Review: All My Secrets

Name: All My Secrets

Author: Lynn Austin

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance

Format: 🎧 audiobook

Publisher: Tyndale Fiction

What's it about? 

Bestselling author Lynn Austin returns with a luminous work of historical fiction set amid the opulence of Gilded Age New York, where three generations of women in one family must reckon with the choices they have made and their hopes for the future.

New York, 1898. The only thing more shocking than Arthur Stanhope III’s unexpected death is the revelation that his will bestows his company―and most of the vast fortune that goes with it―to the nearest male heir, leaving his mother, wife, and daughter nearly impoverished. His widow, Sylvia, quickly realizes she must set aside her grief to ensure their daughter, Adelaide, is launched into society as soon as the appropriate mourning period passes. If Sylvia can find a wealthy husband for Addy before anyone realizes they’re practically destitute, there will be little disruption to the lifestyle they’re accustomed to.

Sylvia’s mother-in-law, Junietta, believes their life could use a little disruption. She has watched Sylvia play her role as a society wife, as Junietta once did, despite what it cost them both. Junietta vows to give her granddaughter the power to choose a path beyond what society expects.

But for Addy to have that chance, both mother and grandmother must first confront painful truths about their own choices. Only in bringing their secrets to light can they hope to reshape their family inheritance into a legacy more fulfilling than they ever dared dream.

IMPORTANT NOTE: What is written below is purely my own opinion! You might like certain parts of this book that I didn't like and vice versa. 

My Thoughts on...

The Characters 

Loved 🩷

•  How meticulously Lynn Austin crafted the depth, backstories and characters of Sylvia, Junietta and Addie and how she made them feel like real people! 

Did not like 😐

• At times, some of Sylvia's actions felt unrealistic and out of character. 

The Plot

Loved 🩷

•  The slow-burn pace as the story delved deeper into Sylvia and Junietta's past 
  
• How Addie's POV was intertwined with Sylvia and Junietta's POV and how all of those intertwined to make a plot that was intriguing and exciting
• The mysteriousness behind Sylvia's past
• The weaving in and out of third and first POV when going from the present to the past
• And how she weaved in the faith elements so beautifully with the story! 

Did not like  😐

• The sudden rush between Addie and a certain someone's romance. It felt a bit unrealistic, and I would have liked it if the author had spent a bit more time crafting the relationship between both characters to make the romance seem more genuine   

 

Final Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love how Lynn Austin crafted a story that weaved three different kinds of POV together. She somehow made them all unique and all unlike each other and I really enjoyed it. I  especially liked finding out more about Sylvia and Junietta's backstories! However, I did not really like the rushed character arcs near the ending and a certain rushed romance between two characters. But, apart from that I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author! 

You might like this if you like: 

• Regency-kind of romances but not set during the Regency period and not centred on a romance but centred around a family 
• Three kinds of POV 
• Stories set during the Gilded Age