and her family, husband Peter and jewels her daughter take the summer to the black house in the mountains Of North Carolina. Desi and Peters last hope to save their marriage and jewels first time falling in love, while the summer moves in a visitor from Desi past comes to visit, and shakes her to her core. Tommy, desi brother also makes his way in to the story being a sound board for jewels and her wishes. As time moves on Desi see that all her dreams she had when she was younger came true at a price she didn’t realize.
Jewels is questioning if she even belongs in the city and should she go off to college, or stay where she is after she falls in love with Will, a local boy and his family. Follow in her father footsteps of helping people, Thinking her mom doesn’t know her at all, but does she?

After a terrible accident we are left to wonder will everything be okay in the end?

This book left me with that what if feeling, do the choice we make really define us, or do they make us? I was at time annoyed with how Desi acted. It also make me want to sit in a cabin in the mountains.

I got the advance copy of the audiobook from NetGalley for my honest review. Thank you!

Omigosh this book. ⁣
⁣
Engaging, propulsive, and with a dramatic, heart-pounding final act, Secrets of Our House is a dazzling novel, richly-drawn, that shows no matter how hard outside forces may shake you, the bonds of family are stronger than the harshest winds.⁣
⁣
I flew through this because the drama was literally non-stop. Just when you think things are settling down, secrets are safely buried… BAM! Think again. Forget what you know about family drama - this book takes it to a whole new level. From secret loves, to first times, accidents and cancer - even the wilderness seems out to get them.⁣
⁣
A really fun read - family drama in all it’s glory, with all the secrets, twists, and shocking reveals that propel this deeply-felt, intense novel.⁣

Really great audio narration as well.

Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal abound at The Black House. If these walls could talk.

A modern emotional story of loss and healing—unraveling the buried truths of love, family, and forgiveness.

The savvy bestselling author and talented storyteller Rea Frey returns with a heartfelt dazzling "grown-up" novel about fractured families. Her previous books (I have read them all and been a fan since her debut) feature mothers and younger children.

SECRETS OF OUR HOUSE showcases a successful businesswoman and architect, Desi (wife and mother), married to Peter (ex-Marine), and a mother to her daughter, Jules, a brilliant college student with a bright future. They reside in Chicago, and this is their vacation home in NC.

Set in the beautiful Western North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains at The Black House in a fictional town called River Falls. Surrounded by nature and the wilderness, this stunning luxurious contemporary home features floor-to-ceiling glass, steam showers, a spa, a sauna, a gym, and all the modern high-tech touches.

Designed by Desi, the famous architect, their home is located on the crest of a bulbous mountaintop on almost an acre of land. The house was supposed to be their haven, but it has turned into a keeper of dark secrets within its walls.

Desi feels she is running out of time. She and Peter will be empty nesters; however, they have grown apart. Their marriage is in trouble. Her daughter is grown up about to start a life of her own. They barely communicate.

One decision can affect so many lives. Desi thinks about Carter. The guy she loved. Her choices and her future. Is Desi the architect of all their lives?

Now Carter surfaces and Desi must make some tough choices. Jules, her daughter, also struggles with a life-changing decision and keeps secrets. Jules and Will are in love, but what does their future hold?

Rea deftly takes us through the seasons from summer, fall, winter to the following summer. From mother and daughter POV Desi and Jules, we soon learn their stories are more similar than they know.

Through loss came clarity. Through tragedy came truth. Through all the darkness comes light. From hidden secrets to honesty, the characters gained the possibility of a more honest future and a road to recovery. Life is not always IG. It is messy.

SECRETS OF OUR HOUSE is compelling and thought-provoking—an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.

The novel is a little different than her past psychological thrillers in that it is more focused on character development, family drama, marriage, motherhood, and essential life lessons. Well-written, there are emotions, guilt, shame, suspense, tension, and loads of secrets and lies. There are some major takeaways here.

Rea is known for her signature writing of mother-daughter relationships, and she does not disappoint.

With lyrical prose, there are beautiful symbols and metaphors. The survivalist and wilderness parts combined with the beauty of both the house and the setting of nature are sharp contrasts of our lives. The weather, nature, and the wilderness can be beautiful and dangerous.

Keeping secrets and locking them away in the darkest parts of self and the fear of hurting someone can often backfire. Often it is better to be RIP off the band-aid than let it fester.

On a side note: As I was reading/listening to this well-written, thought-provoking drama, it made me think of the new TV drama, "Ordinary Joe." I adore this show, and if you have not watched it— it follows a man, Joe, and the three possible paths he could have taken in life based on a single decision made ten years earlier at his college graduation. In all three paths, there are clear benefits and hardships.

As the novel portrays as well as "Ordinary Joe" and "This Is Us"—have we all not second-guessed ourselves, our past decisions, and our path in life? Choices we made or did not make. Courses we could have taken, or people in our lives. The what-ifs?

Highly recommend all Rea's books. (if you have not read her backlist, do so). She is an incredibly gifted writer featuring real-life characters, emotions, and vivid settings that continue to draw readers in. Plus she is a heck of a business superwoman and podcast host helping aspiring writers.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the talented narrator—Samantha Desz (always enjoy) for an outstanding listening experience as well as read the e-book. Highly recommend the audiobook. I always purchase the audio with this same narrator for Rea's books.

A special thank you to Get Red PR, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillian Audio for a digital and audio ARC.

Blog Review:
@JudithDCollins
#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 stars)
Pub Date: Feb 8, 2022