READ this book NOW! I could not put this book down I read it in one day!! This is one of the best books I have read this year! This books had several twist I did not see coming! I loved the characters and seeing how much was overcome in this story! Get this book you will not regret it!

I enjoyed this book. The storyline was a bit of a slow burner, felt a little drawn out but interesting enough to find out the ending. And what an ending! KL Slater never misses!

Thank you for the ARC. This author is from the UK so although understood the references, I did have to look some of them up to fully understand. The story was tied together pretty nicely. There were some shocking twists but also some moment of predictability. I could really related to Saffy. Overall, this book held my attention and made me want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next.

Saffy receives three text messages from her best friend, Leona, indicating she may be in danger, but then the messages are deleted. Fearing for her friend, she rushes to her home to find all is reportedly well, with Leona denying she sent any texts. Shorty thereafter, Leona, her husband and daughter are missing, blood left behind in their home and Saffy is the main suspect. Her life spirals out of control as she tries to investigate on her own.

Written from different POVs, this psychological thriller/crime mystery, is another page turner from author K.L. Slater, albeit a bit of a slow burn; there were times when I said to myself, “get on with it.” The different timelines allow the story to gradually reveal the history and significant events in the lives of the main characters that culminates in the crime and ultimate solution of the mystery. I have to say I did find the behavior of the police quite obnoxious!

4.5 stars.

It is rare these days that I do not figure it out but I can confidently say I was stumped. The use of an unreliable main character helped to keep me hooked and never be entirely sure. The writing was great, the tension between the main characters really had me questioning everyone. The little glimpses into the past were planned perfectly. Great book!

Saffy is waiting to go in for a job interview and she receives an urgent text from her best friend, Leona. The message asks her to come quick, don’t call, don’t message back. Saffy, being the ideal friend she is, doesn’t hesitate and immediately checks on her friend. Everything appears normal, nothing is out of place. But, the message has been deleted without a trace. Later that day Leona, her husband, and her daughter are missing.

This was a great psychological whodunnit thriller that had my mind racing and changing the entire time. I felt like I was right there with Saffy trying to find her missing friend and family with my heart racing. Thank you @NetGalley and @Bookouture. This did not disappoint.

Oh my word. I absolutely FLEW through this book. From the very beginning I was HOOKED. The plot pulled me in and the story line kept me intrigued and reading at warp speed just to figure out who did what! This book was an absolute rollercoaster, in the best possible way. The character development was brilliant, and everything wrapped up nicely and made sense! This will be a book I keep on my bookshelf to read again.

This story starts out kind of slow, but builds to quite a page-turner! Deception and lies are everywhere!!! Saffy has had mental health issues in the past, but when she’s accused of a horrible crime, she must fight to clear her name. I ended up really enjoying this book!

This book starts out slow but picks up pace fairly quickly. The twists and turns keep coming. The ending will be a surprise.

I absolutely hate giving negative feedback; I know authors work so hard on their novels. Had this not been an ARC from NetGalley, who askes for feedback, I would have DNF'ed this. I found the book to be very predictable; everything I thought was happening or going to happen - did. Also, the way the characters spoke to each other at times is just not how people talk. In addition, everything you should never do when dealing with police, Saffy did. It was like watching a horror film and yelling "don't answer the door!" - everything she did was 'wrong' and it made you question her intelligence, which I really don't think was the point from the author (but maybe I'm wrong??). I really wanted to like this book from it's description, while not a lost cause, unfortunately this was a total miss for me.

I think if you are a fan of cozy mysteries, this might be more up your alley - felt between a cozy and a thriller.

Good, suspense filled read from start to finish.
Saffy gets 3 text messages from her close friend Leona, asking her to
come to her house. But before Saffy can even make sense of them, they are deleted.
Fearing for her friend"s safety with a husband that Savvy neither likes nor trusts, she heads
over to the house.
And a riveting tale of misplaced friendships, psychological terror and cunning minds begins.
Nothing is at it appears and when you know you have finally figured it all out,
think again.
You are probably not even close.

Message Deleted by K.L. Slater was a bit of a slow burn for me, and I didn't find it quite as compelling as previous offerings from this author who, I must note, is always an automatic read for me.

Saffy receives a very cryptic text from her friend Leona, suggesting that she is in trouble, but when Saffy races to check on her wellbeing, her friend appears content at home with her family. When Saffy checks the message again, she finds that it has been mysteriously deleted. Six hours later, Leona has gone missing, and Saffy was the last person to see her.

