Secrets Between Friends : ‘A warm, sensitive story about the power of female friendship . . . and the joy of second chances’ Lucy Diamond

An Irish Times bestseller! Three strong women; families who think they know best; a joyful new friendship; and the power of facing the past. From the beloved author of The Missing Wife and The Honeymoon Affair.

Coming in 2026: the extraordinary new contemporary novel, set in Ireland, Italy and France, from the bestselling author of The Honeymoon Affair and The Missing Wife.

Three women, each at a turning point in her life, are drawn together by old secrets and new dilemmas.

Ailie: newly widowed, after twenty tempestuous years with Giorgio. Her husband's family has never accepted her, or Giorgio's choice to live outside Italy. If it weren't for her daughter, she'd cut all ties. Building bridges might be the hardest thing Ailie has ever had to do.

Sybil: in the last five years she's found the confidence to be alone, but not lonely. Now her interfering younger sister Tansy is determined to set Sybil up with a new man. And maybe Tansy's right that it's time for Sybil to change something, if not her romantic status.

Rua: twenty years ago, she learned the hard way that it's a dangerous world for young women. Twice she's faced a crisis and twice she's had to rebuild her life. Now all she cares about is protecting her daughter from the pain she went through herself. But even the worst grief can heal . . .

In her unique, insightful life-affirming way, Sheila O'Flanagan weaves together the lives of these three remarkable women in an absolutely satisfying novel readers will never forget