I had so much trouble reading this story. It jumped around way too much. There was a lot of headhopping, as well as time jumping. I felt like I was getting whiplash. I think it had the makings of a good book, if the story had been told differently.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I was intrigued as soon as I read the opening of The Promise by Teresa Driscoll. The story has a few twists and turns but, based on the book's description and opening, I expected it to be much darker than it is. However, although I enjoyed the novel, I would not consider it to be dark. It is more of a slow building suspense novel then a psychological thriller.

Three girls, Beth, Sally, and Carol, were best friends at a boarding school and as close as sisters. Something happens and they make a promise to never tell the secret of what happened.

Years later, all of them have been affected by the secret in different ways. Beth and Sally are still close friends but Carol has become estranged. When they find out the boarding school is to be sold and demolished, fearing their secret will be revealed, Beth and Sally attempt to find Carol..

Driscoll wanted to establish a intense connection between the girls but did not want to make them sisters. The setting helps you to understand why the girls would keep the secret.

I have added Teresa Driscoll's I Am Watching You to my want to read list.

Published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/28/19.

I wish I could say I liked this book, I couldn't finish it, probably just me. I loved I am watching you so I was so happy to receive a ARC of the Promise, I just couldn't get into it..I don't think it would be fair of me to post a review on Amazon or Good reads because it could very well be just me. Thank you for opportunity to read Teresa Driscoll's book.

This book had a good story always keeping the reader guessing what the promise was between the 3 main characters. The story is emotionally heavy especially as the reader learns more of the secret and how each of the main characters played a part in the cover up of the secret.

The beginning of the book kept my interest , but as it went on, i lost interest, the writing was average and the big secret no big deal, i finished it but was it worth reading no, not really

Wow! It took me nearly until the actual reveal to figure out what the promise was!!

There was actually more than one secret and around every corner, I kept expecting another shoe to fall.

This book has some romance and tons of mystery/suspense. Very heavy on the angst and completely engrossing.

I say this is definitely a must read!

The Promise follows Beth, Sally, and Carol as they meet at a Catholic boarding school and become best friends. A dark deed, turns into a darker secret and after 38 years when the old school is to be torn down it threatens to tear down their lives. Not a bad book, but this is a tired story line and you really have to be unique to get it to roll. This one was just ponderous in its approach for me. It just moved too slow.

Clever and and well thought out. The main character’s time frames jump backwards and forwards which I personally couldn’t get into with this book, saying that I really did enjoy it and just when you thought you knew what was happening, the book did another 180! Some sensitive subject matter (loss / abuse) and without giving the game away too much that’s all I’m going to say. A solid 4 star read!

This book had so much ‘promise’ !! I was enjoying it a lot, until the ‘big reveal’ I was somewhat disappointed in the secret because it took so long to build it up, so that when it arrived, I had already kinda figured it out so I was left a bit like... oh. Still an interesting read about close friendships. A few different twists with the husband and PI along the way were far more ‘exciting’ because they were unexpected - Thank you for the copy Netgalley!

I really liked this one. I have previously read a book by Teresa Driscoll and I will be looking forward to her next book. I thought the characters were very interesting, although I much preferred Beth's POVs to Mathew's. There was quite a few twists I enjoyed.

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is a great story that follows three women and their dark secret. This book goes back and forth between their childhood and now as adults. This book had me hooked from the first page, I could not stop reading. I will be reading more books by this author. I enjoy both mysteries and young adult books, and this covers both genres nicely. I strongly recommend this book.

I reviewed an arc from Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing. Thank you.

Sally and Beth are friends from their days as boarding school girls at a Catholic school, now well into their adulthood. A third friend, Carol, has dropped out of contact with them and the two become desperate to find her when they learn that their old school is being closed and torn down. From their extreme desire to locate Carol in connection with the school's upcoming demolition, the reader instantly picks up that something dire happened there many years ago, permanently connecting all three girls together.
This novel is a bit of a slow burn, with little action happening for a majority of the novel. We are introduced to minor characters, many of whom have their own small secrets, while alternating between past, present, and the viewpoints of the three main characters. Enough information is sprinkled throughout the chapters to engage the reader without giving too much away. Many have categorized the book as a psychological thriller, but I felt it read more like domestic drama or even just general fiction. While the secret is more sad than shocking, I did want to finish and see the book through, but I also didn't feel particularly compelled to sit down and race towards the ending. If you've ever been searching for the sort of book that goes well with an afternoon in and a large mug of tea, this is it.
Overall, this book gets a solid three stars from me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC.. This did not influence my review.

