As always, an emotional read from this author. This book is very well written and the story just pulls at your heartstrings.
The characters were realistic and worked well together.
It was wonderfully written and once again made the reader think.
This book had me sucked in from the very beginning! I felt so many emotions while reading this book.

The Secret Between Us by Kate Hewitt is a complicated rendition of a relationship between two women who really don’t know one another. They are both moms of kids at the same school. One is beautiful, polished, and a leader; the other is less than ordinary, but she loves her kid. Harriet does not dress like the other women; she is “shabby,” but for some reason Elise is drawn to her and invites her to join the gala committee. That is not Harriet’s thing at all but she is willing to try. At Elise’s home she spends much of her time in the kitchen with Elise’s husband, Michael. Elise assumes one thing, the reality is much different. Michael is a neurosurgeon; Harriet’s present roommate, the father of her daughter, has been diagnosed with ALS. She is looking for support. Because of what Elise saw in her parents’ marriage, she makes assumptions. Everything goes wrong, almost immediately.

This is a complex story, full of past traumas and incorrect assumptions. This school that is so touted is full of gossipers and they make everything worse. People get hurt. Literally. It is so sad. The characters are terrific; they play their parts just as they should, never caring about anyone but themselves. The plot is complex and draws the reader in, full of curiosity about where this is all going. It is a very emotional book and one has to appreciate how well Hewitt handles it all. She is such a proficient author, she skips from genre to genre so one hardly knows what to expect then opening a book. Worthwhile read.

I was invited to read The Secret Between Us by Bookoutre. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #KateHewitt #TheSecretBetweenUs

Another emotional read from Kate Hewitt. Secrets galore are causing pain and suffering to all concerned, but a satisfactory resolution with all the ends tied up by the final page.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

I went into this expecting an “unforgettable page- turner” so I was expecting a fast paced suspense filled thrill ride. What I got was a slow paced family drama that was more about character introspection than anything. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, I just would have liked to know that going in.
Two moms from different worlds meet and dont care for each other when their kids start going to school together. Each of them has their own issues and secrets and their meeting sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately mutually benefits them both, much to their surprise. The atmosphere of the elite private school helps to elevate the drama and the cliquey parents with all their differences help to move the plot line along.
If you need a story about secrets and lies, friendships and motherhood, this may be the book for you. Be warned there are some mental health triggers.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Communication.
If people would just talk to each other so many issues wouldn’t ever arise and get blown out of proportion.
I thought I knew how this story would go , but as usual, Hewitt said “think again” because she threw in so many curveballs.
Toward the end I was super stressed out for the characters because I didn’t know how many more issues would befall them.
Ultimately, all is ironed out, partly due to communication!

3.5 ⭐ rounded up for touching on physical and mental illness related topics
Pull up a chair and grab some snacks because these drama mamas are sure to give you something to talk about. 🍟🍿🍾

Before diving into the story, I need to mention that the marketing on this one can be misleading. It is styled very much like a thriller, but it is NOT. The cover, title, even the way it's described oozes suspenseful thriller-ish vibes, until you read it. This is technically listed as women's fiction which is a better fit. After reading this I'd also say that the title is misleading. 🤷🏻‍♀️I guess The Lack of Communication Between Us doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

Harriet has recently moved back to New York and has enrolled her eight-year-old daughter in The Garden School which takes a more inclusive, artistic, gentle approach to learning. She catches the ire of Elise when she spots Harriet being chatted up by Micheal her neurosurgeon husband. Elise has long suspected Micheal of infidelity and sees this exchange between he and Harriet as another bump in the road. Sure that Micheal's charm has ensnared yet another woman, the claws come out.

Adults Behaving Badly

Heavy on the catty tactics but so very real if you have experience with this sort of thing. Elise goes out of her way to belittle Harriet and make her feel left out at school functions. Harriet has a level of pettiness that she could win an award for. Of course, the more mud is slung the more the gossip mill churns. Micheal is his own can of worms. ✋🏻I wasn't excusing this guy for a second. He gets no pass from me. They all need soooo much therapy. Their children are in the same class, and I was wondering how long until things would boil over. The kids read as younger than third grade to me. The middle does drag some, but the beginning and ending are tighter and hold things together.

