Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Unfortunately I just could not get on with this book, and gave up about a third of the way through. The characters were unlikeable, and the story was not engaging enough for me to persevere. Hewitt used a dual narrative effectively, and I liked the New York setting, but this book wasn't for me.

Harriet has arrived from Texas and is now living in New York close to her daughter Kyra’s father, Allan, who is terminally ill. Allan has paid for Kyra to be enrolled in a local private school, but it’s clear from day one that Harriet’s not considered ‘one of the moms’ and is often the subject of ridicule and derision. One of the mothers, Elise, has an added concern, as it appears, during a school picnic, Harriet has struck up a friendship with her husband Michael. Having had suspicions over the years about her husband’s infidelity, this behaviour is concerning. Becoming friends with Lewis, one of Elise’s twins, brings Harriet into closer contact with Michael, and gives Elise even more cause for concern.
Written from Harriet and Elise’s viewpoints, it shows how suspicions without any substance of truth and fuelled by a gossiping and sometimes quite malicious group of mothers, can influence and be responsible for so much damage. Both Harriet and Elise have their flaws, Elise, who has worked hard to achieve her perfect life being easy prey to the opinions and whispered words of some of the more mischief making mothers. Although I had an instant dislike for Elise, finding her at times intolerant and self-absorbed, deeper into the book I discovered the reasons for this. It didn’t however, stop the lives of two families slowly unravelling, and causing so much harm.
It's a great emotional read; one of those books that makes you want to lock yourself away until you have finished it. Recommended.
I would like to thank Bookouture, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Secret Between Us in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets Between Us by Kate Hewitt ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not a thriller but a very emotional, heartbreaking rollercoaster that keeps you reading well into the night. With each page you come more attached to the characters and your heart hurts for them.

Definitely a must read by a talented author. One I follow and read everything by her now that I discovered her not long ago.

Hope you decide to read it too. I recommend to you and others.

Thank you NetGalley, Kate Hewitt and publishers for the advanced copy for my honest review.
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3.5 ⭐️

There’s no question this was a fast paced, emotionally dramatic play on school yard politics and secrets. “The Secret Between Us” was a gripping story about two moms who clash over a hidden secret. This one had me guessing until the very end.

This story followed Elise and her neurosurgeon husband Michael. They appeared to have a perfect life. But they were bound by a deep, dark secret that Elise had kept buried for years. The book built tension as Elise weighed how far she’d go—and what she’d sacrifice—to protect her family from exposure. She was relentless and determined. It was fun to watch her story play out.

Aside from being entertained by Elise and her flawed persona, I favored the alternating perspectives between Elise’s tense, emotionally controlled personality and Harriet’s initially charming and approachable personality. The multiple point of views offered glimpses into their motivations and inner turmoil, which in turn, added to the intrigue of the collective narrative. I also greatly favored the fast paced, dramatic storyline. The themes were also quite engaging. Themes such as marital trust, parental rivalry and the consequences of buried truths were addressed. All of these themes were common to the psychological mystery thriller genre. That said, I regret to say that there wasn’t any particular element that made this story stand out. “The Secret Between Us” blended in with other psychological mystery thriller. Moreover, there was a vast amount of superficial dialogue and cattiness. Most I could have done without. But fortunately, the fast pacing combined with the flawed characters and school politics, I was mostly entertained. Overall, I’d recommend “The Secret Between Us “ for fans of women’s fiction, domestic drama, and psychological mystery thriller books.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Secret Between us. With a Kate Hewitt book, you know it will evoke many emotions and this one did NOT disappoint. I felt bad for Elise and the way she lived, it must have been tiring. I really liked all the characters and each story, a beautifully written book. The schoolyard moms are always a mess in novels, lol. So many different feelings throughout the book, just Loved it All. Of course all works out the way it should. Thank you again.

I was a little bit confused as I though this was going to be a psychological thriller and was not ready for the emotional rollercoaster that this book was. I cried at times and felt for all the characters. Sometimes school drama doesn't end when you leave school, it just takes on another form. I was glad that mental health was touched on as well as I suffer from one of the mental health conditions in this book and I was glad for the good representation of it and how it can affect you and your family.

A good read from a very talented author who always writes great books.

I was involved in the storyline from the very beginning and involved with the characters who all had their own story to tell

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

I could not put this one down! It had me all in my feels. You’ll need a box of tissues and a couple days to get over the book hangover that this one causes.

This was great! I loved that it was a PTO mom thriller lol. That was a really fun plot. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not sure why I went into this one expecting a thriller, maybe it was the title or the cover, but it definitely wasn’t that. In fact, it wasn’t even my usual type of read. But despite that, I actually ended up really enjoying it.
The story follows two women; Elis, who is married to Michael but struggling with insecurity and the cracks in their relationship, and Harriet, who moves to town with her daughter to live near the child’s father. Their lives start to intertwine through a series of events, and from there, the emotional layers of the story start to build.
It was an easy, engaging read with real emotional depth. I liked how the book explored the complexities of marriage, motherhood, and the quiet struggles people carry beneath the surface.
Told in dual POV, 1st person, it can be read as a standalone novel. This was my first book by Kate Hewitt, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and hope you enjoy it as well!
Thanks to Kate Hewitt, Netgalley, and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. (Expected publication: July 24, 2025)

this was a really well done novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. I was invested in the characters and how everything worked well and were realistic in this storyline. I thought Kate Hewitt wrote this well and am excited for more.

