4 Star
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?
Kathryn - 4 Star
The introduction of Tessa and her children was so well done that I could picture the kids and their moods and even the faces they were making. They were so well painted I was entirely hooked and emotionally drawn into their situation. The picture isn't filled in though and the gaps take the entire novel to slip into place. That could be a little frustrating at times mostly because motive for certain actions are unclear for so long. That is how we do suspense though!
Tessa is an interesting juxtaposition of confident and unsure. She is intimidated by her seemingly perfect neighbour Rebecca and yet finds herself running two households and all the kids lives with ease when she is needed.
The two women become really close... to be honest though I was never really comfortable with their relationship. It may have felt more authentic from the inside but from the outside it made me nervous. And there was reason to feel that way... but I'm not going to give it away.
The novel is slow burn with cautious intensity and I loved the intrigue and the bonds between women and mothers. I wish I could have known what happened further down the line on their lives.
I loved this book by Kate Hewitt but wished there had been a few more ends tied up!
Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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