SE Lynes’ The Housewarming was one of my favourite reads of last year, so I couldn’t wait to read her latest.

What I love most about Lynes’ books is that she instantly gets you to connect to her characters. The Housewarming really grabs you emotionally so I prepared myself not to expect that same level of engagement with this one, but I felt just as strongly about these two sisters this time around.

Lynes always manages to set the mood early with her books which is what helps you to engage on more of a personal level. Her Sister’s Secret explores the emotions and connections in a relationship from both sides, looking at themes of rejection, manipulation and gaslighting but also of sisterly bonds and unconditional love. But while Lynes tackles some hard-hitting subjects, she does so in such a sensitive way that you’re also left feeling full of warmth and support.

The tension builds gradually with this one, as everything leads up to Callum’s trial to find out the truth of that eventful night. I didn’t feel like I was gripped at first, but as soon as I put this book down, I realised how desperate I was to find out the truth and had to keep picking it back up again.

There are some great twists and turns along the way, but there’s also still so much more to come when you think that everything has been laid bare. As the layers slowly peel away, you become more and more intrigued as you grow wary that something else must be going on here. Is there? Well, let’s just say that you won’t be disappointed in how this one plays out.

I always find it so easy to become engrossed by Lynes’ writing and Her Sister’s Secret is another highly suspenseful read. She’s an author who I now look out for and I definitely recommend that you pick up one of her books if you haven’t already. This is most definitely a great place to start!

(I'm on the tour for this one on the 17th so my reviews will be live then!)

HER SISTER'S SECRET has a well-crafted cast of characters and an intriguing plot. How well do you know those closest to you? What would you do to protect them? I enjoyed taking a closer look at the relationship between the sisters. The plot twists are shocking and surprising, all leading to a very satisfying ending. Read it!

Annie and Isla were the closest of sisters when they were children until Annie leaves their small village and moves away with her son, Cal.
Years later Isla gets the call any sibling would dread and she has to support Cal in a way she never imagined she could. Can she be his aunty and protector when the truth comes out?
Wow! I am a massive fan of Susie’s books and enjoy each of them, the way she writes and the emotions I go through reading about the characters. I could say that her books are like my favourite chocolate bar always devoured, enjoyed and never lets me down!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by S E Lynes and I was not disappointed. The book is written in 3 parts, all of which are gripping. In part 3 I guessed the twist but it was still a good plot.

The book follows the story of Isla who is dragged into the tragedy of her sister and brother in law being killed in a house fire. Her nephew calls her in distress and she wastes no time in travelling to support him.

Isla faces further distress as her nephew Cal is arrested for murder. Isla battles to keep things approaching normal while supporting her nephew and learning uncomfortable truths about her sister.

Brilliant characters and a dark storyline will keep you gripped. Part 3 is slower but makes everything come together. A great read.

Annie always appeared to be happy. She always had a happy face and she and Dom, her husband appeared to have it all. As least that is what her sister, Isla, thought. That is what many in their lives thought. But Annie was a master at presenting as happy when inside she was unhappy.

Isla gets a call late one night from her nephew, Callum "Cal" causing Isla to wonder who did everything go up in flames? Why didn't she know what was going on in her sister's life? What happened? Determined to be there for her nephew and to find answers, Isla learns more about her sister, her life, and those in it.

S.E. Lynes has become a go to author for me. I enjoy her writing and easily becomes engrossed in her books. Plus, she has some amazing twists. This book was no exception in the twist department. I thought I had everything figure out, but I was WRONG! I did not see that one coming! I thought it was an extremely clever way to end the book.

I did struggle a little in the middle as I found things to be a little repetitive. I also had difficulty connecting with the characters. Having said that, I found this to still be an enjoyable worthwhile book. It is dramatic, and delves into the secrets we keep, how we present one face to the world while covering up our pain, and the search for the truth. Are we fooling others or fooling ourselves when we pretend our life is perfect?

I also enjoyed how Isla came to realize that although she and her sister were once close, that she really did not know her sister as well as she thought.

Fans of S.E. Lynes will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Dramatic read with a shocking twist!