While I was very much drawn to the premise of the story, I failed to connect with any of the characters in a significant way, so I found myself largely unengaged. That being said, I do look forward to whatever comes next from the wonderful K.L. Slater. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Message Deleted by K.L. Slater due to be published March 3, 2025.
When Saffy receives three messages from her friend, Leona, that quickly disappear - Can’t speak. Don’t text or call. Please just come - she goes to Leona’s house as fast as she can. When she arrives, all is fine, but the next day the entire family is missing, and Saffy was the last to see them alive…
This was a gripping, easy to read, fast-paced thriller that had my attention the entire time. It is told from alternate timelines, going back in time to tell things that happened to Saffy and her sister, Poppy, that related to the story. I couldn’t wait to see how it all came together at the end, and I was not disappointed!
Also recommended by K.L. Slater: Husband and Wife, Single, The Marriage, The Girlfriend
#NetGalley #KLSlater #Bookouture #MessageDeleted

Saffy is just about to step into a job interview when she receives three text messages from her friend Leona in quick succession:
Can’t speak…
Don’t text or call…
Please just come…

But when Saffy looks again, the messages have all disappeared, replaced with the words “message deleted.”

As an anxious, protective friend to her core, Saffy ditches the interview and beelines over to Leona’s house, just for Leona to adamantly deny having ever sent any texts. But despite Leona’s protestations that everything is fine, Saffy knows there’s something seriously amiss in her friend’s unhappy marriage. But Saffy has no idea how bad things are until a few hours later when the police show up on her doorstep with the news that Leona and her husband and little girl are all missing – and Saffy was the last person known to see them alive.

This one hooked me right from the beginning and although it’s a bit of a slow burn, I found it perfectly paced and propulsive enough to hold my attention the entire time. Saffy is a complex character who I sometimes wanted to protect and sometimes wanted to shake as the police web tightens around her and she puts herself into dangerous situations. The cast of characters is fairly short, but it was certainly long enough to keep me guessing the entire time! I was constantly changing who was at the top of my most likely perp list amid all the red herrings and twists. Fans of K.L. Slater (like me!) are sure to enjoy this suspenseful read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This was a amazing thriller, It was mind-blowing.

I loved how I thought I could guess it, but no that ending is WOW.

Message Deleted by K. L. Slater is a very highly recommended, twisty, psychological thriller.

Saffy is waiting for a job interview when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona. It says: Can’t speak. Don’t text or call. Please just come. The next time she looks at her phone it says the message was deleted. Saffy leaves before her interview and immediately goes to Leona's house. She has reason to be concerned for Leona's safety and that of her daughter, Rosie. When she arrives, Leona opens the door. She looks upset but denies sending the message or needing help. Her husband, Ash, is there too, looking threatening with a smile on his face.

Six hours later, the police are at Saffy's door. Leona, Rosie, and Ash are missing and there was a large amount of blood at the home. Apparently, Saffy was the last one to see the family and now may be a suspect.

This is a highly entertaining, suspenseful, twisty psychological thriller that held my complete attention throughout. It is even-paced at the beginning as characters are introduced, background information is provided, and clues begin to emerge. Interspersed between the present day action are chapters from the past of the characters that show their relationships and history. As Saffy follows clues, the mystery is intriguing to follow and the tension rises.

All of the characters are portrayed as realistic individuals, with flaws and insecurities. Saffy is so overprotective of her sister, Poppy, and Leona, you may begin to question her grip on rationality, but the reason for it is explained. There is some suspension of disbelief required, mainly the actions of the police, which is easily done.

Message Deleted is a great choice for those who enjoy twisty unpredictable psychological thrillers. Thanks to Penguin for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I have read several books by KL Slater, so I had high hopes for her newest release. I found this book to be an easy read that definitely held my attention.

Saffy and Poppy are sisters, with Saffy being the eldest and mother figure to Poppy. This book alternates between two different storylines/events. Three years ago, something tragic happened to Poppy, and little by little, the author drops important bits of information. Present day, another tragic event occurs, but this time to Saffy's best friend, Leona. Are these events somehow related?

Slater's newest thriller did not disappoint. I definitely recommend adding this to your TBR pile!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of Message Deleted. Very good premise for a book, kept me interested. The cover was eye captivating!! I liked the story, the friendships even with the exes. A little far fetched in parts but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. A great ending, thank you again.

This one gets a resounding "it's okay" from me. Yep. It's...okay.

The mystery is interesting and I definitely wanted to know what was going on.

I hated almost every character, including Saffy-who-has-no-spine.

The book also should have ended about 20% before it did. While I appreciated the author trying to tie up loose ends, the book was done and didn't need one chapter per loose end at the finish.

Still, it was fast paced and popcorn and I didn't hate it.

Message Deleted had me hooked from the start! Saffy is at a job interview when she receives text messages from her best friend Leona, asking her to come immediately. Shortly after they were sent, the messages were deleted. Sensing something is wrong, Saffy bolts over to Leona's house where, to her surprise, everything appears totally fine. Leona seems shocked to hear from her and insists that she has no idea what she is talking about regarding the text messages. She never sent them. So what in the world is going on? To make matters worse, Saffy soon finds out that Leona and her family have gone missing and Saffy is now a prime suspect in their disappearance.

This was definitely a slow burn but written well enough to keep your attention. I had my suspicions on whodunnit but sadly, I was wrong on this one! The story was a good one and kept me guessing but my one complaint is that the ending fell a little short for me. I really enjoyed the book as a whole but the ending felt anticlimatic in a way. Otherwise, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.