3.5 stars

This one was just okay. Some of it was a bit predictable, and other parts felt a little underwhelming. I didn’t dislike it, but it also just didn’t feel super memorable or noteworthy.

A woman (a teacher at a school) and her child go missing one day after school. A substitute teacher fills in for the mom until she returns. But will she return? Is she missing, dead, or what? Who is responsible?
There may be more going on in this woman’s life…or is something sinister going on with those people around her?
I really enjoyed this book. Lots going on…are there red herrings, or could everything be as it seems? Read or listen to this book to find out! I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it like I did!

Note: I listened to this audiobook for free from NetGalley and the publisher. The narrator was really nice to listen to. I listened to it at 1.5x speed.

So many suspects but what is actually going on!
Questions I asked myself throughout this novel.

A great build of characters and suspense as you work your way through Cate, and Archie’s recent disappearance with the easiest finger being pointed to her husband the head teacher of the school, Oliver.

Everyone in the small town has a secret and I found myself making bets through the novel on who did it.

My only criticism is keeping track of everyone and what their eluded to secret was. At times I found I need to try to remember who each character was and who they were to the main characters.

Solid 4.5 stars - rounded up to 5 stars because I really enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture, and the author Lauren North for the opportunity to provide an honest review for this ARC.

The story in the book was like a puzzle with lots of pieces, and there were loads of characters, each with their own secrets that came out bit by bit. Even though it was beautifully narrated by Emma Woods, it was kind of tricky to keep track of everything happening, but the ending tied it all up nicely. It revealed what the main character had been hiding and gave a clear sense of what the whole book was about.

Even though it was a bit of a challenge, the book was totally worth diving into. It was written so well, keeping me hooked all the way through. But honestly, I thought the story could've been shorter. Some of the side characters didn't really add much and just made things more complicated without really moving the plot forward.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren North and Bolinda Audio for providing the audiobook in exchange for a review, but all thoughts are my own*

A teacher and her son go missing in a small town and the aftermath is told from multiple points of view, including her husband and the substitute teacher who has replaced her. Everybody has secrets and their are plenty of red herrings to through the reader off the trail. The plot was rather farfetched and contrived.

The writing seems to be all over the place at the beginning but improved through the book. I had head great things about the author but this one fell a little flat for me. The last half was more fast paced and twisty so I will give another book by the author a try. The narrator was great, however the story is told through many perspectives making this a great book for full cast.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Teacher’s Secret. The Teacher’s Secret has multiple points of view. It was very difficult for me to comprehend all of the characters and shifting of the points of view. I was not able to do so mentally and I actually had to open the Notes app on my phone and take notes during the entire book. I read lots of audiobooks - approximately 20 a month or more and I am usually able to listen to an audiobook (many times sped up 1.2 to 1.5x) as well as multitask while still being able to follow along and comprehend what I am listening to. I think that it would have been helpful if there were different narrators for each point of view. I think that would have really helped me follow along easily. I am curious to know how people who read the book version were able to follow the different points of views.
There were a few chapters that I was confused about in the end. Because they didn’t say who they were in the chapter it made me think that their point of view could have been better two characters but it never really elaborated enough for me to put together. I’m particularly referring to the chapters with the hooded person and the chapter where the person is cleaning the van.
I will admit that I did not see the ending coming and I was surprised with how the different points of view were all entwined with murder and their relation to their neighbors.
I appreciate NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Teacher’s Secret audiobook.

"The Teacher's Secret" by Lauren North is a gripping and suspenseful read that had me hooked from the very first page. As someone who's been in the world of education, stepping into the shoes of a substitute teacher in the midst of a chilling mystery felt all too real. From the moment Mrs. Walker and her son disappear, leaving the entire village on edge, I was drawn into a whirlwind of rumors and suspicions.

Navigating through the multiple character perspectives initially felt like a challenge, but as the story unfolded, I found myself engrossed in the lives of each character, eager to uncover the truth. The author expertly weaves together a web of secrets and lies, keeping me guessing at every turn.

The tension builds steadily as the anonymous threats and break-ins escalate, adding layers of suspense to an already compelling narrative. With each new revelation, I found myself on the edge of my seat, eagerly piecing together the puzzle alongside the protagonist.

