Bea has been passed over for a promotion at work, again. She is a hard-working lawyer, yet her boss keeps her dangling year after year. Is it because she is a woman or is it due to her Filipino heritage? Whatever the reason, she is fed up, but stuck. Leaving the firm, would mean she would have to start over again.
She rarely goes out with her colleagues, and this time when she says yes, well, going right home would have been wiser. She meets another lawyer, Kelli at the party she attends, and the relationship goes in a bad direction very quickly. I am not going to say much more about Kelli, but she was someone who complicated Bea’s life from the get-go.
There are many twists, and for the most part, I was interested in where the author would go next. This book publishes in August and I would not have minded reading this on the beach.

Thank you, Lake Union Publishing for providing the copy of Always The Quiet Ones by Jamie Lee Sogn. For some reason, a number of my recent books were based on the classic movie Strangers On A Train. You remember, I’ll kill yours if you kill mine. The snag here is that Bea’s heart isn’t really into it. This was a good take on the murder pact plot, but the story was marred by the endless litany of reasons Bea had to hate her boss. I began to beg Bea to grow a backbone instead of putting up with her manager’s actions, which made it hard for me to root for her. I think that kind of toxic work relationship happens often, but it would have been nice if just once Bea had stood up for herself and fought back a little. It’s tough to really get invested in a book when I don’t believe in the main character, so while the rest of the book was good, and the big reveal was a shocker, this book was just okay for me.

This book gripped me with its raw and intense exploration of anger, ambition, and the ways women are often silenced in professional spaces. The themes of betrayal, gaslighting, and female friendship made me think long after I finished. The suspense kept me on edge, but it’s the emotional depth and the messy humanity of the characters that made me care so deeply. I couldn’t put it down.

This was good but don’t know if I would read it again. It deserves 3/5 stars, thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read!

While this story had some promise, the characters felt like caricatures, not well developed. Bea was a straight child and the conflict in this just isn’t appealing, especially with someone making boneheaded decisions at every turn. A miss for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in one sitting, and that alone already makes it an easy recommendation from me. Funny enough, I had no idea the author is half Filipino, just like the main character, Bea Ku. I don’t usually read blurbs or dive too much into author bios before reading, so that was a pleasant surprise. I always enjoy seeing Filipino culture and quirks pop up in any book, regardless of the genre. It adds a layer of familiarity that feels both comforting and exciting, especially when done right and I think Sogn really nailed that here.

The story revolves around Bea, a Filipina American who’s trying to climb the corporate ladder while battling a past she can’t quite outrun. She’s stuck in this cycle of trying to please her boss, hoping for a promotion that keeps slipping through her fingers. Right from the first chapter, there’s this creeping sense of mystery that hooks you.
Bea is such an intriguing character. From the very first chapter, there’s already a sense that she might be an unreliable narrator, and that just made me want to read faster to piece everything together. Sogn did a great job fleshing Bea out. She never felt overexplained or flat, just complex, real, and relatable. Her development over the course of the book felt natural, like getting to know someone layer by layer.

The writing style really won me over. It’s simple, clean, and very effective. The pacing is excellent. You just keep flipping pages, needing to know what happens next. It’s that kind of writing that doesn’t try too hard but delivers exactly what the story needs. Plot-wise, I was caught off guard by a few twists (in a good way), though I will admit some reveals landed a bit softer than expected. Still, the overall tension and mystery kept me fully engaged.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to any mystery lover. It’s a quick, satisfying read with just enough suspense to keep you guessing. Whether you’re in it for the mystery or just a good weekend read, Always The Quiet Ones is worth picking up.

This was a novel I have mixed views about. There were parts of it that were really strong then other sections that I felt let it down.

Bea has grown up with her Filipino family in the USA and despite her hard work becoming a lawyer she still struggles with demons from her past that won’t stop hanging her. I liked this exploration of Bea. Due to the pressure on her at a young age to achieve so much (a theme common in Asian culture) she takes a dark turn into drugs, partying and the desperation to escape reality.

This blows up one awful night that changes her life and the lives of others forever. When the book went back to details of this event I was really invested but felt her current day interactions with the characters so key to that time in her life were very weakly done. There was no depth and it felt very brushed over. That could have been fleshed out so much more.

Bea battles to be recognised in the law firm she works for and is constantly pushed out of important meetings, not given credit where it’s due and passed over by her male boss in favour of other male staff members. Her resentment and dislike of her boss snowballs. It’s an age old retelling of the barriers women can face in the corporate world often dominated by men.

