The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky
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Book Reviews of The Secret Between Us
Book Review: realistic powerful family drama
Summary: 4 Stars
While driving home in a heavy rain Dr. Deborah Monroe and her sixteen year old daughter Grace are arguing. Visibility is extremely poor when suddenly on a remote stretch they hit history teacher Cal McKenna. Deborah calls 911 and sends Grace home to be with her younger brother Dylan. Leyland Police Chief John Colby asks Deborah what happened, but she fails to correct his assumption as to who was driving. Grace feels guilt as she had two beers before driving the car that hit Cal.
Grace feels ill so she comes home from school. Deborah goes alone to the police station to fill out a report. Not long afterward, Cal dies from a cerebral hemorrhage. Deborah is shocked as she saw no indication and the hospital tests likewise saw nothing. Grace fears her mom will go jail for her killing her teacher. Deborah's former husband Greg calls informing her that Dylan told him when she should have told him. Meanwhile guilt eats at Grace who cuts off her friends and is doing poor at school and track, but everyone gives her a break that she does not want. At home Deborah and the kids are not communicating; not only do they have legal issues, they face the trauma of feeling alone and guilt laden.
This is a strong cast in which every one of the major players has differing personalities to include Grace's sister and dad and Cal's brother Tom. By not rushing Tom and Deborah into a romance, the story line turns into a realistic powerful family drama. Except for a late spin that will divide fans pro and con, Barbara Delinsky writes a deep tale in which a mom's good intention turns into a damaging secret destroying her daughter and her.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: AN INTRIGUING STORY
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a big fan of Barbara Delinsky. Her clean prose, her research which is always so seamlessly woven into her stories, her incorporation of setting, and her attention to detail are all skills I admire. In THE SECRET BETWEEN US she also manages to plant that question: what would I do in the same circumstances? Throughout the book I kept putting myself into Deborah's shoes and, even though I knew it would be just as wrong as Deborah's choice, I was certain I'd've made the same one. All that said, I couldn't give the book 5 stars because I wasn't as emotionally invested in the characters as I wished to be. And for me, that's the true test of a novel. Do I really care about the people in the story and am I rooting for them? The sad truth is, with THE SECRET BETWEEN US, I had no strong feelings either way. I understood what Deborah did, even agreed with it, but whatever happened to her and her daughter in the end simply didn't matter all that much to me.Book Review: Good, Clean, Solid Book
Summary: 4 Stars
This was the first Delinsky book I have read and I found it delightful. I read it on my Amazon Kindle (quick plug for the Kindle if you are an avid reader--it is awesome!) and was pleasantly surprised. This a book about relationships and the choices we make to preserve them. It is about the consequences of our actions. It is a great book because these issues apply to everyone and are a part of our lives each day and got me thinking what I would do in the situations the characters were in.
I gave it four stars because it was not a breathless page turner that I could not put down each night just full of excitement. But it was well written and a book I can recommend to a friend without embarrassment. It is clean and solid and has a good plot. It is definitely worth reading!
Book Review: A Solid Read...
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this to be a very interesting story of the complexity of family relationships. It deftly illustrates how no decision we make is without repercussions for our family members.
Deborah chooses to shoulder the responsibility for Grace's actions and inadvertently touches off a chain reaction of events that leads to family confessions about pressure, expectations and what it means to be accepted and loved in a family.
It also explores the pros and cons of living in a small town where everyone knows you and your business.
Overall, I think this is a very solid read and I will look for more books by Barbara Delinsky.
Book Review: Good Read!
Summary: 4 Stars
I got an advanced copy of this through the Bzz Agent program and ithought that I wouldn't like it. I figured it would be another Jodi Picoult rip off and initially I had a hard time getting into it. I don't usually care for this type of fiction, but to be honest once I got into it, I really liked it. I came to care about the characters, get mad at the characters, and be happy for them. True there are some really cliched plotlines and twists, but it was an entertaining read.