In “Secrets Between Friends,” Liz and Tamsin, two women who were best friends when they were seventeen, both return to the fishing village of Easthaven twenty years after someone they knew named Gabe died under the cliffs of Lakewell Manor, Tamsin’s family mansion. Liz now works for the Royal Mail delivering the mail, while Tamsin is now a famous poet. Tamsin has returned because her mother just died and Tamsin is trying to decide what to do with Lakeview Manor, which has fallen into disrepair after twenty years of neglect. Liz returned to the village to live with her cantankerous mother and Liz’s two teenage daughters on the heels of a recent divorce and a mysterious disgrace at her work as a postal worker in Manchester.

Liz sees Tamsin at Lakeview Manor shortly after Tamsin’s return and their friendship appears to be rekindled as they reminisce about old times, carefully avoiding the topic of Gabe. With Tamsin is a Gabe lookalike called Carl, with whom Tamsin appears to be deeply enthralled. But the next day, when Liz returns to the manor, she discovers an entirely different Tamsin. Her hair is darker, her features are slightly different, and she remembers nothing about their shared past. Instead she is rude and dismissive. When Liz discovers Carl and the woman she thinks of as the “Fake Tamsin” burning Tamsin’s clothes, Liz begins to suspect that something sinister is occurring and that the real Tamsin is in serious trouble. However, Liz cannot report her suspicions to the police, because of her mysterious fall from grace in Manchester, which makes her an unreliable source.

I wanted to like this book because I generally love novels set in England; however, this book failed to resonate with me. It felt like it plodded along as Liz dealt with her postal rounds, her mistreatment by her horrible mother, and her concerns about a custody battle with her ex-husband. Moreover, the characters, particularly the “villains,” felt somewhat one dimensional, almost like caricatures. This may just be my own personal bias, because the underlying plot was fairly interesting with the intrigue surrounding what happened to Gabe twenty years ago, what happened to the real Tamsin in the present, and what “Fake Tamsin” and Carl’s plan involved. Moreover, the character of Liz was well-drawn with all her eccentricities. For these reasons, others may find this book entertaining enough.

Twenty years ago, tragic events at a manor house saw Liz and her best friend Tamsin fleeing from the small coastal town of Easthaven. Now, after a messy divorce and losing her job, Liz has had to return to the town, and she and her two daughters move in with Liz's nasty mother, who belittles her at every opportunity.
Liz soon discovers that Tamsin too is returning to the manor house where she was brought up, so she goes to see her. Even after all these years they find their relationship was just as if they had never been apart, and they enjoy a lovely afternoon in the garden, along with Tamsin's new partner.
However, the next time she sees her, it is just as if Tamsin doesn't recognise her. She doesn't even look like the same woman. Tamsin is a published poet, and loved her books & poems but when Liz visits the manor she finds some of her books strewn about the place, and some left out in the garden. Tamsin would never do that to her beloved books!
Liz is convinced that this isn't the Tamsin she saw in the garden on that first day, and realises that she could be in danger. Are the events of the past be coming back to haunt her? And more importantly, can she help her old friend?......
I abslutely loved this book! Well written and fast paced, with a while mix of differing personalities, and an old mystery. I would love to read more from Tracy Buchanan.

This is my first read by Tracy Buchanan. It started out slow and took me a long time to read. I liked the dual timeline the book presented. I felt it flowed easily back and forth. The MC was not great and found her to be annoying. The plot twists were okay but did not wow me.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Liz is going through a divorce and has moved back to her home town and is living with her cruel mother, who has never shown Liz any love or understanding.
Her ex husband is trying to get custody of their two daughters, Ruby and Mia.

Liz and Tamsin were friends when they were teens, and were both in love with the same guy, Gabe. One night, something shocking happens, and Gabe disappears, and Tamsin moves away.


Tamsin returns home after the death of her mother, with her boyfriend, Carl, who is the spitting image of Gabe.

Liz meets Tamsin and feels as at home with her as she did as a teenager.

Yet, the next day, Tamsin is just so different. Liz feels as though she could be a different person.

The story is told from the past and the present, and is truly dramatic and absorbing. I liked that Liz is a 'postie' and keeps tabs on the people on her route. However, her dream is to be a journalist, and she writes down all of her observations, which ultimately gets her into a lot of trouble!

I really liked this book, it is the first that I have read by Tracy Buchanan, and it flowed beautifully and many secrets were uncovered by the end of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the town of Easthaven, Lakewell Manor sits, dark and imposing up on the cliffs. Twenty years ago Liz’s best friend Tasmin lived in the manor. One night something terrible happened that they have kept a secret ever since. Something so bad that forced Liz and Tasmin to flee Easthaven and not look back in the intervening twenty years.

