I really liked the premise of this book. The school secretary has such an important role, everyone knows who she is and lots of people confide in her. In this case, Ruth has unwittingly made a huge mistake in having a one night stand with the head of the PTA, Janine's, husband. When she recognises Rob in the school playground, events begin to spiral out of control. My favourite moment is when a pupil hears Rob call Ruth a slag and relays it to his mum!

The underlying theme is that a mother will do anything for her child. Sam is portrayed as an anxious boy with issues and I felt so sorry for Ruth, when her ex husband blames her for this, omitting the fact that he left the family to have an affair. I'm sure many people can identify with the cliques of mums in the school playground and this was illustrated well here.

I was surprised at the identity of Will's new girlfriend - nice foreshadowing with the mention of the boots in his hallway earlier in the book. It was a little obvious that the disused well in Ruth's mother's garden was going to feature somewhere.

Interspersed with the drama are letters from someone in prison. This was a clever way to keep the reader guessing.

A clever twist at the end. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The premise of this one is that most parents will go to any lengths for their children - true - but maybe not as far as this! School secretary Ruth is acrimoniously divorced from Will, they have a son Sam who has issues in life and at school. Ruth’s life implodes disastrously after an altercation at the school gates with Rob and Janine Walker. This is witnessed, spun and begins a catastrophic spiralling down of events for many of those concerned.

Well, what can I say except I’m all in from page one! The depiction of the school gate coven of alpha mums is great, they just lack a cauldron but they’ve got the gossip factory and Facebook instead. Who needs a cauldron when you can whip up a storm via tittle tattle? We’ve probably all seen this type of mum in action and it’s not always pretty. The characters are well depicted though some are far from likeable. The acrimony between the two ex spouses is well depicted and poor Sam is caught in the middle of the devastation- no wonder he has issues. Though I want to applaud Ruth for the stand she takes as she becomes a tigress against the unfairness she faces but you equally know it ain’t going to end well! There are lies, threats, nasty and despicable action and counter action which at times becomes scary. It’s a twisty rollercoaster of a read and I genuinely couldn’t be entirely certain where the threat comes from which is great! The end is excellent, it’s tense, full of suspense and very fitting I feel.

Overall, this is a well written psychological thriller and an entertaining read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.

Overall this was a well written book although it did take me a while to get into the story line and didn't really keep me engaged with the characters.

In my opinion it isn't a page turner for me personally and I don't think I will read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I knew it! I knew that one was shady! Reading so many domestic suspense stories is making my mind more devious and twisted than usual!

I hadn’t heard much about “The secretary” so I came to it with no expectations at all and it was quite a nice surprise.

I’ve lost track how many despicable male characters I’ve read about this year and “The secretary” has plenty of them. Is it a 2020 trend? But to be fair it also has a group of awful, sanctimonious women I called the Playground Mafia, I couldn’t help to grit my teeth every time they appeared. Oh, what a surprise, a wife directing her anger towards the other woman instead of her hubby, woman who was also deceived by said husband. It was such a joy when Ruth decided she was not gonna be humiliated by anyone and decided to get in on revenge mode. Although she did some questionable things I couldn’t help but to root for her all the time. All her antics were fun to read about but at the same time I had the constant feeling they were gonna backfire and truly suffered along her.

Although I think the story was a bit stretched, the tension kept growing through the last chapters, reaching an ending that although a bit over the top I found satisfying enough. Also, the story was interspersed with letters sent from prison, but we don’t get to know who’s writing them till the very end.

Taut and gripping read that proves that parents will do anything for their kids.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just loved this book. A great psychological thriller. The insight into the actions and behaviour of humans was only too true in this hard to put down book. Taut with suspense, which continued throughout . I certainly don't want to give away a spoiler , so I can only say , if you enjoy psychological thrillers then you will enjoy this one..
Looking forward to reading more by this author

The Secretary is a physiological thriller, but not in the traditional sense. I would personally describe this more as a page turning school yard drama but I enjoyed the read none the less.

The plot of The Secretary is based around a school secretary named Ruth, who's life very suddenly starts to unspiral at the seams. After a drunken night at a single's Valentines Day event, she sleeps with a man who claims to be single, but then bumps into him - at the school gates of all places. He has lied. He is most definitely NOT single, but married with two young children at the school, and his wife is non other than Janine - socialite and the hugely popular Head of the PTA, who runs her own tutoring business and is definitely NOT someone to make an enemy of!!

Ruth tries to apologise to his wife, saying she didn't know he was married but telling her what happened. They have a public and very aggressive argument, with Janine throwing her phone and hitting her on the back of the neck, Ruth is the innocent party here, but before she knows it, a complaint has been filed against her for creating a public scene on school property, and Ruth is at risk of losing her job - again.

