We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne was great!
Jake and Megan are both have very busy lives as they each run their own company. On a night when they both have meetings, Jake invited his new employee to babysit his children. Megan seems to be the worst person ever to be as your possible boss but as the book continues you see why she is acting like this. We do see multiple perspectives in this book. We start with Ellie, the babysitter then turned full time child minder, we then move through to the other people picking up in some pieces we’ve heard but giving their take.

The end had me very surprised, definitely not what I was expecting!

Thank you NetGallery and Bookouture for allowing me to read the book early.

Ellie is convinced her new boss Megan is crazy and preying on her downfall. Megan is trying to protect Ellie from harm all the while keeping her husband at arms length. Never knowing who you can trust, the end has you on a rollercoaster ride until the very last minute.

Honestly - I hated the husband from the start and I wanted to smack some sense into Ellie, which are all great signs that I’m invested in the story. The second half made me feel so bad for Megan. And truth be told they all end up being psychotic. Great read that had my head all over the place trying to figure out who to trust.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC for We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne.

What I feel this author did really well was make you absolutely hate everyone of the characters. Each one just makes your skin crawl in their own way, and you really truly aren't rooting for any of them. nor do you hope for a happy ending for any of them either.

I did enjoy my time reading this, but in the end it kind of fell flat for me, and I think this is due to the unlikability of all of the characters as previously mentioned. I think the book just didn't end in the way that I would have loved to have seen it end, and I think that's once again just due to the fact that I did not like any of the characters, and truly didn't want any of them to have a happy ending.

Overall, I gave this a 3.75 stars, as I did enjoy my time reading it, and I liked the choices of narration!

What an OTT story! Told from the perspectives of three different narrators, each of whom may or may not be responsible for the death of a child, this is a Masterclass in melodrama.

Missed out on 5 stars because the structure of the novel led to some inevitable but tedious repetition.

Otherwise, this is a great domestic noir in which we witness the toxicity of the main relationship and the one which, in the end, is supposed to bring closure.

That said, if domestic noir is one of your chosen genres (as it is mine), then you will love this novel (as I did).

Three Word Review: No-one is innocent!

We All Keep Secrets
Sheryl Browne
Ellie worked at one of the stores Jake Harrington owned. He asked her if she was available for babysitting that evening. He and his wife Megan desperately needed someone to watch over their two children because their nanny had suddenly left their employment. Ellie was glad to have the opportunity to make some extra money. Megan wasn’t happy Jake had hired Ellie and she went out of her way to be rude to Ellie. The next day Megan apologized and offered her the position of full time Nanny at a lucrative pay. Ellie agreed to take the position of Nanny to six-year-old Ollie and three-month-old Fern. Then Megan returned to her rude manner and was constantly berating Ellie; she accuse her of leaving doors unlocked or open when Ellie was sure she hadn’t. Jake was overly friendly, offering a shoulder to cry on. Offering Ellie, a glass of wine or asking her to join him in the garden. He confides in her, telling her how mistreated he is, how terrible his marriage is and how it is all Megan’s fault. He plants seeds of doubt as to Megan’s sanity. Ellie finds herself falling in love with Jake. She seduces him or did he seduce her.
Ellie is an odd character. This tale begins being told from her point of view. She is in her early 20s. She needs money, so why is she doing things that will enrage Megan. She is told by Megan not to touch her things and that she will know if she touches them. So, what does Ellie do, she takes a shower and washes her hair in Megan’s bathroom. Later she puts on Megan’s makeup. Of course, Megan knows right away what Ellie has done. Why did Ellie continue working for Megan? Ellie keeps referring back to her secret, to what happened in the past but does not enlighten the readers until the latter part of this book. Part of this tale of this was told from Megan’s point of view. Again, I was questioning who is telling the truth? Who is turning things to their own advantage? It is difficult to know who is manipulating who. I stayed glued to this audio book. I had to know the truth.
NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book for review. My reviews are my unbiased opinions.

Great mystery with turns you won’t expect! The ending,wow! I didn’t see that coming.
I gave it a 4 because at times it felt rushed in description and what was happening.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A great book!

He did, she did… who do we believe? I kept changing my mind as each chapter gave me pause to question the one I’d just read.

Told from the POV of Ellie, who takes a job as a Nanny, and her employers, Jake and Megan, whose marriage is full of deceit and buried secrets.

Sheryl Browne keeps us in suspense all the way through, with twists and revelations that make you NEED to keep on reading to get to the final, shocking truth!

Tamsin Kennard, as usual, narrates brilliantly.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sheryl Browne and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This ARC was an expected book blessing and I loved the twists and turns. Each character made you feel for them in a certain way to see their perspective but also asking are they a little crazy?! I feel like this would make an excellent series on Netflix!!

