This was quite a dark read, but an enjoyable one.
I liked the dual timeline although at sometimes it was frustrating.
The main character was strong and I liked the way it was written.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book and I did at first. Joanne thought her mom died while giving birth to her but then she finds some photos of herself as a baby where her mother is holding her so she starts to ask questions. Her dad refuses to answer them so Joanne has to investigate it herself.

I had a few issues with this book namely:
- A government official lets Joanne look through a patient file
- Joanne's father and step-mom tiptoeing around her and not explaining things
- Joanne's mom's family didn't do anything about finding her when she was taken away
- Joanne's father then doubles down on his lies
- Joanne's stepmom and dad hide from her when she comes to the door
- When they do finally answer the door her stepmom closes it in her face

And then there was the story and the writing itself. The writing was pedestrian and very amateurish. The same thing happened over and over again ad nauseam. The book lacked any real depth. If Joanne's father was just honest with her when she asked questions he could have saved Joanne a lot of stress and heartache. He made it worse not better. She had to schlep all over the place in her condition. I hate deception, especially where children are concerned. They should not be lied to no matter what because it'll always come back to haunt you and them, and often the lying is worse than the secret itself, as in this story. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do here, shining a light on a not much talked about mental health issue, it's just got bogged down with how unbelievable the story was, the repetitiveness and amateurish writing.

I am afraid that the mental illness side of this book was too upsetting for me to read, so I had to give up about 75% through. Sorry

Joanne was always told her mum died giving birth to her. Already anxious about her own pregnancy following several miscarriages and fertility treatment she's fearful of her own labour. But on receiving boxes of clothes that her dad gave her she's shocked to discover photos of her with her mum Grace after the birth. She's been lied to all her life and wants answers, but the search for the truth could put her own health at risk.
This was a quick read for me, the difficult subjects are approached and written empathetically. The story is told in two timelines, from Grace's perspective and from Joanne's. It's a family drama with a reasoning behind it( as written in authors notes) it's also a subject I haven't read about before. A solid read with a satisfying epilogue

As much as I found the writing and pacing very fluid, this book simply couldn't hold me. The plot is a bit boring and weak. It's basically the kind of story people would write about seeing this happen to someone they knew. The characters were also quite maddening, with some completely absurd reactions to such simple facts. I would say that the ending was satisfactory but not enough for this to be a book that I would recommend to someone.

This was a well written and well thought out book. Joanne has finally gotten pregnant after years of trying. Her entire Family is excited for her. Her dad and stepmom bring over some of her baby clothes and she discoveres a baby book. She’s always been told her mom died in childbirth. This discovery leads her on a trail to find the truth. I was worried some of my questions wouldn’t be answered in the end, but Cathy Hayward did an excellent job of finishing the family’s story.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early release.

Thank you to @netgalley and @lakeunionauthors for the advanced copy of The Secret of the Brighton House. The book follows Joanne, a young woman who struggled to get pregnant and finally got her wish. But at what should be her happiest moment, she's overwhelmed with questions and mysteries surrounding her birth mother.

There was plenty of suspense, though some of the surprises were very obvious, but as a whole, Joanne's attitude annoyed me. Despite that, I flew through the book in just two days. You can read it on Nov. 1!

Fair warning, there is discussion of miscarriages, postpartum depression, and violence.

This book is definitely psychological and has suspenseful moments as we follow Joanne (2021) and her mum Grace ( 1975/1977) I loved how all the secrecy in the story about Grace and how she died was revealed at a good pace , it really helped keep my attention and intrigue to find out more about the cause of death etc ( though I was a bit disappointed with the ending). Overall, I really enjoyed the book and found it hard to putdown. This book also contains author notes and why she wrote the book as well as bookclub questions.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Wow what a read it was. Great story and I couldn't put it down.
A story about something that is rarely spoken about.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

The Secret of Brighton House by Cathy Hayward
This story is told in a tandem dual timeline between the 1970s and the present. In the story you are introduced to Joanne who is pregnant, and as she is preparing for her baby she discovers family secrets among heirlooms that are given to her, She is shocked by lies revealed with a photograph. Her parents kept secrets but even they don’t know the whole truth. Joanne goes on a quest to find the truth of her mother’s past and her birth.
The stress from dealing with worry of the unknown is almost as intense as the need to find the truth. This story does have some dark elements, but important ones in exploring topics of infertility and the mental health of women, issues not often explored or mentioned.

I think the flashback episodes could have been developed more and introduced in a better way. I also think that the characters beyond the mother and daughter could have been better developed. The back story with the mother was underdeveloped and not fully explored.

On a side note, American readers may be put off by the lack of punctuation, meaning periods, in title abbreviations.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was a quick read and I found it engaging. However, I just wanted more depth and background in the flashback base story.

I want to say “ Thank you” to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC copy. These are my personal opinions.

I received a free copy of, The Secret of the Brighton House, by Cathy Hayward, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Joanne thought she knew the truth about what happened to her mother, that she died in child birth, but she did, and her father has lied to her all this time. I enjoyed this read, Joanne is such a strong female character.

I was intrigued by the idea of this story and was drawn in by all the secrecy. I enjoyed the dual timelines of this book was wasn’t prepared for how dark the story would get. There are a lot of sensitive topics throughout this book which I would advise to read with caution.

I rated three stars as I was hoping this would fall into a mystery / thriller but it didn’t go there.

However, overall I would recommend reading this book as I was drawn into how secret everything was.

Thank you Netgalley, Cathy Hayward for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

I was unprepared for the darkness of the plot. The Secret of the Brighton House by Cathy Hayward deals with IVF, postpartum depression, mental psychosis. and dark secrets.

Releases Nov. 1st. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An emotional story about a pregnant women discovers her biology mum developed mental issues after her birth. Years ago, things were so different. Lovely that she discovered new family

Wasn't sure about this book to start with and contemplated giving up. So glad I didn't because I ended up loving it. Such a sad story. Loved the dual time line perspectives, they really made the story work.

#thesecretofbrightonhouse was a good read, a quick read, and i enjoyed it. what i didn't enjoy was joanne. perhaps if it had been in her situation - finding out her birth was not what she thought - perhaps i would've felt the same. also, it was quite the "ruse" her "parents" managed to pull off for a long time. i lost patience with all of them.

p.s. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Multi-generational story centering on childbirth; the mental health aspect is a unique twist and I felt it was handled appropriately. Not sugar coated and not over dramatized.

Joanne is determined to uncover the truth, but this pursuit is taking a toll on her health. I found the past timeline to be drawn out and filled with excessive details about bodily functions that did not contribute to the overall story. It's puzzling why Joanne can't put off discovering the truth for a later time.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed the dual viewpoint and glimpse into the history of giving birth in the 1970s, but overall found the plot somewhat lacking. I think I was waiting for this to be a mystery/thriller, but it wasn't--but it did get fairly dark. Not sure if I would recommend as a go-to, but I wouldn't stop someone from reading it!