The Promise

Good story but I found it a bit slow. Resolves around 3 friends that have a secret from their schooldays.

2/5

The Promise failed to deliver the dark secret as promised.

Beth, Sally, and Carol were three friends harbouring a deep secret from when they were teenagers. Now, way on their adult years, something happened that might threatened their secret. Desperate not to lose their current lives, Beth in particular decided to put a stop in this.

Alright, so, this book was boring me to death. I couldn't connect to the characters, many unimportant secondaries (and POV)(coughmatthewcough), and I had to wait until maybe half to find out the secret. Author spent too many chapters and pages into the introduction and mindless chats.

I'd recommend this to anyone who prefers slow build for the summer read.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made.

But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?

The story started slow and I almost gave up because of the slow pacing at the beginning, but thrillers typically start off slowly before kicking into a lot of action.

This was a solid thriller, but I felt like it was trying too hard to be a Pretty Little Liars copycat of some sort. The ending was abrupt and incredibly disappointing.

The description made me curious but this took too long to get through. Characters weren’t all that relatable and it just seemed a little blah for me.

It’s worth a shot if you’re into the boarding school story that seems to be done to death. Nice thriller but really lacked much depth.

What a great read, just when I thought I had guessed the ending, the author threw in a new side. The only thing that I was disappointed with was that the story ended. I will be downloading other books by the author. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review.

True win for Teresa Driscoll !

Beth and Sally are best friends. Beth is married to Adam. She is there for Sally when she loses her baby. Sally's husband is a cheat and doesn't want the baby and kind of disappears - they divorce. Sad as it is, Sally and Beth later plant a magnolia tree where Sally can memorialize her miscarried baby. Years later, Sally calls Beth and asks what will they do now that the Catholic boarding school they attended is set for demolition. The reader does not have any idea what they are referring to. They have to contact their now elusive friend, Carol, who they boarded with at the school before they decide what "to do". Beth remembers that at her 30th birthday when Carol came to the party from France at midnight and stayed for maybe an hour. Carol did not want to be there. However, Carol's boyfriend, Ned was apologetic and tried to talk Carol into staying at the party longer. No, said Carol - pleading a headache.

Beth hires a PI; Matthew - a former cop - to assist in finding Caro,l now. After about a week, Matthew calls Beth to tell her that he believes he has found Carol's mother. After Beth's insistence, Beth (and Sally) go with Matthew to find Carol's mother (Deborah) at a bingo hall she had been spotted at. Deborah, is non-committal but finally she gives Beth Carol's phone number. Beth obtains the number under the auspices that they are sure she will want to attend the boarding house's' closing party. Carol is short with Beth and tells them she doesn't know if she can attend.

There was an incident that freaked out Carol when she was at boarding school. She was taunted into using a OUIJA Board by a class bully, Melody. Carol's mum said that since that occasion Carol has never been the same.Carol believes her dead father "spoke" to her via the OUIJA Board that night.

Carol, at 14, becomes pregnant during holiday break by a neighbor boy. She returns to boarding school and confides in Beth and Sally.

Too many spoilers to give any more away! This book is sure to be one of 2018's top sellers. Super character development and suspenseful to the very last page ! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Don't miss this one!


Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy a sure winner!

Carol, Beth and Sally did something terrible when they were teenagers, but they have kept their promise to each other to stay quiet about the event. Three decades later, it looks as though their secret may come to light. What are they willing to do to keep their past from destroying the lives they have built? I enjoyed this story, there was more than a little of “what goes around, comes around” to this tale of adolescent mistakes

I always enjoy these types of stories - e.g. ones where you are kept guessing throughout, subtle hints in chapters as to what is to come in future chapters. I was surprised that there was a big reveal 2/3rds of the way through the book and perhaps the pace started to drop a bit from here. I guessed at one element - not the big secret but what was happening with Carol but this did not make it any less enjoyable. Overall, a recommended read.

I was given in advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The sad thing about this book is that by the time it really starts to get going two- thirds in, I had already lost interest in the characters and the story. This book could use some serious editing and maybe could have been published as a more interesting novella . Or you could just skip the first two thirds of the book to get to the payoff. 2.5 rounded up.

Really enjoyed this,, I loved the way the story unfolded from past to present mainly through Beth's eyes. The friendship between Beth and Sally is strong due to what they'd gone through at school but they thought they'd lost their close friendship with Carol but not for the reasons they thought.
I was surprised by the ending has hadn't seen it coming

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the Promse by Teresa Driscoll.
Thirty years ago a promise is made to keep a secret - teenage girls know that if they tell anyone their lives will forever be changed.
Something happens and their secret may be exposed - and this is something they vowed to keep in their memories and never speak of again..But someone knows, and this can change their lives if they talk about this - and they did keep a promise....
Started slow and then got better. Driscoll is a good writer and fans will like this one.

The Promise by author Teresa Driscoll is an intense, fast paced thriller. Full of twists and turns, it is the story of three friends who vowed to take their darkest secret to the grave with them. As you can imagine, that secret is threatened to surface. Characters were developed well and the plot structure was good. A great book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Promise in exchange for an honest review.

The Promise has many twists and turns. It had a few slow spots, but the end was worth it. The characters were well developed and Teresa Driscoll is a good writer. I would read another book from her again anytime.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher Amazon UK for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing flowed so naturally. Told between the 'then' and now' of three girls' lives since having met at their convent boarding school, and the burden of a secret they all share - but only one of them knows the full and shocking truth. I did think the development of the story and characters was a little lengthy up to the middle of the book, and then things moved on very quickly to some very surprising conclusions.

Keep reading - all will become clear!

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is a slow building tale of three friends who find out that the boarding school where they met when they were children is about to be closed and demolished. This puts them all into a panic because of a terrible incident that they have all kept hidden for many years and promised never to reveal.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of this author having loved her debut novel... I am Watching You..

The Promise is my third book by Teresa Driscoll and although not my favorite out of the three, I still enjoyed it and will be eagerly waiting for her next book. It is a slow build... Three friends, a boarding school about to be demolished, a secret and a promise made all those years ago... Will the girls keep their promise? The ending was worth the slow build. I do wish however that there were more flash backs and more of the time in boarding school spent on the book.. I found Matthew's chapters to be unnecessary. Overall however, I found this an enjoyable read and really enjoyed the story between these three friends.

A huge thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book!

Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC of #ThePromise

Teresa Driscoll writes another respectable novel.

A sinister secret that three best friends made from their time at boarding school has threatened to be revealed. Thirty years has passed and that secret could now destroy the lives they have built. Beth and Sally must reconnect with Carol in order to ensure their actions never come to light. But when Beth begins to have second thoughts, things begin to take a dangerous turn. Someone is watching and it seems they will do just about anything to ensure the three women’s actions never come to light.

This book moves quite slow in the beginning as it attempts to build the plot. That time could have been used more adequately to add more depth to the characters as it was hard to become fully engaged with any of them. While the storyline does pick up midway through the novel, by this point in the book the reader has already formed an opinion of the characters and is no longer invested in the outcome. I do not feel that it was a poor read, but for this genre one would expect more development and heightened anticipation from an experienced author. 3 stars.

Amazing book! Couldn't put it down.
Was hooked all the way through. Really enjoyed this book!

