Saffy receives a txt from her best friend for help, but when she arrives Leona denies sending txt. The next date Leona, her husband and child have disappeared. Lots of twists with two timelines in this thriller that will keep you engaged. Thanks to Penguin Random house and Netgalley for this review ARC.

I raced through this even though I did find it slightly implausible at the end! Also think it's needs a copyedit - there were definitely a couple of places where the wrong name was used (Poppy when it should be Leona)...

Would read another K L Slater book though based on this.

K.L. Slater has produced twenty psychological thrillers to date and this contemporary take on female friendships catches her at the top of her craft. In a believable everyday situation, we are introduced to Saffy, preparing for an important job interview, who happens to check her phone, only to locate a series of text messages from her friend Leona pleading for help. Of course, Saffy ditches everything and races to Leona’s house – only to find her friend perfectly well and insistent that she has not texted. But soon after, Leona and her husband and daughter disappear, putting Saffy at the mercy of the police investigation and plunging her into an even more nightmarish scenario …. A fast-paced, well-told treatment of human loyalties, and the speed at which things can go from ordinary to sinister. Recommended for current fans of K.L. Slater’s books – and newbies to her work! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC I was gifted that allowed me to produce this book review.

Saffy and Leona have been friends since school even though they have drifted apart slightly. When Saffy receives a message from Leona asking her to come to the house but not to call her Saffy rushes round. When she gets there Leona denies sending the messages and they have been deleted. A few hours later the police are at Saffy’s house as she was the last one to see Leona and her family alive!

This was a slow burn but I enjoyed it, I would look out for more from the author.

I really enjoyed this book. I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen and each time I was surprised as something else happened. It was definitely full of surprises.

Saffy is at a job interview for a job she really needs so she can prove to her ex husbNd that she is more than ready for shared custody of their son Fox. She receives some worrying texts from her best friend Leona and leaves the interview to go to Leona. While she’s on her way there the messages are deleted. She gets to Leona’s house and Leona says she knows nothing about the messages.

The next day the police arrive to tell Saffy that Leona, her husband Ash and her daughter Rosie have gone missing. Saffy was the last person to see them alive.

Saffy is worried about Leona and does some silly things that she thinks will help the police. She just lands herself further into trouble.

A great book and one that I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book a bit slow to start with and struggled to get into it but glad I stuck with it. Some twists and suprises that kept me hooked.

“Message Deleted” is a psychological thriller by author KL Slater.

Saffy is waiting to go into a job interview when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona, “Can’t speak, don’t text or call, please just come”. As Saffy struggles to understand what is happening the phone screen changes and the message is deleted. Saffy races to Leona’s house, but her friend answers the door and insists everything’s fine. Leona says she doesn’t know anything about the message but Saffy can tell something’s not right.

Six hours later, Saffy gets a call off the police telling her that Leona is missing with her young child and there is blood at her house.

I read all of KL Slaters books and this was one of the few times I have been left a little disappointed. Still a good read but not up to the high standards previously set.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Message deleted

I enjoyed this book it was a good read and so many twists. I love a story where you don't know who the 'bad guy' is. It kept me engaged and I binged it in one day. I honestly didn't want the book to end and also would have loved a second with the characters lives after the book (being vague as I don't want to spoil anything lol).

I have read a few KL Slater books and loved the uniqueness of this story, It truly kept me gripped and on the edge of my seat. As soon as the story begun, I couldn't put it down, loved the multiple POVs and timelines, the twists and turns and intrigue. I don't want to go into too much detail & risk spoiling but as a big thriller fan I would highly recommend reading

This book definitely surprised me!
I found it quite slow in places however unputdownable in others.
The ending took me by surprise and it was quite far fetched but was still a massive twist!
There were a lot of plot twists throughout and had a unique storyline!
The dual POV helped build the relationship and connection with the characters!

To be honest this is a rare not so good book by K L Slater and I don’t say that lightly. I have loved all books by this author.
However, it was so slow and it just didn’t pique my interest. I kept putting it down.
There were a few twists that whilst not really unexpected, where interesting and kept me reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in return for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐

When Saffy's best friend Leona goes missing after sending her three mysterious messages, which are quickly deleted, Saffy finds herself stuck between the past and the present. Determined to find Leona no matter the cost, Saffy take matters into her own hands, and along the way, she uncovers secrets she never expected.

