The Story of Our Secrets,

by Shari Low

Publication: Boldwood Books; November 2, 2021

About:

Colm O’Flynn was loved by his close circle of family and friends, however his death came too soon for everyone to make peace with their past.

Shauna, his second wife, adored him. But one night she broke their marriage vows, and didn’t get time to ask Colm’s forgiveness.

Jess was the first Mrs O’Flynn. Her heart is set on someone new, but will the last one night stand she shared with Colm come back to haunt her?

Colm’s best friend, Dan, is recently divorced. Can he take a second shot at happiness if it means betraying the one person who always had his back?

What no-one knows is that somewhere out there Colm left messages that could set them free to start over again.

Can divine intervention help them find Colm’s last wishes before it’s too late to love again?

My Review

I have read and reviewed several of Shari Low’s novels on my blog over the years and was very eager to get started on The Story of Our Secrets, although I am running way behind! Colm O’Flynn died of a brain tumor in 2016 leaving behind his wife Shauna, their young daughter, and two older sons from his previous marriage. Also in his close circle were his ex-wife Jess, his best friend Dan, and Dan’s wife (and Shauna’s best friend), Lulu. Fast forward to 2021 and we learn where everyone is in their lives now that Colm is gone. Told in alternating POVs by Colm and Shauna, we discover all of the things Colm wanted to say before dying and all the ways his close-knit group has or hasn’t moved forward since his death.

This is a tough one to review because I’m not sure if I want to give this 3 or 4 stars. I liked Shauna and her sense of humor, I liked Jess and the bond that she and Shauna shared, and Dan was just o.k. But tolerating the selfish and immature Lulu for the duration of this book was painful. Not just a little painful, but as in – it took me 3 weeks to read a book that would have normally taken me 3-4 hours. But the real biggie here is that I realized about halfway through that I had read this. Then thought that was impossible since it was just published. Eventually, I figured out that I had read The Story of Our Life, which is all about Colm, Shauna, and the rest of the crew. However, the only new information was the end of two marriages and some secrets.

So, why did I finish it? Honestly, because I love Shari Low and feel it completely inappropriate to DNF one of her novels. Also, I wanted to see if Shauna would ever move on with her life. I’m glad that I finished it because there were two very happy endings and also just because so much of the dialogue on Shauna’s part was very witty. But unfortunately, this is my least favorite book from this author, ever.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.