Some promises are made to be kept and others are made to be broken, it is up to us to figure it out. For three teenage girls at a Catholic boarding school that was not a tough decision until later in their lives. this is a great book! Thanks Teresa!

This book is about three best friends when they were at boarding school, but something happened there that would change their lives forever. Sally & Beth have remained close friends, but Carole seems to have distanced herself from them and everything from her past. When the school is scheduled to be demolished they know they have to act fast to keep their secret from coming out. Beth and Sally hires a private investigator to help them find Carol, as she is no where to be found.

This was a quick book to read as I got so involved with the characters & wanted answers. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read & review this great book

One star is for books I didn't finish and two stars is for books I did read until the end, but didn't enjoy.


Somehow all the storylines was a bit much and then the way things were wrapped up in the end... for instance all of them living in Sally's cottage, too easy for me. Not my cup of tea.

I received an early reader's copy of this Amazon Publishing UK title from the NetGalley catalogue and I’m glad I requested it.
The story follows 3 friends Beth, Sally and Carol who met at Catholic Boarding School. I found it a bit of slow burner and wasn’t sure how I felt about the characters, particularly Matthew. I couldn’t understand the need for him or more specifically the need for a PI. Even now, having finished the book, I’m still uncertain as to whether a PI was particularly necessary, although it was a good way to introduce a love interest for Sal.
I warmed to Beth about a third of the way through however, I was very suspicious of Sal throughout, why was she so insistent that Beth not break the Promise the 3 friends had vowed to keep on that fateful day and was she prepared to do anything to prevent her talking???
The author did a great job of keeping you guessing throwing in clues as well as red herrings!
Over all this was a great read, covering a number of sensitive subjects and I would definitely recommend it.

The book started slow for me, but definitely picked up as the story progressed. I thought i had figured out the big twist halfway through, but was wrong. Love a book that keeps you guessing until the last page. Overall, enjoyed this book...but had to read 1/3 of it to care if I kept going.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me allow to receive an e-copy of the book. This review is solely my own opinion.

This is my first book by Driscoll. This book I felt moved slow in the beginning and the story was told from multiple points of view. The storyline does pick up midway through the novel and does have the thriller fell with the ending twist. I felt it was overall a good read.

The Promise is a story of three adult women who bonded at boarding school and share a "terrible secret". I put that in quotes because the secret just isn't that terrible and isnt that secret to the reader who can see it coming early on, so the big reveal is anticlimactic. However, the tale has several subsequent plot twists, which do surprise the reader to varying degrees and make the story enjoyable. Unfortunately, those plot twists come too late in the story. I almost stopped reading this book several times because I felt strung along to the point of boredom and eventually didn't care about the characters at all. Toward the end of the story, the book redeems itself by picking up the pace and making it interesting. But because the story plodded on forever, and then had numerous plot twists revealed in rapid succession, the end of the book felt thrown together. I didn't love this book. I didn't hate it. I just thought it was very middle of the road. If I had it to do over again, I would not waste my time. I have read some of the author's other books and thought they were better.

This was an enjoyable read, that I read quickly. But once again, as with so many of these reveal/secrets books, I found that as soon as I was finished, the book already started fading from my mind. This makes the review hard to write, even though I liked the book while reading it.

It sounds like a criticism but I don't think it is really - or at least, it's not meant to be. Not every book is meant to be a life-changing experience or a deep revelation; many books are meant to entertain, and this one assuredly did do that. I think it is simply that this is a genre that I read quickly and for enjoyment, rather than one I obsess over or have to ponder during and/or after I read it. That's a marvelous reason to read and why I enjoy this type of story - the books are escapes and engaging and I get pulled in quickly and then find myself expelled as soon as the drama winds up.

It doesn't lend itself to brilliant reviews afterwards, though...

Don't misunderstand or think I'm lukewarm - there was good character development here, with some twists I didn't anticipate (although most I did), and the pages flipped by in a flurry. It was a solid entry in the genre and Driscoll has a very engaging and easy to read style that pulls you in quite thoroughly - and then allows you to leave gracefully once it's all finished.