As is Sarah Morgan’s trademark, this book brings multigenerational female perspectives as it explores the trials and tribulations of life and relationships in all their forms. I enjoyed seeing the depth and complexities of the relationships between friends, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and more. All of these characters have their own personalities and experiences, facing challenges that are tackled with heart and empathy. My favourite was Nanna Peg who brought heaps of humour and fire to what was a fairly heavy story. The romance was light but well written into the story, though I definitely wanted more but when do I not? I’m such a romantic!

It was interesting to see Milly’s daughter, Zoe, also narrating part of this story and exploring the difficulties of broken friendships and families. It’s easy to relate to some of her struggles and though she isn’t a huge part of the story her perspective has impact here too. All in all a great book with a nuanced plot and characters.

I received a free copy of the book. All views are my own.

I love Sarah Morgan's books, and "A Secret Escape" is no exception. She is surely one of the queens of relationship dramas. I highly recommend this novel with it's lovely setting in the Lake District.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Milly’s family have a holiday rental business in the Lake District which she now is in charge of and works to ensure the guests have a lovely stay.

Her relationship ended and now her she and her daughter live in a cabin just on waterfront. She has her mother and grandmother who live nearby.

Out of the blue, Milly gets a call from Nicole, she’s her old friend as well as an actress who is living in the U.S. She needs a place to stay for a while following something that’s happened which Nicole and is involved in.

At one time, they both used to be really close, but haven’t really been in touch with each other for a while. When Nicole arrives, the reason for this is revealed, although not straight away.

There’s a new relationship for Milly and her mother and slowly for Nicole too. Secrets kept over the years come to light.

I highly recommend this book.

Milly and Nicole have been friends since school and have always been there for each other so, eighteen months ago when she needed support, she called the one person she thought she could rely on and Nicole ignored her, Milly still doesn't know why but she picked up her life and carried on, concentrating on her teenage daughter Zoe and her family business. Out of the blue she receives a call from Nicole desperate for somewhere private to hide and she's hoping that Milly will let her stay with her in the Lake District and, even though she still hasn't forgiven her friend, she finds herself saying yes. As the weeks pass they begin to get their friendship back on track and put the past behind them, until a secret is revealed that completely floors Millie and tests the bond they have once more, will they ever come back from this?

A Secret Escape is the latest heartwarming and emotional novel from Morgan which follows the lives of Milly and her family, told predominantly from the perspectives of Milly and Nicole we are introduced to some wonderful characters within these pages, two of my favourites being Nanna Peg for her warmth and wisdom and Zoe who, considering she was only thirteen, was very grown up and a credit to her mum. This story highlighted the strength of friendship and the importance of family, holding on to both of those things and making the most of life, its a tale of secrets and betrayals and the need to be loved and Morgan captured this and so much more within the pages of this book. A truly inspiring story that shows even though you may think something is broken there's always a way of fixing it, you just have to want to.

I'd like to thank HQ and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

A lifelong friendship

A call for help

A summer to reconnect…

Can the friends come together in this time of need, or will this summer break their bond forever?
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I absolutely adore Sarah Morgan books, so much so that my bookish friends and I always pick one up during the festive season to get us in the mood. Again, another great read, filled with love and friendships.

Begins with Milly who is now divorced waiting at the train station for her childhood friend Nicole, who is now a successful actress rings Milly out of the blue asking for help. She can’t quite move past why Nicole hasn’t been in touch even when her life fell apart and yet she has the nerve to call her after all this time.
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This was such a wholesome story on family and friendships. Sarah executed both characters beautifully and ofcause Nanna Peg who made it even better.

I love Sarah’s ability to write relatable stories on friendships and always leave you thinking about those who are in your life.

Thank you Netgalley, HQ and the author for sending me an Advance Reader Copy ✨

A lovely read, set around four generations of one family.

