After Louise Manson begins attending a prominent school in Dublin, Highfield Manor, she quickly discovers a dark secret. Her efforts to bring it to light are thwarted by those in power. When Louise is connected to the scene of a violent crime, her life is sent into a spiral. Now 30 years later, Louise is forced to again face her past. In doing so, she seeks to find out what really happened on that fateful night.

The narrator was excellent and I am always drawn to an Irish accent. The story began slowly and then picked up in the last third of the book. While enjoyable, I would have liked to see a bit more character development as well as a faster-paced beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

When We Were Silent - Fiona McPhillips
🎧Audiobook review🎧

Louise Manson is a new student, a working-class outsider at Highfield, Dublin’s most exclusive private school.

When We Were Silent is a deep and powerful story of grooming, exploitation, their lasting impacts and Louise’s fight for retribution many years later.

The plot is involved and multilayered, trust the author, it all comes together extremely well.

The writing is powerful, often poetic, it’s fairly bleak and often uncomfortable. There is a truth and honesty, we know cases like this happen in real life, and often get covered up. The audiobook narration by India Mullen is perfect, capturing the spirit of Louise’s character and presenting a variety of other characters clearly and distinctly.

Very highly recommended, my congratulations to Fiona McPhillips and India Mullen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio

I listened to the audiobook for this one and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. I liked this book a lot, but I didn’t find it to be much of a mystery or thriller, I found it to be an emotional train wreck with some coming of age and a whole lot of trauma. I came close to or shed tears multiple times and I have to say it was hard to listen to at times because the realistic way it was told was so easy to believe and it was infuriating the systemic abuse. There should be huge trigger warnings for this one for sexual abuse (of minors by adults), alcoholism, and suicide. Lou lives on the wrong side of town, but after her best friend commits suicide she decides to go to the prep school her friend had attended. Some of the girls befriend her but when she tries to bring some of the dark secrets of the school to light they all turn on her. This book is told in two timelines which goes to show that the trauma you survive never totally leaves you as it’s still haunting Lou more than two decades later. This was a powerful book, a wonderful book, but go into expecting a punch to the emotions more than a thriller.

I loved this story. I was hooked from beginning to end. The writing is engaging, and I enjoyed the span of time covered in the novel.
The narration was a challenge for me. The accent was so thick at times I could not understand the words. I found myself replaying sections or making guesses.
I am going to read the book when it is released.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced audio of this book.

Wow! Wow! As a listen, it was very difficult. At first it was difficult to keep the events and characters straight. Then, the content was very difficult and very hard to listen to. It is an important listen/read. Be aware of the trigger warners. I was well aware of them but they still affected it. This book would be recommended for high school seniors and above.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This story could have really benefitted from a Trigger Warning page because I was not prepared for it's. contents. (though in retrospect maybe I should have given the title). The book was honestly a bit slow for me (despite all the things that were happening to the girls). I felt myself zoning in and out of this audiobook (even though I really liked the narrator's voice). The narrator was the only reason I stuck with it to finish the novel. Their voice was very soothing and that helped with all the serious topics that were being discussed. In the end though the plot twist didn't really feel like a plot twist. It was almost boring how Shauna revealed that she had actually killed McQueen and not Louise. It kind of pissed me off actually, especially when everyone kept saying that "Shauna had more to loose that Louise" LIKE WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN. Both girls lost EVERYTHING but Louise was the only one who had to endure prison and be slandered by the media as a murderer. I wholeheartedly agreed with Joe (who ended up being my favorite character) when he said that Lou didn't owe Shauna anything for what she did with her original testimony. I don't think I could ever forgive anyone for that so I just didn't find it believable that Lou did despite how much she loved her when they were younger.

I enjoyed the book overall! It was well written, so much so that sometimes I physically recoiled when certain things were being described. It's not an easy thing to read about, but it gives good insight into many tough subjects. The portrayal of how one person can ravage the lives of so many, and that having money or power on your own side does not save you from the same fate was good. I didn't think there was much particularly unique about the overall story. There was good representation.

This was an audiobook ALC, and the narrator India Mullen was excellent!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advance Listening Copy.

I listened to the audio version of When We Were Silent and enjoyed the narrator's Irish lilt. The story told in two timelines was interesting enough but was slow in places. It could have been shortened and been just as good. Some tough subject matters are covered, disturbing in some instances and possibly triggering for some. Just an okay book for me so I probably wouldn't recommend it. My thanks to the publisher for providing an audio version for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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.