Overall, I thought this was a good psychological thriller. Each character was imperfect, and unlikable in my opinion, and left you wondering who they really were and as the story went on you felt that one "crazy" was deeper than the next. I did like the different points of view, although it became a little bit repetitive with going through the story again not only one time but twice more (Ellie, Megan, Jake). I also thought Tamsin Kennard did a great job narrating, however after being the voice of both females and sounding exactly the same, near the end I wasn't sure who was "talking." Also, I'm not sure that I felt settled or like the story had a satisfying ending. It felt rushed and there was something unfinished about it. Nonetheless, kept me intrigued and invested.

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the arc.

First things first, I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for offering me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the narrator and I thought she has done an amazing job with the different voices, but I'm pretty sure I have listened to books narrated by her.

The book itself kept me on the edge most of it, but the end was a bit hectic and probably not what I was hoping for.

The way the book is spoken by the 3 characters really puts you in the spot to try to understand the whole picture.

Overall, it gave me so many vibes of the housemaid book so if you loved that one, I'm sure you will enjoy it at least half of this one. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the end was as good as in the Housemaid book, but ok-ish.

This is my first book by Sheryl Browne and I'm really impressed. We All Keep Secrets really gripped me in the prologue and didn't let go until the end. I enjoyed how the author used the second half of the book to almost retell the story from other perspectives. It helped paint a full picture of what happened. The characters were all so unique and real with different strengths and faults. This was engaging and addictive so I can't wait to read something else by the author.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

We All Keep Secrets started off strong, with a prologue that sucked me in. The first half is told in the nanny’s POV (Ellie). As the story went on I found myself liking Ellie less and less, and really questioning the choices she made.

The second half is basically the first half retold from the POV of the married couple (Jake and Megan). Each unreliable narrator made me question who was at fault. Normally I enjoy different POVs but found these to be too repetitive and not add very much.

The ending was alright, nothing terribly exciting but it wrapped up nicely.

I thought the narrator did a great job with the different voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ahhh! The ending of this book really kept me questioning who was really lying and who was manipulating the readers thoughts. Talk about an unreliable narrator!!!

Since I mentioned the narrator, I also have to mention how much I’ve come to like listening to books narrated by @tamsyjo . Having a good narrator really enhances the listening experience, and the two most recent books I’ve listened to narrated by Tamsin has really grabbed me!

21%
Ellie is an absolute idiot. I dislike her immensely. I get that she's 21 and as such, doesn't see the dime-a-dozen quality and alarm bells emanating off of Jake. But she's killing any sympathy I may have for her.

Oh now the talking cheese is gonna preach to us about alcohol.

Ma'am, your love life is none of Jake's business. Also when a man who is also your employer insists on talking to you about your private personal history, you don't do that. That's inappropriate. He's also not a gReAt HuSbAnD.

Oh wow, he's saying to be nice to Megan 🥺 what a hero.

Unless I'm dense, which is possible, it's clear he had a prior affair with Phoebe and Ellie is just an idiot.

Also if I hired a nanny who was drooling after my husband and showering in my shower and using my towel and trying to pretend she wasn't AND THEN USED MY MAKEUP WITH HER CRUSTY ASS, I would be such a crazy threat to her, OSHA would have to fine me for an unsafe work environment.

29%
Something is happening. Idk what. Idk who. Idk how. But it is. And I'm gettin' tired of it. More tired of Ellie thinking the sun shines out of Jake's butt and that the hope diamond must be in his possession somehow. Megan may be... prickly but also YOU USED HER MAKEUP AND HER TOWEL AND THINK YOU KNOW HER CHILDREN BETTER THAN HER. Let me catch you acting like my child's mommy and DYING YOUR HAIR TO LOOK LIKE ME???

I know there's a prologue saying that something happens and Ellie (presumably) is on trial for child murder but I would also like to add the (lesser) offense of being a fucking weirdo to her charges, please. Thank you.

46%
Ellie is so close to having self-awareness. So close. "Wah Megan is mean to me! Well...I did fuck her husband...BUT SHE'S MEAN!!!"

I'm so done. I hope they explain why Megan let her stay for so long when she clearly wants to fire her. Also, I didn't like him at first but justice for Zack. He was spot-on every single time. Jake hit it and seems like he's gonna quit it. Also the secondhand embarrassment i get from all of Ellie's interactions with Jake, post-sex. Also her "well, he HAS to tell his wife about us." Oh honey. They never do.

55%
WOW JAKE IS TRASH.
TEAM MEGAN.

67%
Is Jake "poisoning" Megan? If he was, is it to keep her sane or is it nefarious? I kinda feel like she is maybe a little paranoid that he's trying to get her to kill herself but idk. It's possible. I don't wanna say that that's not what's happening but also if seems a little farfetched. Which may be enabling him to do it. It's also a thriller novel and thriller novel killers don't always follow logic or what seems immediately possible.

69%
Megan is me. I am Megan. Her "ELLIE OPEN YOUR EYES", I felt that in my soul.

90%
Oof.

I FUCKING KNEW MEGAN WAS THE BREADWINNER. Stupid Ellie being like "weh weh weh, she just spends his money..."

94%
Megan is about to die, be implicated and/or be accused by Ellie.

