I found this story of friendship, secrets, and trauma so compelling! Payton, Isley, and Clara are lifelong friends who share a painful secret from their past. Every year they get together with their husbands, but this year a threatening note is left by a stranger.

This book deals with real life struggles like marital issues, drug addiction, grief, and undealt with trauma. The characters were flawed making them feel real and relatable. The layers of tension from everyone's secrets and the narration with its multiple povs kept the story engaging. The unexpected twists and mystery solved made for a very satisfying ending!

This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a bit of small town mystery and suspense with some more complex themes.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I’m used to more extreme psychological thrillers, but this was more of a tame mystery with lots of misunderstandings and secrets hidden amongst a group of friends. Clara, Payton, and Isley grew up as best friends. Their best friend, Cece, died from an apparent suicide when they were teenagers. A foundation to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention was created in Cece’s honor, and these friends and their husbands are meeting up to try to improve the likelihood of this foundation continuing since it is starting to lose funding. When the crew is out, a note is left at the house stating that they need to come out with the truth or it will be told for them. We keep listening to the story and find out that all parties involved have some secrets they are hiding.

I loved the way Tanya Eby narrated this book. She did an excellent job jumping amongst characters. The author, Jill Lynn, did such a great job making the reading continue to guess what was actually going on! I thought it was really nice listening to a group of older people in a mystery as a woman who is turning 40 this year! The problems and secrets in the book were all somewhat relatable, so the outcome was very fulfilling. I highly recommend this book!

A threatening note.
Long-buried secrets.
Their friendship tested.

I love Jill Lynn’s books—they’re always such a treat to read, and this one is no exception! The cover is gorgeous, and the story inside is just as absorbing. With a mix of friendships, family drama, and secrets revealed during a friendcation, this clean women’s fiction novel with a touch of romance hits all the right notes. Jill’s writing draws me in every single time, and I always enjoy the heartfelt stories she tells.

🎧 I also listened to the audiobook, narrated by Tanya Eby, and she did such an incredible job bringing the characters and all their angst to life. She’s one of those narrators I could listen to forever!

⭐️ A wonderful read full of heart, depth, and secrets that will keep you hooked.

Oof! I felt this book in my core! This is my first by Jill Lynn and I look forward to more from her. This was a difficult yet beatifully captivating general/women's fiction about the lovely and difficult parts of middle life. I had the pleasure of listening on audio and the narration was excellent. I highly recommend! A solid 4-star read for me. *I received a complimentary audio-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Meh. Definitely not what I was expecting, though the overall storytelling quality is okay.

I thought there’d be more suspense, mystery, drama, something to keep me guessing. But it’s mostly a long dive into family, couple, and long-time friendship dynamics, with a subtle thread of uncovering secrets (which, honestly, weren’t nearly as scandalous as I’d hoped) and a vague past mystery.

It’s like the whole “plot” of the friend group discovering a mysterious note was just a device to spark life decisions for each couple and friend. I never felt fully invested in any character. There’s no clear main character either. The POV shifts frequently, which is fine, but maybe that’s why I didn’t feel any attachment, thrill, or urge to root for anyone.

The writing is okay, though there’s a lot of telling. I get what the author was trying to do, but maybe the title or blurb set up different expectations.

3 stars.

It’s clean, no language.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the audiobook Arc.

Set Breckenridge, Colorado, Payton, Isley and Clara and their husbands plus one, gather to for a fundraising event to save a charity, Faith's Hope from financial hardship. Faith's Hope born out of the loss of their shared friend in High School has saved countless others from a similar fate. The narration of the novel is enjoyable. The novel sets into motion numerous unknowns and secrets, that I wondered if I could keep them all straight and the author could successfully tie it all up in the end. Mission accomplished, the ending even surprised me! I found all the characters likeable, the story moved forward at a good pace and kept me engaged.

This novel follows a group of lifelong friends as they reunite for their annual Friendscation. Each of them is carrying secrets from their spouses and each other, and as the weekend unfolds, those secrets begin to unravel. To heighten the drama, their rental house is broken into and a cryptic note is left behind.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me. The pacing was slow, and while I was hoping for a “slow burn,” the big secret teased throughout ended up being a letdown. Resolutions came too neatly, almost in a Hallmark-movie fashion.

