Partner - Penguin Random House International

First things first, someone needs to make this into a movie, or better yet, a mini series AND I need to land a role in it, because I loved it so much!

This book had everything I love: spies, romance, politics, Russian history and literature. I was sold just from reading the synopsis and I was crossing my fingers I would love it as much as I hoped!

Full of vibrant, interesting and easily distinguishable characters, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, turning the pages furiously to find out what would happen next! The events that took place in the West were just as thrilling as the events that took place in the East, and frankly, I didn't know which part of the story I wanted to read more of!

The writing is elegant, fast paced when needed and more languid when also needed. It didn't make me feel bored and nothing was handed out on a plate for me, the author made me think, not only what would happen next, but also contemplate politics, freedom of speech, homosexual relationships in the 50s-60s, etc. It provided so much food for thought, I wished all of my bookworm friends read it, so we could have hour-long discussions about it!

The characters, as I already mentioned, are unique with distinct voices and all come from interesting backgrounds. There are main and supporting characters of course, but the author had given such care to both categories, that every character matters and is an active part of moving the story forward.

All in all, "The secrets we kept" is a book that totally captivated me and had me thinking about it long after I finished it! I will be soon returning to the story and the characters, but this time, I'll annotate the hell out of this book and will definitely enjoy my second time visiting the story.