'The Story of Out Secrets':4⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @sharilow and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

After losing a loved one, it's always hard to come back to your old ways, to move on with your life. This book tells a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story of how to move on and still preserve the memory of someone you lost.

It's a beautiful work of prose, compelling and an absolute work of genius. I don't want to give spoilers away, so I'm just going to live you with a very important lesson it gave me: friendship is the key to holding up together.

This is that once in a lifetime book that just sweeps you into the midst of the characters lives like you have always been there. I loved the characters with the exception of the spoiled brat, Lulu. I tried hard to accept her because of her past life but she was simply mean and cold hearted and enjoys hurting others. The rest of the characters were wonderfully developed and I would have loved being friends with them. They have a kind of friendship that many don’t find and keep for their entire lives.

There are so many emotions running through the pages of this book. You will laugh and cry and get angry all within one chapter. I was sad to see the book end but I was content with the outcome. This is a book that will leave you feeling content and it will make you look at your family and friends differently. Being a woman fighting Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer certainly put me right in the midst of this book but unlike other books involving death this one did not depress me but instead lifted me up.

Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful novel. It will take your breath away.

Great story. Sad, funny and wonderful strong friendship bonds.

We follow Shauna, Jess, Lulu and Dan who are Colms 2nd wife, 1st wife and best friends 5 years after Colms death.
There are highs, lows, angry moments and fond moments.

We also see things from Colms perspective before he dies and learn how each person ties into his story.

The uncovering of secrets and lies could change their lives forever, for good or bad. It's how they all deal with the hurt and truth individually and collectively that makes this a must read book.

This story! Absolute hands down perfection. Colm has a brain tumor. Being a typical man, he isn't much into sharing his feelings on the daily. But when hes given a terminal diagnosis and realizes that his time is winding down, he starts making video messages on his phone for his loved ones. His ex wife Jess and their twin sons. Current wife Shauna and his daughter Beth. And best friends Dan and Lulu. What he forgets to do is to let them know hes actually left the messages. For five years his wife and friends bungle along missing him and trying to figure out how to move on. One night after it seems everyone is lost and having trouble finding their way, Shauna finds it. And as usual, his words are just what they need and help them make important decisions in finally moving on.

This book was beautiful and so well written. This is my second Shari Low novel and won't be my last. She has the perfect way of writing snappy fun dialogue all while dealing with life changing situations. As someone who also deals with difficult situations with humor, she blends the perfect mix of punchy writing and heartfelt feelings and comes up with the perfect novel. Easily one of the best books of the year. Go ahead and pre-order this one and cross off November 2 on your calender. This is most definitely a read in one sitting book!

❤❤❤❤❤/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Shari Low, and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Bring tissues! Colm has a brain tumour, this is the story of life for his wife Shauna, ex wife Jess, best mate Dan and his ex wife Lulu. They are all a group of friends and they have each other’s best interests at heart following the passing of Colm. This book will reduce you to tears and is a really amazing read. Highly recommend.

I have read all of this author’s books and this one also lived up to expectations.

Five years ago Colm O’Flynn died and left behind a devastated family. Today his widow Shauna is still struggling with her grief, but what she doesn’t know is that Colm left behind a series of messages to help cope with his death and life thereafter. So with the help of his ex-wife Jess and best friends Dan and Lulu, can she finally discover what Colm’s hopes and dreams for her were and start to rebuild her life?

An emotional story with nice touches of humour and great characters which was an easy and enjoyable read.

wow I really enjoyed this story and the way it was written. It went from modern day to flashbacks which really let us so a total picture of the characters lives and their personalities.

Colm O'Flynn dies far too young and to be honest he left a bit of a mess behind. This in turn has left a lot of friends and family without closure and are struggling to come to terms with their own guilt and finding forgiveness.

This story made me cry I wont even pretend it didn't I enjoyed that the story centred around grief and trying to move on and how it can be very difficult to do. I think mostly I liked how real the characters felt.

Great story highly recommend

I love this authors books so was looking forward to reading this one. This story was slightly different from previous novels I have read by this author but was just as good. It was a heartbreaking and emotional read which made me laugh and cry in equal measure and focused on the pulling together of friends to help each other through the grief of a loved one. The story was told partially through flashbacks and video diary’s of Colm who sadly was taken from those he loved far to soon and the present day of the people he left behind. This was a poignant and thought provoking read about moving on with life after losing a loved one and how important it is for everyone to pull together when something life changing happens.

Argh! Where to start? This is told partially through flashbacks to five years ago and partially in the present day (ignoring COVID), with a few flashbacks to even earlier.

