I am delighted to feature Her Best Friend's Secret by Anna Mansell to Books, Life and Everything today.
Your best friend deserves the truth. But it will ruin her
life. What would you do?
In summer, the small Cornish village of Gorran Haven fills
with tourists, but in the colder months its pretty narrow streets are
blissfully quiet, the bell on the village shop door rings only for locals, the
beach is unspoilt, empty and safe.
It’s been over twenty years since four very different
teenage girls sat on that beach, and swore to be best friends forever. Their
lives went different ways after Emily left. But each remembered that promise.
And none truly found friendship like it again.
Now, Emily’s back, with a secret she can’t face. She tries
to hide away, take time to heal and make some difficult choices, but she runs
into one of her old friends, and soon the four are reunited. Lolly, warm as
ever, is a successful physiotherapist, married with kids. Yet smart, strong
Amanda, who cherishes her teenage daughter, is alone and seemingly stuck in a
dead-end job. And creative Jess is so much quieter than Emily remembers.
The bond is still there, and Emily realises their friendship
might keep her together, but there are reasons why the women fell out of touch.
Secrets that have lain dormant for decades start to surface, and then one of
the women discovers a betrayal so big, it could turn each of their lives upside
down.
It’s always those we’re closest to who have the power to
tear us apart. Can friendship give Emily and her friends the strength to
survive a devastating shock, or are some things unforgiveable?
Full of truths about friendship, marriage, and the
relationships that define us, Her Best Friend’s Secret is a powerful, relatable
and emotionally gripping novel for fans of Jojo Moyes, Diane Chamberlain, and
The Silent Wife.
My Thoughts
This is a great exploration of friendship and the bonds which stay in place over the years. Told through the eyes of four women, Twenty years ago, they were inseparable, but as they drifted apart, they lost touch. Reunited now aged around forty, you get to uncover secrets which they have kept hidden.
All four women prove to have their own secrets which they gradually allow to surface. There are several surprising events and at times, you wonder if their friendships will be able to survive. What does become clear is that they are all strong characters in their own right although some of them have issues to work through to rediscover this.
The structure of the book, in short chapters and with alternating viewpoints around the four makes for a very readable and accessible story. There are some emotional moments but at the same time, Amanda's humour, which is so to the point, proves a good contrast. Trust and betrayal, truth and lies are threaded through the four women's stories as they reassess the values they live by. All four are shown to have flaws and unresolved issues to work through. Watching them do this makes for an engrossing read.
In short: Powerful issues threaten to pull old ties of friendship apart.
About the Author
Anna had a brush with 'fame' as a magician's assistant back
in
1977. She later decided that being sawn in half by her magical performing
father, at barely 6 months old, was too submissive a role. She vowed to channel
the trauma in to something much more pro-actively creative. Having failed at
acting, singing and professional murder mystery parties (she was ALWAYs the one
to die!), she fell to something much more solitary: writing. She has written
three novels, published by Bookouture, her fourth - HER BEST FRIEND'S SECRET -
comes out on April 1st, 2019. Anna lives on a dairy farm in Cornwall with her
two children, her husband, and her ex-racing greyhound, Olive Dog.
Thanks to Anna Mansell, and Noelle Holten of Bookouture, for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
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