"In the spirit of Lisa Jewell and Kate Morton, an emotional mystery set in the rugged remote landscape of north Cornwall full of dark secrets and twists, about three unusual sisters forced to confront the past.

Some secrets need to be set free...

When half-sisters Kat, Flora, and Lauren are unexpectedly summoned to Rock Point, their wild and remote Cornish summer home, it's not a welcome invitation. They haven't been back since that fateful summer twenty years ago - a summer they're desperate to forget.

But when they arrive, it's clear they're not alone. Someone is lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. Someone who remembers exactly what they did...

Will the sisters be able to protect the dark past of Rock Point? Or are some secrets too powerful to remain under lock and key?"

You had me at Cornwall and the spirit of Kate Morton.

A house in Cornwall. Three half-sisters. An eclipse and a tragedy that changes everything. Then twenty years later the family gathers and the past is still there.

This novel had everything I love: a wonderful gothic atmosphere and plenty of family secrets.

If you like Kate Morton you will like this.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Kat, Flossie and Lauren are half-sisters who share a famous artist father - and a terrible secret."

I generally enjoy reading these twisty family sagas but this one didn't do it for me. I had trouble distinguishing the characters, they sounded all the same with their 'kitschy ' voices and the story didn't capture my attention.

2☆

This was a fine book. I just do not think that there was anything special about it, and it was a bit too slow paced for me.

Do you like Santa Montefiore or Kate Mortoni's family dramas, where the activity takes place both now and in the past and over time there has been a big family secret that has made the relationship between siblings difficult? If so, The Birdcage is your book.
This is the story of the three half-sisters and a big secret.
Kat, Flora and Lauren are half-sisters - one father and different mothers. Their relationship has always been problematic - they spent one month during the summer with their father in Rock Point, and the rest of the time they heard how their mothers were jealous of each other, because each of them had a special relationship with their father. This last summer, when there was an eclipse, was their last time they spent together. This summer left deep imprints on them all. Now, twenty years later, they all have different lives, some easier, some more complicated, but Dad has called them to the Rock Point at the beginning of the year because he has something to say.
And once they are together, of course they will talk about what happened on that day of the eclipse.
Isn’t it just like the Montefiore story;)?
Absolutely exciting story. Even if I expected this secret to be something more, and the ending wasn’t as I would expect, it still was a good book.

It was the cover of The Birdcage by Eve Chase that caught my eye. Just look at how beautiful and intricate! While I was drawn to the cover, it was the story that really caught my attention!

Some secrets need to be set free…

Kat, Flossie and Lauren are half-sisters who share a famous artist father – and a terrible secret.

Each has found their way of burying it. Over the years they’ve grown apart, and into wildly different lives. But an invitation to Rock Point, the Cornish cliff house where they once sat for their father’s most celebrated painting, Girls with Birdcage, reunites them.

Rock Point is a beautiful, windswept place, thick with secrets, electrically charged with the one subject the family don’t discuss. And there is someone in the shadows watching the house, their every move. Someone who remembers the girls in the painting. What they did.

The sisters must unlock the truth to set themselves free – and find each other again.

This was a good, solid read that I enjoyed with a dual timeline that kept me interested! Out now!

Three sisters meet in north Cornwall for a confront of the past. They are sisters on their father side but have different mothers. The story is told in 3 POV's. There are plenty of secrets and they are haunted by what happened twenty years ago. It has a well crafted set of characters and a plot that is cleverly written. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. If you love action thrillers then you will love this one. II would like to thank G.P. Putnam Sons and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review.

Three semi estranged sisters are summoned to see their father at their summer home Rock Point to hear his big announcement. Something happened there twenty years ago so they’re very cautious about seeing each other, their father and the house. Secrets were kept and they each have a story. A gothic story that Eve Chase is known for.

Family secrets seem to hide in every corner of Rock Point, the Cornish summer house that three half-sisters are summoned to by their father. Each of them is haunted by what happened there twenty years ago, and they each hold a different piece of the puzzle. The family relationships were deep and complicated, especially between the sisters. The setting on the Cornish coast was full of gothic atmosphere. I enjoyed reading this book, even if the twists were a bit predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for access to this arc.

Three estranged half-sisters (all with different mothers) meet at their father’s remote Cornish summer home, where they haven’t been in two decades. Secrets abound and someone is watching…

This was supposed to be a setup of a spooky emotional mystery and to be honest, it was kind a letdown.

The three half sisters all have emotional drama with their father, an “eccentric” artist who has sex with everyone, it seems. They also have relationship issues with each other as they only see each other a couple of times a year. But the characters were somewhat forgettable and one dimensional and I wasn’t really invested in any of their stories.

As for the secret and twist, to me, it wasn’t as suspenseful as the author portrayed it. It tied everything together but there wasn’t that “a-ha!” moment. It was all kind of forgettable.

Thank you to @netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book. The following is my honest review.</i>

Three estranged half sisters travel to their aging artist father's beach estate for a weekend to hear his "big announcement." While they're there, old drama and secrets are dug up, including some that a few people really, really wish would stay hidden.

This book continuously fell just a hair short of what it was trying to be. I wanted to write out a long detailed review, but the truth is it's just fairly forgettable. The characters are boring and come across as one dimensional despite what should be really interesting dynamics between them.

What I found most frustrating about this book is that there were 3 main characters and two of them were completely aware of all the details around the "mystery" the reader was supposed to figure out. I guess we were supposed to try to solve things with the third main character but it was just annoying.

