I have read every single one of this author's books, which is a rarity for me. So obviously I really enjoy her books. The Mistake is another twisty book told in both past and present. Sixteen years ago Rose fell hard for a man who turned out to be no good, much to her disbelief which what her friends and family said. Things come to a head when her younger brother goes missing and is later found dead.

Years later Rose is coming to terms with the past until she discovers new evidence that may reopen the case. Did her boyfriend really kill her brother Billy all those years ago? If not, who did? And what is her old kindly neighbor hiding upstairs? A quick read that people will enjoy.

The back and forth between present day and past made it a little hard to get into at first. I am glad that I continued reading it though. I would have missed out a good suspense. Rose like any normal teen thinks that they know best and when things happen to her that make her realize bad things can happen she has to learn how to live with it, or will she stop living? This is a book that will make the reader say what, and oh my god that really happened? Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC and write a honest review.

A highly successful, twisted read. Dark yet with a positive conclusion

Rose and Billy are siblings with a big age gap between them. Nevertheless they are very close and Rose likes to spend time with her little brother. One windy day they go kite flying and the kite breaks free. Full of exuberance Billy runs after it, through the long grasses and eventually into the nearby woods searching for his kite. That is the last time Rose sees her eight-year-old brother. Two days later Billy is found by the search party. He is partially hidden in the thick bushes and he is dead.
The police investigations are thorough and determined until at last a man is taken in for questioning. He is a newcomer to the area, living in a small flat nearby. He’s the man Rose has been secretly dating and who has changed her family’s life by offering her father unpaid work at a site he is managing, ingratiating himself with her father. Rose blames herself for Billy’s death. She should have gone with him to search for his cherished kite. She should never have introduced Billy’s murderer to her family. He has ruined their lives. Even justice for Billy does not make the family feel better when Rose’s boyfriend is found guilty of his murder. They will never be the same close family again.
Sixteen years later Rose’s parents are gone and she is living alone in her family home. She is broken, crippled by anxiety and guilt, although she is independent and holds down a job as a librarian. Her neighbour Ronnie, who helped her family through the terrible trauma of their loss, is now a frail old man and Rose helps him out with his shopping and visits him daily. When he is taken ill with a very nasty virus he is rushed into hospital. Rose cleans the entire house thoroughly, ready for his discharge from hospital. Chasing the cat out of the spare room Rose comes across a white box. Full of curiosity she leafs through the contents and is shocked and horrified to find something of Billy’s that was with him the day he was murdered. She is thrown into a fug of indecision. Could sweet, kind, gentle Ronnie be a cunning murderer? Is the wrong man in gaol? What should she do?
‘The Mistake’ is an exciting psychological thriller based around the murder of Billy. The storytelling is fast paced and compelling and the characters are well crafted and developed. My favourite character was Rose. She made a BIG mistake when she was seduced by a man ten years older than her. She was naive, she lacked self confidence and was easily led, but she didn’t deserve what happened to her family in this story. I hated her boyfriend. He was slippery, self serving, manipulative and smarmy; a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The plot thickens as Ronnie comes home from hospital and truths are at last confessed. What a surprise I had, nothing was what it seemed to be and there were more shocks to come in this twisty, turny storyline. Alongside the main thread is a friendship thread; a choice made between a boyfriend and a best friend who cannot stand each other; an ultimatum, the results of which drove the story forward. With issues of abuse, coercion, bribery and deeply buried secrets, this novel is emotional and highly charged. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for my copy of this novel, sent out in return for an honest review. This is a good read within the genre and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Rose's little brother Billy was killed 16 years ago, and she is still dealing with the aftereffects. When her elderly neighbor, so close to her that he is practically family, is taken to the hospital, she decides to clean up his house for him. Then she finds something of Billy's that potentially implicates the neighbor in being involved. I didn't like this for the first half to three-quarters of the book. I know Rose was young and naive, but I couldn't stand Gareth, the man she was involved with 16 years prior, when Billy disappeared, and how he manipulated her so obviously. I wanted to scream at her to wake up and realize what was happening. I didn't enjoy reading that part of the story line at all, which made the book less enjoyable overall. However, the end of the book was much better. I really did not expect the ending, finding out who actually killed Billy. I felt it was setting up another character as the murderer and expected to be disappointed by how obvious that was, but it definitely took me by surprise. Overall, 3 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Mistake by KL Slater.
I read alot of books - some are good and some not so good - KL Slater's THE MISTAKE is one of my favorite books this year. Last year's, LIAR, was really good, however, THE MISTAKE is even better.
A young boy is murdered sixteen years ago, and his sister, Rose, was watching him. Rose is still tramatized 16 years later and blames herself for her brother's murder because she was supposed to be watching him. The plot takes the reader from the present time to the past to explain how Rose's life changed. Sixteen years ago, Rose, a young teenager, meets a stranger who is older = he is charming and good looking. Rose is so lucky to have met him; but soon he starts to abuse her and take over her life. Rose believes he killed her brother. That is until she finds evidence 16 years later that points doubt on the murder.
Slater is one of the best authors on the market today for suspense. Written so well - 5 STARS! RECOMMEND! You won't know who dunnit till the end!!!

