‘The Secretary’ is a compulsive psychological thriller about cheating, revenge, and how far mother’s will go to protect their children. It starts slowly but builds into a tight, twisty, unpredictable story that keeps you hooked. The ending shocked me but fit perfectly, a testament to the author’s skill.

The protagonist, Ruth, is the single mother of an eight-year-old son, Sam, and the secretary at his primary school. Her son struggles at school – he’s suffered from anxiety since his parents separated after his father, Will, was caught cheating four years ago – and is being bullied by another child there. On top of that, Ruth slept with a man she met at a party several months ago, and to her surprise he’s not the single businessman he claimed, but instead the husband of the head of the Parent-Teachers Association. And she’s out for blood.

Ruth was a likeable protagonist – her struggles were relatable, and she felt like a real, flawed character with believable motivations. All she wanted was to keep her job and look after her son. At times, it was unclear how reliable of a narrator she was, but I liked the uncertainty. I rooted for her every time she argued with Miss Gleason, her son’s teacher, about her son, or with Will about custody arrangements. Beyond Ruth, the characters were less fleshed out – the uppity NQT, unpleasant ex-husband, and smug, cliquey group of parents from the playground could have been caricatures – but they fit the narrative. Ruth’s mum was the other main standout – an elderly woman still determined to walk around in heels and just trying to look out for her family. She was fantastic, and I wish she’d had more page time.

Overall, this was a solid thriller which improved as it went on, and the ending was fantastic. Recommended for anyone who likes a quieter, closer-to-home thriller.

Oh dear I'm afraid that my sympathies for Ruth diminished every time she carried out one of her ridiculous acts; the book itself was quite engaging and the resolution whilst intriguing was rather too simple.

I know that Ruth is the "heroine" but it did seem a shame that we only ever got to see the story and its development from her point of view and not from any of the several supporting characters. And it's a shame that we didn't get to learn what happened to some of those people whose lives were altered by Ruth's actions.

Not a bad read by any means but frustrating and unsatisfactory at times too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

When Ruth discovers that the man she had a one night stand with had lied to her and is, in fact, married to none other than the head of PTA at the school she works, she confronts him immediately.
After the "incident" with his wife that follows, Ruth is soon faced with the possibility of losing her job.
When the rumours turn all her coworkers against her, the threatening texts begin to arrive and faeces are shoved through her letterbox, the whole situation starts affecting her 8-year-old son. Ruth decides the best form of defence is attack. But will this idea backfire?

The story follows Ruth as she battles the revenge obsessed wife and is interspersed with letters from prison, whose sender and recipient are unknown.
I love a book that's instantly gripping and this one delivered on that and much more.
I found myself unable to put it down and raced through it in no time at all.
The suspense was steadily dosed and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book.
The action was fast-paced and never boring, and the ending was just a cherry on top, leaving me open-mouthed. I didn't guess who the mysterious person behind the letters was and believe me, I tried.
I really enjoyed reading about the school and how it works from the inside, having only known the parents' perspective before.
It was my first book from Zoe Lea, but it won't be my last, and I urge you to check it out. It's already available on Kindle.

When Ruth, against her better judgement, sleeps with a man she’s just met on a night out, she has no idea he’s married . And she especially has no idea he’s married to Janine, the formidable chair of the PTA at the school where Ruth works as secretary (and which her vulnerable son Sam attends). When the truth comes out, things quickly start unravelling for Ruth.

Ruth’s narrative is interspersed with letters from prison, the sender and recipient unknown until the end. (However, these don’t entirely tally with what is eventually revealed to have happened.)

The Secretary was an often intriguing read which definitely kept my attention, though I struggled to see quite how it all fitted together in the end.

Ruth was a frustrating character - bad things happen to her, certainly (and I was enraged on her behalf at times) but she really doesn’t help herself, making some highly ill-advised decisions which it’s hard to imagine any adult finding a good idea. She’s probably the only character who is fleshed out in any depth, though - I never felt I got a handle on what any of the others were really like or what role they played, except maybe Sam. I’m still not sure what Eve’s input was all about.

An enjoyable read which unfortunately I found, in the end, just a little unsatisfying.

I really enjoyed this book, easy to read and I quickly got through it in a day. Its fast paced and although I didn't care much for the main character I did want her to get a break. Working in a school it made me laugh the author is so right - cakes in the staff room will win anyone round.
Thanks for the advanced copy. I look forward to more from the author.

