Liz and Tamsin were as close as sisters when they were young, although they lived very different lives. Tamsin lived with her wealthy and loving mother at Lakewell Manor. Liz, on the other hand, lived with her bitter and abusive mother. Then, a tragedy occurred at Lakewell Manor which caused Tamsin and her mother to move away. The girls have no further contact with each other.

Years pass. Liz married, had two daughters and got divorced. Left with financial problems after the divorce , Liz has no choice but to take her two daughters and move in with her mother who is still as abusive and nasty as ever. Life is not easy for Liz. She was fired from her job, got a new job as a postal carrier and almost loses that job for misconduct. Making life even more difficult, Liz is having child custody issues in court with her ex-husband who left her for another woman.

After years away, Tamsin returns to Lakewell Manor. But is it really Tamsin? Or is it an imposter?

I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting. The characters were multi-faceted and well-developed, particularly Liz. I found her sometimes difficult to like but I almost always found myself rooting for her because she had so many things going against her that made her life so difficult. Above all things, Liz is a scrappy and determined survivor which I admired.

There were many twists and turns which made for a great plot. I will definitely be reading other books by this author. I highly recommend “Secrets Between Friends.”

Liz returns to her hometown of Easthaven with her two daughters after a divorce over her husbands infidelity. Moving back in with her verbally abusive mom is not ideal, but Liz is really left with no choice. One day on her postal route Liz notices activity at her childhood best friend Tamsins old abandoned property. The mansion was a place Liz had spent almost every day with Tamsin until a tragedy one night that forced Tamsin and her mother to abruptly leave town. As Liz delivers mail to the mansion she comes in contact with Tamsin and meets her boyfriend Carl, who looks very similar to a young man Gabe they spent a lot of time with before the tragedy. Tamsin seems happy to see Liz and decides they need to catch up on lost time. When the following day Liz goes to deliver the mail something is off with Tamsin, she acts as if he doesn’t know Liz at all. The more Liz sees Tamsin the more she feels this is not her friend and an imposter has taken her place. As Liz uses her journalist background to investigate what’s really going on with “Tamsin”, she’s also in the middle of a custody fight with her ex-husband. The more Liz digs the more she risks losing her kids, but her drive to prove what has really happened with Tamsin and to keep their secret is much stronger.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC

Friends, secrets, mystery and suspense this book has it all and more. The only thing you have to figure out is what they are hiding.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

This story flows at the perfect pace and keeps you reading, trying to slot the pieces together for the full picture. Finally, everything makes sense and you slide to the edge of your seat because there’s no way there’s enough book left for it end. You will sit there until the very last word and then you’ll smile.

Tracy has an easy way of writing that seems to draw me into her novels. The characters are never confusing and I don't feel as if I want the story to speed up. Really enjoyed it.

Secrets between friends by Tracy Buchanan
A decent read where Liz and Tamsin reconnect after years of estrangement when returning to their childhood homes. Things start warmly between them, picking up where they left off but get weird very quickly and Liz fears that an old mystery and scandal will catch up with her and completely derail her custody of her children. This is a decent read albeit fairly predictable. Three and a half stars

Liz left Easthaven twenty years ago to escape her memories of a horrible night at Lakewell Manor. As she is going through a divorce with young children, she returns to Easthaven. The only other person who who saw what happened that fateful night was her best friend, Tasmin. The only problem is that Tasmin has no memory of Liz and looks different from the friend she knew. This is a fast paced mystery that will keep you reading until you finish the book. I highly recommend the book and the author.

Written in both past and present tense I enjoyed this book. It kept me wanting more and was full of twists and turns with many surprises along the way

To me, the title Secrets Between Friends seemed either a little spooky or a little sinister. The title lived up to my expectations. This is your normal cozy, one with what I call all the elements…moving back to a small town, getting a job, and dealing with some people in the town. However, this is a little more convoluted, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Liz, back in town and working a postal delivery job, finds that someone seems to be restoring an old house in disrepair in the town. This particular old estate has some very good memories of her good friend and some very bad secrets hidden in her mind too.

This is the first Tracy Buchanan book I have ever read. The storyline is very good. I liked Buchanan’s characters. She described them so well I absolutely felt my stomach hurt each time Liz’s horrible mother came into the picture. But I laid this book down a lot of times. I didn’t get frustrated with the characters or the writing. The story seemed to wear a little thin about halfway through. It just moved slowly for me. One thing I must say is that in my opinion when that happens in the middle of a book, it could be the author or the reader. Sometimes we readers just get stalled a little, our attention span lessens. And because of that line of reasoning, I’d say this was an excellent storyline but not 100% good story telling. I’d still recommend this because as I said…maybe it was a bad time for me to read it.

I found this hard to become invested in or understand. The characters weren't too my liking so it was hard to want to read the book. It was interesting and the concept was unique but it was not for me

My apologies in how late I am posting this, but thank you for this amazing read! The writing style is just beautiful. Lots of complexity in the characters. The twists were great and most I didn't see coming. Love love dual timelines, too! This book had everything I wanted in a thriller.

The old house hides her darkest secret...and there’s no running away this time...

Twenty years ago, Liz formed an unlikely friendship with the introverted Tamsin, finding herself drawn to the two women who live in Lakewell Manor. She yearns for the mother/daughter relationship that Tamsin and her mother share - something she has never experienced - spending most of her time at the Manor with Tamsin and Dorothy.

And then young, wealthy and handsome Gabe turns up in Easthaven, both girls drawn to his charm and good looks. But beneath his friendly exterior, lurks a sadness. And soon the trio become inseparable with luncheons and lazy days by the pool in their own coming of age.

But then Gabe disappears and the secrets they share threaten to come between the two friends. Disrupting their lives so much that Tamsin and her mother moved away, leaving Lakewell Manor standing dark and silent once more.

