Fir me this was a bit of a slow burner and it wasn’t until 1 was about 75% through it that I got quite excited and realised that this was not going to be as simple a story as I had imagined.

It’s not a particularly flattering portrait of students, academics or university life in general, and although the denouement was a total surprise it was a rather convoluted and complicated one.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher fir this ARC

A definite page-turner as the pace picks up as the plot unfolds towards the end of the tale. The characters need to differentiate between paranoia and the truth as it quickly becomes apparent that no-one is quite what they seem.

Second-year university student Evie reports her university lecturer Simon for inappropriate behaviour after they have an ill-advised incident when they are both drunk at a party. Encouraged to pursue the complaint by another tutor, Jenny, and supported by her friend, Evie's allegations mean that Simon is suspended from his job pending an investigation. But that is only the beginning of Evie's troubles as strange threatening things begin to happen for her, and an anonymous campus social media commentator begins calling her a liar...

I really enjoyed this story, which follows several characters all of whom have secrets to be unknotted. It's difficult to know who to trust throughout and my allegiances switched more than once as more details were uncovered. Trigger warning though: there is animal harm, which is one of the few things in books that can upset me and I know it's the same for a lot of other readers. The only minor complaint I had is that there was perhaps too much happening, so at the end it got a little bit panto villain. But overall this was a gripping psychological thriller that kept me guessing to the final page.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel, in return for an honest review.

„The Lesson“ is a very dark, fast-paced and unsettling psychological thriller written in three POV‘s - each of them very engaging.

I enjoyed this book, well written with good characters and an easy to follow storyline that was a gripping read.

I can recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is a really good book overall. The t is gripping and engaging. It is full of twists and suspense which make it hard to put down! The plot is great and the characters are multi-dimensional. It’s very current with all the stuff in the news at the moment too- It’s definitely one that I’ll be recommending.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲
✨This book follows Evie, a second year student at college. It starts off by her reporting a sexual relationship with her lecturer, Simon. She believes he has to pay , he shouldn't be allowed to continue correct her work, teach other students and be a trustworthy figure, can he?
✨She confides in Jenny, a member of staff who is known to go above and beyond for her students. The book follows these three characters and to say they have hidden agendas is an understatement.
✨After she reports the relationship, the village vixen, a gossip blogger on campus starts to write about the situation implying there is much more to the story than being told. Evie becomes paranoid, is she being followed? Why are these strange things happening to her? Does someone know who she really is?
✨Thank you to @netgalley, @Quercusbooks and @lisabwriter for giving me this opportunity to read this ARC. I enjoyed this psychological thriller. I found it to be fast paced, clues along the way and still saying 'Oh My God' at the end of it. When they say the ending is 'jaw dropping', they are not wrong.
✨It is a dark read, and in some parts very depressing but I found it highlighted the subject of mental health in a gentle way. Showing how people can feel so alone and not having the right people in your life can really have detrimental effects.
✨This book is due to be published on the 8th of July this year. Go ahead and preorder this one. You won't be disappointed!
My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 stars. (4 out of 5 stars).

I really enjoyed this book from the first chapter, it was easy to get into and trying to figure out what had happened kept me coming back for more. There are a lot of twists and turns and it definitely was not what I expected at the end. All of the characters have unlikable characteristics so it kept me guessing who or if there was the good guy. I wouldn’t give it 5/5 as there were a couple of things that didn’t ring true but a good 4/5 on the whole.

Lesson Learned?

Set at a university campus, Evie files a complaint against her lecturer Simon for abuse of power due to a sexual involvement between the two.

That was just the beginning.

It was evident early on that this wouldn’t be a one note story of revenge as described in the premise and I was happily anticipating the possibilities.

Add in multiple narrators with complex characteristics who may or may not be reliable. Or likable.

The story now had the ingredients of a top notch psychological thriller and I was full throttle to what I thought would be an unexpected winner.

It was not to be.

There was a pervasive ick factor that became stronger over the course of the book. In addition, there were several instances of animal abuse and I had to quit reading at 74% to skip to the finale.

With the engaging writing style and plot, other readers may enjoy this but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley UK, the publisher, and the author for my electronic review copy.

Absolute fab book! Great storyline. Many twists and turns! Did not see that end coming at all! I read this in two nights! Couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend!!!

There are, however, many mistakes through out the book and does require a grammar and spell checker.

This is a fantastic book. I was hooked from the first page. It drew me right in and I couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out. A tight plot, with well drawn characters and a very believable storyline. I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys thrillers.

I very much enjoyed this psychological thriller showing just how dangerous a romantic liaison with a student can be... An excellent read!

The Lesson tells of popular, pretty, smart Evie, a second year English student who makes the mistake of sleeping with her "cool" professor, Simon, only to be blanked by him afterwards.

Jenny works tirelessly to support the students within her tutor group. With so much time taken up with their welfare and needs, on top of teaching, her personal life is virtually non-existent.

The picture seems very clear; naive Evie has been taken in by predatory Simon. After confiding in Jenny, Evie decides to put in a complaint so Simon can't repeat this with other students. Thank goodness Evie has the support of tutor Jenny and housemate Bronte.

As the story gathers pace, so strange things start to happen and cracks appear. Perhaps all is not as it seems. The short chapters and alternating POV makes this a really fast, hard to put down read.

Halfway in and I was doubting everyone, desperately trying to second guess who might be covering up less honest motives. I devoured The Lesson in a couple of nights, ignoring all distractions as I anxiously raced towards the end. This is absolutely crying out to be made into a Netflix mini-series...I was mentally casting the roles as I read!

Well done Lisa Bradley, you've written a wonderfully readable book (again!). I can't wait to see where your storytelling might take me next.

What a book! Very tense and gripping!

At the start, you want to root for Evie and even for Jenny, but halfway through things are not what they seem and you begin to doubt everything

This was great debut and I would definitely read more from this author. I absolutely love campus based thrillers and this was a great one xx

#TheLesson #NetGalley
An excellent read.
Evie has just started her second year at University. She is young, beautiful and popular. She should be having the time of her life, except she has something to hide - a one-night-stand with her English Professor, Simon.
Not wanting any of his other students to be used in the same way, Evie reports their relationship to University HR. But hours later, Village Vixen, the student gossip blogger, is baying for blood. She's found out about the accusation and is firmly on Simon's side.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advanced copy.