What follows is quite shocking - the threatening text messages, damage to her car and excrement filled cupcakes posted through her door. Ruth's business starts to be sabotaged and she know that Janine and her team of supporters are behind it. At the same time, Ruth is trying to balance being a single parent to her son, who is being bullied at school and struggling with Anxiety and symptoms of ADHD. Her ex husband claims that Ruth's post natal depression has returned and threatens to put in a custody request of their child.

Determined not to let the bullies win (against both her or her son) Ruth takes matters in to her own hands, and it begs the question - how far would you go to protect your child? She makes some extreme decisions to fight fire with fire and soon it in far deeper than anyone could ever have imagined.

The Secretary is written for the main from Ruth's perspective, but occasionally slips to '7 months later' with letters written from a prison cell. We don't know who wrote them, but from the synopsis we know that someone is murdered, but both the individual who dies and the murderer are unclear. Because of this, the wording and tone of the letters is a little strange, using words such as 'victim' - it might seem a bit odd at first, but is necessary to keep the suspense of who the characters are, as the timeline slowly pieces together.

There are some challenging themes in the plot, from post natal depression to ADHD, anxiety, infertility and bullying, and when it comes to women being mean at the school playground, I can sadly relate all too much!] I found some of the 'random facts' in the write up a little strange (e.g. £1.4bn spent on getting children ready for the start of term) as this was quite a regular thing, but I think this was done on purpose as part of Ruth's character building, a manifestation of her anxious, overthinking mind.

Whilst I did guess some of the ending, I also found myself second guessing characters along the way, constantly questioning whether anyone was what they seemed.

Overall I found The Secretary to be an enjoyable read, I was keen to read on and see what happened. I completed the book from cover to 24 hours which pretty much speaks for itself!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the Advance Review Copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the arc of The Secretary by Zoe Lea

The school secretary whose name is called Ruth ends up seeing a man in which she wasn't to ever see again especially at the school gates. she also becomes Janine the head of the PTA public enemy. Ruth ends up finding out in which herself with her job on the firing line and her personal life in tatters. And then the threatening messages start to come....

This was a really gripping read, I love all the twists and turns and what happens with it the plot, climax. this was structured in a great well in which it was well written so well done Zoe Lea.

4 Stars
Recommend

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. I raced through this! This is what you can describe as unputdownable. Completely had me addicted and wanting to know what was going to happen.Im a mum ,ive been in many school playgrounds to know what its like . This is written so relatable .Wicked, compelling and a riveting thriller.What happens when you get on the wrong side of a top mum?With twists and turns and a ending you wont see coming. A fantastic read and i cant wait to discover more from zoe .

Well I have thoroughly loved this book! So good!
Wasn’t sure at the beginning once I got into the first few chapters, dont like bullying in any form, but my goodness this book made you think what would you do?
Ruth is a single mum, working in school which her son attends. She made a mistake when a man lied to her.
Going forward they accidentally meet at the school gate and her life is spun on its axis.
Sam her son is a young boy going through a bullying phase at primary school. It’s not long before his mum takes matters into her own hands, though she will never believe the outcome.
Sams father Will wants custardy of Sam and threatens Ruth.
No one would be able to see where this would end up going. The clue is from the occasional chapter from a prison cell.
A proper page turner and so well written. Sometimes I liked Ruth and sometimes not. I felt for Sam to. Read it you won’t be disappointed.

Ruth is school secretary at her son Sam’s school. She’s got to work through her probationary period and then she’ll be made permanent. Which is great because she can be with Sam, to help him and keep an eye on him and make sure he’s not being bullied anymore than he already is. She can speak to his teachers and sort out his problems.

Until...one morning in comes Rob to drop off his children. Rob who was single who she met at the Valentine’s dinner and slept with. But never heard from again. Rob who is actually married to Janine, Head of the school’s PTA and who runs a local teaching agency.

Hurt and in shock at seeing Rob again, Ruth reacts badly and they both argue. Janine sees this and the victimisation begins. The nasty texts, the car damage, faeces-filled cupcakes through the letterbox, cars sitting outside the house. But Ruth gives as good as she gets and plays quite nastily too.

In the meantime, Will, Ruth’s ex-husband who had an affair when Sam was a baby is now demanding custody of Sam. He’s pleading that Ruth is suffering from mental health issues and is threatening her with social services.

Ruth goes through a terrible time with everyone against her, including her work colleagues. The only people she can trust are her best friend Becca and new supply teacher Glen.

The book refers to letters written from prison - these made sense in the end. It wasn’t as I had expected at all.

I found this book frustrating. I couldn’t understand how someone could make life so complicated for themselves and fight fire with fire. I’m glad that I finished it.

I can’t say that I enjoyed the story necessarily but I enjoyed the book, I rate it 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to the author and publishers Little, Brown Book Group UK for an ARC in exchange for an independent review.

Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book. It was a smart gripping and nail biting. I also felt really sorry for Ruth and the way in which she was treated. I'm very conscious of giving away too much in my review so I'll just saw don't miss this great read!

