Why She Left by Leah Mercer and narrated by Mira Dovreni
was a gripping and suspenseful women's fiction full of family secrets and you know what happens to secrets, they can not be hidden forever and they always have away of coming out! it's full of twists which made it an enjoyable audiobook/book.

The characters were believable. Leah has written from her heart again and the narrator Mira Dovreni was perfect reading this book.

I highly recommend this book.

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Bookouture for my ARC.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

For me reading thrillers is truly a hit or miss. I find that I read enough thrillers that I'm able to guess correctly some of the turns in the plot, and while I enjoyed this story, I was able to guess most of the "twists" that were not really surprising. I'd also say that this is more of a family drama than a thriller so while it was interesting to learn about the family dynamics between the two main characters, it fell flat in building a suspenseful story line. Overall, not terrible but highly predictable.

Why She Left by Leah Mercer is a domestic drama with an element of mystery.

Isobel shows up one day at her mother Ruth's house following years of having no contact. With her is her teenage son Isaac, whom Ruth has never met. Despite many unanswered questions, Ruth seems willing to accept that her daughter and grandson want to be a part of her life, and sets about enrolling Isaac in the prestigious private school that she heads. The school itself brings back many memories for Isobel, and when Isaac is attacked there one day, the secrets of the past will come to the fore. Will Isobel's reasons for leaving so many years before be revealed at last?

This is an enjoyable read, particularly for those who are drawn to tales of domestic drama and familial secrets. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Thrilling, riveting and filled with dramatic twists and turns. I would have enjoyed the plot to be slightly more fast-paced but enjoyed this read overall

I wouldnt call this a thriller. I thought it was more drama. It lacked the wow factor for me. I found it to be predictable at times which affected my rating.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I love this author and was excited to receive this ARC however I struggled with the storyline and gave up half way through.

I found Why She Left a bit of a slow burner. The second half, however, was much more enjoyable. There are a few twists to the story that are really good.

3,5 stars

A predictable domestic drama with abuse at its core, I didn't like the characters. Isobel came back to her mother Ruth with her son after having left home many years ago. The writing was good, but slow-paced. No suspense or drama, this was not the read I expected it to be.

I would put this in the Suspense genre. Not that suspenseful though as it was quite predictable.
Well narrated however, I don’t think it needed two narrators seeing as they’re voices weren’t very distinctive.

We get the gist of the story from the blurb and there isn’t much to add from that. To be honest I thought this was going to give me tingles and keep me spurred on to keep reading however because I could guess without a shadow of a doubt what was what it took the enjoyment out of it for me for the second half.

Leah Mercer previous book is a book I enjoyed and I was hoping to enjoy this one too.

I’ll still read her next book though to see how that goes.

This was a good story, however it was predictable. I would have savored some twists and turns. Still it was a good read.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Domestic thriller full of family drama and secrets. Definitely was a slow burn read and wasn’t as thrilling as it felt more like a story about the relationship between a mother and her child.

This book is told from two perspectives, Isabel and her mother Ruth. Ruth is a Headmistress of a school which has been in the family for years as her grandfather was the founder. Isabel was expected to take over but when she ran away from home fifteen years earlier her older sister Cecily, who had given up everything to support her mother to keep the school running, was given that job. The book opens with Isabel having to return home as she has left her abusive partner and has nowhere else to go. Ruth is astonished when she answers the door to find Isabel, accompanied by Isaac her teenage son, who Ruth didn’t know existed. Ruth takes them both in and immediately forms a bond with Isaac. Isabel only intends staying for a few days but Ruth enrols Isaac at the school and he doesn’t want to leave. Being back working in the school brings back unhappy memories for Isabel and threatens to uncover some long lost secrets especially when Isaac is attacked. This is a family story of secrets, lies, suspense and twists and turns. An enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I always enjoy reading Leah Mercer's domestic suspense novels and Why She Left is even darker than her previous ones.

The story was intriguing and suspenseful throughout. I thought I knew what really happened, but I was wrong, so it is definitely not predictable! The situation that was presented was interesting and complex to navigate for the characters involved. This was especially the case when more layers got peeled back. The story almost has a Riverdale feel to it. (Maybe just because I'm addicted to that show now.)

I would have preferred Isobel's story in first person and Ruth's in third person, and would have also liked to see Isaac's perspective. However, the story was still well-told and kept me on my toes.

Overall, another great novel from Leah!

Movie casting suggestions:
Isobel: Bel Powley
Ruth: Janet McTeer
Cecily: Tamsin Egerton
Alex: Tom Bateman
Isaac: Louis Partridge

Hmm..I find this leaning more towards a family drama fiction rather than a mystery. Although the story is nice, the plot is predictable.

This story follows Isobel who showed up on Ruth, her mother’s doorstep with her fifteen-year old son, Isaac, after she left home more than 15 years ago. Ruth thought she would never see Isobel again and she felt guarded that she came back after all these years. Ruth never understood why left but she couldn’t hide her excitement for their return. Ruth runs a school that has ben passed down from generations and she can’t wait for Isaac to enrol and for Isobel to work for the family business again. But Isobel had other ideas and had zero intention to stay. Why did Isobel leave without a word fifteen years ago? This was told in Isobel and Ruth’s perspectives. As the story unfolds, so does the secrets.

Throughout the story, I keep wondering whether Ruth cared more about the school or her children. She makes a risky decision between the reputation of the school and being a good mother. I figured out what happened to Isobel very early in the story but it doesn’t make her situation less painful. I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters as I switched between getting annoyed at Isobel and Ruth.

One of my main takeaway from this story though, is to always listen to what your children are telling you or showing you, irregardless if they are serious or not. As an educator, I have seen and worked with so many different students. Some would share their stories with me and some would show me how they feel. I make it a point to listen to them cause sometimes all they want is someone who would listen. It makes them feel validated and heard. In Isobel’s case, she shared but no one listened to her which made me so sad as she carried that pain with her through the formative years of her life.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.

Great read
Couldn’t put it down
Lots of secrets in this family
Plenty of twists too
Thanks NetGalley

Isobel disappeared from her family's life 15 years ago. So when she shows up out of the blue on her mother's doorstep with her teenage son Isaac, Ruth is shocked but thrilled to see her daughter again. Vowing to bridge the gap between them, she dives headfirst into getting Isaac enrolled in the family's prestigious school so she can keep a close eye on him. Isobel has no choice but to take up her mother's job offer at the school. The school that she desperately wants nothing to do with. But with Isaac there she knows she has to keep her eye on him and working there is the perfect solution. But working alongside her estranged sister Cecily and being in the building again brings back unpleasant memories for Isobel. When her secret is revealed Isobel will discover her life isn't the only one that was affected by the school.

I thought this was a good read. Young Isobel was thriving in school and wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, who she had a close relationship with. Older sister Cecily had other dreams and wanted to leave to travel. But when Isobel suddenly left everyone's lives changed. Ruth had no idea what happened so for years she focused all of her attention to the school. Overall a good read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Loved this book, a gripping read and one that has you from page one, it didn’t let up, a fast paced book with a fair few twists and turns, what more could you want!!!! Defo a must read!

I really enjoyed this book. It was intense and I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely recommend this book!!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I only got about 30 percent through and just couldn't read anymore. I didn't care for any of the characters. I just always feel like there are too many good books available for me to waste my time on a book I am not enjoying.