Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

This was my first book by Teresa Driscoll. I enjoyed the story, but for some reason I couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to know what happened to them, but I wasn't feeling their emotions. The ending was surprising, though. I really liked it.

This book took me a little while to get into, but once I'd gotten a good few chapters in I was hooked. I did not see some of the story line coming! Shocking!
3 friends from boarding school share a secret and promise not to tell. Circumstances lead to their secret being close to being discovered. Will they own up? They face trouble when it's clear someone knows their secret and wants it left alone. As the story develops 2 of the friends don't know the full story behind the secret they keep. What comes out is a surprise, I was totally shocked.

Another brilliant book from this author. Had me hooked from the start but felt a little let down by the ending. A worthy 4 stars.

Another brilliant book from this author. Hooked from the start this book is unputdownable. Felt the ending was a slight let down but a worthy 4 stars.

This is a good read. This is the story of three girls and a secret they kept between themselves about an event which had changed their lives. It is well written and the characters are believable and engaging. I think its main let down is that the description I read before reading the book promises more than the book delivered.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I started and stopped this book several times before finally finishing it. The storyline was a sound concept and intrigued me from the first. My problem was the time line kept jumping back and forth between the three girls/women and I had trouble keeping what was happening straight. It took a while to get to the "secret" they were sharing but once it was revealed the book did get better and had a satisfying ending.

This is the third psychological thriller I’ve read by Teresa Driscoll and I continue to be in awe of how she weaves a story.

In THE PROMISE, three girls make a vow to keep a secret about something they have done. Years later, Beth and Sally have mostly moved on with their lives, while Carol has distanced herself from her old friends. When shocking news threatens to bring their secret to light, Beth hires a private investigator to find Carol before their act is revealed. Beth regrets having made the promise, but as she considers what she should do, someone is watching and determined to keep the secret hidden, no matter what it takes.

The author is a master at characterization. No cardboard cutout characters here. She lures you into the lives of her characters by combining just the right amount of daily routine with complicated life issues. It all feels so real and convincing. This could be your life, after all. And that’s why you’re shocked when you get to the end.

Driscoll should be nominated the Mistress of the Successful Red Herring. Actually, make that red herrings. She slips them in so effortlessly, I found myself second-guessing and changing my mind several times about where I thought the story was going. In the end, she got me again. Well done.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a psychological thriller with characters that are fleshed out and a plot that simmers before it comes to a rapid boil.

Netgallery # The promise.
Another Teressa Driscoll novel that just goes not let you down I have said before I hate spoilers to mr they can ruin a book but once again a really good novel with the twist and turns popping up when you least expect them, I do recommend this book as a must read

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

This book has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.
Without giving anything away, the plot is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending.

My thanks go to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the chance to read this fantastic novel.

This was a hard one to get into, found I struggled for a little while. But once I got half way I started to enjoy it! Twist to the end I didn’t see coming but all ends tied up and I wasn’t left with any unanswered questions

Such a great book. The friendship and tragedy that both brought the characters together and then separated them was devastating. And oh the end, I did not see that coming. Very exciting and loved all the twists.

I loved this book! It took a little bit to get into it learning each of the characters and how they fit into the storyline. Something really bad happened many years ago to 3 young girls and they made a promise
that had not been broken..... until now. There are other characters that get entwined into the story.
This is my first book by this writer. I'm interested in reading more of her books.

This book has plenty of twists,deception and lies if you love your thrillers. Unfortunately for me it took a while to really start up. Having said that I still loved the book, and her writing style. I was emotionally involved with the characters. I loved the storyline which is what grabbed me in the first place.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Teresa Driscoll for the chance to read and review this book.

“Three girls. One dead.”

Three young girls make a terrible promise to never speak of that awful night and what they did. But what did they do? What awful thing could these girls have done that lead to someone dying in a blood-filled room? Secrets aren’t given up easily or quickly in this intriguing story that is told in two timelines by multiple narrators.

“Who will clear up our mess? That thing we did all those years ago.”

The Convent of St Colman is closing and Beth and Sally receive a letter inviting them to the party to say their goodbyes to their old boarding school. Both women are horrified by the news as it threatens to expose their long held secret. The trio were friends ever since that first day at their new boarding school when three nervous, new outsiders were drawn together in their dormitory by a common situation. Despite Carol’s estrangement Beth and Sally remain loyal to their friendship. Sally is insistent that nothing has changed and they should keep their promise. But Beth disagrees, she wants to find Carol and see what she wants to do. But Carol doesn’t want to be found.

