The Secrets She Keeps

by Deb Caletti

From Deb Caletti, the bestselling and National Book Award finalist, comes a novel about the immutable, enduring and ever-present conflicts of love, marriage and breaking apart. Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Liane Moriarty, and Anna Quindlen.

A trio of women gather at their aunt’s once famous Nevada “divorce ranch,” where in the 1950’s, high-society women and Hollywood elite gathered to obtain quickie divorces. As they tackle their own conflicts of love and marriage, past and present collide when secrets of the ranch’s tumultuous history are revealed.

Here is a story of the pull of stability versus the inevitability of change, the therapeutic power of female friendship, and the astonishment of finding yourself just when you’ve convinced yourself that you’re lost. More than anything, it’s about love’s most timeless struggle—losing your heart while keeping your head.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Adult, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2015

About the author

Deb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over twenty books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award, and A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be fair and honest, I was really looking forward to reading this, it ended up a decent enough read. BUT I really did struggle taking off. It was like a plane trying to take off but with the elements against it or something drastic holding it back.
I got confused too. I really had to concentrate to get my head around all the chopping and changing.

Once I did that, it became more open to me enjoying it. I would have just given up, but I like this authors work, I wanted it to take me in and enjoy it.

Well, I did in the end. I liked it.

But phew was it tedious in places and hard going.


I have to tell it honestly, its no good me trying to say WOW when I didn't feel that way.

It won't stop me reading this authors books though, sometimes you just can't connect, and this was one of those times.

I need to thank Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell for allowing me to read and review this honest and open with my opinions of how the book made me feel.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of Deb Caletti's YA books I was interested to see how her adult book would turn out. Admittedly, this was more of a departure than I expected, but the quality of writing was still sky high as usual. I would have liked to have read more about Nash and less about Callie, and the plot was a little slow, but I did have a good time reading this. I look forward to reading more adult fiction by this author.



Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly in Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Deb Caletti book, although, another of her books has been on my TBR list for awhile. This was a decent read. Told through two pov's by Nash and her niece, Callie. It went back and forth between the present situation at Nash's divorce ranch in Nevada and the past. I will say that I liked both but I did tend to enjoy the past more. I just wanted it to get back to what happened with Nash back in the day, that's where the mystery lay. Callie's tended to be more on the side of, well, a mid-life crisis. What she and her husband were going to do after 20+ years of marriage and what was left of them after the kids left home. It was a good storyline, with some great quotes, but after awhile it was a little tedious. I enjoyed it more when Callie and her sister, Shay, interacted. There was one funny part that I just loved between them. I did like all three characters of the women--Callie, Shay, and Nash. They really made the story for me.

** Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story that went back and forth between two different POV's. There were funny times and sad times and some oh no times. I really enjoyed this. It was a little harder to follow as an audiobook until I got into it a little bit. I wish audiobooks would worn the reader there is more than one POV. Well worth the time.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book found me at the right time as books so often do so the story was like a siren's song. I loved the setting of the Nevada quickie divorce ranch and Caletti builds the nostalgia of the time with her descriptions. However, it is also in this setting using flashbacks that she stumbles in character development. Caletti introduces a collection of divorce-seeking women, some thinly veiled (see Hadley divorcing moody writer),but their stories were not expanded enough to distinguish them from one another. The sisters in the current day story are fun and relatable and I loved the juxtaposition of Nash as a naive young girl and a wizened elderly Aunt. The writing in places is just downright poetic prompting me to wear out my highligher. This coupled with my own Mid-life crisis and a piece of women's divorce history I knew nothing about made this a most enjoyable read.

Provided by publisher

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caletti’s latest takes a long while to get going. Although the conclusion is ultimately redemptive and meaningful, the journey to arrive there is tedious. There are no real sparks in the romance, and the historical story is not nearly as gripping as the modern-day tale.
When Callie McBride finds a mysterious woman’s phone number in her husband’s possession, she knows he’s hiding something, most likely an affair. Reeling from many changes and losses, their marriage is stale. When she finds out her elderly aunt is having some issues, Callie leaves her husband to travel to Tamarosa Ranch to see what is up with Nash. Callie finds that Nash has long been harboring some deep secrets about her days on the ranch in the ‘40s and ‘50s, when it was a “divorce ranch.” Can both women come to terms with their pasts and their present trials?

[Judy Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A special thank you to Random House/Bantam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS by Deb Caletti, is a quirky novel of women gathering at their aunt’s Nevada divorce ranch, a place where high society women gathered in the 1950s to obtain their quickie divorce, from the men they so longed to be rid of.

