Was not a fan of this one.

I was excited to see how this creepy, twisted thriller was going to play out, but instead, I was too confused by the writing to really know what was going on. I know that many thrillers start out with the whole "what-is-going-on" mentality as the adventure of uncovering all the secrets is the real fun with these novels. Unfortunately, despite trying to reread the first few chapters, I wasn't able to get rid of that feeling. So, I ended up giving up on the story and DNF'd it roughly 25% of the way through the book..

There was a real era of sadness throughout this book and it was a bit overwhelming? The plot felt very slow and I had issues with relating with any of the characters. I just felt as if they were a bit odd overall. The twists comes towards the very end of the book, but I would deem this one slow burn with a very strange family dynamic.

I'm going to be honest with you. This book sorta fell flat for me. It started off strong, but by about halfway through, I was considering not finishing it. The differing points of view and time periods all felt very confusing and just seemed to muddy up the plot. I was not invested in the characters, and by the end of the book, I couldn't have cared less what they did or what happened to them. I do not recommend this book.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that cover and the promise of a twisty and atmospheric thriller really enticed me. Too bad this was such a let down.

I didn’t really care for any of these characters. Claire and Duncan are both apathetic and somehow they still lash out at each other. The fighting became repetitive quite quickly. Joe could have been interesting, but felt more like a plot device than anything.

Plot wise, it was a mess. The dual POV combined with a before/after thread was just confusing. I’m assuming it was meant to add tension and keep me guessing, yet instead I found myself bored and skimming chapters.

Overall, it was a real disappointment and even though there was a bit of a surprise towards the end, it didn’t redeem the rest of the story.

FYI: lengthy scene of abortion and animal cruelty

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**

A slow burn mystery that isn't cohesive in its execution. The novel aspires to be a thriller but falls flat. The writing style and shifting time frames make this a confusing and difficult read at times. The synopsis of the book drew me in but the plot didn't hold my interest for long. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review.

Chilling and creepy it's not the sort of story you start reading at night. Or even during the day unless all the lights are on. This story's twists and turns took me to unexpected places. Read it though. It's so good. Happy reading!

How well do you know the person you live with? Apparently not very well here! This book was really well written, exciting and full of shocking twists, I loved it! It got a little confusing in few places but righted itself almost right away. Thank you!

Claire Henderson is visiting a veterinarian's office where her husband, Duncan, is the Clinical Director. He does not like it when she stops by because he says it confuses the staff. She has really stopped in to see if she can figure out which woman Duncan is having an affair with this time.

They live in a large converted barn with great views and lots of privacy. They have an 18-year-old son named Joe, and a dog named Arthur. Joe has always been a different type boy in that he likes to do his own thing. Right now, he is fascinated with searching the area for old coins. Evidently, stashes of them have been found. He often spends the night out searching with his metal detector with Arthur at his side. He said he needs the cover of darkness so other collectors won’t see what he is doing.

Claire is done with Duncan’s affairs and wants to rent a small, old house that was once part of an estate. It is not in the best condition, but she loves it. So, she slowly and secretly packs up what she wants to take with her. Duncan will not know where she is. She wants to take Joe and Arthur with her. After moving in, Joe has taken off for a few weeks somewhere and Claire is really scared. He has gone off for a bit before, but not like this.

This story grabbed me and would not let go. It goes back and forth in time spilling emotions of hatred, sadness, fear, and frustration. I did not fully understand the reason for the small cottages on the estate and wonder if they were part of a fantasy or if they were real. Duncan is a dichotomy personality in that he is a serial cheater, yet is a compassionate veterinarian. Claire is a woman who needs to use her brain that has become mushy with hate for Duncan and protectiveness for Joe. This constant conflict and unhappiness builds to a stunning conclusion that is sad. Some people live such a wasted life. And my heart broke for sweet Arthur who gave a lifetime of unconditional love. All of us should be more like our furbabies.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a strange but really good book. At times I was kinda confused but the end made everything clear. Not at all what I thought it would be, the ending was such a twist.

<b>Note to self: I am <i><u>NOT</i></u> a Sophie Draper fan...she is 0 for three with me.</b>

<b><i>The chilling, atmospheric mystery with a twist</i></b> I really wish publishers would stop doing this, especially when it isn't even a tiny bit true....as in this case.