Would really recommend this to others
Great work

This book dives right in from the very beginning and I absolutely love that. There’s no painful build up to the fact that we know someone died, these women who were girls at the time feel they are responsible and that there is an obvious threat to their secret being revealed very soon and possibly destroying their lives even further. There’s no guessing game as to why the secret might be revealed—their boarding school where the literal body or bodies are literally buried is being torn down and redeveloped. So we don’t have to wait on strange letters from an anonymous source to start showing up saying “I know what you did.” There are still plenty of big reveals, shocks, crazy drama and a whole lot of OMG moments. This is more than a mystery or a suspense. This is a love story, a story of endearing friendship, and one hell of a crazy good story! In the same vein of Big Little Lies—this book has great women leads facing a lot of everyday and crazy things and doing it together, which is always great to see in a story or in real life. I’m not sure why the reviews aren’t better as of yet, but I’m sure once we have more readers who are huge fans of Big Little Lies, they will recognize and appreciate the story of this book and the characters. 5 Star Read!

A bit of a slow start to get into the story but took off pretty quickly once it got going and had me gripped from that stage until the last page. I would recommend this book and read her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Mind blowing!!!
What a page turner it turned out to be...
One of my favourite books read this year.

I was intrigued by the description of this book....
3 friends making a promise to keep a secret about something so horrible that happened when they were 14!
This book takes us from the past to the present in a way that makes sense and keeps you guessing.
It was well written and keot me guessing until the end.
I will definitely look for Teresa Driscoll’s next book!

A bit slow in places but overall was one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. Really enjoyed it & would recommend it to anyone! Thanks for the preview.

This book started off very slowly. So slow that I almost gave up , but I'm glad I persevered as it turned into a very good read

This was absolutely brilliant - truely gripping. Definitely one of those books where I thought I had everything figured out only to find myself completely wrong.

One on my “read a second time” pile.

Am so excited to share with you this review after receiving an advanced copy from NetGalley! I had reviewed another book by Teresa Driscoll on my blog this year - I am Watching You . A genuinely surprising thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. So I figured it would be great to read another one of her books.

Unlike her previous book - I am Watching You, here the author takes the longer route to establish her characters and their backstory. It's told with alternating timeline but I think she has gone a tab overboard with all the character settings. It takes quite a while to reach the dreaded secret by which time the less patient may lose interest.

The writing is top notch and readers who like slow burning thrillers may like it, especially if you never expected the 'twist' but if I compare to her last book, this one was inadequate in its delivery.

Check out full review on www.bibliogyan.com

An intriguing story exploring friendship, relationships and the past.
Three girls who met at boarding school went on to lead very different lives but they were all bound together by a shared secret.
A bit slow in parts but the last few chapters where it all came together had me gripped.

Fantastic novel. Kept me hooked from start to finish and a fabulous ending. Will definitely search out more of Teresa’s books

I loved this book the twists that you just don’t see the promise made that you just want them to break and the end wow didn’t see that coming!! I have read all Teresa Driscolls books and thy never let you down in content characters and the written word can’t wait for the next one

A story of friendship, secrets and the promise made by teenage girls that over a lifetime will prove to be almost more destructive to their lives than the secret itself. I rather enjoyed this book and the characters. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more by her.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the eARC.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

Will they be able to keep their secret or will one of them crack under pressure? After the slow build of the plot, the conclusion will knock your socks off!

Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC of #ThePromise by Teresa Driscoll
Pub Date: 07 Feb 2019

ALL THE STARS!
This was everything I need, want and love in a book. Deception, lies, a mysterious death, promises...
I’ve said in many of my reviews, I LOVE a book that has grown characters that suddenly face broken promises that they had as kids. Hiding lies and something very bad from childhood. It.Never.Ends.Well.
This book was beautifully written and full of thrill! I love how we were made to think one thing....then boom! Twist!
So many twists! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! The settings, the descriptions, the characters, the twists! I loved this book!
Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took a while for this book to get going. I have read other books by Teresa Driscoll so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Great story that takes you on a journey then just when you think you have worked it all out BANG your sent totally off course.
Thanks to both NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my eARC of the book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I liked it more than the first one I read. I liked the mystery but the characters got on my nerves. I think Matthew was an unnecessary character and I think he’s a terrible PI. He just never seems to do much, I mean they found what they needed on their own. This was well written and I’ll probably read another book by this author. Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to read an arc of this book.

This was a great psychological thriller that has many interesting characters and storylines. I became emotionally attached to the three main characters, as well as the supporting cast of mothers and men. A unique setting (Catholic boarding school), many secrets and a pact - all great makings for an enjoyable read!

"The Promise" by Theresa Driscoll tells the story of three friends from Catholic boarding school who share a secret from when they were 14 that they promised never to tell. We know from the Prologue that the secret revolves around a dead girl, but we don't know until about halfway through the book who she is or how she died.

Beth is happily married to Adam. They have two kids, and she works for a sensationalist talk show. Sally is divorced from her cheating husband after having a miscarriage. Carol is estranged from both of them. Her husband Ned has tried over the years to encourage her to see Beth and Sally to no avail. When Beth and Sally find out that the boarding school they attended has been sold and will be torn down, they begin to panic about the body that may be found and are determined to find Carol to discuss whether to finally break their promise to one another and reveal their secret.

The story is told mostly from Beth's point of view with a handful of chapters thrown in from Carol as diary entries and from Matthew, a former cop turned private investigator who Beth and Sally hire to help them find Carol. I think the story could have been written without him since Beth does most of the investigating herself. He seemed to be in the story only to be a love interest for Sally so she would have a nice little wrap-up at the end of the book.

This was a really slow building story and could have moved faster, but I don't think it could have been a full-length book that way. I was a bit disappointed with the secret because it's something that the girls would have been able to reveal. I can see how they would want to keep the secret as 14-year-old girls, but as adults, they should have been able to see that it wouldn't destroy their lives as they kept saying.

***Minor spoilers***

There is a storyline with Carol and a Ouija board that doesn't seem to fit. She clearly has a number of mental health issues that manifest over time, but there were several references to the Ouija board incident, and it seemed a bit much. We find out at the end of the book that her relationship with her husband is not what it seems, but at one point, she is suddenly portrayed as seeming completely fine, and I found myself thinking, "What the heck?!" Once you realize that she IS still a bit disturbed, it makes sense, but it took me a few minutes to reconcile.

At another point, Beth and Sally get into an argument about Matthew and stop speaking. Beth falls into this deep depression, and Sally doesn't bother coming to see her to make amends. These two seem to be as close as sisters -- not a friendship that would end over a disagreement over a boyfriend without a serious conversation. They've been friends for 20+ years. Their unwillingness to talk it through doesn't seem realistic.

All in all, I'd say it's a decent book with some flaws, but still a good read. I'll give it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled for publication in February 2019.

#The Promise# NetGally#
Teresa Driscoll

I love the writing of Teresa Driscoll and without fail, this book did not disappoint. The Promise is about love, loyalty, friendships, memories and the faithfulness of a promise. Beth, Sally and Carol meet in boarding school at a young age and form an indivisible friendship. A shocking event causes them to make a promise that they will never reveal to anyone. As they grow up and have their own lives, they are made to remember their schooldays as they receive an invitation to attend a party commemorating the sale of the school. It brings many feelings to the forefront of each of the three friends, some happy, some sad and one horrid secret. Someone does not want these events brought up and goes to great lengths to make it not happen. The mystery of how it will all unfold, keeps the reader guessing at what these events were that caused the mystery. I thoroughly recommend this book to all who love a well put together novel. I rate it a solid five stars. Thank you to the publisher Thomas and Mercer and to NetGally for an advanced reading copy and a fair and honest review.

