Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all 6 of K.L. Slater's psychological thrillers and it has been hit or miss. I have rated some a 5 and some a 3. This was a 4.5. I was thoroughly engrossed this this one. I read it in one day and I really enjoyed it. I do enjoy her writing style with short chapters and I felt I really understood these characters. I started out not caring for Alice but quickly realized that Louise was the one that was to be disliked. What I really enjoyed, beyond the character development is that there were a number of threads that all tied together in the end for an ending I didn't see coming but that made sense and fit with the clues that had been dangled in front of us.

Alice lives on her own following her mother’s death. She doesn’t go out much after an accident which has left in her constant pain. Her sister, Louise has a busy job and is finding it difficult to cope juggling work and her 8 year old son, Archie. She has resorted to leaving Archie with Alice so she can go to work. Alice and Louise used to be close, but now they don’t really know each other at all with both displaying behaviour which the other one doesn’t understand. Alice and Archie begin to forge a close relationship, but Alice is worried about him when she begins to think he is being bulled. But Archie is hiding his own secret, one that he can’t tell to anyone.

I have read all of this author’s books and have loved them, so was keen to get started on this one. The story began with a slow build up, giving you chance to get acquainted with Louise and Alice. Their relationships are obviously strained and as sisters they couldn’t be more different. I wasn’t sure which sister I felt more drawn to though as they both had their goods and bads! Louise is a busy working mum, sometimes coming across as trying to do her best for her son and other times coming across that he is one big inconvenience. Alice has health and psychological issues following injuries after an accident. She seems to be a caring person, but does show a lot of selfish traits. Archie was the character which I felt for most though. A clever little boy, who was obviously hiding something – you just don’t get to know what until nearer the end!

The story is told from different perspectives and timescales – both from Alice and Louise, and also set in present time, 3 years previous and 10 years previously. It did take a bit of getting used to, switching from one time to the next, and I did initially wonder what it all had to do with the story. Fear not though, everything gets explained, you just need to wait until nearer the end again! It is a story full of twists and turns and so many red herrings I just couldn’t keep up. The reveal towards the end was fantastic and I loved the twist in the tale – very clever writing!

A nail biting thriller of a read, it will keep you up all night wondering what an earth is going on and reading furiously to get to the end to find out! Highly recommended!

An excellent book, I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The characters were developed through flashbacks to give full and believable characters. The story had a healthy amount of twists and turns leading up to the finale of 'The Secret'. Definitely one for the book club.

Overall this is a good read. The twists in the plot are good. The characters are engaging and I wanted to keep reading to find out the ending. My only gripe is that the book was too long. It seemed to take a long time to get to the end. I feel that if the book had been a bit shorter it might have had more suspense and been a better read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I enjoyed this book but I wasn't blown away. It took me until beyond the 50% mark to really feel like I was invested and wanted to keep reading. However, the last half of the book picked up pace and was much better.

The characters were interesting enough and the storyline itself was good it was just the pace that bothered me. The writing style is easy to read and follow.

Overall I would recommend it to people but with the warning to give it a chance.

Thank you Bookoture for the free Ebola in exchange for an honest review. The Secret is about way more than one secret. A domestic drama mainly focused on two sisters, Louise and Anna. Louise has always felt that her little sister Anna has had an easy life. When Louise gets pregnant early on in her life by a con man who takes her life savings and leaves her a single mom, she feels like she has to struggle to make ends meet and never quite make it. Meanwhile, Anna gets her dream job at a gallery after bumping into a professor in a cafe and quickly moves up the ladder. The Secret jumps from past to present and is told in alternating points of view mostly between Anna and Louise. As I say, there is more than one secret and as details come out, piece by piece, we find out that both sisters have things they do not share and keep hidden from each other. The Secret will be published July 27/18.

I know this book has a lot of good reviews but this was only okay for me. I found the story line to be mildly suspenseful, definitely not "shocking". I thought it got off to a slow start. (I actually read the comments and decided to keep going.) I think I was waiting for the twist but it never got there. As others mentioned, the end felt a busy with everything happening at once.

This book is such an absorbing read. I started reading without any expectation whatsoever and the blurb really didn’t give away much. But there is something about the writing style that got me hooked right from the opening page and I just can’t seem to stop until I reach the end. The premise may not be as intriguing at first, but as I delved deeper into the story and was slowly getting to know the characters, I was engrossed. Told in multiple POVs and interspersed past with the present, with Alice and Louise as the focus, it allows us to see how the events from the past affected the life the siblings are leading now. Alice started off to be a boring character, someone I feel sorry for but can’t fully sympathize with. While I instantly dislike Louise and it grew as I read. But as the story progressed and things slowly come to light, my perception of them changed in some ways. They both have interesting stories to tell which greatly helps build the intrigue and suspense. It might seem everything is so predictable and I even thought I had things figured out so fast, so easily. But, alas, I was completely way off on my assumptions as it surprisingly gave startling twist and surprises I didn’t see coming. The ending was satisfying and everything was tied up fittingly. I enjoyed this engaging book immensely and I am sure thriller fans out there will appreciate this, too.

