Wow, this is quite an emotional read. Very unique, powerful, and full of secrets and suspense! Diane Jeffrey seems to be one who really knows how to use words to create a powerful story, which is sure to be heart breaking and soul shattering. I highly, highly recommend this unique chilling, thrilling, and shocking read! It’s completely full of twists and turns, thrills, chills, and shocking! Well written and unputdownable! A must read!

The Silent Friend is one of those books that gets under you skin and inside your head a compelling emotive poweful read that provokes alot of thoughts and feelings a tense, vivid, raw, read one that won't be forgotten and will stay with you for a long time to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura, from Ireland and Sandrine, from France, both experience tragedy during a concert in Lyon, France and become friends through an online support group. The problem is that one of them is keeping a big secret about the way they were actually involved in the tragedy.

This was a well written book and I got through it fairly quickly. I was a bit disappointed though because it was not a thriller or suspenseful at all and based on a couple of other books I had read by the author I assumed it would be a bit more in that genre. This was like women's fiction in my opinion. It wasn't bad but the motives of the characters weren't as sinister as I would like.

I enjoyed this book on the whole although at times I did get a little bored with it halfway through. In that case I am only going to give this book four stars as I was disappointed in it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

women whose lives both get affected by a terrorist attack at a concert in France.

I really loved the way the prose is written with going from each woman from chapter to chapter in first person.

Laura is the one who is at the event. What I love about the novel is that we start before the event and follow after. Laura clearly has anxiety and some ptsd from the loss of her dad as a child. Her chapters are often quite emotional as she is really struggling. We get to be part of her journey including therapy sessions. Laura holds alot of guilt esp when she is given a choice that no one ever wants. So when she finds a survivors group she connects with Sandrine, who isn't quite who she says she is.

I preferred Sandrine's storyline if I'm honest. I found it more harrowing myself. Sandrine is a mother and wife. She seems to have dedicated her life to her sons who are both growing and as all teenagers pulling away. Sandrine is effected by what happened Athan day but completely differently. I honestly could of just read her story and Lauras as serperate books but together it made it that more powerful.

I have to say the one part of the book that made me feel uncomfortable or rather annoyed I suppose, is the stereotyping within the writing. I understand why it has been done and how that might be what most readers are expecting but I wish it had gone a different way. Thie novel seems to feed into the fears ordinary people. But I will say even though this annoyed me I still enjoyed the book so much.

I suppose I was expecting a bit more of a twist later on in the book which well it kinda came but not in the way I expected and lead to some strong emotions from me. However is this book as psychological thriller? It definately has some parts of thriller in it but it doesn't seem to continue as a theme. However this didn't take away from my love of this story. The psychological elements were great. This book really focuses on mental illness and as always I really appreciated that. Esp at 25 percent of the population suffer with mental illness but its not written about enough in fiction.

Happy to reward this book with 5 stars I was touing with 4 stats because of the stereotyping elements that didn't sit okay with me but it's not like what was written about doesn't happen.on modern day because it does.i loved that the main twist happens really early on and I have now purchased the guilty mother by Dianne Jeffery's aswell and loving it so far as it's based in my home town. I highly recommend dhis book be prepared for aome graphic scenes but I feel the description is needed to bring us in the moment.


Thank you netgalley, DIanne Jeffrey's and rbe publishers did the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest review

Although this was an interesting read I didn't find it to be very exciting. However the story was well thought out and the characters were well drawn. The subject is very relevant in today's world. The violence and the devastation that it wrought was heartbreaking and difficult to read. I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this but I couldn't seem to put it down until I knew how it was going to end.

Thanks to Met Galley for allowing me to read this riveting ARC for my honest opinion.

This was such an emotional, heart wrenching book. It’s similar in style to The Dilemma by BA Paris. I fell in love with Laura’s character. She’s so sweet and endearing. I loved being a part of her healing and growing process. And I can’t even imagine being in Sandrine’s position. I read so few books about Irish characters and I just loved this one!

Thank you so much to HQ and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in advance for my totally honest review.

This was a gripping contemporary thriller. It will have you glued to the book from the beginning. This one is both powerful and disturbing. Great read!

I'm completely unsure how to review this one!

A fantastically written book but for some strange reason I found it quite uncomfortable to read and I can't put my finger on as to why it made me feel that way.

I was hooked from the very start and sunk into that reading hole we all fall into BUT at some point along the way I found myself growing bored (sorry). I think its because it just wasn't what I was expecting in all honesty. I was expecting the usual tense, thrilling, suspenseful psychological thriller and that's now what this was.

Very powerful, thought provoking and centred around a real hard core subject of PTSD, Diane Jeffrey has so obviously done her research and tackled it amazingly. A truly sensitive subject and for some they may find it upsetting.

I can't rate the author high enough, she is an exceptional writer but this just didn't do it for me unfortunately.