The author takes things to a deeper place by fully fleshing out these characters. She shows them warts and all. Their flaws, unresolved issues, stressors, health issues, fears, and uncertainties. And how despite being very different people both of these moms love their children. Showing the why behind the behavior gives the novel a dose of humanity. That's where the novel flexed strong wings and made me care. The smooth conversational writing made it easier to engage with this type of story.

May the mean mommies we know become marvelous mamas!!!🥂(😉maybe)

Grab this if you love a delicious dose of drama!

Content Warning
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bullying
blood
OCD
ALS
dementia
infidelity

Thank you to Bookouture for providing an ARC via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First time reading @katrhewitt1 and won’t be my last. It definitely didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed #TheSecretBetweenUs
I was totally immersed from the very beginning, and all the way through until the final page. I couldn’t put this book down. A beautifully written story about secrets, motherhood, friendship, mistrust, jealousy, health issues, bullying and insecurities. It’s told through the POV’s of Elise and Harriett keeping the story interesting and entertaining. The characters have depth and are multi layered. They are characters that you love to hate and hate to love. Just brilliantly drawn. All the twists and turns work well as they kept coming, keeping you turning the pages. I liked the authors writing style and how she writes in away that makes the topics covered realistic and relatable.
It’s gripping, powerful, emotional, suspenseful, thought provoking and dramatic. Such a rollercoaster of a read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Definitely recommend this book as it’s well worth the read.
With thanks to #NetGallery @bookouture for an arc of #TheSecretBetweenUs in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 24 July 2025

This is my first Kate Hewitt book and I definitely want to read more. I love how she turns an everyday life into a gripping read.

Two women on opposite ends and a woman protecting her family after seeing her husband interacting with the second protagonist. I like the tones of their differences, the conflicts, relationship struggles, family, revenge and trust. It is quite well written and the atmosphere of an elite school and the parents only heightens the plotline.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

The Secret Between Us written by Kate Hewitt is a powerful and an unforgettable page turner full of secrets, mistrust, health issues, bullying, motherhood, friendship, jealousy, and insecurities. After loving The Last Stars in the Sky the first book I have ever read by this author, Kate has become an auto read author for me, her stories are gripping, powerful, and emotional. The Secret Between Us was no exception, I was instantly hooked from the very beginning all the way until the very last page. I know this is a work of fiction, but I love how Kate writes about real life situations in the most realistic ways, in this book she shows the complexities of motherhood and friendships. I won't lie, I was a bit hesitant to read this book because I thought it wasn't going to be as emotional as her previous books, but boy was I wrong, it was definitely an emotional page turner that left me reading late into the night. I can't recommend this book enough, if you are looking for a book about secrets, friendships, motherhood, and etc, then mark your calendars for July 24th, 2025 because you won't want to miss out on the release of The Secret Between Us written by the wonderful and talented author, Kate Hewitt. I was so surprised by everything that was happening, I just couldn't put this book down. The gasps were gasping. If you are still hesitant to read this book like I was, JUST GO FOR IT!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BOOKOUTURE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

"Loving someone who has the whole world at their feet can be exhausting. Frustrating. But as long as you know where you stand, and that they love you back even if it doesn't always feel like it.....well then you can.....manage".

"You can't choose the people you love, or why you love them. You can only do whatever you can to try to get them to love you back".

"Are you okay?" My heart twists. "A child should never have to ask that question of their parent".

"Maybe some secrets aren't meant to be kept".

"If you loved me at all, you would support me, and not her".

"Does hearing a juicy secret give someone a thrilling kind of power?"

"Earning someone's approval is NOT the same as being loved".

