Secrets, an elite school and broken promises, leads to an emotional, twisty thriller.
This dual timeline story, set between 2003 and 2019, centres around Carrie and her friends at a Scottish boarding school.
It’s all fun and games until someone is hurt, they swear to keep what happened a secret, but 16 years later someone won’t keep their promise.
It’s full of tension, what really happened at the school?
Loved how we were drip fed pieces of info for us to make our own judgement
Thanks @philippa_east_author, @hqstories & @netgalley for an enjoyable, emotionally tense read.

This was a brilliant read, such a great way to kick off 2024. The more I read, the more absorbed I became by the story. It was definitely unputdownable.

The story moves between 2019 and 2003. In the present, Finn and Mhairi are reeling after the unexpected death of their best friend, Kate. They cannot believe she has gone and each secretly feels guilty towards how they were not there for Kate towards the end. This encourages the characters to start seeking answers behind Kate’s death, trying to understand what she was experiencing at the end.

However, moving to 2003 is far more sinister where readers are taken to St Michael’s, an exclusive boarding school in the Scottish highlands. New girl, Carrie, is adapting to these strange surroundings and is desperate to fit in with friends Mae and Serena. But, events take place that push Carrie in to a new way of behaving and readers see a metaphorical darkness shroud the school. Coupled with the Fainting Girls, it is clear there is more to this establishment rather than just getting an education.

There are many twists and turns in the narrative and I loved how East moves seamlessly between the two time periods. Indeed, it takes a while before there is any apparent connection between the two timeframes and I relished in how the range of characters eventually came together. With frequent surprising plot developments, I loved how unpredictable the narrative became and I don’t think I was more invested in either timeline – both were just as exciting.

The theme of mental health runs throughout this novel and I think the writer handled this in a sensitive manner. Even the strongest of characters suffer, despite appearing untouchable to the rest of the world. Dominated by secrets that ensure self-preservation, the emotional journey that the characters experience is like a car-crashing roller-coaster. There is so much suffering but I could not decide whether some of this was deserved because of guilt, or a result of blame that was misdirected. I liked this aspect of the plot because it meant that East was giving readers the opportunity to consider who the real victims of the story were.

Building in intensity, the story finishes on a gripping climax that switches between all the characters rather quickly. I flew through the pages, never quite sure on what closure would be accepted. The setting of the spooky school added to the intrigue of the story, especially as quite a lot of the scenes take place at night. This heightened the deception and the feeling of guilt that builds in the story.

This was a fantastic, thrilling read from East that had me pulled in from the very beginning.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed all Philippa East's previous books - the excellent Safe and Sound remains my favourite. Her latest, A Guilty Secret (not, it has to be said, the most inspiring title) is a good read as always. While the "Mysterious Bad Thing which happened at boarding school twenty years earlier comes back to haunt present day adults" is not exactly an original basic plot, the presentation here is fresher than might be supposed from that description. A memorable opening scene from main character Finn's perspective sets the tone nicely, and we go on to follow the narrative from the points of view of - mainly - Finn in the present and Carrie in the past.

Safe and Sound is still, for me, the best of her books to date but this was a very good, engaging read.

In 2019 Finn & his ex-wife Mhairi are totally blindsided by the suicide of their friend Kate. The three have been friends since University days. They can't believe that level- headed, clever psychologist would take her own life. It is not something they can accept so they attempt to find out about who she might have seen that resulted in this. The only clue they can find is an appointment with Carrie G.

Flashback to 2003. Carrie attends the exclusive isolated boarding school in the Highlands. Coming into a place when friendships are already formed can be difficult but her two room mates soon take her under their wing & soon she is involved with their night-time adventures, sneaking out to the clearing in the woods to smoke weed & drink. It is all good fun until something bad happens!

This was quite a convoluted tale with a variety of characters that, although not particularly likeable held the attention. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

2003. Carrie is at boarding school and escapes at night to meet with friends. They talk and smoke and drink.
Then something goes wrong.
2019: Finn receives a call from his estranged wife, Mhairi, telling him their friend Kate’ id dead., During their investigations secrets will be uncovered and lives will be changed.

In 2003 three teenage girls join a boys school in Scotland that has recently become co-educational. In 2019 Finn and Mairi are coming to terms with a friend's death alongside others who all bear a secret from their school days together.

A Guilty Secret is an excellent psychological thriller with well drawn believable characters. It deserves to be successful. Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a very clearly written, interesting read that delicately explores some pretty tough psychological issues such as childhood trauma and how this can manifest itself in adult life.

This was my first book by the author and I really enjoyed the writing style and pacing of the narrative.

I particularly enjoyed how flawed and human all the characters felt, making the unfolding story feel very real.

A very good psychological read.

This was a nice easy read and I finished it in one afternoon as I wanted to know how the strands came together. It is told in two timelines with the additions of texts on a different timeline. It all came together in the end and worked, for me it wasn't this author's strongest work - I have enjoyed the others so much more but it was still an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon and I will still always prioritise this author.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Books are in schools take me back to childhood reading, though this was somewhat different! When past tensions come to light, can anyone be trusted? This book hooked me from the start, really enjoyed it.

