Having not read any of Michael Robotham’s novels before, I wasn’t sure what to expect – but I absolutely LOVED The Secrets She Keeps! What a roller-coaster of a read with The characters are fantastic; I loved both Meghan and Agatha in their own ways, and felt real empathy for some of the characters despite them doing things I may not agree with – it’s a testament to Michael Robotham’s writing that he can make characters do strange things we may not understand, but we can see perhaps why they might be driven to do what they do.

The novel addresses that feeling of wanting something that someone else has, and how it begins to take over everything. The story slowly reveals more and more to the reader and, without giving too much away, I think that the writing is excellent, the plot is well crafted and there are some brilliant developments which kept me completely hooked. There didn’t feel like there was a need for any huge twists in the plot; the story was brilliant and absorbing enough without needing the ‘shock tactics’ at the end of the novel.

The Secrets She Keeps really grabs you by the throat and keeps you captive in Meghan and Agatha’s world until you can bear to stop reading – and for me it was a case of reading it in two (very long) sittings, which would have been one sitting if it weren’t for work getting in the way! I’d highly recommend this novel; it’s everything a psychological thriller/ suspense should be and more!

The story of a new friendship gone horribly wrong, between Agatha, single and pregnant, and Meghan, married with her third little bun in the oven. Agatha would be exactly the reason why I don't have a public Facebook page, why I don't write a blog except for my book reviews where I really don't care if I have any followers, and why I don't have any curtain-free windows. Agatha is more or less stalking Meghan, and her stalking is made way too easy by Meghan's blog, the internet, and no window coverings. If things don't go easily for Agatha, she is very resourceful. We're privy to just how bad things can become and how both Agatha and Meghan act under extreme pressure. The pressure cooker that is at first doing a slow simmer is about to blow.

Fantastic thrill ride of a thriller, one of the best I've read this year! The writing is brilliant. He really knows how to encapsulate the personalities of his characters and how to draw the reader into their minds and individual stories.

This is a review of an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

Loved!

This is one intense and creepy book!!!
Not creepy in the horror sense, but creepy in the way you realize that there are some messed up people in the world, and you just better hope one doesn't find you!

Meet Megan: seems to have it all. She's beautiful, rich, has a handsome husband and 2 small kids with an 'oops' on the way. All appears to be picture perfect from the outside looking in. But looks can be deceiving...

Then there is Agatha: She's had a rough go at life. She's single and pregnant, working at the local supermarket that Megan shops in. She wants what Megan has. She thinks she deserves what Megan has.

What unfolds once these two cross paths is a story both sad and haunting. I was connected to BOTH Megan and Agatha and their stories had me riveted. The ending had me at the edge of my seat, and the twist with Hayden was brilliant!

This is an addicting thriller that I highly recommend. With shot chapters that bounce back and forth between these two characters POV, this is an easy read, yet one you will have a hard time putting down.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Whoa . . . now this is how a thriller is done! It’s storylines like this that get my blood pumping and reignite my love for the creepy and twisted. It’s dynamic characters like this that manage to garner my unwavering attention. It’s secrets like this that keep my insides twisted in knots with anticipation of what’s to come. It’s writing like this that makes me want to toss everything else aside and devour the author’s backlist. In a saturated genre, this is a true standout—a wholly addicting thriller that had my eyes glued to the pages in incredulity and disbelief. A story that sat me down in a front row seat as the dark side of obsession and the lengths some of us will go to get what we want—damn the cost—was exposed. In the end, what separates justifiable from crazy?

At one time or another we’ve probably all looked at someone and thought, “Wow, now that person has the perfect life. If only I had . . . ” With social media making everyone accessible at the tap of an app and the tendency to overlook the obvious—that what we’re actually seeing is a person’s happiest moments or a 'highlight reel', as opposed to their cracks—isn’t that an easy trap to fall into? Without a little perspective aren’t assumptions inevitable; especially if your focus rests solely on what someone appears to have and you desire to?

Meghan and Agatha share one major commonality—they’re both pregnant. Orchestrated by one, more than the other, they strike up a sort of a quasi-friendship, but there couldn’t be two more different women. Sometimes we make people see what they want to though, don’t we?

What makes this story such a success in my eyes isn’t necessarily the idea behind it all—while utterly addicting in it’s delivery, it’s not exactly a new concept—it’s the character development that held my thoughts and feelings in a vice grip. Michael Robotham doesn’t give up all of his secrets at once or I should say Meghan and Agatha's. Instead, the author exposes the true nature of these women layer by shocking layer. It's being made privy to their most hidden thoughts and deepest secrets that provides the shock factor and cements that reader/character connection I seek from any noteworthy read.

I have to admit, the thriller/suspense genre has been a bit of a disappointment for me this year. In fact, with my average rating landing around 3 stars, you could say, I'm in somewhat of a slump. I'm resting the blame on books being over-hyped—compared to other breakout novels they didn't come close to living up to—and in some instances, unrealistic expectations on my part. The Secrets She Keeps changed all of that. This is the only thriller of 2017 that has earned a 5 star rating from me. In my eyes, this book deserves all of the hype and attention it's been receiving, so make sure it's on your list.

