This was a fairly one read but have to confess I found it a bit slow to start. However I stuck with it and I. am really glad I did.

The Blue Pool by Siobhan Macdonald is a psychological thriller that keeps you glued to the book till the last word, never mind the last page!
The story follows a group of four female students. When one of them disappears without a trace life unravels for the three remaining girls. 25 years later somebody comes forward to provide information. A riveting story that flips.from the past to the present and is narrated by all three of the womens view points.All three of the women have reacted differently to the trauma from so long ago, but not one of them are as likeable or sympathetic characters.
As the story unfolds it brings with it twists and turns,guilty secrets hidden for 25 years have a way of finding the light and these bring some revelations that creates a surprising conclusion.
An enjoyable and interesting read for me. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book

Great thrilling story, one that I highly recommend to fans of the genre!! Great plot, and well written.

This is a book set in 1991 and the present day, as the book open we meet Ruth, Charlotte and Kathy and we know that something happened in their past to another girl in their group called Sarah when they were at university we learn a bit about them and their lives, we then flick back to 1991 when the girls are in uni, struggling for money and living in a tiny flat above a pub, boys and partying are a huge distraction to the girls as well as things going on in their personal lives and back home in Ireland, after doing very badly in their exams they decide to take a holiday to Charlotte's uncles cabin at The Blue Pool to relax before their resits, they spend an eventful week trying to make the best of things while having no money.....then one of the girls go missing! in the present day someone has gone to the police with new evidence.....could the mystery of what happened to their friend after 25 years finally come to light?.

Now I will say that this book is a very very slow burner, no action really happens until around the sixty percent mark, however I did enjoy getting to know the characters and watching the story unfold. I really enjoyed the sections set in 1991 and really felt it was a true reflection of university life at the time. If however you need likeable characters in a book you may struggle with this as none of the girls are that likeable in 1991 or in the present day. I had no idea what had happened to the missing girl and as we approached the climax I gasped out loud (this is only the second book to ever do this to me!) at the reveal! I was not expecting it at all!

Overall this wasn't a bad read and I would recommend it if you like a slow burner

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my thoughts.
Honestly, this felt disappointing. The premise was intriguing, and the second half of the book was great. Unfortunately, the slow pacing of the first half and my lack of any feeling for the key characters offset all the good things that came later.
Receiving a phone-call to say that someone had come forward with information about the disappearance of an old friend clearly unsettled our three characters. We could tell each of them - for some reason - had spent years trying to ignore whatever events had led to this moment and it was odds-on that one of them knew more than they were letting on.
For some reason the author focused most of the first part of the book on the girls at university. It provides us with insight into the dynamics of their relationships and explores the build-up to Sarah’s disappearance. It was strongly suggested that characters met along the way might be involved, but things didn’t quite hang together.
As we get given details building up to Sarah’s disappearance we can understand why the three women have acted as they have done since. It also becomes clear that one of them is more closely involved than we were first led to believe. Gaining more info into her mindset would have been fascinating, but it felt like too little too late.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a soft and gentle psychological thriller, if there is such a thing.

It is set in the present day, and also in 1991. The characterisation in this novel is excellent, and it is this that is the backbone of the tale.

As we start to learn about the events that lead to the disappearance of Sarah, a university friend of Ruth, Cathy & Charlotte, we start to discover the personality of those involved, and the events that lead up to the fateful day.

The twist is sublime, it comes quietly without a fanfare, and builds up to the final arrest.

I think this book struck a chord with me as I was a similar age to the characters in 1991, so I almost felt that I was there with them.
I loved it.

This book was a true reflection of the old line - your past may be in the past, but its never really in the past. Even if it takes 25 years to catch up with you.
Great read!

DNF'ed this book. The plot sounded great but it turns out it wasn't to my style. Hard to get stuck into

Great read and easy to follow story line. Look forward to reading more from this author