Well, this is a super-clever book, which kept me guessing the whole way though. There is a lot going on in this book, and it seems that no-one is telling the truth about what happened the night that Cate and Archie went missing. It’s told from multiple points of view and as soon as I had an idea of who might be responsible, along came another suspect to change my mind!

The events actually take place over a fairly short time period, but because so many secrets and lies are told, and because the suspense builds so well, it feels like so much has happened in this short timeframe.

The plot is really tense, and Lexi put herself in a few potentially dangerous situations, which had me on the edge of my seat.

Without giving too much away, I have to say that when I finally found out what actually happened, it was completely mind-blowing. This is a gripping thriller, but with a bit of a difference, the ending is quite surprising and unexpected.

I was completely absorbed by this very cleverly-plotted and atmospheric book, I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller, but one that is just that little bit different.

I had requested this book on Netgalley some time ago, but because I ended up DNFing the book I didn't leave a full review. I honestly don't think anyone would enjoy this book and for me it rates at a solid 1 star. It was an easy DNF and I won't be trying again in the future.

The burb perfectly sets the scene a much loved teacher and mother is missing along woth her son. A substitute teacher steps into rhe fold . Told from multiple pov this concentrates on days missing and events leading up to the event. There is an intriguing amount of charscters who each hold their own secrets which may or may not be related tobtge mystery. I was with the substitute as she uncovered secret after secret and tried to solve the mystery. Her secret was a omg monent and really tied everything together. Perfectly writtened well paced even the epilogue felt like justice. This is perfect for all thrillers and mystery lovers. Thr characters are revealed via their inner monologues and interactions. Skillfully written you question each as if they r responsible. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author for this cracking read.

Cate is married to an Oliver and they have a young son Archie. They live in a close knit village community and are well respected and loved. Oliver is the headteacher and Cate is a teacher at the local primary school where Archie is a pupil. The book opens with the disappearance of Cate and Archie who went missing on their way home from school. A supply teacher called Lexi is brought in to cover Cate’s classes. She is new to the area after moving from Brighton, but it soon becomes clear that she is running away from her past. This story is to!d from several points of view including Lexi’s and before long rumours begin to circulate that Oliver could have an involvement in the case of Cate and Archie’s disappearance. Lexi decides to investigate their disappearance but ends up putting her own life in danger. This was a book full of secrets and lies waiting to be discovered. All the twists and turns her me totally gripped. A brilliant read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found myself rushing through this one. Unfortunately, I was uninterested in the story, I found it fairly predictable.

Loved this book from the start to the finish
Will have you hooked and you will not want to put it down
It’s got plenty of twists
Thanks NetGalley

Not sure how to rate this book. I liked the way there were various POVs throughout & a good lil vigilante story. BUT i found there were almost too many people/POVs involved to make the plot believable. Also, i feel like a vigilante needs to be a bit more likable. Overall quick read that i sort of liked but maybe could’ve lived without.

ARC Review
4 or 4.5 stars
This book gave me whiplash! I was thinking so many things the entire time, but even when you think you've got something figured out, she throws five more twists your way. I love Lauren's writing every time, but this is definitely a new favorite for me.

I liked this book. It took a bit for me to get into it. Maybe a slow burn as you would say. Once things started to speed up I couldn't put it down and was in for the long haul. For a while I couldn't piece together who may have done what and when so I liked the not knowing. I eventually had an idea and it was right but that didn't ruin the book for me as I had an idea of what may have happened but then went, well maybe not? It wasn't until later that I was like oh wow yeah I was right! So its not a given 100% and I liked it.

Brilliant book
It really was unputtadownable!!
Edge of the seat stuff.
Characters are believable normal people who you can feel empathy for.

I loved this psychological thriller. I was quite scared, since I am a mother myself. I couldn't quite guess what was going on, and kept changing my mind till the very end. Definitely recommend!

