The Secret Between Us

by Barbara Delinsky

Book Overview

Nothing will break this mother-daughter bond. Not even the truth. Deborah Monroe and her daughter, Grace, are driving home from a party when their car hits a man running in the dark. Grace was at the wheel, but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive, determined to shoulder the blame for the accident. Her decision then turns into a deception that takes on a life of its own and threatens the special bond between mother and daughter. The Secret...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076792519X
• ISBN13: 9780767925198
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Loved This Book!

Loved this book, the story, plot and characters. Just didn’t see some of what was coming. Loved the various relationships, complications and healings. Going to check out more by this author!

It was an ok read

It has lessons on relationships and that made it worth the read.

Thoughts on Book

This is the first book I have read by Barbara Delinsky and I must say that I am very impressed. This is a great book that has kept my interest. I have already ordered another book by her and can't wait to start reading it. I would highly recommend this author.

Great book...

I'll have to say that this is one of the best novels I've read in a long, long time. The plot to this story will touch your heart like you never imagined. Delinsky shows just how deep her talent runs in developing the characters, writing in such a way that you could feel the emotions of each one. I couldn't put this book down because it was so true to life in so many ways. When a marriage takes a turn to the point where one of the partners can feel the need to leave, then great pains should be taken to ensure the children of that union just how much they are still loved by BOTH parents, and it wasn't their (the children's) fault that the marriage ended. A newly-divorced physician that is left with the raising of a teenage daughter and young son, it took Deborah a while to get past the bitterness of being deserted for another woman. It was probably the circumstances involved (which I won't give the story plot away), but Deborah finally looked past her bitterness and realized she needed her ex-husband's help. In the end, he came through for her. Without a doubt, this story will have you reaching for the box of Kleenex. I give this novel a 5-star rating and only wish I could give it more.

Many lessons learned and much healing done

I'm a huge fan of Delinsky and buy her books without reading any reviews. This one didn't disappointment me---but I'm quite surprised by some of the other reviews. To me, this book had so much impact and depth. I loved it. There are the issues of teens drinking and driving, the overwhelming issue of a parent trying to protect or perhaps over-protect her child, the trauma of divorce on the entire family, the guilt over your life's decisions, the keeping of secrets, the telling of lies that affect everyone you love,painful loss of a loved one, expectations that aren't fulfilled. The list goes on and on. There is so much in this story that it's at times painful to digest. Deborah regrets her divorce and what it did to her family. But she lies by omission causing more pain and trauma to her children. There's also the piece that shows a softening of the relationship with everyone she loves--including the ex-husband. And then there's the promise of a new love in the future----perhaps she learned from her past mistakes. How can you not love the story? Perhaps the writing isn't done in the depth of other writers but the story has a huge impact on life and all its issues of living. I couldn't put it down, lost some sleep and pushed work aside to finish this book. To me, that's the kind of book that gets a "5 star" rating.

Great Book!

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book through the BZZAgent program which allows you to try new products and let other people know what you think. That being said, they want you to be honest so if I didn't like this book I'd say so. The opposite is true. I really enjoyed this book. The relationship between the mother and the daughter was really interesting and as the story progresses it gets more complicated. I didn't want this book to end. It is very well written and you come to care about the characters. I have read other Barbara Delinsky novels in the past and have always enjoyed them. I highly recommend this novel!

Secrets are good or bad

The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinksy is truthfully painful. A good novel but with so much guilt that you really start to feel like it's you in the story. It's a can't put down book til the end so that you can see if things come out for better or worse. Deborah Monroe is mom, daughter, sister, ex-wife, and prominent town doctor to a quiet little town in New England. Highly respected and loved, independent, honest to a fault has her life upturned by one little incident. Oh, is it little or bigger than she thinks. Grace Monroe is a loving, athletic, brilliant, devoted teen who knows right from wrong but the one little unfortunate incident throws her into such an emotional turmoil that you sit and wonder how your own child would react to the same thing happening to her. The entire town knows this teen as truthfully honest and reliable almost to perfection which sets Grace up for emotional pain that is unimaginable. The story brings into question what lengths we would go to as a parent in order to protect our children. It also questions our ability to handle one crisis following another as an adult especially in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone. Can secrets truly be hidden in such a small community. Will one little deception tear a family apart not only from themselves but from all prying eyes. Can one selfish person willing cause so much emotional pain and break the trust that has been here for generations. So many questions with too few answers. The author is brilliant with the actual storyline. With living in Massachusetts myself I can actually visualize all the areas that the author takes us to. Even though this is fiction it could also be someone's real life story. It's something we say can't possibly happen to us but in all reality, "It only takes one time", and it could very well come to pass.