"She Was the Quiet One: A Novel" by Michele Campbell was an enjoyable read. The novel follows two sisters that are twins, but look nothing alike: Bel and Rose. At the first glance Bel is a rebel and Rose is a good girl, though of course it is not that simple. After their mother’s death the sisters move to another state to live with their wealthy grandmother and to attend a posh, private school. The new environment have an immediate bad impact on them. They both want too much to start anew, to make friends, to belong and to feel special, whatever the price. Soon the sisters are full of bitter resentment and start playing hateful games with each other. There is also a handsome married teacher, a quiet admirer and a bunch of mean girls. It all ends with a murder.

It was easy to feel for the characters. Bel and Rose are wonderful heroines with complexity of emotions. I don’t want to reveal anything about the plot, but it made me guessing until the very end – literally the last page. I recommend this book for all fans of well-plotted thrillers, especially psychological thrillers. I enjoyed this book so much, that I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I received "She Was the Quiet One: A Novel" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

A quick, easy thriller with some solid “good twin/bad twin” antics. The book starts with a flash forward: one of the sisters is dead. But which one? And who is the killer? The mystery is fun and the cast of characters is generally terrible, so you could say most characters would have motive. It definitely kept me turning pages because I so badly wanted to find out “whodunnit” (I read it in a day), but it was a little predictable. It would have benefitted from a big twist, but instead, I saw it all coming pretty early on. Despite being a tad predictable and a bit repetitive, it was a fun journey through the lives of terrible, rich boarding school baddies :)

<I>She Was the Quiet One</I> is a traumatic story of twins becoming orphans and sent to their grandmother who was already too set in her ways to welcome the girls with open arms. Instead, they were sent to a boarding school and, of course, admitted into the dorm with the bad reputation.

This book is filled with poor decisions, criminal acts of hazing, serious miscommunication, manipulation and distrust, acts of power and harassment, and most of all, extremely frustrating situations. It got a bit ridiculous with the addition of a flu virus that brought on severe symptoms for a main character. The fever was used too many times as an excuse for annoying decision making.

She Was the Quiet One is the second book I have read by Michele Campbell. At first I was not sure who was the "Quiet One" as this could have been said about two of the characters in the book. The story is told by the viewpoints of the orphaned twin sisters, the head of the dorm, and his wife. The girls face the hardships of attending private school, boyfriends, cliques, drama, family relationships and murder. The one thing I dislike about the book is the wife of the dorm head ignored what was going on in front of her for most of the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book and this is my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to leave an honest review of this book. I was expecting more in the way of suspense but this was not a bad read overall. I did feel like there was a very weird family dynamic between the twins and with their grandmother. I growled in frustration at least 3 or 4 times while reading this because the wife of the dorm head was so willing to look blindly the other way from what was obviously happening right in front of her. This book is basically focused on bullies of all different types and how their actions ruin others.

Truth be told, I read this earlier this and really enjoyed it, but sadly my crazy single mom life (and summer adventures) delayed my reviews (but fortunately not my reading!). So now that there is a chill in the air, I am slowly but surely catching up on my reviews! This was my first Michele Campbell (although I am currently reading It’s Always the Husband– review coming soon!) and I have to say, I loved it!

And the story goes…

Rose and Bel Enright are twins who couldn’t be more different, but after losing their parents and forced to move from California to New Hampshire by their grandmother, who quickly enrolls them at the Odell School, a prestigious New Hampshire boarding school, at least they have each other. Or do they? While both girls are smart, Rose, the “academic” twin, sees this as an opportunity of a life time, but for Bel, the “cooler” twin, who was closer to their mother, boarding school is way for their grandmother to get them out of her hair. Immediately, Bel is swept up by the rich, wild, and privileged Darcy Madden, the self-proclaimed queen of the campus, who takes her under her wing, while Rose is left to herself, creating a strain between the sisters. Rose, unsure how to navigate these new tensions, turns to Sarah Donovan, the new co-house mistress(somewhat naive) and Odell alum, while Bel is drawn to Sarah’s husband, Heath Donovan, the house master, who is charismatic, handsome, and seemingly devoted to his family and school. However, when Darcy and her friends decide to prank Rose, and drag Bel along with them, the ordeal tears the twins apart, creating a rivalry so strong, one or both might not survive.

