‘Is her life as easy and effortless as it seems from the outside? Or is she feeling lonely, all by herself in that big house, an evening stretching out in front of her just as it is for me?’
When Tessa arrives at the little house by the lake with her two children Ben and Katherine, it is an escape. For all of them. Never mind that the rental house is a bit small – it’s theirs for the summer. A place to hide…
Their isolation is disrupted when they meet the family from the big house next door. Three children Charlotte, Zoe and Max and their glamorous mother Rebecca – who seems absolutely determined to invite Tessa in to their lives.
But Rebecca is harbouring a dark secret of her own. One that will put not only her family at risk, but Tessa’s too. And when she discovers she has no option but to leave her children for several weeks, Tessa feels like the only person she can trust.
Suddenly Tessa finds herself living a life she could only have dreamed of. Wealth, a large brood of children, and Rebecca’s handsome husband Josh visiting at weekends.
But even as powerful bonds are forming between them, secrets have a way of catching up with people. And as the summer comes to an end, who will learn to love again and who will risk losing everything?
My review
No matter how hard it is, the past has to be dealt with …
I had the feeling throughout the story that nobody could be trusted. Everybody seems to be hiding a secret and it was as if, any minute, a bomb could explode.
The book is divided in chapters alternating between Tessa and Rebecca telling their point of view. When you crave a friend, you sometimes end up with something you did not wish for and that’s when hell breaks loose.
It’s a very enthralling and gripping book. It pulls your heartstrings so hard, they are on the verge to break. 5 stars.
Thank you, Kate Hewitt, Bookouture and Netgalley
About the author
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.
B for Bookreview 