This book has a little bit of everything in it - mystery, love, dreams, discovery and a story worth telling. It's a sort of long story that unfolds slowly but is worth the patience to get through it. The characters have to move through the entire story to be able to grow and accept themselves for who they are.

In 1950s segregated Mendol, Oklahoma, everyone is assigned a place and people are expected to stay in their assigned role and do what is expected of them. But Elsa and Bailey don't seem to fit in anywhere. Elsa is getting married and is expected to be the perfect bride and embrace her arranged marriage which will keep the oil money flowing between her and her husband's family. Bailey is a dress shop assistant and is supposed to work submissively and not get to know her clients. Bailey is merely supposed to dress Elsa in her wedding dress. Elsa is a rich, white oil heiress, Bailey is a black orphan being raised by her aunt and they shouldn't be friends according to society. But Elsa needs Bailey to rescue her from what he fears will be a bad marriage. Bailey has a gift of seeing the future and feels a connection to Elsa and becomes her friend, even though society and Elsa's mother don't permit it.

Their adult mentors never had the chance to live the lives they wanted to and had to make difficult choices throughout their lives that they regret several decades earlier. Matthias and Ingrid, Charlene, Walter, Gabby are all characters that represent what old cultural restrictions can do to destroy lives. They really didn't have options and are moving through life, but not really living life. But then a tragic event occurs which blows the world of Mendol apart and the two generations join together to live their lives for who they are not what the rules say they should be. The story shows that family comes from love, not rules and old wrongs can be righted and the future can be different than what everyone thought it would be.

The book is well-written and you never expect the characters and the plot line to go where it goes. There are violence and cultural triggers, but the book reads as authentic to the times it was set, There is hope for the characters who have struggled with racial barriers,, cultural limitations, sexual identity, forbidden love and youthful errors to become whole. I am grated to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this book.

My Thoughts: Oklahoma 1954. An oil baron, a seamstress, a privileged daughter, and a long lost love.
There are a lot of people in this story and they are all connected and initially don’t know it. Ingrid is the most dangerous type of white woman in 1954 and 2024. There is a common theme in the story that father and daughter are both selfish in their wants and desires with no care or concern of the dangers it causes those they claim to love in 1926 or 1954.
This story has many moving parts. It’s a bit of a mystery, a bit of coming of age, a bit of love, a bit of history and a bit of magical realism if your like you stories to include any of those you should give this a read.

Bailey Dowery is a Black dressmaker, or "couturier", in a small, oil-rich town in Oklahoma in the 1950's. Brides-to-be seek her out because she is said to be able to see your true love if she puts her hands on you, but sometimes Bailey see more than she bargained for. When socialite Elsa Grimes seeks Bailey out in advance of her talk-of-the-town wedding, desperate to be "read", Bailey sees more than she bargained for and becomes intertwined in Elsa's life, which is not that of a typical White socialite of the time, despite Elsa's mother's best efforts. Well written and excellently paced, the story combines thought-provoking historical fiction with a bit of mystery and mysticism. The characters have depth and the story explores difficult themes while still being somewhat uplifting... although I still found myself extremely thankful for both the civil and women's rights movements!

Bailey Dowery is a black woman who works at her aunt's dressmaker shop. The story is set in 1954 in Mendol ,Oklahoma. She works there as a seamstress making beautiful wedding gowns. Bailey is not only a talented seamstress but she also has a secret talent. Bailey has “second sight” where she can sense the future for someone with just a touch of their skin.
 
While Bailey modestly downplays her gift, she becomes embroiled in the life of Elsa Grimes. Elsa’s father is the richest oil tycoon is Oklahoma.  As her wedding date nears and Elsa dreams of a loving union, she needs to know what Bailey sees in Elsa’s future.
 
When Bailey predicts unhappiness for Elsa, she is unsure of what to do. They Bailey stumbles upon something so grave, that it makes her the prime suspect. With the town of Mendol targeting Bailey not only for her gift of second sight, but also for the color of her skin.
 
This book has stunning characters and is beautifully written, but it gives a stark picture of racism in the south during this time period, along with wealth and classism. Trisha R. Thomas handles these topics with care.  I truly enjoyed this book. It was a 4 star read for me.

In addition to being a talented seamstress, Bailey Dowery is also gifted with the ability to see the future of those she touches. Set in a fading “oil boomtown” of 1950s Oklahoma, Bailey must navigate racial prejudice, class differences and long held secrets.

