Found this an intriguing book to say the least with plenty of twists and turns in it to leave one wondering but very enjoyable x

Following an upsetting incident at work Emily Gentle returns to her childhood home. Her elderly father has employed young French woman as his carer and Emily is concerned that the woman is preying on her father for money.

The book starts well and I really liked the twist at the end, however I really struggled with the vast majority of the story. I couldn't engage with any of the characters, the story-line jumped around too much and was contradictory at times.

With thanks to Penguin and the author for ARC in return for an honest review

I loved the setting of the house and could see, feel and almost smell the sea

However

The only characters I actually liked in this book were Joe and Nick

Harold is a grumpy, malicious old man
Françoise, just couldn’t take to her
Emily needs grit and backbone

Therefore through my dislike of these their characters were well written, not sure if anyone is meant to like them, but I did find the story long and predictable

Emily returns home to her father's after a stressful situation in her job as a midwife.. She finds a beautiful french woman Francoise looking after her ailing father...all is not quite what it seems and hereon in unravels quite a tale..who is telling the truth and what is the truth? I loved the fact that interwoven is the story of Harolds life...
A great read. Highly recommend. Kept me hooked and I definitely will be recommending to friends and family.

I found this a little hard going. It was interesting and different to what I was expecting, but I still struggled a little with the writing. However, if you can stick with it, it is an interesting read.

I get excited when I see a new book from Jane Corry is out, so I was looking forward to reading We all have our Secrets.
Emily is a midwife working in a London hospital when she makes a near fatal error. She is suspended from working pending an investigation. So, she decides to go back and see her father for reassurance to the family home Wilowmead house in Cornwall. But, when she gets there, she is surprised that he has hired a young French woman called Francoise as a Carer.
Emily straightway gets jealous as he confides in Francoise better than he has with his own daughter Emily. Even given a pair of earrings that was her late mothers, that was supposed to be given to her. After Emily starts delving into Francoise past, she no doubt thinks she is only there to steal his money. But what Emily doesn’t know that Francoise is her half-sister. So, when their father dies. Both are accused of his murder. Both have motive.
Thank you, Penguin, for a copy of We all have our secrets for an honest review. This story was told in two points of views and the time when Harold was in the war, and I liked the premise of this story. It has a strong start of Emily being accused of misconduct in her job and her returning to the family home.
When we are introduced to Francoise and her background was revealed the time Harold was in the war. The story started getting too overwhelming at time and I got confused what was going on. I also thought that the ending just went on and on and I didn’t think the author knew when it should end. I just thought some of it was unnecessary. This is an interesting read, but I don’t think it’s the authors finest work. 3.5 from me.

An engaging and well written family based crime novel with plenty of twists and turns. Told mainly from the viewpoint of two women , who may or may not be half sisters, I found myself changing my mind often about who the ‘baddie’ might be. First book I’ve read by this author but I’ll certainly look for others.

A really great suspenseful family drama. With lots of dark secrets, hidden family drama and a well drawn out plot.

I was given an ARC of this book, which has been described as a domestic thriller – spot on!

I was immediately drawn into this story about Emily, a complex character infused with guilt, compassion and hurt. Then there’s Francoise, a beautiful young woman who was now taking care of Emily’s father...

The plot was about the secrets and the thoughts and feelings of Emily and Francoise. As each POV is recognised, the story unfolded and the secrets were revealed.
The writing style was great, with enough descriptions to bring a sense of place, while its pace steamed along, bringing with it insight into relationships and how secrets can fester life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked how the secrets were brought into the light. I liked the writing style and how it switched from Emily to Francoise. Yes, it was sad and disturbing in parts, and yet, that’s life.

Overall, for me, this was a five-star read.

Recommended.

This is the first book I read from this author and I’ve enjoyed it. Although it’s more a suspense family drama than a crime thriller. It’s a well crafted story and very compelling . The fact that the characters had secrets that came tumbling out as the story unfolds, made them very interesting. The only problem for me was that I expected it to be a fast paced thriller, and it turned out to be a slow burn and not a page turner.

An engaging read told from Francoise and Emily POV, two half sisters living together taking care of their elderly father. Emily has just learned about Francoise and the pair do not see eye to eye. As their father nears the end of his life and the pair take it in turn to sit with him , can either of them trust the other to take care of him All the main characters are hiding something . The twists in this book will leave you wanting to finish it in one or two sessions. I found myself switching sides numerous times a good solid read.