Now, Liz is a single mother with two teenage daughters, struggling to make ends meet. She is forced to move back to Easthaven and move in with her bitter, spiteful mother, while also fighting a custody battle with her ex-husband. She gets a job as the local postwoman. She is finally getting her life on track, but suddenly when passing the locked gates of Lakewell Manor, she sees Tasmin. What is she doing back? When she comes back the next day to find out more from Tasmin she gets even more of a surprise. Tasmin doesn’t seem like herself. Convinced there is something sinister going on, Liz pulls out all her previous investigative journalist skills to get to the bottom of it. But she is risking everything in the process, chasing what everyone says are delusions and outright crazy accusations.

When I started reading this book I initially thought it was not for me. Single mother, trying to remake her life in a small town, divorce, reconnecting with old friends. But I am stubborn when I start reading a book and don’t like not finishing one. I am glad I persisted, because after the slow start the mystery really picked up. I found myself turning the digital pages faster, and trying to figure out just what was going on along with Liz. Some parts are a bit of a stretch, and Liz herself does not come across as immediately likeable, being nosey and a bit abrasive at times. She is brave and persistent however, and her mother so awful you can’t help but feel for Liz and want her to succeed. Overall, not what I expected, but a pleasant detour from where I thought it was going, and an enjoyable read!

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this. The mystery behind Tamsin and Carl kept me guessing. Liz made a lot of dumb moves…more than necessary…and her mom was awful beyond belief. But still a good read.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

This is the first book I have read by Tracy Buchanan but it won’t be the last. Worth following her on social media. A fast paced, well written book that I couldn’t put down. The chapters alternate between the past and the present. The suspense keeps building and just as you think you have worked it all out, you find that you haven’t! Teenagers and adults will both enjoy the mystery. A book about friendship and also difficult relationships but nothing too deep. A satisfactory ending. Thank you, Netgalley for an advanced copy.

'Secrets Between Friends' is an excellent title for a book full of secrets, lies and friendships. The chapters alternate between 'now' and 'twenty years ago' when the narrator and we witness the aftermath of a horrible crime, as the battered body of a young man is consigned to the waves. That immediately draws me into the story and I want to know more!

There’s good and not so good in this novel. The concept and the plot are intriguing and the mysteries are spun quite well. They keep you guessing as you get snippets along the way. The characters in this were indeed unique, very well description of each one and the background description made me feel like I was actually there while reading the book.

Thanks to #NetGalley for giving me an e-arc of #SecretsBetweenFriends in exchange for an honest review.

Book Title: Secrets Between Friends
Author: Tracy Buchanan
Publisher: Amazon Publishing UK ~ Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: October 25, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars

This was not the book for me. The characters felt flat and unbelievable. To me it did not feel that the characters stayed true to themselves. The ending had characters acting completely opposite of how they acted in the book. It could be just the protagonist's perception of the other characters changed, but it did not feel that way to me.

Twenty years ago teenagers Liz, from a rough part of town, and Tamsin, from the Manor House become friends. Tamsin is an introvert, protected and homeschooled by her mum. They have recently moved to the seaside town of Easthaven from London. Are they running away from something? Into the mix comes Gabe, grandson of the local hotel owner. We learn early on that Gabe died in a suspicious incident. We don't learn what until much later. Moving on twenty years, divorced postie Liz is back in Easthaven with her two daughters and to her surprise Tamsin is back at the manor. They have a lovely chat, however later that week Tamsin changes attitude and Liz is convinced she's a different person. She becomes a sleuth and gets into all sorts of bother as she tries to unravel this. Deceit, imposters, violence and betrayal. An excellent read. #netgalley #secretsbetweenfriends

An enjoyable read.
Seen through the eyes of the main character, Liz, we join her as she reunites with her best friend for the first time in many years. Following a traumatic event they have each been keeping a secret but now it looks as though it may finally come out into the open, threatening the life Liz has now.
The story is well told, mainly set in the present but the flashbacks to the past start to flesh out the earlier events and begin to build the bigger picture. Thankfully all loose ends are tied by the conclusion of the book.

Two sentences into the prologue and I felt chilled. This is a book that you will not want to put down. It is full of mystery and intrigue. What really happened all those years ago? The answer is very cleverly kept from us until almost the last page. This is where all of that mystery and intrigue is brought to a head. Whatever is going to happen and what catastrophes and life threatening events might take place!? Great ending. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Would totally recommend you read it.

'Secrets Between Friends' is an excellent title for a book full of secrets, lies, friendships and enmities. It raises questions about the nature of relationships - what creates good friendships or good families, what spoils those relationships and can they be restored.

The chapters alternate between 'now' and 'twenty years ago' and sometimes it's hard to remember what happened when or which iteration of a character is currently being read. And occasionally the style grated with me - for example, "Carl burning the dress Tamsin's mother got her as she watched on with a glass of champagne in her hand, like she was at the theatre or something." Maybe it's a literary device to show how the thought processes or streams of consciousness are now created by those currently in their late thirties, but I found it irritating.

