Review: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

the lowdown
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has the perfect life. Perfect husband, children and home. Until one day she finds a letter her husband, John-Paul, wrote to her when their eldest daughter was born. In it, he shares his darkest secret that wouldn't only jeopardize his marriage and life, but the life of those around them including Rachel and Tess. Will Cecilia be able to keep the secret. or will something else come of it?

I had kept putting off this book because I had read reviews online and they have always been mixed. They're not one-sided and I wanted to go into it with an open mind.  The characters are interesting, regular suburban mothers who are involved with their children's school. Rachel, Tess and Cecilia offer different views of their complicated lives and how its easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, especially with gossip. Moriarty does a good job in changing things up but had a rough time being able to tie in all of these women's lives together.

the good

• I liked how Moriarty has three different women, living different lives, and how they only cross paths because of the school their children attend. Its all different aspects and how life can dramatically change from one day to the next. 
• The topic covered in the book is also something that is important in today's society and Moriarty is able to explain how the victim thinks and how certain events can lead to an outcome from one second to the next. She makes it even more real because she shows the implications it has on others around them.

the bad

• The chapters and the stories of the people involved in the book are like loose ends. They have nowhere to go and have no end point. Moriarty introduces us the characters but without really doing so. She doesn't tie them in well at all and it can get confusing which character she's talking about.
• This book is kind of bland at the beginning. I wasn't really able to get into it until about 15 chapters in and that's a let down. A book should be able to capture you in the first paragraph, sentence even. Certainly not the case here. I was expecting a lot more to come out of this book and all I got was bland. Like Wonderbread, you guys.
• This book was also one of those books you could put down and have no need to pick it back up. I wasn't interested and it never really got my attention. I think there were only three parts where the author grabbed my attention but that's honestly about it. I found myself skimming a lot of the time trying to find something interesting that would happen.

the quote
"None of us ever know all the possible courses our lives could have and maybe should have taken. It's probably just as well. Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever. Just ask Pandora."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
 I would recommend skipping it. It's not a book I would spend my money on again and it also isn't one I would recommend right off the bat.

overall score:5/10

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