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House of Secrets

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From the New York Times bestselling author and literary phenomenon V.C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic, My Sweet Audrina) comes a shivery gothic tale of romance, class divisions, and the secrets that haunt families for generations.Ever since Fern could remember, she and her mother have lived as servants in Wyndemere House, the old gothic mansion of the Davenport family. She may have been a servant, but Fern developed a sweet friendship with Dr. Davenport’s son, Ryder, and she was even allowed free range of the estate. But Dr. Davenport has remarried and his new wife has very different ideas about a servant’s place. Now Fern and her mother are subject to cruel punishments, harsh conditions, and aren’t even allowed to use the front door. Yet, for all her wrath, the cruel woman cannot break the mysterious bond between Ryder and Fern. And when Ryder invites Fern to join his friends at prom, there’s nothing Mrs. Davenport can do to stop them nor can she continue to guard the secret that haunts the women of Wyndemere—but there’s nothing she won’t try. After all, reputation is everything.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2018

497 people are currently reading
1660 people want to read

About the author

V.C. Andrews

371 books9,150 followers
Books published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name

Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.

While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.

Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.

After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.

Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.

Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.

Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.

Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.

Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by

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5 stars
303 (26%)
4 stars
302 (26%)
3 stars
347 (30%)
2 stars
142 (12%)
1 star
56 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
Profile Image for LaDonna.
174 reviews2,457 followers
November 5, 2018
Star rating: 3.84

🌟🌟🌟💫

We know that it has been 32 years since V.C. Andrews passed. Ms. Andrews created characters and a literary dynasty that countless of fans have fallen in love with and many new readers continue to discover to this day. Be honest: Whose imagination did not work overtime while reading Flowers in the Attic (1979)?

Now, when it comes to House of Secrets (2018), the Andrews ghostwriter embraces the Attic formula:
The mysterious mansion that houses a well-to-do family, with all its secrets + a young heroine that you cannot help to feel empathy towards = a best-seller.

So, yes, it is predictable. Yes, it has been done before. But, sometimes, it is comforting to read that book you are familiar with. It is like that blanket that can keep you warm, regardless of how cold it is. In the words of Andrews, “Sunlight has a way of erasing the ugliness”.

I cannot wait to read the sequel...🤗
Profile Image for Arianna Vargas.
36 reviews
February 14, 2018
I think 3 stars is the most you can really give any pseudo-VCA works from like the last ten years. With each new release it becomes increasingly clear that these recycled plots, dramas and cringeworthy teenage girl dialouges are being written by a 78 year old man. It's weird. And to an extent, I don't mind some of that. ALL Andrews books are cheesy and dramatic- that's part of the charm, it's pure guilty pleasure fodder.

But increasingly, Neiderman (the ghostwriter since the early 1980s) has just gotten lazy and predictable. I wouldn't be surprised to find there's actually some computer stashed away that is actually writing these. Most of the newer releases are just outright terrible or start with a little bit of promise only to smash it entirely in the sequels (I'm looking at you 'Mirror Sisters').

All that being said- this is one of the better ones I've read lately. It's still bad- really bad at points, and the dialouge.....actually painful at points. Plus, I figured out the supposed 'twist' in chapter 1....so not much left to the imagination. But this story actually set up some interesting characters and relationships, which is a whole new direction for the newer books and I'm glad to see it make a comeback. I think I'm sitting on cautious optimism right now. This is the first of a three part series and if the payoff is worth the set up of this first book, it might be one of the better VCA releases of the past few years. For the first time in years, I'm actually looking forward to the sequel. We'll see what happens- please don't let me down Neiderman! (*cough* MIRROR SISTERS.)
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,388 reviews1,406 followers
December 4, 2018
Mind you, V. C. Andrews didn't write this novel, her ghostwriter did.

House of Secrets is a melodrama without the characters' depth, plot twists and air of Gothic horror which V. C. Andrews could create in her classics such as Flowers in the Attic, etc. I skimmed through half of the book with hardly any interest.

