This was my first book from Shalini Boland so I didn’t know what to expect. What I definitively did not expect was that I all I thought I knew about the characters is simply not true.

Chloe is thirty something and recently divorced. This breakup left her with no friends, they all sided with her ex, and a boring job. Then she receives an invitation to a school reunion. That gives her the opportunity to rejoin with two of her former friends and swoon about Nathan Blake, her crush back in the days. She hopes he will show up so that she can catch up on that little spark that was between them. Chloe seems very insecure, her own mother keeps nagging at her for everything she does. And she still things about her ex-husband and his new wife and kid. When the day of the reunion arrives it seems at first that everything will go to plan. But soon everything suddenly is totally different than what I thought.

Chloe is not an easy character but I could feel for her at first. There are also chapters with flashbacks to the time at the school and there is another POV from someone called Dean who got into trouble with a wealthy man he worked for and did not get payed. For quite a while I was irritated by these chapters and could not fit it into Chloe’s storyline. But towards the end everything comes together and left me puzzled. I really did not expect that ending.

Up until half of it I thought this would be a solid 3 Stars review. It was a decent book with an easy to follow story. But after finishing it I must admit that it surprised me and that I underestimated the plot. So I happily give it 4 Stars.

I’m glad Shalini Boland writes as much as she does because I love her books. Her latest, The School Reunion, didn’t let me down. Imagine you’re down on your luck and feeling depressed and then you get an invite to a class reunion. As depressing as that might be, for Chloe it could be a second chance. Most of all, she’s excited to see Nathan, a former flame.

Synopsis:

The invitation to her school reunion couldn’t have come at a better time for Chloe Flynn. Divorced, broke and bored at work, she’s living a life her teenage self would hate. Turning the clock back fifteen years might be just what she needs to wipe the slate clean and start again. And then there’s the chance she’ll bump into Nathan Blake, the one she still regrets letting get away…

Back at her elite private school, Chloe sparkles as she reunites with old friends and long-forgotten love interests. And then, just as she’d hoped, there’s Nathan, more handsome than ever before. Even better, he’s single too, and seems to be just as keen to make up for lost time…

But as the evening progresses, Chloe can’t help feeling that something’s not quite right—that she’s not the only one who’s come here for more than just a party. When the secrets of the past start to emerge and the reunion takes a sinister turn, it’s clear that nothing is what it seems—and nothing will be the same again.

Coming out on January 16.

A great story with twists galore. I couldnt figure out how it would all work out, but now it all falls in to place. As always a great story from Shalini
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

Chloe Flynn is a divorced woman who works at a bank and doesn’t like her job. She receives an email invitation to her high school reunion. After some hesitation she decides to go . Before the reunion she receives threatening emails telling her not to go and the person knows her secret.

Dean Bradley is a single father of a 5 year old boy. He’s struggling financially after being cheated in a business deal. He decides to confront the person who cheated him.

The book wasn’t one that kept me in suspense. The first half was slow. The story is told from the points of view of Chloe, Dean and an unknown high school girl. The story builds up and picks up in the second half . The twists come towards the end which was fast paced and abrupt. I did find the plot unrealistic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC

PUB: January 16, 2024

This author always surprises me in the best way! While this story wasn’t one of my favorites, I have to give the author props on her twists in this one! Chloe Flynn is our main character, newly divorced and unhappy with how her life has turned out. When she receives an invite to her school reunion she isn’t thrilled because of things she wants to leave in the past. But, once she realizes that maybe she can connect with an old crush at the reunion, she decides to go. I thought I knew where this was going but Ms. Boland took us down an entirely different path! I got whiplash not once but twice! Once you’re locked in and reading this one, stay for that ending! Whew!

Well…..the authors pen has written dark this time….

I should have known better than to expect a ‘normal’ reunion tale but the book did give what I thought it would re characters, plot, beautiful Dorset and Somerset location’s and of course a merry go round of twists…

But then it became much more and actually left me shocked

What appears to be happening, isen’t
The characters you think you know, you don’t
You get the gist? It packs a punch and left me wowing and the last line shaken

Its brilliant as all Shalini Boland’s books are but this has an added layer of mischief and intrigue and whilst I thought my school reunion was bad this takes it to another level

Be prepared….