Milly works at her family's holiday rental business in the Lake District, which sounded idyllic, both the cabins and the setting. She has recently split with her husband so Milly and her daughter now live in a cabin on the waterfront, with her mother and grandmother close by.

Then Milly gets an SOS call from her old friend Nicole, a well known actress living in the US, as there has been an incident and she needs to lie low for a while. They used to be very close but hadn't spoken in a while and once Nicole gets there this reason is slowly revealed.

There is plenty of romance going on too, with new relationships for Milly's mother, Milly herself and eventually Nicole, and certain issues and secrets are uncovered as the story goes on.

A really lovely laid back story with relatable characters that you really wanted to get their happy ever after, which they did.

Milly runs a holiday retreat in the Lake District with her mother and grandmother, whilst also looking after her teenage daughter Zoe. She divorced her husband Richard 18 months previously, but was heartbroken when she also lost contact with her best friend Nicole, a famous film star. She is therfore surprised when she is asked by Nicole whether she could hide out with her, arriving in disguise late at night.
This is a very emotional book that I absolutely loved, I'm not sure why books such as this one affect me so much, perhaps it's reading about someone else's misery makes me feel lucky in the life that I have. It is not a depressing book, however, rather showing the power of friendship and how this can support you when things are hard. Highly recommended, I devoured this book in one day.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This explores the power and intricacies of true friendship. Not an easy path as found by the 2 main characters who have been friends since childhood. They both become successful women who move apart but when the chips are down come true for each other

Absolutely loved this latest book from the fabulous Sarah Morgan.
She is one of my highest rated go-to authors and I look forward to her twice yearly new books.
The characters and setting in this one were amazing as always,
I loved how both Milly and Nicole's stories unfolded and was rooting for both of them, in their separate dilemmas and also their friendship.
Highly recommend to all!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC.

Milly is 35 and divorced after her ex-husband Richard moved out to be with another woman. She manages an exclusive lakeside resort called Forest Nest in the Lake District together with her mother Connie and grandmother Nanna Peg and looks after 13 year old daughter Zoe who wants to become an actress like her mother's best friend Nicole, who is an A-list Hollywood star. Unfortunately 18 months ago, just after Richard moved out, Nicole started ghosting her old friend but when she suddenly calls and desperately asks Milly for a place to stay, Milly says yes.

This multi-generational book is mostly about female friendship and motherhood, with two romances thrown in in a casual way, but it feels right like that. With the help of a moody crime author and a helpful handyman / architect as kind and supportive love interests plus the healing power of nature, the two women start to reconnect and figure out what they really want in life - but then a bombshell gets dropped, secrets get revealed and reconciliation seems further away than ever.

I have been reading books by Sarah Morgan for years and she is an absolutely fabulous storyteller. This is a compelling multi POV story divided between Milly, Nicole and Connie, which works well. The book is so well-written and really draws you into everybody's point of view. I also loved the setting of the beautiful Lake District and the lovely, feel-good happy ending for everyone. It's heartwarming and uplifting and I read it in one go. Heartily recommended as a pick-me-up.

I was completely immersed in this book by the third paragraph! It is a brilliantly written story of friendship over many years, with a beautiful Lakes setting. I loved the descriptions of the lodge park, I’d really like to book a holiday there! Sarah Morgan constructs a great story with realistic characters, and I strongly recommend this book.

Sarah Morgan novels are pure escapism and I really enjoyed A Secret Escape. It’s billed as a feel-good novel friendship, forgiveness and love and I devoured each page. It follows the story of Milly and Nicole. Milly is now a single mum and runs a holiday home business, whilst Nicole is a successful actress living in LA. They lost contact years ago, but when Nicole calls Milly for help, she drops everything giving her a place to hide. Will they be able to reconnect throughout the summer? This is a fabulous novel with endearing characters and a plot that unfolds perfectly. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Two childhood friends renew their friendship. Molly’s friend Nicole has been absent from her life for some years but suddenly asks for her help. She’s a famous actress but needs a place to hide from the media. What better place than a boathouse in Molly’s upmarket holiday park? As they get to know each other again, Molly realises that it’s not all fun and glamour being a star and Nicole realises how much effort Molly puts into her park to make a success of her life as a single parent. A good story that draws you in, as Sarah Morgan’s books always do.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion. Another fabulous book from Sarah Morgan, I'm not sure if I've read a duff one yet by this author. A beautifuly written story of the bonds of friendship and family. Its heartwarming, emotional, funny but above all quite relatable in parts. A thoroughly enjoyable read that I heartily recommend.

