Her Guilty Secret by Emily Cavanagh is an emotional drama told from four different perspectives. College roommates reunite for a three day weekend twenty years after graduation. Elise is the glue trying to keep the friendship alive. Ivy is struggling with significant personal problems. Ada is trying to be a first time mom at 40 to a challenging newborn. Libby is working to navigate life after her husband died unexpectedly.

As you can imagine, bringing four strong women together again is not without turmoil. But, despite the weekend being far off from the perfect getaway Elise envisioned the four friends are closer for it.

The book has an enjoyable cast of characters who add to the emotional dynamics in an amusing way, I would not consider the title exactly accurate, but this book has a fantastic mix of joy, connection, and dramatic interest.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Bookouture in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Four friends from college decide to meet up at long last for a weekend away. Four lives, four families and plenty to catch up on. There is a secret they don’t discuss as to why one of them was expelled at that time. Each has their own issues- be it children, unsupportive husband, new boyfriend or theft. They are staying in the second home of Elise who seems to the others to have it all and not want for anything- however sometimes things aren’t always as they first appear- not everything can be fixed by money alone. They don’t know each other as well as they used to even though some don’t live too far apart. I enjoyed reading this but wouldn't have put it as a psychological thriller- to me it's more contemporary fiction or womens saga. There is a twist - or more of an admittance but it doesn't really form the main part of the story line as it is about friendships and life. A story of lives and ups and downs, of the past and trying to put things right and how sometimes friends can come to your rescue even though you think they don’t really know you at all. I really enjoy this- it made me wince and it made me smile- and all the things we go through in a friendship over a long period of time. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
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Am engaging and suspenseful tale of female friendships and the sharp turns those may take if pushed hard and far enough... Loved it!

An excellent well written book which did take me a while to get into but thoroughly enjoyed it once it 'got hold' of me. The characters were interesting with their own stories to tell and I can thoroughly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is a story about friendship and how things change over time. Friendship wont survive without honesty. Thanks for allowing me to read an ARC in return for an honest review.

4 best friends from college plan a weekend get-away, without their spouses or kids. I think each one had a guilt secret they were hiding among lies as well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a real fan of books about groups of female friends told from different points of view, so I was very much looking forward to reading this one. It didn't disappoint.

I loved learning about the four friends, and the author succeeded in making Ivy, Elise, Ada and Libby different to each other, as well as making me believe in their tensions and their friendships. The four women all have secrets - some from the past and some in the present - and it was deliciously tense, waiting for them to be revealed. When they are, it changes the relationships between the women forever, but the experience is also very freeing for them all. The new directions and decisions all four made as a result were heart-warming.

A great read, and one I can use with my creative writing students as a good example of giving characters a unique voice when writing a multi-viewpoint story.

Love books about the ups and downs of friendships. And friendships in particular.
Adding on about family life...amazing.
This one packs a punch. Great book from beginning till end. You learn a little about each of the lady's. Well written. Enjoyful read.

Thanks the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book

Emily Cavanagh, in her newest novel, “Her Guilty Secret,” explores the age-old adage that “a burden shared is a burden halved.”

Secrets and lies run through a friendship group reunited for a weekend in Cape Cod. As they settle into a weekend of relaxation and rest, the friends play ‘Truth or Dare’ and soon fear, guilt and shame cause the buried secrets to rise to the surface. One of them has a lie of omission that could potentially break up the group of friends. Would real friends lie to each other?

At first, I was disappointed with this novel. I couldn’t identify with any of the characters and was anxious for something or anything to happen. It wasn’t until 2/3 of the way through that it donned on me; this is a book about how forming and maintaining connections with others can save us through the most difficult experiences of life. Elise and Brad Kelly-Ryan, married for 14 years and three children between Gr.1 and Gr.8, have secrets between them that money can’t fix. Ada and Tyler, married for 2 years and a 9-month-old baby, have problems because they can’t be honest with each other regarding their needs. Ivy and Sebastian, separated with two teenagers, can’t move on with their lives because of an unwillingness to finalize things. Libby Green, recently widowed with an 8-year-old and 13-year-old, doesn’t want to unleash her secret for fear of judgement. All four of these women press pause for 3 days and reunite for a girls’ weekend to Cape Cod. When they finally free themselves from their burdens and are honest with each other, the healing can begin. You’ll have to pick up a copy on February 12, 2021, to uncover each woman’s guilty secret.

Thank you to Emily Cavanagh, Bookouture and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Elise and her idyllic weekend to recreate what she had with Ivy, Libby and Ada. However, people and circumstances change and their friendships suffer as a result. I found this book truthful and real as it accurately portrayal the evolution of friendship. Sad as it may be and we want to be best friends, if we are not truthful, it will never happen.

#HerGuiltySecret #NetGalley
Captivating.
Ivy has been looking forward to seeing her oldest college friends for months. But this reunion couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Her husband has left her and she is struggling to pay the bills. She’s never felt less like sitting around joking and drinking cocktails.
But not wanting to let everyone down, Ivy boards the plane to Boston and makes her way to Elise’s Cape Cod summerhouse, where Ada and Libby are waiting.
She knew Elise’s husband was successful, but the house on the ocean, with floor-to-ceiling windows, is more opulent than she imagined. And there are photographs of Elise’s perfect, happy family in every room. Already struggling to put a brave face on things, Ivy finds herself reaching breaking point.
It's characters are terrific in their own sense. It's a different read from the other books.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this book.