The characters felt one-dimensional, and much of the dialogue between the married couples came off as forced or cringeworthy. Ultimately, I just couldn’t connect with or care about them.

The story is told in multiple POVs, which had potential, but wasn’t enough to carry the book.

Tanya Eby’s narration was a highlight—she did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for letting me read this ARC.

The mystery novel had an intriguing premise and showed a lot of promise with its twists and atmosphere. However, at times the large number of characters made it challenging to keep track of who was who, which occasionally pulled me out of the story. With so many names and backstories introduced, it became a little difficult to stay fully invested in the plot or connect deeply with the main players. Simplifying the cast or focusing more closely on a few central characters might make the mystery even more gripping and easier to follow. That said, the writing style was engaging, and the story had some great moments of suspense that kept me curious about the outcome

A group of friends with long-buried secrets gather at a vacation home. A threatening note appears but what does it mean and who is it directed towards? This books sounded better than it was. It was fine enough to keep reading but just fell flat and it never had enough going on to pull me in completely. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

This story does start out slow and if you're listening to the audiobook a bit confusing about who is talking until details start rolling in. This book gives off multiple POVs of the three best friends who are still alive and a past POV of Cece who died.

The three friends are headed to Breck to spend time together for a fundraiser for their dead friend. But each of them is hiding personal information about their lives but when a break-in happens they start to tell each other what is happening in their lives.

The twists were interesting at the end. Who really broke in and the death of their friend.

Multi-POV
Childhood Friends
Mountain Vacation
TW: Suicide, cheating, self harm

I received an advance review copy audio version. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this book. Tanya Eby did an amazing job narrating this audiobook.

3.5 ⭐️. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy for an honest review. I enjoyed this but thought it was a bit slow at times. Follows several couples who go on a friend vacation, someone breaks in and leaves an ominous note and they all are trying to figure out who it could be. There is a bunch of different side plots within each of the families. I did enjoy the narrator and overall enjoyed the book just wasn’t my favorite thriller.

This book did a great job keeping my engaged in the storyline. Old friends with long held secrets-what could possibly go wrong? This was my first time reading this author and look forward to reading more!

I received an ARC of Things We Keep Hidden by Jill Lynn. It’s a story centering on 3 friends as they come together to have a “friend-cation” and support a charity created in their friend’s honor, who died by suicide.

At first, I thought this book would be much darker and sinnister in nature, especially after someone broke into the home they were staying in to leave an ominous note to “tell the truth” or else. The following story was actually a lot more tame and heartwarming than that.

This story is really about the lives and secrets held by the three friends, how their guilt and trauma have shaped their lives, and how their support of one another helps each person heal.

I thought the characterization was great as each person had their own personality, style, and habits that differentiated them from one another, which was helpful since there are a lot of characters connected to this small circle of friends. The narrator did a great job with this book as well. The ending tied everything up in a neat little bow, which, while convenient, was still really sweet. While this book did not have all of the drama and thrills I expected, sometimes, simplicity is good too!

3.25/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and @harlequinaudio for this ARC!

Such an intriguing book! A little bit mystery. A whole lot of friendship. Youthful regrets. Present day traumas. They all collide during one memorable holiday weekend.

Told from multiple points of view, readers get an intimate look into the conflicts in each woman’s life. A struggling marriage, an addicted son, financial problems. And the weight of a shared youthful indiscretion. Instead of sharing their burdens, Isla, Clara and Payton valiantly try to hide them…until an explosive round of true confession leaves everyone reeling.

Love the emotional rawness in this compelling drama. It made for a gripping read…well, listen, since I enjoyed the audible edition narrated by Tanya Eby. She has become a trusted voice in my listening library over the years with her knack for bringing stories to life in a unique and compelling way.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

This was a very interesting book!
We have a group of friends who’ve been friends since HS… and every year they get together for a friends vacation and to catch up! This year, however, they each seem to be hiding something or another from the others…

A child in trouble. A husband who’s not happy in the marriage… and so on.

