Sisters and Secrets

by Jennifer Ryan

If you love Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery, then you won’t want to miss this newest novel by New York Times  bestselling author Jennifer Ryan. 

There’s nothing more complicated than the relationship among family…

And the Silva Sisters are no exception. 

For Sierra it means returning home with her two little boys after a devastating Napa wildfire takes her home, her job, and even the last mementos of her late husband, David. Determined to start over, how can she ever reveal the truth—that her husband may have led a double life? 

To the world, Amy’s world is perfect: handsome husband, delightful children, an Instagram-worthy home. But behind this facade lies an awful truth: her marriage is rocky, her children resentful, her home on the verge of breaking up. 

Heather, impulsive, free-spirited, and single mom to an adorable little girl, lives for the moment wearing a carefree smile. But she refuses to reveal the truth about her daughter’s father, and his identity remains a mystery even to her family. 

As the Silva Sisters secrets are revealed, each realizes that there is more to their family than meets the eyes…and forgiveness may be the only way to move forward and reclaim true happiness at last.

The Silva Sisters’ Secrets is a moving novel of sisterhood, second chances, and the secrets that have the power to break or bond families—and alter destinies.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Womens Fiction, Adult

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2020

About the author

Jennifer Ryan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted and McBrides Series, writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances.

Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Please visit her website at www.jennifer-ryan.com for information about upcoming releases.

Reviews

[Debbie Oliphant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sister about three sisters who are bound by their love for one another and are tested by the secrets that can tear them apart.

Sierra is forced to return to her hometown after a fire has destroyed her home. She and her two young sons are welcomed back by her mother, whose hope is that Sierra will stay. She needs a safe place to restart as she is also grieving the loss of her husband, who died suddenly a year ago. She is reunited with her sisters, Amy and Heather, who are happy she has returned.

Amy is the oldest and she confesses to Sierra that her perfect or "Instagram" life is imperfect and she is feeling her husband slip away. She has always been the center of attention and can't seem to manage a balance that can make her happy.

Heather is the youngest and a single mom. She has informed her sisters that the father of her daughter is out of the picture and wants them to respect her role as a single mom.

Sierra discovers from the fire that her late husband had secrets and she hires her old friend, Mason, to help her find the truth. Mason has his suspicions and is being cautious because he does not want to break her heart, the woman, who he has loved since he was a teen. The two spend time together and he is connecting with her two sons. Sierra and Mason reveal their true feelings for one another but their happiness is short lived when his investigations confirm his suspicions. Sierra is devastated and not sure who she can trust anymore.

This story did a good job weaving the different relationships together and keeping you engaged with the different characters. I've read other books by this author and enjoy her storytelling. This one did not disappoint.

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader]

This was my first book by Ryan. It had one of the best proposals I have ever read about in my life. I loved Mason and everything about him what a man! I have to say after devouring this book I need more books by Ryan. She is going on my top 10 authors to read. She can sure write a romance book to pull you in and have you wishing that was your life, even with all the ugly family drama.

[Pj Ausdenmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, did this book take me on a ride! One of the things I most enjoy about Jennifer Ryan is her ability to create realistic characters in whose lives I become fully invested then place them into situations that evoke my deepest emotions. She's done it again with her new women's fiction novel, Sisters and Secrets. I finished this book two weeks ago and these characters are still living in my head.

The women of the Silva family are bound by love, betrayal, heartbreak, strength, devastation, hope, forgiveness, and second chances. Ryan depicts each of them clearly, flaws and all, giving readers insight into their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and fears, and the actions that show who they are at their core. I traveled their journeys with them, cheering at points, occasionally crying, and at other times, shaking with fury. Ryan did not allow me to be an objective bystander while reading this book. From the heart-stopping, vividly depicted opening scenes right up until the final, hopeful sentence, I was unable to look away.

Sierra's story broke my heart but also gave me the most joy. I liked her so much and loved her relationship with Mason and their second chance at love. He's such a great guy. I enjoyed watching them explore the bonds between them that began in childhood and nurture them into a deep and abiding love. I especially enjoyed watching Mason's relationship with Sierra's boys develop and deepen over the course of the book. I'm confident this small family will have a happy life together.

Amy's character showed me the most growth during the book. I had a hard time warming up to her at first but by the end of her journey, I was firmly in her corner and happy with her situation. She worked hard for her happy ending and she deserved it.