This was a quick and enjoyable read, packed with suspense and twists!

Chloe is invited to her high school reunion. She is a bit anxious about, as she is divorced, has a lame job, and is financially struggling. She eventually decides to go, hoping that she will run into an old crush, Nathan. Chloe is back at her elite private school, re-connecting with old friends and flames. Turns out Nathan shows and the two hit it off. Of course, things can't be as good as they seem...

There were a few times where I thought I had things figured out, but the author completely surprised me. This was well-written and a super easy read. The book starts off a bit slow, but it definitely builds. I really enjoyed the past and present timelines. It deepened the suspense and really had me trying hard to figure out what was going on! I do wish we got a bit more from the ending. It was rushed and ended rather quickly.

This was my first read from Shalini Boland. I was super impressed and loved the writing style. I will definitely be reading more form Boland!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had many twists & a surprising ending. It was hard to put down and as always look forward to readin more books from Shalini Boland

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

As per usual Shalini created another fantastic book. It kept my turning the pages to find out who was sending the emails and all my guesses were wrong. Great page turner book.

OH WOW Secrets can only stay buried for so long.
Divorced Chloe Flynn now living in her nice little flat in Bath gets a email from her old school in Bournemouth, for a Westcliff school reunion, her mum tells her to go for it and enjoy catching up with old friends she needs to get out more and enjoy life and feels she has been cheated but her ex husband, and Chloe is happy just the way she is, after much debating she decides to go.
The characters in this book have their own personalities now they are all older and wiser, Chloe's goes in with her eyes wide open, you just never know what is around the corner. Not going to give too much away on the story, but the twists are absolutely spot on its certainly a must read right to the ending.
Totally blew me away.

Let me tell you a little story about this book...

It was nearly impossible to get my hands on a copy and I was beginning to debate some illegal tactics..

Well, luckily it didn't have to go that far (but I would have!)

I was introduced to this sensational author through Bookstagram and I have been hooked on her every word, since. The Silent Bride, is still amongst my most favored books and a book I always suggest to fellow thriller lovers.

I had high expectations for The School Reunion, and I was confident Boland would deliver.

Well, all of my expectations were exceeded!!!

I loved every minute of this wild ride. There was never a time I was bored or wanted to close the book, instead it was just the opposite. I could not move, I was completely consumed and I white knuckled my kindle after I was thrown from one twist to the next.

This is a riveting suspenseful thriller that will get even the biggest critic going.

After reading Boland's books and loving them, I have to say The School Reunion, is definitely my favorite.

Teaser :

The invitation to her school reunion couldn’t have come at a better time for Chloe Flynn. Divorced, broke and bored at work, she’s living a life her teenage self would hate. Turning the clock back fifteen years might be just what she needs to wipe the slate clean and start again. And then there’s the chance she’ll bump into Nathan Blake, the one she still regrets letting get away…

Back at her elite private school, Chloe sparkles as she reunites with old friends and long-forgotten love interests. And then, just as she’d hoped, there’s Nathan, more handsome than ever before. Even better, he’s single too, and seems to be just as keen to make up for lost time…

But as the evening progresses, Chloe can’t help feeling that something’s not quite right—that she’s not the only one who’s come here for more than just a party. When the secrets of the past start to emerge and the reunion takes a sinister turn, it’s clear that nothing is what it seems—and nothing will be the same again.

The invitation to her school reunion couldn't come at a better time for Chloe Flynn. Divorced, broke and bored at work, she's living a life her teenage self would hate. Turning the clock back fifteen years might just be what she needs to wipe the slate clean and start again. And then there's the chance that she'll bump into Nathan Blake, the one she still regrets letting get away.

After receiving an invitation to her high school reunion, Chloe Flynn reluctantly accepts. After all, there might be a chance to reconnect with Nathan Blake, the one who got away. Chloe is recently divorced and has a job in a bank that she loathes, her life is going nowhere. After accepting the email to attend her school reunion, she starts getting anonymous emails telling her to stay away/ There's also Dean Bradley, a building contractor with a young son to take care of. We also get a narrative that's told in the past.

