I liked this book alot. I picked out the first twist very fast from the beginning so that didnt surprise me as much as I would have liked. At times I got a little confused about what or who was talking and the relationship from person to person.

A really enjoyable read.

Claire is married to Luke - they have a 4 year old daughter, Ella. Yet, the marriage is not in the greatest place. Claire's family now lives with her dad who has vascular dementia. This has put a strain on Claire, who quit her job to take care of her dad. Also, on Luke - who lives in a less then perfect situation. Luke increasingly goes out to the pub to avoid it all, but he loves Claire and his daughter.

Luke meets Anna when he "rescues" her from her ex-boyfriend at the pub. They do not become intimate ; however; she becomes obsessed with Luke. A very hurt Claire is angry with Luke and his "friendship" with Anna. He is forced to stay with Steve, his boss on the construction crew.

In the meantime, Claire finds out she may have a half-sister and is intrigued enough to plan a visit. This, after Claire sadly realizes that she has to admit her dad to a live-in care facility. And that she probably has lost Luke, as well.

On her way to meet Sophie, Claire receives a call from Luke...

A superb story with great character development and style. HIGHLY recommend this to all!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley!

Try as I might I couldn't take to the main character so couldn't care less what happened to her, sorry, but this book was just not for me.I hope others like it more.

This book is a psychological thriller and catches the reader’s interest in the first chapter. Claire gives up her job and moves her family into her childhood home to care for her father who has dementia. Her husband doesn’t think the move was a good idea, and this caused a rift between them. At about the same time a woman contacts Claire and says she is her half-sister. It seems their father had an affair with her mother, who was killed in an accident. Things aren’t always as they appear. Although I figured out what was happening before the end of the book, it did not detract from the rest of the story. This is an exciting domestic drama, and I would recommend this book to anyone. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture. Opinions expressed here are my own.

I'm somewhat torn on this one. On one hand the premise was great, the cover looked inviting and I couldn't wait to get stuck in. But on the other hand it didn't live up the hype. At times it felt rushed, I wasn't keen on some of the characters and felt they lacked development. I did finish it and I'm glad I did, however it's not as good as her previous work.

Claire’s father, Bernard, health was deteriorating. His memory isn’t what it used to be. Therefore, Claire, Luke and Ella moved into her father home to take care of him. The stress of the family was getting too much for Luke and he slipped up. Anna seems to be normal until she wasn’t. Luke is now under investigation for murder. Claire’s life took a turn when a long-lost half sister, Sophie, contacted her out of the blue. Every family has their secret. What’s Sophie’s connection to this family?

It wasn’t hard to figured out what was the family secret. About 28% into reading the book, I had it figured out. It was almost too easy. The story didn’t have that hook or alluring mystery to keep my attention going. Sophie’s character seemed rush and her story was not told fully. The allegation to Luke’s affair and murder investigation had no merit. The whole story feels rushed. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this really is a book full of family secrets just as the title suggests and another sure fire winner from Sheryl Browne. Dark and twisted, full of revenge it’s a fast paced thriller that certainly keeps you reading and leading to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. It’s a well crafted plot that I’m not going to rehash so as not to spoil the surprises, it has some excellent characters and keeps you on your toes as the twists keep coming and is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend if you love a good domestic thriller, this one is definitely for you.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It was a fascinating novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the storyline very much and would definitely reccomend this book.

Drawn in from the first pages to this chilling tense thriller.So well written characters come alive a true page turner .An author I will be following highly recommend.#netgalley#bookouture

The Family Secret by Sheryl Browne is a fast-paced domestic thriller from an author who simply does not disappoint. This one had me racing to the end, and kept me fully engaged throughout with lots of twists and gasps thrown in along the way.

Claire is caring for her father, who suffers from Alzheimer's, at home when her husband Luke, having reached his limit with the challenging domestic circumstances, is lured away one night by the charms of damsel in distress Anna. Feeling quite alone, Claire responds to a woman claiming to be her half-sister, Sophie, and invites her into her life. But at what cost to her already fragile family unit?

