This book wasn't what I expected at all. It's about reconnecting with friends, and more importantly, with your first love. The story demonstrates the impact of that first love, and how those feelings stay with you long after the relationship ends - especially when things are left unresolved. There are plenty of misunderstandings, lots of heartfelt conversations and confessions.

It's well written and not soppy, like it could easily have been. There's a fair amount of political and religious context throughout, which doesn’t distract too much, and I felt it provided a little more context.

There's a lot a homophobia in their little "everyone knows everyone" town, and while this adds to the plot, it's also sad to realise that in this day and age there is still so much negativity around same sex relationships.

All told, the book is worth a read. Despite the negative moments, it's a feel-good story overall.

This is a lovely story of love, friendship and coming together despite many things coming in the way and it was a joy to read. I was immediately drawn in by Nora and Sophie’s story. The author did an incredible job of making me fall for these characters. It’s a very character driven story so if you’re more of a plot person I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this; however if you enjoy a good character based story that has all the growth and slow moving life like feelings you will love this.

A really sweet read. I loved the characters and thought that the story line was great. I really enjoyed this and was said when I finished it. Recommended.

I do have a big love for LGBTQ stories, I have been reading them for years, but I hate to say it but for some shameful reason I tend to stick with M/M romance and this is only my second F/F romance - shock and horror!! But it was worth waiting for, this book is glorious, it's cute and sweet and oh, so romantic!
It's such a pleasure to read, I loved how easy it is it doesn't drag the reader along but takes us on a steady and emotional journey, I loved the characters, these two women are wonderful, and they are a such gorgeous couple, complicated and complex individuals but full of emotion and passion but their road to HEA isn't an easy one, there is quite a roller-coaster a head so buckle in!

It was unfortunately a DNF to me, I could not get really attached to the story therefore I decided not to continue. It was a while ago though, maybe if I read it now It would have been different.

Sorry, I just couldn’t get on with reading this. I have gone back to it a couple of times but I just didn’t seem to click with it.

Unfortunately this one just wasnt for me, which is a shame as the premise was so good! I found the main characters to be very immature and I just couldnt warm to them. Sorry, just not for me!

Nora hasn’t looked back. Not since she fled Texas to start a new life. Away from her father’s volatile temper and the ever-watchful gaze of her claustrophobically conservative small town, Nora has freed herself. She can live—and love—however she wants. The only problem is that she also left behind the one woman she can’t forget. Now tragedy calls her back home to confront her past—and reconcile her future.

I had a few issues with this book but the main one was that both the main characters are supposed to be grown women. As in Proper Grown Ups but are so immature that I honestly had to double check their ages.
The bigotry and abuse that was aimed at the LGBTQ+ community was almost constant which led me to wondering if this were a F/M romance novel (and I have read bloody loads of Mills and Boons in my time) why do they always - and I do mean always - have a happy ending whereas this one doesn't?

I don't entirely know how I felt about this - it wasn't what I expected and I didn't feel as satisfied with the book as I thought I would. Although it felt realistic in some ways, it wasn't... it was disappointing? A lot more could've been done for this book - it had potential that was not met.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

The secret of me and you by Melissa Lenhardt

Having read a number of books in this genre I found this one difficult to like.

The characters have a lot of difficulties to overcome but I didn’t like the main characters. It was like one was trying to compete with the other even with how difficult their intervening years had been.

A disappointing read for me personally 2.5/5

A story of love that lived through generations of being apart!
Doesn't matter that the two people who had been pulled apart were female.
Just shows that you never forget your first love.
An excellent read.

I really enjoyed this book. It is so beautifully written with really great characters. A different love story with a happy ending, Highly recommended.

'The Secret Of You And Me' is a second chance romance between Sophie and Nora. I really wanted to love this book but it was a bit of a disappointment to me.

I love reading sapphic books and I really wanted to love this book as much as I have loved other romance books because I really love the second chance romance trope, but I found this book to be lacking in so many ways. I did not really like the main characters of Nora and Sophie and I could not invested in their romance and did not want them to be together. I found their characters to be annoying and immature at times.

I am really sad that this book was not a new favourite for me as I really wanted to love it.

Thank you to Mills and Boon for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started so well, I was hoping I'd found a gorgeous adult sapphic romance. Unfortunately, I felt as though the main two characters acted like teenagers rather than adults and behaved like they were ashamed of their sexuality.

With LGBTQ+ main characters, I was hoping that the characters would be allowed some kind of happiness. Instead, it felt like they were constantly arguing over things that happened years ago when they were beginning to make any progress in their relationship. It's one of the most difficult romances I have ever read. It had so much potential but ended up feeling depressing to read. Not every romance is going to be light and easy to read, but at times this was excruciating.

So much drama and chaos, it wasn't what I expected at all. If you're looking for an easy romance, then look again...

The Secret of You and Me is a stunning LGBTQ novel with a gorgeous romance to go along with it. Beautifully written, I will definitely be seeking out more of Melissa's work.

An LGBT novel which covers second chance romance between Sophie and Nora (there affair petered out when they were teenagers when their families discovered their romance and ordered them to end it) and friendship storylines. There is are fast paced issues: teenage pregnancy, lesbianism, the effects of war, first love and alcoholism to name but a few. These issues keep exploding in each chapter making this a fast paced novel, but maybe too cluttered. The storylines could have been streamlined into two novels.









Ea

An LGBT version of a mills and boon story. A very slow start with quite immature characters.
Not sure the author really understands the characters they were trying to create.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I am ashamed to say it has been on my shelf for a long while. Set in small town Texas it follows two women, old school friends, at one time inseparable but when Nora returns for her father's funeral she and Sophie have not spoken for 18 years. The narrative is unwound through these two characters and an ensemble cast. Young love, illicit relationships, teenage pregnancy, war and its after effects, alcoholism, lesbianism, desire all play a part in the story line which is explosive throughout.

The characters are so fully fleshed out and the storyline captures the reader from first to last but does not reveal everything at once. It asks the reader to examine social mores and approaches to "otherness", to not meeting the social norms.

It is difficult to describe without giving away the plot but it has shades of every colour in its brimming plot line. I loved it

Radically too harsh in tone and this book just never seems to let up with the backstabbing, the bitching, the harsh words. It was exhausting to read, as neither do the characters get a break, nor does the reader. This kind of angst is just not my cup of tea, unfortunately.