“Longed for him. Got him. Shit.“– Margaret Atwood, Six Word Story

Told from Nash (past) and Callie (present) voices in alternating chapters we hear from aunt and niece. When Callie finds a mysterious woman’s phone number in her husband’s possession, she thinks he is having an affair.

All sorts of family drama: Empty nesters: Thomas and Callie. Shay, Callie’s sister also family issues. And the aunt, Nash manages the divorce ranch. Nash of course is acting weird and secretive.

Callie, travels to Tamarosa Ranch to visit Nash, her elderly aunt-she has some big secrets from back in the 40s-50’s on the divorce ranch and her sister Shay joins them.

Nash’s two nieces, Callie and Shaye, are sent by their mother (Nash’s sister, Gloria) to assess the situation. Neither sister realizes that their mother asked both of them to help, so they are initially quite surprised to see one another at Tamarosa Ranch.

The three women begin their journey of present day trials of love, betrayal, and marriage; with loves, losses, and some mysteries of the past with the ranch’s scandalous history. Ranch guests were given relaxing day trips to Lake Tahoe and exciting night trips to Reno’s casinos. I am not a fan of casinos or ranches; however, enjoyed the Nash's past, more so than the present--as always find the secrets of the older generation more intriguing.

The two sisters, stroll down memory lane, they recall this familiar place and now it seems to have gone downhill. You know how you recall something from your youth and you return and it is not how you remember? In addition, their aunt is acting odd, and is hoarding all this stuff from the fifties and is very secretive about it.

The negatives: The books starts out with too much in your face all at once making my head spin, with confusion and frustration, while putting it down more than once, with a rather impatient feeling. Would have preferred a slower introduction of characters with a good backstory and easing into the drama filled lives. I tend to agree with some of the other reviewers: it is too tedious a read. Not really my type of book.

The positives: Some nice quotes, humor, and liked the Aunt Nash, eighty years old and her past, managing the divorce ranch where women would come to stay for weeks to establish residency and then their quickie divorce. There are beautiful scenes with the landscape and horses. Some good relationship dynamics between family; however, could not get past the overall pacing, and the fast introduction of too many characters to quickly, distracting from the root of the story buried underneath.

In the end, Tamarosa Ranch ends up, once again being a healing and transitional spot for women with emotional and marital problems, leaving them better equipped to handle their futures.

This was my second adult book by Deb Caletti, having read HE’S GONE , quite some time ago, and enjoyed the author’s writing style.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent read for me. There were parts that just seemed to go on and on, but the last few chapters were worth the wait. It's not an uplifting story at all, until the end. But then it is about divorce so it's not really the author's fault that the subject matter was a downer. The writing was very well done and I loved the characters. The author really made them human. I'm giving this book 3.5 stars, but this site doesn't allow it.

I had no idea about divorce ranches out near Reno, but it makes sense if they have to be residents for six weeks. I imagine a lot of friends were made during those years. So, I did learn something. Who says you can't learn stuff from fiction?

Thanks to Random House Bantam and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is told in 2 timelines- Callie present day and her aunt Nash in the 50's. In present day, Callie finds a womans business card in her husband's pocket. He lies about it, she assumes hes cheating, and her mom tells her her aunt needs help on her ranch. So Callie (and unbeknownst to her, her sister) head to the ranch to help her elderly aunt. The ranch used to be a divorce ranch where prominent women went to get quicky divorces. We get Nash's perspective during that time and her experience with the women. That whole premise doesn't make sense to me and when you're first introduced to that timeline its a ton thrown at you at once (names and events, but not really details that would aid in understanding) so I immediately was put off on that timeline. Unfortunately, it never really got better enough to recover my interest. I really just slogged through this to get it done. Bleh.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lot going on, but at its heart and examination of relationships, both friendship and marriage and with one's own self. Is it weird I now want to take a road-trip and visit Nevada's Divorce Ranches? Caletti, has that effect on me. Her sense of places is enticing.

[Leslie Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone else think they need a pair of pink cowboy (girl) boots after reading THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS?!

I'm going for 3.5 stars overall on National Book Award Finalist Deb Caletti's second book for adults (she usually writes YA). And I will tell you exactly why...

While ultimately redeeming and meaningful and completely full of symmetry witty dialogue and complex reflections on life, love, and marriage, I found the story a bit tedious and the introduction of characters too tangled for my style.

