It’s such an enjoyable thriller audiobook. Fast paced and the story plot is gripping which makes me hooked from the beginning. I love the narrator tone and pace, this really helps the audience to follow the whole story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Jan 18, 2024

This audiobook had me gripped, from the start - I even listened to it before bed!
What a cracking psychological thriller, so very well written!!
Couldn't switch it off.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I was intrigued by the premise of this audiobook but, unfortunately, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was quite long and there were a lot of characters. I enjoyed the perspectives of Carrie, Finn and Mhairi but I didn’t enjoy Victor’s. I enjoyed the various timelines and the narration. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

A Guilty Secret is a story set in two different time frames; 2003 and 2019.

Finn and Mhairi are on a mission to uncover what their late friend Kate, a psychologist, was working on when she decided to take her own life. During this process, they find themselves tangled in a web of secrets which a group have tried to protect since they were at school. Finn and Mhairi find themselves enmeshed in Mae, Serena, Carrie, Victor and Alex.

The book unfolds with various storylines unfolding around Finn and Mhairi and then separate storylines for the school kids. There are twists and turns which keep you invested in the storyline and ensure that you want to find out what happened at St Michael’s School in 2003. I found most of the characters were not hugely likeable, but most of them had their own mental health struggles which blighted their lives. There are some good twists and things happen which I didn’t guess!

A good read, especially if you are a fan of this genre. I will endeavour to read more of Philippa East’s work as this was the first of her books i have come across. I would recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the published for my advanced copy of this audiobook.

A good, dual timeline mystery. Enjoyed listening to this on the long commute to and from work. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me
The premise sounded fantastic and I really thought I would enjoy it, however unfortunately it actually made no sense

2 of the main characters, ex husband and Wife come together following the suicide of their mutual friend Kate. They are determined to get answers as to why she did it.
However the whole storyline made no sense. The leads they followed, the other characters involved. I worked out early on exactly what had led Kate to the decisions she made, but struggled with the involvement of her friends.
The narrators voices and accents also grated on me, which certainly didn’t help

Sorry I can’t be more positive about this title

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen

I enjoyed both story strands in A Guilty Secret and the narrators were great. The audio book was the perfect accompaniment to long winter walks.

A Guilty Secret is a very slow burn thriller which explores a number of themes including sexual abuse, boarding school troubles and suicide. It should have all the elements of a decent thriller but I found it all rather lacklustre. I wasn’t keen on the male narrator who sounded flat and rather dull. Neither of the central characters, Finn and Mhairi are particularly endearing and I wasn’t convinced of the way in which they reunited following an unexpected death.

The plotting and timelines feel confused and I had to rewind more than once to check character and whether the story was past or present. . It lacked fluidity as it switched narrative point. I was also disappointed by lack of tension. At times I forced myself to carry on listening rather than feeling gripped and keen to know how these seemingly disparate threads hung together. I really enjoyed her previous book, Little White Lies, but this lacks the dynamism of that story.

This audio book had an overall good story line but at times I felt like I was in the wrong book .the chapters jump from past to present and with names you hadn't heard of before I think I was three quarters through before I grasped the plot which did spoil it a bit for me.
Having read/listened to Phillipa East other books this is not her best because of the confusion as it irritated me
Even though there is a connection between stories it still felt that they could be two separate books!

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this copy!

I really couldn’t get into this one and it just didn’t engage me at all. I even went so far as to speed it up to get through it faster but it was just such a slog. I lost all interest as the storyline was so dragged out and the narration wasn’t engaging. I found the storyline to be in a way uneventful and the swapping from past to present timelines just didn’t flow like you would expect. I didn’t really care for any of the characters or what the outcome would be for any of them. Just not a listen for me…

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #AGuiltySecret

A Guilty Secret by Philippa East
Narrated by Kristin Atherton; Ben Morton

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HQ and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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.

My Opinion

This was a thriller, that really held my attention. There was so much going on that in places I was sure I was confusing two different books in my head - which as I am always reading more than one book at a time is always a possibility. There are multiple timelines and viewpoints but for me I found it very easy to follow. Whilst I listened to it as an audiobook I feel that with all that is going on, this would work better as a book.

Rating 4/5

4.5-4.75⭐️

I had the audiobook read by Kristin Atherton and Ben Morton, the narrators are excellent.

