In truth, I had to start this book twice. I wasn’t “hooked” after the first page but I am so glad I gave it a second look. Without divulging the plot; the author takes a delicate and disturbing topic and makes it relatable to the reader. The characters were so well developed that they ultimately felt like people I had come to know. To see how such a horrific event impacts their life 10 years down the line felt so truthful and relevant today. I will definitely seek out this author in the future. Thanks again for the advanced copy.

Most of the book is the back story to the secret incident which happens rather quickly and only appears in the last third of the book. I did enjoy this story but don't think the blurb does it justice as I enjoyed the build up and the friendship developments over the course of the summer rather than the last third. All of that being said the book is actually rather good, even if the blurb doesn't really match.

Someone Else’s Secret, by Julia Spiro, is a story with a split-personality.  At least two-thirds of the story was the excruciating account of a summer on Martha’s Vineyard of two young women, a 14 year-old and a 22 year-old, who works as a nanny for the teen’s family. Both are painfully self-conscious and desperate for approval from the wealthy popular set.   There is much angst, whining and lusting after material brand-name items.  The main characters lacked nuance, and with one exception, the supporting characters were equally predictable.

After an unsurprising sexual assault, the book suddenly leaps forward ten years and transforms itself into a gritty #metoo story of justice and vindication. Indeed, the final third of the story is inspiring and rewarding.  I wish the author had spent less time on the YA front-end and more on the compelling impact of the assault.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to review. 

This book and review should contain trigger warnings for sexual assault. 

This story centers around 2 characters, Lindsay and Georgie. Lindsay has been hired as a nanny for Georgie's family; mostly Georgie's younger brother since Georgie is a teenager. Both of these characters made me crazy with their insecurities. I wish so much that the author had written them to be stronger and not so incredibly self-deprecating. 

The story had a looooooooong build up to a sexual assault, which is supposedly the main event of the book. The story jumps forward shortly after the sexual assault to when Georgie is an adult. The 'resolution' of the story, if you can call it that, seems so short and abrupt compared to the build up. I was left very disappointed in this one. 

I also feel like the story would have been better had it been told in alternating timelines, switching back and forth from now to the summer of the sexual assault.

This book has a lot of potential. It wasnt bad for it being a debut novel but it could have been better. It started off slow for me in the beginning but I did enjoy it. It was a great story that turned emotional in some parts. 

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very well written and gripping story. The author follows the angst and difficulties of growing up in different key stages and these topics are so carefully and sensitively portrayed along with societal imbalance that exists in our world. A lovely read which gives much to think about and discuss.

The description for this book truly captures the themes and subject of the book... so now here are my reactions.  This book did start a little slow for me - I immediately liked both of the main characters, Lindsey and and Georgie, but there was a little something stilted about the writing in the beginning.  By the middle of the book, I was completely engrossed though.  Lindsey was such a likable character at 22 and just out of college.  I found Georgie so relatable - the pain of a first crush, wanting to grow up, and feeling like you didn't fit in.  The last quarter of the book tackled a very challenging topic and did so wonderfully (no spoilers).  I would definitely recommend this book to friends - it's definitely not just a beach read - I'd recommend year round.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the published for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Recently graduated Lindsey decides to accept a job as a nanny for the Decker family in hopes of it leading to a career in the art world. Lindsey meets Georgie, the eldest child in the family, and through both of their perspectives, the book follows them through a summer in the Vineyard, where both make mistakes and are trying to come to know themselves, holding many secrets. 