16 years earlier:
Only 18 and with her home life becoming more and more depressing and hating her college art course too, Rose dreamed of escaping it all and getting a job somewhere.
So, a chance meeting with an older man who complimented her and made her feel happy and good about herself seemed like the answer to her prayers.

In just a short time though her best friend Cassie would be brutally attacked and her 8year old brother Billie, out flying his kite with her, would be abducted and later found dead. These events would haunt her and leave her feeling guilt ridden and deeply traumatized for years to come.

Present day:
Rose is a librarian and great friends still with elderly neighbour Ronnie Turner who had been a close family friend and support when Billie had gone missing. Loved and respected by all in the local community Ronnie is suddenly hospitalized and when Rose goes to clean his house while he is away she makes an upsetting and deeply shocking discovery that will rock her to the core , turn her world completely upside down and make her question everything she thought she knew about her friend and what had happened in the past.

So told in two time lines, present day and 16 years ago, with its multifaceted mix of characters and suspenseful plot and storyline, this ingeniously constructed thriller will keep you page turning all the way through to the unexpected and gripping finale.

WOW! What an incredible book. A controlling relationship, the murder of a young brother and suspicions of who killed him make this psychological thriller a roller coaster of a ride. My first book by this author but it won't be my last. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Sixteen years ago Rose's little brother Billy went missing. Two days later he was found dead.

Sixteen years later Rose still feels guilt for her brother's death. She also still feels the lingering effects that time in her life had on her. Trusting people she shouldn't have. Her life is now a sad routine. A sad routine that is changed when her long time neighbor Ronnie falls ill. She takes some time to clean his house for him, but happens on something that could possibly change everything. Could possibly mean that everything she thought she knew about sixteen years ago was a lie.

This is my very first KL Slater book, and I enjoyed it very much. It's told from the first person POV of Rose and then alternates to a third person POV during some chapters. To be honest it almost feels as if two stories are being told beside each other. One story that is leading up to the other story, but you just don't know which pieces are actually important. I don't want to say much more because I feel like it will ruin it. It's more fun to go into this partially blind because the things that are uncovered with be more exciting to you.

What I will say is that this story is well written. It's a bit suspenseful, and even an uncomfortable read at some points. This isn't a pretty story. It is a very true to life story. That being said it is an entertaining ride, and will keep you guessing until the very last page. If you think you know, you probably don't.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller with suspense and mystery!

This book was good, once I started, I could not put it down I needed to know what happened who done it...
Rose is a young girl and makes the mistake falling in love with an older man. She cannot see that he is very controlling. Things start to happen to people she loves, her friends, her family.
Her brother ends up going missing only to be found 2 days later dead.

Rose never fully recovers from what happened.
Rose helps her elderly neighbour who ends up ill, and he goes into hospital and Rose cleans his house for him only to make a shocking discovery.

I going stop there but this book has a few twists I really did not see coming. the story is in past and present which I really enjoyed the back story. as well as knowing what happens in the present.

K L Slater has written another amazing book that kept me guessing right until the very end. then shocked me with the end of the book.

It’s been 16 years since Rose’s brother Billy disappeared and she has never forgiven herself for not keeping closer watch on him. Now, all these years later, she leans on friend and neighbor Ronnie, but when Rose venture over to his home after he becomes ill, she makes a discovery that rocks the very foundations of her world. Is it possible she has been so wrong, about everything, all these years? This is a creepy read that will have you looking sideways at your own neighbors

Sixteen years ago, Rose made a mistake. She fell in love with a man who really wasn't the best choice for any woman, especially a young virginal teenager. Things seemed to happen to the people around her ... her friends, her family, her brother.

Her friend was assaulted one night by a masked man ... a man who had declared to Rose that the friend would pay for trying to break them up. She eventually committed suicide without ever having spoken to Rose again.

Her then 8-year-old brother went missing. He was grabbed in the bushes and smothered to death. Rose has always felt guilty about his death ... about bringing this human monster into all their lives.

But Rose has found something .... and what she found will change her entire life and everything she ever believed.

K. L. Slater is such a tremendous author. This isn't my first book by her and it certainly won't be the last. She writes psychological thrillers with a sure hand, deftly defined characters that you won't forget easily, and a story premise second to none.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the advance digital copy of THE MISTAKE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.