Secrets Between Friends

Friendship is a million little moments, but can it survive this one? Three friends embark on a luxury cruise to celebrate their ten-year reunion in this heartfelt story of how long-held secrets can catch up with even the best of friends Life was about living, experiencing and emotions. The good and the bad. You had to laugh to cry. You had to love to hurt. You had to jump to fall or fly. Best friends Abbie, Jess and Ricki are set to recreate a school trip they took ten years earlier to the historic port town of Albany, the oldest city on the stunning turquoise coastline of Western Australia. Ricki, a dedicated nurse, harbours a dream she hasn't chased. Is she actually happy or stuck in a rut? Jess, a school teacher and single mother to little Ollie, had a tough upbringing but found her way through with the help of her closest male friend, Peter. But Peter has bought an engagement ring and is ready to propose to Ricki . . . Abbie had it all: a career, a loving boyfriend and a future, but a visit to the doctor bears scary news. Her world is tumbling down and she feels adrift at sea. SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS is a poignant novel of romance, family dynamics and friendship. Through her highly relatable, sympathetic characters, beloved Australian storyteller Fiona Palmer writes about issues, experiences and emotions we have all faced while posing the ultimate question: What is really important in this life? 'Palmer is at the top of her game here' - iBOOKS EDITOR 'a heartfelt tale of how long-held secrets can catch up with even the closest of mates' YOURS 'Tender and emotive when necessary, yet not short on fun and witty banter. Fiona's ability to create an emotional connection with the reader was a beautiful thing to experience' GEMSBOOKNOOK 'a beautiful, moving, touching story... do make sure you have the tissues handy' FAMILY SAGA REVIEWS **CONTAINS BONUS EXTRACT from Fiona's latest novel, The Wrong Sister** PRAISE FOR FIONA PALMER 'Her books are tear-jerkers and page-turners' - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'Fiona Palmer just keeps getting better' - Rachael Johns 'makes for compelling reading, and issues and emotions the characters face have the power to make us think about our own friendships, families and romantic lives' BETTER READING 'Her scenes are vivid and genuine, just as her characters are' - BOOK'D OUT 'A good old-fashioned love story' - SUNDAY MAIL 'A heartwarming romance about finding true love and following your dreams' - femail.com.au

The old house hides her darkest secret--and there's no running away this time... Twenty years ago, Liz left Easthaven to escape the memory of one tragic night at Lakewell Manor. Only she and her best friend Tamsin saw what really happened, and in the aftermath they drifted apart. Now she's forced back after a nasty divorce, with two daughters in tow, the shadows of that terrible night lurking on every corner. With a custody battle looming, she's one wrong move away from her life falling apart completely. So when news arrives that Tamsin, too, is returning to Easthaven, Liz fears their reunion will bring the awful truth spilling out into the open. But when she finally meets Tamsin, now mistress of the clifftop house whose locked gates have guarded the friends' secret all these years, she's in for a surprise. Tamsin looks different, and she doesn't remember Liz, let alone what happened that night... Something is clearly wrong. But confronting Tamsin means reliving the nightmare Liz has been running from for twenty years. Can she risk exposing what happened that night, knowing that the truth will destroy everything?

ÒBoys are emotionally illiterate and donÕt want intimate friendships.Ó In this empirically grounded challenge to our stereotypes about boys and men, Niobe Way reveals the intense intimacy among teenage boys especially during early and middle adolescence. Boys not only share their deepest secrets and feelings with their closest male friends, they claim that without them they would go Òwacko.Ó Yet as boys become men, they become distrustful, lose these friendships, and feel isolated and alone. Drawing from hundreds of interviews conducted throughout adolescence with black, Latino, white, and Asian American boys, Deep Secrets reveals the ways in which we have been telling ourselves a false story about boys, friendships, and human nature. BoysÕ descriptions of their male friendships sound more like Òsomething out of Love Story than Lord of the Flies.Ó Yet in late adolescence, boys feel they have to Òman upÓ by becoming stoic and independent. Vulnerable emotions and intimate friendships are for girls and gay men. ÒNo homoÓ becomes their mantra. These findings are alarming, given what we know about links between friendships and health, and even longevity. Rather than a Òboy crisis,Ó Way argues that boys are experiencing a Òcrisis of connectionÓ because they live in a culture where human needs and capacities are given a sex (female) and a sexuality (gay), and thus discouraged for those who are neither. Way argues that the solution lies with exposing the inaccuracies of our gender stereotypes and fostering these critical relationships and fundamental human skills.

A wounded soldier needs her own hero... Carrying out the goals on someone else's Bucket List might seem like an odd thing to do, but for Genie it's the perfect way to honor her best friend, Ciara, who died in the bomb blast that blew up the Army truck carrying them both across Afghanistan. Genie's come home to the Bay of Islands to rest her injured knee, and she hopes that by fulfilling Ciara's list of wishes she can also heal the grief and guilt that goes deeper than her physical wound. Spending some time with Ciara's gorgeous big brother just happens to be an added bonus. Niall Brennan has always been attracted to Genie, but when he offers to join in with the Bucket List idea, he tells himself it's purely out of a desire to pay homage to his sister. That's fine when the first goal they pick at random is taking cooking lessons. It becomes less easy to hide his desire when they spend an afternoon on a nudist beach, and by the time they take part in the body painting event, Niall has no chance of keeping his desire a secret. Luckily, Genie reciprocates his feelings-a hundred and ten percent, and soon it's not only the weather that turns hot and sultry. Conscious that Niall's mother, Sinead, blames Genie for her daughter's death, they decide to keep their sizzling but brief fling just a secret between friends. But although Genie's knee is on the mend, her emotional wounds refuse to heal. Sinead continues to refuse to forgive her, and even Ciara reaches out from beyond the grave to warn Genie against dating her big brother. The final wish on Ciara's Bucket List brings everything to a head. Genie knows she has to end the fling. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and besides, Niall has other ideas... Warning: this sweet and sexy romance is best read with a fan on standby. Adults only.

