Title: The Secrets We Carried by Mary McNear
Butternut Lake Series Book Six
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Readers who love Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery will adore New York Times bestselling author Mary McNear newest novel. A young woman travels home to Butternut Lake, confronting her past and the tragedy she and her friends have silently carried with them for over a decade while also facing an unknown future.
Butternut Lake is an idyllic place—but for one woman, her return to the lake town she once called home is bittersweet…
Sometimes life changes in an instant.
Quinn LaPointe grew up on beautiful Butternut Lake, safe, secure, sure of her future. But after a high school tragedy, she left for college and never looked back. Becoming a successful writer in Chicago, she worked to keep out the dark memories of an accident that upended her life. But now, after ten years, she’s finally returned home.
Butternut is the same, and yet everything is changed. Gabriel Shipp, once her very best friend, doesn’t want anything to do with her. The charming guy she remembers is now brooding and withdrawn. Tanner Lightman, the seductive brother of her late boyfriend, wants her to stick around. Annika Bergstrom, an old classmate who once hated Quinn, is now friendly. Everyone, it seems, has a secret.
Determined to come to terms with the tragedy and rebuild old relationships, Quinn settles into Loon Bay Cabins, a rustic but cozy lakeside resort, where she begins writing down her memories of the year before the accident. Her journey though the past leads her to some surprising discoveries about the present. As secrets are revealed and a new love emerges, Quinn finds that understanding the past is the key to the future.
Review:
The Secrets We Carried by Mary McNear is an engrossing journey of recovery. Although this newest release is the sixth installment in the Butternut Lake series, it can be read as a standalone.
Following the tragic deaths of boyfriend Jake Lightman and his friends Dom Dobbs and Griffin Hoyer ten years earlier, Quinn LaPointe leaves her small hometown for college. After graduation, she begins working as a freelance reporter and stays as far away from Butternut Lake as possible. After receiving an anonymous announcement that a memorial is going to erected at the scene of the accident, Quinn decides it is time to try to put the incident behind her. Hoping to renew her friendship with Gabriel Shipp, she is surprised by his slight animosity towards her but she continues her efforts to find common ground. Quinn is also taken aback when Jake’s brother Tanner and Annika Bergstrom seem pleased to spend time with her. As she sifts through her memories with hopes of finally assuaging her guilt over her self-perceived role in the events that led to the three boys’ deaths, will Quinn finally make peace with her past so she can finally heal?
Quinn may have a successful career, but her personal life is lacking. She has not had any lasting relationships and her friendships are somewhat superficial. She is close to her dad and stepmother and they are concerned by her decision to return to Butternut Lake. The memories of her romance with Jake easily rise to the surface after she arrives in town and she hopes embracing these recollections will help give her a better understanding of the past. Will writing down these memories provide her the perspective she needs to come to terms with what happened?
Quinn is shocked when she learns Gabriel’s life took a dramatic turn after she left town. She is troubled by their encounters and she is at a loss as she tries to understand why he keeps trying to push her away. Quinn is also quite concerned by his appearance and reactions to her attempts to renew their friendship. Unbeknownst to Quinn, Gabriel is harboring his own secrets from their shared past.
Quinn is also quite curious about Tanner’s surprising friendship with Annika. She is equally puzzled by Annika’s friendly overtures towards her. The two women have never been friends and Quinn is stunned by Annika’s revelations.
The Secrets We Carried is a very engaging novel with a wonderful cast of characters and an enjoyable storyline. Quinn is very introspective as she tries to reconcile her guilt so she can move forward. Gabriel, Tanner and Annika must also come to terms with their perceived culpability in the tragedy. This latest installment in Mary McNear’s heartwarming Butternut Lake series is an endearing novel that features a winsome storyline, appealing characters and an uplifting conclusion.
