My Secret Lies With You by Faye Bird

My Secret Lies With You by Faye Bird

Hi All!
Today is my stop on the blog tour for My Secret Lies With You and I am supposed to be reviewing the book but I ran out of time due to some personal things that went out of my control. So instead I wanted to share my initial thoughts – I’m about 50% of the way through the book – and I’ll post an official review of the book by the end of the week. I want to use this moment to apologise to both the Author and Publisher for not managing to finish this book on time!

I also have a little guest post from Faye Bird.

**A copy of this book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review**

Title: My Secret Lies With You
Author: Faye Bird
Publisher: Usborne
Published: 13th June 2019
Pages: 247
Format: Paperback
Source:: Review Copy from Publisher
Add It: Amazon UK Goodreads.
Summary:Three close friends. Two unforgettable summers. One girl’s darkest secret.

Alys appeared last summer, and then she vanished without a trace. Cait’s new in town and she needs to know the truth: Who is Alys?

My Initial Thoughts

From the very first page, you become instantly hooked on this book! There is a short snippet from Alys’ side of things and it really brings out the curiosity in the reader. I needed to know what Alys did! From there we’re dived into Cait’s POV and I have to admit, I really loved reading from her side of things. Faye Bird has a way of really getting into the head of the characters and I loved seeing how Cait feels about her holiday and her mum’s new boyfriend. It’s definitely a good start to the book and I am intrigued to know how this side of the story is going to escalate.

Next up, we’re introduced to Hannah’s POV and finally get to meet Alys. And what an introduction! It’s really interesting reading about it all from Hannah’s perspective and it definitely feels like something is a little off but I cannot work out what it is. There is this little atmosphere surrounding the book that just consistently pulls you into the story and I definitely need to know what is going to happen, both last summer and in the present one. How does it all come together?

Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to getting to the end of this book and finding out what is going on! I will report on this as soon as I can!

One of Faye Bird’s Favourite Mystery Books

The success of this book for me rests in the first person voice of Cadence Sinclair Eastman. Cadence is part of the beautiful Sinclair family where everything is perfect, on the outside at least. As she says, “We are the Sinclairs. No one is needy. No one is wrong.” And yet despite this authority, this sense of self-assured confidence, her own words often undercut what she says. She speaks a truth – her own truth – that is full of buried hurt and pain. Her storytelling is self-conscious. Part One is called Welcome. She literally welcomes us into her world, the world of the book. We are aware at all times that she is entirely in control of this story, introducing us to the people, the places, the things. I imagine that this self-conscious storytelling could create distance for some readers, but I was captivated by Cadence and I think this was in part because her ‘telling’ is so very beautifully tempered by E. Lockhart’s use of the present tense which punctuates the moments in between the telling so that they stands out urgently and boldly, raw even in the in between. I’m thinking particularly of all the times when the four Liars are together – “Gat, Mirren, Johnny and me.” Because this group and all that it entails is the beating heart of this story, and in it there is love and there is tragedy, like all the best stories. And the ending is one of the best. It’s a gasp-worthy moment. I won’t say too much more other than if you haven’t read it yet, then do!

Follow the Tour

Will you be reading this book?