Elise Dunnett is the head of the PTA at The Garden School which is a private preschool. Elise is a mom to her two sons, Luke and Lewis who are fraternal twins in the third grade at The Garden School. It took Elise nine years and five failed IVF attempts before she became a mama at the age of forty-one, no matter how hard it was, Elise never gave up, her resilience was so powerful and inspiring. Elise has had a rough life, she was just five years old when she found out about her father's first of many affairs and Elise had to keep too many secrets from her mother. Well Elise's husband, Michael, reminds her of her own father. Elise also suffers from fairly severe OCD. Michael is a neurosurgeon, he and Elise met at an art show. Elise has loved Michael so fiercely, devotedly, and silently for twenty years, but one day at a picnic at the school, Michael meets Harriet and Elise second guesses everything she knew about Michael and their marriage. Michael makes people feel like the center of the world but specifically his world. Their marriage works best when they don't talk about serious things. Michael has been caught flirting, low laughter, and murmured words a numerous amount of times with different women. Well, after this picnic, Elise and Michael better learn how to communicate because their marriage is about to unravel.

Harriet Tierney just moved to New York City from Texas, she's a single mom to her daughter Kyra who is also in the third game, the same age as Michael and Elise's children. Harriet isn't necessarily pretty, but she's somewhat attractive according to Elise Dunnett. Harriet is a pottery artist, and she's nothing like the other mom's at this private school. Allan- Kyra's father works and lived in New York City, but they haven't seen Allan is seven years because they never had a serious relationship and Allan never wanted kids, but he paid for Kyra's tuition, so he could have more time with his daughter because he has a very serious health issue, Allan has ALS- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, meanwhile he has also been an absentee father for eight years. Allan has been keeping his health issues a huge secret from his daughter, but Harriet knew the stats and did a bunch of research before moving to New York City. Harriet just wants more parent friends since she's new, but at this picnic she meets Michael, they are chatting so intimately with each other, which of course Elise notices. Here's where things get wild, Elise thinks Michael and Harriet are having an affair, but you will need to read this book to find out what happens and how things are handled because I don't want to say too much and spoil the book, so please go read this book immediately.

Such a tense read as secrets seep through family dinners and late night texts that leads to fractured trust and simmering suspicion.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret Between Us.

Elise and her daughter are starting over, new city, new home and new school. Harriet is the perfect house wife, and mum to boys twins. Harriet takes an instant dislike to Elise when she's see's her husband and Elise chatting and laughing.

The two women cross paths daily and Harriet finds out that her husband, Michael and Elise are spending a lot of time together.

Things turn nasty and people end up hurt, physically and mentally.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The story is about Elise and Harriet who dislike each other.

Elise and Harriet who moves to New York, their children attend the same private school. Elise begins to suspect that her husband is having an affair with Harriet and that begins the way Elise reacts towards Harriet.

The story had other things happening that Elise wasn’t aware of, such as Harriet moved in with her child’s dad who has ALS, which was sensitively handled.

I recommend this book.

As someone who went to private school, the rumor mill and the perfect mom facade couldn't have been more spot on. I had friends who had moms just like Elise. I didn't really care for her character, but with much character development over the course of the book ( albeit very slowly), I was able to begin to sympathize with her.

I honestly can't say that I loved Harriet either. She was honestly a bit petty. It doesn't take a genius to know what her interactions with Micheal looked like to outsiders.

I loved this story overall but my God the characters were frustrating! So many of the issues could have been resolved if the adults in this book simply acted like adults. Has no one ever heard of open communication in a relationship?! But I suppose that would have made for a quick and boring story and I'm not afraid to admit, I do like a bit of drama.


I read and listened to this book. I do have to say that the narration for the audiobook was absolutely fantastic. She did a phenomenal job bringing all the characters to life.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Full of emotion and a good complex story . It flows quite well , dragged a little in the middle but picked up pace again towards the end

The story focuses on two central characters, Elise a mother to twin boys and wife of a handsome and popular surgeon and Harriet, arriving in New York for a fresh start with her young daughter Kyra.
The start of a new school term brings our characters together and newcomer Harriet gives the other mothers plenty to gossip about standing out with her laid back appearance.
Elise and Harriet could have become friends but each of them has secrets and this causes jealousy and mistrust to seep into their relationship.
I love how Kate Hewit slowly pieces together the characters outlooks on life and pieces together their lives and perspectives.
The story has its fair share of jealousy, revenge, sadness, tenderness and eventually forgiveness and I really enjoyed how it moved between the characters using short chapters which helped me as the reader to not take sides.
I felt sorry for both Elise and Harriet but also felt that Harriet’s behaviour and secrecy around Elise’s husband caused a lot of the problems that ensued in the story and found myself wishing she had done things differently.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookcouture for the ARC copy.