But that's just me. Possibly.

In Caletti's first book for adults (HE'S GONE, 2013), the cast was much tighter, smaller, intimate. We spent a lot of time inside the protagonist's head. I like that kind of thing. IN THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS, the pacing is much faster and at times, a bit rambling--of course, that could all be by design. These women have secrets. They're struggling with the crumbling pieces of their own marriages. I am sure I'd ramble, too.

I will say that I absolutely loved the unique setting of an old "Divorce Ranch," ala MAD MEN era and sort of fell in love with the camaraderie of women, the strength in numbers, and the retelling of their stories. I kept thinking of Betty Draper in jeans and cowboy hat.

Caletti does a nice job of dovetailing the past with the present, though I will admit to being a little confused as to which era was "the past," or when we were *in* the past...simple chapter headings with the date *may* have been helpful, but again, could have just been me.

Overall, it's a light, easy read with some witty women dealing with some of the darker sides of their seemingly glamorous life.

For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see www.leslielindsay.com

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a lucky First Reads winner of the book! It was really enjoyable and hard to put down. The descriptions were so rich they made you feel like you were there, both presently and in Nash's flashbacks. The story and writing got even better the more you read.

[Sarah]

I'm going to need to boots on this cover on my feet ASAP.

[Rebecca Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read! Two intertwined stories, one from the past and one current, and how they connect. Wild mustangs, the Northwest territories, and romance = a good story!

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book takes place across two timelines at Tamarosa Ranch, where in the 1950s, it served as a divorce ranch. The setting is interesting enough, but I felt like a lot of the characters blended together. I thought two characters from the different timelines were the same person until partway through. The women waiting for their divorces also felt not very distinct, and I had no real differentiation for them, except the main woman.

I felt like there were lots of names thrown around, and it all felt like a bit much - every horse, every husband, every woman - all these names, and a lot of them were not necessarily that relevant, and many of them did not feel distinct, and like real, living, breathing, characters.

The story itself meandered, and didn't feel like it necessarily had a lot behind it.

The writing was tolerable, and the concept of divorce ranches was interesting, but the writing style was a bit too meandering, a bit too unclear, and a bit too poetic for me.

[Nephele Tempest · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was reading this, my general impression was of a slow, meandering story where very little was taking place, but at the same time, the setting and the characters were so distinctive that they kept pulling me along until I found myself liking the ending very much. Set in two time frames, the story alternates between the present day, when Callie and her sister end up at the Nevada ranch of their aunt, Nash, who is eighty years old and reportedly (according to her sister, the sisters' mother) behaving oddly. Each of the sisters has their own problems, with spouses and family and changes in their lives, so the trip is as much an escape for each of them as it is motivated by concern for their aunt. The other half of the story takes place during Nash's eighteenth year, when she finds herself in charge of the ranch -- then a place where women would go to stay for six weeks, establish Nevada residency, and obtain a quickie divorce -- while her mother goes off to help her sister. Eventually the events that take place under Nash's youthful and somewhat inexperienced watch end up linking back to her preoccupations in the present.

I had previously heard of the Nevada divorce ranches and so I thought this was a fascinating setting for this novel, particularly given how many ways Caletti looks at marriage and love and relationships between these characters. She also depicts some wonderful female relationships -- sisters, mother/daughter, aunt/niece, and friendships. Those are the true heart of the story, which makes for a lovely change of pace. I was also drawn in by the wild horses that feature in both time periods of the story, and the interesting juxtaposition of their fates and the fates of the women. A beautifully written and heartfelt read.

[deb22luvsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just had the pleasure of reading The secrets she keeps by Deb Caletti, due to a fortunate win thru Goodreads Firstreads. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book. It is not the normal type book that I read. I generally read romance, you know, to get away from real life and live in some fantasy for a bit. One reason why I love Firstreads contests so much....I get to read something I normally would not from time to time. As I was reading this book, I found myself bookmarking the pages as time and time again I read something that I wanted to remember, to digest again. This book could not be more relevant to my own life. I am a 52 year old married woman with my first child on the verge of leaving home. I had to stop bookmarking the pages after a while because I seemed to be finding something on almost every page that hit home. See, I have faced "the back" and I have lived with "the mood"....I know the frustration of the leg rub in the bed and the shrug and what all of that means in a marriage. I sometimes find myself thinking of what another life would look like. So this book made me see how awfully normal all of that is. Deb Caletti simply has a way with words that simply beautifies the human experience and what living in a long term relationship entails. I loved how she wove the story of the past and connected it to the future. I enjoyed the cowboy Kit and how he loved Callie and how she loved him back the only way she could. I loved that Kit lived in each moment and helped her to remember those moments "up here". I loved the humor in this book as much as I loved the heartbreak. It is a fantastic story and one I will recommend again and again!