This book moves at a snail's pace. I could not get into and it could not hold my attention. Unfortunately I can't recommend this read.

If you are a diehard fan of Michael Robotham, you will not be disappointed with this latest psychological thriller. When I first started reading, I was amazed at his ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of a pregnant mom, since he is a male author. Well, let me tell you, he does not leave any details out so his research is spot on! The story is about Agatha, a clerk in a small local grocery store who befriends Meghan, a London housewife with a seemingly happy marriage and two children. Both women are pregnant, or are they? The author leads you through a maze of is she or isn't she of trying to discover what is actually going on in the plot before you discover who is trying to get a baby and who is actually having one. That is one part of the plot. Another part is the relationships that the women are having with other men and the men are having with other women. The book is not racy by any means but the hanky panky adds interest as well as intrigue that will also keep y ou guessing until the end. The chapters are divided between the points of view of the two main characters, switching back and forth between Meghan and Agatha, so the reader has to pay close attention to whose point of view is being presented in each chapter. Finally, there is a psychologist introduced near the end of the book who is very intuitive and endearing. Listen to what he has to say; Cyrus is wise and will help you to understand the motives and the next moves of the characters. I have read all of Michael Robotham's books and this is by far.my favorite. He is a master storyteller and will draw you into the tale of two pregnant women quickly and you will stay with them, hoping for the best for the both of them.

Oh my!!! You must read! One of the best this year. Highly recommend!!!!

Agatha is pregnant and works stocking shelves at a grocery store in London, counting down the days until her baby is due. The one thing she looks forward to every day at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan and her beautiful, stylish family, with her handsome husband and two gorgeous children. Agatha lives through Meghan, imagining her life as superior to her own, and fantasizes about being her friend and getting a window into her perfect life. Meghan is pregnant again and expecting a third child, due around the same time as Agatha, giving Agatha the perfect excuse to make contact with her. Little does Meghan know that the small, random conversation she has with a grocery store employee during an afternoon shopping trip is about to change the course of her life.

Agatha uses manipulation to get what she wants, from the father of her child to her friends who live upstairs. She's told so many lies that even she's not sure what's really the truth. Meghan has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep. Her marriage is nowhere near as perfect as it looks from the outside. Neither one of them live the put-together life that they pretend to have.

I thought this was an excellent read. I love Michael Robotham and his Joseph O'Loughlin series but I also really enjoyed this stand-alone book. The story moves quickly, switching perspectives between Agatha and Meghan, and was really hard to put down. I would absolutely recommend this book.

How do you define CRAZY???? Have you ever thought about the saying "grass is always greener on the other side" well this book really makes you think about those things.

This book kept me up late last night!! It was one of those books you keep reading because you say to yourself, "Just one more chapter", and then before you know it several chapters have flown by. I can honestly say that this book lives up to the hype. I was invested in this story right away and knowing what the probable outcome was going to be, I still wanted to know what happened. This is also a book that spoke to me on many levels. Very personally in fact.

The story alternates between to women's pov's, Agatha and Meg. They are both expecting babies but Agatha has a secret. She secretly watches Meg because she thinks she has the perfect life and has everything Agatha has ever wanted. The perfect husband, kids....a sense of belonging to a family. As we all know, people's lives are not always what they seem. They both have secrets and while your reading, you know what those secrets are by "listening" to both women. I definitely felt for Agatha; on many levels I could see where she was coming from. The only thing I wanted was more from the ending. Other than that, this book is a good one to pick up if you enjoy mysteries.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets She Keeps is rather different from Michael Robotham's previous thrillers, but just as well-developed and engrossing.

This psychological mystery is the story of a woman, Agatha, obsessed with her pregnancy and with another pregnant woman, Meg, who appears to have it all. The story is told from their alternating points of view, as we learn that both have secrets in their pasts, that haunt them.

The story becomes increasingly darker and the tension ramps up fast to a dramatic crescendo of an ending. Highly recommended!

This was my first book by Michael Robotham and I enjoyed it tremendously. Meg and Agatha were fascinating, complex characters. I found myself instantly drawn into their lives and just as the twist was revealed, I momentarily thought "could it be?" and was right! Agatha, in particular, broke my heart because you both sympathized for her while hating her. So kudos to Mr. Robotham for creating memorable, realistic characters who can do some awful, awful things while you still find yourself wanting them to be okay.

4.5 Stars... Oh the voice of the creature inside

Two women with child.....both have secrets.....some buried much deeper than others.

Author, Michael Robotham alternates between Meghan...who has it all, and Agatha...who wants it all...chapter by engrossing chapter as he unleashes the truth behind lives filled with lies, secrets, more lies and shocking Oh No! moments.

THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS delves deep into haunting private thoughts, devastating past tragedies and a new horror for one mother that you may see coming, but does not deter from this page-turner of a read.

