I truly enjoyed this! It kept me interested throughout and I really liked the writers style! I liked that it got into the plot immediately too! I will definitely be looking out for more by this author!

📖 ARC Review

Message Deleted by K.L. Slater
Michael Joseph, 18th July 2024

In this psychological thriller, Saffy receives an unsettling text message from her best friend, Leona. Leona needs her help. Then, strangely, the text message disappears. Saffy rushes round to see Leona, who insists she is fine and knows nothing about the mysterious text. But Saffy's curiosity is piqued, and her unease is well depicted as shivers begin to run down my spine.

Then, Leona and her children vanish. There is blood at the scene, but a panicked Saffy has no clue what could have happened. The slow build-up to this devastating event is delightful, the twists and shocks gleeful and the characters believable. Great stuff.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to K.L. Slater and Michael Joseph for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#MessageDeleted #KLSlater #MichaelJoseph #PsychologicalThriller #NetGalley #ARC #ARCRead

"Message Deleted" is an unsettling psychological thriller that begins with a panicked, partially deleted text from Saffy's lifelong friend, Leona. When Saffy rushes to help her, she finds herself at the center of a mystery—Leona and her family have vanished without a trace, and Saffy is the prime suspect.

Saffy is a relatable protagonist, balancing family strain, trauma, and her own insecurities. Through flashbacks, the reader gains insight into her past, which adds complexity to her character. The sibling dynamic between Saffy and Poppy is particularly poignant, providing an emotional depth that enriches the narrative.

While the story is engaging, I found the pacing uneven at times. The slow build-up contrasts with the thrilling twists, which, though effective, left the ending feeling slightly disjointed. Despite this, Slater’s skillful storytelling and intricate plotting kept me hooked and guessing until the final pages.

Overall, Message Deleted is a suspenseful read, filled with psychological tension and unexpected turns. Fans of twisty thrillers will find much to enjoy here.

This as with all of k .l slater books was amazing so many twists and turns you will be up all night k. L slater is the queen of thrillers and plot twists

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review. Some good plot twists but found the ending to be a bit of a cop out. Especially enjoyed the Nottingham depictions as I'm a Notts lass.

2 stars

This had a really interesting premise and the description of the story and first few chapters did really draw me in. However, it was very slow paced and drawn out. I am also not a fan of books that reveal random important information really late in the story as a 'twist'. My preference for thrillers and mysteries is that you can work it out along the way or join the dots after the reveal. However I feel I was just told the ending at the end, if that makes sense. I think it also got a bit silly at times storyline-wise. The plot and characters felt over the top and the main character's POV was just judgy and long winded.

Overall I did find it entertaining and I did finish it, however I do not think I would remember the plot. I think this was just a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gripping and great read about Saffy, who gets a message that her friend needs her which is swiftly deleted…..she goes round urgently all seems to be fine, and then her friend and family go missing. Twists and turns and great characters with an easy to follow plot. Highly recommend!

Excellent book. I couldn't put it down. Filled with surprises and twists and turns as always with this author. I think the title was so clever and the story unfolded so well. I love how it moves through different times and how it changed characters perspectives so regularly. Highly recommended.

I did enjoy this book. It started off very well with a lot of interest. Towards the end it got a bit messy.
Overall a good story even though it felt rather unrealistic.
Thanks to NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book and thanks to NetGalley for my early copy. There was good writing and characters, with plenty of twists in the storyline.

This had me gripped and up until the early hours. Just couldn’t put it down. I never give spoilers in my reviews but I will recommend if I think it’s a cracker!! Go buy & go read!!

Fantastic book , kept me hooked from beginning to end , such a great page turner . I have read many books by this author and they are all so good. I love a book that keeps you guessing right to the end and this certainly did not disappoint. Great story and characters. Highly recommend reading this book.

K.L. Slater’s Message Deleted is an unsettling psychological thriller that hooked me from the synopsis. When Saffy receives a mysterious, deleted text from her life-long friend Leona, she rushes to help, only for Leona and her family to disappear shortly after. As the police start to suspect Saffy, her world begins to unravel.

The novel alternates between the present day and flashbacks to Saffy and Leona’s past, slowly revealing their complicated friendship. Saffy’s character is relatable, navigating trauma, family strain, and her desperate attempts to maintain control of her life. The sibling dynamic with her younger sister, Poppy, adds emotional depth and felt believable.

Whilst I found the pacing quite slow, the story’s twists and suspense kept me engaged, although I felt the ending was a little disjointed. Overall, Message Deleted offers a solid, twisty read that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers.

Rating: 4/5
N.B. A trigger warning might’ve been nice for people who have been in abusive relationships or have dealt with psychological abuse.

Unsettling and twisty read.

Saffy is just about to enter a job interview when she receives panicked messages from her best friend, Leona, which are instantly deleted. Sick with worry, she rushes to help, only to find she denies sending the messages.

The next thing she knows, Leona has disappeared along with her family, and the police have their sights set on Saffy as their number one suspect.

Saffy's sister, Poppy, is 11 years younger and was treated much more favourably ever since she was born shortly after their father died. She continues to be carefree and entitled while Saffy is filled with anxiety prompted by years of conditioning. When their mother died, Saffy became Poppy's legal guardian, a responsibility which she takes very seriously, and which Poppy is impatient to escape.

Having experienced a mental health crisis which was followed by a divorce, Saffy is desperately trying to cling onto her job and to continue being allowed to see her son. Her ex-husband is now engaged to the nanny, living in their former home, and Saffy seems to have little control over her own life, while the former nanny can do no wrong. The continued police interest puts everything that matters to her in jeopardy, while she is consumed with desperately worrying about her friend and young daughter.

Through a series of flashbacks, as well as uncovering the motive for the abduction, we learn about Saffy and Leona's school days and how they came to drift apart.

I loved this book. It grabbed me from the first paragraph and it didn't let go. Loved the plot, the characters and it has plenty of twists and turns. I have loved all of this authors books, I can't wait for the next.

This book was a very enjoyable read. Gripped me from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. Many thanks for the arc!

KL Slater is a great author so I was excited to read this book
I was not disappointed

Brilliant psychological thriller
Well written
Gripping

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I always get that thrill of excitement when a new book by this author lands in my TBR pile. From her very first book Safe With Me, they have always been ones to go straight to the top of the pile and this was no exception.

Sadly, this wasn't my favourite of the bunch 😕 I'm not sure whether it was the real slow burn, so it never fully gripped me from the start or the sporadic hits of suspense and tension, it just didn't quite hit the notes I was expecting. The build up was there, when it finally kicked in but then it sort of statics and the ending was just bizarre.

Whilst waiting to be called into a job interview, Saffy recieves a text from her childhood friend Leona... 'can't speak, don't text or call... just come', she drops everything to rush round. Arriving at her home, Leona denies ever sending a text and looking at her phone Saffy realises the text has gone, deleted.

Hours later, Leona and her daughter Rosie are missing with blood trails left at her home. Saffy is now a person of interest.

The beginning and end of the book, in my opinion, felt completely disjointed, as if they were two different books altogether.

3.5⭐️ based on the good stuff being good but the bad stuff being awful.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random Books for the ARC.

Perfectly thrilling. Loads of twists and turns.

A proper psychological thriller.

Nail biting and plenty of intrigue and drama.

Highly recommended, 5 stars from me.