This was my first book by Kate Hewitt and I really did not know what to expect. I loved getting to know the two main characters, Tessa and Rebecca, with the alternating chapters. It was easy to follow but you were able to see things from two, often very different, perspectives.

The story engaged me from the start but I enjoyed the slow build up that really let you make your judgments about who you "thought" these two women were. Most of the rollercoaster ride doesn't start until you are midway through the book and I loved how it totally threw me for a loop. I enjoyed the idea that things are not always how they seem and you don't always know the issues someone is facing at first glance. There were definitely some heavy issues weaved into their storylines and this book kept me guessing until the very end. The title was perfect and truly captured what this book was all about. I definitely recommend this one and am excited to read more from Kate Hewitt. ( )

Plain, middle classTessa goes to the lake with her 2 kids. There she meets Rachel, a rich mom with 3 kids. Tessa thinks Rachel has everything together and envies her. As the book goes on, we find that both moms have severe problems. ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

When Tessa McIntyre and her children go away for the summer, they rent a cabin on the beach. They meet their immediate neighbors, Rebecca Finlay and her three children. At first, it seems that the two families will not get along. The women could not be any different. However, for reasons unclear to Tessa at the time, Rebecca wants to befriend her. So, they begin to spend a lot of time together. For their many differences, they both have, at the very least, difficult marriages.

Tessa and Rebecca escape for the summer for entirely different reasons. Tessa is hoping to not just get away from the city and life that has for some reason become unbearable, including her relationship with her husband Kyle. Rebecca has been relegated to a "lesser" vacation by her husband, due to previous actions of hers. He has denied her their usual vacation in the Hamptons. So, she will just have to make the best of things. Enter Tessa and things just got interesting.

We learn quite a bit about Rebecca and the deep problems that she is suffering, and the coping mechanisms she chooses to deal with them. Tessa has her own demons, but rises high in this book as she spends time with Rebecca and her family. Poor Tessa blithely allowed Rebecca to steamroll over her life for a time.

While I was exceptionally connected to these characters, both the parents and all of the children, I was incredibly grief-stricken by the conclusion. I found that shift to be just a bit over the edge. I felt as if I needed a much-better resolution. Even knowing that this was designed to be an emotional read, I truly felt the twists were extremely overwhelming. The ending of this story left me wrecked. The issues dealing with mental health and self-harm were tragic and truly affected my sensibilities. With the exception of the shocking twist at the end, I found this to be a very well-written book.

All said, this compelling story was impossible to put down and I read it in one sitting. It is a fast-paced and emotional read all of the way through, if not rushed during the last few chapters. I have read Kate Hewitt before and will say that she has a fantastic way of pulling at your heartstrings. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Two women take 3 months away with their kids, renting houses on one of the Finger Lakes. One, privileged, wealthy yet is displaying some serious addictive self-harming behavior. The other, the opposite on paper, mousy and anxious, seemingly worried about nothing. Yet both have secrets that they are trying to protect and overcome.

I don’t enjoy whiny insecure protagonists. I don’t enjoy having people like that in my own life and I certainly don’t enjoy being in their head for the hours it takes me to finish a book about them. This book is 50% Rebecca and 50% Tessa and only half of it was enjoyable to read.

Tessa is that stereotypical character that gets written into books because the author thinks they’ll be a good foil to the rich lady, and yet, she is so unbearably waifish and desperate. I kept expecting something else to be the reason Tessa was so sulky and insecure but the surprise never came. Rebecca’s big secret, the origin of all her destructive behavior, certainly wasn’t hard to figure out, but the reveal was well done, as was the writing of her behavior. Their husbands and children were background noise for the most part, with very little depth until the last few chapters.

I could’ve done with a bit less fretting from Tessa or a bit more of a punch on why she was the way she was, but overall it was a good read that felt consistent and that Hewitt knew where she was going from the start.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review. ( )

Why do we keep secrets from others? Are we embarrassed by ourselves, our families, our lives? Secrets can be difficult to maintain and when you have a best friend, it's even more difficult. Even more difficult are the secrets that we keep from ourselves - those little truths that we don't think about or realize are really true. This is a novel about secrets - secrets from family, from friends but mostly from ourselves.

Tessa and her two children have rented a cabin for the summer to get away from NYC, to get away from the husband she is growing further apart from and the life that she doesn't seem to fit into. The cabin is a tiny dilapidated house in the midst of huge lake mansions. Next door is the very rich and beautiful Rebecca with her three children, also escaping from her life. Despite the huge difference in their lives, Tessa and Rebecca become friends as do their children - though the children become friends very reluctantly. As Rebecca starts to shower Tessa with things like make- overs and new clothes, it also becomes apparent to Tessa that Rebecca is harboring a deep secret about her life. As the secrets come to light who will be most hurt by the truth - friends, husbands or children or will the real harm be to Tessa and Rebecca?

This is a novel about friendship and secrets and family. It's a story of two woman, though leading very different lives,who are still very much the same because of the secrets in their lives. Both women are very well written - flaws and all - and I found myself rooting for both of them from page 1. This is a wonderful character driven book and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )