Review: Best kept secret By Amy Hatvany

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: June 7th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

ISBN: 1439193312 (ISBN13: 9781439193310)

Cadence didn’t sit down one night and decide that downing two bottles of wine was a brilliant idea.

Her drinking snuck up on her - as a way to sleep, to help her relax after a long day, to relieve some of the stress of the painful divorce that’s left her struggling to make ends meet with her five-year old son, Charlie.

It wasn't always like this. Just a few years ago, Cadence seemed to have it all—a successful husband, an adorable son, and a promising career as a freelance journalist. But with the demise of her marriage, her carefully constructed life begins to spiral out of control. Suddenly she is all alone trying to juggle the demands of work and motherhood.

Logically, Cadence knows that she is drinking too much, and every day begins with renewed promises to herself that she will stop. But within a few hours, driven by something she doesn’t understand, she is reaching for the bottle - even when it means not playing with her son because she is too tired, or dropping him off at preschool late, again. And even when one calamitous night it means leaving him alone to pick up more wine at the grocery store. It’s only when her ex-husband shows up at her door to take Charlie away that Cadence realizes her best kept secret has been discovered…

Heartbreaking, haunting, and ultimately life-affirming, Best Kept Secretis more than just the story of Cadence—it’s a story of how the secrets we hold closest are the ones that can most tear us apart.

          My Thoughts:

     I grabbed this book from a Simon & Schuster galley grab. And the one thing I can say is, this book hit me hard. Now I'm not an alcoholic or an addict of any kind. But I'm a single mom like Cadence ended up and I would simply go nuts if I lose my child for whatever reason. The author wrote Cadence's character so well that I felt so bad for her. It felt like I was going through the pain with her.

     Being an alcoholic is a serious disease. It's hurts not only the person addicted to it but also others around them. It's a sad thing to see someone go through that addiction but even worst when a child goes through the pain of seeing a parent addicted. Now I'm not trying to justify Cadence's behavior, but I can see how a situation can push someone to the edge. The thought of a husband cheating, a divorce and then raising a child as a single mom is terrifying plus having to work too. However there are thousands of single moms like myself that has made the best of what they have. Just some women are not as strong as others.

     Cadence's marriage fell apart due to infidelity. Becoming a single mom now comes with responsibilities that a couple raising a child together doesn't have to go through. She had to deal with work and making enough money to support them both and basically keeping a roof over their heads. So basically everything just became too overwhelming and before she knew it, one glass of wine ended up to a whole bottle.

     Usually people with some kind of addiction doesn't acknowledge they have an addiction. And by the time it hits them, things went from bad to worst. So in Cadence situation, she hit rock bottom when her little boy had to call his dad because she wouldn't wake up. That's when the walls caved in and her worst nightmare happened and her "Best Kept Secret" was revealed.

     I really enjoyed reading this book. The author did a great job writing her characters and was very descriptive with the emotions they were all feeling, that I felt like I was going through the same roller coaster with her. This book is a definite 5 stars for me and a definite "Good Choice for Reading."