When the school secretary Ruth spots a man she didn’t think she’d see again at the school gate, she becomes public enemy number one with Janine the head of the PTA. With so much influence over the teachers and the parents as PTA head, Ruth soon finds herself with her job on the firing line and her personal life in tatters. And then the threatening messages start...
This was an intriguing book with some good ideas. I liked the ending and was happy with the way it turned out. I guessed who was sending the threats pretty early on but there were clear clues in my opinion. I didn’t guess exactly what would happen in the end, or who was writing the letters. It was an interesting premise... but I didn’t find Ruth as a character someone I could root for. All these awful things happen to her and part of me things she made it so much worse every single time!

I love the fact that we hear so much from a character role that would normally be in the background.

This book raises more questions than it answers, but I like that.

It was so gripping and I could not have predicted the ending!

Incredible!

This book was fairly good, it shows the lengths you will go to protect those you love, especially your children. When Ruth finds out the man she had a one night stand with was the husband of the Alpha mother of the playground things start to go wrong when his wife finds out. Suddenly she is getting threatening notes, texts and her car is vandalised - her son starts to suffer so Ruth takes revenge - is everything what it seems. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. A good read.

So it’s just as well we’re in lockdown as all I have done for the last six hours is read this book!!! And I’ve finished it!!!! Am not going to spoil the storyline or the twists - but it’s not what you think and it’s worth reading to the end!

‘The Secretary’ is an anxiety-ridden thriller that follows Ruth. She split from her husband Will four years earlier and they have an eight year old Sam who is struggling at school, with bullies and anxiety. On Valentines Day, Ruth has a one night stand that gives her a fake number and she thinks that’s the end of it. Until she spots him with his wife and children at the school gates where she works as a secretary. Once word gets out about Ruth and Rob it’s up to Ruth to find out who’s been threatening her and put a stop to them once and for all...
This was a well written thriller, there’s a lot going on and it really created a sense of terror and anxiety that matched how Ruth was feeling. There are several clues as to who has been threatening Ruth so that did take some of the surprise out of the reveal at the end. Regardless, the final pages of the novel were dramatic and tense, tying up the whole story nicely. Ruth was definitely the most fleshed out character, you could really feel her mood as if it was your own. This was an interesting take on exploring the stigma of anxiety and post-natal depression as well as how gaslighting affects mental health. It was an enjoyable read, would suit a reader who prefers a suspenseful thriller as we know what’s going to happen it’s about how we get to that point.
✨Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC ✨

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Great book! So many weird twists here. Great aspect of bullying/mental illness/motherhood. Little long, but it was good overall. Really makes your blood boil at times to read how people can treat each other.

This is an enjoyable thriller with themes around parenting, mental health, cheating husbands and (as in all good thrillers) suspense!
I guessed the ending about three quarters of the way through but still glad I read it - a fun tense read.

Single mum Ruth has a one night stand with a man called Rob and is shocked to find out he is married and has children who attend the school where Ruth works as a secretary. The truth comes out and Rob's wife Janine, head of PTA, finds out and all of a sudden things fall apart for Ruth. All the other mums become enemies, her job is under threat, and she gets threatening messages and nasty surprises through her door. Ruth's ex-husband Will, who knows Rob and Janine, warns that he will be seeking custody of their son Sam. But Ruth will do anything to protect her son...

This was the first book I've read by Zoe Lea and I really enjoyed it. The plot was thrilling, the characters interesting and the twist at the end fantastic... definitely recommended.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

#TheSecretary #NetGalley
Ruth has a brief fling with Rob, she's mortified to discover that he lied to her. He lied to her, because he's married. Worse still, he's the husband of Janine, head of the PTA at the primary school where Ruth works as secretary, and when the truth of their fling is discovered, Ruth suddenly has a lot of enemies at the school gates. Threatening texts begin to arrive, rumours abound and the staff room becomes hostile. But when it also starts to affect her son, a student at the school, Ruth realises you can do anything if you convince yourself it's for the sake of your child.
The twists were good although the plot is not new.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK for giving me an advance copy.

Loved this thriller! The way the writer depicted the characters will strike a chord with many of the readers, and the story will draw everybody in. Highly recommend this novel.

Not for me. I made it to 23 percent, but I couldn't warm to the theme, nor to Ruth with all her problems.

The Secretary was a book that exploded into action, in the first few chapters. After that, the pace slows down a little but there is still that remaining sense of dread.
I was at the edge of my seat for most of the story, though I figured out halfway through who the real culprit was.

Thank you to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the advanced copy of this beaut which is our in August 2020.
Well, this has gripped me from the beginning, been impossible to put down and been an absolute delight to read.
There is absolutely no way I could’ve predicted the way this was going. Characters I hated from the start were actually pretty innocent and characters I liked shocked me. I always find books set around schools interesting, probably the teacher in me. This definitely has an interesting and unique plot. This is a new author for me and I’m extremely glad this book appealed to me. It has been a fantastic read. I highly recommend this book which is currently on @netgalley
I think this one will hit the boom charts. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️