I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. 3 texts from your Best friend, basically needing immediate help. You are told in these texts not to call, they can’t speak, please just come. A few moments later the texts are gone. What would you do?
This is the situation Saffy finds herself in. She already doesn’t like Leona’s Husband Ash. Leona has been showing troubling red flags in her marriage, has something really bad happened?

This book started off strong. There are a lot of subplots intertwined within the main story. I was invested to know what happened with Saffy’s sister Poppy years earlier. It kept me reading.
The more I continued to read, I was ready for it to end. It just seemed to go on and on. Although there were a couple “a ha” moments that I enjoyed, I felt the last 1/3 of this book was just all over the place.
It needed to be finer tuned.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

It’s hard to believe that Message Deleted is only my second time reading K.L. Slater because she already feels like a favorite author. This was an incredibly fast paced read that grabbed my attention immediately and never let me go. There is lots of drama that stems from Saffy trying to find Leona, keep track of her sister, and argue with her ex (and his new woman 👀) all at the same time. I love that the synopsis doesn’t give everything away and I think it sends you in mostly blind which is the best way to go into this.

There were a few times I wanted to throw my book across the room, and I found myself yelling at Saffy almost constantly. So many dumb things including not calling a solicitor!! Be that as it may, I couldn’t believe how wild parts of the storyline were and I was very curious to find out exactly what had happened to both Leona and Saffy’s sister (in the past). I thought I had things figured out, but I wasn’t even close, and the end was positively explosive. I liked the way Slater wrapped everything up, and this is a book that can’t be missed if you love domestic thrillers.

Read this if you want something bingeable, frustrating, and entertaining all at the same time!

Thank you K. L. Slater, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me a chance to read this book! I didn't realize at first that it was a British book so I learned quite a few new words which was fun (literally had no idea that "tea" is "dinner"). I really enjoyed the twists and turns and all the relationship connections in this book. There were a couple things I figured out on my own before they were revealed (poppys attacker being one), but overall I still enjoyed the book. I definitely wasn't expecting what happened to Kieran.

First, I want to thank K. L. Slater, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

K.L. Slater is back with another twisted psychological thriller in Message Deleted to add to your TBR list. This was a story that was written creatively out of the box.

For me Message Deleted didn’t draw me in right away which I was disappointed by. Usually, I love a book that grasps my attention right away and hooks me so I can’t stop reading the book. For me it took a few chapters to start getting faster paced. However, when it did boy did it,

Of all the characters in this book Ash was my least favorite one. He just rubbed me the wrong way because of the way he treated Leona.

My heart was with Saffy when she just went through something horrific moments prior to a big job interview. I think I would have reacted the same way that she did.

Message Deleted has a lot of wicked twists, turns, action scenes and some violence thrown in.

Favorite Quotes:

Leona’s face crumpled and she just cracked open, like an egg revealing rotten insides. Everything came spilling out all at once and it was messy and upsetting.

She feels like a feather in a storm, whisked back to the past then hurled into imagined future horrors.

Poppy’s magic trick is to divorce herself from the reality of it. Treat the bits she can remember like a bad movie she once watched.

Linda’s fear had infected Saffy on a cellular level. It was always with her, the gift that just kept giving. It was with her now.

Fear is so completely a part of who she is and what she does now, she suspects she might not know how to function without it.


My Review:

This one had a lot going on with several tense and active plot lines that kept me guessing. I couldn’t help but think of the adage that being paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you. Most of the characters were deeply flawed and varying levels of annoying, yet I was concerned for them and my curiosity was well engaged and busy devising and discarding my own theories. I had it partially correct, but I never could have conjured the total package.

This book pulled me in right from the start! It’s a slow burn, but the dual timeline, switching between past and present, kept me engaged the entire book. The short chapters made it an easy, fast-paced read, and just when I thought I had it figured out, the unexpected twists proved me wrong. A solid psychological thriller that keeps you guessing!

Slater grabbed me from the jump with this one! It was a twisty roller coaster ride to figure out what happened to Leona. Slater if definitely one of my favorites for "edge of your seat" thrill rides. Slater kept the tension and stakes high throughout. I am working my way through her catalog but this is definitely on my favorites.

Your friend sends a few urgent messages. And then deletes them. And now she has vanished…
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Talk about an addicting whirlwind of a thriller! So much mystery and suspense and the unanswered questions just kept piling up. 🧐 It kept me wanting more. There are so many secrets revealed and the way everything is connected had my head spinning! I’m so glad I had the chance to read it!

This awesome thriller was wildly entertaining. I was captivated by this story from the beginning. Its full of action and suspense. I realised while I was reading that I was tense and on edge and holding my breath to find out what would happen next.I couldn't put this book down. I recommend this book for anyone who loves thrillers.

So many unexpected and shocking twists. I was immediately hooked with the explosive start to this story. And it didn't let up for a second. The ending was so satisfying.

This starts off with a bang and keeps going until the very end. With multiple perspectives and alternating timelines, this easily keeps the reader engaged throughout. The characters are perfectly developed with all their flaws, back stories, and complex personalities. The plot was detailed, well thought-out, and unpredictable. This was another addicting read by K.L. Slater. Four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture, for this ARC.

Saffy got what she deserved in the end, I’m glad of that. I liked seeing her growth throughout the book. Didn’t see all the twists coming though! Only thing I didn’t like was the narration in the third person. It always feels a little awkward to me.

