About the book, The Secret of You and Me
- Genre: Women’s Fiction / Romance
- Publisher: Graydon House (Harlequin)
- Date of Publication: August 4, 2020
- Number of Pages: 352
- Scroll down for the giveaway!
True love never fades—and old secrets never die . . .
Nora hasn’t looked back. Not since she fled Texas to start a new life. Away from her father’s volatile temper and the ever-watchful gaze of her claustrophobically conservative small town, Nora has freed herself. She can live—and love—however she wants. The only problem is that she also left behind the one woman she can’t forget. Now tragedy calls her back home to confront her past—and reconcile her future.
Sophie seems to have everything—a wonderful daughter, a successful husband, and a rewarding career. Yet underneath that perfection lies an explosive secret. She still yearns for Nora—her best friend and first love—despite all the years between them. Keeping her true self hidden hasn’t been easy, but it’s been necessary. So when Sophie finds out that Nora has returned, she hopes Nora’s stay is short. The life she has built depends on it.
But they both find that first love doesn’t fade easily. Memories come to light, passion ignites, and old feelings resurface. As the forces of family and intolerance that once tore them apart begin to reemerge, they realize some things may never change—unless they demand it.
Praise for this book:
- “A compelling story of second chances and being true to yourself.”
—Harper Bliss, bestselling author of Seasons of Love - “Lenhardt convinces in her portrayal of the conflict between desire and control.” —Publishers Weekly
Buy, read, and discuss this book:
(Personalized/signed copies available through Interabang)
Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop | Goodreads
A portion of royalties from this book are going to the It Gets Better Project.
(Click for more details.)
About the author, Melissa Lenhardt
Melissa Lenhardt is a women’s fiction, mystery, and historical fiction author. Her debut mystery, Stillwater, was a finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers’ MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest, and Sawbones, her historical-fiction debut, was hailed as a “thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new sub-genre: the feminist Western” by Lone Star Literary Life. The New York Times called her sixth novel, Heresy, “An all-out women-driven, queer, transgender, multiracial takeover of the Old West”. The Secret of You and Me, her seventh novel and her first contemporary women’s fiction novel, was published on August 4, 2020.
When Melissa isn’t writing, she’s thinking, “I really should be writing,” and eating Nutella or peanut butter straight out of the jar. A lifelong Texan, she lives in the Dallas area with her husband, two sons, and two Golden Retrievers.
Connect with Melissa:
Facebook | Instagram | Website | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Twitter
My Thoughts
Set in the recent history of Texas, just a few years before gay marriage became a national right, Melissa Lenhardt’s novel The Secret of You and Me is not so much a coming of age story, as the lead characters are adults, as a coming of identity story. It’s a wonderful novel, a candid lesbian romance, wrapped around a host of difficult subjects: death, loss, desire, (in)fidelity, parenthood, childhood, the lens of nostalgia, and coming out. More than that, though, it’s a compelling drama rooted in family, both chosen and blood, and how we define it and ourselves.
The structure of the novel is in (mostly) alternating chapters from Nora (the central character) and Sophie’s (Nora’s best friend/first love) points of view. Lenhardt’s choice to shift between these equally dimensional women gives us greater insight into both, as well as their perspectives on the various supporting characters, most importantly Nora’s aunt, Emmadean, and Sophie’s, husband, daughter, and AA sponsor Charlie, Logan, and Todd, respectively. By doing this we get to see each woman’s view of herself, as well as of the other, and I think the novel is richer for the split POV.
I also felt that Lenhardt has an excellent ear for dialogue and a flair for family dynamics. From the earliest chapter, where Nora, newly arrived “home” is eating enchilada casserole, to the last I felt like I was in that small town, hearing the gossip from the locals, and watching everything unfold. So cinematic is the author’s writing, that I told a friend, “I could easily see this novel as movie on Amazon Prime or a Hulu original.”
As the person many of my friends have chosen to come out to, to reveal that they were trans to, to share their marital issues with, this novel really resonated with me. While I do not support infidelity, even in fiction, I certainly understand it as a symptom – an expression – of deep unhappiness. Lenhardt handled all of these revelations with grace and poise, and at times I felt as though I were watching friends share their stories.
While some of the subjects within this novel are serious, the story itself is not uncomfortably heavy. It’s a romance, just not a conventional one, and definitely worth the read.
Goes well with enchilada casserole and cold Shiner Bock, right from the bottle.
(As noted above, a portion of royalties from this book are going to the It Gets Better Project. Click for more details.)
Giveaway
TWO WINNERS each get a signed hardcover copy of the book and their choice of
either a FaceTime call or virtual book-club visit with the author.
August 11-21, 2020
(U.S. Only)
Visit the Other Blogs on This Tour
Click to visit the LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE for direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily, or visit each blog directly.
| 8/11/20 | Author Interview | All the Ups and Downs |
| 8/11/20 | Review | Tangled in Text |
| 8/12/20 | Review | Momma on the Rocks |
| 8/12/20 | BONUS Post | Hall Ways Blog |
| 8/13/20 | Review | Carpe Diem Chronicles |
| 8/14/20 | Top Six List | Texas Book Lover |
| 8/14/20 | Review | Bibliotica |
| 8/15/20 | Excerpt | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 8/16/20 | Guest Post | The Page Unbound |
| 8/17/20 | Review | Missus Gonzo |
| 8/17/20 | Review | Rainy Days with Amanda |
| 8/18/20 | Audio Spotlight | Book Bustle |
| 8/19/20 | Review | Chapter Break Book Blog |
| 8/19/20 | Review | Reading by Moonlight |
| 8/20/20 | Review | It’s Not All Gravy |
| 8/20/20 | Review | That’s What She’s Reading |
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