Her Best Friend's Secret by Anna Mansell

☆☆☆1/2
Kindle Edition, 386 pages
Expected publication: April 1st 2019 by Bookouture
About the Book:
In summer, the small Cornish village of Gorran Haven fills with tourists, but in the colder months its pretty narrow streets are blissfully quiet, the bell on the village shop door rings only for locals, the beach is unspoilt, empty and safe. It’s been over twenty years since four very different teenage girls sat on that beach, and swore to be best friends forever. Their lives went different ways after Emily left. But each remembered that promise. And none truly found friendship like it again. Now, Emily’s back, with a secret she can’t face. She tries to hide away, take time to heal and make some difficult choices, but she runs into one of her old friends, and soon the four are reunited. Lolly, warm as ever, is a successful physiotherapist, married with kids. Yet smart, strong Amanda, who cherishes her teenage daughter, is alone and seemingly stuck in a dead-end job. And creative Jess is so much quieter than Emily remembers. The bond is still there, and Emily realises their friendship might keep her together, but there are reasons why the women fell out of touch. Secrets that have lain dormant for decades start to surface, and then one of the women discovers a betrayal so big, it could turn each of their lives upside down. It’s always those we’re closest to who have the power to tear us apart. Can friendship give Emily and her friends the strength to survive a devastating shock, or are some things unforgivable?

This book started a little slow for me, but by the halfway point I was captivated with this story and the fierce bond the women had with one another. I was equally captured by the conflict between them. I had so many questions, questions that were slowly answered throughout the novel and in just the right time. This book shows how even though we can have the fiercest of bonds with someone, guilt can bring us to doubt, to point fingers, to desperately want logical explanations to the extent to which we would throw someone under the bus to get them, no matter how much we love that person.

The plot is full of rich characters. They are all over the place with their decisions and behaviour. These women have so many flaws and issues and secrets. Layer after layer is uncovered, and you never expect what lies underneath or why they do what they do. I also loved the ending, as each woman becomes a stronger version of herself and three of the four manage it without a man.

I don’t know how Anna Mansell does it – the characters have so much going on, so much happening behind the scenes, and the plot is intricate, with surprise twists and the focus and mistrust constantly shifting. But everything makes sense and the pace is perfect. The story just flows along. You are drawn in chapter after chapter until you can’t put it down and end up finishing it in a day like I did.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Anna Mansell for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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