The "twist" was also very disappointing. I'm pretty sure I actually rolled my eyes, not because it was <i>that</i> predictable but just because I was so uninvested in the characters or story. I think it was the writing that made it hard to connect; it was flowery where it didn't need to be and detached where it could've had more spunk.

I wouldn't say this was a complete waste of my time but I probably won't read more from this author.

I quickly became enraptured with this very dysfunctional family, the Finches. Transported to Rock Point on the Cornish Coast, this multi-layered, dual timeline story had me captivated. The pace was excellent throughout and the character development masterful.

"Because life's grown-up lesson-always, by its nature, learned too late- is about consequences, mostly the unforseen ones."

The story revolves around the three Finch girls, Flora, Kat and Lauren, the daughters with all different mothers, of Charlie Finch. Charlie is a celebrated artist and a serial philanderer. The girls are called back to Rock Point again after being gone for 20 years living separate lives. It is obvious from the start that something traumatic happened 20 years ago, and Lauren was the most affected. Rock Point was the meeting place each summer for the girls. Time to spend with each other and with their father and grandmother, away from their respective mothers.

Flora and Kat were always closer - they didn't even find out about Lauren until she was almost a teenager. It proves for a distinct dynamic - two against one. Flora is married with a child and is the prototypical beautiful stay-at-home wife with a perfect life. (or is that just what she wants others to see?) Kat is the drivin, non-nonsense businesswoman whose life revolves around the company she built. Lauren rounds out the three and is the most fragile. Raised by her single mom who lived the bohemian life - bringing Lauren travelling with her around the world - seems lost now as her mother recently passed away.

There is an air of mystery surrounding so many aspects of this story. The memories about the incident the night of the solar eclipse in 1999, the unspoken secrets of Charlie and his mother, and the sudden and unexpected marriage announcement in 2019. Being back at Rock Point opens up old wounds and unspoken sentiments. This story is full of revelations and shocking twists. Each character in this book seemed to have been hiding a secret. Once someone outside the family learns that the sisters are back in town, anonymous threats in the form of notes appear. I was so proud of myself in figuring out one of the twists early on, but it didn't ruin the reading at all. There were plenty of unexpected other twists and revelations along the way.

"Forced to acknowledge that the past lives on like the wrong tense in a Word document, constantly underlined, needing to be addressed. And she never has. They never have."

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller and would not hesitate to recommend it. This was my first book to read by this author, but I will definitely be looking into her backlist! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam/ G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC to read and review. U.S. Pub date: 7.19.22

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A painter has daughters with different women. He summons them together for a surprise announcement. Secrets are exposed and fragile bonds are made stronger.

What I enjoyed: the dynamics between (half) sisters, their complex relationships with their eccentric father, the vivid setting, and the mystery central to the story.

I didn’t find the ending as surprising as I was expecting, so that was a little bit of a letdown. It was still a page turner for me and a book I enjoyed overall.

So good! I thoroughly enjoyed the alternating narration as well as times in this creative storytelling. While the heart of the story will madden you and have you asking “what happened?!” no fewer than 5 times, it’s well worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book! It started off just a tad slow in the beginning, but once it picked up I was completely hooked!

Coming of age Thriller set in beautiful Cornwall , England . Kat, Flossie And lauren are half sisters that share a famous artist Father. Grown apart over the years they all bear the burden of a terrible secret . A page turner with fully realized characters

Charles Finch is an artist who had a habit of sleeping around. Each girl has a different mother, but only one of them did he truly love. They are so close in age, it’s obvious to them all that there was a lot of overlap in their births.

Raised by three very different mothers, they each tell their side of a story that they are all trying to forget. Except for Lauren, who doesn’t remember much about that eclipse in Rock Point, the Cornish mansion where they were hosted every August by their father and his parents.

Lauren is the odd one out. Her mother loved her and her father loved her. The other two have always been jealous and have tortured Lauren mercilessly.

The father is the typical artist. Forcing them to sit for a painting with a birdcage. It’s wildly accepted and now who knows where it is.

So many secrets in this book! They may be half-sisters, but oh my are they mean girls!

And whatever happened in 1999 during the eclipse has shattered so many lives and someone who knows it all is now threatening to get them all if they don’t leave. Someone knows what happened that summer.

Now their father has summoned them back to Rock Point for an announcement of some kind. You can bet it won’t be a good one. The girls reluctantly go and fall back into their old pattern of picking on Lauren, until she starts to remember what happened that night, with the help of my favorite character, Bertha the talking parrot who spills all!

Very descriptive and very true in the relationships with half/step-siblings. The ending was shocking and satisfying.

NetGalley/April 28th, 2022 by Penguin

If you like a family drama, centered around a group of sisters, with a bit of a mystery, this might be what you are looking for. Three sisters (now adults) are basically tricked into revisiting their father's ancestral home. While there, they must confront something that happened the last time they were all present. It's highly entertaining and the characters are each pretty quirky in their own ways. I requested this ARC because I liked one of the author's previous books. I was definitely not disappointed.

I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere that was perfectly captured in this book. Unfortunately, I found the story to be overdone, and I was able to guess the twists far in advance of their reveal. I kept waiting for something unexpected to happen, and it didn’t. I wish I had liked this one as much as the author’s The Daughters of Foxcote Manor.

Thank you very much to Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.