I really felt drawn to the premise of this book.
We follow the story of Mary, Tom, their daughter Beth and her children. Mary is in the grips of dementia and a long buried family secret is about to come to light.
The story is a gentle read that jumps quickly between different perspectives and viewpoints. I found it a little disjointed following so many threads and not intertwining as well as I’d hoped. The first half of the book started off pretty slowly but it did pick up a little towards the end. A good story with the dynamics of a normal family and what can really go on behind closed doors!

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher Fairlight Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I suppose you would call this a gentle story, Beth is divorced and the mother of 3 children. As the book begins, het mother has been admitted to a care home . Two of her children are adults and the third a teenager. The story is told from different perspectives. A few chapters in , Lucy (Beth's daughter) finds something in her grandmother's house which makes her question family relationships. She keeps this to herself and starts to investigate. This story is really interesting and reflected in the reminiscing of Mary, her grandmother. Mary does talk about things that have happened in the past, but it is not always picked up on or sometimes misunderstood by those around her so although we are led to believe that Mary talks about the mysteries of the past, this does not really always come across well.
The main problem with this book in my opinion is that there are lots of different threads concerning the family. Nothing much seemed to happen in the first few chapters as their fairly mundane life is described. Their father comes and goes, but the two younger children do not seem to have much of a relationship with him. The older son makes a brief appearance, as does a friend of Lucy, but neither events added much to the story for me. In the second half of the book, the main story develops and this was the redeeming factor for me in this book . Not bad on the whole, but with a little more editing and knitting some of the stories together better, it could be better.
Thankyou to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Relative Secrets is a great, twisty thriller! Helen Stancey is an amazing writer and this book and the plot hooks you in!

I enjoyed the family dynamics between Beth, Lucy and Daniel. For me personally it was very slow going. It is a good book for someone with grandparent with alterzimers.

It's 1999, and Beth and her children are an ordinary family living an ordinary life - which hides an extraordinary secret! When her teenage daughter Lucy discovers old sketches when clearing out her grandmother Mary's home, she suspects there's a shocking story to be told behind her grandma and grandpa's marriage. But Mary, in her care home, is no longer capable of communicating the facts, so Beth begins her own investigation.
Set against the backdrop of family life - Beth's ex-husband Tony flits in and out, disrupting their equilibrium, and hiding a secret of his own - the plot moves slowly, but keeps the reader engaged as the truth gradually unfolds.
The characters are empathetic - Beth's a typical mum, dealing with all the challenges of the sandwich generation while her two younger children, Beth and Daniel, are engaging and natural, and typical teenagers of the 1990s when smartphones hadn't been invented and you had to rely on your own wits to find things out.
But it's Mary who makes the story! The narrative gives a thoughtful and engaging insight into a mind muddled by dementia. Mary communicates in her own way but sadly her loved ones just don't understand what she is trying to tell them.
I felt the writing was padded at times and there was a little too much introspection from Beth and from Lucy, which slowed the plot without adding much to the story. But overall this was a gentle and thought-provoking read exploring the challenges of family life and reminding us that in the end, love will always win through.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Each chapter seemed to go off in a different direction. It didn't really hold my attention. Thanks to the author Helen Stancey, publisher Fairlight Books, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

Better than I thought it was going to be and liked the POVs of the three main woman characters. Each has a secret. I also love how Mary, the matriarch of the family is written who is struggling with dementia. When she was lucid, she was still smart and keen AF. This was largely a women's fiction book with some suspense through out, recommended because it is not the typical women's fiction and the ending was suiting.

Thanks to Netgalley, Helen Stancey and Fairlight Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/25/21

First, I would like to thank NetGalley along with the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Relative Secrets brings you along the journey that Lucy is faced with to uncover her family’s secrets. Specifically, her grandmothers, Mary. After Mary is diagnosed with dementia and slowly worsens with symptoms, Lucy sets out with the help of no one due to not wanting to put added stress and frustration on her family to find what her grandmother could be hiding after finding old pictures within a locket.

One of my most enjoyed writing styles is multiple points of view, so that was a great surprise to me when it came about in the book. Though I did find at points I was struggling to hold on. Mary’s chapters specifically gave me a roller coaster ride. While I understand there are struggle with dementia, and I found it nice that the author was able to show that through the writing, at most times, I could not understand much that was going on. I was consistently confused with who Mary was talking of or to for that matter.

I did enjoy when the book was engaging, and Lucy was able to figure out exactly what the family secret was. Which seemed to be something simple to predict. I found other parts lacking in connection and forced at times.