One fateful night Bea meets Kelli at an industry night out. Kelli is a lawyer in a rival firm and also despises her male boss. One drunken night, one pact made and the novel takes a new turn. When realty hits Bea realises she’s in so deep how the hell does she get out.

This is where the book lost some points for me. The plot at this point becomes a bit too unbelievable and unrealistic and brushes over very key things that we never get answers for (like what exactly was the reason she blanked out to forget events of the fateful evening?) Some things that are important are never explained.

Whilst the rest of it is entertaining it’s very much purely that. It lacked the realism and depth that could have boosted this novel to the next level. So many events had me knowing it would never happen in real life. Like you’d never be let into a Detective’s empty office by a police officer to leave a note on her desk and be able to miraculously see a confidential file with autopsy photos in it and results. Nope. That’s not going to happen.

I won’t go into more detail on the further flaws but it’s a really shame that ongoing events were not written with more realism to have the reader truly invested. Despite this I did enjoy the book enough to want to keep going and get to an end conclusion. The Author did a good job of throwing in some twists and turns that did surprise me towards the end.

Overall it was an entertaining read if you are able to look past certain elements that are lacking and enjoy the ride. There are definitely characters I was interested in (Olivia being one) and others I wanted more interaction with (Caleb). This is a 3 star book for me. A quick read that kept me turning the pages but I’m disappointed somewhat, left feeling a bit ripped off as so many scenes could have been improved on. I’d definitely try future books from this Author.

Very very very by the numbers thriller. Migrant family with well meaning but often clueless parents, daughter with lofty expectations placed on her succumbs to pressures in one way or another, ex comes back into her life in messy ways she acts messy because of him, the family friend her foil who seems too perfect and often is, pills mentioned early and their effects on her hover like a knife and you know exactly what will happen when it drops. This set up took a while to take off too, the book took a while to stir my interests.

The protagonist isn’t quiet either per se. Just a very very very naive push over. She levels up eventually though.

*Thank you J.L. Sogn and Lake Union Publishing for the, Always the Quiet Ones ARC. My opinions are my own.

Being an immigrant is hard. Bea Ku had to follow the life map her Filipino mother laid out for her. It felt suffocating for an only child, but her mother was just being cautious, like many immigrants are. This strict parenting helped me understand Bea’s rebellious streak and why she didn’t confront Landon, her team leader, despite his mistreatment. As an Asian myself, I can relate—holding back often feels like second nature in the workplace. But this time, Bea was done with holding back. She finally stood up to Landon… and the next morning, he was found dead.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The mystery behind Landon’s death was surprisingly gripping. But I wish the author had explored Bea’s immigrant family more deeply. Asian communities are usually portrayed as tightly knit and noisy when it comes to neighborhood relationships. Sogn hinted at this, but only briefly. When Bea got caught up in the murder investigation, her family and neighbors seemed to disappear from the narrative. Maybe Sogn wanted to highlight “the quiet ones,” like the title suggests—but honestly, I never saw Bea as particularly quiet. She was more of a lone wolf, but not in the way I expected.

I also hoped for more depth in her relationship with Caleb—her entire world as a teen. Their reunion after he married her best friend could’ve been a moment bursting with emotion, but it felt a bit flat. There was potential to make readers feel the heartbreak; I wish that had been pushed further.

Still, thumbs up for the mystery—I did not see that twist coming!

3.8 stars

Big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book ♥

Beatrice ‘Bea’ Ku is a young, hard working lawyer who is finally promised her long-awaited promotion only to be caught completely off guard as her male colleague was promoted instead. Not the first time this has happened. But it will be the last. Bea finds herself locked into a deal after meeting a mysterious yet encaptivating stranger at a club where they “jokingly” make a promise to kill each other’s bosses.

After a relatively slow first half, the narrative really picks up in the second half making this hard to put down. The chapters are short but engrossing the entire time. I personally found this a little predictable, and had some thoughts about the plot in general, however, if you are after a short, high stakes, thriller, this is an easy read!



[SPOILERS BELOW]


















I feel as though the entire Allegra / Caleb arc wasn’t useful to the plot. Sure it showed that she was struggling internally with her past but it didn’t feel connected to her current struggles? So much of the first half is setting up Bea’s past and something terrible that had happened, I really expected that to be more important within the second arc. It almost felt as though it could be scrapped entirely and we could focus more on Bea finding out the truth of her deal and discovering a way to ‘win’ against Kelli. (Also, what happened to Calebs business? Is it just okay in the end? Idk if I missed that or if it just isn’t mentioned again)

Simon was really just there to deliver the magic pills and then? Happily ever after I guess? This man must be a saint because if I was trauma dumping on the first date then admitted to being involved in a murder I think I would have called the police. To me, it felt as though it SHOULD have been Caleb to help, regardless if they went down the pill bottle route or not. He’s set up to not like police and is resourceful; personally, I feel as though it would be more meaningful if he helped set up the plan with Bea.

