An engaging read that I absolutely enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Laura and her pals take a trip to France and they are in the midst of a terrorist attack. With these times this book stuck with me for quite awhile. The characters were well developed. The emotions were raw and just there. Kudos to Diane Jeffery for a well written novel.

I had a hard time liking The Silent Friend because it felt like it was all over the place. I was initially really intrigued by this but the farther I got into it, the less entertained I was and the less interested I was in it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Slow start for me, but quickly gains steam. I wouldn't consider this a mystery / thriller so much as a hard-hitting suspense drama. The description really doesn't give anything away and I went in having NO IDEA what this was actually about - I'm actually not sure I would have read it had I known. I would say this is more about terrorism and mass violence and the effects that kind of trauma can have on victims. I ended up mostly liking it, but was honestly a bit bothered by feeling completely hit out of left field with that unexpected theme. I don't think this is for everyone and there are quite a few trigger warnings here: mass violence, survivor's guilt, terrorism, religious radicalism, grief, loss of a child to violence, etc. 3.5 stars

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

Great book that I could not put down!! I read this book in one day I loved it so much. It pulls you into the story and doesn’t let go till the end.

The Silent friend is gripping, drawing you into this world of tragedy. We've all seen the headlines of terrorism, shootings, people doing the worst humanity can imagine. In this book one family lives that, from a group of friends to a family that suffers devastation on so many levels it's hard to process.

The feelings invoked in this book are real, and they're terrifying and make you want to believe, to have hope only to find out what you already knew in your heart.

Fast paced, surprising and wonderfully written, the visualizations put you right into the story, the good places and the bad, the fear the characters felt at different points was palpable, parents, friends, all waiting for word from their loved ones, it broke my heart and then at the end gave insight I never would have had without reading this.

Laura is an fascinating main character, she had a feeling from the beginning telling her not to go on that trip, what she didn't know was just how much it would change her life and how hard it would be to get back to normal, if normal is something she can even achieve after the events of that night and how many people wouldn't make it home.

There's so much more I'd love to say about this book but I just can't without revealing major spoilers so I'll just say, know your family, know their friends, memorize your families phone numbers, you never know when you'll need that information, I can say I couldn't tell you my mothers phone number without looking at my phone, but after reading this one, well I'm going to be able to from now on.

Diane Jeffrey's The Silent Friend explores the online relationship between the victim of a mass shooter and his mother, one of which is keeping a secret. The book delves deep into the psyche of each character, exposing their innermost emotions as they struggle in the aftermath.

I think the book had a strong premise, and each of the main character's relationships with their family and friends were well written. The online/messaging element was used appropriately and added a lot to the storytelling. I did find the 'big reveal' to come too late, and not have enough consequence for the lying character.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of The Silent Friend from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: I wonder how you knew.

This book was so good. I loved how it made me think and was also so gripping. I enjoyed it cover to cover. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful. It was complex and filled with emotions. There was a depth to the story that left me thinking of this book well after I closed the book. I highly recommend this book!!!! A must read!!!!

My first book by this author but it won't be the last. So well layered. Her story voice is strong and flawless. This book was so much more than what I expected. Happy reading!

When Laura decides to go on holiday with her co-workers to see her favorite band play, she never would have expected the trip to change her life forever. Unable to cope with the devastating events that happened, she turns to an online grief support group and finds solace with one of the members, Sandy. She feels a kinship with Sandy because she lost her son at the same event Laura was at. As time passes Laura feels she can only share personal moments and thoughts with her, as Sandy provides comfort and eases her guilt. What Laura doesn't know is that Sandy hasn't been completely honest with her. And when she discovers who she is, her world will be turned upside down once again.

