So this book was good, in parts amazing and other parts lacking. Mostly the former. It was fast paced, full of shock factors and kept me guessing /speculating to myself. The ending seemed rushed and that saddens me as overall it was a really good book

K.L.Slater is one of those authors that, for me, when you pick up one of their books you know you're in for a good read. However, when I started reading this I thought this might be one that I wasn't going to connect with. But either it was me being distracted by Christmas or perhaps this isn't as an instant grab as others have been. I really don't know but I have to mention it as if it is the latter and you happened to be a first time reader (fool, where have you been??) then stick to it. Within chapters, you will be firmly be held in the cunning grasp of Ms Slater. I'm sure there must be a law about been held hostage by authors, and if not there should be and surely then she would be guilty as charged! Whilst I should have been wrapping, cooking, lighting candles and been all Deliah like instead, I was reading The Secret. I'm not sure if I should be grateful or cross. Either way please know you're in for a fantastic read.

Love this author's books! Two sisters live different lives, Louise works hard while bringing up her son Archie while Alice is too scared to leave the house. They should be close after losing their mother but they are so different. Alice looks after Archie for Louise while her husband is also working away, when she thinks that he is being abused by Louise she turns to him for help. A book with lots of twists and turns.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

K.L. Slater has a way about her writing that just pulls me right in and all I want to do is read straight through to the end. The Secret was no different. If I didn't have to go about my normal every day life, I would have stayed in my comfy reading spot and finished this book faster.

Alice and Louise are sister who as children were close but as adults they could not be more different. They both are struggling in their own ways but neither seems to share their struggles with the other. Louise hides behind her perfect hair and her stylish clothes. While Alice is filled with immense anxiety and grief over the loss of a former love.

Alice's 8 year old nephew, Archie, has a secret. One that could turn his family's world upside down if revealed.

I became so invested in the different characters of this story. Alice, in particular, was someone I felt deeply for. Having faced a number of upsetting situations which lead to her slowly secluding herself but she starts to pull herself out of seclusion for her nephew and a mystery man on the daily tram.

There were a few twists that I did not see coming and that made enjoy this book even more. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good thriller to read.

Wow, what an amazing book. I started and finished the book in one sitting, I just couldn't wait to see what Archie's secret was. It was well written, and worth the time and effort!

Ooooooooh another cracker from KL Slater, I have read 6 now and they are all great reads and do not fail to have me up late into the night with the old chestnut of "one more chapter".

The Secret is a psychological thriller with a lot of twists and turns.
It is centered around 2 very different sisters Alice and Louise, Alice is kind of housebound and rarely goes out, whereas Louise who is struggling with childcare for her son Archie uses this to her advantage and gets Alice to look after Archie for her, the two become close and its clear little Archie has a secret that he's not allowed to tell. What a read, full of suspense, I loved little Archie and really felt for him.

A corker once again from the author, waiting for the next one already!!!

oh geeze this book gave me some anxiety, just because I didn't know who to believe, her sister Louise or her brother in law. I am also ashamed that it took me this long to read it, as it swooped me in from the beginning and I read it in one day. I loved it, I loved the story plot, and also how the author through in the past POV's from the sisters. I was mad at her sister when I found out she was the reason she lost the chance at her dreams, all because she was being selfish. I also didn't like that poor Archie had to live with so many secrets I mean I know that is the title of the book and the whole concept but I know that would be hard for a kid to have to deal with, also I was always told that secrets don't make friends lol.

K.L. Slater’s books are always a little bit hit and miss for me, I either really enjoy them or really dislike them and unfortunately with The Secret, it was the latter.

It starts off quite well with us following sisters Alice and Louise, with us finding out that Louise’s son Archie has a terrible secret that nobody must ever find out. As the story progresses it seems that every single character has secrets and something to hide. The word I would choose to describe this book overall is, boring. The two main characters of Alice and Louise felt pretty one-dimensional. Yes we learn about their past as the story moved on but the whole thing was just tedious and dull. I barely cared about the characters. Archie was an interesting character but as an eight year old boy he was written I felt almost like a young teenager and I struggled at times to connect to any of these characters that meant the story just didn’t interest me as much as I would have liked.

Something with K.L. Slater’s books that has annoyed me in the past is her endings can be quite poor, and rushed. That was certainly the case here in The Secret. Everything is just revealed in the space of a few pages with little to no closure for the majority of the characters. Not only that but characters seem to have complete personality transplants in just a few pages and I was left rolling my eyes rather than feeling any emotion to the huge revelations that present themselves in these closing pages. Sadly The Secret did not live up to the hype for me and is one of those stories I will now loathe because of the time I spent reading it when I could have been reading something else but there was a part of me that wanted to read on and that hoped the ending would make up for everything but unfortunately, it didn’t. All that said I have enjoyed some of Kim’s books in the past and would not be against reading another one in the future.

