Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Sometimes the bravest thing is starting over…”

Sarah Morgan has nailed it yet again with such a brilliant, feel-good beach read for 2025! I read the majority of this sat next to our hotel pool in Tenerife (not quite the beach, ha!) and it brought me so much joy. I love Sarah’s books; if you ever need something to lift your spirits, Sarah’s books will hit the spot every time. I am so thrilled to be sharing my review for Sarah’s latest, A Secret Escape!

About the book

A lifelong friendship. A call for help. A summer to reconnect.

Childhood friends Milly and Nicole had always been more like sisters so Milly never understood why Nicole dropped out of contact all those months ago. Milly buried that hurt and moved on with her life.

Now, suddenly, Nicole is begging for Milly’s help. She needs somewhere private to hide, and the only safe place she can think of is Milly’s holiday home business in the Lake District. Milly knows she should tell Nicole no, but she can’t ignore the desperation in her old friend’s voice so, despite her misgivings, she agrees to let Nicole stay.

Over a summer of tentative conversations, the two women begin to reconnect, and there’s a potential new romance for Milly too. But then the biggest bombshell of all lands and their delicate friendship is put to the test once more …

Can the friends come together in this time of need, or will this summer break their bond forever?

The beginning

Starting a new Sarah Morgan book always feels like such a treat! Even though this is the first book I’ve read by this author that isn’t set at Christmas, I was sucked in just as much. We meet Milly, a single mum to Zoe, owner of an idyllic Lake District holiday home business she took over from her mother. She’s trying to get her life back on track after her divorce from Richard, and even though she’s running a thriving business with wonderful family and a small circle of friends around her, she still doesn’t have much time for herself. Her life takes quite the turn when her estranged bestie, Nicole, gets in touch. She’s in trouble and needs her help, and despite her mysterious radio silence for eighteen months, Milly jumps in to help. Because that’s the kind of person she is! Kind, thoughtful, the would-do-anything-for-anyone kind of person. Things are tense when they’re reunited, and Milly wants answers. But there’s another detail about Nicole; she’s a world famous actor and there’s been a scandal. She needs somewhere to hide from the world, to escape from anyone who would recognise her.

“The strength of their friendship had felt like a superpower, an invisible layer of protection from everything life might throw at them. They’d been invincible, and yet here they were behaving like two polite strangers.”

The book is told from the perspective of Milly and Nicole here, which brought so much depth to the story early on. It was fascinating to see life and thoughts through the eyes of two very different people. We also meet Milly’s family; her mother, Connie, whose perspective we read from occasionally, her grandmother, Peggy and her daughter, Zoe. Getting acquainted with them felt like the most natural thing in the world. Sarah Morgan’s characters and their lives are so easy to get lost in. Their lives strangely become your own for a short while. Pure escapism! I loved Peggy. She has no filter which made her hilarious and the whole family had such great chemistry. You can’t help but love them, their quirks and personalities make them so unforgettable. We learn more about Milly’s ex-husband, Richard and his new woman, someone no one seems to be a fan of. The richness of all this, the detail in these characters’ lives was so gorgeous and full. Sarah always manages to bring her characters and their worlds to life with what seems like minimal effort. I couldn’t wait to see them thrive as they fixed their problems and made some changes in their lives.

The middle

Nicole shares the complexities and horrors of life as an actor with Milly and my heart really went out to her. It was clear, even after so long without contact, that their friendship, their bond, was so strong, their connection not completely broken. And I loved that they were working on fully fixing it, getting back to how they used to be. Their conversations became so deep, and we explore Nicole’s childhood difficulties and her mother’s constant disapproval. The complete opposite of what Milly had growing up, and what she still had as an adult. I really loved how quickly they got back to helping each other like they used to, being a listening ear when they needed it, especially when Nicole reveals a big secret. I absolutely must mention their conversations that ran alongside Milly cooking. I could devour everything she made! 🤤 We meet other interesting characters at Forest Nest where Milly works, especially Brendan Scott, a famous writer, and Joel, Milly’s handy man who is great at fixing things and solving problems in the cabins. These two guys would soon be very important indeed…

“But what is success? Because if you’re not enjoying the life you’re living, if you’re hating almost every moment, then that doesn’t feel like success to me. I’ve come to the conclusion that fame can be dangerous because it distorts reality. And it’s so easy to get sucked into it.”