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the jumbled mixed up mess of writing that was the prologue and first few chapters, I decided to skim through finding the parts about Callie and Thomas and their marriage. After all, that is what the book touted itself to be. Instead, it was literally the most poorly written novel I've had the displeasure of buying. Sentence structure and dialogue were infantile. It was nearly impossible to tell which character was speaking and who that character was. As for plot and content? It seems like every female today writing the kind of crap that gets sold at Target for bored housewives can only write about whiny, privileged, selfish, indulgent women who blame their husbands for everything including the sudden dissolution of the marriage and then go out and try to hook up with the first guy they think is crazy about them because they are so perfect and sacrificed so much for their ungrateful husband whom by all accounts is a man any woman would be glad to have as a husband, so they deserve to have a mad passionate affair and then be forgiven. So haughty these types of books that never delve deeply enough into the intricacies of any relationship and always fail to have more than one point of view. -

[Stacey Lechner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House/Bantam Dell for an advanced copy of this book.
This book and story just didn't do it for me. It went on and on without seeming to go anywhere for most of the book. I didn't really connect to any of the characters, I didn't find they to be very well developed. Everything was just on the surface, I felt like a lot of depth of character and story was missing for me.
The idea of divorce ranches was interesting, never heard of them before. And the ending was better than the whole book, but it was a long and tedious process to get to that point.

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was great - a woman facing a marital crisis escapes to the old family ranch and slowly uncovers the secrets of her eclectic and partly nutty aunt. But my mind kept wandering throughout the book as the story failed to capture my attention, I struggled to distinguish the minor characters from one another and to remember the precise relationships between the major characters. This may mean more about me as the reader than the book itself, but I can definitely say this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I loved this book. I enjoyed how it told both stories of the women from their points of view. An easy and entertaining read.

[Wisterious Woman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just can't finish it.
It goes on and on and on about nothing and jumps all over the place. I like the husband the best but you don't really get to know him.
Deb Caletti likes to fit divorce issues into her books and other complex interpersonal themes. This one is a bit like a banana split--two many flavors and I just couldn't relate. Wild Horses were suppose to have special meaning. She tries to write in a way that is deep with sexual need, and personal need and family need competing for attention in the story. What seems to be missing is a sense of love.
I've met both Deb and her mother and they are very nice North-westerners. But it is annoying that she spends so much time contrasting the desert of Nevada with the lushness of Seattle. The desert can be fascinating on its own without all the contrast and compare that is a major theme in the book. I just want to say 'shut up about Seattle--that's another story.' And there are so many cliches. The people in my neighborhood on the Eastside are very diverse and we can't be pigeonholed into the description she gives of the way things are in the Seattle area. Don't believe it. A lot of people here are Vegan because they are East Indian not because they are leftover hippies from the '70s. Or maybe they eat tofu because they are Chinese. The main character is like a tourist that goes somewhere else to explore the world and can't help but talk about their own home town the whole time.
I'm just sick of the two stories intertwining and not making a lot of sense and feeling that I can't relate to the characters. So the book is going back to the library.

I really loved some of Deb Caletti's early books. The Nature of Jade is a book I can't forget so I do think Deb has a talent with words. Maybe I'll go back and read that again.

[Angelia Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect summer read. The story goes back and forth between Callie, a middle-aged woman who is in a fight with her husband; and her aunt Nash, who is now elderly and dying, and too stubborn to leave her ranch in Nevada. She was once a young, naive daughter of the owner of this ranch when it was a divorce ranch in the 1950s. So of course in these parts of the book, you see a lot of old-fashioned fun made for a movie – a handsome cowboy love interest, lots of drinking, and beautiful rich women who are here to avoid their abusive husbands so they can soon divorce them. (Apparently divorce ranches were a thing, because you had to live in the sate of Nevada for six weeks separated from your husband before getting divorced... I think?)

The read is mostly light, with some sad parts of course, and lots of beautifully written passages, even if she knocks you over the head with metaphors. Deb Caletti is just so good at describing women, how they feel, and just pointing out little things that we all know deep down. I loved her books as a teenager, and this is her first adult novel I've read – I approve!

