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The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry

Posted on By
Thriller
Published by: Thomas & Mercer (6/1/2021)

Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole had a traumatic adolescence, but it’s not until adulthood that Nichole has a breakdown, tries to kill her husband, and is committed to a psychiatric hospital. Krystal, now a lawyer, tries to figure out what happened and protect her sister. Told in chapters not only alternating between their present and their past but also changing the character perspective, this twisty thriller keeps you on your toes until the end.

I liked that the story went back and forth between their adolescence and the present. However, it didn’t tie together as well as I thought it should. The past Krystal and Nichole didn’t match up very clearly with the present Krystal and Nichole, and I’m still not completely clear that the big reveal should have shaken up their lives quite to the extent that it did, or maybe I was just didn’t really care anymore by that point since it seemed to take a long time to get to anything substantial.

I really like that Lucinda Berry brings her background as a psychologist to her writing since I think it allows her to go deeper into the minds of her characters and the why of the crimes. However, sometimes, like here, it seems to slow the overall story down instead of pushing the reader to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

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