Spanning three main time periods and centering around a boarding school in Scotland and a small group of pupils this is an anxiety fuelled story triggered by the death of Kate, one of the group of friends. Unable to come to terms with her death, two of her closest friends set off in pursuit of the truth and become entangled in a web of deceit spanning a decade or more in the schools history.

a fantastic read!

2003 finds three teenage girls at a boarding school only recently changed to co-educational with little to no policies or procedures in place to safeguard girls with a misogynistic attitude prevailing by those in authority . The storyline moves 16 years later to a complex relationship between two women, one a single successful psychologist and her friend, divorced remarried with children : Both women linked intrinsically in a difficult past history with her ex husband . Catastrophic events link the school girls with a lifelong secret affecting every aspect of their lives. A tragedy of equal significance draws the married woman to seek out her ex husband in an attempt to resolve a mystery stemming 16 years. Both time frames and story lines merge effortlessly to create and draw together a psychological mystery that has destroyed the happiness of several protagonists. Three dimensional characters linked by friendship, fear, shame and collaboration in a conspiracy to hide the truth finds the alliance now crumbling under the weight of guilt. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Dark and disturbing! Like all her books, a guilty secret is dark but somehow it has a different feel to the others.

The book deals with the issue of suicide and does not shy away from the feelings and motivations around this. It is in no way gruesome in its dealing with the topic.

I cannot say I liked any of the characters, but they were all brilliantly written, each one flawed and believable. I enjoyed the complexity of their relationships and the knowledge that none of them had the full picture.

The book follows two storylines that become entwined. One of a group of school friends who are bound by trauma, and the other of a group of adult friends also bound together by trauma.

A brilliant telling of the stories, this book will certainly leave you thinking…what would you do if left in this situation?

A thrilling and emotive dual time line thriller with brilliant characters and edge of the seat suspense.

I absolutely loved it and raced through the pages.

This was yet another tense, compelling, and well written psychological thriller from this author. We follow Finn and Mairi trying to make sense of their friend's death in 2019, alongside a group of friends who have a guilty secret from their school days in 2003 with an effective switch between 2003 and 2019. With such a range of characters and voices, this could have been overly complex, but the time switch and character switch is handled effectively. The characters were all interesting, despite not all being likeable, and the plot was twisty and well developed. The pace did drop slightly for me about 3/4 of the way through, but this was compensated by an excellent, pacy, and tense finale. Overall, it was a great read, which was mostly gripping, and I would definitely recommend it. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.

Told over a dual timeline, this felt a bit of a slow burn but one I got into it then I was so invested. I liked the setting, the characters were original and well developed. They also showed a good character development as the story progressed. The plot was cleverly written and plotted out with do many amazing twists that I never saw coming. A really really good read

A tense, original and well plotted thriller that kept on the edge and turning pages.
Well plotted, good storytelling and character development
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am sure that many of us have memories of Enid Blyton's Famous Five. Well imagine them all a little more grown up and attending a private college in remote Scotland and all that is happening in the 21st Century with all the current issues of social media, etc, The comparison is a bit of a strange one but that it what came into my head as I read the book.
The book interchanges between two timelines, 2003 and 2019, and it did take me a while to understand the characters and where the book was leading. You may find the storyline familiar but there are a number of twists and turns along the way which get you thinking.
I felt that I did not connect with some of the characters as a reader/character relationship was not really explored for some of them and extra character development in the early stages may have helped but once you get reading the book you will continue so that you know exactly what happens.
Many thanks to HQ Books, NetGalley and the author for providing me with and advanced, electronic, copy of the the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book is published in Kindle, audiobook, and paperback formats on the 18th January 2024

This is a very complex story with lots of secrets and suspense. I love Finn and my heart went out to him but I couldn’t really warm to any of the other characters. It took me a while to get into the story and sometimes I had to wonder what was going on. It all came together in the end though and this was an enjoyable, if sometimes difficult, read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Set over 2 timelines, the storyline follows a group of students who attended a Scottish boarding school. With only a few girls at the school, it was imperative that they got along, and so they did things they might not have normally done.

This had me gripped from the start. A few clues midway gave me a good indication of where this was heading. This is a slow burn read that drip feeds the pieces of what really happened at the school. I enjoyed it very much.

It was meant to be a game. At exclusive boarding school St. Michael's, Carrie and her friends are used to getting away with anything. Until one night, their recklessness goes too far. They swore to keep what happened a secret. They swore to protect each other. But sixteen years on, someone is about to break that promise.

This story has a dual timeline - 2003 is set at a boarding school in Edinburgh. 2019 is when Finn and Mhairi are reunited by the death of their close friend Kate. They are convinced there is more to her death, so they have a closer look into her past and unearth a secret that other people would have been happier if it had remained buried.

The suspense builds throughout. The story is told from multiple points of view. This is a cleverly crafted story that's chapters end on a cliffhanger, so you just have to keep reading. A story of secrets, lies and friendship. The pace is on the slow side. There are some good twists and red herrings. The two timelines eventually come together, the secret is finally revealed, all the loose ends are tied up.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #PhillipaEast for my ARC of #AGuiltySecret in exchange for an honest review.