The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

(Summary taken from the inside book jacket) "Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret--something with the potential to destroy not just the life your built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive...Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all--she's an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But a letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia--or each other--but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband's secret."

I have to admit, I really wanted Cecilia to open that letter. I wanted to know what it said. As I was reading, I thought a lot about what I would do, and decided I didn't know. Hahaha.....but I'd probably open it. There were parts of this book that I liked. As a whole, I liked the characters and thought they were well crafted. I liked the epilogue at the end because it was quite thought-provoking. It is so true that we never know how the decisions we make affect our lives. We don't know what changes come about in our lives because of the choices we make. I liked that the book really made me think in that regard. However, other than that, this book is really not my style or taste. Think back to when you were 13 years old and you would sneak downstairs with your BFF to watch "Days of Our Lives" while you thought your mom wouldn't notice. Do you remember how scandalous it all felt and how you knew you should turn it off but you couldn't because you had to know who had an affair with whom, and if so-and-so would come back to life? And you had to keep looking over your shoulder to make sure your mom wasn't standing there? Well, that is how I felt reading this book. It felt like a big ol' soap opera. Scandals and affairs and murder. The language was terrible and the content was not my favorite. There was a lot of "intimacy," and not in a good way. It took awhile for the characters and different stories to come together. Maybe it was just me, but it took me forever to figure out how they fit in the story, and even then, I'm still not sure how Tess fits in. She's kind of connected, but not like Rachel and Cecilia. I haven't watched a soap opera in years and years, and I don't want to. I really don't care to read one either. However, if you like the style, you may really enjoy this book. 

Rating: R (This book is not for younger readers) Murder, affairs, intimacy, language.

Recommendation: Adult

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. (This book was supposed to be reviewed for SheReads.org a few months ago, but I did not receive it in time to do a review at the correct time.)