This was a great story, realistic, relatable and totally credible. Four friends of old haven't met up to spend time together in forever, because life, loves, jobs, children and family pressures all too often get in their way. Finally a get away is planned and they all manage to make it happen. They all live under the illusion of perfect lives, their social media posts acting as beacons to the outside world, but gradually as the story progresses we learn that things are not always as they seem. 
This is a great read. It's enticing from the start, captivating and well written. I highly recommend it.

Four best friends from college get together, but it's 20years later, and everything has changed. Instead of seeing enough daily and knowing everything about each other, they haven't seen each other in two years and each has something hidden from the others. 

Relationships are hard, marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Loss is hard. Being a mother is hard. Doing it alone is hard. Being vulnerable is hard, opening up to those that you love and respect. 

I got so emotionally invested in this story, it was hard to put it down. I saw a piece of myself in each of those women - and not always a part I want to admit to. There's so much fear - fear of not being good enough, or having enough, or being enough - that we hide and we limit ourselves because we are scared. 

Very well written and highly emotionally engaging.

Four old college friends decide to spend the weekend together  to reconnect but each hides a secret. Elise feels lonely despite her wealth and has been squirrelling money away but now her husband has found out. Ivy is almost bankrupt and has started working as an escort. Ada is hiding her postnatal depression. Widow Libby has found a second chance at love. However, there are more secrets from the past...
Her Guilty Secret is a great title as it can apply to each of the four main characters. They have been hiding secrets from each other as well as their loved ones. Yet for all of them, things are going to come to a head this weekend as tensions and personalities collide.
The four main women are all likeable, facing their own struggles and desperate to cling on to their lives yet terrified of what will happen next. I liked the strength of the women's friendship that ebbs and flows throughout the book. The realism of their emotions makes this an enjoyable book to read and there is a naturalness to the situations that makes us think 'what if it was me'.
We get to see different perspectives as each chapter gives us insight into one of the women's viewpoints. They are all treated equally by the author who shows us their version of current and past events through third person narrative.
Her Guilty Secret is an enjoyable tale of enduring friendship and modern life.

Old college friends get together – one excited to host them and the other three coming to the get together with mixed emotions

One of the things about lifelong friendships is the expectations these friends have from you and also how the patterns of relating to each other are fixed. The fact is that as we grow older we change, our priorities change and it’s important that we give old friends space and reassess our patterns of relating to each other. I think Her Guilty Secret brought this out beautifully.

Each of the friends had a secret that they were struggling with apart from the one big secret that threatened to bring up the past and break the tenuous ties that they had. Old hurts and unresolved emotions between start to show as they interact with each other and also each of them is trying to pretend their life is fine. A game of truth or dare changes the dynamic of their gathering and threatens the future of their friendship. Will they continue to be friends despite all this?

I didn’t know what to expect from the book but then found it hard to put it down. The author’s style of narration is really good. The problems that the women face in their individual lives are so real and relatable as is the nature of their friendship and interaction.

I will be looking out for more books from this author.

“because in the heart of the mess was sometimes where goodness lay”

What a fun read!  Four college friends get together for a weekend away after not seeing each other for a couple of years.  The story is told from all 4 points of view, past and present.  The characters are well developed, likable and flawed.  Secrets are revealed and harsh words are spoken.  Can these women who have changed so much since college remain friends?


Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Emily Cavanagh for this ARC.

This novel is about four college friends getting together for a weekend. It has been twenty years since they left Harper. Each has secrets they are hiding. The first few chapters gave us some back story. Sometimes too much and sometimes too little background. I kept waiting for it to hit the gas and get good. Well it did and when that happened I could not put my tablet down. I don't want to post any spoilers so I will just say don't give up, it is worth it in the end! 

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for my voluntary review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it's a story of 4 old friends each with secrets who meet up for a weekend.  I found it absorbing and a realistic account of how friendships change as you get older and have different priorities.    
This is a compelling read as the lives of the characters unravel.   The author is an excellent storyteller and I just couldn't put this book down.  A hugely enjoyable read and I can highly recommend it.

Her Guilty Secret by Emily Cavanagh is a story about the friendships that last the test of time back from the good old schooldays. The type that back in school you all looked after each other and you told them everything, good and bad and you still didn't falter. As the years roll by everyone matures, marries and you have children, you don't get together as you did back then...the contact is minimal but best friends don't need to be on each others backs, do they? 
Elise, Libby, Ada and Ivy all met while at University and a friendship developed that has stood the test of time, or has it? A girlie weekend at Elise's holiday home for them all to get together and spend some time reminiscing together about what they did in the past and how they are doing now, turns into something unexpected when a game of truth or dare begins. When the secrets begin to be told how far does friendship go, and will it survive the weekend?
A tale of friendship, loyalty and second chances. Set in a lovely summer home in Cape Cod, where maybe, appearance isn't everything ,and facing your issues and dealing with them is more important. A story that captivated me, with the setting and the dynamics between the friends. We get to see things such as status updates or texts between them all at the beginning of every chapter. This shows us how people hide things and live a 'perfect life' online and in reality it is totally different. I enjoyed this little touch. It gave a feeling of realism to the book as well. An immersive story with a twist that I thought was well written and would easily recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I absolutely loved Emily Cavanagh’s previous novel Everybody Lies, (which still plays around in my head) so I couldn’t wait for her next release. When the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t jump any higher at the chance to read an advanced copy. Was the magic still there that I loved in Everybody Lies?… Yes it was!

Her Guilty Secret is a well plotted tale that delves deep into the friendship between Elise, Ivy, Libby and Ada, as they navigate their own lives whist trying to hang on to the friendship they shared during their university days. A weekend away to reconnect is just what they need to escape their everyday lives but, it could well end up tearing them all apart.

