Her Secret Life, written by Anna E. Collins, is a family story of three sisters, Allison, Leah, and Jillian. This book is told from each sister’s point of view, as they go through life changes and discover more and themselves and their family with the death of their mother. This book is empowering, funny, emotional, and kind. I loved seeing how the Brady sisters grew closer to each other, and began to understand more about themselves and their mother, and what them who they are.
This was my first book by this author, and I am excited to check out more by them! Thank you to NetGalley and to the author and publisher of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

"Her Secret Life" by Anna E. Collins offers an intriguing premise with a mix of mystery and romance. The characters are well-developed, and the plot keeps you engaged. However, the pacing feels uneven at times, and certain plot twists are predictable. Overall, it's an enjoyable read for fans of romantic suspense!

"Her Secret Life" by Anna E. Collins, narrated by Laurel Lefkow, tells the story of three estranged sisters who come together after their mother's death to unravel the secrets she left behind. The novel is a mix of women's fiction and a family drama, focusing on the dynamics between the sisters as they navigate their complicated past and try to uncover the truth about their mother's hidden life.
From the outset, the premise of the book promises a gripping tale of family secrets and intrigue. However, some readers may find the story lacking in suspense and the revelation of the "secret" underwhelming. The narrative is slow-paced, with the big reveal coming relatively late in the book, making it difficult to fully engage with the plot.
Told from the alternating viewpoints of the sisters, Leah, Jillian, and Allison, the audiobook may struggle to differentiate the characters, with the narrator's monotone performance hindering the ability to connect with the individual voices of the sisters. The lack of depth in exploring their relationships and the reasons for their estrangement may leave readers wanting more emotional depth and development.
Despite these shortcomings, "Her Secret Life" offers a poignant exploration of family dynamics and the complexities of sisterhood. The gradual reconciliation and growth of the sisters as they come to terms with their past and their mother's legacy provides a satisfying character arc. The story emphasizes the theme of not truly knowing what goes on behind closed doors, highlighting the hidden struggles and secrets that families may keep from one another.

Overall, "Her Secret Life" is a compelling family drama that delves into themes of loss, forgiveness, and healing. While the book may not deliver on the thrilling suspense promised in the description, it offers a heartfelt and relatable portrayal of the bonds that tie siblings together, even in the face of long-held grudges and misunderstandings. Fans of women's fiction and character-driven stories may find this novel to be a touching and poignant exploration of family relationships and the power of reconciliation.

I enjoyed this book very much. However, the reviews make it sound like a thriller which it is not. Yes, the three sisters who have lots of unfinished business with each other, come home to the Pacific Northwest and find their mother has drowned in a lake near the house they grew up in. The book goes on to unravel the complicated relationships in this family. The sisters realise that their mother hasn't lived in their home for a very long time. And they have inherited another house they did not know existed. The book is largely narrated by the oldest sister whose husband has died. But the other sisters get to chime in and have their say.

In the end, we learn the secrets of this family that many families can identify with. A mother tries to love her children and herself the best she knows how. And that secrets that remain secrets often cause similar things to happen to our off-spring. Anna Collins reveals the fissures, the competition, and the love of these sisters slowly. The reader cares fairly early on whether they can pull it together and heal their wounds.

I really enjoyed this book every step of the way! Kept me on edge and wanting to know more! Very much enjoyed reading this carefully written story

I listen this in audio. It is well read with enough difference in voices to be able to distinguish the various characters, mainly women. Basically the story is about 3 sisters who have had little to do with one another until the death of their somewhat estranged mother. As usual I will not be rehashing more of the plot here as I believe that the professional blurb writers do a better job without giving anything away. I'm not a huge fan of American fiction and found the women somewhat annoying but fairly realistic. There is a kind of twist towards the end but its easy to guess early on and therefore for me, the whole book tailed off in interest from about two thirds through.

3 sisters, 1 mother and plenty of secrets. The story is of how what we perceive about a person's life, even when we are related the them, if not always reality. You never know what is going on in someone else's life. The family has been estranged for years and now their mother has suddenly passed away. They do not really know each other and it turns out that their mother had secrets of her own. A deeply moving story of strength, forgiveness and family.

Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for the ALC.

There is a lot of build up to a mild secret in my opinion. Yes each woman has their own secrets going on but none of them are super super intense, the mystery just didn’t hold too well in this one. I did, however, like that the women were able to “find” themselves a little more. I love characters that do that.

🌀Synopsis
When their mom dies their sisters return to their old home. Only, something isn’t quite right. This can’t be the same house because everything is dusty and the clothes are gone. Plus, why would their mother have been found in a lake.
The more the sisters dig into the details of their mother, the more they find out about her and about themselves. They are able to open up to each other in ways they haven’t before and they start to figure out what they really want in life. On top of all that they find out their mother owned another home…with another woman.