What truly sets "The Teacher's Secret" apart is its ability to keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes an unexpected turn that leaves you reeling. The ending left me both satisfied and contemplative, reminding me that sometimes the truth is far more complex than it seems.

Overall, "The Teacher's Secret" is a thrilling rollercoaster ride of suspense and intrigue that will keep you turning pages long into the night. It's a reminder that beneath the facade of everyday life lies a world of hidden secrets, waiting to be uncovered. If you're a fan of twisty psychological thrillers, this book is a must-read.

I had a tough time getting into this book. It seemed to drag and had a lot of irrelevant details. I didn't really find myself connecting with any of the characters either but I did still feel the need to find out what happened to Kate and her son. I listened to the audio version and while the narrator did a nice job at trying to distinguish all the different view points, I think having different narrators for each would have been a lot less confusing.
With that said the book did finally pick up at about the 65-70 percent mark. I really enjoyed how it all came together and did not see any of it coming at all. I thought the twists and ending were very unique and interesting. If you like very slow burns then you may enjoy this more than I did. Not bad just way too drawn out for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lauren North, and Bolinda Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

It’s not everyday you fall into a small-village, crime thriller that has you distrusting every character until the end.

Cate and her son, Archie, have mysteriously vanished after walking out the school playground. We open with the new substitute teacher Lexi, who seems to be keeping a secret of her own, stepping in while the search is still going, and the husband and headteacher Oliver, is obviously hiding something. We have various POVs and many red herrings. And which teacher’s secret is the title referring to…?
I enjoy crime mysteries, thrillers and the English village, so this seemed straight up my alley. I appreciated the shorter chapters too (an underrated quality!) everyone had an agenda and there was honestly no character I really trusted, especially Oliver.

The present-tense narrative is not my favourite to follow however, especially if it’s not first-person, which seemed peculiar to switch in different chapters.

The narrator was great with switching between POVs and I liked her performance and tone. However, there were enough different character’s chapters (without their names at the beginning) to warrant another narrator or a cast, which would have made it easier to keep track of who was telling the tale at that point. The audiobook production did a nice job of dividing the different sections (how many days missing, etc).

What else can I say? I had a good time! There were enough twists and turns to keep me hooked and I found the conclusion satisfactory.

Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cate Walker, a devoted school teacher, and her son Archie have vanished. They disappeared on their way home from school, leaving behind a community desperate for answers. Cate's husband Oliver is the main suspect... it's always the husband, right?

Enter substitute teacher Lexi Mills, who takes over Cate's class and becomes determined to uncover the truth. But someone doesn't want her digging too deep.

While I enjoyed certain aspects of this book, it didn't quite become a favorite of mine. The shifting points of view were initially challenging to keep up with, but the suspense kept me engaged until the satisfying reveal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this book was so confusing that I almost quit several times. There were too many voices with no defining characteristics which made the story nearly impossible to follow. However about halfway through it did get less convoluted and was easier to follow. Because of the number of POVs there should have probably been another narrator to help differentiate, if not a full cast.
The ending is a bit contrived, but if not terrible. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend this book though because of how complicated the beginning is

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

School teacher Cate and her eight year old son, Archie, go missing and supply teacher Lexi arrives in their village to take over Cate's class until she is found...but is there more to Lexi then it seems.

'The Teacher's Secret' is told from four points of views and provides the reader with A LOT of red herrings and wouldn't never have guessed the conclusion and how all four main characters are entwined together.

The Audibook version provided the listener with a fantastic narrator who manages to differentiate her voice to suit the four different characters.

A fun listen and definitely made the mundane every day tasks that I undertook whilst listening to this novel more enticing!

Thank you to Netgalley and Laure North for the opportunity of reviewing the audiobook version of The Teacher's Secret.

3.75 stars!

A fun and quick thriller with a twist I didn’t see coming at the end. It was a tad slow in the middle for me which is why it’s not a full 4 but I did enjoy it.