3/3.5 stars


Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This storyline had me gripped from the very start and did not let go until the very end!

Written in first person POV with chapters alternating between two sisters – Annie and Isla. The chapters cover both past and present, giving an insight into the girls childhood growing up with strict parents in a small town on the West coast of Scotland and the very different lives they now lead. Annie is an artist living with husband Dom and son Callum in Cornwall whilst Isla is an area manager in retail living in London.

When Isla receives a shocking phone call from Callum to tell her that Annie and Dom have perished in a fire, she drops everything to rush to his side.

The emotion and pain in the writing was brilliant, together with the upset and anger Isla faces as she begins to uncover the truth behind Annie’s marriage, made this a gripping read. The plot was excellent, the writing fast paced and with thrilling twists, made this a book I did not want to put down.

Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy.

Do not pick up this book unless you have the time to read it because once you start… you won’t be able to stop! Susie Lynes is amazing at causing readers to experience that jaw dropping twist. You know the one… it happens when she BAM…reveals a plot twist you don’t see coming and then follows it up with the most unpredicted ending! I LOVED this thriller and with each of her books I read, I am reminded of being a forever fan! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me a whine to get into this book and I kept putting it down and going back to it. However I suddenly changed halfway through and loved it. Lots of twists and turns and fab writing as usual from the author

I have read and enjoyed every one of S.E Lynes books to date and each time she releases a new book it becomes my new favourite book by her and this one is no exception;

It is a very well written book with a well drawn cast of characters and a very cleverly woven plot that will keep you guessing. It hooked me from the first page and didn't let go until the the last.

Highly recommended, and if you haven't read the authors previous books then check them out, you won't be disappointed!

Annie and Isla were really close as children. They grew up with very strict parents and Isla always looked up to Annie. Annie got pregnant while very young, and this really alienated her from their parents. Years later Annie met and married Dom, and she and Isla had not seen much of each other since.

One day Isla gets the most devastating phone call of of her life. It is from her nephew Ca. He is in tears when he tells his aunt Isla of a fire that took the lives of his mother and stepfather. Isla rushes to Cal's side, and soon finds herself in shock when it comes to the things she is about to learn about Annie and Dom's life together. It certainly wasn't idyllic.

Cal's behavior stretches beyond grief as far as Isla can tell. There were secrets and there were lies. Will Isla be able to uncover the truth of everything concerning their lives? What does the future bode for Isla and Cal?

Wow! What a book! I could not put this book down. I just had to know what had been going on, what led to the fire and what the aftermath would be. The twists were surprising, crafty character development and the conclusion was utterly shocking. Nothing could have prepared me for that, so accolades to the author.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A book that delivered on that it promised. Drama, suspense, emotional blackmail, tumultuous relationships - this one has it all. Well written and nicely paced The One to Blame is an enjoyable read.

A late night call from her nephew brings Isla running. All she knows is that there was a fire, that her sister and her sister's new husband are dead, and that Callum needs her. Isla quickly realizes that she didn't know much at all about her sister's marriage or her new life. Things weren't as perfect as they appeared from a distance.

I loved this domestic thriller with its intriguing plot and fun little details that kept me immersed in the book. The story unfolds with Isla in the present and Annie's recent past leading up to the days just before the fire.

Wow, I loved this book!
It has everything you might want from a thriller and more. More being the beautifully lyrical style, the profound insight into family relationships (especially in this case sisterhood) and the main theme that in my opinion is how people see and percieve us and how we would like to be seen, as opposed to as how we really are.
Those beautiful, intense characters will stay with you for a long time. Thank you Susie Lynes for another great one!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alison and Isla are close sisters living in a remote village in Scotland. When Alison was fifteen, she became pregnant with Callum. Years later Alison living as a single mother, meets a group of men where she meets Dominic who sweeps her of her feet. They marry and move to Dorset. But the marriage is not all rosy. Dominic plays away and leaves Alison to do everything in their business as holiday lets. All Alison wants to do is carry on with her painting as he is incredibly talented and sold a few paintings.
Isla, meanwhile, has moved to London, when she geta phone call from Callum to say Alison and Dominic are both dead after dying in a fire.
Last year and I really enjoyed the authors previous novel ‘The Homecoming’. So, I was intrigued to find out what this book is about with all the good reviews I have been hearing about. I found this book well written and well-developed characters. But for me personally I found this book to be overly descriptive and unnecessary at times. That I found myself losing interest. I did find the court scene well done and a great twist at the end. 3.5 stars from me.

