Love Michele Campbell's books! Well developed characters. Twisty and demented, Devoured this book! Highly recommended to book club.

I will admit I wasn’t a fan of the last part of the book’a writing. The pace was good up until the last part where it suddenly rushed to a close. It left a great feeling of unfinished disappointment, of unfilled anticipation. The characters are well written, I especially enjoyed the sisters though I do feel Zach could have been better developed. It also would have been nice if the real murderer wasn’t so obvious. I genuinely felt empathy for Mrs. Donovan and Rose, but I feel like Rose being portrayed as the quiet one the entire book and suddenly morphe into a badass only to go back to being quiet didn’t sit quite well. Interestingly I could see the school being used as a background for other books, there were other characters I felt who had interesting stories going on there.

My favorite part of this book was that, from almost the beginning (so I don't think this is a spoiler), you know that one of the twin sisters is dead and the other one is accused of murdering her but you don't know which sister is which. The book does a good job of playing with this uncertainty for a while. Otherwise, I thought the plot of the book was fairly conventional and nothing about it surprised me. Overall, three stars because of my mixed feelings here.

Yet another of my Amazon First Reads; I chose it because I’m obviously on a suspense fiction kick. Twins Rose and Bel are orphaned at 15; their father died when they were young and their mother has recently passed from cancer. They are sent to live with their wealthy paternal grandmother, who ships them off to a prestigious boarding school. The change in circumstances is welcomed by Rose but not Bel. We know from the prologue that one of them ends up dead; the mystery is which sister (and did the other one kill her?).

Rose and Bel are very different: Rose is studious and a bit of a goody-goody; Bel is more rebellious and “fast” (to use an old phrase) as well as more sensitive and artistic. Fractures appear in the sibling relationship almost immediately in the new school. Mean girls and teachers who may or may not be good influences push them further apart..

She Was the Quiet One started out rough for me; the writing and especially the dialogue felt stilted and unrealistic. I did get into the story as it went along, and so in spite of the predictable resolution to the mystery (the most obvious person did it for the most obvious reason; the only question left was which twin was dead), I gave this a B-.

Some authors grip you from page one and challenge you to finish the book in one sitting. Well, challenge accepted. Could t stop reading!

Bel and Rose are twin sisters who lead very different lives. We know early on that one is murdered, but which one?

Shortly after being sent to live with their grandmother the twins are shipped off to boarding school. Upon arrival the girls find out that they will both reside in Moreland, the dorm with a troubled history. The school hopes to change that by placing the Sarah and Heath Donovan, also Moreland alums, in charge. Both Bel and Rose are drawn to the Donovans who are serving as their faculty advisors. The story goes back in forth between the events leading up to the murder and the investigation after. Secrets, sex, and lies are all spun into this whodunnit.

I would categorize this as a 3.5 rounded up because I felt like the story went on longer than necessary.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was such an easy read it almost felt like a young adult book. The plot was typical in that its a boarding school where to twin girls are sent to after their parents pass. This is a thriller which will torture you to the end.

The author does a great job of incorporating the complexities of the relationship between sisters and the dynamics of a boarding school. There are the "cool" kids, the ones who want to be "cool," and the ones who are there to get an education but want to have friends. This was the first book I've read by Michele Campbell, but I will definitely read more of her books...and will probably go back and read an earlier book, It's Always the Husband.

This story covers a lot of aspects of the relationships that abound in a boarding school...friendships among the students, romantic relationships among the students, relationships among the faculty, and even romantic relationships between faculty and students!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book even though it was geared more towards YA. I did not guess the twist towards the end and couldn't put it down once I started reading. Looking forward to reading more from Michele Campbell!

“People saw what they wanted to.”

This was a very fun read. It tackled the complexities of sisterhood, marriage, and education – all while centering around a murder investigation. Told between the story itself and various police interrogations, the reader follows a crime and scandal from beginning to end.

Following the loss of their mother, twin sisters Rose and Bel are shipped off to boarding school by their grandmother. Odell Academy is a prestigious institution that educates its students to excel in every corner of life. Rose, an overachiever and rule follower, is delighted to be at Odell. But Bel, the feisty twin with a habit of causing trouble, is still depressed over her mother’s death and would rather be anywhere but boarding school. Meanwhile, Heath and Sarah Donovan, alumni of Odell who now teach at the school, are experiencing their own struggles. Soon gossip spreads that Heath is sleeping with a student. As the rumors continue, one of the twins ends up dead (revealed in the first chapter), and a long list of suspects is in order.

I’m kind of a sucker for any story that takes place in a boarding school. I attended public school my whole life and don’t have a clue what it would have been like being away from home so young. I also just find the idea and environment of boarding schools very scandalous; it always seems like the perfect setting for something juicy to happen. And this story definitely delivered.

