I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Story of Our Secrets by Shari Low from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely loved this story - once I started I couldn’t put it down however I must warn you to keep tissues close by as you may find tears rolling down your face as you read! So good and I can't wait to read more books by this author. Thank you for the chance to read and review this ahead of publication!

I am a huge fan of this author, I really enjoy her books and this one was no exception. I love the friendship groups she creates and I feel she always writes the older characters really well.
This one was actually really sad but with a lot of humour throughout too. One of the characters though really grated on me, so much so that I was getting angry with the group for keeping the friendship going. I thought it unrealistic that everyone seemed to love and forgive her no matter how badly behaved she was. And never any remorse from her! Apart from that, a great read.

I haven't read this author before so I wanted to read the book purely based on the description. I thought it would be a beautifully written story of love lost and the journey of letting go before finding new love. What it felt like I got instead was being shut in a locked room for five hours with a woman who wouldn't stop talking.

There's a LOT of dialogue, but the characters are well defined, the story is good. There's just never much of a break to regroup and have a bit of silence before the MC opens her mouth again. Some of the events in the story are rushed too - one friend talks to another and suddenly the friend and her crush are in snogsville with no previous attraction AT ALL on the part of one?? The MC finds something and suddenly all four friends are playing happy families again after rip-roaring anger, silence, and punching?

It was all just too, too much for me, but I'm sure most readers will find it a good read for the story line.

This is the 1st book I have ready by the author and it won't be the last, This book had me in tears with this amazing story and the characters and about admitting that we all have secrets don't we and it is about telling these secrets moving on and not letting these secrets ruin you life. and all about forgives and not letting the bittiness eat you up and what friends are for in the hour of need and the amazing power ship of friendship and how having a friend in your hour of need does the world of good to you.

I won't ruin this review with any spoilers but many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this review .

#BlogTour

Wow!! Loved this book so much and was really disappointed when it finished as I wanted it to go on for ever. I started reading it and then realised it was the story of Shauna and Colm who had been in a previous book by Shari which I had already read, ‘The Story of Our Life’. I decided to stop reading and return to the first book to refresh my memory, returning again to ‘The Story of Our Secrets’ once I’d finished it. This second book would read perfectly well as a stand alone novel but I loved these characters so much that I wanted to fully immerse myself in them.
I adore every single character in the book, but especially Shauna’s amazing Scottish granny, Annie, whose antics often made me laugh out loud. Shauna and her friends are the friendship group that we all want to be a part of and their love for each other sees them through some difficult times, with ridiculously funny moments even in the darkest of times.
This book moved me to tears more than once and I can honestly say that it’s been my most favourite book for a long time. Buy it…read it…you won’t be disappointed!
Thanks to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication day.

This was such an emotional read. I loved everything about it. They had something we all need…. A support system. It’s the story of a group of friends navigating the loss of one of their own. They all have secrets, and things they’re afraid to tell one another. It’s a story of forgiveness and moving on. Absolutely beautiful book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this novel.

This book is a study in overcoming grief and accepting one's mistakes, as well as the mistakes of friends. This book is very much about friendship and how grief can alter relationships either for the better or worse.

Colm O'Flynn was the center of his friend group. Loved by his wife, his ex-wife, his best friend and so on, his death from a brain tumor irrevocably changes them all. Each of them carries a secret, all of which come out as they all come to terms with his death.

I found this book to be quite beautiful. I ached for Shauna, Colm's wife, as she dealt with grief and guilt. Each character is rendered with care and love, and well developed.

4.5 Stars

This is my second book by Shari Low and both times she made me cry...she managed to pull at my heartstrings...but I also found a few laughs along the way. How is she able to write such poignant stories that make me feel so many emotions at once? I loved spending time with these characters, they were like real life. friends/family...Some were shits, some had the best of intentions and some were just for giggles. I really wanted to hang out with them, go for a pint and some Chinese food.