I'm afraid to say I really struggled to read this. The plot sounds promising but a lot of the dialogue is over written in my opinion, I found myself grazing through pages rather than reading them, therefore not really caring about the outcome or the characters.
Thank you Netgalley, Helen Stancey and Fairlight Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is more difficult to follow. It’s not one that you can put down for a while and then pick back up. I had a bit of trouble finishing it. The plot is good but could have been written a little easier to follow. It also ended quite abruptly, never quite answering questions that arose in the book.

A really compelling story that explores the complexities of family and history.

This book centered Lucy and the secrets she came across about the history of her family, especially her grandparents. We followed her as she dealt with these secrets and tried to made sense out of them.

Honestly, this had so much potential. I loved the setting. I loved the plot. I can see what the author wanted to make out of this and I loved the idea. So much. It's really intriguing and it's obvious that the author has thought this out. I' m so into mysteries and secrets and unexpected revelations that take my breath away. But the writing and the storytelling wasn't for me. The writing style threw me off track. It was really difficult to follow and inconsistent at times, especially the POV changes. The transitions to dialogues from narrations were also distracting to the point that sometimes I cannot understand what I was reading. Which was really a bummer for me because I had so much interest for the story, especially the background history.

Lucy's grandparents, Mary and Tom, were really strong characters. I loved the classic vibes they give. And also, Frank Lawton was a really nice addition to the story. The rest of the characters were bland and felt almost unimportant during the duration of the whole book. Even Lucy was boring.

I had to give it to this book though, because it wasn't at all predictable. It caught me off guard a couple of times and I really wanted to love it more but the writing just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you Fairlight Books for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

We all have secrets of some sort and this book doesn't disappoint in that aspect. The story weaved together through different points of view and time periods. It also shows the debilitating side of dementia. I did feel the characters could be more developed. The author did a wonderful job of showing the love of family.

RELATIVE SECRETS - Helen Stancey
Fairlight Books
ISBN-10: 1-91205-486-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-91205-486-2
March 2021
Family Saga

England - 1999

Beth Pearson divorced her adulterous husband Toni Kinnon, and in the process took back her maiden name. Toni still drops in to visit his children and to taunt Beth. Supporting herself and her three children Adam, Lucy, and Daniel has taken a lot of work and emotional stress, but her parents had helped her raise the children. She now has a good job but has not been interested or had time to explore a new intimate relationship. Her father Tom Pearson died a few years ago, and her mother Mary lived with Beth and her children until Mary's dementia became a problem Beth could not handle any longer. Mary is now in a nursing home.

Lucy often visits her grandmother, not quite following Mary's rambling discourse. Then, while helping her mother to clean out her grandparent's house so they can rent it out for more income, she comes across some photographs which she keeps from her mother's knowledge. The photos show disturbing information about Tom and Mary. She cannot believe what she has learned but starts some research into her family.

RELATIVE SECRETS tells the story of this strong and interesting family and about the secrets kept hidden, the motivation behind the secrecy, and how some secrets can be misinterpreted. It is told primarily from the viewpoints of Mary, Lucy, Daniel, and Beth, and covers the many aspects between the awful situations in some generations and the good aspects that draw another generation into stronger, closer, more supportive relationships. While her daughter and grandchildren can not understand Mary's confused talk, the reader is within her thoughts which helps explains many things.

Author Helen Stancey has taught psychology, so she has a good background for writing RELATIVE SECRETS, which is a compelling and vivid story that will draw readers in.

Robin Lee

I really had a hard time getting into this book and finishing. It skips around from person to person and also goes back into the past., It is about a dis-functional family, and the only real plot that I can find is that Lucy is trying to find out about her grandparent's relationship. I have read a lot of books by English authors, but some of the words in this book were hard to follow.

I liked this book but I found it really difficult to get through. The constant change in perspective from character to character was really jarring, and I found the writing quite forced in places. I also found Mary's chapters really confusing. I understand that they're supposed to show her worsening dementia, but half of the time I didn't know who she was talking to or what was really happening, which was kind of frustrating. But at the same time I appreciated that they could convey the chaos of dementia, the lapses in time and awareness. I also found some chapters more engaging than others. I was interested in Mary and Lucy's chapters, but far less so in Daniel and Beth's, so I found myself skimming those.

I suspected that I knew what the family secret would be when Lucy first found the locket and I was right in parts. Once Lucy had started to uncover it I really did want to keep on reading, despite the slightly confusing writing. All families are complicated, it's true, however some more than others. It was really interesting to be able to watch Lucy uncover exactly what had happened to her family in the past, as well as her problematic relationship with her father in the present. I'd have liked her relationship with her father to have been explored in a bit more detail, because in the beginning of the book we got to see a lot of it, but it was never really resolved.

I was quite torn regarding what to rate this book. I found the concept really interesting and there were parts of it that were very moving. But as I mentioned, it was quite difficult to read and I wasn't always engaged. Overall I found it quite easy to forget.

