Liz is a Postie (mail carrier) working in the town in which she grew up. She and her two young daughters are living with her oppressive mother following her contentious divorce from the girls’ father. Liz fancies herself a reporter and spends a lot of her free time taking notes on her neighbors doings. Twenty years earlier she and her only friend, Tamsin, befriended a young man who was there working at his grandfather’s hotel. The boy disappeared into the sea the last night they saw him. The novel is set in the present and also in their past, telling both stories. The present also includes Tamsin’s return to the manor house where all their earlier activities took place. The plot is complex with continual twists and turns. It is also well written and fast reading. The end was predictable but not expected, another sign of how well written it was. Thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this e-ARC.

I enjoyed this book and was hooked early on. It has lots of twists and surprises. I figured out some of the twists, but others were a complete surprise, which is the best thing in a thriller book. Everyone had their own secrets to hide, but they all came to light at the end and tied the story together very well

This is a very well written and exciting book, and I have to say whilst it wasn’t a crime novel where you were wondering who had committed the crime, it was nevertheless a page turner.

I felt for poor Liz, divorced, trying to bring up two girls, living with her dreadful mother, who was neither use nor ornament and so cold hearted and selfish, I think I would have put something in her food! Liz was a hard worker, and did her best. However, she is haunted by events that took place over twenty years ago, involving her best friend Tamsin and a young man.

When it seems Tamsin has returned to the area, and the big house after the death of her mother, she visits Tamsin. However, on seeing Tamsin again a few days later, things are not what they seem. Tamsin doesn’t seem to have any recollection of what happened in the past nor does she seem to recognise her.

What follows is Liz’s dogged determination to get to the truth. She is, of course, hampered by her mother and her ex husband’s custody threat.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and thought Liz was a modern day Miss Marple. An excellent read.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for the ARC.

This is a cleverly devised and delivered story. The story is a ‘then’ and ‘now’, taking place twenty years part. Everything goes wrong twenty years ago for Tamsin and Liz when a shared male friend lets them down then drowns. They leave and then find themselves back twenty years later. What happened to their friend still haunts them. Then the Tamsin Liz knows disappears and is replaced by a look alike. What’s happened to her friend. Then information is given gradually to the reader to keep up the tension. Eventually everything is solved and it is well worth waiting for. This is a well written book and more exciting than an ordinary murder mystery. I recommend it.

Although this was not rotten for the YA audience I feel that it would be best read by that age group. It involved lots of quirky people that added colour to the story and would relate more readily to the younger reader. The story is set with Now and Then chapters depicting life 20 years apart. I could not relate to Liz at all and certainly did not like the nasty other that she had. The story was good depicting both the lovely home life with the not so good one and there were other comparisons throughout the book .
I did it enjoy the writing style and the repetitive phrases that came up every so often. As a detective book this could have easily met the mark as the story basis had enough in it for me as a reader to. Want to find out the ending.

Super fun mystery/thriller. I received a copy of this ARC a week before publication date, and I was happy to read it right away. I really enjoyed the character of Liz - fantastic. She both strong and a bit of a mess. The supporting characters are great as well, and you really get a sense of the town of Easthaven. The ending is quite dramatic, but the overall book is such a delight that it didn't detract from the story.

The old house hides her darkest secret—and there’s no running away this time…

Twenty years ago, Liz left Easthaven to escape the memory of one tragic night at Lakewell Manor. Only she and her best friend Tamsin saw what really happened, and in the aftermath they drifted apart. Now she’s forced back after a nasty divorce, with two daughters in tow, the shadows of that terrible night lurking on every corner. With a custody battle looming, she’s one wrong move away from her life falling apart completely.

So when news arrives that Tamsin, too, is returning to Easthaven, Liz fears their reunion will bring the awful truth spilling out into the open. But when she finally meets Tamsin, now mistress of the clifftop house whose locked gates have guarded the friends’ secret all these years, she’s in for a surprise. Tamsin looks different, and she doesn’t remember Liz, let alone what happened that night…

Something is clearly wrong. But confronting Tamsin means reliving the nightmare Liz has been running from for twenty years. Can she risk exposing what happened that night, knowing that the truth will destroy everything?

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Lake Union Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I want to thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this galley in exchange for a honest review.

Tamsin and Liz become besties in Easthaven, a small Oceanside town, even though and in spite of difference in wealth and background. Both girls fall for the same guy and he plays both sides and ends up dead.

This is not your typical story. Both girls feel responsible for the guy's death but were they.? The truth does not come out for 20 years.

Both girls reunite in Easthaven after 20 years and the truth does come out finally but not without a lot of drama and detective work on Liz's part. A tale of true friendship for sure.

Great read and well written , I will definitely read and follow this author in the future!

Predictable suspense novel.

I liked the character of Liz even though she had a lot of personality quirks and issues. Having said that, she was the type of character that you rooted for to finally stand on her two feet and lead the way. Her mother was a piece of work, and I wish I could have crawled into the pages of the book and gave her a good smack.

The plot was very predictable and nothing new for the genre. The writing wasn’t bad, it was just predictable. Having said that, it was entertaining enough that I’d read another book by this author.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

In Secrets Between Friends Liz (our heroine) learns that no matter how many years ago something happened it doesn't always stay in the past, as one might want. Tracey Buchanan does an excellent job of bringing Liz's past to the present. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Press for an early copy to review.

