4 stars for this fun and witty read!

Bells Walker finds out on the same day that her IUD has failed and that her husband hasn't been given tenure where he teaches. This leads to them moving out of New York City with their two teenage children to Dutchess County, where her husband has secured a new job as a professor. Being pregnant in her 40s and with no real career of her own Bells is feeling isolated and forgotten about. As she begins meeting other moms in their new town Bells decides to start writing an anonymous blog about her new life and the people she encounters. Before she knows it Bells is in over her head and exposing juicy secrets on the blog. She gains more and more readers the gossip becomes more salacious until things spiral out of control and Bells is exposed.

I enjoyed The Truth and Other Hidden Things. Bells was a relatable character and while the book mainly centered on her and her family it was never dull. I loved all the secrets that Bells dug up about the other women in her town. But the overall message of community and family were what I loved most. When things got tough everyone was there for Bells and she realized the error of her ways in the end. I liked the characters in this book and the drama that came from the blog posts. Everyone around them is trying to guess who is behind the blog and it kept the plot interesting. This is a heartwarming story and I recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

I will be honest. I finished this book last night, and I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. So here comes a review, perhaps incoherent, but very very honest.

First of all, I just really loved the premise of this. Overworked middle-aged mum with too much on her plate? Sign me the fuck up! The synopsis of this reminded me of Rebecca Smith's Faking it (aka one of my favourite summer reads), so I was excited to get into it. It did, however, turn out to be a bit more intense than I expected, and reminded me more of Charlize Theron's Young Adult (a really good movie btw!). Bells was not as likable as I thought she would be. Sure, I could sympathize with her, but also... what the absolute fuck woman? There were so many instances where I just wanted to scream.

Now, hear me out. I may not have liked Bells as a character. She was a bit too insecure, too foolish, and sometimes even too selfish for my taste. She just kept making so many wrong choices. But... I really admire Geller for writing a character like Bells. She is not perfect, she is barely even likable sometimes - but that's what's extraordinary about her. She is a woman, a mother, who's allowed to be imperfect and to fuck up and to be tired and to be angry and to make so many mistakes. I don't necessarily care for Bells, but Geller I will definitely keep an eye out for.

In addition to Bells, I can't say I really liked any of the other characters. Sure, Harry could be charming sometimes and I could resonate with his obsession for fancy, useless, "artisanal" things. But, overall I think he was a bit of a useless, spoiled, man-child. For me, the most compelling characters of the novel were Vivian (Bell's mother-in-law), Bells' mum, and Joey (the waitress from the diner and Bells' only real friend in Pigkill). I wish we had seen more of them, as I found all three of them really interesting and it was their dynamic and relationship with Bells that brought out the best in our protagonist and made her more interesting. Everyone else was just meh.

This is by no means a bad book. It is funny, scandalous at times, even if sometimes unnecessarily caustic of the younger generation. A quick and light-hearted read.

When Bells Walker finds out she’s unexpectedly pregnant on the day her husband is denied tenure, her life is upended. With her teenage son and preteen daughter in tow, Bells and her husband move out of New York City to the Hudson Valley, which has been overtaken by hipsters and high-achieving families. Bells’ feelings of insignificance and comparison with her neighbors lead her to channel her frustration into an anonymous blog uncovering the sensational gossip unfolding in her quiet little town in Dutchess County.

If Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, and Mean Girls had a baby, you’d get Lea Geller’s THE TRUTH AND OTHER HIDDEN THINGS. This book was such a delight to read! I couldn’t wait to get to Bells’ next juicy blog article to find out about the scandals in her town. Geller’s portrayal of mommy bloggers and the unrealistic expectations they set made me laugh out loud.

Yet the depth of this novel rests in Bells’ journey as a character. While her actions seem over the top at times, they make sense in the context of her search for meaning and significance in a life where she can’t seem to find either. Her husband doesn’t see her, her children are rebelling, and her introverted nature makes it difficult to make friends, especially when she constantly compares herself negatively to others.