And as they spend time together, they begin to open up about their lives…again.

And then, there’s a break in. Nothing seems to be missing, but there’s an ominous note! Who is it for? What is it about? Do they need to be worried?

All this while little pieces of their lives seem to be disintegrating right before their eyes. 👀

Then, we add in a mouthy teenager who always seems to be in the wrong place… all the time. And guess what? She has secrets of her own! 😮

It’s a crazy story, yet one that we can all imagine, and even more so… RELATE TO!!

And when we finally get to the end, well, for me, I was just as surprised with the ending…as well as a little awestruck…

This one will give you pause. Make you think. Make you happy for the life you have… because even when things are not perfect, they’re probably a lot better than the lives of some of the people in this book! It will give you the chills. Make you laugh. And, even might make you cry…

But, for me, when I get ‘all the feels’… well, I am then a very happy camper!

4 big, bight shining 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for me!

#ThingsWeKeepHidden by @JillLynn and narrated beautifully by @TanyaEby.


**** THIS HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET!!! LOOK 👀 FOR IT ON SHELVES STARTING 8/26/25!!! *****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarlequinAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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three friends. not much romance. great story . has trigger warnings. not much faith. beautiful cover

Thank You to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio and Jill Lynn for an advanced reader copy of "Things We Keep Hidden" in exchange for an honest review. I received the audio book version of this book which was narrated by the wonderful Tanya Eby.

This novel drew me in with its description, and kept me going with the plot twists. I absolutely love Tanya Eby as a narrator, as she keeps the listener engaged and helps you connect with the characters throughout the story.

Jill Lynn gives us multiple mysteries, both from the past and from the present, leaving the reader to wonder what truly happened all those years ago and what is happening now?

Recommend to anyone that likes a good mystery with some friend drama intertwined.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have an audio copy of this book.
I did like a narration of this book a lot, it was clear and easy to follow.
But I didn't much care for the story, didn't connect to or like the characters much.
I feel like some of the book was quite forgettable, slow and repetitive. A bit hard to follow near the middle as well.
I feel like the book had a lot of potential, though I feel like it fell flat. It unfortunately didn't keep me interested or caring much about the secrets and everything that was happening to the characters.

I listened to The Things We Keep Hidden on audiobook, and unfortunately, the narrator made an already underwhelming story even harder to get through. The delivery felt flat and overly dramatic in places, which made it difficult to connect with the characters or stay immersed in the tension. Voices blurred together, and emotional beats were either missed or exaggerated, pulling me out of the story more than once.

As for the plot, it had potential: three lifelong friends reunited after decades, a threatening note, and the haunting memory of their friend Cece’s death. But the pacing dragged, and the mystery never built the suspense it promised. The characters—Payton, Isley, and Clara—had interesting backstories, but their development felt surface-level, and the dialogue often came off as forced.

The note—“Tell the truth or I will”—should have been a chilling turning point, but it ended up feeling like a weak plot device. The final reveal was more surprising than satisfying, and the emotional payoff didn’t land.

There were flickers of insight and a few poignant moments, but overall, this felt like a story that didn’t trust its readers—or listeners—to stay engaged without over-explaining. Between the uneven writing and the disappointing narration, this one just didn’t work for me.

2.5 Stars – Too Many Threads, Not Enough Momentum
Things We Keep Hidden by Jill Lynn had the ingredients for a compelling story, but it struggled under the weight of too many characters and timelines. There were simply too many perspectives to keep track of, and instead of enhancing the plot, the constant shifts made it feel disjointed and difficult to follow. It was hard to connect deeply with anyone because just as one thread started to build momentum, the narrative would jump to another.
The pacing was another major issue. The story moved far too slowly, with long stretches that felt more like filler than meaningful development. I found myself waiting for something to truly happen, and by the time the pieces began to come together, my interest had already faded.
There are glimpses of emotional depth and some thoughtful themes buried within the story, but they’re hard to appreciate when the structure is so scattered. With a tighter focus and fewer distractions, this could have been a much stronger book.
Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with an ARC in exchange for and honest review. The Things We Keep Hidden will be published August 25, 2025.