A book of tension, secrets and unravelling lives. Something that has traumatised three friend's adolescence seems likely to ruin their futures. It takes a lot of skill to write a story from several different points of view in different timelines - this book is clever, evocative and detailed. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this but thought the actual Promise was going to be a lot worse than it actually was. Didn’t really class it as a thriller but still a good read.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made.

But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?

my thoughts
5 stars
the author has a way of pulling you in and making you think about what would you do if it happened to you or to a friend ,would you keep the secret or tell, and even after i finished i still don't know the answer to that question . With that said i want to think Netgalley for letting me read it and reviewing it

Really enjoyed this psychological thriller, loved all the characters, the way the author writes and I found myself getting involved with the girls although I didn't guess the secret, an excellent gripping page turner.

Can definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thoroughly good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read this excellent book.

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Promise’ by Teresa Driscoll in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Three schoolgirls Beth, Sally and Carol meet at the Convent of St Colman and when they’re in their mid-teens something so shocking happens that they make a promise to keep it a secret for ever. Thirty years later Beth and Sally have put the horror of the event behind them but when they hear that the Convent and its grounds are going to be built on they employ a private investigator, Matthew Hill, to help find the address of Carol who’s now living in France as they need to discuss with her the possibility of revealing their promise before it’s too late.
‘The Promise’ is a psychological thriller which had me hooked from page one. It had a storyline that moved smoothly from the girls’ schooldays to the present time and characters that were believable. As the story progressed I found the tension mounting and after twists and turns it concluded with a surprising ending. I like Teresa Driscoll’s style of writing which flows well and makes it easily readable. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would have no hesitation in recommending it.

3 women make a pact at the age of 14. As their boarding school awaits demo, dark secrets will be uncovered.

I was surprised by the secret and the whole persona of Carol. Great writing and kept me on my toes from the start.

3.5 stars- It started way to slow for me. I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters. After I got farther into the story it started becoming more intense and fascinating. There were a few twists that I did not expect at all and that held my interest. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and write about it.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise to take the horrible truth of what they had done to the grave. Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the past behind them. Carol has distanced herself from her former friends but all three are still adamant that the truth must never come to light. When shocking news threatens their secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with Carol. Somebody is watching them and wants to ensure the secret remains buried. 

'The Promise' is a very intense, slow-burn of a read. We are introduced to Beth and Sally and can see how close they are. We discover about the three schoolgirls through flashback chapters and Beth reminiscing and again can see how close all three of them were but do not know what happened to Carol to cause a rift. The book then progresses with the friendship being further explained and tested. I enjoyed reading about this friendship and it is clear to see how close they all are and were but this is a slow-burn and as a result quite boring in places. 

We have the return of Matthew in this book which is welcome, although I am confused about possible changes to his life, I also do not think he is necessary in this book. He is just there, does not do much and I do not think this book would suffer if he were not included. Anyway he is there and it is always nice to catch up with a returning character.

Despite this being slow, I was invested in the book and absorbed in the plot, I did sit and read this for a chunk of time, I was invested in the characters and their lives rather than wanting the plot resolved. When Driscoll reveals the big secret, I thought it was a bit weak and could have been something more. There are more revelations that make it more powerful but it was too late for me by then. 

'The Promise' is a good read focusing on an intense friendship being pushed to the limits. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and am sure you will too. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me gripped to the end, with a very late night/early morning finish, because I didn't want to wait to find out the ending. Well-written, in an easy style, and focussing on the perspectives of different characters, it gives good insight into the plot, without revealing too much at a time. The characters are well-developed, and flawed, which always makes for more realism, and the premise is believable. The book emphasises how important life choices can be, and how they can affect us for years to come. It's also about facing up to responsibility, however hard the choice is at the time. Ultimately, guilt eats away at the soul, and I know that in hindsight, Carol, Beth and Sally would not have chosen to make The Promise. Well worth the read, and my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Thomas and Mercer, for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few nights I literally couldn't put it down.
Three girls...one secret. I loved the fact that you were kept guessing pretty far in the book as to what "the promise" actually was.
All the characters came together nicely for a very surprise ending.

This starts very slowly. This does allow for some character building though not as much as I would have liked. At about the halfway point the action starts and once does this gets good! There were a few surprises and twists, some quite sad. Satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

This book was fantastic!
I greatly enjoyed the build up, the twists, the agony between friends and the untrust between families. I never knew who to trust, who was telling the truth. This terrible secret that tore 20 years of friendship apart continued to cast a shadow over the three lead characters. Once the secret is revealed, the story doesn’t end there! Most twists, more are secrets brought out of the woodwork. This has become one of my favorite thriller novels!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I found this really slow at the start about 3 friends from boarding school but it gradually picked up and really enjoyed it in the end

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Three friends met in boarding school and quickly became inseparable. However, something happens while they are at school which changes their lives forever. As the school is soon to be closed down and the site cleared, two of the girls are worried about what might happen when bulldozers begin to work. They try to get a hold of Carol, the third girl in their trio, and even hire a private investigator to do this. However she doesn't want to be found and the mystery is slowly becoming apparent. Although the pacing was a bit slow to start off, by the end I could put the book down.

While this book moved very slow in the beginning, I really liked it after the momentum built. Beth, Sally and Carol cover up a secret during their boarding school days that could come back and haunt them as grownups.

This is a rather odd book. I loved the way that the author captured the essence of how, when something happens to a child/juvenile, it festers away and totally goes on to affect the lives of several people who were involved. There is also something moving about the sensitivity with which there was a safe outcome for all of those involved. I am thoroughly impressed.

“The candles. The Promise. The bluebells....”

Something happened at the boarding school run by nuns.

And, now that the school is scheduled to be demolished, a secret may be revealed. It’s the secret that three fourteen year old girls vowed that they would take to their graves. It’s the secret that ended up severing the tight bond that Beth, Sally and Carol once shared when they were students at the school, thirty years ago.

Beth and Sally are still close. But they have been estranged from Carol for several years.

They need to find her before the school is torn down. So they hire PI Matthew Hill to help locate their former friend.

Told mainly through Beth’s perspective (past and present tense) the book takes awhile to set up. Once the plot is established, the present day perspectives of Matthew and Carol, are interspersed as well.

Perhaps because it took awhile to establish the story, I was not immediately engaged in this book, as I was in the author’s previous two efforts, “I Am Watching You” and “The Friend” . I also was not as surprised by the reveals, so it was my least favorite of her three books.

However, I still enjoy her writing style, and the characters she creates, and I never found myself wanting to skim, so, I would still recommend this for readers who have appreciated her earlier novels.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Teresa Driscoll (who attended boarding school!) for the ARC I received in exchange for a candid review!

Available Feb. 7, 2019!

THE PROMISE is a suspenseful tale that builds slowly and keeps the reader curious thanks to Teresa Driscoll's imaginative writing.

