Tell Me a Secret by Jane Fallon

This is a story about friendship, trust and allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to let someone in. When Holly, a hard-working single mother, gets a well-deserved promotion at work, she believes her colleagues support her wholeheartedly. She isn't prepared for someone who is determined to try and sabotage her career, her reputation and her life.

It starts with small incidents. Scripts disappear, ideas are stolen and the rumour mill is given a push. Someone is jealous of Holly, despite her earning the right to the promotion. After a while what seems to be a petty disagreement escalates into a vicious battle to destroy Holly.

You know what the sad thing is, what happens in this story is why misogyny and sexism are still rampant in the workplace and why women are still regarded by many as less than a man. Instead of supporting each other the majority of women consider each other rivals and often try to demean each other.

The more positive aspect about this story is the message the author sends about allowing ourselves to look beyond the façade, the protective layers people build around themselves, and most definitely beyond the snide comments and whispered rumours spread without knowing whether they are true or not.

We should always take the time to find out more about our fellow humans. You never know who might be hiding a life full of loneliness, a lifetime of pain or sadness, then again they could just be hiding the fact that they are psychos waiting for their next victim. Sorry, don't want to put anyone off attempting to connect and form new friendships. Nobody wants to miss out on that sense of camaraderie and special bond, do they? Unless of course it's your close friend who wants you gone of course.

I have to say I really enjoyed the ending. I won't give anything away, but it felt like a weird sense of closure after the vindictive vibe of the storyline. The interactions, characters and dialogue are realistic, which is what makes this a relatable, albeit quite a spiteful read.

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Publisher: Penguin (10 Jan. 2019)
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