This book was very well-written and left me feeling many emotions at the end. With much suspense and time travelling with the character perspective shifts, we learn about three young ladies who were in boarding school together. A notice that the school will be demolished and an urgent need to contact Carol, their estranged friend, Beth and Sally seek out to find her and get closure after some traumatic events they shared as teenagers.

Matthew Hill is a private detective with his own history and begins to date Sally while they search for Carol. The story begins with Beth and introduces us to her family and boring little life. But as the story unfolds, we travel back to 30 years earlier and see what life was like for young Beth, Sally and Carol. Many painful memories surface as they consider returning to the school before it is torn down, and their deadly sin begs to be found out. The guilt and the pain of that time affects each of them differently. One retreats from all of them, one seems to be in denial and one seems to be depressed and want to make things right so they can all move on.

I felt the story flowed rather well, I had questions throughout the read that were eventually answered in the last part of the book, and the big reveal of what the promise really is, is revealed within the first half of the book, so it's not an entirely long time to find out what happened. How they respond becomes the focus of the book and also how they navigate some harassment issues when it appears someone knows what they've done and wants to bring it to light.

At the very end of the book, I became emotional, for the reveal of why Carol had pulled away and the truth of so many things that tend to end friendships, it was sad to read and also made complete sense to me. I felt all of it was believable and the characters well established. I appreciate Teresa's writing and would read something else by her anytime.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Okay so where even to begin...this book was so slow. For a while there I really thought that I was going to just out it down and try to start it again at a later date. However, I found the audiobook and it made it a bit better for me. The twists in the end of this were INSANE and really brought the whole book together for me. I am glad I gave this book a chance instead of just giving up on it. I do recommend reading this but do know going into it that it is slow. Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book for review.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

An ok read. Hard going at times most characters had skeletons in the cupboard which got a bit much for me as did the over describing of irrelevant stuff.

I like this authoress and the premise of this book had sounded very interesting - three friends since the school times and the resurfacing secrets. I love the school setting in my mysteries and I believe in the power of promises, even those devastating us (because the “wrong” kind of promise can destroy - but how can we know beforehand?). Yet, this novel does not execute this promising (sic!) plot - it is very prolonged and the big secrets’s reveal comes fairly late in the plot. Then the pace quickens, but the latter chapters’ development lacks depth and originality, even.
Also, I somehow do not believe in the friendship between the heroines here, I do not feel the connection.

I would recommend to read Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game for the similar topic.

A slow burn psychological thriller where a group of friends form a pact to keep a secret in school but as years pass, it becomes harder and harder to keep the pact. I enjoyed it a lot. There were plenty of unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing. A little confusing in the beginning with a lot of back and forth but I got used to it eventually. I also lived how it explores friendships and the unexpected turns they take with circumstances. Would definitely recommend

Another great thriller from Teresa Driscoll. I love the way this book explores the friendship between three women, and then twists everything on its head. i couldn't predict where this was going which is my favourite kind of book.

A slow burn, but well worth continuing with. Well written and with a lot of twists and turns. There's a lot to take in with the various different characters, but very enjoyable.

I enjoyed this however I was a little confused at times when the story jumped back and forth in time. I felt like I really needed to concentrate to keep up with the story line!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Beth, Sally, and Carol have a secret. A secret so deep and held for so long it likely will never be told. Or will it. 30 yrs after finishing school in a boarding school the lives of the three young women have changed. Marriage, infant loss, and divorce have kept two of them in close contact. Carol has moved on until the find out the boarding school is going to be demolished. Carol is finally reunited with the other two via a private investigator. There is a question about what to do since their school will be demolished. Obviously, that has something to do with their secret. I can honestly say that the writer does a great job at not revealing many clues and it is up to the reader to deduce what the secret is by what you are told. It is a great mystery novel. There are a few places that it drags on which makes it hard to continue reading but if you do, you will be surprised. The twist in the story is great.


Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Friendships taken to the brink. Promises made by teenagers are tested when they come back to each one later in life. Heart warming and heart wrenching at same time as when you've experienced friendships the author will take you on an emotional journey.

The promise by Teresa Driscoll is a very slow burn book. I was intrigued by the premise of the story, but reading the actual tale just didn't grab me the way I wanted it to. I appreciated the changing timeline, but found that it interrupted the flow of the story, and feel the book would have been better without it. If looking for a psychological thriller, I would say give it a try, but its definitely not a book that is going to work for everyone.

I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read by this author, she just gets better and better. I do enjoy this type of story, where there are secrets going back years. Twists enough to keep you guessing, and very well written.

A good suspense! Based off of three young girls that is split in POV between back then and present day.

This is a great little psychological thriller that has a slow burn and some interesting characters. I was 100% engaged with The Promise from start to end and the last 30% of the book really turns up! If you're new to the thriller genre, this might be a good one to get on board with. Teresa Driscoll has such a fantastic writing style and I loved the way she introduced the characters and let the mystery unfold. 4 stars.

I enjoyed this book but didn’t totally love it. I found it quite slow to start and being honest felt like giving up at times. Towards the end however things improved and I found myself enjoying it more.

When Carol, Beth, and Sally were only 14 years old, they made a promise that shaped their lives forever. Something so horrible had happened in their young lives at the boarding school, that it needed to be buried forever. They could barely think about it, yet it haunted every moment. Through the years, Sally and Beth have remained close friends. However, Carol has avoided them and moved to Europe. Is it because of the secret? Do they remind her of that unspeakable day?

Thirty years pass, and Beth and Sally believe that their secret must be safe. However, news of the boarding house is sure to threaten their secret! Their fear is greater than ever. Their trepidation mounts as they discover that someone is threatening Beth and her family.

This psychological drama is jam packed with surprises and twists and turns. When the secret about the promise is revealed relatively early in the book, I wondered what there was left to tell. But that was only the beginning! The characters are well crafted, and the plot kept me reading. This is quite a ride!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review..

Teresa Driscoll books are some of my favourite. Wonderful story that's really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read this. Thank you for the chance and sorry my review is late.

Another cracking read from Teresa Driscoll, which digs into the past lives and secrets of friends. As ever, she keeps you on the edge of your seat.