Colm O'Flynn died, a relatively young man, in 2016. He left behind an ex-wife Jess and twin sons, a widow Shauna and a six-year old daughter, Dan, his best friend and business partner, and Dan's wife Lulu. Flash forward to the present day, Dan and Lulu are divorced and she has recently remarried, Shauna and her daughter live in the flat above Dan, in the house he inherited from an uncle, and Jess is an ever-present person in their lives. It's all very incestuous and co-dependent.

In their own ways all of Colm's friends are struggling with moving on so Jess decides that she, Shauna, and Dan are case studies for her degree and she will force them to let go of the past by sharing memories, good and bad, of their failed relationships.

I don't really know what to say about this because the blurb totally gives away the entire plot, so as a reader I was just sitting there thinking, 'but we already know this, what's the point?' As always with Shari the book was well-written and kept me engaged but I was expecting something more to happen. And don't get me started on that epilogue ... why? Just why did it have to be written like that?

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The story
Four friends. Shauna, wife of the late Colm. Friends with Colm’s first wife Jess, they co-parent Colm and Jess’s twin 25 year sons and 11 year old Beth, Colm and Shauna’s daughter. Shauna lives in the upstairs apartment in the house owned by Dan, Colm’s best friend. Dan is recently divorced from Lulu, Shauna’s best friend since childhood. Like most close friend groups, their pasts intertwine, and the good times are mixed with the difficult times. It’s been five years since Colm died of brain cancer but each of the friends is still trying to come to terms with his death and their lives. They didn’t know that Colm left each of them and his three children a message recorded on his phone, giving them his thoughts and permission to continue life without him.

My thoughts
This is not an easy read, being brought into the grief of the close friends and realising that none are guilt free and innocent. They have all had human failings and weaknesses, just as Colm himself had. I had a lump in my throat reading much of this story. I think we are all programmed to think that grief should really taper off in time and we should move on with life at some point. From personal experience, it’s not hard to understand that this group of friends is still coming to terms with their loss five years after the event. ❤️

I absolutely loved this story - once I started I couldn’t put it down. The style of storytelling was so fresh with flashbacks and video recordings making it feel like you got a better insight into the characters lives. I loved how it explored the themes of forgiveness and different types of love. I laughed a lot and got choked up more than once. Definitely recommend.

Another great book by Shari Low that feels like coming home, it is cosy, it is funny and like all her book sfeels like a long term friend that you have not seen for an age. Adorable

Boldwood Books WoW! I can't thank you enough for this advance ebook copy!
Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity!
And Author for this novel!

I've read What If and One Summer Sunrise and absolutely loved them. And I really enjoy this author also.

The Story of Our Secrets by Shari Low was such a great read! 😍
I can't express how excited I was to receive this book! 😘
Honestly this book took me a while to get into it, and truth be told I stopped for bit!
Then went back to it. And I'm really glad I did.
But once you get past the slow beginning its worth it!
Almost all of the the main characters and the secondary ones were delightful.
The writing is extremely funny, with laugh out loud moments, but yet emotional and moving.
Overall a fun, good, enjoyable story!

I’ve laughed out loud and sobbed uncontrollably, this book brings all the feels! As with all Shari Low books once I picked this up I literally couldn’t put it down and read it in a day!

Colm O’Flynn was adored by his family and friends. Shauna his second wife cannot find a way out of her grief at his death and is barely functioning, putting their daughter Beth at the centre of her world.

That is until Jess, Colm’s first wife finds her on the floor staring at the washing machine going round and round with a Prosecco in her hand.

Jess stages an intervention and makes Shauna her project for her new life coach venture after her second marriage failed.

Lulu their long time friend has just remarried a millionaire leaving Dan divorced at devastated. Dan is recruited into the lonely gits club and the three friends try to find a way to help each other.

Meanwhile back in 2016 Colm is coming to terms with his illness and organising messages for his nearest and dearest. Will fate step in to help them all gain closure and move on?

Filled with a fabulous mix of sarcasm, hilarity and a good dose of reality this book is sure to touch everyone that picks it up.

This was a really good book & I enjoyed it from start to finish. Will read more by Shari Low. Highly recommended by me.

This was a really neat book concept it reminded me of a movie!
premise
Colm O’Flynn was loved by his close circle of family and friends, however his death came too soon for everyone to make peace with their past.
Shauna, his second wife, adored him. But one night she broke their marriage vows, and didn’t get time to ask Colm’s forgiveness.
Jess was the first Mrs O’Flynn. Her heart is set on someone new, but will the last one night stand she shared with Colm come back to haunt her?
Colm’s best friend, Dan, is recently divorced. Can he take a second shot at happiness if it means betraying the one person who always had his back?
What no-one knows is that somewhere out there Colm left messages that could set them free to start over again.
Can divine intervention help them find Colm’s last wishes before it’s too late to love again?
I always love when a book sends you on a bit of a treasure hunt weather it’s through clues or letters and this was really fun seeing how the people closest to Colm get their closure and find their happiness.