I would rate this book a 1.5. 
I have so many thoughts on this book. First off, I think this book is very important-it covers a very important topic. However, I did not enjoy this book as a whole. It started off very strong, however it quickly began to drag. After finishing the book and reflecting, I can't believe how unnecessarily long this book is. It just drags on and on for about 215 pages with nothing really happening. Then, all of a sudden, something happens just for it to be pushed aside and drag on for another hundred pages before something else happens. I think the description for this book is very misleading. Lindsey and Georgie are not close, they never develop a close relationship, if anything their relationship is constantly up and down with a ton of emotions and secrets. Next, the characters, I mean all of the characters except for Dylan are extremely unlikeable (this changes right at the very end). Lindsey is immature, clueless, selfish and just a shell of herself. She is very judgemental and overly concerned about her image. Georgie is also extremely immature, although I did feel bad for her. Lindsey's relationship with Dylan was great, but we saw almost none of it throughout the story. Georgie's parents, Lindsey's friends and everyone else was just awful. Over and over again Lindsey refused to acknowledge and embrace the good people in her life, Rose, her parents, Dylan, and constantly made bad choices to maintain an "image". I predicted what would happen in this story almost right from the beginning. I don't think it was presented in the most effective way, it was hard to relate to or understand the characters' choices (although I understand and acknowledge that this does occur in real life). The event and everything surrounding it seemed extremely rushed. All in all, this book is just sad. It is well written but way too long for what it was, I made myself finish it because I wanted to know how it would end. Reading Georgie's part was sometimes difficult because it felt younger than a teen book. The description also mentions this tragic secret that binds them together for all these years, but that doesn't really occur as described either. The book rambles on about what they've done for ten years then resolves very quickly. For the entire book I just wanted to scream at everyone for their bad actions and horrible secrets and non-actions. Not an easy read.

My best read so far this year. Fantastic! I loved the story being told from two time periods, as well as two perspectives. Really interesting insights into the idea of growing up as a female. I didn't want it to end!

Someone Else's Secret, a debut novel by Julia Spiro, is part beach read and part cautionary tale of the Me Too movement. Taken place mostly on Martha's Vineyard, the story unfolds as recent college graduate takes a summer nannying job on the island during the recession over 10 years ago.  The Decker family has connections to the art world and this job is billed as the opportunity Lindsey Davis needs in order to land a position in her field of study. Without money and social connections that many of her classmates have Lindsey feels she doesn't have a choice but to accept this job taking care of wealthy summer people's children. 

The summer unfolds on the island and Lindsey reconnects with a classmate who brings Lindsey into her world of privilege and money. Running parallel to Lindsey's story is Georgie's perspective-the 14 year old daughter of the Decker's. Georgie is feeling like an outcast among her friends and the angst and uncertainty she feels as a teenager is palpable. She and Lindsey form an unlikely friendship that is tenuous but a key to the events that unfold.  While each are navigating new worlds and feelings a tragic event takes place that ties them together even 10 years in the future. 

The premise of this novel is promising and the description of island life makes for a good beach read; the feelings and emotions Lindsey and Georgie display will take readers back to their teenage and young adult years-and may almost be geared better towards the YA audience. After that summer on the island the book starts to lose a little steam and feels heavy towards description and not action or dialogue. It becomes very repetitive and veers from the quicker action and storytelling of the first half of the novel. The main characters are very well developed while the majority of the characters are unlikeable. A three star-debut. 

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

As someone who loves to both read and review books, a special delight is reading a debut novel as good as this one. I have hopes that Spiro will keep writing and give me many hours of reading pleasure. 

This is a great beach read about Lindsey and Georgie and their relationship. It began when a Lindsey was hired as a nanny, while Georgie felt herself too old and too sophisticated to need one. It is set in the opulent environment of Martha’s Vineyard. For Lindsey, it was an opportunity to gain entree into the art world. For Georgie, it was the time for her to come out of her cocoon and emerge into adulthood. 

Sadly, one night, and one man changes that dynamic. They share a secret but neither is aware that they both know the truth. The author uses a wonderful internal metaphor to display the maturing Process.  Finally, both women confront their secret. 

It was an inspiring story for women and the friendship between them. I really enjoyed this and will recommend this to all my reading groups. 

Thank you Netgalley for this great opportunity to read and review this debut novel.

I received a digital advance review copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

"That summer, she learned to lie."  Someone Else's Secret is absorbing book that kept me turning the pages. The book opens with an unidentified character waking from a recurring nightmare connected to an event that occurred on Martha's Vineyard a decade earlier, which effectively sets up a feeling of suspense that carries through the ensuing chapters. The story then flashes back to recount the events of the summer leading up to that tragic event and is told in chapters that alternate between the perspectives of Lindsey, a recent college graduate who has taken a summer job as a nanny for a wealthy family in hopes that they can help her land a permanent job in an art gallery, and Georgie, the 14 year old daughter in the family who feels ostracized from her friends and has a crush on a man in his early 20s. After the tragic event and its immediate aftermath, the book then flashes forward to the present day, again with alternating chapters from Lindsey and Georgie's perspectives. 

