Things We Keep Hidden by Jill Lynn

Things We Keep Hidden
by Jill Lynn

ISBN-13: 9781335045003
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
Released: August 26, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The last time lifelong friends Payton, Isley and Clara were together, Clara broke their unwritten rule and brought up the one thing they never talk about. And now, more than twenty years after their friend Cece took her life, they must confront that night as the three women and their husbands gather at Isley’s Breckenridge vacation home. With tension already simmering just below the surface of their relationship, they’re each left shaken when a cryptic note Tell the truth or I will.

Who is the message for and what does it refer to? The women fear it could be linked to the truth they’ve kept hidden since the night Cece died. Or maybe it has something to do with one of the problems they’ve each brought with them. Isley’s son is in rehab after narrowly avoiding jail time. Clara, usually so careful to follow rules, is haunted by the one night that she didn’t. And Payton struggles to accept her husband’s desire to get divorced.

As the weekend unfolds, all three will revisit the bonds they share and the challenges that have shaped their lives. And by the trip’s end, a truth that shocks them all will be revealed.


My Review:
Things We Keep Hidden is general fiction. I had mistakenly thought it was a Christian book, but there's no mention of God (or Jesus) and the main characters strove to solve their problems in their own strength and wisdom. However, there was no sex or bad language. Even though we're introduced to 8+ main characters within the first chapter, the author did a good job of making them each distinct. I had no trouble remembering who everyone was, their problems, and their relationships. Perhaps to prevent slowing an already slow start, details about the characters came out over time.

However, the characters KNEW what problem they were thinking about (when you're supposedly in their head and know their thoughts) yet they only vaguely referred to various problems for over half the book. Even with all the hiding, the truth behind what happened with CeCe was predictable (yes, I guessed it before the reveal). And what the girls did that they hid was meant to be supportive of CeCe, so obviously everyone forgives them. It's a non-issue at this point yet these women couldn't see this and were burdened for a good chunk of their life over it.

The author kept me at a distance by hiding rather than inviting me into the main character's problems, so I never bonded with any of them. The author didn't seem to understand how farms work, so even that couple's very vague farm problems were hard to relate to because they didn't make sense to me. Despite two of the women being control freaks, they missed what was obviously happening under their noses. And the meaning behind the "Tell the truth or I will" was a bit of a letdown.

Also, these women were supposed to be best friends, yet they spent the first part of the book trying to hide their troubles from the others. Why? When they did, they all did act like good, supportive friends, so why try to pretend their lives were fine? It wasn't a bad story, but it just wasn't relatable to me. It felt like they self-inflicted a whole lot of stress over minor issues while the major ones were just glossed over.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.