Wow what a great rollercoaster of a read.

This book kept me hanging on I needed to just read one more chapter.

A fantastic thriller

4 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this arc

Beloved Cate and her young son Archie were last seen walking home from school on a Friday afternoon. Cate is an adored member of the school faculty, and her husband (school Headmaster), attempts to keep up appearances when police questioning comes his way. Enter Lexi, Cate's interim replacement. The whole community is buzzing with gossip of the disappearance....she is just asking questions like the rest of the town. Or does she have more investment than she is letting on?

Multiple POVs (including the person that took Cate and Archie), and plenty of past traumas.

Lauren North has no doubt mastered the art of the red herring. There were some points where I began to get bored, only because it seemed too obvious...but I was pleasantly surprised by the reveal of how everything was connected. So many secrets! I would agree that this book is worth the read; I did not see that twist coming.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy!

First time reading from this author and I can tell you it won't be my last. I was such a good book. It was like watching a tv show, it was so well written that I could see it all playing out in my head. Great job Lauren.

This was the first time from this Author. From page one it had me hooked and was definitely a page turner.
Everytime i thought i had it figured out something came along and made me question what I thought. Couldnt put it down and will not be the last from this author.

Great Writing, Great story and plot. Will not be the last from this author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This is a fantastic, convoluted novel about a teacher (Cate )and young son kidnapped on their way home from school even as husband, Oliver is the principal there. Of course he is devastated but must welcome Cate's substitute. Lexi. But there's something strange about Lexi as she has trouble providing references but then snoops around the classroom for "evidence" about what happened. Threatening notes, odd photos, affairs, and secrets all come together in this crazy book about messy lives and what we might be willing to do to keep ourselves safe!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was twisted , it legit kept me guessing until the end. What an amazing story teller Lauren North is. I loved this book so much!

This was brilliant! So many characters portrayed as saints, turned out to be pretty dodgy!
Schoolteacher Cate goes missing with her son Archie, her husband Oliver, the well respected headmaster, becomes the prime suspect in their disappearance.
I loved the multiple POVs, I like to get peoples differing perspectives on events.
I really enjoy small town, family dramas/thrillers and this was one really good. Plenty of twists and surprises and it definitely went in a direction I wasn't expecting. I need to read more from this author!

"The Teacher's Secret" by Lauren North is a suspenseful and gripping thriller that immediately plunges readers into a world of darkness and deception. As the story unfolds with the mysterious disappearance of beloved teacher Mrs. Walker and her son, the plot immerses readers in a web of ominous secrets and unanswered questions.

This psychological thriller expertly weaves a narrative that deftly explores themes of trust, suspicion, and the complexities of human nature. The protagonist's determination to uncover the truth and protect the innocent children from potential danger adds layers of tension and emotional depth to the story.

As the plot unravels and the protagonist faces threats and danger, readers are taken on a heart-pounding journey through a community shrouded in uncertainty and fear. The novel artfully plants seeds of doubt and intrigue, leading readers to question the true motives and loyalties of the characters.

Lauren North's adept storytelling and the multifaceted portrayal of the protagonist's internal struggles firmly establish "The Teacher's Secret" as a compelling and enthralling journey into the depths of psychological suspense. With its unpredictable twists and a cast of enigmatic characters, the novel promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final page.

This tantalizing and immersive psychological thriller is a must-read for fans of the genre, delivering a riveting narrative that will leave hearts pounding and minds racing until the very end.

The book started off really good but then after about 80 pages it started to go in circles for the next 150. The plot did not advance until about 80% of the book. I loved the different POV's but I do feel that it was all over the place, it was hard to keep up with who was who and when I finally got familiar with the different characters a different POV appeared. Overall I didn't feel drawn in but I give it 3 stars because the twist at the end is really good.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and in The Teacher Secret that couldn’t be more true. When the head teachers wife who is also a teacher Kate Walker goes missing with their son on a Friday afternoon The substitute teacher Alexa Mills is astonished that four days later he is back at school introducing her to her class and their parents. Alexa has many reasons why Oliver Walker could be guilty of killing his wife and child but when she start asking around about the missing teacher and starts receiving threatening letters she has even more reasons to take them seriously. The more she investigates however the stranger answers she comes up with but just because you’ve never murdered don’t mean you never will. This was an awesome awesome killer book! I was not at all expecting this book to go in the direction it went and OMG did it go in a crazy direction this is definitely one of the best books I have read and I have read a lot of great books but this is definitely in my top five a great great read! I definitely want to thank Bookoucher Annette Galley for the fabulis arc. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was fortunate to get an ARC of this book from NetGalley. I enjoyed it! It had many twists and interesting characters that made me want to keep reading. This was a fast read that keeps you guessing.

