Keep my secrets is a dual timeline story, switching from when Frankie was a teenager living in care and the present day Frankie who helps troubled children, who's hiding secrets in her past that are about to catch up with her.

This was one of those stories that I went into expecting one thing but ended up being fairly surprised. Honestly, it's not a novel that I could predict what would happen next.

Frankie was a complex with a capital C. On one hand she's a person who will go the extra mile for troubled kids, on the other she can't even be honest with her own husband. Then there's teenage Frankie, angry, insecure, who lashes out at everyone.

I can't quite pinpoint why I didn't get sucked into this novel like I felt I should have. Maybe it was because most of the characters seemed unlikeable or the fact that I felt switching between timelines lost a bit of the tension.

I would still recommend this book if you don't mind unlikeable characters and dual timeline stories.

Frankie Turner, 33, works at a children’s care home in Wales. She had been brought in the care system and knows how bad it can be for children. Thus, she is ready and willing to go the extra step to help them.

Driving home on a dark road, a car comes up behind her with its bright lights on. Finally, the car passes her but she just knows it’s someone from her past which is about to catch up with her. She has also been getting phone calls with no one saying anything. Her secret is one the she has tried very hard to hide and doesn’t want her husband, Alex, to find out. However, he knows something is going on and wishes she would come clean with him.

So many secrets and so many lies. Who is lying and who is telling the truth? This story follows Frankie when she was living a care home herself. Life was difficult for her and she fell in with a bad group with lasting consequences that touch her life even today.

There is so much back and forth from early days to present time for Frankie. I did not click with her at all as I felt her character was not one with which I could sympathize. So many things happened and sometimes it got a bit confusing as to what was supposed to have happened. I did not find this an interesting book at all, but rather boring and repetitive at times. However, I will be generous and give it 3 stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

With a name like Keep My Secrets, I was really excited to see what kind of twisty ride Elena Wilkes had in store, and I am happy to report, this was very twisty! Nothing is as it seems, and we are taken on a journey of secrets.

I love when an author successfully weaves two storylines; past and present. Frankie is a deep character. While I don’t always agree with how she handles thing, I think that’s the point. She has a life-altering secret and that past is back to haunt her.

Keep My Secrets is multilayered and addicting. You have to pay attention to the details to really grasp what is happening. I think Elena Wilkes is a talented author and I am excited to read more from her. I’m giving this five stars for the complexity that never got confusing. What a book!!

*I received a free copy of this book from BOTBS to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

First, I want to thank Elana Wilkes, Hera Books, NetGalley and BOTBSPUBLICITY for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Can you Keep My Secret?! Shh don’t tell anyone!! WOW!! OH!! WOW!! Elana Wilkes Book was a continuous thrill ride that wouldn’t let you get off!! It was GOOD!!!

Oh Elana you hooked me right from the prologue!! Intensely fast paced with your extremely vivid graphic detailed scene. In fact you described what my head feels like during a migraine attack. Well done hooking me into your book.

I’m a huge fan of The Black Eyed Peas song featuring Justin Timberlake with Where Is The Love so I was over the moon to see that referenced in the book. Now I have that song stuck in my head!

My heart was literally in my chest as I was incredibly as fearful during the road stalking scene. Every thought Frankie felt I was feeling too! Such an intense scene. Who would be so sick and twisted to want to hurt her?!

Elana address the issue of suicide but in a very special way that I have never seen an author do before. It was refreshing that she did it this way but took me off guard. I commend her for bringing light to this subject this way.

Alex was not my favorite character in this book as he rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat.

I have been a fan of Elena’s work for a little while now. I read and loved her previous book called ‘The Man I Married’. When I read the synopsis for ‘Keep My Secrets’ it certainly sounded like the sort of psychological thriller that I enjoy. I must be psychic (or psychopathic) because I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Keep My Secrets’ but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while to get into this story which has more to do with the fact that I was tired and finding it hard to concentrate than anything else. I found the character of Frankie to be very intriguing and I had to keep reading to find out how the story panned out for her. I found that once I started reading the book, I would become so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. I found ‘Keep My Secrets’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat.
‘Keep My Secrets’ is extremely well written. I love the way in which Elena has created such an interesting character, who has more layers to her personality than you would find layers of wrapping paper on a parcel during a game of ‘Pass The Parcel’. I love the way in which Elena has created an intriguing sounding synopsis, which immediately grabs your attention and then she reels the reader in. For me, ‘Keep My Secrets’ hits the ground running and maintains a fast pace throughout. Reading ‘Keep My Secrets’ felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Keep My Secrets’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Elena’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Frankie Turner has had a rather difficult start to life. Between growing up in the care system, fighting with girls at her school, and getting mixed up with drugs, she is certainly struggling. When Frankie meets Martin Jarvis, she feels as though she has finally found her soul mate, the person who she is going to spend her life with. However, what occurs next is Frankie’s worst nightmare.