Comparing this book with what what Andrews had penned, the lack of depth and complication in the characters really is striking. 2 stars only.
Profile Image for InaFieldofBooks.
124 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2018
Predictable, but it had a small feeling of classic VCA. The recycled names are getting annoying ...
147 reviews
April 4, 2018
This book was painfully boring. 2/3 of it was about preparing for prom, and the last third had all the juicy incesty bits as if they were copy and pasted from previous novels. I set the bar for VCA pretty low, but this one was crap even by those standards. Do yourself a favor and go re-read Heaven, Dawn, or even Ruby instead.
Profile Image for Anahí ✨.
618 reviews202 followers
Want to read
January 31, 2018
Si les soy sincera, se me hace una reverenda falta de respeto a la memoria de V. C. Andrews. Evidentemente, después de tantos años muerta, ella no escribió esto. Y si fue malo cuando el autor fantasma publicó la precuela de Flores en el Ático, no creo que este libro sea mejor.
203 reviews
March 20, 2018
So predictable. Maybe if I were in junior high/high school it would have been a four-star, but since I am not, it was just mildly entertaining.
Profile Image for Tez.
859 reviews230 followers
March 7, 2018
Probably being rather generous with those two stars.
Profile Image for Alyson Stone.
Author 4 books71 followers
February 17, 2020
Book: House of Secrets
Author: VC Andrews
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

So, this is the first VC Andrews book that I have ever read and, no, I didn’t realize it was one of the ghostwritten ones until I was about halfway through it. Anyway, I still had a pretty good time reading it. A lot of her fans though have said that this follows the same formula to all of her books, so if I decide to pick up more, we’ll see.

What I really liked about the set up of this book was just how dark everything was. You get a lot of gothic vibes and I even got a few Rebecca vibes from it. This is a domestic thriller, so if you were expecting something different, then maybe don’t pick this one up. I love how we really aren’t sure who anyone is or what their true motives are. Plus, in an old mansion with a lot of secrets things are bond to turn up.

The characters were okay. I will admit that they were just a little bit flat for my liking, but still, they did the job. I mean, in the end, it all came together why they acted the way they did. I was also a little bit surprised at how young Fern was. I guess I was expecting adult age characters for some reason, but it’s fine. It was rather refreshing to read a book like this from the point of view of a teenager. I like how Fern was also the prefect balance between mature and not. It made her seem like even more of real person. Plus, I liked the bond she had with the other characters, especially with her mother. I love it whenever authors include relationships between parents and children.

The plot really wasn’t anything special, but I had a really good time reading it. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a domestic thriller and it was good to kind of get back into it. I liked a lot of the elements in this book, but there were a few that I really didn’t. I thought that maybe the outcome was going to be a little bit darker than it was and I do kind of wish that it had gone there. However, I do have to say that the ending did actually make a lot of sense.

So, I did have a good time reading this and I may pick up some VC Andrews books in the near future. This book is super easy to read so if you are looking for a quick read, then maybe pick this one up.
Profile Image for Kristi.
253 reviews10 followers
November 14, 2019
This is the first newer book I have read by Andrews. I read the "Flowers in the Attic" series years ago and I remember the books being shocking. However, as I read this book I felt like I was really just reading the same book as "Flowers in the Attic" but just slightly different. This book had a very warped plotline and I just wonder why the author is obsessed with writing about incest and big mansions. I give this book 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Deanna.
79 reviews
March 19, 2018
Ugh, I'm a huge fan of the early, original VC Andrews books. This one is pretty cringe-worthy. Could you fit any more questions into the text? Reeks of lazy writing. Who am I? What am I supposed to do? Will my mother ever tell me who my father is? A quick read but not a must read by any stretch.
1 review
August 27, 2019
The story line was very predictable and weak. Not impressed with this book whatsoever. I will finish the series only because I like to finish what I start and I am hoping the next to books have a better plot than this one. To save yourself from wasting your time and energy, skip this book! And I literally had to wait to until the last chapter to vonfirm what I already knew and predicted from the first few pages.
Profile Image for Mary.
162 reviews1 follower
March 4, 2018
Why do I keep reading these books?? There hasn’t been a good thrilling book since VC Andrews passed away. The family needs to find a new writer if they want to continue publishing books under her name. This book was just another example. There were a few good areas, but not enough. I found myself skipping a lot of nonsense. At one point I literally skipped thru 5 straight pages.

