"Can You Keep a Secret' can be summarised as good idea with average execution. Deepest secret revealed, should New Year's resolutions not be completed, sounds like something that would interestingly push the plot forward. But what Jo Lovett focuses more on, is the romance storyline that's based on very stereotypical tropes and is not interesting in the slightest. Same goes for the language and the narrative - simple, repetitive metaphors, no difference between Georgie's and Poppy's perspectives, even though they are portrayed as quite different women. Luckily, it was a fairly short and quick read.

I liked the idea of the book and it was ok to read but I was really upset about how everything went down.
If you're one for very big drama, even though it is about something you could solve easily, this one is for you but definately not for me.

This book really frustrated me. All these “friends” had secrets and resolutions then lied about both. We’re talking people in their mid-thirties and they acted like children about it. For the love of gawd ladies, you do not need to worry about your weight because of how you look! Your doctor is the only one who should tell you about your weight if it concerns your health. I have never been skinny and I never will be and yes, I have worried about my weight but it is because of diabetes and heart disease not to look good in a pair of jeans. Yes, I like to lose pounds and looking and feeling better BUT, I eat what I want in moderation and never in my life have I said I don’t look good, I don’t follow fashion trends to make myself look thinner…I wear horizontal strips if I want and plenty of bright colours. I don’t ever remember acting the way these women did. New Year’s resolutions are stupid. It doesn’t have to be January first for you to start doing something you enjoy or want to change about yourself. If you want to change then just do it!

The secrets were pretty dumb too…one of them I had figured out almost right away and the rest were just a letdown. Has no one ever heard of the word communication? These are best friends since they were five years old and spouses! I can’t imagine keeping something like that from the people closest to me and who it affects the most. In a close relationship, romantic or otherwise, have a conversation. I am so tired of this trope, not just in romance but in women’s fiction as well. Sneaking around stealing envelopes and lying about keeping your resolution is just juvenile and ridiculous. And it turned out in the end it was all for nothing because they all lied about it anyway! I don’t understand the whole point of it then. Maybe I’m too dumb or getting crotchety in my old age (58 in July).

Four women, being best friends for decades, decide while being drunk to do New Year's Resolution with the treat of a penalty: a secret to be revealed if they fail the things they tried to commit themselves to. And from there on things go pear-shaped.

A very enjoyable book, not just for the friendly banter and people having each other's back, but for it being about the universal theme of not being good enough, the feeling of being second best. And because some of the problems were not all magically gone by the end of the story, for instance some toxic relationships. There will always be those who don't have your back and with that the imperfect happy ending gives Can You Keep A Secret a way more real-life quality.

And let me admit I couldn't help but think of Raf as Rufus Sewell from the Aurelio Zen series :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.