I found Bells relatable as she looks to her comments, shares, and mentions online as her source of value and worth. It highlights the dangerous game we can play with social media - believing that our significance comes from what strangers on the Internet think about what we write or create. We can end up presenting a false self online to increase likes and shares, much as Bells does (and even the mommy bloggers too!) The fantasy of fame proves irresistible to her, and affects what lengths she will go to achieve this perceived importance.

There were a few critiques I’d mention: first, the author foreshadows the undoing of Bells directly with such comments as, “if only he knew” or “if only I stopped there.” Those phrases took away from the surprise I could have felt at where Bells’ behaviors led her. The ending of the novel also felt a bit rushed and with loose ends neatly tied up, which felt inauthentic to some of the characters involved.

Overall, I found this book super enjoyable and would recommend it if you’re looking for a fun, engaging read that also leads you to consider the impact of where our searches for significance can take us.

The Truth and Other Hidden Things was a quick, fun, yet heart wrenching story of 40 something year old women, who has lost herself. She is a wife, mother of teenagers and now finds herself pregnant in a new town with no close friends. She starts to implode but in the end finds herself again. Get ready to laugh and cry, love and hate the characters at the same time.

This was a quick read that started off light and airy but quickly veered into more serious territory - perhaps a bit too serious.

An NYC mom is forced into upstate living when a series of events - including her husband not getting tenured at Columbia and suddenly finding herself over 40 and pregnant with her third child.

Bells loses herself in her husband's career and her children's issues with adjusting to their new neighborhood. She does not feel she has anything for herself - until she channels her love of writing into an anonymous blog detailing the lives of the rich upstate families. What started as an homage to Gossip Girl quickly turned dangerous as Bells uncovered - and published - details of numerous affairs within the community.

The sh*t hits the fan when Bells is found out, but not before publishing one more huge and extremely consequential secret. It was here that I removed one star - the ending was rushed and the fallout of the final secret was never fully flushed out. Bells betrays one of her only real friends in the neighborhood, and this is glossed over.

In the end, we wonder if anyone has really learned their lesson, other than Bells, but her wry observations are worth the ride.

#TheTruthandOtherHiddenThings #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Lea Gellar for an ARC to review. Expected pub date 6 April 2021.
Imagine being 4o something with two teenagers and a husband who is facing a career crisis, when you discover you are unexpectedly pregnant.
Meet our County Dutchess who moves from Manhattan to Dutchess PigKill where her husband brings her home ingredients she can't pronounce and hipsters are invading the place. Bells starts venting down her judgments and insecurities in an " innocent" blog under an anonymous personna.
A fun, hooking enjoyable real life book that I truly enjoyed.

#firstline - The day Harry didn’t get tenure was also the day I discovered that an IUD is not foolproof.

OMG, this book. I loved it, hard. It was funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, honest and tackles so many themes mom’s can relate to and women struggle with as they age. It was one of those books you cannot help but devour because you wanted to see what was going to happen next. Believe me when I say you will be buzzing through the pages to see how it all shakes out. Secrets are revealed and when things take on a life of their own you are taken on quite a wild ride, filled with gossip, likes, shares and comments (oh the comments!). The characters and story will peak your interest and keep you entranced from cover to cover! Speaking of covers, can you handle how amazing this book cover is!?!?!? Love!!! #WhoIsTheCountyDutchess

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

One fall day, Bells learns that her IUD has failed and she was pregnant in her 40's; meanwhile, her husband Harry is denied tenure at his Manhattan university, aka the university which provides them housing. It seems like their world is crumbling but Bells and Harry make it work. They move to a rural town outside of the city where Harry is offered a job and housing, leaving Bells to navigate the moms of the small town. To keep herself busy in this new small town, Bells starts a blog about her experiences in this hipster town. Though the more honest she gets, the more she puts her family in jeapoardy.

A great funny read!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt it started off slow but I stuck with it and the pace picked up after the half way mark. This story is about a woman, and how many women feel once they have a family. They can feel alone and sometimes feel like they have no purpose other than to cook, clean and look after children. I did get frustrated by the main character in this book but it's easy to see how she got herself into the mess that she did.