Beth and Sally are best friends from childhood who are looking for the third of their former friendship circle, Carol, when they each get a note alluding to a secret from childhood. Back when they were younger, the three attended a boarding school together and made a pact to conceal a ghastly secret...only now, it looks like someone knows the secret and may use it to destroy their lives.

This book was hard to put down as I was eager to understand what the secret was, and how it would possibly destroy the lives of Beth, Sally, and Carol. The chapters go back and forth to the past and present, and between characters. We also get a perspective from Matthew, a former police officer who is now a private investigator helping Beth and Sally hunt down the elusive Carol. I read some reviews that stated the "secret" doesn't live up to the hype...but I found it was still a good enough reason to cause fear in the characters and it didn't lose my interest once I found out what it was. The twists don't stop at that point.

I'm a huge fan of Teresa Driscoll, and of THE PROMISE, and I can't wait until the next book she puts out.

Thank you to Teresa Driscoll, Thomas & Mercer Publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am already a fan of Teresa Driscoll, having read her debut I AM WATCHING YOU and then THE FRIEND just recently. So I was excited to read her latest thriller THE PROMISE. Though not my favourite of the three, I still enjoyed it and eagerly await her next book!

THE PROMISE is a slow-build, which does create the problem for some readers possibly losing interest. I did feel the story dragged out a little in parts while waiting for something to happen, but I didn't lose interest. I just got a little frustrated with "the promise" of what was to come and if it was ever going to get there. But once it did, it was unputdownable.

It begins with three young girls in Boarding School and what could only be assumed as a death which they then had to cover up. But the death of who? And why? This becomes the secret they now all share and vow never to tell. As the reader, we don't discover who it is or how she died until about halfway through, but there are a couple of subtle hints which I correctly guessed though that didn't dampen the story or it's impact.

Fast forward some 30 years and we see one of the friends Beth is happily married to Adam with two boys, Sam and Harry, and Sally is divorced from her unfaithful husband after a miscarriage which left her devastated. The third friend, Carol, is estranged from them both having gradually distanced herself over the years until no one knew how to contact her or where she even was. When Beth and Sally receive notice that the boarding school is about to be demolished, they begin to panic about the body they buried when they were 14 in the woods bordering the school would be discovered. They decide that they need to find Carol to discuss whether to break the promise they made all those years ago and reveal their secret. But where to start?

Beth and Sally engage private investigator Matthew Hill to find Carol beginning with her mother Deborah, which seems to take up an inordinate amount of time than really necessary. As the focus is primarily on finding Carol not her mother that search should be detailed a little shorter. When they do make contact with Carol, it is hard to believe that she was once their best friend, her estrangement is so palpable.

Then strange things begin to happen. Someone knows about their secret and is threatening Beth and Sally into silence. A Facebook message. A phone call to Beth's sons' school. And then the ultimate threat - a hit and run resulting in Adam being seriously injured and left for dead. Who knows about their secret? Beth then decides to break their promise and tell Adam everything...even if means losing him and the boys.

Beth also wants to tell Matthew everything but Sally is reluctant. But Matthew can't help them unless they are completely honest with him.

THE PROMISE is told predominantly from Beth's POV - both in the present and the past - with several chapters from Carol as diary entries, that clearly begin to show her instability - as well as a handful of chapters from Matthew's perspective. I feel that his input could have been more involved as Beth seemed to do most of the investigating whilst Matthew instead became a love interest for Sally. I didn't have a problem with Matthew and Sally's relationship but I felt as a PI he should have been doing more otherwise his involvement was a little redundant. Granted, he did find Deborah but it seemed as though Beth did the rest and he merely tagged along.

The story was really slow building and I felt it could have moved faster. By the time it reaches the point the secret is revealed, I feel the less patient reader will have lost interest. The secret itself is a little disappointing as while it is something 14 year old girls would definitely want to keep secret, I couldn't decide whether I WAS disappointed in it or not. Because it did feel a little anti-climatic on that point.

However, the real climax came when they returned to the old boarding school to ascertain whether the remains would be disturbed in the demolishing of the old convent. I didn't see that coming - and I foresee many twists - so that was an interesting touch.

As Carol is a major part of this story, I felt her "story" as such could have been more devled into as some parts of the story she appeared completely fine whilst at others somewhat disturbed. It is clear from her diary entries that she has mental health issues that have manifested over time so a little more focus on her "story" would have helped the story flow together more seamlessly, rather than disjointed. I couldn't connect with Carol's character at all as she felt too "distant" from the entire story despite being a major player. However, when the entire story is revealed at the end it does make sense, but otherwise she felt a disjointed part that we couldn't reconcile with the rest of the story.

Also, the dispute between Beth and Sally over Sally's romantic involvement with Matthew does not reconcile with their relationship. Their 30 year long friendship through every possible thing and yet they stop speaking because Sally is involved with Matthew. Yes, it may seem a little unethical due to him being hired by them, but to stop speaking? And then Beth falls into a deep depression and Sally doesn't bother to call or see her or offer support? Only when Beth calls in tears after Adam's accident does Sally run to her side, and the whole "non-speaking because of the romance with Matthew" is brushed aside as not important and barely visited again. Their unwillingness to discuss it as friends of 30+ years doesn't seem realistic.

One thing I must point out is Matthew's involvement in the story which I found a nice touch. As I was reading his "backstory" I felt it sounded somewhat familiar, and then when a former colleague's name was mentioned a light-bulb went on. The fact he was a former cop and then his backstory with the child rang a bell with me as being somewhat familiar. For those who have read I AM WATCHING YOU, you would have already met Matthew as he is the private investigator Ella hired. Then when I flicked through I AM WATCHING YOU to one of "Matthew's" chapters I discover the mention of his wife Sally and their daughter. So in effect, THE PROMISE is in prequel to I AM WATCHING YOU since he meets Sally in this book and they are already married in the debut. I just felt it was a nice touch to revisit Matthew, and I hope he pops up in other stories from time to time.

Overall, it was disappointing after Driscoll's other unputdownable thrillers, as I would have thought THE PROMISE would hold a little more promise. Although the pace was a bit slow to start with by the end I couldn't put it down. But in all, THE PROMISE is still a decent book (albeit with some flaws) but still a compelling read.

Thanks to Teresa Driscoll, #NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy of #ThePromise in exchange for an honest review.

The story of three young friends at boarding school should have had a greater impact on me right from the start. I'm sorry to say I wasn't anxious to find out what happened next when I set the book aside to attend to other things in my life. There wasn't anything wrong with the writing but I didn't feel a connection to the characters. This was just a so-so read for me.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley
#The Promise #NetGalley

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

This book is the perfect thriller! Lies, death, mystery! This book was written quite beautifully and FULL of suspense.

Loved this book.
Three schoolgirls made a promise of what happened to them at boarding school – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

I loved the way this story was told by each individual in both the past and present. It was clever style of writing and easy to follow. I literally couldn’t put this book down and the further towards the end it got the more gripping it became. If you like twists and turns in a book and something to keep you guessing then this is the book for you!

Really enjoyable fast paced read with lots of excellent twists and turns! A must read for any fan of psychological thrillers!

I did not finish this book at 30%. Too much back and forth and I couldn't keep the characters straight with going in the past and present. Thank you for the chance to read. Will perhaps try again at another time.

