4/5 Stars
Every family has its secrets. Some are small, like telling a white lie or snooping through a private drawer. Others are more serious, like infidelity and betrayal. And some secrets are so terrible they must be hidden away in a deep, dark place, for if they ever came to light, they would surely tear a family apart . . . The Tides are a family full of secrets. Returning to Clifftops, the rambling family house high up on the Dorset coastline, youngest daughter Dora hopes for a fresh start, for herself and the new life she carries. But can long-held secrets ever really be forgiven? And even if you can forgive, can you ever really learn to love again? Secrets of the Tides is a family drama with a dark thread of suspense at its heart.
I started this book months ago and read 20 pages before soft DNFing it and abandoning it for about six months as I didn't get into it at that time. Last month however I did the Reindeer Readathon and one of the prompts was to finish a book you have started so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to finish this book and I'm glad I did it as I ended up really enjoying this one. The switching between timelines and between perspectives made me want to continue reading it so I can find out the rest of what a character was thinking in one time period.
I really enjoyed this read once I got into it and loved the family dynamic as it's not one I'm familiar with reading from books. The plot twists weren't ones that I guessed at all and they were very surprising which I loved.
I do wish we had the perspective from the Dad at least once but I do understand why we didn't get that chapter. I also wished we got to see more of a backlash from the mother's affair as it was the catalyst of Alfie dying and It felt like it was mostly brushed under the rug by Helen so she can blame her daughters instead.
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