Brendan, although he sounded a little grumpy when we first meet him, really grew on me. And, it seemed, Milly too. Their conversations, their banter flowed so easily. Was he flirting with her? I had a really good feeling about the two! After some harsh words from Richard and all the betrayal, Milly absolutely deserved a bit of fun, a bit of happiness! After reading from the perspectives of Milly, Nicole and Connie, I loved the odd chapter from Zoe’s perspective. I felt it really brought a lot to the story as she’s such a huge part of everyone’s lives, with motherhood being such a big part of the plot from the start. I wondered how she’d feel with a new fatherly figure in her life as Brendan asks Milly to dinner; could he really be the person Milly needed in her life? Their date was the most natural thing. Conversations flowed, and Sarah writes their scenes so beautifully! I was rooting for a new relationship for her. In Milly and Nicole’s rekindled friendship, there was still another secret Nicole held close. Something that would threaten their relationship. I was nervous about what it could be, whether their friendship could survive it.

The end

With Milly getting closer to Brendan and Nicole enjoying her time with Joel, it seemed new beginnings were blossoming all around and it felt so incredibly beautiful. But, of course, there has to be something to potentially destroy all that newfound happiness, something to shake up the plot and sprinkle uncertainty over the whole thing, to cause pain and sadness. Nicole’s secret comes out in the worst possible way and shatters Milly. I really wanted to reach into the pages and give her a squeeze. But, despite this, I also understood Nicole’s point of view, why she did what she did, why she kept quiet about it. She was going through her own difficulties and she can’t be blamed for that. I knew this was a problem that could be solved. I knew Milly would come around, and after talking to the inspirational women in her life, she sees things from Nicole’s perspective. And in doing so, she realises she can forgive on a much bigger scale. If your eyes don’t glaze over with tears reading all this powerful emotion, then there is something wrong! Sarah nails it every time and really takes your thoughts and feelings on a ride.

“If there was one thing that the last couple of years taught her, it was that it was best to focus on today if you could, because no one really knew what the future was going to bring. Chance played such a big role in what happened in life.”

This book really made me think about my own life in so many ways. Because I felt such a deep connection to these characters, it made me think about my own incredible relationship with my family, how close we all are and how lucky I am to have that. It made me think of how precious real friendship is when you need it the most. And just how important it is to make time for yourself, for your own happiness. With so much to test friendships and relationships in this book, the ending felt so raw and emotion-filled. It teaches us forgiveness and opening yourself up to new possibilities when they arise. There’s bridge-building and burying the hatchet which was unexpected but welcomed. I really found myself wanting more Milly and Brendan airtime, and that being said, more Nicole and Joel airtime too. I found myself wanting to see more of their relationship development in the pages rather than the majority of it happening “off-screen”. But saying this, I loved how the focus stayed on Milly and Nicole’s friendship, which was certainly the most important part of this book. It was the best ending and, of course, it was a happy one 🥰

Overall thoughts

A Secret Escape is such a gorgeous, heartwarming story of friendship and starting again. It’s about allowing yourself happiness, taking risks and surrounding yourself with the right people. I always know Sarah Morgan’s books will lift me up, and her latest was no exception. It explores Milly and Nicole’s friendship; the cracks that had formed over months of silence, but also the chance for them to reconnect at a crucial time. I loved their bond, how their love for one another never left. How they face hardships, but are still there for one another through it all. It’s utterly lovely. There are so many colourful characters, a dash of romance and such a beautiful side theme of motherhood and all that comes with it. It’s the perfect summer read and will leave you appreciating everyone in your life. A must read if you’re looking for something uplifting and summery! 🌞

A huge thank you to the author, Sarah Morgan, and the fabulous team at HQ Stories for my gorgeous proof! A Secret Escape (or Other People’s Summers if you’re in the US) is available to pre-order right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. It releases on the 22nd May and you will love it! Make sure you’re following lovely Sarah on Instagram and X/Twitter for more updates.

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