This was my first foray into K.L.’s books, and boy did I like it. Comparing her to Lisa Jewel and Frieda McFadden was a big selling point. I didn’t know what to expect with this one. I figured there would be a lot of unlikeable characters, and surprisingly I liked most of them. I felt bad for Saffy. She suffered from such severe anxiety, and I felt like she deserved more support instead of what seemed like manipulation because of her ‘issues’. No one believed her when she expressed her concern about Leona and her husband’s relationship.

I didn’t expect the twists at the end, but that’s what makes a great book for me. If it’s too predictable, it’s not nearly as fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of this book.

4 stars

Thank you to netgally and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read “Message Deleted” in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever told a lie and it completely ate you alive and affected your life in ways you never realized? This is what happened to Saffy.

Saffy & Poppy are siblings, but Saffy is a bit more maternal with poppy due to her mother dying and instilling her trust in Saffy that she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to poppy. But can we ever truly give that promise?

Poppy is brutally attacked after she starts university. She may have siding it weren’t for Saffy saving her. The perpetrator was never caught and it was assumed it was a random attack. But was it?

A family (which just happens to be saffys bff, Leona’s family) is abducted and Saffy was the last to see them. She is the suspect in an investigation which turns out to be a murder investigation because Ash if found dead, but Leona and Rosie are still missing without a trace.

But it turns out Saffy has been keeping quite a few secrets.

We find out the motive of the abductor. I won’t spoil the ending, but it was an interesting one.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good whodunit!

This diabolical read by K L. Slater will definitely keep you turning pages from beginning to end. When Saffy receives a frantic text from her best friend Leona, she rushes to her house. But when she looks at her phone again, the message has disappeared. Apparently it has been deleted. Leona seems fine when Saffy arrives. What’s more is she says that she knows nothing about what Saffy is talking about.

Although Saffy has uncomfortable feelings about what could be going on, there’s nothing left for her to do but to go back to her own home. However, the police soon appear at her door saying that the family has disappeared, and it looks like something violent has taken place. Since Saffy was the last to see the family, she becomes the prime suspect. The question lingers: what’s happening? Where is her best friend, Leona, and her precious little girl?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this latest novel by K. L. Slater. In fact, the story goes back-and-forth as we learn about Saffy and her relationship with her much younger sister Poppy. At some point Poppy had experienced a a tragic event that has affected both Poppy and Saffy. But, what about Leona and her family? With now deleted text messages, Saffy has very little to go on, but she is determined to find answers.

With a few shocking surprises along the way, as well as various perspectives and alternating timelines, this story was a suspenseful domestic thriller.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I love a book that hooks me right from the first chapter. I was excited to find out who actually sent the texts and what was going on. The book is a bit of a slow burn once you get going but still a really good thriller/mystery.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast paced stories that keep you on the edge of your seat and has some good ole twists.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the book #MessageDeleted by #KLSlater. I was already a big fan of K.L. Slater and this book is absolutely what I was wanting to read. Saffys best friend, Leona and her daughter, Rosie, have turned up missing only hours after Saffy rushed over to see her friend was ok after getting messages from her that immediately got deleted. Things go from bad to worse and Safe starts spiraling. Can Saffy find Leona and Rosie? Will the truth come out?

What a twisted and tangled web we weave! Message Deleted is a gripping, tension filled, twist filled, book that kept me on my toes and turning the pages. K.L Slater instantly grabbed my attention with a single text, and I found myself questioning what was happening and wondering what was going to happen next!

Message Deleted begins with a message which says "Can’t speak… don’t text or call… please just come." which is then deleted! What would you do if a friend texts you asking you to come over then the text is gone???? That is what Saffy experiences when she receives the alarming text from her best friend, Leona. When Saffy arrives at Leonas home, Leona denies ever sending her the text. Six hours later, Saffy is being questioned by the police as her friend, Leona, and her child is missing and her home looks like a crime scene!!!! What?????

This book had a nice amount of tension, twists, turns, reveals, and suspense. I never knew where K.L. Slater was going to take me, but I enjoyed the ride! I found this book to be well thought out and enjoyed how the story was built and built adding layer upon layer. There were times when I wondered where things were going but I knew I was in good hands with Slater and she brought the past and present together wonderfully.

Gripping, twisted, thrilling and well thought out!

Complex and twisty mystery - secrets and lies everywhere - is anyone innocent? You may like or really dislike the main character who's snooping, controlling, and anxiety drive everyone bonkers, but in the end has good intent. Strong characters, strong themes, and solid plot.

What would you do? Your best friend sends you a desperate request. “Can’t speak…Don’t text or call…Pls just come”. You would go, wouldn’t you? Well, so does Saffy Morris. When she arrives at Leona’s house. Leona says there is nothing wrong. She and her husband Ash are happy, her daughter Rosie is happy, all is well and..look at the phone, no messages sent. Saffy’s message is deleted. Hours later, the police arrive at Saffy’s home. Leona and her family are missing. Their house is empty, the front door ajar. And Saffy was the last person to see them.

Welcome to the wild ride that is Message Deleted. There are many characters here with intertwined lives and no one is the person you thought he or she would be. The plot twists and swerves, keeping you turning the pages as fast as possible. You will never guess the ending. This psychological thriller should go to the top of you TBR pile! 5 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for this ARC.