This is a character-driven domestic drama that ticks all of the boxes. I was gripped from beginning to end, and now consider Sheryl Browne a must read author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I wanted to love this as I have read all of Sheryl's previous books , this for me , just did not live up to the others . It was still a really good read and i finished in a day , the family secret is quite a big one and the reveal at the end even though there were clues at the beginning did surprise me . Claire , Luke and their daughter Ella have moved in with Claire's dad who is in the early stages of dementia , it is causing problems in their marriage and after an altercation Luke moves out . In the meantime Claire receives a message from someone pertaining to be her half sister , she is curious and decides to meet with Sophie . They get on well and Sophie eases herself into Claires life , alienating her from friends and Luke . Its very clear that Sophie has her own agenda here . Its an entertaining read and i did enjoy it . A solid 4 stars

The Family Secret by Sheryl Browne
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Publication date - 29th January 2020
Publisher - @bookouture
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Thanks to @netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC 👍
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Description
Claire always wished for a sister. But should you be careful what you wish for?
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Claire has spent her whole marriage trying to be the perfect wife and mother – supporting her husband as he goes for promotions and always making sure she’s there to tuck her daughter into bed each night. But little does she know that almost everyone around her has been keeping secrets that could ruin the life she’s worked so hard to create.
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Growing up with warring parents and an often absent father, Claire has always wanted to give her daughter Ella the dream childhood she wishes she’d had. So, when she discovers her husband Luke has been having an affair, Claire is left wondering how she can possibly keep her daughter’s world from crumbling.
Then Claire receives a text message from someone called Sophie that simply reads – ‘You don’t know me, but I’m your sister’. At first, she’s shocked. And Sophie’s appearance raises questions Claire would like to put to her elderly father before it’s too late. But as she gets to know Sophie – who is so like her in so many ways – she can’t help but be delighted to finally have the sibling she always dreamed of.
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As the two women become inseparable, Claire leans on her new sister more and more, ultimately asking her to move into the family home and trusting her with Ella. But when the unthinkable happens and Claire fears for her daughter’s life, she starts to wonder whether her new sister is exactly who she says she is.
One thing Claire knows is that telling the perfect lie seems to run in the family.
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This book has so many twists you can't put it down! No literally - I consumed this book in one sitting! 😂
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This is a character-driven narrative and the characters Sheryl has woven are deep, complex and extremely well developed. The crux of the book is the relationship between Claire and Sophie and this is where it shines. I also want to become an ’auntie’ to Ella as she comes across as being the most bright and precocious child!
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The storyline of having to deal with caring for a parent with dementia is dealt with empathy, noting the heartbreak, guilt and love that all intermingle to cause an overwhelming sadness at the situation.
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People have commented that they guessed the main twist around Sophie but I think you are meant to, as you are longing for Luke to either meet her or see a picture! It helps to build up the tension towards the end of the book!
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The Family Secret is going to be a book to watch in 2020 as the twists and tension the narrative generate are superb!

Be careful what you wish for!

Claire is struggling, her Dad has Vascular Dementia so she and her hubby Luke and daughter Ella have moved back in, its hard going..

Luke then finds himself in a compromising position with a stranger and Claire is heartbroken, she wishes she had someone to confide in....as said be careful what you wish for

As for Luke he will regret the second he met the stranger

All the above comes together in a wonderful tense domestic ish psychological thriller that hits ALL the buttons that make a good one, a very good one

I did guess the twist in the tail but that didn’t matter as it made me more ‘NOOOOOOO, don’t be fooled’ etc

The author writes from the heart and soul and draws you into the story and characters and keeps you there

A great read, enjoyable, taut and exciting

10/10
5 Stars

Another fantastic hit from this wonderful author! Unputdownable, So many twists has your head reeling in that wonderful, mind blowing way. Don't pass this one by its worth every second of your time

Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.