I thought this was a sad, heartbreaking read with a subject not too many authors write head-on. I did not know where the storyline was going and if it had a trigger warning I might have been better prepared. It went into detail of Laura's terrifying experience, and as a reader you go through it all with her. The book compares the lives of both Laura and Sandy before and after the event, and both carry so much guilt that they end up providing support for each other. As a mother I felt bad for Sandy and all she dealt with, especially with her thoughts as to why she didn't see the signs. Overall a well-written, thought-provoking book which I thought was more drama than thriller. After having previously read The Guilty Mother, I'm a fan of this author's work and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital/Harper 360 for the opportunity to read this book.

This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It was way too unsettling for me. I don’t know that I liked Laura—she’s the kind of friend you’d rather not have…with a friend like her you don’t need any enemies. The writing is excellent, but the story is quite disturbing.

The Silent Friend is difficult to describe, honestly. It is as if Jeffrey took headlines and created a story around them. One thing The Silent Friend does is make the reader thing.

I had to reread the first few chapters before I could continue. The timeline was a bit confusing in the beginning. However, once I understood the timeline of what was happening and the way the author was presenting it, I could not put down the book.

Laura and Sandrine are two women from two different countries. They have no reason to cross paths and nothing in common. Nonetheless, they do cross paths when they are both affected by a tragedy, but in very different ways. Laura and Sandrine become acquainted through a website created specifically for victims of that fateful night.

The plot twist surprised me so much that I had to literally put down the book and take a walk to wrap my mind around what I had just read.

Diane Jeffrey does a splendid job of presenting this tragedy from two very different frames of reference. The question arises as to whether withholding information is a lie. A lie of omission may still be considered a betrayal. When that betrayal is revealed, can it be forgiven.

The Silent Friend is not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. Anyone, man or woman, could find themselves in Laura’s or Sandrine’s shoes. Diane Jeffrey leaves the reader wondering how she or he might act under the same circumstances.

This book was different than I thought it would be. Tragedy strikes at a concert in France and the outcome greatly affects our 2 main characters. They have to learn to heal and love themselves while in turn helping each other. I had a hard time with Sandrine as I spent a great amount of time wanting to shake some sense into her but I found myself really rooting for Laura. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

3 Stars

This heartbreaking story centers around a terrorist attack during a concert. I found the story a bit hard to digest at times as the two main characters are working through their heart ache and trauma.

Overall, it was a really different twist on psychological suspense, personally, I was too much in my feels, trying to heal along with the characters. I started feeling better about half way through and enjoyed the characters' journey and the resilience of their spirit.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Harper 360, and Diane Jeffrey for providing me with an ARC.

I loved the concept of this book! When I read the synopsis I was really excited to read this. As I started it though I had a really hard time connecting and caring for the characters. Sadly, I did not finish this book.

Tragedy brought them together. The truth will tear them apart.

It’s supposed to be Laura’s dream holiday: a trip to France with a group of friends to see their favourite band play live. But the holiday quickly turns to disaster, and Laura is left haunted by terrifying images from the worst night of her life. When Laura finds an online support group for victims like her, she’s not convinced it will help. But then Sandrine replies to her message, and she seems to understand what Laura’s going through, in a way that no one else can. Soon, Laura and Sandrine are sharing their deepest thoughts and feelings with each other. But one of them has a terrible secret – she isn’t who she says she is. And once the twisted truth is revealed, there’s no going back…

What is it with 2022? This is the second book I have read this year and this was not really the book I was expecting at all. I liked Laura's part of the story more than Sandrine's, however, both were pretty compelling to read. The tragedy that Laura had to endure was something I could never imagine happening but I guess that is why Jeffrey did such a good job of telling the story. No one really knows when something like that will happen or when your life will completely change.

This is overall a great story and very well written, good character development. I think this book has a lot of potential if it was marketed differently. It’s not a thriller as it’s categorized. I feel that it should be in a different category entirely and that the book cover doesn’t really represent the story as it should.

The two main charters in this book are trying to cope with the after effects of a traumatic event. However, the way they experienced and view the event are vastly different. The difference between their experiences is both shocking and emotional. This was the first book I’ve read in while that kept me at the edge of my seat while simultaneously tugging at my heart strings. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.