Imagine living in a village where everyone knows who you are, and worse... knows things you don't about the most crucial, heartbreaking night of your life. "I'll always be the twin that didn't die." -Skye Turner.

Set in the beautiful western highlands of Eilean Shiel, Scotland, Skye Turner has been away from home for far too long. She spent 15 years trying to escape her past and the feeling that her mother blamed her for failing to protect her sister. Who wouldn't want to escape that feeling? 

5/5 stars, without a doubt! The author so cleverly weaves her descriptive narrative right from the get-go. We’re left with touchable imagery as Lauren Westwood metaphorically captures the feeling of reminiscing as if opening presents on Christmas morning. This idea of slowly unwrapping memories plays out well through the end of Skye's story as she works towards uncovering every bit of information lost. She may have to 'rock the boat' a little but surely the ends justify the means?

When she was 20 her world fell apart around her the night that her twin sister Ginny went missing, along with Skye's memories from that fatal night. They were supposed to travel the world together, audition for gigs with Skye's guitar and Ginny's beautiful voice. Their duet was supposed to take them far, allowing them to escape village life. Instead, Skye left alone.

"I want to be here-home after so long. I want to get to know Mum again and not be strangers. More than anything, I just want things to be 'normal' between us." This quote from chapter six perfectly sums up the strain between Sky and her mum. They became strangers after years apart and unimaginable grief, heightened by harbored secrets, miscommunications, and lost recollections. What I quite enjoyed throughout this narrative was the progression of Skye's relationship with her mum. Despite her mum's silence and problems with reality, Skye persists. 15 years may seem too little, too late but the love between a mother and daughter is forever. 

I was hard-pressed to find anything I didn't like about this book. On multiple occasions I found myself lost in the moment turning page after page, loving every moment of pure intrigue. This story's character development played out quite nicely, the way it should without any force or pretense. Luckily I was unable to guess the twist at the end and found the journey quite mesmerizing. Let's not forget to mention that sweet tidbit at the end, so as not to spoil I'll choose not to expand here ;)  I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone interested in emotional women's fiction; fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth will surely enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and the author Lauren Westwood for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

#MyMothersSilence #LaurenWestwood #NetGalley

The opening scene of this thrilling read, sets the tone of the whole novel.  The reader is kept in suspense, did she die accidentally, or was she murdered.  Who was responsible.  Was it the sister. Was it someone else...
This was the first novel by Ms Westwood I've read, and I can't wait to read some more by this talented author.

Great tragic thriller that sets a great atmosphere and will leave you gagging for more!

I didn’t like Skye as a character but that doesn’t take away from how breathtaking this book is! 15 years ago her younger sister Ginny died leaving lots of secrets that unravel throughout the story. Every chapter has something happening and it’s fast paced and emotional
I loved it!

Fifteen years ago Skye left her home in Eileen Shiel.. escaping after the death of her sister in a tragic accident.
Her brother contacts her to say their mother is asking for her. It’s the sign she’s been waiting for to return. So she he”s back to Scotland from America.  In the time she’s been away things have changed and so has the story behind her twin sister Ginny”s death. 
Lauren Westwood has written a beautiful and emotional book. She takes you on the journey of discovery on how Skye and her mother finally understand what happened to Ginny and how they deal with the grief.  A powerful read that will stay with you after you’ve put the book down.

I loved this book.  It was a mystery with a bit of romance and it just all worked,  excellent writing style, wonderful  characters and a terrific ending.  Overall, a great read.  Highly recommend,

This is a gripping emotional and thought provoking page turner that would definitely stays with the reader long after finishing it.

This is the story of secrets, half truths and lies and how sometimes the best of intentions would result in so much damage.

Skye lost her twin sister Ginny in an accident years ago. An accident that crippled her, her family, and their community and left them all suffering from suppressed and conflicted emotions.

When Skye has to back to her hometown to look after her ill mother, she has to unravel the past and its muted secrets to get to the truth of how she lost her sister in that accident all those years ago.
It is an intense emotional journey written with so much compassion and I highly recommend it.

Thanks Netgalley, Bookouture, and Lauren Westwood for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Read this book in one day...  it definitely will bring your emotions to the top !  I couldn’t wait to find out the plot .  Very easy to read and it kept me interested !  Loved the characters!!

This is a deeply heartfelt book, dealing with emotions in a skilful way. I enjoyed it very much, some great characterisation and I didn’t want it to end.

"If it hurts when it's over, then it must have been good."

A line from the book was exactly how I felt when I came to the last page. The emotions hidden in the pages told me the present with the force of the past, a story about the lost sister, so far untold, left in the unsaid words of half-truths.

The waves hitting the rocks of Eilean Shiel had nothing on them compared to the force of the feelings I was left with. There was an inner pain knowing what I knew now. Lauren Westwood brought this all out when she wrote this book, a tale of 3 women bound by love and connected by secrets.

Ginny died 15 years ago. Skye was the twin left behind in more ways than one. A road accident left her with amnesia, her mother's whispered accusation left her with guilt, and a need to escape her pain all the way to America left her with a lie. Skye came back when her mum wasn't well. And decided to get to the truth of what happened that night.

Lauren Westwood has smashed it out of the park with a roaring whack!! Her writing was muted, but the power behind behind it ravaged my soul. There were moments I was angry, irritated with the to and fro of Skye's emotions, the way she wanted to know the truth, yet didn't really want to. But that's true for all of us. We are the same. Skye was one of us.

Her relationship with her mum had so many layers that it was extremely bittersweet when each came up. I liked how they found the strength in knowing the truth. There was a depth to the story, more than the half-truths that were told by the witnesses. There was something hushed in between the lines, as if they wanted me to listen to its silent words.

Silence speaks, and this book spoke to me.

This book affected me in a lot of ways telling me a story not only of the written words but a hidden one behind the unstated ones. I was left with a pain deep inside me, pain of the unshed tears for the mother and daughter who had lost so much but found each other.

I could write pages, but I have to stop here with a tear rolling down my cheek.

This book really touched me. I felt the main characters were multi-dimensional and really cared about their fate. Very well written and insightful.

This was a well-written tale of how half-truths and lies surrounding a young woman's death impacted a grieving family and a tight-knit community. In the absence of communication, grief metastasized leading to broken lives and severed relationships. In the end I couldn't help but wonder why had so many people kept so much information from Skye about Ginny's death for so long? How could those that loved her not come to realize that by protecting her from the truth about Ginny and the accident that they irreparably harmed her?

It is always a pleasure to read a story that stays with you long after the close of the book. 'My Mother's Silence' is a thought-provoking page turner that will make you ask yourself 'what if' many times over.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Lauren Westwood for an ARC of 'My Mother's Silence' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This wasn't an edge of seat thriller but it was a well developed story, well written by a new author to me and it  held my interest throughout.   The characters were good and it had a satisfactory ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book and to find a new author.

My Mother's Silence by Lauren Westwood is a strong, solid read that held my attention throughout.  At its heart, it is a story about a family coming to grips with a fifteen year old mystery, and a loss that threatens to tear them apart.

Skye Turner has returned to her childhood home in the Scottish Highlands fifteen years after the tragic death of her twin sister, Ginny.  Skye has spent these years believing that her mother has always held her responsible for Ginny's death by questionable circumstances.  But upon returning to her mother's home, Skye will seek the answers that her family has been lacking, and the revelations will be explosive as long-buried secrets finally come to light.

This is a well-paced mystery that will have the reader searching for the truth in the all but cold case of a young woman's death, and hoping that her family will find at least some measure of peace.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.