20 years ago, Liz and her best friend Tamsin, shared a tragic incident that shaped both their lives. They went their separate ways, with no intentions of ever coming back to Easthaven. Now Liz, plus her two daughters, has had to come back home following her divorce, to live with her bitter, unsympathetic mother. Liz is totally surprised to see Tamsin back at Lakewell Manor, and that the second time she sees her, Tamsin seems to have completely changed from the woman Liz had met a couple of days earlier.

I liked the premise of this book, two friends, scarred by a tragedy, returning to the area despite everything that has happened. Unfortunately, for me, Liz is not a very likeable character, her mother feels like a caricature of an evil, unfeeling parent and I was surprised that Liz hadn’t been sacked by her boss several times over. As the story went on I did become more invested in it, but also more frustrated with Liz's behaviour. It was a bit predictable the way the plot was going but I was pleasantly surprised with the plot twists at the end. Nicely written, just not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

This being my first read by this author. It took me sometime to get into it. Very slow going . But once 28 percent in . I raced through . A good mystery, especially if read whilst a storm is going on outside ,which in my case it was. 3✨️✨️✨️

Twenty years ago, Liz became fast friends with Tamsin, who lived in the sprawling cliffside Lakewell Manor. At the manor, Liz finds everything she isn’t getting at home – friendship, a loving maternal figure in the form of Tamsin’s mom, and even a budding romance with a handsome and mysterious young man. When tragedy strikes, all of the relationships Liz cherishes are destroyed. Now two decades later, Liz is a postal carrier (a postie! 😊 ) who keeps tabs on the residents of Easthaven while she delivers the mail. Tamsin has just returned to their small town, but something about her seems more than just a little off. What on earth is going on? Liz is determined to get to the bottom of things!

This is a solid story that leans more toward cozy mystery than thriller. Tracy Buchanan has a gift for writing small towns and quirky characters. Liz is appealing albeit a little odd, and I would have loved to see her weirdness and unreliableness fleshed out even more. You can’t help but feel sorry for Liz’s situation with her over-the-top horrible mother and custody dispute with her ex. The story is told on dual timelines, with the past holding my interest more than the present. Overall an enjoyable read that’s perfect for readers who like their mysteries and thrillers on the lighter side.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

While this wasn't my favorite Tracy Buchanan novel, it was certainly worth sticking with. I felt it started a little slow and contains a lot of unlikeable characters...Liz's mother is emotionally withdrawn and unloving, Scott, Liz's ex is trying to gain custody of their two daughters and the townsfolk are just mean. Despite something clearly being wrong with Tamsin, Liz doesn't go to the police because she is afraid a 20 year old secret will come out in the open.

I enjoyed the past/present way of reading the story and that helped weave the mystery of the current and past events together. Despite not being a dramatic enough mystery for me (we know all along what has happened 20 years prior) there are some surprises that come out towards the end. Overall, a quick read with a tidy ending.

Twenty years ago, Liz and introverted Tamsin strike an unlikely friendship. In Tamsin and her mother, Liz finds something she has never experienced, a loving mother daughter relationship. But every relationship has secrets, right?
Young and wealthy Gabe joins the duo and ends up disappearing. What does our duo have to do with it?

Both girls leave Easthaven behind them, only to return some twenty years later. Liz’s dream of being a successful journalist have failed. Her marriage ended in a nasty divorce and she is back where it all started, living with her mother. Liz works as a postal worker with dubious reputation.

Then Tamsin returns and the women meet again. Something weird happens the day after, Tamsin has changed. Not only so in appearance but also on behaviour. Something is up, and Liz starts to investigate.

In the beginning I really had trouble with Liz. She is nosy and I can’t explain it, but she does not come across as very serious. She is almost comical in an unintended way. But she grew on me. I still found her strange at times, but she had balls after all.

The story is solid and written fluently. The narrative changes between present and past. We get to meet a set of weird and quirky characters. Liz’s mother is just so cringe worthy, you can’t help to feel bad for Liz.

