Review for When We Were Silent Audiobook Edition

This thriller takes place in Dublin private school where shocking abuse occurs to students. It follows Louise (Lou) who joins the school to, we later learn, avenge her friend's death.

The story timeframe goes back and forth between her year at the school and the current day. In the current day an accusation of sexual abuse is made against the school by a student. Louise needs to decide whether she publicly supports this effort as this abuse was going on during her years at the school as well.

This book was very engaging though the topic and multiple scenes were disturbing and hard to read. It was well written and the twist at the end did surprise me. While there were some uplifting moments, it is still a story about terrible things happening to innocent people. Still, stories like this need to be told and this author does a good job in both timelines. It ends with some hope and justice.

One random thing I noticed in this book is the number of times she mentions a song that the character is listening to. It was hard to track how many times but it was enough that I got a bit tired of it.

Otherwise I will give this book 4 stars as it did hold my interest and had realistic characters and a realistic plot. I also thought the audiobook narrator was very good.

Thank you, Netgalley for the advanced copy!

There are two timelines for this story, an Irish boarding school in the 80s and present day Ireland. Louise enters this exclusive high school with hopes of avenging a high school swimming coach who was responsible for abusing and impregnating her deceased friend Tina. Present day Louise is now a mom of a teen and is forced to revisit her choices from the past. This book started strong but about halfway through I started losing interest.

This was a good read. It deals a lot with SA issues that you see in the real world from the pov of a teenager, now adult. The situations made me feel so uncomfortable, I think this is a nod to the character development and little details like the internal thoughts along with the emotion that followed. As the reader these SA situations are entirely too common and I was frustrated (in a yelling at the book characters not listening way… because that helps) with characters that wouldn’t listen. You have to ask what you would do to keep yourself and others safe when no one will listen.

I had to really focus to stay involved in the story for the first 1/2, the narrator accent is thick Irish so it’s entirely possible it was my issue. The last quarter was exciting and hard to put down.

For some reason I thought this would be a thriller but it’s more coming of age with a hint of mystery. It does center around a specific event but it’s the rest of the story, even with a reveal that the story was about for me.

I’d recommend but there are some SA and grooming situations that felt emotional as someone who hasn’t experienced it, if you heave here is your trigger warning.

This has been posted to Goodreads.

High school student Louise infiltrates an elite private school in order to expose the terrible secrets their hiding. Alternating time periods reveal both Louise’s past and present situations and what she is doing to seek justice. The characters are strong and the story is good. At times I had trouble focusing on the narrator’s voice.

The pacing was pretty slow and the story in the present timeline POV wasn’t as interesting as the past timeline POV. Check the trigger warnings before reading.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for the ALC!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for my free advanced listeners copy.

A thrilling novel about an elite private school that tries to cover up the abuse of a swim coach, not just once but twice in two separate decades and two different coaches. Lou and Shauna are both abused by powerful and trustworthy swim coach that everyone seems to adore, including Lou's mother.

The author switches back and forth between past and present day. Present day, Lou and Shauna both try to take down the school as a student comes forward with abuse allegations of the current coach. Secrets and lies uncovered and justice is sought in this thrilling lgbt read!

Fans of Michelle Campbell will love this book!

Oh, this is a good one. I agree with the comparison to ‘My Dark Vanessa,’ but it did not feel like a copy or the same story. The main character, Lou finds herself back in the past, a place she has been trying to avoid. This book is full of atmospheric dark academia, and eerie nostalgia.

What a powerful and important book. I could not stop listening to this beautifully narrated audiobook, despite the heavy subject matter. It was wonderfully written with incredible prose, the details so vividly drawn I felt like I was there. Lou was a heartbreaking protagonist whose side I was on the entire time. The relationship between Lou and Shauna is at the core of this story and I love the tenderness and realness of it. An amazing book that deserves all the awards!

When We Were Silent is a debut novel by Fiona McPhillips. I was hooked on this book from the very first chapter. Louise Manson is a new student at Highfield Manor, Dublin’s most exclusive private school. Lou feels that she doesn't fit in with the other girls since her and her mother are of a working class. Lou is there not only to get a better education, but to bring to light the head coach who is sexual abusing his students.
Thirty years later Lou is married wtih a teenage daughter when everything from her past comes back. Ronan Powers, Shauna’s brother, is bringing up a lawsuit against Highfield Manor. Ronan needs Lou's help to finally end the decades long abuse. Now Lou must face the past and reopen old wounds without losing her family. If you are a fan of Claire Douglas, Ruth Ware, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Jewell you will enjoy this book. I want to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audio book.

🎧4.5⭐️

I had the audiobook of this debut mystery read by India Mullen who I was engrossed listening to, and helped overcome the slow pace of the book.

Lou and Shauna are 2 of the main characters attending Highfield Manor private school. There are threads surrounding other students too, showing a darker side to this prestigious school. It covers two time lines, 30 years ago and the present.

I have to say the earlier time frame was the one that really captivated my interest. It’s very character driven and handles several heavy topics which makes for difficult reading at times. It concentrates on the long term issues of trauma, its dark,harrowing at times, very moving, bleak even, and so sad. There are lighter moments in the book, but they are few and far between.

