Blog Tour Review, My Stepmother’s Secret

My Stepmother’s Secret
Emma Robinson251 pages
Bookouture
published April 3, 2023

Amazon | Goodreads

About the book

It’s in that moment, I realise – I have nowhere to turn. If my precious daughters and I are going to have a roof over our heads, we have to return to my childhood home. The one I’ve not felt welcome in since my father died. The one where the woman who destroyed our family still lives…

Today marks the end of my life as I know it. I have absolutely nowhere to go, no-one to turn to. My husband’s lies have ruined our family and wrecked our marriage. And now he’s disappeared, leaving just a promise to make it all right.

My daughters, Olivia and Alice, need me like never before. I will do whatever it takes to stay strong, to keep them safe and loved. So I turn to the one place I hoped never to return to. When my dad died, he left me his house, with one proviso. His second wife, my stepmother, was to be allowed to live there for as long as she wanted. She hasn’t welcomed me there, or shown a single sign of leaving, since.

But I have no choice. I need to ask for her help.

Little do I know that everything I thought I knew about the woman who destroyed my life when I was a child is about to come crashing down. Living together now, the secrets that have kept us apart for all these years are finally revealing themselves. Will our fragile bond break completely, or could it be the only thing that saves me and my daughters…?

An emotional story about family secrets and lies, and the lengths a parent will go to, to protect their children. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt.

My Review

Honestly I saw where this story was heading right from the start and still thoroughly enjoyed it.  I grew to like the family and wanted to see good things happen to them.  And for Gabbie to realize what she really has.  The good and the bad.

The author does create a little bit of mystery with Gabbie’s husband and what has caused her to flee to her childhood home and visit her estranged stepmother.  It’s an emotional read exploring family and what effect secrets have on them.  I kinda thought Gabbie was a little bit of an ostrich with her head in the sand.  I know it is easy to do as a child, but the pattern continued as her as an adult.

I read the book in just over a day and was drawn in by the real world feel.  Messy family relationships, the ups and downs of parenting and what happens when your world unravels just a bit.

It’s a great women’s fiction novel that will appeal to those that like to read family dramas.

Author Bio:

Emma Robinson is the author of several women’s fiction novels. She also blogs about the funny side of parenting and has contributed to podcasts such as Funny Women. Whilst her early novels are humorous, her recent work focuses on emotional themes and these novels are both heart-breaking and life affirming. Emma enjoys writing stories which explore the power of family and friendship in the most challenging circumstances.

Emma currently lives in Essex with a husband, two children and a small black dog.

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