When Elise Dunnett sees her husband, Michael, talking to Harriet Tierney at the annual school picnic she is immediately on high alert and is even more dismayed when Harriet’s daughter Kyra is newly enrolled at the same private school as her twin boys. From this innocent first meeting Elise is wary of Harriet and does her best to keep her away from her family with devastating consequences.

The plot is so gripping that I read the book quickly as I couldn’t wait to see what would unfold next as it really is a story which gets under your skin especially as the secrets which are being revealed are so cleverly placed that you can’t help but be left wondering whatever is going to happen next in this twisted tale of jealousy and revenge. All credit must go to this talented writer who weaves such a complex plot in which most of the main characters are largely unlikeable, this takes an inordinate amount of skill and it really pays off in an intricate story of secrets, lies and pure malice.

Fascinating and complex, The Secret Between Us is an emotional domestic drama which had plenty of twists and turns, compelling characters, and a real page turner of a plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an early copy to enjoy. Wow what a good read! This was a really powerful read, full of emotion. Full of playground politics,insecurity, freindships and jealousy, well let's face it, it wouldn't be normal if it wasn't like that would it.
Michael and Elise on the surface seem to have the perfect marriage however underneath their lives are not what they seem. Elise believes Michael is having an affair.
A vision on Michael with his hand on talking and making a gesture by touching her arm makes Elise see red but this other woman is very different to the other mothers. She doesn't dress to 'compete'.
Hewitt compares and contrasts the relationships and human nature's complexities and although this is my first book that I have read of hers, it will most certainly will not be my last! A 5* read!

This story had a very slow pace. There was an underlying tension throughout the book until the last chapter. It made you want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. There were some original twists, but the secrets were not as gasp worthy as I would have liked.

I enjoyed the read and I will definitely read her next one.

This talented author has written a page turner. Realistic characters kept the story moving quickly. Suspense and red herrings kept me guessing. What would happen next? Family and friends…the secret…the husband…which characters could be trusted? Enjoy unraveling this mystery. Thanks Netgalley.

Kate Hewitt has delivered another thought provoking, gripping, moving, dramatic, and captivating book that I read in one day! I did not want to put The Secret Between Us: A powerful, suspenseful and unforgettable page-turner down as I was engrossed in this book about two women, a private school, secrets, bullying, trust/mistrust, jealousy, insecurity, friendship, motherhood, and health issues.

Elise and her doctor husband, Michael, are parents to twins who attend a private school in New York where Elise is very involved. Their marriage, like Elise, looks picture perfect; however, Elise has always suspected that her husband has been unfaithful to her. Harriett and her daughter have moved to New York to be with her daughter's father Allan who has been given a bleak health diagnosis. When Elise sees her husband, Michael speaking to Harriett at a school event, she sees red!

This book is told through the POV of both Elise and Harriett. Elise instantly dislikes Harriett who she suspects is after her husband. Harriett is the new mom at school and prides herself as being an artist. She stands out from the other mothers at the school as she is artsy and doesn't dress to impress. As the women circle around each other the tension mounts. Both are experiencing stress in their lives while trying to be good mothers.

This book has the word 'secret' in the title but for me it all comes down to communication, listening, and honesty. I was glued to the pages and felt for both women. I wanted to pull both aside and have private chats with both - especially Elise! By the end of the book, I also wanted to hug them both.

Kate Hewitt has quickly become a favorite author of mine. I love how she showcases the complexities of relationships and human nature. She deals with real life situations in realistic and relatable ways. I enjoy how her characters have depth and are layered. The Secret Between Us: A powerful, suspenseful and unforgettable page-turner was wonderfully written, well thought out, and riveting!

I can't wait to read what Kate Hewitt writes next!

I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a very enjoyable reading experience!