The Secret

I really enjoyed this book, very easy read with a few surprises along the way. I really liked the character of Alice, she was written in a way where you could really relate to her, her sister Louise not so much. All in all a very enjoyable read that kept up a good pace to keep me turning the pages.

The Secret is the third book I've read by K.L. Slater but it tops them all. I already knew that this author can write fantastic thrillers and delivers great story with real suspense to a reader. What I didn't expect was that it could be even better I imagined it to be, it totally blew me away and I loved every page.

Alice and Louise are two sister with some differences, they are probably not best friends but get on as well as any sisters that are not so close would. Louise struggles with workload, troubled son and secrets she's hiding and Alice, although also juggling a lot, is helping her with her little boy when she can. Little Archie is very lovable character and I felt connected to him straight away. We know he's also hiding his own secrets and fighting his own demons but as a brave boy, he won't say a word.

Story flows nicely and slowly uncovers secrets of past and a lot of shockers from present. I especially loved flashbacks that helped so much in character creation and development.

Top read for me, I would give it hundred stars if possible. Amazing plot, strong characters that keep you interested and so many twist and turns, it will make your head spin.

I have always loved Kim Slater's book; her books are twisty, mysterious, and loads of fun. Trying to play detective while reading such books has become my favorite past time. A good side-effect of reading thrillers!!

This book too has its moments of secrets coming out as anger, like lava from the volcano. One spark and there are fireworks. The story is a slow start with Alice and Louise's points of view. It does go into the past frequently which disrupted my flow and concentration (my niggles)

Alice as a character was well etched. She was agoraphobic, she had her aches and pains post an accident and there was a secret regarding Jack. (Who is Jack, you ask? Read the book)

Louise and Darren, the sister and her husband along with son Archie add the darker aura to the plot. Louise has her own secrets, massive ones, which nearly cripple her intelligence. Her past with Martyn brings its own tendrils of fear into the present. Her investigation leads to her downfall. (who is Martyn, you ask? Read the book!!)

Neighbor Jenny brings a darker aura to this tale, she has a secret life with Mark (Who is Mark, you ask? Read the book!!). A stranger on the tram pops up often times in the book. Alice finds James' phone too in the café (Who is James, you ask? Yp you are right, read the book!)

K. L. Slater has given a lot of crumbs to follow in this entire book, and believe me like a kid in the fairy tale, I too went about picking up those crumbs. I should have ideally got the gingerbread house or the wicked witch. But what I found was....

Nothing... I am not going to tell you (You ask, I say - Read the book!!)

I received a copy of The Secret by K.L. Slater from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest and uncompensated review.

I love family drama, and this book is packed with it! Not to mention it’s filled to the brim with secrets that can completely derail every life it touches. Perfect!

Louise, a work-a-holic (maybe alcoholic) mother relies heavily on her reclusive and maybe some-what antisocial sister, Alice, to help care for her son Archie while she nearly works herself to death after taking an important promotion.

Louise and Alice have never really seen eye to eye on almost anything, and as reluctant as Alice is at first she begins to enjoy the time she spends with her nephew (even if he does seem a bit… spoiled rotten).

But what happens when concerns for Archie’s well being surface? What has made this actually highly intelligent yet anxious and often times skittish young boy so difficult? We don’t know! But we will find out… oh yes, we will.

Even though the title of the story is “The Secret”, there is more than one secret that could make the entire house of cards come tumbling down, crushing all in it’s path. The sad part is, these secrets are kept by the one person who shouldn’t have the burden to, Louise’s young son.

The Secret sucked me if from the first page, giving a bit of a peek into the horror that ends up being this young man’s life from the very first couple of pages. To be honest, there were a few chapters that were a bit wordy and uninteresting to me, but I also believe they were important in setting the stage to explain why things are the way they are in the present.

By the last page, I was very glad to have gotten the chance to read this book and I look foreword to reading more from K.L. Slater. (Anyone else notice a lot of her book covers feature someone wearing RED?)