The plot is cleverly created, with the Journalist-turned-Postie 'Lizbeth with an L' trying to hold together the different threads of her life - single parent of two girls, one a grouchy teenager; an irascible and unloving almost-invalid mother; an angry ex who's trying to get sole custody of the girls; local friends - and enemies, including a demanding and untrustworthy landlord; a job she didn't really want and from which she was thrown out in another town; and secrets of what has happened in the past overlaying it all.

When Tamsin, her former best friend from school days, returns to the seaside town and then seems to change completely overnight, Lizbeth's worst fears are ignited again and she relives the summer of twenty years ago and the horrific accident which totally changed the lives of the two friends. When Liz is suspended from her job yet again, she is terrified that it will count against her in the court case for custody of the girls, Ruby and Mia; yet she is brave enough and determined enough to put her life at risk in order to save the lives of two people she loves.. Will the truth from twenty years ago save her - and allow her to retain custody of her beloved daughters?

A clever plot, with some interesting twists; enough suspense to keep one interested; a very introverted heroine who even keeps a notebook with her to jot down every thought and action; and a slack (modern?) style. A good beach read, and no steamy sex scenes. which is aways a good thing!

This book was a page turner from the very beginning, I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next! I found myself really warming to Liz and hoping she’s have a happy ending and solve the mysteries going on within the book. I really enjoyed the twists and how fast paced the book was.

In Secrets Between Friends by Tracy Buchanan, two young girls become best friends and share mutual feelings for the same young scoundrel of man. The three of them have complicated lives and one day tragedy struck.
20 years later the the secrets of that tragedy slowly start making themselves known.
When I think of secrets I have with my friends, it’s mostly relationship secrets about problems with children or the difficulties of our parents.
But are my secrets truly safe with my friends, or will they be told one in the future?

#SecretsBetweenFriends
#TracyBuchanan
#NetGalley

This intriguing story takes place in a small fishing village in England that has many rows of pastel painted cottages that are described as a melting pot of ice cream. High on a cliff is the Lakewell Manor, This was the home of Liz's very best friend, Tamsin who moved away twenty years ago.

Liz's dream had been to be a journalist although she is a Postie and drives a Royal Mail van. She's divorced with custody of two daughters, however in a couple weeks she will go to court because her ex-husband is suing for custody of their daughters. Liz and her daughters are living with her mother who is ill and needs constant care.

What a surprise it is to learn her old best friend is back!. Tamsin's family has owned the beautiful manor on the cliff for many years. While out delivering the mail, although she doesn't have any posts for the manor, she stops by anyway and finds Tamsin out in the yard. The two friends quickly pick up where they left off twenty years ago and the story then goes back and forth between the present and their teenage years.

There is a interesting cast of characters both in the present time and the past. Secrets are revealed that have been hidden for twenty years. There are mysterious circumstances even in the present that compelled me to keep turning the pages quickly to the end.

This is a fascinating story, both mysterious and yet sometimes funny. There are fun, delightful characters as well as few that could be described as an antagonist or scoundrels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one took a bit to get into but was enjoyable enough as it got going. Perfectly serviceable thriller. 3.5 rounded up

I love this Thriller of 2 girls from opposite sides of the seaside town of Easthaven in more ways than one from 20 years ago. Liz & Tasmin have shared secrets that will keep You gripped. All the way through.

So when Liz returns after twenty year later and see's Tasmin one day and but the next day seems to change altogether something needs to be looked into. It takes a while for all the truth to out but the lives of several of the folks in town may never be the same again.

Whilst dealing with all this Liz is fighting to keep custody of her 2 girls in a bitter divorce that isn't helped by an this and the most infuriating of mothers. Liz is the poorer of the 2 from 20years ago but she has 2 daughters now that are amazing and she doesn't want to lose them. So all in all this is another rough time in her life o and her job as the new Post lady is proving harder than expected. If it sounds like too much drama trust me this story is so well written it won't feel like that infact it flows effortlessly from one page to the next even if your nerves don't.

There are great characters and as already explained a great storyline suspense and twist the works. The story is told from the 2 ages now and 20 years ago obviously the past meets the present each chapter revealing more to savoir.

I enjoy this I really hope you do as well.

Liz is back living in the village she grew p him and which she left twenty years ago after a tragedy. only her and her friend Tamsin knew what happened that night.
Tamsin is returning home to but when Liz meets her she knows something is wrong. Is this Tamsin and why doesn't she remember the past when they were such good friends?

I really enjoyed this thriller by Tracy Buchanan. The great characters grabbed me at the very beginning and did not let go! I loved the tensio, twists and reveals. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book