What do readers think of The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley? Write your own review.

A child has a rare genetic condition and must be protected from ultraviolet rays. This is the underlying fabric of this story about a seemingly normal family in a quiet, friendly neighborhood. However, to paraphrase a sentence in the book: 'All the ways in which they've worked to protect this house from the sun had only allowed the darkness to creep inside'. This sums up the story in which no person is exactly who they appear to be on the surface, and all keep dark secrets.

A tragedy occurs early on in the book which develops the story of secrets. I found it difficult to understand the thought processes that the main character, Eve, was going through, although I realize she was trying to protect her son, the child with the genetic condition. Her lies and omissions aggravated me, and I did not feel much empathy for any of the characters, although overall the book was interesting enough to keep my attention.

This book reminded me overall of a Jody Picoult novel but without quite as much depth. It would be a good book club read to discuss emotions and decision-making in the face of a tragedy such as the one presented here.

When I first started this book, I thought it might be as good as Defending Jacob. I was exciting and couldn't wait for the story to unfold. Unfortunately for me, it never really got off the ground. The story lingered and was predictable. There was a great opportunity for the author to create many twists and turns in this book, but it never happened. I did not get the relevance of the relationship with the next door neighbor. That was just creepy to me. I also did not think there was much resolution at the end of the book. I would have enjoyed the book more if the book was condensed into the first 100 pages and then there was a trial in which the complicated relationships unfolded.

The fact that everyone has at least one secret is certainly highlighted in this book. And the secrets can often intersect with a loved one or a stranger. Carla Buckley has a wonderful story to tell; however, the writer occasionally adds several pages that just are needed. The book is a page turner, it just didn't need that many. I found the story interesting, but would not recommend it to a friend.

Was looking forward to reading this book, but was extremely disappointed. Found the story very slow at times, the main character, Tyler, was very difficult to envision or relate to at times. Definitely a challenge to try and finish this book, would not recommend to my book club.

While the author aimed for a book which would pull at the readers' heartstrings, I, as a reader was unmoved. While the plot of the story was good, each character had secrets to the point of absurdity; I found none of them believable or relatable, and therefore had very little interest in the outcome of the story.