You can live with someone for years, but can you ever truly know them? Author Sophie Draper explores this question in her novel The House of Secrets. Married couple Claire and Duncan share a home, a son, a dog ... and a secret they've kept for decades -- a secret that's been driving them apart for so long that there is nothing left between them but suspicion and animosity. The House of Secrets is a well-written, suspenseful novel for readers who like family drama with a mystery. The two main characters come to life well as the narrative shifts between Claire's and Duncan's perspectives both "before" and "after." By the end, you will also be asking yourself "What if?" about situations in your own life, contemplating Draper's lines: "One split second when before was 'normal' and everything was okay. And after, when everything was not."

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. Personally, I didn’t even want to finish this book. I felt like nothing made sense, and I didn’t enjoy the plot either.

I actually read this book recently with a different title, Magpie, so I thought this was a newer or later release. It’s not. It’s just renamed. It’s the same with a different title. I enjoyed it the first time!

This story started out promising. It's told from the perspectives of spouses Claire and Duncan, both before and after an unknown event. However, the plot unfolded at a snail's pace, with the first 2/3 of the book filled with Claire's rambling thoughts and Duncan's frustrating actions.

I would have given up on this one halfway through if I wasn't reviewing it. There were a few interesting twists at the end, but overall the story was all over the place and could have been much shorter. I think it could have made an intriguing short story, actually!

Claire lives with husband Duncan and son Joe in a beautiful estate overlooking the water. But she's desperate to get away from Duncan and his double life. She just needs to wait for the opportunity to get her son away from him too.

But as she digs deeper into Duncan's secret life, she unearths things she longs to forget and when Joe goes missing, her life begins to unravel.

If you're looking for a tightly paced thriller that you'll fly through in a sitting, this is a different book altogether. The plot unwinds slowly until the very end, when the twists will leave you breathless. The writing is beautiful and the atmosphere is well drawn as you become immersed in the setting.

I loved how this book came together. Reading at first, I got frustrated with the characters. Their actions and reactions didn't make much sense to me. But the payoff is with the reveal at the end and it was a treat to rethink everything that came before to put it in perspective. I'm glad I stuck with it..

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for a review.

In <i>The House of Secrets,</i> Claire lives in a large, formidable home that her husband Duncan built for her years ago, back when Duncan wasn’t living a double life. Claire discovers Duncan’s secrets and vows to move out immediately, taking their 18 year old son Joe with her. But suddenly, Joe is missing as well and Claire can’t seem to piece together what happened that led the three of them all to this place in their lives.

I found this novel a bit slow, and some plot points unnecessary, but there are a few things I didn’t see coming!

Claire has discovered her husband, Duncan is not the man she thought he was. She’s terrified of him and as soon as she can, she intends to abscond with their son, Joe. But when Joe goes missing, Claire finds herself hiding from Duncan in an old cottage. She has plenty of time to think and begins trying to unravel the web of lies that both she and Duncan have told each other, but is the truth that awaits her at the end something she can handle?

Please refer to my review of "Magpie" The premise for this story sounded great. The first third of the book actually captivated me. After that - I found myself having to look back to see if something was "before" or "after". I don't know who of the three main characters I wanted to hate the most. Maybe it was me, but the Hall and the Estates behind gates was confusing and not interesting to me.

I am sorry to only give 2 stars to this book. Even the ending did not seem as a "thriller" or "suspense" story to me.

I truly appreciate the ability to have reviewed this book.. Thank You to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.