Her Secret Life by Anna E. Collins and narrated by Laurel Lefkow was a brilliant gripping
story that will have you gripped from the beginning till the very end.


Three sisters, Alison who is the eldest, she is married with no children and works as a realtor. Leah, who is a librarian and has recently been widowed. She hasn't been home to Seattle in over 20 years, The youngest is Jillian, she is working as a pilot, and Single, bisexual and living in New York. They are not close and haven't spoken in years to each other. Just another dysfunctional family. Things are about to change their mum suddenly dies and her body is found in a lake, they all have to return home and there is some mystery surrounding their mums death.........But, what is it?

Their mum has many secrets and all three sisters have to be strong to learn more about their mother. This book was excellent and full of twists and turns throughout.

I highly recommend this book and the narrator Laurel Lefkow was excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy.

I am so glad that I chose to read this book. It has a very fast paced plot and well-developed characters. I really enjoyed how the author put this story together. I would highly recommend reading this book! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Her Secret Life" explores the complex relationships of mothers and daughters, especially at that stage where we start to see our mothers as people rather than parents. As three sisters are dealing with the unexpected death of their mother, they start to uncover secrets about the woman they never really knew. And those revelations start to explain the challenging relationship they each had with her.

There were some very deep topics covered in this book, including spousal abuse, frustrated love, sexuality, grief, and family secrets. And while I enjoyed the aspect of getting to know their mother as a real person, it was sad to feel like it was too little, too late. If these conversations had taken place while their mother was still alive, it would have been much more meaningful and healing.

Thank you to Anna E. Collins, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I am so glad that I chose to read this book. The 3 generation of women in this book hold so many secrets. Allison, Leah and Jillian, 3 more or less estranged sisters are forced to reunite when their mother Mariam is found dead. They found out a lot about each other that they didn’t know and a lot about their mother also. Leah’s daughter Hannah also has her own suffering to contend with during this story. I don’t know if I would be able to keep the kind of secrets that they kept from each other. It seems to me that they all led very lonely lives. I found myself in tears by the end.
Laura Lefkow’s narration was fantastic. I listened to the majority of this one because the narration was so good.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ALC of this book.

It’s funny how you siblings who grow up in the same home and have such different versions of what their lives really were like. We meet three very different sisters who come together when their mother is found dead in the lake behind the house they grew up in. What they’re told and what they find has them realizing that they didn’t really know their mother or each other. The author has takes us an emotional story that was interesting, sad, frightening at times and touches on some really difficult and potentially triggering issues for some (spousal abuse, emotional abuse, suicide), but none of it is gratuitous and we also get to read about these women finally finding their inner selves, courage and love for each other. I had a bit of a tough time getting started, but am so glad I did. I really enjoyed this story and will be looking for more from this author.

It was interesting and the story in and of itself was good. The life lessons of being honest and open and giving grace were conveyed well also.

However, two of the sisters were just so mean to each other and often dysfunctional it wasn’t always enjoyable. And the ending seemed to switch over and wrap up rather quickly.

It seemed to be marketed as a mystery genre though where it was more like a women’s fiction with a tiny bit of mystery. It was more about the relationship of the sisters and mother than anything. But the ending was good once the sisters got over their issues and was well written.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

Three sisters, who come together in the face of their mother’s death, inherit her house, which their mother hasn’t lived there for ages, and another house they never knew existed. Each sister told their story and I thought that added to the depth of the book. The three sisters all come together to find out the truth about their mother’s life. I loved each character and how each sister had their own problems that were revealed. I was invested in each of the sisters’ stories. I love reading about dysfunctional families and how they overcome the issues. The story posed the questions: Does your past define you? Do you have to put a mask on to fit in or can you be yourself? I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. It wasn’t difficult to follow the story and to know which characters chapter I was in. One of the better women’s fiction I have read. This was a very emotional read about family, secrets and being true to yourself.

Leah, a widowed librarian, Allison an overachieving relator and Jillian and Airline Transport Pilot are all products of a dysfunctional family. They have all succeeded in their own way through life but have grown apart and do not often communicate. However when three sisters lose their mother to suicide they must come together to grieve and discover how such a thing could ever have happened. Going through their mothers things they discover that they did not know their mother at all and that she held many secrets from them. As the sisters dig deeper they discover that yes, their mother did have a second secret life they knew nothing about and as they learn more they come to have a better understanding and relationship with each other. I really enjoyed this novel, it was full of surprises and I enjoyed learning along with the sisters what their mother Marion was really like. It's also full of hope for family healing. The narrator was excellent and did a great job with all the different characters voices. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for a chance to read/listen to this ARC version of this novel. I really enjoyed it.

