Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Kate Hewitt for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

I really enjoyed a historical fiction series by Kate Hewitt, so I’ve been reading a number of her other works. I’m not one for a lot of melodrama or what’s often termed “women’s fiction.” Knowing that, I really struggled with The Secret Between Us. There was a point I almost DNF’d it, but I want to finish a book to give it an accurate review. I’m glad I did because, in the end, it redeemed a lot of what I didn’t like about it initially.

Kyra is the new kid at the prestigious The Garden School in New York City. Her mother, Harriet, has been a free spirit for most of her life. When Kyra’s father, Allan, calls Harriet because he wants to get to know his daughter, as well as offering to pay Kyra’s way into one of the top schools, Harriet agrees. She doesn’t fit in too well with the other parents at the school, to put it mildly.

Elise and Michael are the parents of twin boys in Kyra’s class. At the before-school picnic, Elise catches Michael and Harriet in conversation, and this gets her hackles up. Elise grew up keeping secrets for her father, and believes Michael, a neurosurgeon, has been cheating on her with various women. She’s afraid Harriet will be the next one.

There’s a culture of gossip among the school parents that Elise has always prided herself on rising above. She presents the perfect life to the others and seems to rise above it. Inside, though, she’s hurting quite a bit. She and Michael have been married for almost twenty years, but they do not engage in meaningful conversations with each other. She sees her role in the home as presenting the perfect life for her husband and to the outside world. Michael hasn’t pushed her, because it seems to be working.

Until now.

The story turns into one of drama between Elise and Harriet. Elise is sure Michael is having an affair with Harriet. They don’t read each other’s phones, but she sees texts from Harriet coming up on Michael’s phone and knows they meet for coffee. She tries to put up barriers to the relationship, but Harriet eggs on Elise’s insecurity. Sometimes, it’s on purpose. She seems to get a kick out of setting Elise off. Meanwhile, Kyra becomes close friends with one of the twins. Elise doesn’t like it, but she hosts playdates at their house. That is, until one day when Michael comes home early and Kyra reveals he was at the apartment she and her mother share with Allan, and fighting with her father.

The petty drama got to me. I don’t like it in real life, and I found it ridiculous here. The adults acted more like high school students than adults. I couldn’t feel sympathy for anyone, except maybe for the kids, because they all had a lot going for them, and yet they were bogged down in ridiculous drama. Elise has a lot of baggage she never dealt with, and hasn’t even discussed with Michael. The reason Michael and Harriet are meeting was pretty obvious, even before it was revealed in the story. It’s obvious that if there was any kind of communication in their marriage, they would be fine. Eventually, the situation seems to be affecting the kids as well. I found it kind of ridiculous how many times the characters in this story ended up in the hospital, too.

That said, the ending redeemed a lot of what I didn’t like about The Secret Between Us. I was tempted to put it down, but I was curious how Kate Hewitt would resolve things. I’m glad I did. It’s not the happily ever after I expected, but it was a good resolution. All of the adults could be introspective and admit to their own culpability, something that’s usually missing in real life. It was refreshing to see them all take ownership of their own problems.

I suspect if you typically like “women’s fiction,” you could add a star to this one. I rated it three stars. It wasn’t bad, but it’s not a style I usually read. I can admit that my own preferences colored how I saw this one.