Thanks to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

The Silent Friend was not what I expected at all. This book was extremely emotional. A few times I took a little break to really absorb what I read. Two unlikely friends emailing each other after a tragedy for support could be shattered by the truth. This was beautifully written a back and forth between Sandy and Laura’s points of view. The Silent Friend covered a lot of ground and did so amazingly. I don’t even think I can really put into words how this book made me feel. I’ve never read anything like this. So many topics were handled with such grace from PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks and even survivors guilt. The silent friend is going to stay with me for a long time. Thank you NetGalley and Diane Jeffrey for my free arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book since February 2020 I've managed to read within a few days! This was such a good storyline from the start and I was absolutely shocked when a plot twist revealed itself within the first few chapters!!! I absolutely loved both characters Laura and Sandrine. Under each circumstance they were very likable and as a mother myself could completely sympathize with Sandrine. I absolutely loved the final plot twist regarding ginger hair, it brought me to tears when Laura herself realises this, and love how it ties up the story come the end also! This is the first book since Lockdown I have followed right through to the end without forgetting the storyline, I reached for my kindle any spare minute I had to read "The Silent Friend" and I thoroughly recommend it!

The Silent Friend by Diane Jeffrey

Begin with the end, I did like this book.But I really wanted to love this book; I love the setting but I could not connect with the story. It look 3 chapters to even figure out who the characters were, by chapter 8 I wanted to quit. But there is a nagging interest that kept me reading.

Perhaps the confusion and difficultly connecting with the material was it’s told by 2 different POV’s and with chapters broken down in months (7 months before, 5 months after, 1 month before) then with each POV there were several characters thrusted upon you.

I take it all back somewhere between chapters 8-14 it became addictive. Maybe because the story really sped up and stayed in order or maybe because I finally had the characters and plot straight.

I didn’t love the two main characters Laura and Sandrine but I didn’t hate them either, to me they both existed in limbo. I didn’t emphasize with them even though their situations were intense and intriguing.

It sounds like I’m trashing this book but I did like it but for me it took an awful lot to get me there.

This was a brilliant psychological thriller. It had a lot of tense moments which kept me guessing. A really compelling book that I can definitely see made into a movie. Highly recommend!
*Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for my honest review

Rating: 4.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 1/2
Book: The Silent Friend
AVAILABLE NOW- Released November 4, 2020
Author: Diane Jeffrey
Genre: Mystery & Thriller/General Fiction/Family Drama
⚠️ Trigger Warning: PTSD events (I do not want to give too much away)

Sipping Synopsis: I went into this book with only the simple synopsis from the author. I did not look at other reviews so I only knew that I would be reading a book based off 2 friends where one had a secret that might tear their friendship apart. I am so glad I did that. I was in for a great surprise and you will be too. It is very clear early on what has happened, and I was reading with bated breath on what would happen next. Just as I thought my heart was wrenching to its fullest, Jeffrey decided to throw another unsuspected, gut punch.

Final sipping thoughts: While The Silent Friend is somewhat a mystery and thriller it is much more of a drama. Reading this book will make you feel so sad and empathetic for the characters. The thing I enjoyed the most is how relevant this is to what can and has happened in the real world. This is not a suspend all reality type of book but a face reality and what it might have been like for real people in a situation as this one. I enjoyed Jeffrey’s writing and would love to see what else she has out there.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @HQDigital and @dianefjeffrey for an advanced copy of @TheSilentFriend.

#DianeFJeffrey #TheSilentFriend #HQ #HQDigital #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #thriller #mystery #suspense #bookreviewer #fiction

The cover and blurb sounds intriguing and suspenseful, but I felt this book is entirely different. There’s a lot going on in one book: multiple POV and timelines, a few triggers. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Usually suspense and psychological thrillers aren’t thought provoking and emotional. This story is written in alternating timelines and POV. It’s beautifully done and the entire time will keep you thinking and invested in these characters. Beautifully done and unique in comparison with other stories in this genre. I’ll be looking for a more from Diane Jeffrey.

The Silent Friend by Diane Jeffrey is a gripping contemporary psychological thriller that will have you glued from the start.
The story is split into the time periods of ‘before’ and ‘after’ as well as alternating between two voices. It is cleverly and uniquely constructed, enabling the reader to become emotionally invested in both the main characters before a jaw dropping reveal.
Both main characters have similar traits – they both have strained family relationships and are consumed by guilt, continually questioning what they should or could have done to alter the outcome. I had empathy for both as their struggles were ‘real.’
Within the novel the reader witnesses a character face and overcome their fears. This showed tremendous personal strength and determination.
Part of the novel is in the form of letters and emails. The reader by then is privy to secrets and therefore the correspondence has a great impact on us.
The Silent Friend was a terrific read but also a scary one psychologically – not just the main event but the fall-out for the family. It was easy to put myself in both main characters shoes and imagine how I would feel – guilty and grieving, totally shattered, continually questioning myself.
Diane Jeffrey is a marvellous author and one of my (ever growing list) favourites. I always ‘live’ through her novels rather than just read them. The Silent Friend is both powerful and disturbing and a book I can highly recommend.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

A well researched and executed book on how a terrorist attack affects the lives of people concerned on both sides. The feelings of the characters are handled in a very mature way and the events are in parallel to actual events in different countries which gives an authentic experience. A thought provoking story on what is eventually lost by the perpetrators of such carnage. Though it is neither a suspense thriller nor a psychological thriller, a good read .

This was a fast paced psychological thriller that I really enjoyed. It kept me guessing, I couldn't put it down.

I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, the plot was well thought out and easy to follow. This book kept me guessing.