The cast of characters, each with their secrets and prejudices, are inter-connected and their backstories keep you reading as details are revealed. Bailey’s protective Aunt Charlene, the selfish dress shop owner, the “least joyful” bride, Elsa, and her oil tycoon parents, Ingrid & Mathias are just some of the interesting characters created by the talented storyteller Trisha Thomas.

I definitely recommend this book for your enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGallery for an advanced copy of this book. While the synopsis of the book had promise, the story was just okay - it did not hold my interest.

I enjoyed this book. Set in an oil town in Oklahoma in the 50’s, Bailey is a seamstress in a wedding shop in town. Her whole life she has been able to see visions and futures when she touches people. Brides in the area find out about her visions and want to know about their futures with their intended, while Bailey would love to keep it under wraps.
When, Elsa, a bride to be from the richest oil family in town comes in, Bailey sees black. Elsa has a lot of secrets and Bailey discovers her secret which could upend the whole wedding.
I felt that there was a lot of different story lines, but it did wrap up nicely.
Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, BookClubGirl, and William Morrow for this copy of "The Secret Keeper of Main Street."

It's 1954 and Bailey is the dress fitter and seamstress at a local boutique. When she touches people, she dreams about them and sees their true motivation and their heart's desire.

But will she unexpectedly discover some shocking secrets that have been hidden for years? And some recent ones that could help free a young bride-to-be from her controlling family?

This was suspenseful with several mystery plots and a touch of the supernatural, some of my plot elements to read.

Multiple plot points and fast paced, The Secret Keeper of Main Street is the story of a dressmaker who can see the future.

As a concept, this works. I loved the setting of Oklahoma, I will always love an Oklahoma setting. I think the class and race factors are huge and I don't know that this was done to the best of abilities.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Set in the 1950’s, this is the story of fictional character Bailey Dowery who works as the “couturier” or dressmaker in the town’s high end dress shop which caters to the wives and daughters of the wealthy oil tycoons. A young Black girl, Bailey’s gifts are not just limited to dressmaking as she possesses the gift of “reading” her customers through touch. White bride-to-be, Elsa Grimes, the daughter of the owner of the oil company is unhappy about her upcoming nuptials and after hearing of Bailey’s gift, pleads with her to tell her if this marriage is right for her. So begins this story of friendship, secrets, family and racial prejudice in the South during this time. With elements of historical fiction, magical realism and mystery, this book satisfied this reader who enjoys the experience of reading a story with multiple genres.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Incredible on so many levels!
I regretted each time I had to put it down and couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. Every character brought a unique dimension to the story. I loved how Bailey’s special gift was weaved into various scenarios.

I attended an author event and someone in the audience asked the author what they had read recently. I’m so grateful Kate Quinn mentioned this book! And I’m grateful to NetGalley & William Morrow for sending this book for review consideration. I’ll definitely be adding Trisha Thomas to my reading list!

I received this pre-released book from Net Galley for review. The Secret Keeper of Main Street is based in Oklahoma during the 50s, where racial tensions and division are alive and well. However, that doesn't keep the characters in this book from being together, neither as friends or as lovers. A young black seamstress works in a local dressmaker's shop that caters to the local rich oil baron wives and daughters. She also has the gift of insight, which happens when she makes the briefest contact of skin with someone and is able to "see" their story, whether it be good, bad or ugly. Young soon-to-be brides are coming to her more to find out if their relationships are going to last than they are for new designer dresses and proper fittings. This book is full of scandal, mystery and intrigue. I enjoyed it from the very beginning but felt the ending was a bit disappointing; otherwise, I would have given it five stars. The ending, in my opinion, needed a bit more meat. Still a great book, though.

I was so into this! I would totally recommend this to everyone. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I feel like the ending was a tad bit of a disappointment. I appreciate reading about people that make me check myself and really stop and think about the amount of entitlement I have had in my life. This story does that and more in a way that leaves you wanting to know more about the lives of the folks in this tale.

Trisha R. Thomas delivers a winner! Set in 1950s Oklahoma, The Secret Keeper of Main Street takes everything that's great about a nighttime soap in book form. Bailey, a black dressmaker with the gift of second sight, finds herself drawn into local scandal and mystery when she agrees to help a Elsa Grimes, the local oil heiress with a terrible secret.

Meanwhile, her aunt Charlene is hiding a huge secret of her own as is Elsa's mother, Ingrid. So many secrets, so many plot twists. A few of the subplots were tied up a little quickly for my liking, but I'll forgive her.