This is one of the best books I have read this year and actually the only book I could not put down. I read it in a matter of days and that included being away for a family wedding weekend with not a lot of free time! I always enjoy books that have sisters as the main characters but this really kept me in suspense. Sisters Louise and Alice do have a strange relationship, and Louise's son, Archie, also develops an interesting relationship with Alice. The surprise ending was perfect. I will be looking to read more from K.L. Slater in the future. Thank you, Net Galley, for the advanced reader's copy...I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Very good read. Kept me going all today on my first day on holiday. Will definitely read more of this author’ Work. I like the main character and I liked the way story weaved back and forward with different people telling their story. Give it a go!

A suspenseful read that keeps you on your toes with plot twists and undercurrents of sinister secrets. Alice, Archie's Aunt is worried about why he is so scared and what secrets he is keeping. It's way worse than she imagined. Thanks #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. #thesecret #klslater #bookouture #goodreads #litsy #insta #tea_sipping_bookworm

Well....it just goes to show you can pick your friends but unfortunately you can’t pick your family.
I really enjoyed this book and I made myself promise not to finish until I knew what the secret was or as it turned out secrets.
This book was quite slow to start but with each chapter the pace would quicken and I loved how the book switched to one of the three main characters POV and the time in which main events happened.
The true hero of this book is Alice she amazed me with her strength and tenacity.
I highly recommend this book full of suspense.

I keep seeing this book advertised as "The most gripping psychological thriller you'll read this year." and I have to say that I don't agree. The story moved along at a standard pace, but nowhere in the story did I feel like it was gripping and thrilling.

Alice and Louise have a strained relationship. Favoritism that lasted throughout their childhood and into adulthood has separated them from the close bond that they used to have. One longing for just another moment with her mother and the other focused on the money that can be gained from her dead mother's assets.

Everything changes when Louise has to start relying on Alice to watch her son. Not only impeding on Alice's solitary life, but also taking a chance that secrets will come to light. Alice starts to suspect that all isn't as sunny as Louise wants her to believe.

While an interesting read, I still missed the actual gripping and thrilling aspects that were advertised.

This book took a little bit for me to get into. It would have been better had the point of views not been all over the place. I typically like those types, the ones that leave you hanging and make you want to keep reading. But usually in a book, they are more focused. This just seemed scattered and that is definitely not what my mind needs when I sit down to take a break and read. I liked the plot line and the overall description, but I felt like I needed more....or maybe less...because everyone had a story to tell in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook for my Kindle.
Another good book by K. L. Slater!
A lot of twists and turns about the relationship between 2 sisters and the secrets they hide and share.
When the book is ending, the "truth is revealed" and the sisters decide to bond together until another secret is revealed- what a surprise!

I had great expectations for this book, seeing it labelled and rated as a fantastic psychological thriller, however there was nothing remotely thrilling whatsoever in this book.

This book focuses on the lives of 2 sisters Alice and Louise, Louise’s son Archie and their uncomfortable pasts. While the storyline was readable and easy to follow, there was no suspense, twists or turns which I’d expect to find from a psychological thriller. I think if this book was labelled differently, I would have rated it higher but for me I felt a little bored and wondering when the thrill was going to work its way into the story.

A massive thank you to Bookouture and K.L. Slater for allowing me to read and review this book.

K. L. Slater's The Secret does not disappoint. It is an engrossing and intriguing read that sucked me in from the beginning to the very end. Two sisters who live very different lives wrapped up in deceit, lies, death and on occasion the heartbeat of love. Like most families siblings tend to be quite different, this is a story about how two girls grew up in an abusive home and how Louise follows the same path as her mother and Alice couldn't be farther away from it if she tried. The book sent pains through my soul when it came to Archie, Louise's son. He is a bright young boy who has to carry around a huge secret that no child should ever have to bare and then to add abuse on top of that just broke my heart. This is a book that you won't be able to put down.

I would particularly like to thank Bookouture Publishing and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

I love the book covers published by Bookouture. I was immediately attracted to the cover and the summary.

We find Louise hiding from the world that she is in trouble. She forged a shell to fool the world. She is not aware that her sister Alice has been afraid to leave home since their mother died. As for Archie, Alice's son, he sees funny things and has a secret.

A book read in one go, I immediately hooked on the story so captivating, moving and full of suspense and twists and turns. I love this author's pen.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.5 Hearts This story kept me on the edge of my seat. Because I so badly wanted to figure out the secret.

Archie is going through a hard time and has become withdrawn and secretive. When Louise leaves for a bit she leaves Archie with her sister, Alice. She is determined to find out the secret and help her beloved nephew.

This was so well written and engrossing. Can’t wait for another story from Slater.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.