The Teacher's Secret is a riveting mystery! I read it in one sitting and loved the breadcrumbs dropped by the author as I learned about each character in the lovely, peaceful village of Leedholm. Catie and Archie, mother and son, go missing and their community includes the school where her husband, Oliver, is the headmaster and where Catie teaches.

This story held many secrets about its main characters and each kept me going to the end. This treasure of a thrilling mystery will be a big hit!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I really liked this and had a hard time putting it down. Definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

this is my second book from this author and very much enjoyed. Oliver is the headmaster of Leedham primary school. his wife Cate is also a teacher at that school and their son Archie is a pupil. But they are missing. Lexi is a on an agency.as a temporary teacher and she is offered a job at the school until the missing teacher is found. Jeanie lives on her own. And notices everything on the estate that Oliver and Cate live s. how this story comes together is just so good a very addictive read

There's something about the way the author writes that makes the words flow easily, and the pages turn themselves!
A pitch perfect thriller! . . . This author is an absolute master of psychological suspense!

One Friday afternoon, a school teacher, Mrs Cate Walker, and her eight year old son, Archie, leave school together but do not make it home. A week later, they are still not found and the community is in upheaval, developing theories on what happened to the pair.

Lexi arrives in the small community as a substitute teacher, taking Cate's class until she is found and she is also determined to uncover the truth. Was it the husband, Oliver? Who seems intent on watching Lexi. Or someone else unknown to the family. The notes threatening Lexi are unnerving but she won't give up.

I enjoyed the different POV's in this one and the cast of suspicious characters with loads of secrets. It was entertaining and fast paced and while I had some inkling about the direction it was taking it was thoroughly enjoyable. North has become one of my favourite authors and I look forward to more by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this gifted review copy.

I received this book from NetGalley.
I really enjoyed this book! There were so many characters with secrets and things were never really what they seemed! After that ending though, I’m really hoping a second book is in the works!

Cate - a popular village primary school teacher and wife of the equally popular headteacher, Oliver - has disappeared, along with her eight year old son Archie. Supply teacher Lexi is hired to cover her absence. Police are investigating; the whole village is hoping for the safe return of Cate and Archie, though hopes begin to fade as time passes. Of course, everyone has secrets, including Lexi, Oliver, fellow teacher Gemma, local woman Jeanie, and Cate herself. (Not Archie, though. He's just a random kid.)

I've been on a bit of a run lately of books in which there just seems to be too much going on, and this is no exception. We have multiple viewpoints (though mainly Lexi's), which is a bit confusing, and ultimately it was all a little far fetched. I was left unsure about what certain people's motivations had really been, although that may be my fault for not reading carefully enough.

I'm not sure who the (unoriginal) title and tagline ("You trust her... But should you?") is meant to relate to. Lexi certainly has her secrets, but she's new and nobody particularly trusts her, especially not Oliver. Cate is largely trusted but mostly absent. Oliver's a bloke, so it's not him, though his level of trustworthiness is certainly debatable.

An OK but not mind-blowing read. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

*3.5 stars*

It’s just a normal Friday afternoon at the local primary school in the little village of Leedham. The parents are waiting to pick up their offspring, excited children looking forward to the weekend, but for teacher Cate Walker and her eight year old son Archie, it’s the day that they leave school as usual, but never reach home - they disappear after leaving school and no one has any idea what has happened to them.

The school headmaster, Oliver, is Cate’s husband, and Archie’s father, and at first he’s not under any suspicion, everyone feeling sorry for him, but as the weeks pass, rumours begin to spread that he may, after all, have had something to do with their disappearance.

Lexi is the new substitute teacher for Cate Walker’s class, and she takes it upon herself to investigate Oliver - she suspects that he definitely knows more than he’s letting on. Lexi herself is a mysterious character though, and is actually harbouring a big secret herself, and then she begins to receive anonymous threats!

A storyline that uses smoke and mirrors to full effect, so that the reader never quite knows which way it’s going, and I changed my mind on numerous occasions!

The Teacher’s Secret by Lauren North had me reading well into the night. The Teacher's Secret is a gripping story with so many good twists and red herrings. My stomach hurt after reading this book. There were so many lies, deceit, and twists with head-spinning elements.

Cate and her eight-year-old son, Archie, wave goodbye to their friends in the school playground. But they never make it home. Could her husband be involved in their disappearance?

The story is told from different perspectives and points of view, which kept me on my toes about what was happening and how each character was involved or weaved into the storyline.

The story had all the right elements of a good mystery: red herrings, suspicious characters, intrigue, atmosphere, and tension. The cover is also pretty cool.

I would recommend this book.

#TheTeachersSecret #NetGalley @bookouture