So good! On the surface, the plot is amazing. Mom of teenagers finds out she is pregnant and has to move to the suburbs from NYC?!? Sign me up. But, this book really resonates on a deeper level as well. Bells attempt to find her own identity in the midst of raising her children and the lengths she is willing to go to have something for herself will ring true with any mom, regardless of where they live. A great read about finding oneself!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A delightfully funny novel describing the potential dangers of of being too frank while running a clandestine blog. The main characters are likable and believable, and the story felt like something that might happen too completely ordinary people. Highly recommended.

Fab!

At the moment when it seems like her life is falling apart...Bells decides to blog it! Her honest, witty and accurate observations of 21st century life, and the trials and tribulations of lives lived on social media are amusing and fun, yet encourage a few moments of self-reflection (or laughter at oneself?) There was something for every generation in this book, with a poke of fun at everyone from Gen Z to Millennials and beyond!

At times, the storyline was slightly far-fetched but the tone of the book allowed it. Haven't read anything by Lea Geller before, but will be searching out more of her work for a fun read.

I picked up this book looking for a light read after an exhausting day. It met that expectation but also went above it. The plot was intriguing, not one where the end is clear after the first few pages. Towards the end of the book, I became frustrated with the direction of the development of main character but I very much appreciated how the story ended. It showed the real struggles, anxieties and weaknesses of a segment of the population that are usually underrepresented: moms with teenage children and sometimes an unexpected baby. The author did an excellent job of portraying the main character.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The plot revolved around a family many of us can relate to as they navigate life. Mom Bell's is unexpected pregnant at 42, Dad Harry is passed over for University professor tenure and forced to job hunt and siblings Sam, a high school student trying to find his way and Alice, a middle schooler navigating social media and learning challengers. Toss in a mother and mother in law united in their criticisms of Bells and...life doesn’t follow a smooth path. This book was much more than I expected. I thought that it would be a light fluffy read but instead it was a book about self growth and learning to accept the challenges that life throws at us. There are laugh out loud moments and moments that were relatable in a sad way. I could relate to Bell's wish for a do over in life, wanting to go back in time to both be a better parent and wife and at the same time prioritize her own need to feel worthy. This book was very entertaining, a good read, with some thought provoking moments. I just purchase a previous book by Lea Geller and look forward to reading it.

Gossip Girl Moves To The Suburbs. That’s it. That’s the plot.

(I regret to inform you that is my favourite show. You better bet this reference has more layers than you can count.)

A smalltime journalist ends up moving to the boonies for the sake of her professor husband’s career. Bored witless while raising two underachieving kids and expecting a third at forty, she secretly starts an anonymous gossip column about the local academia wives and PTA moms. If this sounds designed to blow up in her face, rest assured it does. It does so stupendously.

Right off the bat, I appreciated that the heroine‘s motivation is vanity. Bells is tired of chasing other people and Sello-taping her eyelids open while they talk about their problems. She’s anxious about her parenting future, and stressed out from a dozen other things in her life. Moonlighting as a dubious gossipmonger gives her validation in a way little else does—and good on her for not pretending otherwise. Give me more older women like Bells who are ridiculous, messy, imperfect human beings.

Personally, I think this tag also applies to the targets of Bells’s column. At worst, they’re cliquey and obsessive, but also cartoonishly mean. These Suburban WAMs (Wives and Moms; an acronym not to be confused with the band or the vegetable) exist to be a consolidated phalanx of pettiness for Bells to sharpen her knives on. It didn’t seem realistic. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if there were nuanced and developed antagonists, because otherwise Bells’s victories seem very hollow. Anyone can whack a piñata. It’s slaying a dragon that people write ballads about.

(In all fairness, Bells’s assumptions are turned on their head, but this happens only at the 87% mark. What was previously an evil monolith is now... well, still a monolith but with a different label this time.)

In fact, the book delivers exactly this with Bells’s mother-in-law and mother. One is a cold and hyper-critical snob who wants the best for her family and constantly tries to provide it in her own way, and the other is a cold and hyper-critical egoist who wants the best for her family... but it’s her way or the high way. They’re not just cookie-cutter “mother-in-law” and “bad mom”. Granted, they’re both insufferable and awful, but in a fantastic and complex way.