All I'm going to say about Heather is I don't like her, I would never want to be friends with her, and I don't particularly care what happens to her. That may seem harsh but, like I said earlier, Ryan's characters evoke deep emotions. I'll let you all make up your own minds about her.

If you enjoy thought-provoking, family stories that explore the relationships between sisters, what binds them together and what has the potential to tear them apart, I highly recommend Jennifer Ryan's Sisters and Secrets.

*As posted at The Romance Dish
*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

HEA.
Surprisingly I guessed Heather’s (youngest sis) lover before the big blowup reveal.
Oldest sis = Amy and focus is mid sis, Sierra, mom to Danny & Oliver. She is property management job.
Mason (w/ horses) is neighbor friend (when teens) with Sierra. Divorce lawyer.
She lost her hubby David in auto accident then 1 year later her house in Napa (CA) burned in wildfire.
She moves back to her Mom Dede’s house in Carmel.
Author does a good job with pacing in this story.
$3 from Dollar General.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

figured out the story by chapter 4, maybe reading too many in this genre

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Netgalley ARC review. All opinions are solely my own.

WOW!! Sisters and Secrets was my first book by Jennifer Ryan. It definitely won't be my last.

This is a beautiful story of sisters coming together and apart to support each other and their families. Sierra has been dealt a hard set of events and decides she needs to return to the family home to regroup. Amy is the Pinterest mom who seems to have it all. Heather is the baby sister raising a baby on her own. When their worlds begin intersecting again, truths come out.

This book teaches a great lesson on love and forgiveness. It serves as a reminder that communication is key in every relationship. The love their mother shows for all of them is the most pure and sometimes the most torn. This beautiful tribute to the intense and turbulent relationships that sisters have is just amazing.

I really liked how Jennifer Ryan handled the multi point of view format of this book. Almost every chapter was a new point of view and it was introduced in the first sentence of the chapter. "Sierra walked in..." I loved this so much more than "Chapter Four. Sierra."

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

See the full review & more at HarlequinJunkie

The title of Jennifer Ryan’s most recent women’s fiction novel pretty much says it all. Sisters and Secrets explored the complicated relationship between three siblings, the things they were keeping from each other, and the life-changing consequences they faced because of it.

Oh what a tangled up mess Jennifer Ryan created for sisters Amy, Sierra, and Heather. I’ll warn in advance that there’s a lot I won’t be able to discuss where so much of the storyline is built on what each sister is dealing with in their lives and the secrets they’ve been holding onto. I think depending on each reader’s own personal experiences they might take issue with one–or maybe more than one–of the sisters and yet be able to empathize with the other(s)... Read More

[Dair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read about 15 other books by Jennifer Ryan and the word LEAST likely to describe any of those books is "predictable". Sadly, this one was very predictable. I also felt there were way too many inner monologues, and that they regularly rehashed previous thoughts/monologues.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, talk about some serious family drama! You'll definitely get that and more in this wonderfully crafted story of three sisters dealing with life issues of love, loss, betrayal, and acceptance. I highly recommend this one.

[Jen]

Definitely will be checking this author off my list.

I’ve never read a book that is more repetitive, syrupy, and downright boring. Shallow characters, Pollyanna ending, blah blah blah.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed reading all of Jennifer Ryan's romance novels, I was excited to see her newest novel which fits more into the women's fiction category. This was a very enjoyable novel that explored the relationship between three adult sisters as they face the realities and difficulties of life. From the opening paragraph, describing the escape from the wildfires, I was drawn into this story and didn't want to put it down. Perfect for fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery.

[Paula Wiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book. Being one of three sisters I am fully aware of how sisters can be so different in many ways. Figured out that David was the mystery father to Heather’s daughter prior to the reveal but the book still kept my interest. Look forward to reading more novels by this writer.

[Steffany Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This is the first book I’ve read from this author. I found this book to be an easy read and held my interest from start to finish.

[Penny Leidecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Jennifer Ryan and I absolutely loved it. This book has some wonderful characters and the story itself will pull you in. Sierra has been living in Napa Valley, but when her house burns down, she returns home to live with her mom, until she gets back on her feet. Sierra lost her husband eleven months ago, in a tragic car accident, so she’s a single parent to her two sons, Danny and Oliver. Besides her mom living in Carmel, her two sisters, Amy and Heather, live there too. Mason Moore, the super hot lawyer next door, that all the sisters had a crush on during school, was best friends with Sierra. Will they remain friends or will they become more, now that Sierra has moved back? I won’t leave any spoilers but I will say, if you’re looking for a book with some secrets, yes, there are several, a single parent doing the best she can, two of those in this story, friendships, and family, then you will love this story. I have to say I loved most of the characters, but Heather, not so much. You can form your own opinion, after reading.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Rosa Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this in a Goodreads giveaway these opinions are my own.

