kaixxx's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, it was set in two time periods and went between each of them.
The story of Libby had me completely hooked from the beginning as really wanted to know what happened to her in the end. Her life was not easy after being left by her husband after a miscarriage, she tried to start again while living with her mother in law. She then falls in love and pregnant but things do not look to get better for her. The question always being what led for her suitcase to be left in the house to then be discovered years later in a house that never gets lived in.
While Zoe moved into the house with her husband Win after having a miscarriage. Zoe tries to move past it and move on using her investigation into Libby to help her. This was a good book that had me crying and smiling. Definitely a book I would recommend xx
The story of Libby had me completely hooked from the beginning as really wanted to know what happened to her in the end. Her life was not easy after being left by her husband after a miscarriage, she tried to start again while living with her mother in law. She then falls in love and pregnant but things do not look to get better for her. The question always being what led for her suitcase to be left in the house to then be discovered years later in a house that never gets lived in.
While Zoe moved into the house with her husband Win after having a miscarriage. Zoe tries to move past it and move on using her investigation into Libby to help her. This was a good book that had me crying and smiling. Definitely a book I would recommend xx
snazzybooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this novel! It had everything I wanted in it - great characters, a plot featuring dual narratives, and a sense of mystery in working out how certain characters may or may not be connected...
I don't read that much historical romance but I would definitely read more if they were all as engaging as this! I felt that Sarra Manning is particularly great at creating a real sense of atmosphere around the times the two main characters - Zoe and Libby - are living in. I loved the present day narrative which felt refreshing familiar every time I came back from the narrative set in the 1930's. It's amazing how different their lives are, but in many ways are very similar, and that's partly what this novel seems to focus on.
There were times I really disliked the male 'love interests' but on the whole I really warmed to both Zoe and Libby, increasingly liking them as I read more about them. Sarra Manning has effectively created a a real sense of atmosphere but including hidden or less obvious objects and elements in and around the 'house of secrets'. I personally really enjoyed the switch between eras too, though I know some people don't get along with this type of narrative structure.
I also liked that the plot surprised me at various points; sometimes I thought I knew exactly what would happen, but often it wasn't as black and white as that. I feel that this reflects real life more, and I really preferred that not everything was tied up with a nice bow...
I'd highly recommend The House of Secrets for anyone looking to read a well structured and beautifully written historical novel, and I will certainly be reading more by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Sphere and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
I don't read that much historical romance but I would definitely read more if they were all as engaging as this! I felt that Sarra Manning is particularly great at creating a real sense of atmosphere around the times the two main characters - Zoe and Libby - are living in. I loved the present day narrative which felt refreshing familiar every time I came back from the narrative set in the 1930's. It's amazing how different their lives are, but in many ways are very similar, and that's partly what this novel seems to focus on.
There were times I really disliked the male 'love interests' but on the whole I really warmed to both Zoe and Libby, increasingly liking them as I read more about them. Sarra Manning has effectively created a a real sense of atmosphere but including hidden or less obvious objects and elements in and around the 'house of secrets'. I personally really enjoyed the switch between eras too, though I know some people don't get along with this type of narrative structure.
I also liked that the plot surprised me at various points; sometimes I thought I knew exactly what would happen, but often it wasn't as black and white as that. I feel that this reflects real life more, and I really preferred that not everything was tied up with a nice bow...
I'd highly recommend The House of Secrets for anyone looking to read a well structured and beautifully written historical novel, and I will certainly be reading more by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Sphere and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
alysar's review against another edition
4.0
Love Sarra Manning’s writing though this one lagged a bit in the middle. But the end was heartbreaking and intense and perfect, so it all worked in the end.
hanspam's review against another edition
4.0
I can remember reading Sarra Manning's Diary of a Crush column in Just Seventeen and J17 magazine when I was growing up, and loving Dylan and Edie and all their friends. Since then, I've read nearly all of the books she's published, and there hasn't been one that has disappointed me. A couple hold secret places in my heart (Nobody's Girl and Unsticky), and The House of Secrets looks set to join them...
The book splits between two timelines, one in the 1930s focusing on Libby, a thirtysomething whose husband has abandoned her after she lost their baby, and the second in present-day London, with Zoe and Win also recovering from an horrendous miscarriage where they didn't realise Zoe was pregnant until it was too late. Their stories are connected by a house in Highgate, bought for Libby in the 1930s, and bought by Zoe and Win 80 years later, and something contained within draws Zoe to Libby's story...
There seem to have been a lot of books published recently where there are multiple timelines, and this appeals to my short attention span as the story moves from period to period and back again. At first, I was much more enamoured with Libby in the 1930s, feeling outraged by the behaviour of her husband Freddy (who reminded me an awful lot of Esmond Romilly, is that just me?), and Libby's determination to pick herself up and avoid being brought down by her vile mother-in-law struck a chord. In contrast, Zoe and Win's present day troubles took longer to draw me in, but once they did I was rooting for their story to end well - even though, for a lot of the time, I thought their happy ending meant that they wouldn't end up together.