Similar is Bells’s husband, Harry, who is the ultimate absent-minded professor but useless, ridiculous and top-notch comic relief. At the same time, it was refreshing that he was also ambitious and career-driven and not the typical Cloud Cuckoolander academic. I loved that Bells was the one who despised small talk and parties and listening to his boring work minutiae. (I mean, same.)

Bells and Harry come with two kids who steal the scene whenever they show up. One is an ingrate who only wants to play in a band instead of college, and the other is the most ten-year-old ten-year-old girl in the history of fiction. I LOVE ALICE. Alice is exactly like my friend Alice, whom I have only known as an adult but I can completely picture as this child. Alice (the book version, I mean) is every ten-year-old you have ever known.

In short, The Truth and Other Hidden Things is a tongue-in-cheek, frothy domestic comedy of manners.

The downside is that the actual book was funnier than the gossip column that Bells wrote. Because the actual book sets up funny situations, inner monologue, and kids as a constant source of hijinks. The column, on the other hand, is petty without being witty, and has only one punchline: “millennials”. Not millennial behaviour; just the use of the word “millennials” as a replacement for an actual joke.

Also the other running gag, that Bells’s son’s bandmate is a teenage girl “in her braless glory” made my face shrivel up like I bit into a lemon.

In conclusion, a book that was Garry Marshall movie levels of charming in several places, and frustratingly cliché in others. The unreliable narrator aspect made for excellent but uneven reading. There is a lot of merit to the ending of the book. The last 10% (literally) swoops in and addresses absolutely everything that I’ve complained about. I just wish that the groundwork for it had been laid a little better.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Oh my, I was IN NEED of a brilliant, humorous-yet-serious novel like this.

The story follows Bells, a 43-year-old mom of two who not only finds out that her IUD has failed against all odds (!), but also that her husband lost his job. They move upstate to accommodate his job offer, but the problem is that SHE can't find one. So Bells decides to start a gossip blog.

Moving from New York to a small town isn't easy, but it's even worse when her scandalous posts may threaten multiple areas of her life as Bells' identity is threatened to be revealed.

Although I'm in my mid-twenties, relating to many of Bells' hopes and fears wasn't difficult. Especially with Bells' own humorous but down-to-earth voice, this novel was a highly relatable and enjoyable read. I would definitely classify it as a light read (chick lit?) so perhaps not memorable for a lifetime, but still a nice break for the tough reality out there. I have a feeling I would have enjoyed it even more in the audiobook format, so I'd be eager to try it after the publication date.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! It was a fast-paced look at a woman's life as she moves from New York City to a small town in the Hudson Valley. I loved reading about the ups and downs of her life as she has a surprise 3rd baby, moves with her family to a much smaller town than NYC, and turns into the County Dutchess.

Another fun book by this author. Bells Walker is in her forties and has just found out that she is unexpectedly expecting and her husband Harry who did not get tenure, has found a new job at Dutchess College in a town called Pigkill. Bells is not a happy camper and looking to keep her writing skills sharp, begins a blog where she anonymously gossips about everyone around her. This blog is a train wreck waiting to happen and it was a great ride.

This book is just what I needed! Geller has written about the “joys” of motherhood, marriage, and small town life in this extremely clever and enjoyable novel. Our heroine Bells suffers through every indignity that can befall a woman in her 40’s. These include marital and in-law issues, disaffected teenagers and, ouch, a failed IUD and a pregnancy referred to as AMA.

This is just a delight. If you love the writing of Eleanor Lipman, Mameve Medwed, Laurie Geller and Jennifer Weiner, you will love this journey with Bells as she blunders into a new life. II know that women’s groups will love this novel. Not only is it a joy to read, but tackles real issues that women must always face.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to enjoy and share this terrific book, written by someone who is royally appreciated.

What starts out as a wonderful story about a blogger and the revenge she gets on the mean moms’ clique sadly ends with a platitude about how she may have misjudged them and how everyone should be able to get along. I loved the first 80% of this book but the last 20% was a let down.