This is such a great book! Focusing around the main character Ruth who finds herself face to face with her one night stand at her work place, a primary school. However mr one night stand or rather Rob has lied completely about who is and what he did. Ruth is so shocked that when faced with his wife she simply apologizes. After that things go down hill from there. We know that this event will trigger someone being murdered, as there are letters throughout the book talking about the event.
I found this book really well written, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I did guess the twist at the very begining however this didn't make it any less fun to find out how it played out. Ruth is talking directly to the reader and it really pulls you into her world. I started agreeing with her actions, a fierce mum trying to protect her son wouldn't we all do the same.
What also was so good about this book is it manages to unpick the complex issues surrounding bullying not only iin a school setting but in afult life aswell it shows you the consequences associated with bullying. It was an interesting read on that level.
There is alot going on at once but that doesn't over complicate the story, its feels like you've been dropped into a day in Ruth's life and have followed her around since, so her mundane task at work don't feel boring but rather part of the story themselves.

I must say I loved this book couldn't put it down which lead to two sleepless nights, I don't regret them! This book is an easy read. Could be classed as a psychological thriller although I would question the thriller part. I suppose if you've just started reading this genre then yes this will meet you needs. However it's more just psychological but that's absolutely fine it works.
Highly recommend this book I truly enjoyed it.
Thank you Netgalley and little brown book group for allowing me to read this PRC in exchange of an honest review.
An easy 4 stars cannot wait to read more from Zoe Lea

I found the first half of this book almost unbearable to read. I found myself feeling physically tense and angry at the unfairness of how Ruth was treated for something that wasn't her fault. Which just goes to show that this is a very effectively written book! I could really understand Ruth's desire for revenge and there were many times when I had the physical urge to punch Will (in particular) in the face for his horrible behaviour. So great job by the author in getting me firmly into Ruth's POV!

If nothing else, I learned from this book quite how easily I can sympathise with acts of revenge. Even at Ruth's most extreme I always found myself on her side and only wanted her to think a bit more carefully so she wouldn't be caught.

Unfortunately I found the ending a little less effective as I had already guessed long before who was behind the threats to Ruth. I also wasn't convinced that the person who took the fall for the incident at the end really would have done so, given their character and behaviour thus far.

So it averages out at a 4 star read for me, but that first half really is a masterclass in writing tension and creating a sense of injustice.

A little annoyed that this book has been reuploaded to Netgalle. I requested and read this last year!
Thought it seemed familiar, below is my review from last year.

“2.5 out of 5. The Secretary has a great start petty school dramas are my guilty pleasure so add in some thrills and you’ve got a winner! So why 2.5? It all goes downhill from the middle, it drags on a little too long and there’s one comment regarding footwear that makes it obvious who the bad guy is and I became distracted after that.

The first half is amazing and if that suspense was kept up all the way this would be a clear 5 out of 5.”

I really enjoyed this book, from the start I was gripped in Ruth and Sams life. The ups and downs, the injustice of it all, it was brilliantly written. My only complaint is I found the ending very rushed.

Great book! Had me absorbed into the story immediately, I was excited to keep reading! A fantastic page turner that's for sure! Can't wait to see more by this author!

What a stunning rollercoaster of a book that keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat all the way through! I found it uncomfortable, as Ruth's life unravels, one piece at a time, but compelling as well.

Ruth is a school secretary, good at her job, divorced from Will and has a son, Sam, who has lots of personality issues. However, when she spots a man at the school gate with whom she had a one night stand, and realises the lies he told her, she is upset. However, her reaction alerts his wife to his cheating, and Ruth has then made a powerful enemy.

From there events spiral as she tries to keep hold of her job and support her son, as well as averting her ex-husband's attempts to seek custody of the child.

The book is fast-paced, and the reader is left gasping, wondering what will happen next and whether Ruth will resolve all her issues or if her life has spiralled way out of control. I did not anticipate the final resolution. An absolutely cracking read - I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK and Piatkus for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secretary was a very easy to read book, it hooked you in from the opening pages, who was the author of the letters - reading between the lines , I must have changed my mind a dozen times, before the ending of the book, and even then i was wrong.

The sign of a good book, is one that grips you, keeps you wanting to turn the pages, eager for more, eager for my questions to be answered. The Secretary did exactly that.
At times I was audibly cheering for the main character, I was second guessing the 'bad guy'......and I was not left disappointed.
Very well written and as an educator myself, I could visualise the school staffroom, the types of teacher, the parents at the school gates.

I really enjoyed this book, excellent writing Zoe.

As a former primary teacher, this book resonated with me! The protagonist was likeable, although I did get a little frustrated by her actions, but I was also frustrated on her behalf when she tried to get support for her son.
Schools are full of gossips and dramas, and this was no exception! A fast paced and gripping read.

It’s Ruth and her son, Sam, against the world after her husband left them. Ruth makes the mistake of sleeping with a man and that mistake comes back to haunt her and she will go to any length to protect her son.
I found this an absorbing read and before I knew it I was finished. Enjoyable and gripping.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.