Do not recommend!

Profile Image for Lauren.
22 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2018
I felt like this whole story could've been condensed down to 50 pages. I was very bored and struggled to get through it. I don't know why I finished it, to be honest. But, hey, if you want to read about a teenage girl stressing about her prom dress for over 100 pages, this might just be the book for you.
Profile Image for Dayna.
27 reviews
March 12, 2018
Good fire starter material. Not good for reading enjoyment at all. Boo.
Profile Image for Bree Taylor.
1,418 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2018
I read Flowers in the Attic as a sophomore in high school and loved the intricate sordid details. I read through a number of her other series before I had to put them down because they were both disturbing and rife with plot monotony.

I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to pick up House of Secrets at the library. I think I was hoping it was a standalone novel (which I've ascertained from the #1 on here that it is not) and that so much time away would have given me a fresh perspective.

I was wrong. Super wrong. Dead wrong enough that I almost DNF'd this book in the first third because I knew how it ended with the CRAZY (read: sarcasm) plot twist. It wouldn't be a VC Andrews novel WITHOUT some possible incest. The characters are boring tropes. Descriptions of Fern's sexual thoughts are utterly ridiculous as is her obsession with "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" worries about her illegitimacy. As a novel that is supposed to take place in current day, we are left to believe for much of the novel that computers and smartphones seem to not exist for the characters.

VC Andrews novels have been anachronistic. I wonder much if this is because her legacy company is still working from plot ideas from 1985. Much has changed in 30 years. And this was definitely NOT the writing of VC Andrews. It was childish for the subject matter. And, I can't believe I'm actually going here, the font and margins in the book seemed huge.

Not worth the pickup. Definitely won't be reading #2.
Profile Image for Diane Whittaker.
417 reviews4 followers
February 7, 2025
The first book in another series from one of my favorite authors (even though they are ghost writers now). Another twist and turn book revealing family secrets. Can't wait to see what happens in book two.
Profile Image for Catherine Heavenstone.
63 reviews10 followers
April 21, 2018
This must be the longest review I have written. To those reading this there are no spoilers. To be quite honest not the best material from the ghost writer. Is it me or are these new releases from the ghost writer are starting to get predictable. This book was not something I would consider re- reading. In my opinion some of these novels are starting to slip on. If someone who has read this book and quite enjoyed it good for them. but in my opinion this book wasn't my cup of tea. I guess I shouldn't have read this after reading Gods of Green mountain. However by doing this in a way I was able to compare an awesome book (Gods of Green mountain) to this one I just finished (house of secrets) which was meh. The last book I actually enjoyed a bit more than this was the broken glass novel. That book left me wanting to read the last book of that trilogy. Now I know that in the future if I read the sequel to this book (house of secrets) it might just be to see what happens next and also in order to finish this series that I just started.Off to my next read from a different author.
40 reviews
September 26, 2018
This reads like Flowers in the Attic fanfiction. But it's not even as creative as fanfiction.
12 reviews
February 14, 2018
Great read!