There’s quite a few characters which makes it harder to keep track while listening as I usually make a list but not as easy to do when listening as I’m usually multitasking plus there are time line changes to add in and different POV.

In the past there’s a thread at a remote Scottish boarding school St Michael’s with a group of spoilt rich teenagers.

In the present the group of friends receive a threatening email about their actions at the boarding school. Ex couple Finn and Mhairi are pulled together again after the sudden death of their friend Kate.


The author builds a good level of anxiety with the characters behaviour, reactions and paranoia, the tension builds with hints at wrong doing at the school which is revealed gradually there’s a very good mix of revelations between the time frames which works really well.

It’s a great dark story that once I settled into it had me enthralled. This one is my favourite of the three books that I’ve read.

It’s one I’d definitely recommend, the only question is the format. I’d recommend the audiobook if you can concentrate well while listening as the narrators are great. If you are multi tasking it might be better to read the book so that you can fully concentrate.

A Guilty Secret is a gripping suspense thriller.

The story is set back and forth in time, the friends attending a Private Boarding School in the Scottish highlands in 2003 and now it’s 2019. Carrie has just joined the school and wants to be part of the “in” crowd. It’s not all she expected it to be. Sixteen years later, their secret is about to get exposed.

It’s a great read and keeps you wondering about what happened back in boarding school. The author likes to keep you guessing and the story gets more engrossing the deeper you get into it.

I listened to the audiobook and found both narrators very good. They both prompted chapters well and was easy to follow each character.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

A tail of secrets and friendships. That narration was great and I enjoyed how the story was told from multiple pov. Although it was very far fetched I found the story entertaining enough and it held my attention til the end.

Trigger warnings - child sexual abuse, boarding school abuse, burying alive, suicide

Not the best book for a boarding school abuse survivor but an accurate portrayal with realistic characters

I really enjoy dual timeline stories, but this one didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

It felt like two completely different stories and the pace was very slow, so by the time they did link, I was almost past caring.

I did like the main characters in the 2019 element of the story, Finn and Mhairi, and enjoyed learning about their past and present relationship.

The narrators were fantastic, giving each character a uniqueness which could otherwise have been confusing.

I think this book would be well suited to someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers as it lacked originality for me.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Philippa East and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

**Listened to the audiobook**

Overall I was disappointed with this book - there was nothing original about this book. The plot felt just so similar to so many other thriller/mystery books I have read over the years. Because of that fact, I struggled to keep up and stay focussed on this particular plot line, purely as I felt like I had read so much of it already.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the narrators. It really helped to bring the plot to life with the different actors as well as the multiple accents.

This book was just OK. I think you would probably enjoy it if you don't read many thrillers (and haven't come across many of these generic plot lines before)

This has been my favourite Philippa East book I've read so far.

Two plots slowly weaving together. A man and his ex-wife trying to ascertain why their best friend killed herself and a group of teenagers at a private school have a secret they have buried. At first you think they don't connect or are thinking how they do connect but it does all become clear.

I didn't warm to many of the characters but I'm guessing that was on purpose. Many were self-centred and not very likeable.

Narration was great and it had a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio UK for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

For me this book was a bit hard to follow at times maybe because it didn’t keep my attention. Liked the narration but for me the plot itself was just a bit slow.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Guilty Secret by Philippa East, an audiobook narrated by Kristin Atherton and Ben Morton was busy and suspenseful. In some way, it felt like I was listening to 2 or 3 different books at the same time. Jumping through the timelines was a bit confusing time from to time but once I picked up, was good.
The narrators did a great job and it's always nice to listen when there is a dual narration. Kristin Atherton has done fantastic work by making different accents, I could not believe that there was just one female narrator!

Mhairi and Finn are devastated about their friend's Kate death and want to understand why Kate would choose to do something like that. So in this story, readers will learn about Mhairi and Finn and their past together, about the traumas and other secrets.

Carry and her friends in boarding school sneak out at nighttime to use some drugs in the woods until one night things go terribly wrong. Now they will have a massive secret to keep. 16 years later Carry breaks down and is ready to talk...

For a while is hard to understand how these 2 stories are connected but it all came together in the end. Even though there is a connection between stories it still felt that they could be two separate books! The first book could be about Carry and her friends and a sequel about Mhairi, Finn, and Kate.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this copy!