First of all thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free copy. I actually really enjoyed this book. The setting is a high school and it involves the story of a girl and her scandal after she returns from the summer break. The teachers described are interesting characters and you get to know them and their motives as the book continues. I was suprised by the twist endig but overall it felt like a book that you could read in a day if you are really hooked into the story. Recommended!

i normally love lauren norths books however this one took me a little while too get into it started off slow and there was bit too much information in places i got a bit confused. I read till the end though and enjoyed the twists that came and the characters are relatable but its definately not one of my favourites.

A fast-moving suspense with a lot of suspicious characters in a small English town where a mother and child go missing. This wasn’t my favorite by Lauren North but it was definitely worth the read.

The Teacher's Secret was my first read from the author. Following teacher theme trend after last year maid/nanny, I am intrigued to start this one. Teacher is respectable professional in our life and we trust them with our children daily. So chances to get some twisted version about this important roles model kinda make me nervous.

Actually the book interesting enough but didn't gave me tension or chills factors. I like the writing style. It is delivers smoothly and easy to follow. But I am not sure about multiple POVs at here, it gave me similar voices between characters and less effective to deliver the plot without make it fractured. The pace started slow and faster at the ending. The characters lack personality quality that will make them standout and memorable.

This book isn't strong enough at psychological part as much as I like, but entertaining enough for easy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 23 February 2024

Right from the start and the very chilling prologue, this was a gripping and intriguing read and I couldn’t wait to find out how the story was going to unfold.

Teacher, Cate Walker, and her eight-year-old son, Archie, left Leedham Primary School as normal on Friday but haven’t been seen since. Cate’s husband, Oliver, the headteacher, is behaving rather strangely and seems to be hiding something. As does supply teacher, Lexi Mills, who is covering for Cate. She’s newly arrived to the area, from Brighton, and seems to be running away from her past.

Set over a couple of weeks, the story is told from the point of view of Oliver, Lexi, another teacher called Gemma and curtain-twitching neighbour, Jeanie, who is hiding something (or someone?) in her spare room! There are also interludes from a mysterious and disturbing character who seems to be the one responsible for the disappearance of Cate and Archie.

The book was very well plotted and there were lots of twists and turns and moments of misdirection. Just when I thought that I’d got things sussed, something else would happen that changed my mind! It was an intense and absorbing read and unpredictable too as I had no idea how everything was connected and how the story was going to be resolved and whether Cate and Archie were going to be found or not.

The small village setting was great and I loved the claustrophobic feel and how everyone wanted to know each other’s business and they all enjoyed gossiping about each other. The rumour mill is strong in Leedham!

None of the characters were particularly likeable, which meant that I suspected them all of various misdemeanours at one point or another! There were some very creepy and harrowing moments with several characters and I was frantically turning the pages at times!

I’ve now read several of the author’s books and they’re always engaging and compelling stories. This one was very readable and particularly tense too and I couldn’t put it down!

I do love a school/missing person trope. Thats why I gravitated towards this book . Its full of unlikeable characters. I did find it had way too much information, information overload if you ask me. I still enjoyed reading this but I was a bit disappointed. I liked it but I couldnt say I loved it.

I really enjoyed it. I’m usually pretty good about guessing the twists and turns but I wasn’t able with this book. This was also a quick read which I liked as well

Told from various viewpoints, one thing is clear very early on, is that there are a lot of guilty conscious amongst the characters, to do with the disappearance of Cate and Archie.

But just how can so many people potentially be responsible, and just what really did happen.

And as I was drawn into these characters lives, I was constantly trying to figure out just what would end up being relevant, while also being very curious as to just what each person was hiding.

I did have some ideas but I was never completely convinced and the outcome completely took me by surprise, which is what I want from this genre of book.

Definitely another great psych thriller from Lauren North.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I was interested in this book based on the synopsis but unfortunately this book seemed to drag and none of the characters were likeable so it was hard to get drawn into the story. I also noticed that almost every chapter ended with a suspenseful sentence that was meant to make the reader want to go to the next chapter but ended up becoming annoying and repetitive. The premise of the story was interesting and I liked how everything tied together at the end. I have read other books by this author that really grabbed my interest but this one just missed the mark.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review..