Thank you for this ARC 💕

This was an amazing read! I was couldn’t put it down once I started! It had so many twists and turns. I was never sure what was what. What a thriller! The narrator was AMAZING

Thank you for the ARC! This plot could have been fantastic. It was hard to get wrapped up in the storyline because the first 15% (as far as I got) was way too much foreshaddowing. Many of the same sentences repeated at the end of the chapters along the lines of "what have I done" or "I made a big mistake". Really not gripping in my opinion. Was excited to try a book out by this author but I think perhaps she is not my cup of tea

When a beloved teacher and her young son go missing, Lexi comes in to be a substitute teacher. Soon Lexi finds herself feeling unsafe, as well.

The Teacher's Secret keeps the reading wondering what is and what isn't. The story is told from multiple POVs, making it a bit difficult to follow at times, and not really giving you a chance to connect to many characters.

Although it does deliver on the twists and turns promised by a Lauren North work. The Teacher's Secret just wasn't my favorite thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for an advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Satisfyingly twisty thriller that will keep you guessing until the final chapter!

I really enjoy Lauren North’s books and THE TEACHER’S SECRET is another cracking thriller that had me on the edge of my seat and absolutely glued to my headphones as I navigated the twists and turns of the small community at it’s heart. North is brilliant at creating a vivid sense of place and filling it with a host of believable characters, bringing it to life in the most authentic way. I felt transported to this little town and engrossed in the layers of deception and intrigue that shrouded it. North effortlessly builds suspense and punctuates the mystery with moments of breathtaking action. The tension is palpable in a number of key scenes and I felt genuinely nervous for Lexi at points. This book is absolutely rammed with secrets - literally everyone has something to hide! - which I found made the book really intriguing to read. I never quite knew who to trust, which built a lot of anticipation for the final revelations. I didn’t guess any of the twists or big reveals. In fact, North is a master of misdirection, angling readers down a certain path, only to throw them off a precipice and route them in a completely new direction. It was so much fun to read!

The audio is brilliantly produced too, with excellent pace and first class narration from Emma Woods. This story is told from multiple perspectives and I found that Woods gave each of them a unique and distinctive voice, which meant it was easy to keep up with who was who and follow the plot. This was such an addictive listen and I struggled to take my headphones off! I love listening to audiobooks and whilst doing housework and other boring chores, but I found myself constantly stopping what I was doing to gasp at what was happening in the book. There are so many shocking moments, which translate so well to the audio. I was fraught with anxiety as Lexi thought someone had broken into her room, for example. There are lots of scenes that are so tense to listen to! Overall, this is a really great thriller that I was totally invested in and absolutely loved in audio.

I received and arc of this audiobook from NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and the author Laura North!

I gave this book 3 1/2 stars.

This book is about a teacher and her son who go missing, and the entire novel is figuring out what happened. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I had a hard time keeping my attention focused on this one. I felt like it was somewhat slow through the middle of the book. I did like the ending and I did not guess the twist, which is good, but I wish it had been more exciting throughout the book.

I felt like the audio narrator did a good job. I listen to audiobooks pretty fast and I was able to clearly understand what she was saying.

This was a nice read. It started off good and kept my interest. It did get a bit wonky and hard to believe, and some things just didn't make sense or rather pass the believable test, but the characters were well developed. Personally, I felt the lead character's actions were not explored or examined more thus it makes it hard to accept some of the plot. For one thing if a person willingly deceives or falsifies evidence it would be a crime and they would be subject to face the consequences. I felt the ending was a bit fairytale-ish and some characters actions should have been flushed out more. I really liked that there were multiple POVs and thought it was done pretty well. I do feel as though some storylines didn't exactly contribute to the totality of the main plot, but overall, it was a good read that kept my attention.

I really loved Emma Woods as the narrator, she was absolutely incredible. She made following the story very easy and enjoyable. I was able to easily distinguish between the characters and what was going on. The experience was Awesome. I also like that the author gave us insight into her writing at the end of the book. I always love to hear from the author. I loved how she gave thanks and recognized all the people who helped her on her journey, but I was very disappointed that she did not recognize or give thanks to Emma Woods, who literally gave these characters life in the audiobook.

This was my first Lauren North book, and I enjoyed the read and look forward to reading more by this author. I truly hope she gives recognition to the narrator in her future audiobooks. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for my
honest review.