I am not the biggest fan of the citizen gone investigator trope. Yes, she solved the case, but it’s not what I go for in books. It was too much of a cosy mystery for me. I am not saying the book is bad, just not my style.

Clearly Woven Suspense,,,
Cleverly woven suspense where nothing is as it seems. What really happened at Lakewell Manor twenty years ago? Being forced to go back after all that time, Liz isn’t sure what to expect but the ghosts of the past lurk around every single corner. Only she and her former friend Tamsin know the truth and Liz is about to meet her again. Or is she? With a menacing underlying current of tension, a well drawn backdrop and an atmospheric narrative this is a gripping and immersive read.

Great story! Thank you NetGalley and Tracy Buchanan. I began my reading of Tracy’s work with the Forest Grove trilogy, which I did like, but love? No. Secrets Between Friends was better, much better constructed and voiced. Did I love it? Still no love, but a big sincere like.

The protagonist, Liz, a bit of a busy-body living with her horror of a mother in a job as a small town mail carrier. She’d fallen from grace, lost her job as a journalist and was involved in a custody fight with her ex-husband. You’d think she keep a low profile, but no she has a 20 year old friendship that she feels compelled to involve herself in that ended in a big secret. Now, back in the place things had gone wrong Liz stumbles onto some suspicious persons and events that threaten to turn her life on its ear.

Will she mind her own business to keep custody of her daughters? Will the community rally around her? Will her old secrets be revealed? You need to read this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the nice neat ending. Hope you will too.

Nothing is quite what it seems in this novel. The main character is Liz, working as a postie but a journalist at heart. Her best friend from their teenage years returns to the village after 20 years but is she really who she says she is? What really happened 20 years ago that they have kept secret? Read on to find out!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
This was a pretty good read, I really enjoyed it.
Liz is back in Easthaven after her divorce and her 2 daughters and her are living at her mum's, who is a really nasty woman. Liz is a 'postie' delivering the local mail, not the job she envisioned 20 years ago, but needs must.
Her best friend from 20 years ago is back too, but there's something off with her and Liz is determined to find out what.
It's an excellent mystery and I liked Liz, although I wish she had stood up to her mother and ex-husband more.
Sit back, relax and enjoy!

I have been a fan of Tracy Buchanan for a few years now & was thrilled when Netgalley sent me to ARC of Secrets Between Friends in exchange for an honest review. The first 25% wasn’t too interesting & a bit of a different read, set in England & whatnot. BUT I’m glad I stuck with it because when you get a bit further into the book, it grabs you & wont let you go. It was a different premise as well. Again, the first portion of the book may drag a bit but once past that, Secrets Between Friends does anything but. If the description appeals to you, get it & stick with it & you’ll certainly be glad you did!!

This book was pretty good, it took me awhile to get into it, but when i did, it moved pretty quickly and was resolved in a satisfying way. Not my favorite of her books but a decent read

So first thing first, I really really enjoyed this story, it was highly captivating, dramatic, intense and emotional in places, i could not turn those pages fast enough, just brilliant. It truly was well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable.

There is a mix bag of characters in the story, all of whom I enjoyed getting to know and then trying to figure out if they were being honest, lying, untrustworthy or up to know good. There were times when I just didn’t know who to believe.

I liked how the talk was told from the past and the present, it really gives the story depth as well as being immersed in the background story of the past. I absolutely loved the mystery side to the story and couldn’t wait to see how the story played out and how the mystery became solved.

So if you are looking for a mystery sort of story that evolves around a tragic event in the past that never goes away in the small community of Easthaven and comes back for its revenge in the present, then look no further and be sure to give this book a go.

I was worried at first about the direction this story was headed, but I shouldn't have doubted this author! Liz is a mail carrier who has recently returned home to Easthaven with her two daughters after a bitter divorce. They have moved back in with her mother and I'll tell you, as bad as the situation was with her ex-husband, it couldn't have been worse than it is with her mother! She's a terrible, nasty woman who insults Liz non-stop, even in front of Liz's teenage daughters. She's a perfect example of a character that you love to hate!