A downside for me is the pace, it’s very slow.

I feel this is a strong debut, after reading this book, you are definitely going to need a palate cleanser. It really crashed my mood, I feel like I’ve been through a wringer. It’s not going to be for everyone because of its subject matter and many triggers. It’s a book that impacts on you, it’s not a ‘love it’ book.

There are trigger warnings all over the place for this one! Louise Manson is a college professor living with her wife and daughter in Dublin when she's contacted about an upcoming court case. Louise was a student at the exclusive Highfield, known for producing world-class athletes, especially swimmers. When Lou was a student there, it was an all-female school run by nuns. Lou was attending another school in the run-down part of town where she lived with her mother, who has problems with alcohol and men, when Lou decided to try to get into Highfield. Once there, she comes to the attention of the swimming/athletic coach Maurice McQueen. Unsettled by his attention, Lou begins a tentative relationship with the best swimmer at the school, Shauna. As she attempts to expose the beloved and powerful McQueen for his interest in young girls, Lou soon realizes she's up against almost insurmountable odds. In the present day, the school has become co=ed, but it seems the incidences of grooming and abuse are still present. Now Lou is being asked to testify in the new case against the school to show a pattern of covering up bad behavior. Lou has no interest in dragging up her past and the media attention that ensued once someone was killed during her student days, but she would do anything to talk to Shauna again.

The story moved back and forth between past and present Lou. The narrator did a good job and I enjoyed the Irish accents! I did feel the story was dragged out quite a bit and there were lots of things thrown in that seemed to add nothing to the story (an assault on someone in Lou's life, being told what music Lou was listening to at every point in the story, etc.). I also wondered about the implication that more people died in the story than actually turned out to be the case. I'm sure the cases of child sexual assault and grooming will be upsetting for many people, but the portrayal of how people in authority are able to get away with it is also infuriating. A timely (if long-winded!) story.

A private school. A body. Dark secrets.

Dark academia will do it every time for me! I really loved the different timeline POVs.

This is an intense, thought-provoking, and dark read, addressing privilege and class disparities, especially in private institutions. There is also a lot with #MeToo empowerment, sexual abuse, mental health, addiction, and the dangers that lurk in everyday life from a young woman’s perspective. Once I started I did not want to stop even though some chapters were difficult to digest, but the honest writing, well-developed characters, and intriguing mystery will keep you engaged from start to finish. She did a beautiful job of capturing the 80s in the UK and the minds of teenage girls. I really like the chapters written in the past, they were my favorite. However, there were chapters where Lou had discussions in the present with other characters and the realizations of what we miss as teenagers was handled so well, it really added another layer of healing as an adult. I felt that McPhillips did a nice job of showing the layers of protection that surround a predator through their manipulation. At times, it was astounding, and so frustrating but true and difficult to stomach. I thought this was expressed really well here. A person in a place of power that chooses to abuse, can get away with it for a long time until someone is willing to expose them, and usually at their own peril.
I loved the narration by India Mullen. I loved her Irish accent, and I know I enjoyed the novel even more than I would have if I read it in print.
Overall, I felt it was thought-provoking and brilliant. I give When We Were Silent my highest recommendation, and I’m looking forward to the author’s next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with the audiobook copy.

A solid dark academia novel that examines the impact of the “me too” movement. I appreciate how this was told with sensitivity and respect as the subject matter was tough. What did not work as well was for me was the present tense timeline. I was slightly bored with the content and found the writing slow. There were not many twists, which is fine for me in this genre, and I did like how it all resolved in the end. For the audiobook, India Mullen's narration was top notch. Her voice kept me captivated throughout, and I loved listening to the Irish accent.

Read if you like:
-Dark academia
-Past/present timelines
-Queer MC
-Ireland setting

Book is fine, nothing special. No real mystery here. I would not recommend, much better writing out there.

I was not a fan of the audio version of the and wish I had gotten the book. The story was good is was more a narrator thing.

This novel covered some pretty deep themes regarding the structure of society and the elite classes versus every one else. This was definitely a thought provoking work and one that will stay with me for a while to come. The audio productions is outstanding and well worth listening to.

I love thrillers, and the dual timeline format worked well for this story. But, ultimately I found the subject matter too disturbing. I need to steer clear of books with children or teens as the focus of abuse. While the book was well-written and beautifully narrated, this was not the right book for me.

Revisiting the biggest traumas of your life, even if for good reason. Events that have the power to ruin your reclaimed life, your relationships, and the lives of the people you love. What could possibly go wrong? Recommended.

I really loved this book! It was an incredible story about love, friendship, betrayal, and how all of the above can come from one single person, forever altering the trajectory of a life. The narrator, India Mullen, was also wonderful. I found myself wishing for a physical copy so I could just get through the story more quickly. But then I realized that if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the way India read the book. The main character, Lou, goes through so much as not only a teenager, but as an adult as well. I loved the alternate POVs between her younger and older selves. While she did go through several traumatic experiences, she found her way through in the end. This was so thought provoking, riveting, and just an all around amazing story. I got actual chills while listening to the last line of the book. Incredible! Highly recommend.