This was a solid thriller, impactful and tense, it made me want to keep reading. I liked the character exploration, as it went deeper into the protagonist's minds than usual.

However, I did find the pacing too slow which sometimes pulled me out of the action. Additionally, the motivations of the story's antagonist felt flimsy and so the end wasn't as impactful as I was hoping for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for my ARC!

Although a bit bit of slow burner, it is well worth sticking with this book. Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece.

A rollercoaster of hidden truth and different motivations from each character.

Your best friend for many years sends you a message asking you to come, alone and don't tell anybody.
You race to her house only for her to deny contacting you and making you seem befuddled in front of her husband. The messages are deleted so there's nothing to show.
Then she goes missing with her husband and young daughter later that day.
The police tell you, you are the main suspect in their disappearance, as you were the last person to see them.
You begin to investigate what exactly is going on because the police are not taking anything you say seriously, and this is a serious problem as you are the main suspect in this investigation.
What can you do?

This novel begins with a seemingly normal relationship between Saffy and Leah, of two best friends from childhood who have drifted apart slightly due to age and family.
Saffy the reliable, loyal best friend, Poppy her vulnerable, but feisty younger sister and Leah the enigma with an idyllic life on the surface.

Saffy was very relatable, as a person who just wants to do good but is caught up in the emotional turmoil of having little boundaries and being effectively very available for everyone around her.
She has a lot of mental health and anxiety issues that dictate how she acts towards others and may make her seem overly harsh at times, especially to her sister about safety. She has a lot going on relationship-wise with an ex-husband who has custody of her son and is getting remarried. Obviously she wants to be present in her son's life but there are barriers to this.

Opposing this is Poppy, the young student sister who just wants to explore life and embrace her freedom away from her sisters constant supervision.
This makes Saffy's attitude seem extreme and unrelenting but unravel the past and you can find the motivation for Saffy's behaviour and the reason why her close friend Leah has drifted away from her life.

The narrative reflects different characters at different times with the main two characters being Saffy and Poppy, and some interspersed recollections from Leah.

The mystery of Leah's disappearance iniates a slew of recollections, questions and revelations about each character and how they have treated eachother in the past.

This was an interesting book that kept you guessing throughout as to what happened and why.

📣MESSAGE DELETED - K.L SLATER: MY REVIEW 🗞

You're at a really important job interview. Your name is called. You're in the room doing the introductions. You'd be perfect for this job,and need it so much to prove stability in your life to your ex-partner, your child,and the courts.
When suddenly you get a text from your best friend..asking you to not reply,but come straight away! A few seconds later it reads "message deleted". You now have a choice to make...stay for interview...or rush to your friend.
This is Saffys dilemma. She chooses her friend..but,when she rushes over there,Leona has no idea what she's talking about. They compare phones,and Leonas has no evidence of the messages. Saffy leaves eventually after all appears ok. Later that day Leona and family are gone,there's blood everywhere and the last person the neighbours saw at the house.....Saffy. What is going on?

As expected from this great author, a very clever and gripping story with twists galore. It kept me guessing right up to the end when all the loose ends were tied up nicely. A great story that I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

Quick chapters which I enjoyed and also changed between the sisters. The book has some good twists however did a times feel a bit predictable, especially the twist in regards to the sister Poppy. Was a very easy read, good descriptions of the characters.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ slow paced
✨ psychological thriller
✨family drama



✨ this book come in a different pov of timelines. Past and present. After saffy received a message from her best friend leona, she had a panic attack moment . When she comes visit her best friend , leona denies everything . But then later on , leona and her family went missing all of a sudden.
✨ a great drama for someone who wants to read ‘ ‘what happen and who done it?’
The story was quite draggy at some point, this is different writing style from K.L as normally it will leave you hooked and shooked. But this book was average .



✨ Thankyou for the opportunity to read this book for a honest review .


🫶🏼shaye.reads

A great read by K L Slater.
Secrets and lies, twists and turns in this suspense thriller that will have you wondering what happens next!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Message Deleted, which I received from the publishers via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion, was full of suspense and frustration with the police as they kept making false assumptions. It was an easy read but sometimes I felt it was a bit two dimensional somehow but I did enjoy the ending.