95%
Welp. There it is.
Jake is either a sociopath or idk wtf but wow.
Okayyyy. Megan describes Phoebe's lips as kissable.
Okay so Megan killed Phoebe. She might actually be a little insane.

96%
Jesus Christ. She wasn't fucking Michael. Jake is the worst but maybe not a killer?
"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Okay, Jake.

99%
God, I hate Ellie.

We All Keep Secrets tells the thrilling tangled tale of Ellie, Megan and Jake. None of whom are particularly likeable and who have some of the most dubious decision making skills, each narrator has their say. As such, hearing the same story from three perspectives does make for some repetitive moments, but it works very well at allowing the reader to understand what motivates all involved.

It's a gripping tale of toxicity, lies, denial, manipulation and consequences.

We All Keep Secrets is a first class domestic thriller that had me captivated right from the prologue . This is a twisty and suspenseful read, packed full of secrets . Told from the perspective of the 3 main characters I really had no clue who was telling the truth . Each character is hiding something but which one if any can we trust ? From beginning to end this book never once dipped in enjoyment for me . OMG that ending left me absolutely lost for words . Brilliant .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Sheryl Browne for this ARC in exchange for a review.

It all started when Ellie agrees to babysit for her boss Jake and his wife Megan, taking care of their daughter Fern. That one night leads to a job, and Ellie begins to see that things aren't quite right. We travel around the twists and turns throughout multiple POV's building the bigger picture as to what happened that night. Not all is as it seems.

This mystery thriller will keep you wanting more, it's such an addictive read! On the edge of your seat, we find hidden secrets in this sinister journey right till the end.

-Dysfunctional relationships
-Betrayal
-Multiple POV

Trigger warnings
-loss

A secret wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…

Book Information

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne is a 368-page psychological thriller that is due to be published on November 6, 2023. The audio version is narrated by Tamsin Kennard and spans 9 hours and 34 minutes. Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.

Summary

Megan and Jake Harrington bring Ellie Taylor, a 21-year-old, into their home to care for their six-year-old son, Ollie, and their three-month-old baby, Fern, following the sudden departure of their previous au pair. Initially, all appears well, but what initially seemed like a dream job takes a nightmarish twist, and reality becomes a far cry from what it might have been.

My Thoughts

"We All Keep Secrets" by Sheryl Browne left me with mixed feelings. The initial prologue had me intrigued, but the story lost its momentum as I delved deeper. The first half is primarily told through the eyes of Ellie, a character who repeatedly makes questionable decisions, which can be frustrating. It's hard to believe she wouldn't have quit early on based on how she was treated, derailing the entire plot.

The characters in the book are generally unlikable or detestable, making it challenging to invest emotionally. I found myself unconcerned with any potential consequences for them which is unsatisfying. The only real exceptions were the two kids, Ollie and Fern, who deserved better.

The second half of the book retells the first half but from different perspectives, often repeating the same dialogue. While this provided some new insights, it felt very repetitive and didn't add much to my overall enjoyment.

The book's ending fell flat for me, as I was hoping for a grand twist that never materialized. The epilogue left me similarly frustrated.

On a positive note, the audio version of the book features a skilled narrator with a pleasant voice. Her performance aptly captured Ellie's innocence and Meghan's bitterness and spitefulness.

Recommendation

I might be an outlier in my opinion, as many others seem to have enjoyed the book. Sometimes a particular story simply doesn't resonate with a reader so your mileage may vary but this just wasn’t a hit for me.

Rating

2 Secret Stars

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne has a lot of toxic, flawed, unreliable characters and makes the reader wonder how twisted can a person's mind be!
Ellie who works for Jake happens to agree to be his child minder for one night when he and his wife Meghan have appointments which couldn't be moved around. Ellie starts to dislike Meghan from the 1st meeting as she is rude, sarcastic and really condescending towards Ellie.

After the one night, Meghan realizes she needs Ellie's help and ends up going back to hiring her as her full time child minder. Every once in a while Ellie bears with Meghan as she has started to develop love towards Jake - but is that really love or is she just blind to the manipulative nature of his which is clearly missing?
Jake and Meghan have a secret from their past and so does Ellie - almost all the characters in this book have something or the other to hide - till the end!

Fast paced, thrilling - this was a good listen. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, Sheryl Browne for the audio ARC.

I thought this book was intriguing. The title got me to think I would enjoy this book. I gave this book a 3. I thought it would have a better ending.

“I look into baby Fern’s crib, and my heart pounds. I’m her nanny, I was supposed to keep her safe. I hear the police downstairs, and the next words I hear make my legs buckle underneath me. ‘It was the nanny. She’s guilty’.”

This book starts out with the nanny’s perspective. Towards the end of the book you hear the baby’s father and mother’s perspective. I thought the switch in perspective added to the story.

I listened to this memoir at 2 times the speed. There were no issues with the quality being sped up. My thanks to Net Gallery for the gifted audiobook of this memoir. It was my pleasure to read and review this title which is set to publish in November of 2023.

#BeingHenry
#netgalley
@netgalley
@crystalthereader