Good book. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery element. The effects that trauma can have on different people in different ways, even when they experience the same trauma, was a prominent message.

I couldn’t finish. Too much book with nothing happening. I tried twice but never got past 1/3. Sorry

The writing was a little slow, but I liked the twists and turns the story took. It must have been terrible for the girls to give a promise in a situation they where in. So young and so afraid to talk to an adult, to get help. And getting on with life after an incident like this must've been hard. All in all, I liked the book. It's about a promise, but also about domestic issues and dark minds.

Sadly I DNF'd this book at around 20%. I didn't find that I was hooked enough to want to find out what the big mystery was and what the book was building up to and I wasn't all that invested in the characters. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.

I was really excited to receive a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher, but was ultimately disappointed! I read a ton of thrillers, so maybe I'm just hard to impress at this point. BUT, I really loved Driscoll's novel, "I Am Watching You", so I had extremely high expectations for this. This was a book I would consider decent in the genre. It was a slow burn for almost too long, and then you get to a point where everything feels rushed towards the end. The big reveal also was underwhelming. I'll definitely still read books that Driscoll puts out, in hopes that she'll have another hit. This unfortunately was a miss for me.

I received this book an embarrassingly long time ago (my apologies to the author), so I was really pleased when I pulled it from my book jar for June. Now I have read it, I am left wondering why I left it so long to read. It is filled with all the suspense and twists and turns that you could wish for in a psychological thriller, but it goes deeper than that as the heartbreakingly sad story that triggered the events of the book unfolds. Strangely characters that I didn’t particularly like at the beginning of the book I ended up loving, and vice versa to a certain extent. I hadn’t read anything by Teresa Driscoll before, but I will certainly be reading more now.

I was pretty disappointed by this book. Despite attempts to connect with the characters and develop interest in this book, I found myself quickly reading mostly just so that I could be done with it now because I was interested to see what happened.

The Promise
By: Teresa Driscoll

The Promise is the first book I have read from Mrs.Driscoll, and I am not disappointed. Although it was not as gritty as I like my thrillers I did enjoy the slow burn of the mystery. I don’t really want to go over the plot very much since I am a believer that there are some books that are better if we go in not knowing much, this is one of them. The plot had me hooked, nothing is straightforward, and by around 60% of the book the pace quickens and the ending felt a little rushed. But other than that it was a great thriller read and I am looking forward to reading more from Mrs. Driscoll.

Thank You to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review

Three lonely, homesick newcomers to a dilapidated, nun run, boarding become fast friends. Beth, Sally and Carol share everything. Until Carol experiences what she is convinced is a message from the beyond from her father who died when she was six. Sally’s parents have gone through a terrible divorce which leaves Beth’s family as the most comfortable place to visit. But Carol has a terrible secret which the three of them promise to hold onto forever. And the secret slowly eats away at their relationship until Carol finally leaves for another school unexpectedly, continuing to pull away from them until they finally feel the need to hire a private detective to locate her. Circumstances are emerging however that may require their promise be broken. And someone wants to silence them with increasingly disturbing threats. Truly wonderful read with completely unexpected revelations.

"'I think I put my hand over her mouth...' 'Don't say that. Don't even think that. You wouldn't have done that.'

They sit very still in this room full of blood and sorrow - girls whose pulses burst in their veins and boom inside their ears. Their heads. Some where a clock ticks. A bird calls...

Three girls. One dead."

The past never really stays in the past... especially when the past holds a terrible secret. Three friends made a promise nearly 30 years ago to never tell a soul. But it seems that their secret just might be unearthed by events beyond their control.

After Sally, Beth and Carol made their vow of silence at Catholic boarding school, Carol drifted away from her friends. Teresa Driscoll's psychological thriller delves deep into the past and brings you to the current events responsible for their anxiety of discovery today. Sally and Beth hire a private detective to track down Carol as they try to figure out how to right a wrong from their past. And in digging up the past, they just might change the future for the better.

Like other reviewers I found this book to have a slow start. I prefer to be hooked within the first few chapters and this did not do it for me. I started and stopped this book many times, but I continued because I wanted to finish the book.

I had high expectations of this book, but it fell flat for me. It wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. The 'secret' was really ugh. Not my taste

A promise is your word. A promise is a vow. A promise is binding. A promise is an agreement to do that which is difficult. We promise to attend a ballet recital for 6 year olds. We do promise to eat the entire quart of Rocky Road ice cream.
Teresa Driscoll writes about The Promise that three boarding school teenagers pledge to each other. Beth, Sally and Carol promise to keep a deep dark secret for their entire lives, regardless of the consequences.
Years pass. Beth and Sally remained close but Carol did not. In fact, Carol was out of their lives by her own choice.
The news that their old boarding school was closing stirred Beth and Sally’s fears that their secret would be revealed. The two want and need to talk to Carol. To find Carol, they hire a private investigator, Matthew Hall.
As Matthew searches for Carol, more secrets are uncovered. Author Teresa Driscoll gives us a mystery within a mystery. As the layers of the story peel away, we are confronted with the question: What secrets are worth taking to the grave?
The Promise is slow to start but as the story unfolds, the pace quickens and tension rises. You will find yourself in a mad dash to the conclusion of this thriller. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #ThePromise

This one started off a little slow for me, but after several chapters I was so antsy to know what the so called "promise" was that I hung in there until it finally hooked me. The Promise follows three women, but are bound together by a promise that they made to each other as teenagers in boarding school. When their former school is going to be torn down emotions and memories get stirred up for these three former bffs. It's a unique story of friendship and how a single wrong turn can change the path of the rest of their lives.

It took me months to get through this book and I debated whether I would even bother finishing it. I love psychological thrillers and this one was a total disappointment. The story takes way too long to reveal what the girls did, what happened to their friendship, and the final reveal. I actually have no idea how I got myself to finish this book.

Well written plot with interesting twists made this a good read. I was hooked and wanted to read on.

A school girl's promise reaps consequences many years later. Three friends share the secret. One is determined that the secret will not come out, after all, a promise is a promise. This was a solid mystery that I enjoyed reading. Teresa Driscoll put considerable effort into her characters and their back story. It's could easily make a good movie!

I really couldn't get into this book at all. Basic story concept and like a mix of genres. This didn't live up to the hype albeit an ok-ish read. The main protagonist is very likeable, but not enough grit to be a true thriller novel. The twists aren't believable and the whole plot comes across as though it's trying to go for the shock factor, but fails miserably. Other novels by this author are more enjoyable, just a shame this was not as great as "I am watching you"

When should a promise be broken......is it ever 'ok' to break one? What if it's eating you up inside, damaging your marriage, your safety...even your sanity? A promise made by Carol, Beth and Sally as teenagers to keep a dark secret hidden is at threat of been revealed. Beth and Sally are still close but Carol broke away shortly after the events that still haunt them. Now, with the secret threatened they reach out to Carol but soon find themselves and their families at risk...

I really liked this. The author has created believable characters and crucially also a relatable friendship between the three women. The twists at the end come almost from nowhere but not in a ridiculous way. Unless I've been a bit thick with this book I think the clues are there but you have to be paying close attention to work it out. It was nice to be truly surprised at the end of a book. If you're looking for a summer thriller for your suitcase look no further.

A great thriller. Super entertaining with great twists. Less character development than I was expecting but a great read nonetheless.