So Liz is excited to hear that her old friend, Tamsin, is also back in town. They used to hang out all the time as teenagers in Tamsin's huge home on the cliff, Lakewell Manor. Not only did Liz get along well with Tamsin, but with her mother, too. When she was at Lakewell, she felt like part of a real loving family, something completely foreign to her. But then came the night that changed everything. Tragedy tore her idyllic summer apart and now that she's back home, she's constantly bombarded by those bad memories. However, she tries her best to push them aside and reunite with her old friend.

She meets with Tamsin briefly but they don't have a chance to really connect before the visit is cut short. It's when Liz goes back another day that she senses a change in Tamsin. Why does everything about her seem slightly off now? She looks a little different and acts a LOT different. She almost seems like a different person...

Now the story really takes off, and it's impossible to stop racing through the pages to reach the end. And then just when you think it's all been explained...there's more! And it keeps happening! Don't kid yourself that you have this one figured out, because you don't. It's an awesome end to a amazing story - do not let this book pass you by!

Secrets Between Friends is a delicious mystery with a big old house set behind a locked fence where no-one can come in.
When the current owner of Lakefield Manor, Tamsin, was younger she was great friends with Liz, who reveled in the mother daughter bond that they shared with her. A new friend, Gabe, joined the friendship - but then disappeared.
Liz has come back to town after a failed marriage and career, to live with her mother. She is reluctant given what happened to Gabe - it is not clear if she and Tamsin had something to do with it but it appears so. They certainly know what happened.
When Liz reunites with Tamsin things are very strange. Her friend has no memory of the past and seems quite different.

The story is told in the past and the present - I preferred the past story but the greatest mystery is in the present.

A good mystery - would be best read with a storm outside and a blanket on your lap. And a hot beverage of course.
Thanks to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for this advanced reader copy

I received an ARC of, Secrets Between Friends, by Tracy Buchanan. Liz is haunted by her past. When Tamzin and her old friend Liz meet again, they wonder if their secret will come out. I thought it was an ok read.

This was a great mystery. I was pulling for Liz to have a happy ending and wanted to find out what really happened twenty years ago.

Liz is living back in Easthaven after a nasty divorce. She’s trying to keep custody of her two daughters and dealing with living in the same house as her mean-spirited mother. Her job as a Royal Mail carrier gives Liz the opportunity to visit community members and keep tabs on what’s going on in Easthaven.

Tamsin’s family owns Lakewood Manor. Her mother recently passed away and now Tamsin has returned to Easthaven. She and Liz were inseparable as teenagers. The girls share a tragic story and secrets that they would prefer stay hidden.

When a mystery threatens to reignite an old mystery, Liz fears the truth will come out. Tamsin has changed and Liz fears for her safety but can she save her without revealing everything?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. It was a quick read for me .It kept me guessing til the end.I recommend this book. 4 stars .I would read other books by this author.Thanks to the publisher & author for this ARC.Also thanks to Net Galley .My honest review in exchange for this ARC has been provided.

I really enjoyed reading this one! It was thrilling and awesome, and full of twists you couldn’t imagine coming!

Unfortunately this book was rather slow for me. I tried to keep with it but I kept getting sidetracked. It will appeal to readers who prefer slow, easy reads.

“Secrets Between Friends” by Tracy Buchanan is a mystery. It wasn’t quite what I expected, to be honest, but that’s not a bad thing. I was expecting a bit more of a thriller aspect - and there is some - but this read more as a mystery to me. I liked the dual time line and it was easy to keep “now” apart from “then. I also liked the suspense regarding what happened in the past and how that was being played out against the present. I also liked the over-arching story arch - it was a good idea and interesting. But, this book felt flat for me with some of the twists taken, some of the red herrings thrown in, and some of the conclusions for the characters. I liked that the main character was a postal employee - rare to see in novels these days. While the main character’s mother and ex-husband were there for drama, for me they seemed “mean/bad” because they could. Again, great idea and it was an interesting read, just not quite what I was expecting.