I love VC Andrews so hard to describe! I enjoyed the mystery of the House. Great rainy day book. Bring on the next!
663 reviews
April 23, 2018
This has got to be one of the worst books I ever finished. The characters were lame and not believable. The plot was predictable and, yawn, shallow. I don't want to spend any more time on it even reviewing it.
Profile Image for Liz Hammond.
65 reviews
February 7, 2018
Another great book. I thought that I had it figured out only to be surprised at the end.
Profile Image for Lucas Moyers (HoorayBookworm).
89 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2018
Wow! It literally took me a whole month to finish this book. Okay so let me start off with saying that I am fully aware V.C. Andrews has been dead for many years and am clearly aware she did not write this book. However, though it is not her real writing, I can't help but feel completely captivated and in focus with how well the story is written and how much of an easy and fast read it is. Here's what I liked about this one: The suspense. The party after the prom seemed like it played a major part in the book. The thing I least liked about the book: It's predictable and it's just in the same style that V.C. Andrews books are normally written. It seems all her books really have the same plot twist which is commonly a family secret that isn't revealed til the end and it's revealed by the parent/guardian. It was also predictable that you knew who her brother was (I'm not gonna say who!) and who her real father was (Once again, I will not say who!) But overall, I'm always open to starting new V.C. Andrews books that are written, yet I kind of feel they should stop writing them because if V.C. Andrews were still alive today, she'd be at least in her late 90s! I doubt anyone that old would still be writing at that age and if anything, she'd be retired from being an author.
Profile Image for Sparklin C Reads.
2,005 reviews
February 5, 2018
This was a really good book. It had plenty twist and turns. You just had to keep reading to see what happens.
5 reviews
March 8, 2018
Liked this book. I enjoyed reading it. My favorite will always probably be Flowers in the Attic. I love VC Andrews and her books. New ones cannot come out fast enough for me.s cannot

I enjoyed reading this book. I have always loved VC Andrews and her books. My favorite still is Flowers in the Attic. VC Andrews books cannot be published fast enough for me!
Profile Image for Karen.
537 reviews3 followers
August 23, 2018
Fern Corey and her mother Emma have lived in Windermere House for all of her life. Her mother is a servant in the house of Dr. Davenport, his wife Bea, son Ryder and daughter Samantha. Ryder and Fern have grown up together but have separate entrances to the house (Fern's is the servants) which is seeming more and more ridiculous as their friendship and mutual attraction grows now that they are teenagers. Bea's antagonistic attitude towards the Fern and her mother intensifies as Fern and Ryder begin spending time together after school and with other friends. When Fern is crowned Prom Queen and Ryder Prom King, the secrets that are alive and well at Windermere gradually come out with surprising and somewhat shocking ramifications for all. House of Secrets is an enjoyable, light summer read that will appeal to fans and to those new to V.C. Andrews books.
Profile Image for Amy Broderick.
41 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2018
Typical VC Andrews with budding hormones and dirty dirty secrets you can see a million miles away. Great 'boring rainy Saturday' kind of book
Profile Image for What Angie Reads.
854 reviews17 followers
April 30, 2018
I knew going in that this book would be typical Andrew Neiderman story. 26 years later he's still crafting deal and here I am reading them still.

If you don't want to be surprised then don't keep reading this.

The story is some girl named Fern (really no other names to think of) lives as a Maid or Servants daughter. Of course there is a boy named Ryder. She has a crush.

Said crush drives up some plan to get this girl to prom by setting her up with a random, and making her wear a dress his dead mom had.

They live in a mansion, his step mom hates the help. Nobody knows why except me cause its so obvious. Yet the dad and Ferns mom let Ryder and her go to prom as a foursome.

At prom Fern is crowned Queen and Ryder King which is weird since he's a senior and she's a junior. They dance sparks fly, and they realize they love each other.

At after party Fern almost gets date raped, as per usual. Ryder leaves his sex to save her, her date gets high. Later there's drama involving drugs. School Police all these ppl hate them now.

blah blah same old story star athletic guy does drugs gets kicked off team they eat him out.. everyone's grounded forbidden to see each other.

Turns out Ryders mom didn't birth him but Ferns mom did, as a surrogate. Her womb only but then spoiler alert its found out Ferns dad is Ryders dad.

I called that 3 chapters in. I'm not going to read part 2 could care less. Avoid this crap on a cracker at all costs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews

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