Campbell expertly lets on early that someone has died at the Odell School, but leaves the reader with the question of who??? One of the twins (or both), Heath or Sarah Donovan? Or someone else. In true Gothic style, she masterfully sets the tone, depicting the setting as a dark and mysterious, shrouded in fog, isolated, and riddled with secrets, where not everyone will survive the school year and the killer (and the victim!) isn’t who you think.

My thoughts…

Like I said, I really enjoyed this book! It caught me by surprise, as I wasn’t really sure what to expect (new to me author and all), but the twists and turns drew me in and I had to know who died (AND who did it!!). This book was published July 31 and should be on every TBR list, especially thriller junkies like me!

Special thanks to @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy for my honest review! #shewasthequietone

This was a decent thriller I enjoyed it enough that I wasn’t bored I just didn’t think it was quite as twisty as I thought it would be. I was able to guess the outcome before it happened. Michele Campbell is a great writer though and she always writes characters I enjoy reading about. I’m still a fan and enjoyed this enough it just won’t be on my top thriller list.

While I found this an enjoyable read, it didn't blow me away. We have twin sisters who are complete opposites. Put them into a similar environment, in this case college, and the stage is set for the beginnings of a twisted decent into sister rivalry; pitting the "good" twin against the "unstable". Through a series of events and misunderstandings we are led down a path bound for disaster. It's just a matter of what form that will take. Generally I enjoy these types of stories. It keeps me on edge wondering what the "train wreck" will look like. For me the extreme over the top angst was a bit much but could definitely appeal to others.

Please keep in mind that I read a lot of these tropes so my expectations could be a tad high. I'd recommend this for those looking for a well written psychological-thriller. Without a doubt I'll be following this author and eagerly await her next book.

I had heard good reviews about this book but it wasn’t really for me.
It felt more like a book for young adults rather than adults
What a disappointment

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I found it to be a pretty quick read, but it was pretty predictable and towards the end, the dialogue left a lot to be desired. It's hard to explain but it was like the author had run out of things for the characters to say and was struggling to find dialogue to get them to the end of the novel (probably around the last 20% of the novel).
I do think the character development needed more work and depth as they came across as transparent and, as I said before, predictable. I like it when books throw me through plot twists and I did not find that with this book, unfortunately. It played out exactly like I thought it would.

One of the best domestic thrillers I have read, and I read many! Tight writing, well-drawn characters, and a killer plot.

I read this in 2 sittings. Totally compelling and scary! What is going on? You won’t be able to put this down!
I’ve given it 4/5 on goodreads because I didn’t like one of the main characters and I think was meant. But I thought it would’ve been better if the reader had some empathy.

This book was actually really good. It started of reminding of some young adult fiction, but slowly unraveled into a dark tale. I knew by the middle of the book who did it, but it was terrific to read the twists and turns along with the lead up to the motive. The twins were a bit extra sometimes, but I chalked that up to their youth. Good book, great story and fascinating characters. Highly recommend.

Rose and Bel may be twins, but they couldn't be more different. Rose focuses on her studies and advancing in life, while Bel is fun loving and just wants to be part of the crowd. Their life forever changes after the death of their mother. Sending them to live with their wealthy grandmother, who promptly enrolls both girls in the a fancy boarding school.

Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows at the school though. Rose finds it hard to fit in. Bel on the other hand is embraced almost as soon as she passes the gates. The crowd she falls in with however, is one she should have stayed away from.

Rose tries desperately to get her sister to see reason, but it's no use. She just pulls away until they are basically strangers. Everything changes though when one dies and the other is blamed.