Secrets Between Friends is a lighter mystery with a touch of a thriller element. The story is told in a duel timeline of past and present.
It took me awhile to get into the flow of the story. There are lots of twists and turns with so much mysterious things popping up which did keep me engaged in the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

So many ideas packed within the pages of this entertaining read…first love, triad romantic entanglements, secrets, best friends, murder, cheating husbands, family dynamics, custody battles, impersonations, supportive vs. mean mothers…the list is endless. Somehow they all worked together to have a role in this story. Liz, a curious postal carrier, was so quirky and interesting. Her friend, Tamsin, so mysterious. Their story, told bit by fascinating bit, is slowly revealed in chapters from 20 years ago and the present.
The most heartwarming part for me was the day of Liz’s visit to the courthouse. Tracy you have my sympathy. Losing a mother is so very painful.
Many thanks to Tracy Buchanan, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published book.

Liz, along with her two daughters, has reluctantly returned to Easthaven, despite disturbing memories of events which happened at Lakewell Manor, an old house built on the cliffs overlooking the sea. When Liz sees Tamsin, an old friend, she is concerned to find that she is back living in the house with its disturbing secrets of 20 years ago.
However, Tamsin looks and seems different to how Liz remembered her, and she doesn’t seem to recognise her old friend. Having previously been a journalist and becoming suspicious, Liz decides to use her skills to investigate her concerns.
The book is written from two timeframes, the past and present, and is full of intrigue and suspense with its mysterious old house and suspicious characters. I felt empathy for Liz living with a mother who is bitter and abusive, always putting her down, although you do wonder what secrets she is hiding from the past.
Characters are well drawn and develop well, though it would have given Liz’s mother’s character more depth if the reasons for her bitter, uncompromising attitude had been explored. Though parts of the plot seem far-fetched, there is a sense of mystery and suspense as this gripping story unfolds, which keeps you turning the pages.

Secrets Between Friends is written on a dual timeline between present day and twenty years ago. It tells the story of two friends (Tamsin and Lizzie), a handsome young man and a tragedy which has remained secret for many years. Shortly after the event, Tamsin left the village. But now she is back. After time away, Lizzie had already returned and settled with her two teenage daughters, moving in with her difficult elderly mother after her divorce. The story is about reunion, family issues and revenge. There’s also a mystery which Lizzie is determined to solve.
The plot moves seamlessly between past and present. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable, in fact some felt a little one dimensional. Lizzie is a big of a gung-ho character, acting from instinct, rather than thinking things through, which usually sees her getting into a lot of trouble. As a failed journalist now working for the post office delivering mail, she still keeps notes about neighbours (snooping really) - something that eventually is her undoing. Lizzie's mother is rude and devious, a horror of a woman and one I wanted to have her comeuppance. There were parts of the story where I felt I had to suspend belief, but the main thing was, by the end of the book I finished feeling I had been entertained, hence my decision to award four stars.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Tracy Buchanan for an ARC of Secrets Between Friends in exchange for an honest review

Wow! I absolutely loved reading this. Great story and very well written. Liz knows something is amiss with her old "friend" and is determined to get to the truth. Brilliant. Highly recommended.

The idea behind the story is a good one but I found this book rather disappointing. The characters never really ring true, and the plot is unbelievable. I found it a struggle to finish this book and I wouldn't really recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I throughly enjoyed reading this book, I couldn’t put it down and would highly recommend everyone to read it!

Great story of best friends, Liz and Tamsin. They have a twenty-year-old secret that drove Tamsin and her mom away and would be devastating to the present if found out. When Tamsin returns to her home by the sea - Lakewell Manor - because of her mom's death, things start to happen that are certainly very weird. Liz, well known for being impulsive, lost her previous job last year because of it, she is split from her husband, and can’t afford any trouble. Her exes' suit for custody of their two daughters' court date is looming. But how can she ignore the mystery of her very best friend?
This story is told from two eras, twenty years prior and present. It flows easily between the two times and is well-defined so you don’t get lost. Liz is struggling to walk the straight and narrow and her character is tested to the limits. I like her and feel for her with a mother so mean and spiteful one who doesn’t know how to love. Tamsin has a mother the complete opposite one who’s loving, caring, and sweet. Tamsin as a teen was reclusive and homeschooled for unknown reasons. The friendship between the two is immediate and deep. Each experienced their first love that fateful year so long ago.
Well written and easy to read, it keeps your interest and most of the events stay a mystery until the end. I recommend this story, it’s a quick read and there is no off-putting language. Thank you NetGalley and publishers Lake Union for this eARC this is my honest opinion. This is my first Tracy Buchanan book but won’t be the last. I give it four stars, not five even though I really like it because it didn't grip you and give you the heart-pounding action I crave but it is still a great read.

I like the premise of this book but unfortunately it was just too slow paced to keep my interest.

If you are looking for a slow easy read then I definitely recommend it. I just found I was too easily distracted from it and it didn't quite grip me.

The cover is what drew my attention to "Secrets Between Friends" and I was not disappointed. What a great read.

This was so middle ground that it's a firm 3 star book. Not great but not bad. Pretty slow and not really shocking, but the writing is very well done.