"I didn't stop to consider that Rachel was a girl who under normal circumstances wouldn't have taken the time to say hello; that we were acquaintances, flung together through the misbehaviour of our parents. I was creating a fairy-tale friendship and the problem with fairy tales is that they're packed with bad characters as well as good. In fairy tales, it's obvious who those bad character are; in real life, it's more difficult to tell."

Clever but overweight and shy, Elizabeth is a teenager living unhappily in a Chelmsford suburb. Hero-worshipping her irresponsible and undeserving father and tolerating her distracted but well-meaning mother, Elizabeth longs to fit in. Friends Debra and John at school are the other outcasts, so when new girl Rachel arrives, she tries to obsessively catch her eye. Rachel appears to have it all, is pretty and immediately popular, but doesn't encourage Elizabeth. The pair are thrown together after their parents begin an affair. When a local woman, Peggy, is murdered where Elizabeth plays, she realises she saw Peggy with a man on that same day. Who is he and what does this mean for Elizabeth and Rachel?

Our Dark Secret tells the story of two girls, two deaths, separated by two decades. Told from protagonist, Elizabeth's perspective, the novel moves between 1979 and 1999. This enables the story to be told as well as Elizabeth's grown-up perspective to be put on it, as she fears the dark secret will be revealed. I found Elizabeth rather difficult to relate to, perhaps because she took little responsibility for her own agency, wallowed in what she felt was her lot; however bearing in mind her childhood, with selfish parents, this is understandable. I wanted so much more for her. Rachel too was distant, again understandable considering the circumstances revealed as the novel progresses. Slower in parts, particularly to begin with, setting the scene, pacier in others, I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected. Well written, but a slow-burner, leaving me wanting more for Elizabeth.

#OurDarkSecret #NetGalley
Hell of a thriller. A must read.
Elisabeth received a phone call and they told her that the body is found. The intresting thing is that she knew that one day they'll found that body.
She and her best friend Rachel shared a dark secret from two decades. What is it? What will she do now?
Elisabeth and Rachel are awesome characters. Narration of the story is captivating but simple.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me an advance copy of this book.

Her past is about to catch up with her!

Following a telephone call from her old neighbour in her childhood town of Chelmsford Elizabeth's receives the news she's been dreading to hear "they've found a body" life as she knows it is about to change.

She knew this day would come and it's time to relive the true events of the past.

This book is told in two time dimensions from flashbacks of the past to the present time.

A story Full of uncertainty, where your friendship knows no bounds and you'd do anything to protect the ones you love.

I thought this book was well written
but it did take me sometime to get into to it
felt something was lacking
I did think the characters were strong and the story picked up pace towards the end

Thank you netgalley, Jenny Quintana and Pan McMillian for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a quick read, with good writing, but I felt something was lacking to five it a full five stars! I don’t think it grabbed me as much as some do, but still enjoyed it and read it quickly. Maybe it was a slower burn, but it just didn’t grab me the way my five star rating books do. Overall, it’s a good thriller with some thrills, chills, and shocks!
Will make sure I buzz it up on the different platforms!

This book evidences some good, solid storytelling by the author but where it fell a little short for me was in its originality and memorability. I didn’t find the story specifically original, and it seemed to lack any dynamite. For this reason I also didn’t find it very memorable. I enjoyed the story and I felt that for most of the book the tension was building nicely and I was psyching myself up for a great ending…and then, boom, the final sentence of the book arrived and I turned the page expecting more because the ending felt so flat…but there wasn’t any more. It just ended. Just like that. No big reveal, no twist, no dynamite. Okay, so with that said, the book felt slightly simple to me. Did it tell a story? Yes. Was it gripping? Mostly yes. Did it end with a bang and leave you mesmerized? Unfortunately not.

So, if you’re the type of reader that doesn’t need a big reveal or a “Wow” moment, and you’re happy with good storytelling and a somewhat straightforward story, then this one will be for you and you should give it a try. It’s a story that focuses on some topics that many people will connect with from their teenage years, namely being liked, being popular, wanting to get into the “cool” group at school, and so on. It’s also a story about very adult topics like divorce, broken homes, affairs and the effect of all this on the children. This is not a young adult title and it is indeed an adult thriller but for most of the book the lead character, Elizabeth, is thinking back to her childhood and the way her life unfolded at that time. And I generally love books that alternate between time lines. And I did like this one. I read it word for word and finished it. It was solid. But as I’ve said above, not specifically memorable for me personally.

It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

Absolutely loved this! Well deserves the 5 stars.

A fab page turner. Loved the characters and the storyline. As I kept reading, I wanted to find out more and more about the story. Loved it. Was kept thoroughly engaged throughout. Will see if there are any other books by Jenny Quintana.

if you love drama, thriller books then this would be highly recommended.

Thank you Pan MacMillan and NetGalley.

Loved the cover. The book didn’t let me down. It was a great book. It was fast paced. Well written and very enjoyable.

An fascinating domestic thriller, full of believable characters and an entertaining plot. Highly recommended. Plan on reading more books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No gimmicks, just wonderful storytelling from Jenny Quintana.