Secrets can bring so many challenges, but this book surprised me! I couldn’t grasp the secrets filled in this. It was fantastic! Wow!

Good story!
When I read the description for this book, I was expecting a much more intense psychological relationship between the wife and Harriet. The story explores paranoia and emotions through the perspectives of both female protagonists. I couldn't stop reading - I wanted to hurry to the end to find out if these two women could put their petty differences aside for their children's sakes; however, the children's school is central to the story and fuels the fire for these self-centered women, as well as the problems that ensue. Recommended!

Another brilliant book from this author. It centre mainly around two families. Michael is a successful neurosurgeon and his wife Elise is someone everyone wants to be. When Harriet and her young daughter move into her ex partners home to help him she didn't think that there would be any problems. It wasn't long before she wished she had never taken her daughter to the same school as Elise went to.
Great book, highly recommend.

This book bursts from the first page like a horse at the gate and never stops running. It’s a wild ride.

Great, great, great - I am giving it a lot of love...read this one! An intense, emotional and utterly compelling narrative! Thank you Kate for another amazing book!

As a resident of New York City for over twenty years, I can attest in my observation of the upper echelon of society how exhausting it must be to always show oneself and their family as perfection. Elise defines herself as a doting mother and wife; however, in doing so, she withholds emotional attachment to Michael, who loves and supports her despite her OCD and unfortunate health condition. The Garden School is where she choses to dedicate her time and energy. She wants to be that mother that everyone emulates both from a personal and physical perspective as she raised Lewis and Luke. When Harriet and Kyra come to the Garden School, Harriet stirred things up as she approached the school as a real human being. She wore what she wanted and spoke her mind. She took public transport and lived in a an outer borough. I can thoroughly understand why she misread the situation as she wanted to not run away and find someone she could be emotionally attached to. She misread the situation but in an honest way. What Elise held against her was simply not her fault. Throughout the book, Harriet just wanted to help and be a good friend and mother. I really enjoyed the epilogue and would read another book about Kyra and Harriet as they continue their lives at The Garden School.

I already love Kate Hewitt and have read all of her books so I knew I was onto a winner when this came up and I wasn’t disappointed. Every character and stage of the story is believable, we all recognise the characters at the school gate. Then there are the secrets. Can anyone be trusted and is anyone’s life as perfect as it appears? This had me completely engrossed right from the beginning. Another fantastic story from Kate 5*.

"The Secret Between Us" is a book about secrets, infidelity, rumours, private school mom drama and health issues. Elise, who seems to be the perfect wife and mother, is hiding secrets; both her own and her fathers. Harriet, who appears to be a breezy happy go lucky kind of woman, just moved to the city with her daughter and causes all kinds of chaos, including some secrets of her own with Elsie's husband....
I love that the book is written in both women's perspectives, alternating each paragraph. It kept me reading because when there's a cliffhanger in one woman's perspective you have to keep reading to find out more which in turn sucks you into the other woman's world even more! This book is written with a lot of drama and emotion just like everyone ther Kate Hewitt book!

I really enjoyed this book. If you have children, who attend school, this is a universal situation school campuses are fraught with people seeking a social hierarchy. This book very thoroughly exposes this problem for all of its nonsense and damages that is created by this negative behavior. Families and children are isolated, reputations destroyed, and all so that a small group of people can feel powerful!!! I see this as a mom and a grandparent, continue in every school, year after year, generation after generation. Kate Hewitt does an amazing job of exposing this troubling behavior, and showing how destructive it is, mostly to the children!!!

Review: The Secret Between Us by Kate Hewitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Kate Hewitt delivers another emotional punch in The Secret Between Us, a domestic drama published by Bookouture that explores trust, betrayal, and the invisible cracks in a seemingly perfect life.

Set in the high-stakes, hyper-social world of a private school community, the story follows Elise—a PTO leader with twin boys and a picture-perfect marriage to neurosurgeon Michael—and Harriet, a new mom whose sudden friendship with Michael raises all the wrong flags. Elise has been here before, and when Harriet begins to slip deeper into her family’s life, the alarm bells get louder. But this isn’t just a story about infidelity. It’s about the secrets we bury and the consequences when they surface.

Told from the perspectives of both Elise and Harriet, the novel smartly blurs the lines between villain and victim. Neither woman is wholly likable, and that’s exactly what makes their unraveling so compelling. Their flaws feel real, their motives murky, and the tension is relentless.

The plot is dense—maybe too much at times—with threads involving chronic illness, parental pressures, emotional manipulation, and misunderstood intentions. But Hewitt keeps it grounded with strong emotional undercurrents and sharp insight into how easily trust can fracture.

This is a fast-paced, can’t-look-away read that’s perfect for fans of layered domestic dramas with psychological weight. While the ending may leave some wanting more, the journey is tense, gripping, and heartbreakingly believable.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. The Secret Between Us releases July 24, 2025—don’t miss it.