“There’s something not right here…”

Beth hires Private Investigator Matthew Hill to find Carol. She can’t give him the whole story and he’s suspicious of her claim that she is merely trying to find an old friend because their school is being demolished. However he soon tracks down Carol’s Mum, Deborah, who is shocked when approached by Beth and Sally. She seems nervous to talk and is being evasive. Around this time an anonymous Facebook account sends a warning to leave things alone and other threats are made towards Beth’s family. It is clear someone who knows what happened that day doesn’t want the secret told. Could Carol be behind it? While almost certain their friend would do no such thing, despite their estrangement, Beth and Sally can’t think who else could know about the events that night. But they must find out who is sending the messages before their is any more risk of harm.

“Drifting to and fro in time is something I can’t stop these days. Flashes of scenes from the past pushing their way into my day.”

While Matthew hunts for whoever is making threats, Beth spirals into a deep depression. She can’t keep the distressing images from her mind and is haunted by flashbacks and a deep sense of guilt. As the party at The Convent draws closer with no leads on who is behind the malicious attacks on her family or where Carol is now, she and Sally argue. Losing the one person she could truly confide in makes it worse but when Adam is hurt, Sally is the first person she calls and the one to rush to be by her side. Meanwhile it seems Carol is also struggling with severe anxiety and is unable to come to terms with what happened, seeking solace in consulting psychics. However instead of leaning on her friends and family like Beth, Carol runs from them.

“The candles. The girl with the blue lips…”

When their secret was finally revealed I was shocked. I thought I’d figured it out but I was blindsided by the author. The Promise is a captivating psychological thriller. The latter part of the book in particular is full of twists, turns, bombshells and discoveries. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t stop reading until the end. I liked that the story addressed how what the girls went through would affect their mental health, even so many years later. I thought these parts of the story were well written and realistic. I think the three main characters were well written, especially how they each dealt with things so differently as their secret seeps insidiously into every facet of their lives. Another great read from Ms Driscoll.

I love these types of books!! Such a great read from the start. Another amazing thriller with fantastic characters. The writing was top notch and an easy read which is always a positive trait! Go ahead and read this one!

I liked the story, but I didn't connect with any of the characters. It was intriguing though, and one that you can't help but keep reading. Atmospheric and interesting.

The Promise is the story of Beth, Carol and Sally, firm friends in boarding school as teenagers. An incident between them as teenagers in the boarding school haunts them into their adult lives and has them looking over their shoulders all the time. Carol, in particular has cut her ties with Beth and Sally and moved to France with her husband, Ned. When the girls get word that the boarding school is to be demolished, they fear the past is going to catch up with them and they hire a P.I. to track Carol down so they can make a decision about what they should do going forward. Carol unfortunately for Beth and Sally just isn't interested.

I really tried to like this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me. It started off strong enough with the story of the girls in boarding school. As details slowly emerge we find out what happened when they were 14 and what they are so afraid of. However, it was a far fetched and very thin storyline that was dragged out for too long. It seemed to me, at least, that random things were thrown in like the running over of Beth's husband and this was very unbelievable. The very convenient wrap up at the end over the course of a few pages left me very unsatisfied and there were elements of the wrap up that I felt should have formed a stronger part of the storyline. All in all, I felt frustrated by the ending(s) and the neat and tidy way in which everything was tied together, elements of which weren't found or hinted to during the book.

I loved I am Watching You so was delighted to receive an advance copy of The Promise. The story is mainly told from Beth's perspective and goes back in time to when Beth and two of her friends were in boarding school. Something happened which was a secret and they made an agreement never to disclose it until they got a note about it.. They now need to track down Carol, the third friend.

This is certainly a page turner. Teresa Driscoll's writing style is excellent with twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end.

Thank you to Teresa Driscoll, Thomas & Mercer Publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Four stars!

2.5 stars


I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book,it was a proper page turner and almost a read in one sitting.
There was good pace on the reveal of what had happened,what had been promised,whose blood,why Carol was so elusive now...

Then most of the reveal happened,and suddenly it felt like everything was being thrown at the story.... it felt slightly ott to me.