A story set in two time periods, The Secret Letter beautifully weaves together the sacrifices of the Suffragettes with the hard work of modern women who reap the benefits of their hardships.

I was given a copy of The Secret Letter by Kerry Barrett by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book by this author I have read but will definitely be looking out for more of Kerry's books. This is a dusl time story firstly set in Kent in 2019, Lizzie recovering from her recent separation from her husband moves to Kent to take on a new role as head teacher to a village primary school. Lizzie soon learns the council are trying yo close the school. Lizzie looks at Esther who set up the school. We also meet Esther in 1910 who moves in with Agnes after being thrown out of her home by her mother for protesting for women's rights.
This was a great story, well paced. Both characters had their own battles and had to find out what they needed to fight for. A must read for fans of historical fiction.

Kerry Barrett's The Secret Letter is the first book I have read by this author. I really liked this story. I was intrigued from start to finish. I am giving it five plus stars.

This book does a good job of weaving parallel narratives together. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed following their stories. I also liked that Ester was a suffragette.

I've never read anything by this author before so I was unsure what to expect.  A lot of historical fiction that has been written in the last few years have had dual timelines and this was no exception.  Normally I'm more invested in the current day timeline but in this book I was more interested in Esther's story.  I kept wanting to learn more about her and it took so long for Lizzie to be interesting to me.  I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, I'm glad I had an opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed the dual timeline narrative. I really liked Esther's story and found myself anxious to get back to that one. Great job!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Another great Kerry Barrett book.  Only my second of hers but I’m on the hunt for all her others now. Seamless story.

The first thing I will mention is that this story is set during both the past and present and is told through two main characters, Lizzie and Esther. However, unlike some books I’ve read this story doesn’t get muddled and details lost, leaving the reader confused which is a credit to Kerry’s writing. Kerry honestly does such an amazing job making you connect with these two remarkable women and their journeys. The Kerry brilliantly weaves the lives of two courageous women, despite the time difference Esther set in pre-WWI London and the Lizzie in a modern-day Kent village. They are surprisingly alike as they are both strong women who know exactly what they want.

Having loved a couple of Kerry's previous books, I just knew that I wanted to read her next one and so glad that I did. 

This has been a truly wonderful, heartfelt and emotionally charged story from start to finish. I loved how the story was told in two time frames, past in 1910 and present 2019. I especially loved the historical element as I learnt a few things that I never even knew, such as what it was really like for women of that era and what it actaully meant to be a Suffragette.  I really should have paid more attention in my history lessons back in my school days lol. 

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and seeing how their lives played out, there were some emotional moments which bought tears to my eyes and then there were some shocking moments too. 

I just loved loved reading this story and how it all came together.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. The Secret Letter swept me away and I enjoyed every single page.  I loved the dual timeline and I completely related to the main characters (I am a teacher myself).  Wonderful book from a wonderful writer that is new to me.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

London 1910 At the age of 21 Esther Watkins is a passionate, bright and caring young woman who would do anything for the suffragette cause and the other members involved. The suffragette effort eventually lands her behind bars, upon release from prison Esther returns home to an icy reception from her mother, due to her mother’s disdain for her daughter’s recent activities and eventual arrest tensions go from bad to worse between Esther and her mother, Esther finds that she must now find someplace new to call home. 

The young women turns to the suffragettes for support they come through providing Esther with a roof over her head as well as employment as the governess to fellow suffragette Agnes and Chris Oliver’s Children.

It doesn’t take long for Esther to find her feet in London, one day whilst out and about Esther finds her self in a spot of bother when a young copper going by the name of Joseph comes to her aid, their relationship blossoms rather quickly and Agnes must make a terrible choice stand up for what you believe in or risk the opportunity for a new life. 

Fast forward to the present day (2019-2020) where we meet Lizzie Armstrong who recently moved to Kent, Elm Heath to recover and start anew after a nasty divorce from her
self-centered ex-husband Grant. The plan Lizzie has is solid recuperate repair old wounds and move on but it doesn’t take long for the local community to take Lizzie under their wing and into their hearts. Not long after arriving Lizzie learns her new position as principal and the school where she works is under threat does Lizzie have what it take to save Elm Heath Primary the school and community she is quickly growing to love.

 Once I started  The secret Letter I was immediately drawn to its dual timeline as well as Esther and Lizzie both having an equal opportunity to narrate this story. I am fascinated by stories that shine a light on London during this period. A story that seemed to me to have a bit of fight a touch of romance but a whole lot of relatable characters and the mention of suffragettes to sink my teeth into it.  

The secret letter is very well written and is able to tie both plotlines in together where necessary with what seemed like little effort. This book has enjoyable characters at its helm, in the beginning, I was wondering exactly when the story was going to take off when it comes to Lizzie Armstrong but I didn’t have to worry, I just think I was growing a soft spot for Esther. I did eventually grow fond of Lizzie too. 

