My Mother's Secret

My Mother’s Secret – a book review

If you have read my book reviews before you will already know that I’m a big fan of Sanjida Kay, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of her new novel, My Mother’s Secret. Published through Corvus Books last month, this is the third book from Kay, and has proved as much of a page turner as I found Bone by Bone and The Stolen Child.

My Mother's Secret

My Mother’s Secret is told through the viewpoint of three women, Lizzie Bradshaw, Emma Taylor and her daughter Stella Taylor.  Lizzie comes the Lake District, is a student and young mother and is working away from her husband and baby, in Leeds.  Emma is mother to two daughters, married to Jack and lives in Long Ashton, near Bristol.  Stella is her eldest daughter, full of teenage angst and determined to rebel against her mother’s controlling nature.

Lizzie and Emma both hold secrets, kept to keep their families safe.  But Stella is hell-bent on finding out what her mother’s secret is.

The story of My Mother’s Secret is well told, and we weave from one character to the next as one of the characters finds herself in an awful situation which will lead her to make a decision that will change her life forever.  The impact of this decision is played out throughout the pages of the book as the consequences of that one moment ripple through the lives of each character.

There are lots of twists and turns as we get to know each of the women and their families, and read about their lives.  I don’t want to ruin the plot for you by going into too much detail, but a few things click into place and you think you’ve sussed out where the story is going.  Then it twists again, and you realise you haven’t uncovered everything.  In fact, one very clever part of this story is only revealed very close to the end which changes everything.

I couldn’t put My Mother’s Secret down, as I could relate to each of the characters and tried to think how I would deal with the decisions each had to make.  It’s rather thought-provoking, as a mother now myself, I just couldn’t imagine what one of the characters had to go through.

If you’re looking for something to add to your summer reading list, then click on my Amazon Affiliate link below and buy a copy of My Mother’s Secret, it’s a great read.

disclosure:  we were sent the item mentioned in exchange for an honest review

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