It's not giving too much away to say that both stories contained within The House of Secrets share more than a common house, but the heartbreaking loss of a child before its birth, and Zoe tries to find out what happened to Libby once she finds a suitcase filled with her possessions (including a diary and a baby's outfit) in the house - the house which had not been lived in until she and Win bought it. I couldn't be further away from being in a similar situation to that of both Libby and Zoe, but that should never be a barrier to enjoying good fiction, and as the book progressed I found myself racing towards its conclusion as I was desperate to find out how it ended. Unusually, I couldn't predict the ending - as I mentioned above, I wasn't convinced there was a happily ever after for Zoe and Win, and Libby's situation with the too-good-to-be-true Hugo also looked desperate as the book went on. Without wishing to give anything away, I was happy with the way that both tales ended, but because I read the latter third of the book so quickly I definitely need to read The House of Secrets again. More than once, and hopefully with a giant mug of tea and Dolly Mixtures to hand...
The book splits between two timelines, one in the 1930s focusing on Libby, a thirtysomething whose husband has abandoned her after she lost their baby, and the second in present-day London, with Zoe and Win also recovering from an horrendous miscarriage where they didn't realise Zoe was pregnant until it was too late. Their stories are connected by a house in Highgate, bought for Libby in the 1930s, and bought by Zoe and Win 80 years later, and something contained within draws Zoe to Libby's story...
There seem to have been a lot of books published recently where there are multiple timelines, and this appeals to my short attention span as the story moves from period to period and back again. At first, I was much more enamoured with Libby in the 1930s, feeling outraged by the behaviour of her husband Freddy (who reminded me an awful lot of Esmond Romilly, is that just me?), and Libby's determination to pick herself up and avoid being brought down by her vile mother-in-law struck a chord. In contrast, Zoe and Win's present day troubles took longer to draw me in, but once they did I was rooting for their story to end well - even though, for a lot of the time, I thought their happy ending meant that they wouldn't end up together.
It's not giving too much away to say that both stories contained within The House of Secrets share more than a common house, but the heartbreaking loss of a child before its birth, and Zoe tries to find out what happened to Libby once she finds a suitcase filled with her possessions (including a diary and a baby's outfit) in the house - the house which had not been lived in until she and Win bought it. I couldn't be further away from being in a similar situation to that of both Libby and Zoe, but that should never be a barrier to enjoying good fiction, and as the book progressed I found myself racing towards its conclusion as I was desperate to find out how it ended. Unusually, I couldn't predict the ending - as I mentioned above, I wasn't convinced there was a happily ever after for Zoe and Win, and Libby's situation with the too-good-to-be-true Hugo also looked desperate as the book went on. Without wishing to give anything away, I was happy with the way that both tales ended, but because I read the latter third of the book so quickly I definitely need to read The House of Secrets again. More than once, and hopefully with a giant mug of tea and Dolly Mixtures to hand...
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
If you asked me if I liked this book, I'd just pull a bit of a face and shrug. I read it without stopping, but I wasn't engaged in either the characters or their stories.
I felt for Zoe and I genuinely wanted to see her come out of the dark period in her life. She was a warm character that I could sympathise with. Win on the other hand was an absolutedickarse. I didn't warm to him at all, and found the constant defence of his actions as being down to a poor childhood both ridiculous and lazy.
Libby was very engaging as a character, but I almost didn't trust her. I felt that she was too emotional and her dallying between Freddy and Hugo and her insta-love relationships just had me waiting for poop to hit the fan.
I also didn't really like the connection between the two women. In [b:After the Last Dance|25769970|After the Last Dance|Sarra Manning|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445800299s/25769970.jpg|45617716] the stories of Jane and Rose were linked because they knew each other. But 'The House of Secrets' was so tenuous. Made more so by the tragic and coincidental link between Zoe and Libby.
Overall I read it all, but it wasn't as warm and engaging as I'd hoped.
I felt for Zoe and I genuinely wanted to see her come out of the dark period in her life. She was a warm character that I could sympathise with. Win on the other hand was an absolute
Spoiler
If my husband walked out on me after that tragedy in a strop and refused to help me, he wouldn't be getting back in that door again with ease. I certainly wouldn't go and apologise to him!Libby was very engaging as a character, but I almost didn't trust her. I felt that she was too emotional and her dallying between Freddy and Hugo and her insta-love relationships just had me waiting for poop to hit the fan.
I also didn't really like the connection between the two women. In [b:After the Last Dance|25769970|After the Last Dance|Sarra Manning|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445800299s/25769970.jpg|45617716] the stories of Jane and Rose were linked because they knew each other. But 'The House of Secrets' was so tenuous. Made more so by the tragic and coincidental link between Zoe and Libby.