This was a pretty quick and easy read that neither disappointed me or thrilled me in any particular way. I enjoyed the writing and the characters overall, but didn't feel compelled to continue reading eagerly. I wish some aspects of the story had been more fully developed as it does feel like the book is missing something by the time you get to the end. Again, a simple, easy to get through book that might be great if you're looking for something like that.

Thank you Netgalley and Fairlight Books for providing me with an ARC of this interesting and engaging book in exchange for an honest review.

An Intriguing read that pulled me in and left me wanting to know more.

The story surrounds the Pearson family. It touches on subjects that are relevant to everyday modern living such as dementia, absentee parenting and mental health as well as bringing us into the mindset of England today and in the 1950’s. There are multiple points of view narrated in this multi-generational story, mostly told through granddaughter Lucy’s eyes as she stumbles across a family secret while clearing her grandmother Mary’s house. Mary has recently moved into a care home due to her dementia. Trying to figure out this secret on her own so as not to upset her family, we follow her steps to unravel the truth about her grandparents and her family history.

I enjoyed the realistic dialogue throughout the book. The author does a great job with everyone, from the youngest character Daniel all the way to the oldest being Mary. The chapters Mary narrates give us an insight into the mind of someone who suffers from dementia. I also found it refreshing that the family seemed real. In many of the books I tend to read, everyone lives in beautiful homes, money is never an issue etc…. but this is much more realistic, a family living in a flat in London, adult education, teenagers working in retail, teenagers hanging out with friends and on the edge of trouble.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and maybe the reason being that it’s different, it’s told in a different way and think that it’s definitely a story worth telling. I am keen to read other books by this author.

This is a unique and well-thought out book, with intriguing secrets and realistic characters.

Lucy's grandmother, Mary, has just moved into a care home because Lucy, her weary mother Beth, and her younger brother Daniel, can no longer look after her. After keeping secrets for a lifetime, Mary's mind is no longer the locked vault it used to be, and things are slipping out whilst her mind is in the past. Whilst clearing out her grandmother's house Lucy finds a locket and a few pictures locked away in a chest, which Lucy realises are hiding a terrible family secret. Lucy was supposed to au pair in France on her gap year, but gave it up to help look after her Grandmother. With Mary now being cared for in the home, she resolves to use her time to solve the mystery - but all may not be what it seems. Meanwhile, her and Daniel's estranged dad keeps popping back up, and he is hiding secrets of his own.

This is a story of secrets, love, and family.

I read this book in a day, and I did not want to put it down. Woven throughout the story are insights into the family's daily life, Mary's past, and the thoughts of the two teenagers, Daniel and Lucy. I really appreciated how the two of them were portrayed - they weren't the stereotypical dramatic and moody or selfish teenagers that so often appear in books. They were caring, thoughtful, a little moody,and a product of their early experiences.

The chapters from Mary’s perspective were beautifully done, beginning in the past and then becoming more jumbled and confused as they transitioned to the present and her struggle with dementia.

This book left me with questions about the future of the characters and what happened following some of the events in this book - but it was done in a way that worked, and wasn't super infuriating. That said, I still want to know! I would love to read a sequel or short story that carried on past the book just for my own curiosity!

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

First let me say Thank You to Netgalley and Fairlight books for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows the Pearson family; Mary Pearson has just moved to a home because her memory is failing and her daughter and grandchildren no longer can care for her. As Beth and her kids Lucy and Daniel, are cleaning Mary's home, Lucy finds a small box with pictures in it that seem to tell a different story about her grandparents. Lucy feels she needs to find out the truth before her grandmother can no longer remember.
I liked the overall story this book was trying to tell, but I think there were areas that could have been stronger and other areas that just seemed unnecessary. I enjoyed reading about Mary and the family secret and uncovering the truth, but I wanted more of that. I believe the book would have been stronger if it focused on Lucy and Mary specifically. The author stretched herself too thin trying to give more of each family member and then they fell flat and seemed pointless. After Lucy discovers the truth, she tries talking to her grandmother for more info, never getting real answers; but her grandmother seems to say bits and pieces to Beth later, who doesn't understand what she is talking about.
The book ends abruptly, but it does not feel like a strong ending at all. It left too much unanswered and just too many loose threads that were mentioned and never really followed up on.

This book was fascinating to read! I do admit that it had a very slow start in the beginning but it quickly picked up pace once the locket was found. I also really enjoyed how Marys memories were portrayed, Instead of there being a here section and a then section. The memories start as a jumble that gradually becomes more and more clear as you read. Some people may not enjoy the book because of that. It does feel like the type o story that you have to read twice to fully enjoy. #RelativeSecrets #NetGalley