I think I wanted the opportunity to be introduced to Lizzie Armstrong as a character, to read about her past rather than be told about it second hand,  to know Lizzie Armstrong before she arrived in Elm Health I think this would have made her more personable to me as the reader.

Overall this book made me smile I felt like I was both a suffragette and a school teacher, women at the centre of a story like this will always be welcomed on my bookshelf 

A reader who's looking to escape into a female-driven Historical Fiction read with a touch of mystery, even those looking to find a character-based story should look no further than The Secret Letter. I look forward to reading more from Kerry Barrett in the future. 

With thanks to HQ Digital UK, Harper Collins Publishers UK, and Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review, Available in Australia 2nd June 2020

A really good read where the story alternates between Lizzie's story as she tries to make a new life for herself as a headteacher at a local school and Esther's story who was a suffragette in  the early the nineteen twenties They were both strong women and there stories worked so well being played alongside each other Great characters and was interesting to see women fighting for what they believed in

I read this on my commute, standing up on a crowded tram over a couple of days  - it was a perfect escape, easy to get into with two compelling stories and enough suspense to keep you reading.

This was my first read my this author. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching and so impossible to put down! I loved the story line. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel.   This novel was not at all what I expected.   Told in dual timelines, the connecting thread is a small English village.  The author tells a take of the women's sufferage movement and healing hearts.    This was not my favorite historical fiction novel that I have read recently but am willing to try this author again.

I am usually not a big fan of books that weave different time periods together, but the author did this with such skill that I found this to be a great read!  Esther's experience of a Suffragette was more appealing to me, as I find that time period to be interesting.  The way that Lizzie's story in modern time was woven in didn't take anything away from enjoying it.  There are parts of this book that are really sad, so have tissues handy!  I highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ and Kerry Barrett for this advanced reader's copy. Emotional read that slowly drew me in. I would highly recommend this book.

Esther is brave and so are her fellow Suffragettes, but fighting to have a voice comes with a price. Prison, police brutality and being shunned by family, friends and colleagues are just a few things that come to mind. Having to find new homes and employment were no easy feat in 1910. Luckily Esther finds other like-minded women to support her.

When she falls in love she doesn't expect that relationship to define the rest of her life and the choices she makes, but in a way it does. Those choices are also the beginning of the story Lizzie becomes wrapped up in.

In 2019 Lizzie is recovering from betrayal, heartbreak and adjustments in her career. A bit of a pariah in educational circles she finds her way to a school in Elm Heath, which is in as much need of assistance as indeed she is. There she discovers Esther and the will to fight for what is right.

It's a double time-line contemporary read and simultaneously also historical fiction.

Barrett shows us women's empowerment and what that looks like in our day and age, and for women in the past. In the 21st century it's easy to forget the struggle of the women who came before us.The courageous women who had to endure pain, humiliation, violations and imprisonment for decades, so we can cast a vote just as easily as the opposite gender. The fact it isn't part of our conscious thought process it perhaps why so many throw away their heavily fought for right to vote away at each given opportunity.

The Suffragettes would be appalled at the way many throw away the opportunity to have a political voice, but perhaps more so because of how hard they fought for it. Of course one could argue that choosing not to vote is also part of democracy.

The story is all about collaboration, even when it stretches over decades, and acknowledging that sometimes we fight not only for ourselves, but also for future generations.

I so enjoyed this enthralling, emotional dual timeline mystery from one of my favourite authors.

The two main characters Lizzie and Esther were fantastic creations who I loved getting to know better. They are surprisingly alike as they are both very strong women who know exactly what they want. I really admired their determination to succeed and their ability to try again when things go wrong.

The author has clearly done her research for this book and I liked the way she subtly included actual historical events into the story. The Suffragette’s fight for the vote is one of my favourite periods in history and I really enjoyed finding out more about it, especially as I could look up events on line to learn more too.

I thought this book was perfectly paced and plotted to just draw the reader into the story. I soon found myself lost in the characters world and reluctant to put the book down. There are lot of very emotional moments which were hard to read at times as I had grown very fond of the characters. I had to put the books down at times and come back to it which is always a sign of a well written book. The ending was brilliant with the epilogue helping to finish the book off on a lovely, if poignant, note.

Huge thanks to Jessica from HQ Digital for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

This is a lovely dual time line novel about two women who are teachers spanning 1910 to the 21st century.  Lizzie is restarting her life as a teacher at Elm Heath when she finds herself fascinated by the life of Edith, the woman who founded it.  And what a life it was!  Edith was a suffragette who is eventually imprisoned for her activism.  Luckily, she has some good friends and a passion for teaching.  She's also got a love interest in Joseph, a "copper."  The details of her everyday life,her work, and her passion for women's rights made her a better character (sorry) than Lizzie.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A well done historical fiction with a strong female protagonist and good storytelling.