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.

I am really surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. It is not my usual genre but as it was so beautifully written I could not put it down. A difficult love story with a happy ending, recommended.

This was a pleasant romance between Sophie and Nora whose high school romance was abruptly ended when discovered by their families. When the death of Nora's estranged father forces her to return she also has to confront the old pain. It has some interesting descriptions of small-town homophobia and the pain and fear this causes young gay and lesbian people as well as closeted older people like Sophie. Nevertheless, I found the constant circling and will they-won't they tiring after a while, and the inability of the two characters to really listen to each other or understand their differing experiences

Normally, I love a second chance story but I found The Secret of You and Me a disappointment. The characters were unlikable - although I empathised more with Sophie - and it almost felt like it was a competition of who had endured the most pain. I thought the dialogue was awkward and I didn't feel any chemistry between Nora and Sophie. I hope to read more LGBTQ+ fiction in the future but not written by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beautifully written love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion

This is the second LGBTQ book that I have read. As its always been a genre that I’ve stayed away from. Which I have to say has deprived me of reading some really good books, so I now have a new genre to my book preferences. This books shows you just how peoples prejudices can have such an impact on peoples lives, how they may change who they really are just to be accepted especially in small communities. But having to living the lie isn’t good for anyone involved.

No matter who your first love was you never forget them! Nora left her home town Lynchfield, Texas eighteen years ago with a broken heart. She never expected to stay away as long as this, but as time passed she just knew that she couldn’t go home and admit defeat to her father.

She only found herself back in her home town because her father had passed away, and was only expecting to stay there for as short a time as possible so she can get back to her own life in DC.

On the day of her fathers funeral all of the mourners filed past to pay their respects to the family. Nora was getting more and more agitated as Brenda Russell came up to them. The hostility was still there between them and Nora made her feelings known. The next mourners that she wasn’t looking forward to seeing was her ex boyfriend Charlie and his wife her ex best friend Sophie.

Nora, Sophie and Charlie could all tell that everyone’s eyes were on them watching and wondering how the three of them would be with each other. As some thought Nora left because Charlie and Sophie ended up together and that they might have been seeing each other behind Nora’s back.

Except that wasn’t the reason. When Nora upped sticks and left eighteen years ago. Charlie and Sophie were feeling as though they had been left in the lurch, and they both found solace in each other. Which led to Sophie becoming pregnant which was a huge relief to her mother Brenda Russell.

When it came to the day for the reading of the will it turned out that Nora’s father had left her the property. To the annoyance of her sister Mary. Making Nora’s quick trip home in to staying indefinitely. Sophie was so pleased that Nora was back for longer and hoped that they could get their friendship back. To the annoyance of her mother.

Since going back home Nora couldn’t help reflect on what had happened in the past. How her father had cold heartedly told her to leave. The longer she stayed the more things came to light. That her father in actual fact had just trying to protect her as Brenda Russell had been threatening to ruin Nora’s life in anyway that she could.

Nora and Sophie started to become inseparable again, and in the end they couldn’t deny that they still loved each other and that their first love was still their true love. However the only thing holding them back was Charlie as he and Sophie had a high standing in the community, not to mention how this would affect her daughter. Will Nora and Sophie be strong enough to overcome peoples prejudices and be the couple they so desperately want to be or will others stand in the way?

A lovely book about true love and having to stand up for what you want.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read a free advance copy of this book. Unfortunately I hadn't found time during the year to read this book, and so I will be picking up a paid copy in 2021 to support the author instead as an apology.

A totally different book for me and I thank NetGalley for sending in exchange for my honest views. I felt that the characters of Nora and Sophie really grew on me and I enjoyed getting to know them. A story focusing on small town attitudes and in some instances blatant homophobia, this was an eye-opening book. It handles prejudice sensitively and if you are in the mood for a love story with challenges along the way, this is for you.

This was a really cute story and parts of it were lovely but I did find it a little convoluted sometimes with a lot of obstacles as the story goes on. Nice but nothing super special for me.

This is normally the sort of book that I enjoy reading, but sadly I struggled to settle into this book. There were too many characters for me to adhere too, I did try to persevere with it, but didn't complete unfortunately, sorry.

A touching romance, that explores the bittersweet  experience of first love. A sensitive coming out story, sympathetically handled. I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for review consideration. Unfortunately it was not a book for me and I was not able to finish it. As such I cannot provide a review for it.

Heartwarming and uplifting - I enjoyed this well written story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, I needed to wait for the right mood for romance and ready for a bit of drama.  This book is special because it's semi-based on the author's family member and their experiences of being gay in a small American town.  The author is donating 10% of their royalties to the It Gets Better Project.  Really enjoyed the bi-representation.

The only downside was a lot of back and forth between the characters where they weren't telling the truth or twisting old memories.  Apart from that though it was lovely, fun, queer and empowering.  I was expecting a bit more explicit sexy sexy times from a Mills and Boon, as it's my first Mills and Boon I wasn't sure if this is how they are or (hopefully not) because it's a queer book.

Too many young romances seem wrong and so the individuals break up, live separate lives, but meet again later on when their lives are totally different!  This is the basis of this story. Strong characters carry the story through so many obstacles that it’s almost a relief to reach the end

When Noras estranged father dies, she returns to her home in small town Texas and along with it has to face up to all the reasons why she left. This small town is very conservative and nothing stays secret for long.

I loved this sapphic romance, and I my heart ached for the characters who had had to keep their true identities secret and the consequences that this led them too. I would definitely recommend this book, the author knows how to weave these stories of relationships.

A lovely exploration of relationships, but sadly didn’t grip me enough. Too many characters and lacking that special something.