This is a simply beautiful book and I loved the writing so much, it makes you have all the feels and sucks you right into these characters lives. I have more of Ms. Low's book on my backlist. I definitely have to bump them up my huge to read pile.

From the very start of this book I was an emotional wreck, at times laughing out loud and at other times with tears in my eyes. Beautifully written with excellent characters.
A book about love, friendship and relationships.
Written with such sensitivity, understanding, humour and compassion this book was amazing. I just could not put it down. Shari Low is one of my favourite authors of this genre

This one was a cute take on PS I love you and other books of the like. It was just okay in my book, but enjoyable none the less!

I laughed, then I cried then laughed again, so emotional but such a great book that I didn't want to put it down. Make sure you have got some tissues handy

I'm a huge fan of Shari Low and once again this book was a joy to read, funny and poignant and downright heartbreaking in places, the central character and her ongoing grief was so touching and her group if friends were also very well written and likeable, even if Lu is a bit of a brat. Highly recommend

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…I enjoyed this book. Try it for a memorable quick read on a rainy afternoon with a cozy Afghan and a warm cup of herbal tea.

This was a solid read featuring an unlikely group of friends with one key link - Colm who died five years prior. The friends are all at a point in their lives where they need to move forward somehow and unbeknown to them the answer lies in a missing mobile phone. The characters were great, they had a lot of depth and great flaws but above all I loved the dynamic between them, there was a lot of humour and dialogue that would only come with close acquaintance. This is a real people story and there was a great mix of emotions that made you really sympathise with the characters, overall this is an emotional read but one with great humour amongst which really shines through.

Tissues at the ready for Shari Low's new novel.
The story is told from multiple angles and is a true love story
Shauna is married to Colm and the book begins with the fallout of Colms death due to cancer. Shauna has three close friends - two of whom are battling their own demons - but all are connected to Colm.
Dan was Colms's best friend and he is reeling from the marriage of his ex - who happens to be one of Shauna's best friends.
The other character in this solid knit group is Shaunna's other best friend - Colm's ex-wife.

Each chapter begins with either Shaunna or Colm - but it's Colm's tale that is heartbreaking - he begins recording videos for his friends and family on his death bed.

Beautifully written, poignant, and heartbreaking.

An enjoyable book that made me want to keep reading. I’ll be looking out for other books by this author. Well done.

Oh My! What an emotional rollercoaster I went on reading this book!
How do you move on when you lose a loved one? Especially when there were things left unsaid. This story takes us on a journey of love, forgiveness, and hope.
Absolutely loved it and will remember it for a long time.
Hint: Have tissues ready!!!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant best book Shari Low has written but saying that I've loved every book you have written.
Ok more words, I'm not great with feedback it's hard work.
I bloody loved this book if I could I would give it 100 stars. Over and out now

Wow What an emotional rollercoaster of a read. I feel like I’ve been through every emotion with Shauna, Lulu, Dan and Jess. Full of love and hope this is a story about forgiveness and support and is definitely one to be remembered. I really liked the style of writing with the flashbacks of memories interwoven with the today and cried and laughed with each of the stories.

The Story of Our Secrets is heartbreaking, heartwarming, and extremely funny in places.

The latest release from Shari Lowe is a follow up to The Story of our Lives from 2016.

You dont necessarily need to have read the first, but I highly recommend you do. (In fact, I highly recommend that you go right to the very beginning and read every one of the 20+ books that she's written. Every one of them a five star read.)

Anyway, this one continues five years later following the death of Colm and focuses on how everyone is coming to terms with his loss and starting new lives without him.

As you'd expect, it's extremely moving from the first page, but there's lots of hilarity too. It's got a bit of everything with loveable, believable characters.

I love how Shari mentions scenes and characters from other books. That's quite a talent to be able to do that with such a vast back catalogue of characters.

Another 5 star read without a doubt, and this one is guaranteed to leave you with a book hangover.