Reviews

The Artist's Secret by Alexandra Joel

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emmasthingstoread's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

myreadingcorner's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dearkatie's review against another edition

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4.0

Another great Alexandra Joel novel! While The Paris Model is my fave, this one was filled with more strong women and characters to love and hate! Loved reading about New York in the 1980s and the (unknown to me) art world. The setting of Nowra/the Shoalhaven was unexpected - it holds a special place in my heart and it was lovely to see it mentioned. Can’t wait for the next book!

ewc's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

whatfern_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

just22jess22's review

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

While not perfect, The Artists Secret was a juicy and bingeable book that I am very grateful to have read!

We follow Wren Summers, a young professional that has more than one or two hang-ups about her roots and has consequently never truly felt like she has “fit in”, and has some pretty extreme imposter syndrome in her fancy new role in the art world.

I don’t want to give much away, because half of the charm of this book is you truly don’t know which way the plot will turn next… I will say that I loved the core mystery and the love interest aspect was fab, but I really feel that Joel got a bit caught up in the red herrings and the “explainy” elements of this one, and the end result was a little muddled and convoluted for my taste.

Having said that, I thought the time jumps were cleverly executed and the storyline that added the sense of urgency to the plot (IYKYK) kept me turning pages with fervour. A fantastic book….. If you don’t think too deeply about it!

{I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review}

redheadragereads's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Review in one sentence: Interesting concept but did not quite deliver for me.

The Artist’s Secret is set in Sydney in the 1980’s. After a reclusive upbringing with her mum, Wren Summers finally lands a job as an art assistant- bringing one step closer to her dreams.

But her new job leads her to uncover secrets about herself and her family- ultimately leading her from Sydney, to Rome and on to New York.

The author’s knowledge of the art world shone through and I loved learning more about painting and art evaluation. It was easy to get swept up in Joel’s rich setting and I loved reading about Wren and her life in Sydney.

At times I found the writing to be over explanatory. At other times important events and details seemed very rushed and I felt they could have been developed further. I think this would have made me feel for and invest in the characters a bit more (won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoil the plot!)

If you love a twisty story with a dash of romance, art, travel and family, this one might be for you!

Thank you Harper Collins Australia for providing me with a copy of this book as part of the First in best read program

Content Warnings

melsturg's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

bookstorian's review

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3.0

Last week a surprise package arrived with two books and the news that I had been selected for Harper Collins First in Best Read program for 2023, The Artist's Secret was one of those books and I picked it up soon after I tore open the package, lured by the promise of New York, the art world and a duel timeline.

When talented art historian Wren Summers lands her dream job at the Sydney Art Museum, it seems she can finally leave her wildly unconventional past behind her, until a treacherous act and her mother's advancing illness thrusts her into the world of a New York auction house instead.

There were a lot of classic historical fiction elements that I enjoyed about this story including the blend of story lines, duel timelines/perspectives, Australian and New York setting and well as the glimpse into buying, selling and authenticating art. There was also a sprinkle of romance.

With that being said I felt like there were a few illogical aspects (if I gave you some examples of this they would spoil the story) and a lot of the moments within the story felt orchestrated and not overly organic, so much felt spelled out for me as a reader.

Overall, I did absolutely tear through this read, it was a great escape and a good story to sink into and would make a great holiday read.

Content Warnings

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