Fifteen years later, Frankie has worked hard to get her life back on track, and to conceal her dark past. Frankie’s marriage is far from perfect, and as they are battling their way through a rough patch, it appears that someone is determined to rake up all of her secrets. Secrets she is determined to keep hidden from her husband.

Who exactly is trying to get to Frankie? and why have they left it for so long before doing so?.

This is such a gripping story, I found myself reading it in one sitting!. Elena Wilkes has created a story that is full of complex characters, most of which are rather unlikeable, but this is what actually makes the story all the more engrossing, as each character has motives.

The story alternates between a past and present tense, allowing us to get to know Frankie on a much deeper level. As we near the end of the book, the past and present slowly begin to merge together, providing us with a dramatic, suspenseful ending.

This is one of those books you simply find impossible to put down. With the perfect levels of suspense and drama throughout, this is an absolute page turner that I would certainly recommend to others.

4 Stars from me

What's that saying... 'oh what a wicked web we weave, when first we start to deceive'

I feel it sums up both adult and child Frankie from Keep My Secrets!

The story is told via a series chapters of present day and flashbacks to the past.

In childhood, Frankie Turner had a rough start to life, she grew up in care (where 'care' itself was abundantly missing from her life). She was neglected, involved with all many of unsavoury things and prime prey for an older man. So when she meets Martin Jarvis she thinks she has fallen in love, found her soul mate and the key to her future.

Now her past seems to be catching up with her present and her cosy life with husband Alex feels like it is slipping between her fingers.

The stories from her past reveal bit by bit what happened to her and what she went through just to feel like she belonged.

A classic psychological thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through!

Keep My Secrets by Elena Wilkes

Twists and turns in this gripping tale of crime, passion, and murder. Who is truly evil, slightly evil, innocent, guilty, loving, twisted…it takes quite a while to find out the truth in this story that had me guessing till the very end.

What I liked:
* Not knowing for sure who the worst of the worst truly was till nearly t he very end.
* The way the story was told. I don’t always like flipping from the past to the present but it worked well in this book.
* Frankie: tough childhood, did well for herself eventually, has secrets, deserves better…hope she finds happiness eventually.
* Martin: not perfect but a man wronged in more ways than one.
* Being able to be angry for and with some of the characters
* Feeling the story was believable
* That everything was tied up neatly at the end of the story…or mostly so.
* That the baddies were exposed and dealt with
* That nobody was “perfect”
* The positive feel at the end of the story

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that there are evil people like the ones in the story and they too often get away with crimes they commit.
* Frankie’s tough past and how she was treated
* Mostly the injustice and callous way some treated and/or manipulated others

Did I enjoy this book? I did
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars

After devouring this book in one sitting it has left me wondering why the hell I have never read this author before! Wow, wow, wow I loved it.

Keep my secret is a face paced on the edge of your seat read, with plenty of twists and turns and OMG moments. I literally couldn’t read this fast enough wanting to know what was going to happen next. Just when I thought I had it all worked out BOOM the author throws in twist and throws me off the path.

I love how the story is told between now and then building up the story and getting to know the character Frankie. This is one of those stories that will throw you sideways. It is a must read for all psychological thriller fans. I cannot recommend it enough. Giving it all the stars.

Elena is definitely an author to look out for, I loved this book that much that I went straight to amazon to buy The Man I Married.

Secrets... lies and trying to put run the past.... there was a lot going on in Frankie’s story. A few twists and moments of intrigue. All in all an ok story not the best but not bad either.

A really thought provoking and intriguing read. We follow the character Frankie, who has a a past full of secrets that she holds dear to herself.

The author flips between Frankie's past and present and it is really presented well. We start to understand about Frankie's past and how it is moulded her to how she is now. Frankie is now married in a seemingly fraught relationship and Frankie is suddenly left some cryptic notes and she also feels like she is being watched from a far. This opens up the main storyline and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Elena Wilke's story telling is amazing and I found myself engrossed in the pages of this novel. Worth a read for anyone who likes a who done it kind of read and a book that is fast paced.

Thanks to Elena Wilkes, Netgalley and their publisher for an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion.

While I love a good psychological thriller, this book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t find the main character likable at all and that’s a problem that’s always hard for me to get past. There were lots of twists and turns but this book almost had too much going on. I’m saying that, I’m sure this will be a favorite but for some, it just wasn’t the best for me.

In Keep My Secrets, we read about Frankie, who grew up in the care system and makes a series of mistakes and questionable decisions. This story alternates from past to present and we see that in present time, Frankie left that tough life behind and started a new one with her husband Alex, who is clueless of who she was. However, no matter how hard she tried, her past and lies started to catch up to her. This story had a lot going on, I had whiplash with the whodunit parts lol. I was not a fan of present Frankie, I felt although she grew up, her mentality stayed a seventeen year old making bad decisions. Lie after lie after lie, I simply think she was a pathological liar and could not stop herself. Her husband Alex was also annoying and nagging constantly. I was more interested in past Frankie, that was where the fun was at lol learning more about her past and what possibly happened that tragic night. In my opinion, the story started off slow and a bit weak, as it progressed it became better and more entertaining. But is there such a thing as too many twist? Because this story had way too many, to the point that it stopped being surprising and was just ‘Oh okay’. Nevertheless, this was still an enjoyable read and had be hooked for a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Then. Frankie was a teenager brought up in the care of social services. Secretly involved with 21 year old Martin, a volunteer at her group home, she thinks she’s found true love. But what happens after a night of hard partying leaves one girl murdered and Frankie’s life changed forever.