Overall I read it all, but it wasn't as warm and engaging as I'd hoped.
afoolsingenuity's review
4.0
4 stars
This book was one I was eagerly anticipating as I had adored Sarra Manning's last book, After The Last Dance, and this one seemed to follow similar style of being set in the present and the past telling two storylines in tandem with characters linked in the strangest way. I do think that I loved After the Last Dance more. I connected with the characters better and the book destroyed me but this one was brilliantly written and impacted in a different way.
I loved the present day story of Zoe and Win moving into a rundown project house which was a true fixer upper. Their discovery of a suitcase and a diary owned by Libby was brilliant and seeing the two go through the heartbreaks that they had was amazing. I mean, they broke me, I almost cried at some moments of their relationship. I adored Win and how he wasn't perfect but he was so utterly in love with Zoe and he was so scared of losing control of his life and losing her. He was not the perfect man but he was the one I would have wanted to.
As for Libby and her story, she was fun and enigmatic and I adored her. She loved so easily and even when she was at her lowest she had more personality than many of the men she loved. I felt for her throughout her ordeals and I wished she had had a better go of things in London because most of the men in her life were beasts, even Freddy. She deserved more than she got.
I hate to reveal spoilers so this will be hidden. The part of both the stories which I really loved was the fact both Zoe and Libby had suffered miscarriages. Both had lost a child they had never even gotten a chance to know and the way it was written about, was utterly brilliant. I think that is why I adored this book as much as I did. Miscarriages and discussions of the difficulties of both getting pregnant and being pregnant are rarely discussed. Pregnancy is only ever allowed to be a joyous fantastic thing but sometimes things go wrong. There were statistics quoted in the books that mean there will people you know who have suffered and may never have spoken about it because it is taboo. I really loved how it was written about. People were sympathetic to their plight but didn't understand and it was the kind of thing to 'move on' from. No one recognised the connection felt to that unborn child and I loved how it was acceptable to grieve what could have been. That was what stood out me.
As a whole, I adored this book. Once it got going I was hooked and every time real life got in the way of reading it I was upset. It may not have put me through the emotional ringer like After the Last Dance but it did hit me hard and it will stay with me for a while yet.
This book was one I was eagerly anticipating as I had adored Sarra Manning's last book, After The Last Dance, and this one seemed to follow similar style of being set in the present and the past telling two storylines in tandem with characters linked in the strangest way. I do think that I loved After the Last Dance more. I connected with the characters better and the book destroyed me but this one was brilliantly written and impacted in a different way.
I loved the present day story of Zoe and Win moving into a rundown project house which was a true fixer upper. Their discovery of a suitcase and a diary owned by Libby was brilliant and seeing the two go through the heartbreaks that they had was amazing. I mean, they broke me, I almost cried at some moments of their relationship. I adored Win and how he wasn't perfect but he was so utterly in love with Zoe and he was so scared of losing control of his life and losing her. He was not the perfect man but he was the one I would have wanted to.
As for Libby and her story, she was fun and enigmatic and I adored her. She loved so easily and even when she was at her lowest she had more personality than many of the men she loved. I felt for her throughout her ordeals and I wished she had had a better go of things in London because most of the men in her life were beasts, even Freddy. She deserved more than she got.
Spoiler
I hate to reveal spoilers so this will be hidden. The part of both the stories which I really loved was the fact both Zoe and Libby had suffered miscarriages. Both had lost a child they had never even gotten a chance to know and the way it was written about, was utterly brilliant. I think that is why I adored this book as much as I did. Miscarriages and discussions of the difficulties of both getting pregnant and being pregnant are rarely discussed. Pregnancy is only ever allowed to be a joyous fantastic thing but sometimes things go wrong. There were statistics quoted in the books that mean there will people you know who have suffered and may never have spoken about it because it is taboo. I really loved how it was written about. People were sympathetic to their plight but didn't understand and it was the kind of thing to 'move on' from. No one recognised the connection felt to that unborn child and I loved how it was acceptable to grieve what could have been. That was what stood out me.
As a whole, I adored this book. Once it got going I was hooked and every time real life got in the way of reading it I was upset. It may not have put me through the emotional ringer like After the Last Dance but it did hit me hard and it will stay with me for a while yet.
kiki_reads's review
4.0
This book manages to give you a good historical and contemporary story at the same time and both are really good. They both start off with sadness and end up happy and heart-warming which is something to be expected of a Sarra Manning story. I must admit that although both Zoe and Libby are good characters, I much preferred Libby and her story as it was more exciting. I did expect it to have a little more comedy involved, but that was just me making assumptions as I usually find her books laugh out loud funny. Overall it was a very good book, but in my opinion it was not as good as, After The Last Dance.
fatemahmorozova's review
3.0
Not quite as enjoyable as Manning's other books- I found this to be kinda slow moving with not much happening. I'm still very confused about Hugo's character and how he behaved the way he did.
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