With a page-turning plot and a multi-layered cast, this book makes for a fantastic summer beach read.

This book was okay. The concept of a dressmaker who has premonitions and visions about people was really cool, but it fell flat for me. I also thought there were too many things happening. It felt like a book that had been done before, just with a different title and setting. I wish the author would have stuck to one thing and flushed those out, but there were too many plot lines. Surprisingly, the book was fast-paced though. I didn't feel stuck reading a chapter for too long; it was an easy progression. I also liked the different perspectives, but again, the characters felt like they'd been done before, and the basicness of the story is where I stopped enjoying it. This had the potential to be so good, but I don't think it's for me. Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for an e-ARC to read and review.

The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas tells the tale of two very different women, Bailey and Elsa. Bailey, a local couturier, has the talent of seeing the secrets of her clients hearts by just a touch. Despite the color of her skin, the women of town demand to be assisted by Bailey, if only to get the whisper of Bailey’s sight. Elsa, a young woman who never seems to make her mother proud, is a client of Bailey; the dress being made for Elsa is for the wedding of the year. But when she begs Bailey to look inside her heart, the two women begin a journey that will leave them forever changed.

This book was engaging and I cared deeply for both characters in each of their situations. Ingrid, Elsa’s domineering mother, is an absolutely horrendous women. The only thing that would’ve made this a five star read is if the ending had been a little stronger. For me it was a little anticlimactic, and didn’t land quite right. That said, this is a must read for historical fiction fans, and even those who enjoy a touch of fantasy in their novels.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the Advance Reader Copy!

One thing about them secrets, they gon’ spill. And they do…, thankfully not right away in Trisha R. Thomas‘ captivating read ☛THE SECRET KEEPER OF MAIN STREET [pub: William Morrow]. Have you ever been so deeply vested in a novel that you’re actually a bit sad when it ends? 🙋🏾‍♀️ I was in no way ready for this page-gripping story about a “seer” named Bailey who has the ability to read the “heartstrings” of—not just her wedding gown clients, but—anyone she touches. As if a young Black dressmaker with clairvoyant powers isn’t reason enough to crack the spine of this pretty cover, there’s more. I’m talkin’ complicated, yet beautiful love stories woven in between inappropriate rendezvous with dire consequences. And while The Secret Keeper Of Main Street is quite scandalous, I wouldn’t describe it as salacious. It’s weightier than that. For one, it’s part historical fiction, historically factual actually, particularly the description of the 1921 decimation of the Greenwood District in Tulsa where “whites had unleashed hell and brimstone on the small community, believing a Black man had assaulted a white woman. In those days, assault was a widely used term to describe anything from a Black person making direct eye contact with a white person to their brushing against someone’s elbow accidentally…”

Though atrocities are depicted, it’s the healing elements—the forgiveness, the acceptance, the possibilities—that make this spellbinding suspense with more than a little bit of love on top, so damn endearing to me. The Secret Keeper Of Main Street served as a much needed reminder that even when confronted with reprehensible and inhumane treatment and violence, some of us, many of us miraculously find the tenacity to experience, create and sustain not only joy, but love—familial and forbidden, romantic and community. And that generation after generation, we magically, no courageously unearth a resolve to exist, to thrive and most importantly to simply be.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

In this captivating novel set in 1950s oil-rich Oklahoma, we meet Bailey Dowery, a Black dressmaker with a unique gift: “second sight.” Bailey can reveal the true loves and intentions of her socialite clients, making her a silent witness to a shocking crime.

Bailey’s talent extends beyond her needle and thread. With a touch, she glimpses others’ hopes, dreams, nightmares, and even their past and future. Yet, she wears gloves to avoid grazing her clients’ skin during fittings. Brides seek her insight—whether their true love is faithful or if their marriage will succeed.

When Elsa Grimes, daughter of a wealthy oil magnate, seeks Bailey’s help, the truth unravels. Elsa’s impending society wedding hides dark secrets. As Bailey becomes entangled in a murder investigation, she risks everything to protect those she loves.
Trisha R. Thomas masterfully blends historical fiction, fantasy, and magical realism in this gripping tale. “The Secret Keeper of Main Street” offers scandal, intuition, and unforgettable characters against the backdrop of 1950s Oklahoma. A must-read for fans of mystery and intrigue!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Secret Keeper of Main Street. Bailey is a talented seamstress in 1950's Oklahoma. More amazing than her talent a sewing and design is her ability to read hearts. Unfortunately, this ability leads to trouble. “It’s safer to stay out of White folks’ business.”