Now. Frankie’s managed to move on from what happened fifteen years before. Married and working as a social worker, nobody knows about her past. She knows if they were to find out, she’d lose everything. When she starts receiving menacing notes and phone calls from someone she knew back then, she frantically works overtime to keep her past from revealing itself to her present-day life. Her husband’s already suspicious. There’s only one huge problem. What Frankie’s hiding is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s more to what happened in the past than even she knows and — this time — it’s coming for her. There’s no running from it.

Ultra twisty and shocking, “Keep My Secrets” by Elena Wilkes is the long and winding road of novels. The twists can feel more like shifts in the story. Nothing and nobody are as they seem. Even the story itself is not as it seems. When Frankie receives anonymous notes, she seems afraid of the sender. Yet, her stalker seems like more of a lovesick admirer than a threat. And the big secret Frankie’s trying to hide? You wonder why she just doesn’t tell her husband, because it’s doesn’t seem as bad as she makes it out to be — once she tells you what it is. In addition, there are a lot of characters with a lot of loose ends. Although they’re not hard to keep track of, it’s a challenge figuring them out. “Keep My Secrets” is definitely a long and winding road, but the journey is more than worth it!

Alternating between the past and the present, “Keep My Secrets” weaves the story of Frankie’s past and what she believed happened fifteen years ago with her current life. The contrast between the two is startling at first. If Frankie had been a more likeable character, it would have been easy to root for her to able to keep what happened a secret because her current life is a good one. But the way she behaved in the past combined with the way she lets her husband agonize in present-day does nothing to endear her to you. At times, you’re more wary of her than the stalker. There are plenty of suspenseful, tension filled moments throughout, but when the past and present finally collide, it’s impossible not to be shocked by what goes down.

“Keep My Secrets” is a complicated, multi-layered tale that becomes more addicting the further you read. If you gloss over pages or rush through, you’re likely to miss out on the detail, scene, or chapter that sucks you in completely and compels you to read through to the end. This book requires your full attention, and it’s not what I’d ever call fast-paced, but it’s well worth picking up.

I don't have much to say on this one. There's was almost too much going on and it definitely diminished how great this story would've been otherwise. But it still had me turning the page. I hated the characters tho that doesn't necessarily mean bad things for me. They were fascinating sometimes too and loved their secrets

So I really liked this but I didn't quite love it. Almost though. If they'd relaxed on how much was going on and cut out some rambling / repetition i would've rated higher!

A decent thriller which relies a little too much on unlikely plot points to fully fly. With a little more room to breathe and develop some plot lines this could have captured my attention more but it is a perfectly read-able genre piece.

Wow, what a twisty turn of events. Frankie was easy to like and I found myself rooting for her. Kept me guessing all the way through. Great read!

Honestly, that wasn't so bad, like i knew who killed charlotte half through the book.
The problem was with the plot, it got so much potential, it could've made one epic book, but it was handled badly, the author kept adding a lot of details to shock the reader that it started to feel cheap and fake.
Frankie wasn't a likable character, she wasn't bad, but at the same time you can't love her or feel pity for her, she was just easy to manoeuvre.
Didn't like the ending, it was too perfect to be true, and it showed how much of the details were exaggerated.
Overall, not so good.
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review*

Frankie has worked hard to conceal her past and start over. But someone is resurrecting memories and secrets from long ago. Frankie’s marriage is already rocky, and she’s fighting like crazy to keep the past buried from her husband. Who is trying to bring down Frankie and why? With most of the characters being a bit unlikeable and shady, the suspect pool seems to be compounding.

The author does a great job alternating the narrative between Frankie’s life “Now” and “Then”. This helps us understand where Frankie came from and the unfortunate circumstances that caused her to want to start fresh. By the end, the past and present narratives merge together to create a suspenseful finale of events. There are plenty of twists that will keep your alliances shifting, but when the veil is lifted, the ending is quite surprising. While one of my suspicions turned out right, the ending still blindsided me (in a good way).

Thank you Elena Wilkes, Hera Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Overall, it was a very suspenseful and enjoyable read.

3.5 stars. Keep My Secrets will definitely keep you guessing! Frankie Turner has tried to leave her troubled past behind. 15 years later, all the secrets and lies start to bubble up and threaten the life she has built since then. When she starts to receive notes and feel like she’s being watched, it brings new information comes to light and she has to find out what really happened that night. Who is telling the truth and who is hiding even more secrets than Frankie herself?

Very fast paced and thrilling!

Thanks to #NetGalley, Elena Wilkes, and Hera Books for the ARC of #KeepMySecrets.