I’m certainly glad I read this book, as it turned out to be a true ‘hold your breath’ for the answers kind of book.
However, it was a bit of a slow burner to begin with, I expected this book to really grip me, but it actually took a while to take a hold. It was only after Chapter 11 when there are small hooks at the end of the chapters that make you want to read ‘just one more chapter’ that I finally couldn’t put the book down!
The timeline is quite hard to keep track of as even during the ‘now’ 2016 sections there is reminiscing about past events.
However, once the book got going, and you were truly invested it was a fantastic read as you really didn’t know what had happened and what the girls had ‘promised’.
I liked the fact that once you did know, this didn’t mean the end of the book, and that there were lots of shocks and turns still to come. It was only as I finished the book I really thought about the book being called ‘The Promise’ it wasn’t called ‘What They Did’, but it was all about them keeping the promise and the ramifications if they didn’t!

A well written psychological thriller which kept me in suspense until the end. I thought I’d worked it out early on but although I had correctly guessed a small part of the story, the plot was far more intricate. Good characterisation and a strong story which made me keen to get back to it each time.

I’d like to thank Teresa Driscoll, #NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy of #ThePromise in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

THE PROMISE could easily have been titled THE SECRET. Three boarding school roommates become best friends, each coming from a different backgrounds. Beth came from an impoverished background, and her parents considered it a source of pride that their daughter, Beth, was attending the boarding school on an armed forces grant at the ripe young age of eleven,. Sally, too, was going to school on a grant, and Carol was only at the school because her mom had won the lottery and wanted her to get an education that could lead to opportunity..

At the young age of fourteen, one of the roommates experiences a life changing event that affected not just herself, but the other two girls as well. Like many teenagers, with the exception of one of the girls, they didn't feel like they had anyone in which to confide to give them good advice when they truly needed it. As a result, the girls dealt with the situation on their own, promising keep it a secret among themselves forevermore. Unbeknownst to them, this incident was the impetus for troubling psychological issues for years to come.

The beginning of the book begins in 2009, years after the three girls have left boarding school. Two of the three girls remain close. Beth is married to Adam and has two sons. Sally is married to Richard and has just miscarried a baby that he did not want, and because of his infidelity, this is the end of their marriage.

The story then jumps to 2016 when Beth and Sally receive news that the convent is closing, and alumni are invited to attend the farewell bash. This leads them on a quest to find and reconnect with Carol, who is now married to Ned. But in doing so, Beth is concerned that it will open a Pandora's box and wishes that the promise had never been made. In addition, it appears that someone has discovered their secret and is making threats. Beth feels that if the secret is revealed, that it will implode her marriage.

This story touches on some very deep and delicate themes, such as child-raising and spousal relationships, that will resonate with the reader for days to come. Even the nuns who ran the boarding school which was in a perpetual financial crisis were in a situation which prevented them from lending sincere support and direction to their young wards because they were so concerned that if their school received a black eye, that it could jeopardize their fundraising efforts to keep the school open.

Even though it takes a while for the promise to be revealed and it may even seem to be anticlimactic, be patient, it is essential to the underlying story and the shocking ending is so worth it. I highly recommend this read!

The Bluebells. Beth, Sally, and Carol met at a Catholic boarding school. They formed a bond that has, mostly, endured the years. The bond is secured by a deep secret that has haunted them for years. This story alternates between four points of view: Beth, Sally, Carol, and Matthew, a hired PI. The writing is fantastic, each character has a distinct personality that you can relate to.

I was intrigued and anxious to see what this big secret was. At around 70% all the truths begin to unravel. I was so into this book- until then. Like this huge secret we've been chasing for 70% of the book resolves in a chapter and then we begin this bizarre drama-filled mess that just leaves me feeling disappointed.

This author has talent, loads of it, but I feel like the plot was so rushed toward the end and then it became so convoluted that it just made me lose interest.

3 stars, because the writing is a thing of beauty.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy writings by Teresa Driscoll, she really has a way of drawing you in, another fantastic psychological thriller which plays on friendship, loyalty, secrets, love etc.

Three young girls meet at boarding school and soon form a bond that will be unbroken right throughout their adult lives, the story is told from 4 perspectives, Beth, Sally and Carol from both present day and their time in the boarding school and the fourth from Matt, the PI, Sally & Beth hire to try to locate Carol.

Something happened during fifth term, the girls were only 14 but that day changed their lives forever, from that day forth they made a promise to keep a secret and never to tell anyone outside of their trio.

When the boarding school goes up for sale, Beth and Sally are keen to track down Carol who has withdrawn herself, there is something about the boarding school that must be dealt with before the sale, what could it be? Someone is sending threatening messages through Facebook telling them to keep away, who wants to keep them from digging in the past and what lengths will they go to to protect the secret?

A slow build up to an explosive ending plenty of twists and turns, I thoroughly enjoyed it, I loved when it all came together, I can honestly say I didn’t know what it was, I guessed the secret well kind of but not the rest…. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5 stars


I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book,it was a proper page turner and almost a read in one sitting.
There was good pace on the reveal of what had happened,what had been promised,whose blood,why Carol was so elusive now...

Then most of the reveal happened,and suddenly it felt like everything was being thrown at the story.... it felt slightly ott to me.

I loved I am Watching You so was delighted to receive an advance copy of The Promise. The story is mainly told from Beth's perspective and goes back in time to when Beth and two of her friends were in boarding school. Something happened which was a secret and they made an agreement never to disclose it until they got a note about it.. They now need to track down Carol, the third friend.

This is certainly a page turner. Teresa Driscoll's writing style is excellent with twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end.

Thank you to Teresa Driscoll, Thomas & Mercer Publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Four stars!

I liked the story, but I didn't connect with any of the characters. It was intriguing though, and one that you can't help but keep reading. Atmospheric and interesting.

The Promise is the story of Beth, Carol and Sally, firm friends in boarding school as teenagers. An incident between them as teenagers in the boarding school haunts them into their adult lives and has them looking over their shoulders all the time. Carol, in particular has cut her ties with Beth and Sally and moved to France with her husband, Ned. When the girls get word that the boarding school is to be demolished, they fear the past is going to catch up with them and they hire a P.I. to track Carol down so they can make a decision about what they should do going forward. Carol unfortunately for Beth and Sally just isn't interested.

I really tried to like this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me. It started off strong enough with the story of the girls in boarding school. As details slowly emerge we find out what happened when they were 14 and what they are so afraid of. However, it was a far fetched and very thin storyline that was dragged out for too long. It seemed to me, at least, that random things were thrown in like the running over of Beth's husband and this was very unbelievable. The very convenient wrap up at the end over the course of a few pages left me very unsatisfied and there were elements of the wrap up that I felt should have formed a stronger part of the storyline. All in all, I felt frustrated by the ending(s) and the neat and tidy way in which everything was tied together, elements of which weren't found or hinted to during the book.

I love these types of books!! Such a great read from the start. Another amazing thriller with fantastic characters. The writing was top notch and an easy read which is always a positive trait! Go ahead and read this one!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Teresa Driscoll for the chance to read and review this book.

“Three girls. One dead.”

Three young girls make a terrible promise to never speak of that awful night and what they did. But what did they do? What awful thing could these girls have done that lead to someone dying in a blood-filled room? Secrets aren’t given up easily or quickly in this intriguing story that is told in two timelines by multiple narrators.