This is a nice story where three sisters are connected after their mother passes. I had a chance to get to know each of them and to see what their fear, and secrets...how their sister's bond was getting stronger, and a lot to catch up.
Since I had a chance to listen to the audiobook, I have to say that Laurel Lefkow did a great job of narrating.

Secrets, family drama and death…need I say more? I loved this book and how everything came together for these characters. This book was a quick listen for me and I was hooked until the last word. I highly recommend this one!!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Her Secret Life' by Anna E. Collins.

Read and reviewed for NetGalley, Anna E Collins, Bookouture, Bookouture Book Club and Hachette UK.

This is the first book I have read by Anna but it most definitely wont be my last!

This novel consists of 58 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! One thing I have got to say before getting into my review is clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.

This book is devastatingly gorgeous, emotive and beautiful. I absolutely love the unique storyline and the fact that it is set over multiple protagonists makes you feel that you are living several lives in one book. It tells the stories of three sisters Leah, Jillian and Alison who are very different people living very different lives. they are not close but when their mothers body is found in a lake and they inherit a cottage that none of them anything about they are all brought together. We discover more about the three sisters as we discover what their childhood and parental relationships were like. There is mystery about their mothers death as well as the cottage they inherited. Will they be able to work together to discover the truth or will their secrets tear them apart again? This book is filled with every emotion you can think of including love, secrets, family, heartbreak, loss, forgiveness, tension, worry, shock, suspense, mystery and so, so much more!!! It is one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read!! Anna's evocative writing skills sucks the reader straight into the storyline with the characters and surroundings coming to life around them. This is just one of those rare books that words just cannot express how powerful and emotional it is. It will make you cry both tears of happiness and sadness. The multiple narrative brings the story to life along with the descriptions and ensures the reader can see everything that is going on and what the characters are thinking and feeling. When I was reading this book I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I was getting a dark sense of foreboding the deeper into the book I got and I ended up with tears streaming down my face so make sure you get those tissues ready!! It is one of those books that I just simply could not put down and I walked around everywhere with my kindle and the book. Every chapter ended in a way that I had to know what was going to happen next and then it would move on to the next chapter and do the same so I blew through this in one sitting. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with each of the characters and going through their happiness, pain, sadness, curiosity and much more. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and regrets and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying the book around to read it every chance that I got. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and although it could be a difficult read at times with emotions running high I would seriously recommend it to anyone and everyone!!
This may be the first book I have read by Anna but I cannot wait to get hold of more books by this extremely talented author. It is one of the most stunning and unforgettable book that I have ever read and one that will stay with me for years if not forever! AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Laurel Lefkow who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Laurel did a fantastic job on each of the characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Anna but also to listening to more books narrated by Laurel! I haven't listened to any books narrated by Laurel prior to this one but I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her as she did such a fantastic job bringing the characters and their emotions to life with her brilliant and passionate narrative skills.
The characters were all very strong and realistic and Anna's writing ensured they jumped off the pages at me. My heart went out to each of the main protagonists for different reasons during different chapters. In this emotive page turner we meet three sisters Alison, Leah and Jillian. We meet Leah first who works as a school librarian and become a widow a year ago after her husband who was the principal of the same school passed away. however, while everyone else is sympathetic to her loss we discover very quickly that she isn't as he was abusive. Leah also has a daughter called Hannah who has gone travelling with her boyfriend Chase. We then meet Alison who is the eldest sister who is married but doesn't have children. The final sister is Jillian who lives in New York, works as a pilot and is single and bisexual. The sisters aren't close and Alison hasn't been home to Seattle in more than 20 years but when their mums body is discovered in a lake they are all pulled back together. I loved getting to know them all as individuals as well as seeing their interactions and relationships between each other. They all have their own unique personalities and I enjoyed discovering their histories as the story unravelled. Anna's fantastic evocative writing skills and Laurel's excellent narration bring each of them to life. Pick up your copy of this book today and meet these memorable characters yourself.

Congratulations Anna on an absolutely stunning, unforgettable, emotional and gripping book!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! Welcome to my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂

Overall an absolutely unputdownable, stunning, addictive and compelling devastatingly beautiful MUST READ!!

350 pages / 10 hours and 45 minutes

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £9.99 in paperback and £7.99 on Audible via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I really loved this book! First of all, I love a good mystery. When 3 adult women discover their mother is dead, they all are determined to figure out how she died. Throughout the story, we get to know each of the 3 daughters and how they all had a strained relationship with their mother, and how none of them actually knew her. The daughters soon discover that their mother had a second house. One they knew nothing about. As the mystery unfolds we learn that each of the sisters, and their mother have all been keeping secrets from each other. By the end of the story the author will have you rooting for every single character in the book. The character development is so amazing, and the things that these women went through will break your heart.

Trigger Warnings- This book does discuss domestic abuse and battered women.