“A powerful, urgent novel that wields issues of gender and class like a blade. . . . This intergenerational novel asks hard questions about who we are, who we can become, and what awaits on the other side of our becoming. Thrity Umrigar is known as a bold and generous writer, and The Secrets Between Us only further establishes her reputation.” — Wiley Cash, author of The Last Ballad Bhima, the unforgettable main character of Thrity Umrigar’s beloved national bestseller The Space Between Us, returns in this triumphant sequel—a poignant and compelling novel in which the former servant struggles against the circumstances of class and misfortune to forge a new path for herself and her granddaughter in modern India. Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than twenty years. Yet after courageously speaking the truth about a heinous crime perpetrated against her own family, the devoted servant was cruelly fired. The sting of that dismissal was made more painful coming from Sera Dubash, the temperamental employer who had long been Bhima’s only confidante. A woman who has endured despair and loss with stoicism, Bhima must now find some other way to support herself and her granddaughter, Maya. Bhima’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when her path intersects with Parvati, a bitter, taciturn older woman. The two acquaintances soon form a tentative business partnership, selling fruits and vegetables at the local market. As they work together, these two women seemingly bound by fate grow closer, each confessing the truth about their lives and the wounds that haunt them. Discovering her first true friend, Bhima pieces together a new life, and together, the two women learn to stand on their own. A dazzling story of gender, strength, friendship, and second chances, The Secrets Between Us is a powerful and perceptive novel that brilliantly evokes the complexities of life in modern India and the harsh realities faced by women born without privilege as they struggle to survive.

‘OMG… Incredible… Once I started, I couldn’t put down and simply had to read in one sitting… I loved this fast-paced, captivating thriller and would happily give it more than five stars if I could… Definitely one of my favourite reads of this year.’ Nicki’s Life of Crime ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You think you’re safe in your home. You’re wrong. When Steph’s husband of thirty years, Andy, walks out with barely a word of explanation, she’s left alone in the family home. Both of her children moved out years before. And although her daughter visits often, it’s not enough. Her house doesn’t feel like the warm, happy, laughter-filled home it used to be. Then she begins to hear noises in the night, finds open windows she knows she left closed, items moved. None of it feels right. She wants to believe it’s all in her imagination. After all, who would want to scare her? She’s never hurt a person in her life. But then her front window is smashed, and a young man named Noah helps her fix it. He’s fallen on hard times and Steph impulsively offers him a place to stay. He reminds her so much of her beloved son, and she wants to help him. Also, if he is there, she won’t be home alone. Before long Noah is living in her daughter’s old bedroom, paying rent, and getting his life back on track. Andy and her daughter are furious. But Steph feels secure at last, and that’s what matters. Until the strange things start happening once more. And Steph realises that someone is out to scare her… She doesn’t feel safe, not safe at all. Readers are loving The Guest Room: ‘Oh my days. What a book!!… WOW!!!… One hell of an adventure!!!!!!! I sped through the book… the next thing you know you have finished the book and it’s nearly 1am!!… She creates believable characters, gives you some red herrings to grill and then pulls the rug from out under you with a plot twist! Just love it!!!!!’ Zooloo’s Book Diary ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘O.M.G. This book blew my socks off. It was just brilliant! I love a book that slaps you into shock in the end. This was one I will remember… 10 stars.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Loved, loved, loved it!!!… A gripping, edge of your seat read to keep us guessing right up until the end!!… The plot twist was goooood!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘My oh my, where to start....... Ohhh, a tense thriller that kept me glued right to the end… Man, this one is a good one… What an excellent book.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow!… This book got into my head… When I thought I had it figured out, the plot went in a very different direction with a shocking ending… Many twists and turns and dark corners in the story… Unforgettable.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Everything you could wish for in a psychological thriller’ Book Mark! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow! What a crazy twisted story!… BAM!! What a twist!… Suspense, intrigue, action, and many twists and turns! I definitely recommend reading this book!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of the best thrillers I’ve read… I couldn’t put this book down!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A constant guessing game trying to figure out who can be trusted… I flew through this book and really loved the suspense!… I couldn’t believe the big twist!’ @lindzanne1_bookworm ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Will grab you from page 1 and keep you engrossed until the very end. I LOVED all the twists and turns and thought I knew exactly how this was going to end but boy was I wrong!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gripping… My jaw hit the floor… I’m still reeling… I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next… Compelling, tense and utterly riveting… An outstanding thriller.’ Emma’s Biblio Treasures ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twenty of the author's celebrity friends reveal their personal philosophies of life and offer practical tips on skin care, diet, health, exercise, and cosmetic surgery.

A practical book to help children learn to make friends.