“Who will clear up our mess? That thing we did all those years ago.”

The Convent of St Colman is closing and Beth and Sally receive a letter inviting them to the party to say their goodbyes to their old boarding school. Both women are horrified by the news as it threatens to expose their long held secret. The trio were friends ever since that first day at their new boarding school when three nervous, new outsiders were drawn together in their dormitory by a common situation. Despite Carol’s estrangement Beth and Sally remain loyal to their friendship. Sally is insistent that nothing has changed and they should keep their promise. But Beth disagrees, she wants to find Carol and see what she wants to do. But Carol doesn’t want to be found.

“There’s something not right here…”

Beth hires Private Investigator Matthew Hill to find Carol. She can’t give him the whole story and he’s suspicious of her claim that she is merely trying to find an old friend because their school is being demolished. However he soon tracks down Carol’s Mum, Deborah, who is shocked when approached by Beth and Sally. She seems nervous to talk and is being evasive. Around this time an anonymous Facebook account sends a warning to leave things alone and other threats are made towards Beth’s family. It is clear someone who knows what happened that day doesn’t want the secret told. Could Carol be behind it? While almost certain their friend would do no such thing, despite their estrangement, Beth and Sally can’t think who else could know about the events that night. But they must find out who is sending the messages before their is any more risk of harm.

“Drifting to and fro in time is something I can’t stop these days. Flashes of scenes from the past pushing their way into my day.”

While Matthew hunts for whoever is making threats, Beth spirals into a deep depression. She can’t keep the distressing images from her mind and is haunted by flashbacks and a deep sense of guilt. As the party at The Convent draws closer with no leads on who is behind the malicious attacks on her family or where Carol is now, she and Sally argue. Losing the one person she could truly confide in makes it worse but when Adam is hurt, Sally is the first person she calls and the one to rush to be by her side. Meanwhile it seems Carol is also struggling with severe anxiety and is unable to come to terms with what happened, seeking solace in consulting psychics. However instead of leaning on her friends and family like Beth, Carol runs from them.

“The candles. The girl with the blue lips…”

When their secret was finally revealed I was shocked. I thought I’d figured it out but I was blindsided by the author. The Promise is a captivating psychological thriller. The latter part of the book in particular is full of twists, turns, bombshells and discoveries. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t stop reading until the end. I liked that the story addressed how what the girls went through would affect their mental health, even so many years later. I thought these parts of the story were well written and realistic. I think the three main characters were well written, especially how they each dealt with things so differently as their secret seeps insidiously into every facet of their lives. Another great read from Ms Driscoll.

This book has plenty of twists,deception and lies if you love your thrillers. Unfortunately for me it took a while to really start up. Having said that I still loved the book, and her writing style. I was emotionally involved with the characters. I loved the storyline which is what grabbed me in the first place.

I loved this book! It took a little bit to get into it learning each of the characters and how they fit into the storyline. Something really bad happened many years ago to 3 young girls and they made a promise
that had not been broken..... until now. There are other characters that get entwined into the story.
This is my first book by this writer. I'm interested in reading more of her books.

Such a great book. The friendship and tragedy that both brought the characters together and then separated them was devastating. And oh the end, I did not see that coming. Very exciting and loved all the twists.

This was a hard one to get into, found I struggled for a little while. But once I got half way I started to enjoy it! Twist to the end I didn’t see coming but all ends tied up and I wasn’t left with any unanswered questions

This book has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.
Without giving anything away, the plot is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending.

My thanks go to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the chance to read this fantastic novel.

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

Netgallery # The promise.
Another Teressa Driscoll novel that just goes not let you down I have said before I hate spoilers to mr they can ruin a book but once again a really good novel with the twist and turns popping up when you least expect them, I do recommend this book as a must read

This is the third psychological thriller I’ve read by Teresa Driscoll and I continue to be in awe of how she weaves a story.

In THE PROMISE, three girls make a vow to keep a secret about something they have done. Years later, Beth and Sally have mostly moved on with their lives, while Carol has distanced herself from her old friends. When shocking news threatens to bring their secret to light, Beth hires a private investigator to find Carol before their act is revealed. Beth regrets having made the promise, but as she considers what she should do, someone is watching and determined to keep the secret hidden, no matter what it takes.

The author is a master at characterization. No cardboard cutout characters here. She lures you into the lives of her characters by combining just the right amount of daily routine with complicated life issues. It all feels so real and convincing. This could be your life, after all. And that’s why you’re shocked when you get to the end.

Driscoll should be nominated the Mistress of the Successful Red Herring. Actually, make that red herrings. She slips them in so effortlessly, I found myself second-guessing and changing my mind several times about where I thought the story was going. In the end, she got me again. Well done.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a psychological thriller with characters that are fleshed out and a plot that simmers before it comes to a rapid boil.

I started and stopped this book several times before finally finishing it. The storyline was a sound concept and intrigued me from the first. My problem was the time line kept jumping back and forth between the three girls/women and I had trouble keeping what was happening straight. It took a while to get to the "secret" they were sharing but once it was revealed the book did get better and had a satisfying ending.

This is a good read. This is the story of three girls and a secret they kept between themselves about an event which had changed their lives. It is well written and the characters are believable and engaging. I think its main let down is that the description I read before reading the book promises more than the book delivered.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Beth, Sally, and Carol have been friends since their high school days. True, Carol has been distancing herself from the other two for the past few years, but Beth still considers her to be one of her very best friends in part because of the dark secrets the three of them share.

Thirty years ago, the three teenaged girls did something terrible, something they all promised to keep between themselves. Now though, their former school is closing, and Beth has reason to suspect their secret might be revealed. She wants to come clean, but she's reluctant to do so without first talking things over with Carol, but Carol seems to have disappeared.

Desperate to find her missing friend before it's too late, Beth hires a private investigator to assist in the search. Sally isn't nuts about the idea, but she goes along with it just to keep the peace. However, it soon becomes clear to both women that something very strange is going on with Carol, and finding her could put them and those they love in serious danger.

AAR reviewers Shannon Dyer and Lisa Fernandes got together to discuss The Promise, and are here to share their thoughts.

Shannon: I read a lot of thrillers and I'm always on the lookout for more dark, creepy books, so I thought The Promise had a great deal of potential. What drew you to this story, Lisa? Are thrillers like this part of your normal reading fare, or is The Promise something new for you?

Lisa: I read a fairly steady diet of thrillers too.  I love stories about teenagers committing Atrocious Acts (Heathers is one of my favorite movies) and I have a fondness for close female friendship and deep dark secrets. The blurb definitely drew me in.

Shannon: Most of the story is told from Beth's point of view, with small portions slipped in from other perspectives. I found Beth quite relatable and the most likable of the three friends, but I didn't always trust her perception. She’s a little too self-involved at certain points in the story, and this made it difficult for me to feel as though I was getting to know the other characters. Did you find her a trustworthy narrator, or were there things that called her reliability into question?

Lisa: I felt for Beth, and liked her the most. In a field littered with mostly unreliable narrators, she was the one I trusted the most, even though she was indeed selfish, especially in trying to make sure the secret stayed fully hidden. She was just trying to keep it together, just trying to deal with the burden of the shared secret without giving in to her barely-buried panic and PTSD.  She was the best choice for narrator, being the one with the least to hide – although I’d have liked more chapters from Sally’s PoV.

