Anstey Harris

The House of Lost Secrets

         A few years ago, I had the joy of grabbing a book called When I First Held You from Netgalley.  I rarely use Netgalley, I find it to be one of the most frustrating book sites on the market right now. However, every now and then I’ll pop on over and see what immediately-available books I can get my hands one, and that was the one I ended up with.  I loved that book, written by Anstey Harris, you can read the review here: 

https://booksbitesandballs.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/when-i-first-held-you/

 .  As an Amazon Prime member, I get to pick a book each month for free, so I was absolutely thrilled to see Anstey Harris show up as an option in August of 2024. 

            Harris has a way with gut-wrenching family sagas.  That seems to be her niche.  This one is more of a found family trope compared to the first one of hers I read, but it’s definitely a theme I’ve noticed.  This one follows a woman’s search for answers after the shockingly sudden death of her best friend, who was far more like a sister. 

            This book took an unnecessary amount of time getting to the point.  I understand this needed to be a novel so a certain word count was necessary.  I also understand that novels do need to contain a build-up, a crescendo if you will, towards a climax.  I read at least 300 books a year, I understand how stories work.  However, the back and forth between Jo and each of the remaining characters was tedious.  Rachel was quite dead, yet everybody wanted to hold on to her secrets and let Jo fumble in the dark trying to uncover them.  It wasn’t even like Rachel had left a diary for Jo to read through, Jo had little to go on and she faced road blocks at every turn.  After a while, it became infuriating. 

            In the end, I did enjoy this book, though not as much as the other one of Harris’s I read.  Harris is very good at invoking emotion, and helping walk her readers though tumultuous emotional landscapes.  If you’re a fan of family drama and book club fiction, give Harris a try. 

Kristen Claiborn

         A few years ago, I had the joy of grabbing a book called When I First Held You from Netgalley.  I rarely use Netgalley, I find it to be one of the most frustrating book sites on the market right now. However, every now and then I’ll pop on over and see what immediately-available books I can get my hands one, and that was the one I ended up with.  I loved that book, written by Anstey Harris, you can read the review here: https://booksbitesandballs.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/when-i-first-held-you/ .  As an Amazon Prime member, I get to pick a book each month for free, so I was absolutely thrilled to see Anstey Harris show up as an option in August of 2024. 

            Harris has a way with gut-wrenching family sagas.  That seems to be her niche.  This one is more of a found family trope compared to the first one of hers I read, but it’s definitely a theme I’ve noticed.  This one follows a woman’s search for answers after the shockingly sudden death of her best friend, who was far more like a sister. 

            This book took an unnecessary amount of time getting to the point.  I understand this needed to be a novel so a certain word count was necessary.  I also understand that novels do need to contain a build-up, a crescendo if you will, towards a climax.  I read at least 300 books a year, I understand how stories work.  However, the back and forth between Jo and each of the remaining characters was tedious.  Rachel was quite dead, yet everybody wanted to hold on to her secrets and let Jo fumble in the dark trying to uncover them.  It wasn’t even like Rachel had left a diary for Jo to read through, Jo had little to go on and she faced road blocks at every turn.  After a while, it became infuriating. 

            In the end, I did enjoy this book, though not as much as the other one of Harris’s I read.  Harris is very good at invoking emotion, and helping walk her readers though tumultuous emotional landscapes.  If you’re a fan of family drama and book club fiction, give Harris a try. 

The House of Lost Secrets

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