How To Keep a Secret 4.9 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 20 reviews.
Loved this book. Could not put it down.
LOVED it! Could not put it down.
This book is a delightful departure from Sarah Morgan’s usual writing and one I recommend be read. All the women in the family, Mom, Nancy, her 2 daughters, Lauran and Jenna, and granddaughter, Mack, are all dealing with difficult events in their lives. It was heartwarming to read as they faced the secrets of the past and come together to support one another. It is honest, heartwarming and emotional; had me crying many times throughout the book. I completely cherished this book!
Family dynamics steal the show in the latest from Sarah Morgan! I was drawn in immediately into the life of Lauren, then when things happen for her, it leads her back home to the US and we meet her sister and mother and start to unravel what makes each character tick and what secrets from the past will mean for the future of this family. They're faced with challenges of keeping secrets, of accepting people's mistakes and most of all of learning to forgive and still love each other. Really great story! When Lauren Hudson's world crumbles around her, it sends her and her daughter Mack back home to Martha's Vineyards for the summer. She will have to pick up the pieces from the fallout of the secrets she's kept for all of these years, and try to move forward with a new life. Her sister Jenna Sullivan is there to support her every step of the way, but she has her own issues distracting her as well. She wants a baby more than anything, but it's not happening, and her husband Greg just doesn't seem all that upset about it. It weighs on her mind each and every day, so how can he be so casual about it? Her mother Nancy is just as standoffish and judgemental as always, but as they sort through a lifetime of memories over the summer, secrets come to light that explain just why she has always been the way she's been. Truths are uncovered, new lives are started and above all, love is showered all around!
This is only my second book from Sarah Morgan. I just loved it, from reading the blurb on the back of the book I knew it sounded good, but actually reading it or should I say devouring it...WOW. Sarah keeps the flow of the book going with 4 different views (the Mom, 2 daughters and one grandchild). Its a story of secrets, tragedy and finding love again! I did not want it to end and yet I could not wait to see what happens! I just hope Mack gets her puppy....A must read for all who love a good solid novel!
Three ladies living separate lives. Lauren along with her daughter Mack live overseas in Great Britian with her husband Ed seems to be living the perfect life. Her sister Jenna lives with her husband Greg in their hometown. She is a teacher and is trying to get pregnant. Their mother, Nancy still lives in their family home. Lauren's life goes into a tailspin when her husband dies suddenly of a heart attack. It's bad enough to lose her husband, then during his funeral services her daughter, Mack, drops a bomb and then she discovers she is penniless. Her and Mack doesn't have a choice but to move back home into her family home and try to pick up the pieces. Jenna is struggling to get pregnant. Her desperation is heart wrenching. The two girls growing up were never close to their mother. As we read along we discover how the family dynamics was built, how they struggle to overcome their past and how they work through their issues to come together as a family. Three strong women who each have struggles to work through to have brighter, happier futures. This book was very well written that kept me intrigued from the first word to the very end. I was very disappointed when the book ended as I wanted more just because I felt very invested in each of the characters.
Oh my Wow! This was simply wonderful. The drama, the secrets, the emotions, the heart. This whole story was amazing. It definitely was a bit different from Sarah Morgan's previous works. I think this falls more under the women's fiction category than a strict romance, even though there are some romantic relationships in this book. How to Keep a Secret follows a family of four women and how they managed to make their relationships with each other stronger. And how they dealt with life and some of the curveballs they were thrown. You will need a tissue box handy when you read this book but even when you're crying you'll still love every moment of this story. Such a great story. I don't know what else to add except this is a must read for sure.
Sweet, moving, and undeniably affecting! How to Keep a Secret is a beautifully written, absorbing story that delves into the emotional ties and complex bonds between mothers, daughters and sisters and immerses you in a tale about accepting the things you can't change, letting go of the past, taking chances, and moving on. The prose is eloquent and well turned. The characters are genuine, sophisticated, and scarred. And the story is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, love, grief, adultery, forgiveness, familial drama, friendship, infertility, teenage angst, community, courage, happiness, and second-chance romance. How to Keep a Secret is the perfect mix of heart, hope, grit, and humour. It's heart wrenching, funny, encouraging, and without a doubt Morgan at her best.
How to keep a secret by Sarah Morgan a five-star read that will have you wondering. This was a breath of fresh air for me, I enjoyed the women in this story and loved how the family were real and had a story to tell each. Just like a normal family they had things they haven’t told each other and have secrets that may or may not come out. (I ain’t spoiling it for you read the book) If you have read any thing else by this author you will know the flow of the story and the talent to the writing, but this will still surprise you as there is a difference to this story and it shows in the freshness of the story. Each of the four women that we hear from in this story have a story to tell and they all have things that will make you like them and also loath them in places. The dynamics and dysfunction of this story will keep you on tenterhooks all the way through, it may not be what we have come to expect of this author, but it is so much more. Its deeper and more compelling that the usual romantic comedy elements, its descriptively enthralling and will make you ponder your own family dynamics. If you read one book that’s not in your normal genre, make it this one.