Each chapter is told via the perspective of each of the women and gives great insight into who they were and who they have become. Each dealing with the hands that have been dealt as topics of motherhood, deceit, lies, grief, death, divorce, postpartum depression, are covered in detail. To quote from the book “Life had ground them down too, yet here they all were, still intact, still some version of themselves, even if not entirely who they’d once been”.

As the title teases, I was eagerly awaiting to find out “the secret” and from whom it was going to come from but, when it was finally revealed, I was surprised to realise that it wasn’t the secret that was the pillar that held this story up, it was the story of friendship that did.

Her Guilty Secret has been beautifully written and the pages just turn themselves. It made me think of my own friendships from high school. One in particular that lasted for a number of years since that time but, eventually faded away as our lives took different paths. Some things you are better off letting go but, still having the fond memories remain.

Emily Cavanagh has done an outstanding job with this book. Addictive and thought provoking, it will certainly have you caught up and invested in the story and its characters. It was an absolute pleasure to read and review Her Guilty Secret, which I highly recommend.

Thank you to Emily Cavanagh, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Her Guilty Secret, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Four 40ish college friends gather for a weekend at Cape Cod.  All of them carry secrets, some large, some small.  None of their lives are exactly as they appear.  At first Elise, Ivy, Ada, and Libby all present their happy sides but as the weekend progresses truths are revealed.  With the help of their old friends and some uncomfortable discussions, each woman is able to take steps towards a new path.  They leave with a renewed sense of closeness..  This is my first read by Emily Cavanagh  but I will certainly seek out some of her other books.  It was a totally enjoyable read.

We all know that reality is always different from what we may post on social media and this story will unfold so many secrets and untold truths about a friendship that lives over the years. 
Three women kept in touch but never really made time to met in person after they graduated and now , years after and each one with their own experiences of life, they get to spend a few days together in a getaway holiday. 
A truth or dare game is on and that will change each other’s perspective and beliefs on how the others succeed in their lives and all the dirty secrets are unveiled. 
A story about friendship, life and mistakes as well as trust and deceits. 
A page turner that many readers will enjoy.

Spark of Vitality that keeps you wanting to turn the pages! A Five Star read! 
Friends from college who come from different walks of life have always been good friends even after graduation, so they believe. Elise is the go-getter and planner and decides to have a reunion of the group, which consists of Ivy, Ada, and Libby. They all have secrets and issues, but they haven’t shared them with each other.
The author invites us to look into the characters lives and relationships and we wonder if we can relate or know someone who can or has. The author develops the storyline with such flair that every distinctive trait and personality with twists and turns makes this book so UNPUTDOWNABLE!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

“Good friends. Good mothers. Good liars.” A girls getaway weekend where a game of truth or dare is played and lies are shared? Oh, I knew I was going to love this book! 

Comfortable, familiar, likable, realistic and relatable characters. I started a new book right after this one like I usually do, but I just couldn’t get into it. I missed the characters and story from this novel too much and wanted more of those instead! 

It wasn’t just that it was easy to read, it lured you in with fantastic characters and brilliant writing. I devoured every word and couldn’t get enough. 

Great book, definitely read this one!          

Publication Day – Feb 12th 2021 

#netgalley #herguiltysecret #bookouture #blogtour @bookouture

This is a new to me author and I enjoyed her book very much.

It's not a psychological thriller but it packs a punch for what it is. It's about the ups and downs of friendships and the secrets and betrayal that come along with that.

It kept my attention from start to finish and will read more from this author.

This wonderful story tells us about four old college friends, who keep in touch, but don’t get to meet up very often, and now they’re all meeting up for a weekend away in Cape Cod.

Each of them has something that they’re dealing with under the veneer of the perfection of their social media posts. We meet them all separately, getting a glimpse into their everyday lives, then they all converge and are together again. Like all the best laid plans, there are some problems and issues, and someone is keeping a long held secret.

We find out more about their college lives, and what happened to them all, and how they got to where they ae now. The status updates, and text messages at the start of each chapter add a real sense of authenticity to the book, as well as showing us that the real story doesn’t always match what’s posted online.

I found myself totally immersed in the story, and captivated by both the setting, and the insight into their stories. The friendships and dynamics between them felt so real, and it’s a real page-turner of a read. I was sorry when it all came to an end, I was enjoying it so much.

Just brilliant. I loved this book. What an absorbing, enthralling tale! Addictive, fast paced, packed with twists, this one had me absolutely transfixed. I did not want it to end even as I was frantically turning the pages. A thoroughly great read.

Thoroughly enjoyed this gentle paced friends emotional drama it is a different genre than I normally read and made a pleasant change.

Elise, Libby, ivy and Ada met at university a deep friendship followed that’s continued into their later lives.  Elise arranges a weekend at her holiday home for the group of friends to reunite and catch up.  The weekend doesn’t go to plan and tensions and secrets surface that make them question are they really as good friends as they thought.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 old friends get together for a weekend, each has a secret, but as the weekend goes on they realise how much they have all changed, but also how much they need each other, not my usual genre but it was a nice easy read

Brilliant book. Lovely story dealing the friendship of 4 girls which started over 20 years ago. It deals eith their lives up until now. The spend weekend together which does not go according to plan. A story of friendship,lies and betrayal. You really feelmthwt you are with them for the weekend.

This book was a fun and quick read.  I love reunion books and these friends, who all met in college, were an interesting group.  I'd love to see a followup to this, maybe another reunion in another location to see how each separate situation played out.