"A hard hitting but honest look at bullies and abuse."
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted January 5, 2017
Women's Fiction | Romance Contemporary
Wow -- are you looking for an amazingly honest look at
bullies and abuse? Look no further than NO SAFE SECRET by
Fern Michaels. In NO SAFE SECRETS Fern Michaels pulls no
punches. This story goes right to your gut and then
continues to twist and turn its way as it introduces the
reader to a very harsh world. NO SAFE SECRET moves through
a myriad of emotions as it takes the reader on an
unimaginable journey into the life of a young woman. All
too real. All too possible.
I don't know why but I couldn't prevent the following
phrase from popping into my mind -- out of the fat and into
the fire. Is there a sort of predisposition toward suffering at the
hands of a brute -- a death wish -- that makes escaping such
abuse almost impossible? Maddie/Molly didn't dream anymore
-- why bother -- there were no happy endings in her life so
far and she didn't believe there ever would. Harsh reality
but unfortunately very honest and true. Why delude
yourself? What's the point? Bullies have no heart -- possibly no soul -- you can't
bargain with them for your safety or your life. So instead
you silently watch your life crumble. For Maddy/Molly this was what most would consider the
second strike -- no pun intended. What was she waiting for?
Surely not a third possibly deadly strike. As with many abused women the blame is always assigned
internally -- not that they assume the blame but more like
how can I become even more invisible. Maddy/Molly had already faced this challenge and had
optimistically moved on hopefully leaving the past behind.
And yet she seemed doomed to face these dangers once
again. What's a girl to do? Beyond sad. Beyond scary. Beyond defeating. Abuse and bullying in her own home by her mother and twin
brother Marcus have basically shaped Maddy's expectations
for her life. She existed in survival mode -- by paying
attention to her own sense of foreboding. Blamed herself
when she neglected to pay attention to her own gut
feeling. But how can you assign blame to a young girl who
just wanted participation in the rites of passage -- one
taken by granted by all those around her. Maddy was
plagued by conditions beyond her making -- paying rent with
her meager earnings, trying to do well in school and
keeping her distance from Marcus and his friends. NO SAFE SECRET exposes a harsh reality for many women and
their children. Fern Michaels does an amazing job of
keeping her characters believable. Their flaws are many
but human. As with any Fern Michaels story pay attention
to each and every chapter, page, word. Each of these
contain important clues and facts that will continue to
blow your mind. Fern Michaels does not waste words so if
it's there -- it's important. NO SAFE SECRET is not only a
great book to read -- it's an important story to tell.
SUMMARY
In her powerful new novel, #1 New York Times bestselling
author Fern Michaels weaves a story of betrayal, courage,
and starting over… From her silver Mercedes to her designer kitchen, Molly's
life is gleaming and beautiful--at least on the surface.
Married to Tanner, a top cosmetic dentist, she has a
wonderful daughter finishing high school and twin stepsons
from Tanner's first marriage. No one in her exclusive
neighborhood in Goldenhills, Massachusetts, knows what
living with the demanding Tanner is really like. They know
even less about the life she left behind in Florida almost
two decades ago. Back then, Molly was Maddy Carmichael, living with her twin
brother and neglectful mother in a run-down trailer park
amid the orange groves of Florida. After the terrible events
of her high school prom night--and the act of vengeance that
followed--she fled north and reinvented herself. But the
veneer of Molly's polished existence is finally cracking. As secrets old and new are revealed, Molly must face painful
truths and the choices she made in their wake--and find the
strength to become the woman she once hoped to be.
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