This book really pulls you in from the beginning. I switched so many times between being on Emily’s side or Francoise’s.
The secrets and lies unravel at just the right pace to keep you engaged but keep the suspense running.
I felt like the epilogues at the end went on a little too long, but other than that this was a great read and I’d highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy

A really easy to read, light hearted mystery.

Jane Corey has such a talent for character development. Each of her characters she has created for this book feel utterly real and totally relatable. And the way in which she has chosen to write this novel really lends itself to the power play between these two strong females.

Told from Emily and Francoise’s point of view you are given a real insight to their individual thoughts, feelings and history. Allowing the reader to both empathise and judge their character. All the characters are liars and all have secrets that they are struggling to hide from everyone, even themselves.

The parts I enjoyed most in this book were the moments between Emily and Francoise. Their struggles to out-bid one another and gain Harold’s affections were, for me the most engaging part of the book. Trying to figure out what Emily has done and just what it is Francoise wants or thinks she is going to achieve is about as twisty as this book gets.

Whilst I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book. I was disappointed that there wasn’t any huge reveal or shocking truth. The latter part of the book fell totally flat and just drifted. To make matters worse the ‘ending’ seemed to never end… and THEN there’s an epilogue! Why? I thought I’d just read that bit and then I’m presented with more waffle.

It felt like Jane Corey lost her way with this book. The writing style is undoubtedly brilliant and very engaging. But the story lacked fluctuations and twists. Added to that it didn’t really have any ending. Even the ending was trying to add new things. I like the sentiment at the end about beginnings and endings, and infact there’s lots of lovely little anecdotes throughout - but sadly this book didn’t stand up to the others she had written.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read this over two days as was so intrigued, I just had to get to the bottom of the story, I was completely confused over which character to trust right to the end. I loved the Cornwall setting. I will definitely be reading more Jane Corry books.

I'm a big fan of Jane Corry so was thrilled to see this in my NetGalley inbox.
We All Have Our Secrets has likeable characters and an easy plot - a book you can read in one sitting.
4 stars.

I've loved all of Jane Corry's novels and this one doesn't disappoint! It's set in Cornwall which I loved as it is fully evoked by the writer, and also has part of the story taking place in France. There are two main female characters, Emily and Françoise and throughout the novel my opinions about them changed as I couldn't work out who to trust - the sign of a great thriller! Highly recommended.

I have read all this authors previous books and loved them. This book was not the fast paced thriller that I had expected. It was slow and at times I found that it did not hold my attention.

Many thanks to netgalley and Jane Corey for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I enjoyed this suspense-filled family drama. You might start off thinking it's going to be a crime-laden thriller, but it's more subtle than that (which may not be for everyone).

Emily is a midwife who, after a terrible mistake a work, runs back home to her 93-year-old father's house in Devon. She's shocked to find he's being cared for by a young French woman, Francoise, who is obviously not pleased at Emily's sudden arrival. Everyone has secrets to hide, including her father. But who will kill for them?

It's a story about family and secrets, misunderstandings, and even forgiveness. While we start off with Emily's POV, the story changes later to allow us to see Francoise and even her father's point of view too. It could get confusing here, but I enjoyed the different perspectives and they allowed the story to change in a way I hadn't expected (not a twist, as such, but showing me new insights).

I do think there's a chance you could pick it up thinking there's going to be a lot of focus on the midwife drama or a possible suspense angle there - but in this book it's the family in Devon that's very much at the centre of the tale, and it's better for it.

A very enjoyable read that is well written. I would say it was more of a domestic drama than a thriller but a great story nonetheless. Good characters and well paced throughout.

Really twisty and full of suspense I enjoyed this. A young midwife is fleeing from a mistake she potentially made but runs home into a much more complex situation when she finds her elderly father has employed a career who is not quite what she seems. This book explores an absolute tangle of secrets and lies with the added complexities of family ties and war bourne trauma and the psychological repercussions. The story develops slowly and skilfully, not spilling all of the secrets at once, rather leaking them stealthily a little at a time. It definitely held my interest really well and cleverly kept changing my viewpoint and loyalties. A definite recommend from me.