Such a beautiful story from Sarah Morgan.

This is truly a wonderful read centred around family and friendships.

Milly and Nicole have been friends forever, been through thick and thin, but when Nicole suddenly stops contacting Milly, at a time she needs her the most, Milly believes the friendship to be over.

What follows is a story of reconnection, of understanding how someone else might feel when placed in a difficult situation.
The author describes the scenes so well and also develops the characters in a very sensitive way. I really felt I was staying in this beautiful location, surrounded by nature, a fly on the wall to everything going on.

I really liked that the author didn’t complicate this story with lots of romance. The way friendships blossom throughout, with the potential for more was very well written, keeping the focus on our main characters and how they are changing and moving on.

You can really connect with the characters and I think everyone will love Nanna Peg. I can certainly picture her in my minds eye and enjoyed the humour she brought to the story.

How the author portrayed the relationships between mother and daughter throughout this book was wonderful. Whether discussing Nanna Peg and Connie, Connie and Milly or Milly and Zoe, you could feel the resounding love, the care and respect, the difficulty but necessity or letting them live their own lives and help guide them through the tougher times. It shows how you are always a parent, not just when the child is young, but forever.

All in all this book really is A Secret Escape, it lets you escape real life for a while, whilst getting lost in the beautiful Lake District countryside.

A fabulous read that focuses more on friendship, with the addition of relationships. It shows how family and friends can be the most important thing and whilst there are set backs and hard times, the true ones will be there for you no matter the problem. Filled with funny moments, it is a book that will have you smiling every time you pick it up.

I love Sarah Morgan’s books. Sarah’s characters are great they are very interesting and believable. This latest book tells the stories of friendship, family and marriage breakdowns. Milly is heartbroken when her husband leaves her for his much younger fit yoga teacher. Turning to her best friend Nicole she’s gutted when she ghosts her. When Nicole needs a friend she still turns to Milly who of course is there for her. We go through all the ups and downs as they both try to sort out their lives and their friendship. There are some great characters in this especially Nanna Peg. A great summer holiday read

Sarah Morgan is one of my favourite authors for a light-hearted romance, and this one doesn't disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC copy (this has not affected my review). Nicole and Milly have always been best friends, their friendship continuing as Nicole becomes an A-list actress and Milly takes over her family business. However, when Milly's life falls apart during a messy divorce, Nicole drops out of contact, before ringing out of the blue, asking for a safe place to stay. A great holiday read, perfect for fans of Heidi Swain and Philippa Ashley.

Sarah Morgan's writing is always like a big cosy hug - and this book is no exception! A Secret Escape looks at two friends who have been out of touch for a few years while they each experience difficulties, in family life and career. I loved the celeb aspect of this in particular, as well as the beautiful setting, it made me wish I could visit Milly's resort!

The only reason my rating isn't higher is because I was a bit unsure about the POVs - I loved the split between Nicole and Milly's points of view but then was a bit thrown off by having Milly's mum's perspective too because it only came up a couple of times and felt like it disrupted the flow slightly.

However in saying that, it was still such a lovely book overall and I really enjoyed it! Absolutely would recommend.

This is a heartwarming story about two old friends, Milly and Nicole, who reconnect after years apart. Nicole, now a famous actress, turns up in Milly’s village needing a place to stay. As they spend time together, they start to rebuild their broken friendship.

This is THE perfect book to relax with this summer 😎