In an age when the high-concept thriller is what many authors aspire to in order to climb their way up the bestseller charts of certain retail outlets, it is refreshing to read a novel that is free of gimmicks and is simply about good old fashioned storytelling. I say simple, but to achieve what Jenny Quintana has with "Our Dark Secret" is no mean feat. Her perceptive understanding of human nature and the tangled interplay of human relations is up there with Jane Shemlit and Sarah Vaughan. This is a story that spans two decades; encompassing two deaths, long buried secrets and lies and the relationship at the heart of story - between Elizabeth and Rachel. This is a complicated, uneven friendship, forged in the dark depths of compromise, obsession and pragmatism: Rachel is Elizabeth's muse - think single white female meets coming-of-age story with a sprinkling of Shakespearean tragedy. In both girls, and later on the narrative - young women, Quintana has created characters that demand to be free of the constraints of their fictional lives, who burst forth from the page, and who are, above all, recognisable to us. In her beautifully calibrated prose Jenny Quintana has created an atmospheric, character-driven thriller which lives long in the memory after the last page has been turned.


A memorable novel that is much more than a thriller. Simply sublime.

Summary:
Two girls. Two deaths. Two decades of silence.
As a teenager in the late 1970s, Elizabeth was the perfect victim for bullies. She was quiet, clever and desperate for a friend.
Then that summer, Rachel arrived and everything changed. Elizabeth was drawn to the bright and beautiful newcomer like a moth to a flame.
Rachel had her own reasons for wanting Elizabeth as a friend, and although their relationship was far from equal, Elizabeth would do anything for Rachel.
Then the first body was discovered. Now, twenty years on, Elizabeth wants nothing more than to keep the secrets of her teenage years where they belong: in the past.
But another body has been found, and she can't keep running from what happened.
Can she?

#OurDarkSecret #NetGalley

Exceptionally well written, this book drew me in instantly with its intelligent prose and beautifully developed characters. Such a clever plot. Loved it.

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting! It has a much more literary feel than others in the genre and is very well written. I liked Elizabeth's character; she felt complicated and real. The plot overall has an unsettling thread of darkness throughout and I was never quite sure where it was going, with Elizabeth feeling very much like an unreliable narrator.

The only slight let-down for me was the ending. I expected a final revelation, perhaps related to that unreliability. But the book just fizzled out, meaning it left less of an impact because thinking back on it, all it really consisted of was a woman remembering the events of her childhood over the course of a day. I felt it needed something stronger in the present day to round the whole thing off.

Definitely worth a read, though, and a talented author.

I enjoyed this book - it's not ground breaking and follows a fairly standard thriller 'pattern' but nevertheless the characters were enjoyable and relatable. Jenny Quintana sets the scene of the place and time incredibly well. Overall, really worth reading.

Our Dark Secret is a pretty average thriller read but it’s Elizabeth as a characters that makes this book stand out. As an overweight girl she struggles but her lack of beauty really shows on the inside, dark and twisted she becomes obsessed with Rachel but only sees it as love. The obsession and the fact she sees this as friendship really made this something special. I found myself horrified with the character and she’s not likeable at all but her first person narrative worked fantastically!

3/5

The central character in this tale is Elizabeth and we meet her as a teenager in the late 1970s. She is bright and observant, this and the fact that she is overweight leaves her very much in the margins – not one of the popular girls. She together with two other children are the misfits, the oddities – of this she is well aware. Then Rachel appears at the school, newly moved to the area and Elizabeth is mesmerised by her, she is funny, beautiful and popular.

On the home front, Elizabeth is very close to her father who is into his records – LPs etc. and into the fashion of the times, platform shoes etc. She often accompanies her father to Dave’s record shop and they go to the hotel for meals – where she notices Dad is a bit too interested in the waitress.

Disaster strikes when Dad runs away with Rachel’s mum and Elizabeth feels abandoned. Then a body is found – and Elizabeth thinks she has witnessed something. Twenty years later another body is found. Elizabeth is still somewhat of a loner but her fascination with Rachel has never abated.

I am somewhat at a loss to say how I feel about this book. It is well written and the plot is gently revealed, not explosive, but somehow corrosive. My heart broke for Elizabeth many times, I imagine her watching, listening and understanding much, but not disclosing anything. There was a twist at the end, but unfortunately for me that just echoed my sense of something like pity for Elizabeth who could have, and should have had so much more.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This books starts with a revelation that a body has been found. Then the story cleverly unfolds as a young Elizabeth retells the story of her childhood into her teenage years when another body was found. The feeling Elizabeth evokes of an unhappy, naive childhood create a believable character and a great atmosphere for a psychological mystery. The story of Elizabeth’s childhood interweaves with her life as an adult in 1999 where she is still living with the scars and struggling with the secrets of her childhood.

I really enjoyed this book and it is one of the most memorable psychological mystery books I have read this year. I’m pretty certain if you enjoyed CJ Tudor’s The Chalk Man you’ll love this book.

Quintana knocks it out of the park once more! I absolutely loved Missing Girl and was very wary of this one as usually second books don't hold up for me but this one. Oh my gosh! I've loved every second of it including the time travel between 1978 and 1999. The little references to the 90s were a really nice and nostalgic touch as well. The story itself is gripping from the beginning of a seemingly perfect family that is not quite right. And the plot twist at the end! Whilst you can suspect from the beginning everything, you don't exepect anything to turn out how it does. Great job, recommend to everyone who enjoys a thriller with characters that feel human, not just evil.

A story that has you gripped from the start with great characters that readers can relate to.A book that you will find very hard to put down.5*

A book that grabbed me right in a coming of age story a murder mystery a true page turner. The characters come alive so well written so involving a book I could not put down, #netgalley#panmacmillon.