Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert

Sometimes I read books that aren't my typical genre just to reach out and maybe find something fun that I would have missed otherwise. I am always so pleased when this works out in my favor. In the case of Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert, I can't really call it a success. Sloane has a great life, some people might even think it is perfect. She is married to her gorgeous high school sweetheart who adores her and she has a wonderful daughter whom she adores. The problem is that over the last year or so Sloane has felt that something in her life is missing, she feels unsettled and unhappy and she doesn't even really know why. When her aunt offers to let her use her vacation house for three weeks, Sloane is thrilled with the idea. "Enter broken. Leave fixed." These are the words her aunt gives her as a promise and as a mandate. Sloane takes her friend Hillary with her and they set off for a much-needed rest, only that rest is interrupted when Sloane's best friend from college, Georgina, crashes the party. Georgina is anything but restful and Sloane is still angry with her for leaving her in her time of need a year before. Of course, as the title makes clear, there are plenty of secrets between the three women and eventually they all come pouring out of them. 

I don't usually like chick lit and this is it to the core. It's about women and friendships, and it would be a perfect beach read for someone who enjoys this genre, but it really didn't appeal to me very much. Sloane is unhappy in her marriage, but rather than take the time to work on it, she runs off and pretends the problems don't exist. Georgina and Hillary are also both running from their own secrets and don't appear to put much work into making things better until the very end. In the author's note at the end, she suggests there may be a sequel so that may be why the end felt abrupt. I can't say I found any of these women particularly likable which also made this a difficult read for me. Of course I am well aware that there is a great following of this genre and as far as I can tell this book would certainly be enjoyed by its fans. If this is your kind of thing, pick it up and hopefully you'll see something I missed.