This is the 6th book I have read by author Kim Slater and I can honestly say she never lets me down. This is another excellent psychological thriller and yet again I was totally gripped.
This is a story of two sisters Louise and Alice, Louise is a working mother who has debt and very little time for her son Archie. Alice on the other-hand is housebound, short of confidence and is more than willing to spend time with Archie. Her life is spent watching a stranger in a tram from her living room window, imagining what could be. Louise is far from helpful to Alice's predicament and loads her problems on Alice while criticising her for not having a life. Eight year old Archie likes to play on his own at his auntie’s flat until one day when he sees something he shouldn’t. Now he has a secret of his own. One he can’t tell his mum. One that could put him and his family in terrible danger.
I really enjoyed this book and was a quick read mainly due to the fact I found it so hard to put down.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t even know where to begin. This is my first novel by KL Slater but it will not be my last! The story of Alice, her sister Louise and her son Archie. The background of webs weaves in this story keeps you hooked. You know something is coming but your just not sure what. Then one plot twist occurs that makes you go OMG!, but then another and another that leaves you thinking this is just amazing! Then the secret comes out and by the end leaves you to come to one conclusion and one conclusion only, that you just read a BRILLANT novel!
Comment

The Secret by K.L. Slater is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis:
Alice is becoming a recluse. She gave up everything when her Mom became sick, and became a full-time caregiver. She barely leaves her apartment since her mom passed away, partly due to anxiety, and partly due to back pain from a horrific accident a few years ago.  The only thing she seems to be interested in is the stranger on the morning train, who she watches from her 3rd floor apartment window, across the street.

Louise is Alice’s sister, who has always considered Alice to be worthless, and makes sure she knows that at every opportunity. She does, however, have no qualms about taking advantage of Alice’s good nature. She has recently been given a promotion, and her long hours mean that she drops off her son at Alice’s constantly.

Archie is Louise’s 8-year old son, by a man who has been out of the picture since before he was born. Louise’s second husband Darren, has adopted him. Unfortunately, neither parent seems to have much time for him, and he has become a bit of a problem child. Until he starts spending time with Alice. Alice is very concerned about her nephew, and when she fears for his safety, she starts to question everything. But everyone is keeping secrets, some more dangerous than others. Actually Alice has one of her own.

My Opinions:
Without a doubt, Kim Slater is a very talented author. With each book, it becomes more evident. She has a real knack for writing psychological thrillers. You are kept on the edge of your seat, waiting…. There are always twists, and this was no exception. Although I anticipated a couple, a few took me totally by surprise – which I loved.

The story is told through the eyes of Alice, Louise, and finally Archie, as well as different time-lines to show their history. It was done well, with no confusion. I loved the way the characters interacted, and loved when Alice occasionally grew a backbone.

The only flaw I saw in the book, was that we don’t know what became of Archie’s biological father, although it was foreshadowed that he may appear. That storyline seemed to get dropped, although it really didn’t impact the actual story at all.....but it's hardly worth mentioning, and definitely doesn't affect my rating.

4.5 stars*

I’ve read a handful of Slater’s novels, and I think this is the best one yet! It centers on sisters Louise and Alice. Alice suffers from agoraphobia after the tragic death of her boyfriend. Louise is career-driven, married, and raising an eight year old, Max. As she starts relying on Alice for impromptu babysitting, Alice slowly realizes that something is horribly wrong with her nephew and perhaps even her sister.

This was a twisty psychological thriller. I love how my perspective of the sisters changed as their stories unspool, and gasp-worthy secrets are revealed. Let’s just say that I didn’t see it coming, at all!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc.

The Secret K.L.Slater
I got hooked into this book really quickly as the story flips between very believable narrators, Louise, Alice, her sister, and the very loveable Archie. My interest was caught trying to work out the plot. You are fed snippets and clues throughout and the the viewpoints also switch around in time, gradually filling in the back story, leading you through twists and turns. My brain was certainly hooked, trying to predict the secrets.
The characters develop and change along with the story and the settings really cane to life in my mind. I thought I had got it sussed, and then the final twist hit me! I loved it! My first book by K. L. Slater but I don’t think it will be my last!

I enjoyed this book up to about 80% and then everything happened all at once, with revelation and revelation, which sort of ruined it for me. I liked the character of Alice and felt she and her story were very relatable. Her sister didn't seem quite real and the whole thing with James was a bit of a red herring. There were a few coincidences too many for me and I ended up feeling rushed and confused as to what had happened.

I always like reading book by KL Slater and a huge fan. Plus, a must read as soon as her books come out! I find them easy and enjoyable to read. That will keep you glued to her book and I just want more. So The Secret was just what I wanted for a book and an excellent read for your holiday.
This story is about two sisters, Louise and Alice.
Louise is very confident, elegant and very determined to achieve something she wants. However, is Juggling being a mother to Archie who is 8 year's old, as well a very demanding career.
However, Alice, is the opposite to Louise and is a nervous wreck and does not go out side her flat following an accident that changed her life forever,
Louise has started to rely more on Alice to look after Archie as her work life has become busier with her meetings and appointments. Alice has to take him to school in the mornings etc. They start to form a strong bond between Auntie and nephew. But something is troubling Archie and Alice starts to wonder why.

This book is written about their daily lives of Louise, Alice and Archie. What they were doing and who they meet along the way. It also goes in to Louise and Alice's past so you get a bigger picture of their childhood with their parents.
I found this a great read with lots of twists and turns from the past to the present.
However the last few chapters you read, you wont see that coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book a KL Slater fan and was not disappointed, was exactly what I’ve come to expect of her books....I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!