Maybe you’ve already noticed, but this month’s She Reads Book Club pick, The Husband’s Secret, catapulted within weeks of its U.S. release to the very tippy-top of the New York Times bestsellers list. And there is a reason why. This novel is gripping. Gripping, I tell you.

Before The Husband’s Secret, Australian author Liane Moriarty wrote four other internationally best-selling novels. As L.M.Moriarty, she has written the Space Brigade books for children (published in the US as the Nicola Berry, Earthling Ambassador series). She lives in Sydney with her husband and two small children.

About this book: Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive…

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Genre: Fiction/Women’s

Judge this book by its cover? Kinda says it all.

Reminds me of…an Australian Lit version of Joshilyn Jackson for the way she conjures unique voices and riveting stories that grab you by the throat and don’t let go…even after you’ve turned the last page.

Buy or borrow? Buy.

Why did I read this book? As a member of the She Reads Book Club Blogging Network for review.

Would I read another by this author? Can hardly wait. (And she’s got a back list!)

My take: There’s a reason we call it Women’s Fiction. It comes with a caveat: Guys, don’t bother. A novel like this, you simply will not understand.

On the other hand…

Ladies, if you love a novel that makes you wonder how a stranger climbed inside your head and heart to see your innermost fears and hopes…and then wrote them down and turned them into a book….

This one’s for you.

Not that The Husband’s Secret is your story. It’s certainly not mine. But the characters…the depth of their emotions as they journey across the pages…you will relate. You will soar and despair and then rise again. That’s what happened to me, anyway.

Liane Moriarty knows what she’s doing. The level of creative energy she must have poured into the crafting of these incredibly unique characters…well, it makes my head ache just imagining it. She sketches exquisite, soul-touching moments of pain and loss–and then delivers a heart-wrenching twist by placing these alongside an equally splendid moment of beauty and grace. The result is a riveting, utterly engrossing read from first page to last.

The Husband’s Secret is not a happy story, but hope fills its crevices, right down to the bittersweet end.

Note: This novel contains some profanity and sexual content.

Thanks to She Reads and Amy Einhorn Books for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

This would make a fabulous pick for your local Book Club, btw–tons of conflicted characters and complicated consequences to dissect. Plus, here’s a decadent, chocolaty dessert to offer your club members. See what other She Reads bloggers are saying here and visit the author online at LianeMoriarty.com.