4.5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets Between Us is a beautifully told tale of two different women - one part of the story is told by Celeste, an 18-year-old woman living in a mountainside French village under Italian control in 1943 that sees an influx of Jewish refugees. Celeste becomes friends with a young woman called Myrian and it changes her life. Fifty years later, Celeste’s granddaughter Annie is trying to uncover her grandmother’s past which means unearthing secrets that have stayed buried for a very long time.

This book definitely surprised me with how beautifully told it was and how easily it sucked me into the tale. I had been expecting a completely different kind of love story truth be told so the direction this book went threw me off guard at first but then just made me love the book and story so much more. It tells a tale of a wonderful female friendship as well as a love that burned for over half a century.

I was definitely a lot more connected to Celeste’s story than Annie’s. Annie seemed very dull and boring compared to Celeste because she wasn’t really doing much and her story was really just a tool so we could see what had become of our Celeste. There were some points made to try and flesh out Annie a bit more - like the potential of a relationship with the village doctor, and a job in the library in Nice but it all fell a bit flat for me because I just always wanted to get back to Celeste in 1943.

I have to say I felt for poor Paul. He wasn’t a bad character overall and some of Celeste’s actions were a little bit selfish at times

(though she was, of course, pushed into the marriage by her parents) but I thought the fact we never got a conversation between him and Celeste before he died a bit sad, and I feel like he was slightly shortchanged when he had died trying to protect Celeste and her family.

I would have liked a bit more at the end if I’m honest. I didn’t like that all we found out about the Reiss’s was told in just one little line, and I felt like there was still a whole story waiting to be told there. I did really like the last line, but I do wonder how it took so long in the end when the book was out there for over 40 years.

But this was a beautiful story and I’m so glad I picked it up.

P.S This book made me want to eat all the bread. ALL the bread!