An intriguing and thrilling story of what someone will do to keep their secrets hidden.

She Was the Quiet One was the first book I have read by Michele Campbell, and I look forward to reading more from her. It tells the story of twins Rose and Bel Enright, who are sent to the prestigious Odell Academy, a boarding school, by their grandmother after the girls' mother dies. Rose and Bel could not be more different, and quickly fall into different crowds at school. Rose, is the quiet, studious one, always serious about her schoolwork, and excited about the academic prospects that going to Odell will bring. Rose is the more troubled of the two, and she quickly falls in with a group of older girls in their dorm who are known to cause trouble. Bel, and her group, quickly engage in hazing an bullying Rose, and engaging in a bet to see who can seduce their new houseparent first. She Was the Quiet One also explores the relationships of the houseparents of Rose and Bel's dorm- Sarah and Heath Donovan. Sarah is the quiet, math teacher who is constantly worrying about her troubled husband, Heath, an English professor at the school, especially as Heath has his sights set on moving up the ranks at Odell. When one of the sisters is found dead on the school grounds, the book explores the relationships between the twins, the Donovan's, and the motives of the other students who might want to cause harm to one of the girls. It was a suspenseful book, full of twists and turns, and one that will keep you guessing until the end. Thank you to Net Galley and St Martins Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two teenage girls, orphaned fraternal twins, attend an elite boarding school. Circumstances work to emphasize their differences, setting the scene for murder. You'll feel the suspense building as the well defined characters try to live their daily lives. In the end, you can picture the nightly news anchor saying, her friends all say "she was the quiet one" but are they talking about the victim? An original story set in a not so original setting, this book is well worth reading.

There were lots of twists and turns in this book that kept my guessing until the end. The writing and plot got stronger the more that I got into the book. An easy book to get engrossed into that you’ll finish quickly.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this one. Was a little dark. Loved the twists in it. Your heart really goes out to the characters... And you want to slap them too.

I truly enjoyed She Was the Quiet One from the very beginning to the very end. A young family takes over as advisers to teenage girls at a private school. What they do not know is that the house they are in charge of is known for having highly unruly girls. Two sisters are forced to go to the boarding school after their mother dies. A girl ends up dead and one of the sisters is accused. One of the sisters falls in love with the young husband. The husband has major issues from his past, but is hell-bent on moving up quickly through the school. She Was the Quiet One took off like a shot and didn't look back until the very end. It makes me question what people are capable of doing when they truly want something they maybe should not have.

This is a fun, twisted read that is easy to devour quickly. I probably would have read it in two sittings if I'd had the time. Sadly, it ended up stretched out a bit more. The good thing is that the characters stayed in my mind, so I had no problem jumping right back in where I left off and didn't have to go back and re-orientate myself with the story or characters. I love books featuring twins, it usually makes for an interesting story. These twins aren't quite as close as most are, but they still have a bit of that connection that twins are known for... even if they'd rather be without. They are quite different people with different voices, but they're both fun to read about.

Rose and Bel have recently lost their mother, and custody was given to their grandmother. She is well off but not entirely willing to take on full-time care of two young women, so she quickly enrolls them in a boarding school. Rose is excited by the new beginning: finally, she'll have peers that actually care about their schoolwork! Being smart isn't for nerds! Bel isn't nearly as into the new school, and would rather stay home. Her beauty and relaxed attitude is what gets her in with the cool kids, and the gap between the two sisters begins to widen. Pressured by her new friends, Bel plays a part in a hazing ritual that could destroy her relationship with her twin forever.

Sarah and Heath both work at the prestigious school, and Heath has big plans of running the whole place one day. Sarah spends her time caring for their children and the large extended family of the school, unaware that some of the students have plans for her handsome and charismatic husband.

No one's life will be the same by the end of the year... and someone's will quite literally be over. Jealousy, manipulation, and death... this story is full of drama and will keep you guessing until the very end.

St. Martin's Press kindly sent me a copy of this book, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.