So many of my Goodread's friends praise the storytelling abilities of Mr. Robotham and now I know why. Am looking forward to reading more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meghan and Agatha are both pregnant expecting the baby around the same time but their lives are far different from each other. Meghan has a seemingly perfect life with two kids , a successful blog and a sports commentator husband while Agatha has to struggle for everything in life. Agatha works in a superstore and observes Meghan envying her perfect lifestyle. She starts a conversation with Meghan and then stalking her. Meghan's life though is far from perfect with cracks showing in her marriage. Everybody in this book is carrying a secret with devastating consequences and how far will they go to keep it safe.

This was a great fast read for me that I found difficult to put it down. All the characters were well developed who you couldn't help feeling sorry for. A fantastic psychological read that I cannot recommend enough.

Many thanks to Scribner & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

This book was the perfect summer read. Incredible character development, genius storyline. Loved every minute of it.

Yowsa! I stayed up late reading this one!

Agatha, who is pregnant, has become obsessed with a customer (Meghan) who comes into the grocery store where she stocks the shelves. Agatha is stalking Meghan, unbeknownst to her, trying to imbibe herself into Meghan's life. Meghan has a nice house, a TV sports announcer husband, and two children (a perfect set, a boy and girl). She's a stay at home with her own blog wherein she posts about the daily life of a married homemaker with two children discussing their antics. Meghan is also pregnant, Agatha soon discovers.

Meghan and Agatha become friends. However, Meghan is unaware of the secrets of Agatha's past and how those secrets will absolutely crush her world.

A book filled with suspense, action, danger and the craziness of the thoughts in Agatha's head together with her secret past made this a very enjoyable book that I could not put down. Agatha's thoughts and how she sees the world is jaw dropping and unbelievable.

Thanks to Scibner and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A wonderfully twisty tale this one!

To be honest, I picked what was happening early on, but wow did this book impress. The story of two women of different social standing, who are pregnant at the same time. Agatha watches Meghan live her daily life and covets the life she has. What follows is a twisted friendship and a shocking act of betrayal.

Such a brilliant thriller, showing the intricacies of the psyche and how one's trauma can shape their lives and choices.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The value of a secret depends upon whom you're trying to keep it from. You may think it's worth a lot. I may think it's worthless. Someone always has to pay."

From the start, I was hooked... I just knew this was going to be good, but then... I don't know what happened, it just became too predictable for me. Don't get me wrong, it was still a very good read, but in the end, it lacked that surprise element for me, it just didn't have that wow factor I was hoping for based on all the raving 5-star reviews. Still definitely worthy of 4 stars.

Agatha has been admiring Meghan, or Meg rather, for weeks now. Meg has the perfect life, she has two beautiful children, Lucy and Lachlan, and a wonderful husband, Jack who is a sports reporter for one of the cable channels. Yes, Meg has it all, all the way from her perfect house down to her perfect maternity jeans.

"I envy the good-looking, the wealthy, the happy, the successful, the connected, and the married. But more than anything else, I envy the new mothers."

Agatha and Meg are both pregnant, and after a chance encounter in the supermarket where Agatha works at, they discover they are due around the same time. This sparks a new budding friendship between Agatha and Meg. Only personally, I was disappointed because I felt this is where the storyline lacked a bit for me. They didn't develop the friendship as I believed they would and that kind of ruined the storyline for me. I think if they had, it would of created more suspense for me.

The story is told from two alternating points of view between Agatha and Meghan. But the real winner here is Agatha, she is the character that really makes this story interesting, I would almost consider Meghan a secondary character. At times I found myself very bored with her character and was just waiting to get back to Agatha.

I also struggled with the dialogue in some areas of the book. Some of the scenes just lost there impact due to the poor dialogue. It was too simple, just a back and forth, an echo.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked.
"On a date?"
"Is that OK?"
"Sure."
"How about breakfast?"
"It's two thirty in the morning."
"Brunch, then."
"Are you angling to spend the night?"
"No, I just want to make sure I see you tomorrow."
"You mean today?"
"Yes."
... and it just goes on and on like this.

In the end, I did like the book, but that was only because of Agatha's character. She's a very well developed character. Her disturbing past, and her desperate desire "to be normal" is what drives this book. "It's not that I set out to be manipulative or cunning, and the lies I tell others are nothing compared to the ones I tell myself."

This was my first read by Michael Robotham and I loved it. I’ll be honest, when I got far enough into the story to realize where it was headed, I wasn’t sure if it was for me. BUT … Robotham’s writing kept me going. He definitely has the gift to keep his readers engaged. You soon learn other people’s lives aren’t quite as happy and perfect as one may think. There’s a great deal of betrayal going on behind closed doors.

There’s a lot of depth and complexity to these characters, allowing you to actually feel what it would be like to be in their situation. You may think you know how the story will end, but think again. This book was hard to put down. Superb writing, realistic characters, and a storyline that will keep one guessing made me want to read through the night. I will be reading more from this author.