Happy Release Day!!
From the author of The Ones We Leave Behind comes a dual-timeline story of a young girl who flees her country with a secret that she must hold close in order to protect her life.
1917 - Sofiya and her friend Alina are forced to flee Russia as Tsar Nicholas II abdicates and the Bolsheviks take control of St. Petersburg. Their parents send them to America, where Alina's distant cousin lives, but soon the girls learn they have traded one danger for another. They are forced to earn a living in the most terrible way, and once again, both girls flee for their lives in separate directions. Years later, trapped in a bitter marriage, Sofiya once again finds herself running away to protect her son and the secret she's been hiding since leaving Russia. She wonders if she will ever feel safe again.
2022 - Addison Cameron loves antiques and old homes and has made a career, alongside her boyfriend Zach, of flipping old houses and making them new again. Having lived a life of terror as a young teen, bringing new life to old homes has been her therapy. When Zach finds a cigar box of old letters in an antique shop and buys them for Addie, she is intrigued. Who was the young girl Sofiya, and what was her life like? Soon Addie becomes immersed in Sofiya's past and is drawn to the very house in Portland that Sofiya had fled all those years ago. As she brings the house back to life, Addie relives her own nightmare past and that of Sofiya's. Can she heal her old wounds by restoring the house where Sofiya had once lived?
Oh my gosh! What a beautiful and heart-warming but heart-wrenching story of a young girl, uprooted from her comfortable life in Russia, who finds herself thrown into an unimaginable life in America.
This story is told from two viewpoints, two different lifetimes. First there is Sofyia, struggling with her new life in America, doing what she needs to do to keep herself, and eventually, her child safe. What a strong, admirable woman she turns out to be, all while keeping a huge secret—a secret that could make her life easier, but at the same time could put her in extreme danger if revealed to the wrong people. But a promise she made to her mother is a promise she cannot break.
Then there is Addison, a flipper of houses who is inexplicably drawn to an intriguing old house after finding a box filled with personal letters. As Addison reads through the letters, the life of Sofyia is unraveled and the connection to the house takes on a deeper meaning for Addison.
The back and forth storylines make this story so enticing. As we learn more about the house and Sofyia's life back then, we also come to understand so much about Addison's life and how she struggled to get where she is now. So many similarities and so much strength shared between these amazing women. What they both did with their lives is extremely admirable.
I have absolutely loved all of Deanna's books and she writes such interesting historical fiction stories. They are full of heart and soul and take me on wonderful journeys to other times and places. The Secrets We Carry is another fascinating story that I escaped into as I traveled back in time. I highly recommend it! It's one I know you're going to love as well.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review, Susan. I'm so happy you enjoyed the story. I just fell in love with both Sofiya and Addie and I hope the readers will as well.
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