Shannon: Let's talk about Sally for a bit. It's obvious from the beginning of the story that she's had a lot to deal with in her life. Beth seems to feel kind of protective toward her at first, but as things escalate, that protectiveness appears to wane and Beth grows frustrated with some of Sally's choices. I found Sally difficult to like. She was too whiny for my taste, and I wanted to see her step up and take responsibility for the things she did wrong, but she didn't seem capable of doing so. How did Sally's character work for you?

Lisa: Sally was, IMO the classic hard-to-wrangle loose cannon coping badly with what she’d been through – she acted out against her trauma in a different way than Beth but was still believable.  Sometimes I think her fragility was used as almost a way to stretch out the plot to fit the page-length, and a little frank discussion between them would’ve mitigated some of the plot-silliness going on.

Shannon: I would agree with that. Sally’s fragility was understandable at certain points in the story, but I'm not sure Ms. Driscoll needed to take it as far as she did. The quest to find Carol is one of the most important plot points of the story. There were times I felt it took precedence over the actual crime the girls committed in their teenaged years, which gave the story an uneven feel. I found myself wondering if the author was trying to squeeze too many elements into one story.

Lisa: The worst part about the Carol storyline was that I’d easily guessed where she was hiding out, and what she was doing.  I agree that there was too much of it, and the book took far too long to settle into giving us flashbacks of what exactly happened.  I cared and didn’t want her suffering, but I also wanted to know what had bound Carol, Sally and Beth so closely together in the first place!

Speaking of all three women, their sisterhood was believable in places, but sometimes felt ludicrous, especially because neither Beth nor Sally talked to Carol for years

Shannon: I found their connection more believable when they were younger, since they were in constant contact then. They rarely saw or even spoke to Carol as adults, so I struggled to fully buy into Beth's assertions that Carol was one of her closest friends. The relationship between Beth and Sally was more believable since they were each a regular part of the other's life.

Buried secrets is a theme that runs through the novel from beginning to end, with almost most every character having something to hide. It makes for a compelling mystery, but I'm not sure how realistic it actually is. I mean, we all have certain things we choose to keep to ourselves, but most of us don't have the kind of secrets these people were dealing with. Did this feel realistic to you?

Lisa: Oh, it definitely wasn’t realistic – not much of the book honestly was, including the girls’ ultimate crime – less the thing that happens but how they hide it.  But I was fine with suspending my disbelief and going along with the pretty wild ride this time, though some of those secrets were ludicrous.

Shannon: I find the whole miscommunication thing quite common, not just in books like this one, but in today's fiction in general. We see it in romances on a pretty regular basis. It's a plot device that isn't always my favorite, but I understand why the author chose to employ it here.

Lisa: Another strong theme in the book is motherhood.  Without spoiling anything, how did you feel about the girls’ relationship with it, and the way that connected back to the nuns who took care of them?

Shannon: All three women had very complicated feelings about motherhood. Sally and Carol both really wanted to be mothers, while Beth had children but seemed pretty distant from them. As I read, I found myself wondering if their relationships with their own mothers colored their perceptions of motherhood, and I do think their experiences with the nuns played into it as well. Despite the large number of women in their lives, there wasn't a strong mother figure to be found.

Lisa: Compare that to how they reacted to any new girls who entered the picture and came close to piercing the union between the three of them, and there’s definitely a whiff of girls-without-guardianship going on.  The nuns seemed to realize that and found them to be calming influences on ‘wild’ girls – seemingly ignoring what was lurking under the surface of it all.  It was fascinating.

Shannon: When Matthew first entered the story, I'll admit to wondering why he was necessary. I worried he would further complicate the already busy plot, but I ended up being quite pleased with the role he played. How did you feel about Matthew? Did his presence add something to the story, or did you find him a bit extraneous?

Lisa: Matthew was another of my favorite characters, and I found his secret to be the most compelling!  I rooted for his healing more than that of our three main characters, and I don’t know what that says about the narrative. Someone was needed to weave all of the threads together and he was pretty good for that, and good as a love interest of One of The Girls.

Shannon: I want to talk about the big reveal. I had some of it figured out, but there were a few things that seemed to come out of nowhere. Obviously, plot twists are an important part of psychological thrillers, but they need to feel organic in order to work for me. Some authors invent twists for the sole purpose of shocking the reader. Do you think Ms. Driscoll fell into that trap, or did the twists she used work for you?

Lisa: Now we’ve come to the part of the book that annoyed me the most.  I had most of the Big Cecret pieced together by the time it dropped, and I bought what it was.  You know what I didn’t buy?  The way it turned out that it wasn’t a big deal after all, because someone else had already handled the details of the crime WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE.  That forced a shift to clearing out other plot elements that again, exist just to pad out the page count.  It felt like the author was playing for time and decided to pad things out with twists that didn’t work.

Shannon: What's your final grade? I'm giving it a solid B. It's not the best book of its type I've read this year, but it definitely isn't the worst either. Despite its flaws, the story kept me fully engaged, and I came away from it with a feeling of contentment.

Lisa: I’m going just a notch below you with a B-; those twists really are bad and distract from a fairly taut mystery.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Visit our Amazon Storefront

Firstly, the story line for this book was great and i adored the characters! The novel tells the story of 3 young girls that find themselves in a terrifying situation and make a decision that haunts them for the rest of their lives. The past secret is about to come to light and the girls need to make a choice that could define their futures. There are highs and lows and twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed the way this story was told. The only complaint i have is that it was a little bit slow and drawn out, but the character likability makes that tolerable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It thought this book was a smart and addictive psychological thriller and it kept me interested the entire book.
It was a slow build to a great unexpected ending.

This was a slow read but I didn't feel it dragged on or was boring one bit. Everything built up towards the end though, so many twists and turns! What an explosive ending!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

This was my first book by Teresa Driscoll. I enjoyed the story, but for some reason I couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to know what happened to them, but I wasn't feeling their emotions. The ending was surprising, though. I really liked it.

This book took me a little while to get into, but once I'd gotten a good few chapters in I was hooked. I did not see some of the story line coming! Shocking!
3 friends from boarding school share a secret and promise not to tell. Circumstances lead to their secret being close to being discovered. Will they own up? They face trouble when it's clear someone knows their secret and wants it left alone. As the story develops 2 of the friends don't know the full story behind the secret they keep. What comes out is a surprise, I was totally shocked.

Another brilliant book from this author. Had me hooked from the start but felt a little let down by the ending. A worthy 4 stars.

Another brilliant book from this author. Hooked from the start this book is unputdownable. Felt the ending was a slight let down but a worthy 4 stars.

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is described as “chilling” therefore I KNEW I had to read it! The dark and creepy cover promises a book that might keep readers up all night. I don’t understand how people don’t like to read. There are so many amazing books out there!

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave. Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made. But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?

I love the premise of this book. Already I want to know what did they do? Who knows their secret? What is the twist? Who did it? Is someone after one of them? I am super psyched to crack this one open.

Due out in February 2019

I had really high hopes for The Promise. It just did not lure me in the way I had hoped it would. It was way too slow of a read for me. I might appreciate it more if I did not have so much else going on in my life currently.

