She Treads Softly: Want to Know a Secret?

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Want to Know a Secret?

Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden
3/3/26; 368 pages
Poison Pen Press

Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden is a highly recommended domestic psychological thriller with soap opera overtones. Originally published on January 5, 2021, new fans will be excited to read this earlier popcorn thriller by McFadden being released by Poisoned Pen Press.

April Masterson has a YouTube baking show called "April's Sweet Secrets." She is married to Elliot, a lawyer, and the two have a seven-year-old son, Bobby. Everything seems bright, shiny, and sweet in April's world. Her best friend is Julie, who has iron-clad control of the PTA, neighborhood HOA rules, and the book club. Julie's son Leo is the same age as Bobby. New neighbors, Maria and Sean, also have a son, Owen, who is seven and April immediately makes them her BFFs too. But someone is trying to sabotage April's perfect world. She is receiving anonymous texts pointing out her failings, as well as cruel comments on her YouTube show. Someone knows her secrets and that simply won't do.

This is one of those soap opera-esque novels that is an extreme take on suburban denizen's behaving badly while showing smiling faces or acting like Karens. Like any entertaining over-the-top drama, most of the characters are unlikable with exaggerated personalities. At first you will feel some sympathy for April. You would definitely not want her as a neighbor, but it does seem like someone is out to hurt her. Then the last quarter of the novel from another character's point-of-view will totally change your view and the plot gets twisty and wildly unpredictable.

McFadden excels at portraying characters who all have a plethora of secrets, with plenty of twists along the way. Really, I didn't like any of these characters, but it was entertaining to follow all their drama. Thanks to Poison Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment

John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.