This book started out well enough and though the characters get developed slightly more as the narrative progresses, the plot goes from intriguing to boring and then...no big reveal. As I slogged through the pages I found I absolutely hated both Duncan and Claire.

The back and forth had my head spinning and the non linear way the story is told made me detest this story. I usually like books like that but there was no cohesiveness here.

There wasn't much of anything I liked about the book, the plot, the characters, the ending, the writing. The animal cruelty bits really put me off too but did not impact my review or rating.

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🖤ᏆhᏒᎥᏞᏞᎬᏒ🖤
The House of Secrets by Sophie Draper

💍If you are looking for a new thriller to read, you should grab this one. Be warned that it gets a little confusing because it goes back and forth in time so if you don't like those reads, just sayin.

I enjoyed this book. So many twists and turns. Thank you for letting me read it.

To be honest, I really did not enjoy this book. I didn’t really like the characters, and I really didn’t care for the storyline. I felt like most of the story was confusing but tbh maybe that’s my fault because I could not focus on the story since I was so uninterested. The ending wasn’t awful, but once again I found it confusing. The only reason that I gave this 2 stars rather than 1 is because there were a couple chapters out of the 75 that were relatively intriguing. Overall, just not the book for me.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It starts out as a domestic suspense and expertly turns into a thriller. There is so much happening with possible triggers for some readers: infidelity, paganism, autism, birth defects, abortion and animal abuse, throw in treasure hunting, a sunken town, ghosts and a deserted village. Whoa! The story unfolds while following Claire, loving mother, resentful wife and Duncan indifferent father, lascivious husband over two timelines, past and present. Be prepared for flipping pages back and forth to follow where you are and what brought them to their current state.
Overall, a nail-biting, stay up late kind of book with some unrealistic themes and somewhat confusing timeline. This is the kind of book you have to read twice to fully appreciate the intricacies.

This story never caught my attention, therefore I had to stop reading it. The back and forth and the before and after was so confusing and I normally don't have a problem with that type of storyline.

The House of Secrets was a mind bending surprise of a story. Claire's marriage is on the rocks, her philandering husband is on his latest contest. Her precious. special son, Joe spends his day with a metal detector looking for lost treasure. Nina digs deep to leave her husband Duncan and then her son disappears. Nina's journey is one of heart ache and confusion as she tries to figure out just what happened to Joe. Twisted and shocking, the ending blindsided me and gave me the big oh moment as the whole story suddenly just clicked. A fast-paced, enthralling story that had the pages flying by. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

The beginning was good but then it was super confusing to tell “when” we are in the book. The back and forth was impossible to follow. All the characters are unlikable- it’s hard not having someone to root for. For a thriller, it’s not at all thrilling.

I give it 2.5 stars. To be honest this was not for me. I tried to get into it but it didn’t connect for me with story or characters. It was one I couldn’t even finish unfortunately. However, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it’s not for someone else. I’m sure a lot of people will love this story once it’s released.

From the start, this story just didn’t catch my attention. I didn’t get very far in it because of that. From what I read, I give it 2/5.

I appreciate I was given a chance to read this title ahead of publication by Avon and Netgalley.

Claire and Duncan are married and have a teenage son, Joe, and a dog. The marriage is loveless, and Duncan, who is a veterinarian, likes having affairs. Joe spends all his time metal detecting. Claire makes plans to leave Duncan and take Joe with her. This is about where I got very confused. The chapters were titled -before and -after, but I was never sure before and after what incident.

Both Duncan and Claire were very unlikeable narrators. In the end, I had no idea what really happened and what might have been a vision. It was kind of like on the old series “Dallas” when everything that happened had been a dream.

I didn’t care for this book at all. How it got published will remain one of the great mysteries of life.

The House of Secrets by Sophie Draper is a twisted thriller, but there is such an aura of sadness throughout the book.

Claire's marriage is awful. She's married to a lying cheat who barely tolerates her and their son. Her husband Duncan doesn't want a divorce, but he really doesn't want her around. She gathers up the strength to finally leave.

Duncan is nothing less than a jerk. He's at the top of his game professionally, but he's a pretty rotten human being. Claire knows Duncan's secrets and he knows hers - they are tied together in pain and betrayal.

Told in a "before" and "after" style from both Claire and Duncan's points of view, the book was sometimes hard to follow. The book held my attention and the ending brought everything together. But every character in the book oozes sadness. Solid story telling and will hold your interest.