This is another well-written, twisted and gripping read. I wasn't sure where this story was taking me. I had ideas of the smaller things that happened. But now, I'm near the end, I can see where this is going, how it's going to play out. It;s so simple. Then Shalini delivers a final twist. Never saw that coming.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer and the author #ShaliniBoland for my ARC of #TheSchoolReunion in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good story but, not as good as her others. It seemed to drag quite a lot and my attention wandered quite a lot. Hopefully her next book will be better. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

What happens when we dig up secrets we’d rather forget?

For the 2008 graduating class of West Cliff School, it’s going to mean nursing heartbreak and exacting revenge.

It really was a perfect storm. Timing was everything. The invitation, mixed with 31-year-old Chloe Flynn’s frustration with her mom, her anger and feelings of inadequacy that came with her divorce, a non-existent social life, and her boredom at work, quickly toppled her pent-up emotional vulnerabilities that she thought she’d buried since adolescence. Single and ready to mingle, Chloe welcomed the chance to turn back the clock 15 years.

It’s also great timing for a few others who’ll be attending the reunion. Perhaps their motives aren’t as pure and clear as Chloe’s. Is this the chance to right some wrongs? Hasn’t enough time passed? Is it even worth an attempt to gain popularity and attention from the very people who withheld it? Regardless, it’ll be an evening to remember.

You’ll shake your head as you read about adults who can’t let the past go, who regress to their adolescent behaviour, and who reveal each other’s secrets when it is to their advantage. You’ll roll your eyes at an overbearing mother and raise an eyebrow at a mystery guest who provides the narrative with an intriguing point of view. BUT somewhere in the middle of all that, Boland works her magic and somehow you end up feeling equal parts duped and illuminated… as only Boland can do. Don’t give up too early. Yes, it’s slow while the scene is being set. Yes, it’s frustrating not knowing who the identity of the unknown classmate. BUT when the separate storylines start meshing, and you get a clue who the unknown person might be, the plot thickens and the pace increases.

What you will get: a slow-burn, character-driven, twisty revenge plot told in first person with three different points of view.

It will make you double think revisiting the past, wondering about ‘the one who got away’, and questioning if we can ever go back to the way things were. You’ll close the book realizing that it’s more important to move forwards than backward and more attention needs to be paid to the Harriet’s in your life; after all, “Things aren’t always what they look like on the outside.”

I’m looking forward to returning to Venice for Boland’s next thriller!

I was gifted this copy by Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Shalini is one of my favourite authors, she really knows how to write a thriller! This is another good read, centred around a school reunion. I would definitely recommend this, the plot is twisty and keeps your engaged throughout.

Yet again, this author produces such an interesting and captivating story. I won't give away any spoilers but the ending of this book left me speechless. Amazing book that needs to be on your list to read asap!

Another fun to read book from the author. With a great deal of mystery and suspense the author adds her usual series of twists and turns to the storyline. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good mystery..

Wow! The fantastic Shalini Boland does it again! Knocked this one right out of the park. This story had so many twists and turns. And I found myself talking to the characters. And had crazy goosebumps at the final reveal. Boland’s writing is captivating and kept me flipping pages long into the night. Do not let this gem get away, definitely worth the read.
Thank you NetGalley and Shalini Boland for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book.

My Review:
Wow!!!!! Loved!!!!! Shalini Boland has done it once again and proven why she is the Queen of Psychological Thrillers. She wrote another fantastic book that I couldn’t put down for the life of me. She is one of my favorite authors and this book proved why. I was left shocked and speechless by the end of this one. I literally needed a moment after I was finished to really comprehend what I read and I loved it. I didn’t expect any of the twists and turns that this book had to offer. With all this being said this is exactly why I refuse to go to any of my school reunions. Let the past stay in the past. I also want to say that that this blurb did not do this book justice. It was so much more than I even imagined. It had everything I look for in a great book. This author is the absolute best and I can’t wait for her next book.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Shalini Boland for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I absolutely LOVED this book! It had me hooked straight away, I devoured it in a day.

It had everything I love in a great psychological thriller: an intriguing storyline, charismatic and interesting characters, superb writing and shocking twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all.

I very highly recommend.

5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️