[Janka H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

About marriage and divorce and all the work around.

Callie needs rest from her marriage (at least for a while), it is difficult to cope. The same with her sister. So when they hear that Nash, her aunt, might have failing health and needs help, they go to her ranch in Nevada. And if the the ranch could speak, it would be colourful telling - this ranch used to be one of the infamous “divorce ranches” near Reno, where the high-society women and Hollywood stars went to obtain quick divorces in the 50’s.
Paralelly told by Callie in the present times and Nash in the 1951, this is story about all the faces of the marriage.

I am sorry to report that I did not enjoy this book. It aims high and the idea behind it and some individual thoughts are nice and well-meant, but as whole the story is bland (in Callie´s case) and almost non-existent (in Nash´s case). The glory of the past is not used well. I was not able to relate to the story emotionally.

[Laura Chowns · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book is fantastic. The execution was a disappointment.

I don't usually mind when a book changes perspective per chapter but I really dislike when the tense changes so when Callie's chapter written in first person ended and Nash's chapter began in third person I was really irritated.

I also felt like the flow of Nash's chapters. They were choppy and unfocused like the author didn't know what parts of Nash's past were important to her secret. I think Nash's story lacked a lot of development. If her big secret was about the baby then why was there so much focus on her feelings for Jack?

What also bothered me about Nash's chapters was that there was no obvious indication that her chapters took place in the past so the first few paragraphs of her chapter was confusing and unclear.

I think the book had great potential to be told from one perspective discovering Nash's secret through investigation instead of the nauseating back and forth and tense swapping.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deb Caletti's adult novels each take a close and intricate look at relationships and marriage. Callie's last daughter has left for a summer internship and Callie and her husband are alone for the first time in a long time. With the fairly recent death of her husband's mother, his behavior has changed somewhat recently--he's taken up running, he sometimes works late, etc. When Callie finds a business card with a woman's phone number on it that he has tried to hide, Callie decides to take a much needed break from everything. At her mother's request, she goes to check on her elderly Aunt on her Nevada ranch, which at one time was used as a "divorce ranch." Is Callie's Aunt okay and will time apart from her husband help to mend their relationship? Only Deb Caletti can weave a story this intricate and meaningful.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever heard of a "divorce ranch"? Neither did I. Back in the 40's and 50's , women flocked to Divorce ranches in Nevada while they waited for their divorces to finalize. Sad but interesting setting for this story. Nash and her family own Tamarosa ranch outside of Reno where many women flock to for a quickie divorcee. Friendships are made and sometimes romances and some secrets.

This book begins in present day when Callie McBride is struggling with the realization that her two daughters have grown up and are leaving home and her distant husband. Callie receives a call that her Aunt Nash who she hasn't seen in years in need of help at the family ranch.

The book flips to 1951 when Nash was a young girl working at the ranch taking care of her guests and spending time with the handsome cowboy, Jack.

Enjoyable read!

[Melissa Derr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much going on at too slow of a pace. By that, I mean that there was no consistent narrator as well as time and location shifts throughout the story and so I felt very off-balance most of the time. I felt like reading this book was a chore I would rather not be doing and daily considered not finishing it. But I trudged along as I always do. I also think that because there were so many different characters it was hard to get attached or care about any of them. There were two side characters that I found the most colorful, however, the story never came from their viewpoints and so, because of the manner it was written, they did not get as much time or depth to really get to know them.

[Melissa Dunivan-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the twists and turns this book has in store for the reader. I can see why some readers don't enjoy the jumping around from the past to the future, but it's really what makes this book dramatic... relevant and enjoyable. You fall in love with Callie, Nash, "Shamu", Lilly, Jack and Kit.. and the rest of the sorted characters. When the wild horses race, Deb Caletti puts the reader right there... front and center.. you can feel their hooves pounding and the sound of thunder... and the magic of the experience. I for one can only hope to be as strong as Nash at 80, and have no regrets.

[Marisa Turpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book alternates chapters between Allie, a middle aged wife and mother of two, and Nash, her 80 year old aunt. Allie discovers some information that leads her to believe her husband of 22 years is having an affair, so following a brief request from her mother, she takes off from Seattle to go check on her aunt. Nash lives on an old ranch near Reno, Nevada. For years it served as a place for women to go establish residence [for 6 weeks] so they could divorce. Apparently this was really a thing back in the day. There is a mystery thrown in, which had me guessing until the end.