I greatly enjoyed the first 75% of the book, but the last segment that deals with the present day resolution felt rushed and the ending felt a bit too neatly tied up. The author does an excellent job of describing the sights, smells, and sounds of summer life on Martha's Vineyard, which made the island scenes really come alive in my mind. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a good "summer read" that is well-written and deals with some weighty issues.

Julia Spiro has written an engrossing tale of how one day, one event, can change everything you know about life.  SOMEONE ELSE'S SECRET is the story of two young women, both looking to be more like their ideal person.  More rich, more beautiful, more popular....just more.  Their connection to each other is broken when an horrific event leaves both just trying to forget.  But circumstances conspire to cast a shadow on their future that must be confronted.  10 years after, they will both learn that you can't close off a part of your life without losing a part of yourself.  Together, they will face their past and learn they do not have to be victims.

This is a powerful read that explores the complex feelings surrounding sexual assault and how power can be wielded to protect perpetrators. At times it felt a bit too stark with the message being that almost all men are predators, but overall I think that Julia Spiro explores the range of feelings of the two female characters very effectively.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Julia Spiro for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You could just feel the angst and awkwardness of 14 year old Georgie and 22 year old Lindsey. It definitely takes you back to those ages and feeling like everyone has it together but you. The story takes place with ten years in between. The middle felt a bit long to me.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The author perfectly captured the struggles young women experience when feeling inadequate to their peers.  She also provided the reader with a delightful read with characters that got themselves into situations made this story a big mess of dysfunction.

Someone Else’s Secret by Julia Spiro is an excellent book that takes the reader through a wild ride that is a decade in the making from beginning to end. 

We first see Lindsey as a young, fresh, and honestly naive graduate that is working as a nanny on Martha’s Vineyard after undergrad. She befriends the 15 y/o Georgie and it seems all is glitzy, glamorous, and ideal as one would see the privileged and elite through unknowing and rose colored glasses if one was an outsider. Soon we realize along with Lindsey that there are dark, troubling torrents of undercurrent present that leads to a traumatic event that stuns and alters both of their lives forever. 

We finally see the eventual outcome (and I feel a satisfying ending but do not want to give anything else away) ten years later. 

This is a book that kept me drawn in until the very last page. My heart was racing, especially in the last few pages. It is a book that covers friendship, secrets, ambition, and the fight good and just over hurt and wrong. It is not an easy read at times, but definitely worth the journey.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Two young girls and a life shattering secret. Set amoung power and privilege on Martha's Vineyard. A coming of age. The ambition of a young girl that becomes a victim. This was an emotional rollercoaster. Excellent debut!

Dawnny Ruby 
Novels N Latte 
Hudson Valley NY 
#someoneelsessecret

Can a secret alter your entire future?  It can and it does for Lindsey and Georgie, two unlikely acquaintances brought together by a summer job and connected for a decade through a dark secret.  This debut novel by Julia Spiro examines the consequences that come with the burden of  keeping such a secret.  The prologue sets the tone for the whole book. It hooks you and although it takes some time to get to the big event, it's worth it in the end.  Lindsey as the summer nanny and Georgie as the angsty teenager were similar in their insecurities and need for acceptance within the high society on Martha's Vinyard.

The first half of this book was a little slow moving, but the last half really brought it home.  Spiro’s writing was refreshing.  It didn’t feel like something I’ve read 100 times already.  The story alternated between the two and contrasted their experiences of the same events .  The last several chapters of the book were heavy and fast.  This was a great debut novel by Julia Spiro.  I would absolutely read this author again.

Lindsey Davis, a recent college graduate, has no job prospects and spends graduation thinking of how she’ll have to move home with her parents. A favourite professor introduces her to Jonathan Decker, and alum, who needs a summer nanny while his family stays on Martha’s Vineyard.

When Lindsey reconnects with a college classmate on the island, a night of drinking sets off a course of events that reaches a climax at the end of the summer.

The storyline of this book has promise, but the last several chapters of this book drag on. When the summer ended, I expected a couple more chapters to wrap up the story. In addition, there is a lot of repetition in and between chapters so that on many occasions the same point is made multiple times. Lastly, the timeline feels inconsistent and harried. I struggled to keep up with how time was moving and passing. 

This was not a well-executed book. I skimmed the last few chapters because I wanted to finish it, but was ready for it to be over and didn’t want to spend the time reading it closely.