I give this more of a 3.5 rounded down to a 3.

You pretty much figure out the big twist in the first few chapters. This book's description says its about three sisters but it's mostly about Sierra and how her other two sisters screwed her over.

Pros: A light quick summer read perfect for the beach. It has a happy ending.

Cons: You see the big twist a million miles away. I would've not forgiven Heather. (Normalize cutting blood relatives off after they've wronged you in the worst possible way.) This leads to my third point, I like how everyone glosses over the fact that Heather hits on Mason and gets more insistent with him AFTER he's told her he's with her sister. She straight up tells him she's more fun than her sister. This skank used the same tactics on David. They only worked on David cause he was an asshole jerk who pretty much only married Sierra to have a win over Mason.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and Morrow books for this ARC.

Nothing like a good book about sisters and their different lives and different personalities.

Ashley is the oldest, who is the over-achiever living with her husband and kids in Napa.

Sierra, who the book focuses, who lost her husband in a car accident and moves back home to Napa with her two young boys to start her life over. She falls back in love with the boy next door and they were friends growing up. Not to give anything away, but we know how that will end up.

Heather is the youngest and a single mother with an 18 month old daughter and always got what she wanted in life with being spoiled and self-centered.

I'm not going to give away the "secret" but I was not surprised.

[Jamie Rutland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I have read by this author...it will NOT be my last. This was a wonderfully told story about three sisters and how they all had good and bad things happen to them. The common thread was that they also came together (or went apart) to deal and handle all the situations in their life. They were always there not only for each other, but for their families.

The characters and their descriptions were wonderful! The setting was very descriptive and I loved the true feelings and emotions that were conveyed through the story telling. I highly recommend this one!!

[Tonya Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 sisters with deep secrets. How can help each other. One sister cant seem to back off and relax and always having the need to be the best. One sister loses her husband and her house all in a year and then discovers a secret loan. Another sister has a daughter but wont tell anyone who the father is, and she is always in need of what the other sisters have.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of Jennifer Ryan's books and this is by far the most emotional and saga-ish in that it had complete stories for another of the secondary characters as well. This book kept me riveted and feeling for (most of) the characters in the story. I really engrossing read that kept me in it until the end.

[Jennie Fortna · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley

Sisters and Secrets by Jennifer Ryan is about three sisters and the masks they wear to camouflage what is happening in their lives, the secrets they have, second chance at love, finding forgiveness, family, the realities of life and how we learn to handle what life gives us...

[Paula Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving novel about the relationships sisters have and how they translate in adulthood causing problems and solving them.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kim Vanravenswaay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow just wow. I cried, laughed and yelled while reading, Sisters and Secrets. This must have been a very difficult book to write. There were a few very surprising issues that came up that were tastefully written. Well as tastefully as you could get with a couple of the issues.

[Lizann Hunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This books could have been cut in half. The author repeated herself over, and over and over! I listened to it at 2 times normal speed and it was still painful. Save yourself the time and don't read it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kindle Goodreads giveaway. The story started out interestingly, pulling my interest in. The book kept my interest throughout, but the plot was predictable. An enjoyable read but not a five star.

[Trisha Arrowsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured out who Heather's daughter's father 1/4 into the book. Still, a good drama between the sisters. 3.5*

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional and thought provoking are only two words to try and describe Sisters and Secrets by Jennifer Ryan. Sierra has just lived through the worst year of her life. Her husband was killed in a car accident and then on top of that the wild fires in the Napa Valley took her house and everything in it. She was thankful for her two sons who are now her world. With no good memories left here she moved to her mothers house in Carmel Valley where she had grown up. She needed some time to figure out what she would do next. She then decided she would stay here and begin a new life.

She had some doubts about David, her deceased husband, in the many months before he died. After his death her doubts were multiplied when she found out he had taken out a fifty thousand dollar loan that she had no knowledge of. He never mentioned it to her. She felt she couldn't rest until she found out where that money is.

Mason was a best friend to Sierra when they were growing up. She didn't know he had feelings that were more than friendship for her as they grew up. He and David were friends and she fell in love with David. Mason knows that Sierra was the one that got away . He might have let that happen once but he wasn't going to let it happen again. He knew what he wanted and he wasn't going to let her get away. Mason knew now that Sierra was the one he had been waiting for all his life.