Now, having left Easthaven behind them two decades ago, Liz has returned to the seaside village after her career as a journalist failed, along with her marriage. After her divorce, Liz returns to where it all started...living with her cruel and harsh mother once again, this time with her two daughters Ruby and Mia. Her career as a journalist in tatters, she is now a postal worker delivering the mail to the seaside village she grew up in.

Then one morning on her rounds, Liz is surprised to find Lakewell Manor opening its doors once again, her old friend Tamsin having returned, now a successful poet, and with a handsome fiance in tow - who is the image of Gabe. They exchange a little banter and reminisce on the summer that changed their lives before promising to catch up again. But then the day after when Liz returns to deliver a package of Tamsin's latest publications, something strange is afoot. Tamsin has changed. Not just in appearance, but in behaviour also. And almost at once Liz knows that this is not Tamsin, despite the woman's claims to the contrary. Her suspicions are only confirmed when fake-Tamsin leaves the opened package of her newly published poetry book on the garden wall in the rain. Days later, the same package remains now a pile of mush. There is no way Tamsin would leave something so precious to her out in the weather as if it were rubbish.

Something is afoot and Liz decides to investigate. Unfortunately, her reputation precedes her and she is soon exposed as a nosy interfering busybody, hung up on an old friendship that died years ago. Added to that, is her link to Gabe, the teenager who disappeared twenty years ago, also being publicised for the village to see. But the deeper she digs into the past, the deeper the hole she digs for herself. And soon she is faced with the prospect of losing custody of her two young daughters to the father.

In a search for answers that takes her to London, Liz uncovers another death linked to Tamsin's new fiance as well as some suspicious goings-on whilst making a new friend along the way. But can she unmask the imposter prancing about the village posing as Tamsin and uncover what she is really up to before it's too late? Liz is certain that something has happened to her friend and will stop at nothing from uncovering the truth...but to what detriment?

The past has come back to haunt her in a big way as some secrets refuse to remain buried.

SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS is a wonderful thriller mystery with such an atmospheric setting and sweeping coastline, coloured row houses and an abandoned manor house on the cliff. Coupled with the poetic prose in the prologue right up to the beautiful and stunning climax, this tale is filled with tension and mystery than is all-encompassing and enthralling from beginning to end. I could almost hear the crashing waves as I devoured each line. And I love the dual timeline narrative. That's always a winner for me. I love being transported back to the past as its story slowly entwines with the present, and Tracy Buchanan does it wonderfully.

There was so much mystery and intrigue along with secrets hidden within the pages that we had to chip away at them until they were at last revealed. The twist at the end was a bit of a nice surprise but the villain wasn't.

Everything was wrapped up nicely in a satisfying conclusion...all but one tiny piece. Liz's mother, who was horrible from start to finish. Which begs the question - why? Why did she blame Liz for ruining her life? Why did she hate the Lakewells so much? What did she know about them that made them so much more contemptuous in her eyes? And why was that Liz's fault? My suspicion which I had throughout was that Liz was fathered by Tamsin's father, as it was mentioned that he had had an affair but her mother forgave him. On the other hand, Liz had grown up fatherless. It would make sense to me that that's why Liz's mother hated the Lakewell's so much. Because of Tamsin's father leaving her high and dry and returning to his family while she was left, both figuratively and literally, holding the baby. It is all supposition and was never actually addressed in the book...but that is my thought which I think makes the most sense. Otherwise, Liz's mother's behaviour and cruel treatment of her makes no sense whatsoever. (this is not a spoiler because it wasn't actually addressed or revealed in the story)

This is the third Tracy Buchanan novel I've read and I find they fall into a mixed genre - part contemporary, part mystery, part thriller. It's not one of those genres but a combination of all three. I have enjoyed the previous two I've read - "The Girl on the Beach" and "Wall of Silence" (both of which had a real thriller vibe to them) - and I thoroughly enjoyed their atmospheric prose. Buchanan has a way of really creating an atmosphere - of pulling you in and keeping you intrigued till the very last page.

Overall, SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS is all-encompassing and emotional read on many levels as well as being a thoroughly entertaining mystery. I really love the epilogue and how everything came full circle...as if it was meant to be. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank #TracyBuchanan, #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC of #SecretsBetweenFriends in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I couldn't put it down and I didn't want to. This book lived up to every ounce of hype that I had experienced for it. This book is beautifully written; a gripping storyline with strong characters. It ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to others.

What really happened twenty years ago when best friends Liz and Tamsin meet Gabe and let him into their circle? What exactly went wrong? When Liz and Tamsin both return to their hometown after a substantial period of time will the truth finally come out? Read on to find out.

I give this book a 3.5. I enjoyed the main character, Liz, who was a woman who has a lot of emotional baggage. When her teenage best friend, Tamsin moves back the secrets from their past threaten to become exposed. I found the story to be very interesting, though I figured out most of the twists. All in all an enjoyable read.

A good read
Set in two timelines now and twenty tears ago
Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading right up to the end
Thanks NetGalley

I really liked the setting and premise of this one, and think it is a great suspense thriller! I enjoyed the book very much!

I didn’t find much to recommend this story unfortunately- it was an OK read but there wasn’t a great deal of suspense or intrigue to hold my attention.
A decent holiday read but nothing more.

Liz returns to her hometown, this time with her mother and also her two children. She gets a job as a local .postie and takes pictures on her route and posts them as some light entertainment. She notices an old friend Tamsin on her route and is somewhat reluctant to speak to her, but Tamsin greets her like a long lost friend and even introduces her to her fiancee.
Then a few days later Liz passes Tamsin's house again, but it is not Tamsin living there. From here the mystery begins.
This book did not hold my attention although I like the theme.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.