Disclaimer: This book was kindly gifted to me by Pan Macmillan SA in exchange for an honest review.
Book Details
Title: Our Dark Secret; Author: Jenny Quintana; Publisher: Pan Macmillan SA; Published: 06 February 2020; Genres: Thriller, Psychological Fiction; Page count: 312
My Thoughts
Our Dark Secret is told in two timelines. With that we get to see what happened in the past (1978) leading to present situation (1999). this was executed perfectly, building up the story leading up to the events happening at present day. The story is a tale of complicated teen relationships, family relations, the past, silence and death.
These complicated relationships built up the suspense towards the entire story. I actually loved the complications of the relationships but the way they unfolded was a bit off for me. However, I was really bothered by how uneven the relationship between Elizabeth and Rachel was. At some point it seemed like it was forced. Not only that, the choices or decisions that were taken by Elizabeth throughout the book were just ridiculous. You know when you just keep screaming at a character every time they do something, that was me throughout my reading journey lol. Elizabeth goes above and beyond for Rachel and that is not reciprocated at all.
The story overall is a slow-burn style mystery that issues a sense of dread from the opening. I was not really bothered by how slow paced the book was but you might need to consider that before getting to the story. For me this book was a bit predictable which at the end reduced my rating for the book.
Its a very light domestic thriller that I would recommend to check out if you appreciate introspective thrillers
Synopsis
From the author of The Missing Girl, Jenny Quintana’s gripping novel, Our Dark Secret, tells the story of two girls, two deaths and two decades of silence . . .
The crazy girls, they called them – or at least, Elizabeth liked to think they did. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was clever, overweight and a perfect victim for the bullies. Then Rachel and her family arrived in town and, for Elizabeth, it was as if a light had been switched on. She was drawn to the bright and beautiful Rachel like a moth to a flame. Rachel had her own reasons for wanting Elizabeth as a friend, and although their relationship was far from equal, Elizabeth would do anything for Rachel. Then the first body was discovered.
Twenty years on, Elizabeth wants nothing more than to keep the secrets of her teenage years where they belong: in the past. But another body has been found, and she can’t keep running from what happened. Can she?
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