When I read a psychological thriller, I hope to be scared, I hope to be intrigued, and I hope to be surprised--I don't necessarily hope to be emotionally wrenched. This book did all of the things I expected, and it broke my heart along the way. I loved the writing style--lyrical without detracting from the story, not an easy line to walk--and the skilled character development that pulled me right in to Annie and Isla's lives. The dual-timeline was used effectively for this purpose, and also to build up the suspense along the way. I had a theory of where I thought the story was going, but was totally wrong--then in retrospect once I knew what had happened, couldn't believe I hadn't figured out the clues. To me that's the perfect outcome for a thriller or mystery--that I can't figure it out, but then can't understand how I didn't figure it out once I look back. Brava!

Thank you to S.E. Lynes, to Bookouture, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely Stunning.

Reading a thriller by SE Lynes is like unwrapping a surprise gift. You spend the whole novel torn between ripping through it to reveal what’s hidden or peeling each page slowly to savour every moment of the suspense. Twisty and thrilling, yet heartfelt and emotional, The One to Blame is no exception.

Written in two interweaved time frames, we follow the grief-stricken Isla in the present as she tries to get to the bottom of what really happened to Annie that night, while also witnessing the lead up to the night through the eyes of Annie herself. The plotting is masterful as truth is revealed like crumbs to keep the reader turning the page. There were so many times when I gasped to realise the significance of a small detail from earlier in the novel that I almost went back and read it again.

Lynes’ novels are always set in real locations and she uses the coastal setting with a deft touch to add atmosphere and mood to this tense thriller. Aside from the two sisters, the other characters – Annie’s son, husband and two close friends – are so well drawn that they live beyond the page. It is the relationship between Annie and Isla, however, which takes centre stage and makes this a story that lingers in your imagination long after you turn the last page.

The One to Blame is the kind of novel that you can’t put down, but you don’t want to finish. I absolutely loved it.

The story is told in dual timelines, starting with Isla’s point of view around 2004-2005 as she learns of her older sister, Annie and her husband’s death in a fire, then alternating with Annie’s perspective which encompasses the meeting of her husband, Dom, in 1991 and the events that led up to the night of the fire. While I enjoyed the beginning and the end of the novel, at times it contained too much inner running monologue in Isla’s viewpoint for me. She felt extreme guilt over her ignorance of her sister and nephew’s lives with Dom in Dorset, while she was enjoying her life in London.

While the two sister narrators were distinctive characters and I had no confusion switching between the timelines, at times their reactions and perspectives seemed similar. When someone close to Isla is arrested for Annie’s murder, she spends her days waffling between finding out the truth and denying the possibilities. Rather than a whodunnit style mystery, this is more of a did he or did he not do it style mystery. The book is divided into three parts, part 1 sets the scene, part 2 is the murder trial and part 3 is essentially the reveal which does contain an interesting twist which I enjoyed.

This was an ok book but I wasn’t as keen as the others Ive read from this author . It was exciting at the beginning and a bit slow in the middle with an end I predicted but all in all it was well written and still worth a read .

Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and S.E. Lynes for an ARC to review.
I have read The Housewarming, and I absolutely loved it.
I love the author's writing style and how engaging her stories are. Once you start reading you simply can't drop it till the end.
When Isla's sister Annie dies in a bizarre fire, uncertainty surrounds the night the fire happened.
Isla feels like she didn't know the sister she had been close to all her life, same goes to her nephew Callum.
you won't see that end coming!

The One to Blame is a hit. With characters who aren’t like others you’ll be curious to see how everything turns out. S.E. Lynes you did it, this one is great.