Lauren has her home and her life in England in perfect order, until one afternoon-everything becomes a disaster. Her sister, Jenna, across the pond comes to the rescue but has struggles of her own. Little do they know, their own mother also has secrets of her own that may tear the family apart. Can these three find a way to work together and work though these issues? This book was heavy! I cried with the characters, I laughed with the characters, I felt second-hand embarrassment. Basically, this book has all of the feels and I absolutely loved it. Just when you think it can't get worse, it often does. The images we portray are a mask for the secrets we keep. Thankfully, there is some scandal, humor, and hope thrown in to lighten the mood at times when it gets almost too dark. How To Keep A Secret is different from the previous books that I have read from Sarah Morgan, the From Manhattan With Love series in the sense that the perspectives alternate from more than just the two main characters. On the other hand, this book was compares in the way that it dealt with more than one crisis at a time. But this one had four surprising crises! However, Sarah Morgan wrote this novel so fluidly that it all blended together well in a realistic "when it rains, it pours" sense. For me, it also helped with the pace. The emotions were so raw at times that I had to put the book down as the pain that each of these characters are going through is very evident. Most prominent were: grief, frustration, regret, and panic. My favorite character was Lauren's teenage daughter, Mack, because she is brutally honest yet terribly insecure. I think out of all of the characters, she developed the most. She also was the source of a very pivotal surprise in the plot of which I laughed out loud in surprise then immediately felt guilty. I really appreciated that some of the perspective was told in her point-of-view as it added depth to the overall mood of the novel. For those who may be triggered or offended: there are themes of grief, infertility, infidelity, mild foul language, and one graphically sexual scenario. Please note: an electronic advanced reader copy of this book was generously provided for free by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this tale of family complications. Character development was perfection. Dialogue was believable. Situations were relatable. Enjoyed every word.
There are those books that you just can’t wait to read, but then end up disappointed. Sarah Morgan’s latest How to Keep a Secret, is not one of them. I was excited when I heard she was going to try something bigger with a wider scope. I was hooked from the very beginning. Morgan deftly captures the complexities of family and how those bonds can be strained. The characters behave organically and the conflict resolution believable. I don’t know where Morgan is going from here, but I definitely hope there are more of these books in my future. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
I loved How to Keep a Secret. The heartbreaking and uplifting emotional journey of Jenna, Lauren, Mack and Nancy was beautifully written. I enjoyed seeing what the future held for each of them as long held secrets were revealed, having both positive & negative effects on their lives. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy.
"How to Keep a Secret" is a wonderful piece of women's fiction that follows three-generations of Stewart women and slowly reveals the secrets they have kept. We begin with Lauren, who has always been considered the more rational/reasonable sister, and who is worried about her daughter Mack's sudden reclusivity and disinterest in school or family. They have always been close, but something has changed and she doesn't know how to help or fix it. She is also putting together a lavish party for her husband's 40th birthday- which will also be a showcase for her budding home design business. Lauren has been married to Ed since she was pregnant at 19, and from the outside they seem like the perfect couple- however, lately, Lauren feels he is keeping a secret from her, and she should know- she and her sister Jenna are resident experts on secret-keeping. Jenna lives in the Vineyard with her childhood sweetheart, Greg. They have been trying for a baby for the longest time with no success. Thoughts of having a baby and being unable to have one have been consuming her life. Now it may be consuming her marriage. Jenna and Lauren's mother, Nancy, is keeping secrets of her own, including the mysterious man visiting her and the history of her marriage/their childhood. As the book continues, secrets come pouring out of all the women, and we see how they have shaped their lives for better or for worse. Communication comes out as really being key- and there's no time like the present- but all the secrets were absolutely the things people would normally keep to themselves, so the book really resonates as honest and full of actualities. All of the characters felt so real, and I loved reading about their lives and how they move forward. Lives are shattered and built again- much the same way their family home is remodeled during the story. The book is told in alternating chapters between the four women- Nancy, Lauren, Jenna, and Mack- and I absolutely loved getting all the perspectives. The pace was perfect, and this was absolutely a page-turner for me. The vignettes of the men in their lives was also really interesting and adds some lovely romance to the book. However, the focus was really on the relationships between the women, and I really loved it! This book gave me all the feels! I definitely would recommend this for anyone who loves women's fiction, and wants an addicting beachy read! You won't regret picking this one up! Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Sarah Morgan continues to amaze and delight with her storytelling abilities. This is not her usual style of story in that it is a stand alone and not part of a series. The depth and range of characters and story will have you feeling that you have lived a lifetime with the characters. This story will have you laughing, crying, angry and falling in love. How to Keep a Secret is about three generations of one family, the secrets that they keep and those that are revealed. The fallout from the discovery and coping with the reasons behind the secrets. This is a great read. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book but all thoughts and feelings are my own.