Rose and Bel were interesting characters to follow. I don’t have a sister, let alone a twin, but their dynamic was what I would expect out of twin sisters – constant disagreements and differences, but always willing to be there for other. Thankfully this still didn’t read as a kitschy YA novel. In fact, reading Heath and Sarah’s parts brought in the adult side of boarding school life, specifically Sarah’s insecurities when rumors spark about her husband. So this was a perfect blend of teenage angst, marital problems, and multiple scandals that floor an entire boarding school.

I give She Was the Quiet One 3.5 stars because I did feel like it didn’t have to be as long as it was. I noticed a lot of repetition in both dialogue and scenes that definitely delayed the grand finale. I was, however, very satisfied with the ending. I confidently knew who the murderer was early on, but the actual conclusion, especially the epilogue, I didn’t see coming. Bravo to Michele Campbell. This is the first I’ve read of her and now I’m even more excited to pick up A Stranger on the Beach next.

She Was the Quiet One was another great suspenseful novel by Michele Campbell! I enjoyed how the events are so unexpected and escalate as the story goes on. Twins Rose and Bel are headed off to Odell Academy, a private coed boarding school. Their relationship has become more strained since their mother passed away and they started living with their wealthy grandmother. Heath and Sarah have moved into Odell's Mooreland Hall, along with their two young children. They are excited to start their new jobs as dorm heads and advisors at the school. As the days go by, Rose and Bel become more estranged as Bel starts to hang out with some of the bigger troublemakers at the school. Heath's presence causes quite a stir with the young girls. What could possibly go wrong? The secrets and betrayal that start to occur as the days go on and winter arrives make the book hard to put down!

Sisters Rose and Bel Enright feel incredibly fortunate to be going to a prestigious boarding school. However, they are in to find out that there are some dark secrets among their monied classmates.

PRAISE GOD ITS OVER. Yikes. Guessable plot. A “twist” epilogue that wasn’t a twist at all and was such a disappointing closer. Unrealistic dialogue. This is my second book by Campbell and echoes my feelings about her debut. She just isn’t for me. ⭐️

I enjoyed this story of twins, Rose and Bel, who recently lost their mother and their time at a boarding school. They are completely different in looks, friends, study habits and each have a different school adviser, Sarah and Heath who are married teachers responsible for the section of the school where the girls live.

There was a little too much inner turmoil and back and forth for Rose and Sarah plus the ending was pretty predictable. There weren't really any twists except for in the epilogue which I could have done without. Overall, this wasn't a favorite psychological thriller but it kept me reading and interested the entire time.

I despised pretty much every character in this book. Heath was clearly a jerk from his first appearance. Sarah was that annoying woman who did everything her husband told her too and believed everything he said even if there was evidence otherwise. The teen girls were all obnoxious. That being said, I really liked this book. I was interested in what was going on and was trying to figure out throughout the book who had killed Bel. There were parts that were a little predictable but there was enough going on to keep me interested.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Twin sisters rose and bel lose their mother and end up being sent to boarding school paid for by their wealthy grandmother. The twins have always been close but soon the twins start moving in different circles and rivalry sets in between them. One of the girls starts an affair with a teacher which causes major problems. One of the girls ends up dead but you don't know which one as both girls can be as the title suggests ' the quiet one ' . The book starts with one girl dead and the other being questioned about her murder. The story goes through the girls arriving and what happens over the coming months and how things unravel and the next chapter is the police interview. Once I got a few chapters in I was gripped and had to just keep reading. I really liked the writting style and the characters. I really enjoyed this read.

She Was the Quiet One made me uncomfortable on multiple levels. I suspect in today's society, this is realistic (as evidence by the abundance of true crime shows)but I struggled with accepting the characters' choices, and their blindness to event around them. A good overall thriller, which I give a solid 3 stars to.

I had a hard time connecting with this novel. I found the plot to be exciting once I got into the novel and I had a hard time connecting with the twins.

Thank you so much for this ARC.

Unfortunately, I was not able to read this whole book. I found it very slow to get into and did not hold my interest.

4 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

*** mini review ***

Michele Campbell has written one heck of a compulsive story! Bursting with delicious drama and teenage angst. Good twin bad twin, a prestigious boarding school, and a scandalous crime.

In the beginning of the book we are made aware that a horrible crime has been committed. Then we are introduced to twin sisters, Rose and Bell. Rose is the straightlaced studious twin and Bell is the impetuous rebellious twin. The privilege and the drama at this boarding school seeped off the pages. What transpires is a compelling story that kept me completely engage throughout. This is a book packed with teenagers behaving badly, adults acting inappropriately, and questions begging to be answered. More drama than thriller and highly addictive!

~ read in August 18 reviewed in April 19 ~

*** thank you to St Martin’s for my copy of this book ***