Unless I misunderstood, there’s a continuity error in Chapter 16. It starts with Bea saying she’ll go over to Kelli’s for dinner but Bea ends up going for drinks with Simon, and dinner isnt mentioned. Bea, a few days later, goes to that dinner with Kelli but in my head I thought she blew her off to meet up with Simon.

Kellis is very obviously suspicious throughout the entire novel, I wish our expectations were subverted or she was a red herring for something else to come into play.

Considering the plot revolved around Bea wanting a promotion, we never really saw if she got any official promotion. I guess it’s not really the point of the story, but I still feel for her character!

I really hope my long review and criticisms aren’t discouraging. I genuinely enjoyed the premise and I think the prose is beautiful, eloquent, and flowed really naturally. It was an incredibly easy read and I truly think the writing itself is a huge strength of Sogn. Ultimately, this book bodes well for the future of Sogn’s work. Other than some narrative issues, I genuinely feel as though Sogn will create exceptional work in the future! After checking GoodReads just now I’m noticing this is Sogn’s SECOND novel?? Definitely bright skies ahead, and congratulations for another soon to be published book!

"What is it they say? It's always the quiet ones you have to look out for."

Wow! That was a good read. I finished it in just one day. I really enjoyed it. It’s not perfect, but overall, it was great. I got curious because of the title, started reading, and ended up finishing it right away. No regrets at all.

Thank you author Jamie Lee Sogn, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

After five years of working at a law firm in Seattle, Bea was promised by her misogynistic boss that she would receive a promotion but the promotion, once again, gets handed to her male colleague. As any woman would probably be, she is very angry about this and is on the edge of spiraling. Bea is also hiding a secret past and is trying to keep that part of herself under wraps but with the news of getting denied the promotion, she is struggling to do so. Bea decides to let loose during a work happy hour and ends up meeting a woman, Kelli, who she jokingly makes a deal with to kill each others' bosses. Only Kelli wasn't joking...

I couldn't put this book down! It was such a pain turner and I had so much fun reading it. I definitely thought I had it all figured out but I was so wrong and I'm so happy about that. Although I was, at times, getting irritated with Bea while reading this as I felt like she was overly dramatic. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend.

Easy to follow thriller

Follows the story of Beatrice or “Bea”. A women who wants to run away from her past so she puts everything she has in to her career as a lawyer only to be betrayed by everyone around her. She quickly gets wrapped up in a friends need for revenge.

Loved the plot twists and the wholesome ending.

Felt like the writing and theme could have been stronger “It’s always the quiet ones” appears once or twice but for me it didn’t seem strong enough to really hone in that theme.

I overall really enjoyed the book. I loved the climax and the entirety of the book through the fire and Bea waking up. I do just feel like the last chapter was almost like an afterthought. Yes it was 9 months later but it felt like it was missing something.

I really enjoy reading the book. The characters are amazingly constructed. The story line is too good and the twist and turns are very intriguing. Thanx netgallye and the publisher for approving my request.

In this psychological suspense novel, Beatrice "Bea" Ku's career and life take a dramatic turn after she is passed over for a promotion at her Seattle law firm in favor of a male colleague. Fueled by anger and past trauma, Bea makes a joking pact with a kindred spirit to commit murder, but soon finds herself caught in a terrifying reality where fantasy and vengeance collide.

First of all, this was so good.

At first it was a bit of a slow paced thriller, but when it reached the climax that is when it started to be more and more exciting. I was on the edge of my seat when it reached the climax.

I didn't know that I would like and love it at first since it is the first book the author wrote that I read, but it was so good. I can see more success on her books on the future.

I was invested in the story early on because our fmc is messy. On the outside she seems perfect but inside she is struggling with demons from the past, her home life and her desire to be perfect.

When something bad happens, you arent sure what to believe exactly because she is somewhat unreliable.

As the story kept morphing I was drawn in and didnt see most of the twists that we were hit with. The end comes together beautifully.


This is my first book by the author and it definitely wont be my last.

This was an intense read. It pulled me in from page one and never loosened its grip. Full of captivating suspense and a shocking ending.

Watch out for the quiet ones! This book was decent I didn’t hate it just felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen from the get! It was an easy read though.