Sierra's sister, Amy, was married to Rex her childhood sweetheart. To the world everything looked perfect. That is the way Amy wanted it to look. She needed everything to be perfect. In doing that she didn't realize how much she was hurting the family she loved. Her husband was near the end of his rope. He kept telling her things had to change but she didn't hear him. Rex felt that he was only a paycheck and she didn't really want him.

Then there was Heather. She was the sister they all felt bad for. She was a single mother with a beautiful daughter. Unfortunately the father was out of the picture and Amy was left on her own to raise Hallee.

Each of them are holding a secret that if and when revealed could hurt and destroy. Will they be able to weather the storm that is on the horizon? Once I started this book I could not put it down. It wasn't all tears, although there were quite a few there were smiles and laughs too. I loved every minute of it and finished with a smile on my face.

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very well written family drama by Jennifer Ryan. If you are very lucky family is who you go to when you need love, support and a safe place to lay your head even if only for a short time. Sierra, the loving mother of two becomes a widow way too young. A short while later the home she and her boys live in and mourn their husband/dad in burns to the ground. Feeling overwhelmed she decides to head home for a time. Home is her mother, 2 sisters, their families and community that that is familiar, feels safe and maybe, just maybe the possibility of a rekindled love. Everyone has secrets. Some little fibs and some whoppers. Sierra, while trying to figure out what secrets her husband was hiding before his untimely death and what the loan he had taken out was for discovers that her sister Amys picture perfect life staged for social media is not all it seems and that Heather, the incredibly selfish, spoiled narcissist of a sister is hiding something major and can’t quite put her finger on it. Honestly, Heathers secret was not really a surprise and yet knowing it didn’t take away from anything for me. The family dynamic seems real and though does wrap things up, it doesn’t leave everything perfect and all better, though in a million years I would never speak to Heather again! Clearly the author is more evolved than I am! I very much look forward to more from this wonderful author. She has become a favorite.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by Jennifer Ryan I have read. The story is a good one about three sisters who each keep their own secrets in the hopes of protecting people they love. But ultimately, those secrets can cause great harm. Even to the ones you love the most. The story follows Sierra, the middle sister. She's a widowed mother of two and has found her way back home after a devastating fire that leaves her with nothing. In piecing her life back together, she's finding out things she'd rather not know, but has every right to be privy to. In the meantime, her childhood neighbor, Mason, is helping her find her way. And that old attraction is still there despite the years that separated them. This is a romance novel with a very good storyline. There are some steamy intervals sprinkled here and there with more graphic language than I typically like to read. Otherwise, this is an engrossing novel that explores the paths to happiness that sometimes elude us, and the ways we find our way back to what we really want. I do recommend it with the caveat that if you are in any way offended by coarse sexual innuendo, you might not like this. Personally, I don't think the story needed it. A couple of love scenes could have been handled more tastefully. But that's just my opinion, and I did enjoy the storyline and it's many layers. As always, thank you to Goodreads and Harper-Collins for the advance copy.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have never read Jennifer Ryan before, but I was intrigued by the premise of this book, since it involved sisters and their complex dynamic with one another. While the relationships are intricate and a bit complex at first glance, as soon as I got the gist of it, I found myself becoming invested in the complex lives of these characters and how they interact with one another.

I really liked Sierra, the sister who is the central character of the book, and her romance with her old friend Mason, especially since her arc is her rebuilding following her husband’s death.

I was less fond of the other sisters, especially Heather, but there was a good reason for that, with a reveal that had me feeling shocked and betrayed on Sierra’s behalf.

In short, this story is exactly what the title says: about sisters and secrets, and I enjoyed it. I recommend this if you love stories centering on complex family ties.

[Helen Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful story involving the three Silva sisters and their complicated relationships with some devastating secrets.

Sierra makes the decision to return home with her two little boys after a Napa wildfire takes everything they own, including the only mementos of her late husband, David. She is determined to start over and make a new life for her and her boys, even possibly revealing the double life that her late husband may have led. In the middle of devastation she finds new love and hope for her and her boys that makes all the difference.

Amy is so busy creating the perfect life and perfect family that she risks destroying her family. Will she realize the dangerous path she is headed down before it's too late?

Heather is the youngest who is spoiled and used to getting what she wants. Her selfishness will lead to an impulsive decision with devastating effects.

When one secret is revealed it will rock the Silva sisters to the core with the possibility of destroying this family. Is there ever a time when forgiveness is not an option?