The Promise is a story of a three friends who have been hiding a terrible secret since their days at a school run by nuns. Beth, Sally and Carol have coped in different ways with their promise not to tell anyone about that happened when they were younger. When Beth starts receiving threatening messages from someone who claims to know about the past, she and Sally try to reconnect with Carol before the secret gets out. What they don't realize is that Carol has been hiding something else that could put them in terrible danger. A solid book, but not as good as her previous effort I Am Watching You. I would still recommend it to readers who are willing to wait for the story to build slowly to the final twist.

This was so disappointing...I'd really enjoyed previous books by this writer but it was SO slow, SO drawn out that I gave up and didn't finish. I found I just didn't care. Sorry.

A gripping thriller where the secrets of the past threaten to destroy the present, The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is a real page turner. Three lonely young girls become firm friends at a bleak convent boarding school, through midnight feasts and spooky ouija board games , until one terrible night when something so traumatic happens that the effects not only shatter the friendship but also ripple through time to the present day. Beth and Sally have moved with their lives, and the promise they made that terrible night is a secret they have managed to keep from everyone, but shocking news about the imminent demolition of the school threatens to ruin everything, and their only hope is to track down Carol , a task that proves both difficult and dangerous.
Well crafted and paced, with good characters and a plot that twists and turns enough to hook the most jaded of readers, this is an excellent page turner.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This book was a mixed bag for me - and I don’t really know which genre I would place it. It would not, however, be a psychological thriller. It slowly tells the story of 3 convent girls with a secret. A secret they all promise to keep (hence the title) , but when the news comes that the convent is to be demolished the girls know there secret will soon be uncovered. So slow at times I almost gave up - there were some parts of the book I felt had only been included to fatten it out a bit - or add a back story where one wasn’t really needed. I am, however, glad I persevered as it was on the whole a reasonable read.

Took me a little while to get into this book and understand who everyone was but when I did I was hooked wanting to know what the promise. How bad could One promise be to have so much power in three grown up women. The writer takes on a journey and you go places you did not expect. 💜

Teresa Driscoll has done it again with another brilliant book.
Boarding school brings together three girls and from the first day they strike up a bond that is unbreakable. Or is it?
Beth, Sally and Carol are not only close during term time, they spend holidays together too. That is until they turn 14 and their lives are turned upside down. Things are never the same again but they must never speak about what happened all those years ago.
How long can they keep The Promise?

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll was a quick read for me. The story was a bit slow to begin with and I found the ending to be quite rushed. So much happened and quickly in the last 30% or so. It was a good story that has you wanting to know what has happened and who knows.

3 school friends - Carol, Beth and Sally did something horrible at boarding school. Something that they will never speak about again - the secret they promise to take to their graves. But the news that their former school is being demolished has them nervous and scared that their secret will be revealed. They are being watched and targeted - but who else knows about their past?

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Published by: Thomas & Mercer (7th February 2019)



Source: Netgalley



Rating: 5*



Synopsis:

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made.

But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?



Review:

I've previously read and thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous psychological thrillers and had been eagerly anticipating this, her third novel of the genre. Although seemingly initially slow, with time spent carefully constructing the background and present day characters to ensure no attention to detail was left out, the story of #ThePromise begins to build as we meet the three schoolgirls and some of the supporting characters that also play a part in this deftly tangled and emotionally fraught web.



As the story of the three friends progressed and #ThePromise itself was revealed, it was clear that this tale was about to get a whole lot darker. It doesn't matter that I guessed the awful truth, the fact that this novel kept me up all night reading far negates that! The heart racing, dreadful feeling in the pit of your stomach moments that books like Teresa's give you come from great storytelling talent, which Ms Driscoll has in droves. I'll never look at a magnolia tree in the same way!

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is about three friends Carol, Beth and Sally. When at boarding school, something terrible happened between them and they promised each other never to talk about it again.
Present day, all three girls have gone their separate ways until they hear, that their old boarding school is being re-developed and there is a party, to honour the school and the girls who attended it. But they are all panicking as the secret from their past, will come out. Also, someone is watching them and warning them to leave things alone.
This is my first book by Teresa Driscoll, that I have read and I have heard great things about her books. I am also an avid Psychological thriller fan. I thought that, although I like the premise of this story it started rather slow. But as we learnt more about each individual t starts getting more interesting and I wanted to carry on reading. I will now look out for more of her books.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book.

Sally, Beth and Carol went to a nun school. They made a promise there - to take the truth of what they they did to the grave with them.
Thirty years later Beth and Sally have tried to move on while Carol has distanced herself from her friends they are still adamant that the truth must never come out. But when some news comes out, that rocks them to the core Beth and Sally have no choice but to hire private investigator Matthew Hill to help them reconnect with Carol before the act they committed as teenagers is revealed.
Beth is starting to wish she could take back the vow they had made but now someone is watching and will stop at nothing to make sure the secret stays buried. Now Beth’s family is in danger is she still going to be able to keep the promise?
This was my first read by this Author, makes me wonder why I haven’t read any of her work before!
This was a quick paced read and it is told mainly through Beth in both past and present tense. It is easy to follow though and as the story progresses Matthew and Carol’s chapters are added in too. It was a very well written story, the characters were well developed and the descriptions and settings were brilliant.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the sound of this book and was looking forward to reading it,however I soon started to struggle with the pace of the book and the characters.It was so slow, I know I am an impatient reader,but I do want some thing to happen.The characters were hard to click with as well,I struggled to identify with them.I really didn't take to this book, I thought the potential with the plot was wasted I am afraid,and it wasn't for me.Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.Sorry I can't give it a better review.

This book had me from page 1. It was so full of twist and turns all I wanted to do was get to the end to find the truth. Half way through I guessed what I took to be the main plot. But that was only the beginning. There were so many more question and answers still to come. 3 friends from a very young age met at boarding school. Something happens at school which affect their whole lives. I truly recommend this book.

The Promise was an engaging and character-driven story that I felt compelled to read quickly. Over the course of a few days, I became engrossed in the past of Beth, Sally, and Carol and was nearly desperate to know what they could have done that was so haunting. I was certainly surprised when the origins of their promise were revealed, but was doubly surprised that there was an additional layer to the mystery of the story. I appreciated that this story wasn't predictable, and the varying layers of time and perspective that contributed to the story made it a compelling read.

#ThePromise#Netgalley allowed me to have an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which I really appreciate.
The Promise is basically about 3 young girls who while living at a Catholic boarding school, after experiencing something horrific they agree to promise to never tell another soul.
This is a character driven book that was very well written and I was pulled in from the start. It was fast paced and a.great psychological thriller. It had alot of suspense, twists and turns that kept the story interesting. What I liked the best was the storyline although it was dark, it was unique. I want to give this a 4 1/2 star.

A gripping thriller, evolving around the lives of three young girls from their first meeting at a Convent boarding school to adult hood. An incident at the school affected all their later lives. The promise they made then caused them all considerable upset. When their secret finally comes to light their lives can then return to normal.

I received a free e-copy of The Promise by Teresa Driscoll from NetGalley for my honest review.

Three friends, Beth, Sally, and Carol met at a Catholic boarding school. They formed a special bond. Their bond, however is set by a deep and dark secret that has haunted them throughout their lives. A secret they all swore to take to their graves.

Many years later, the girls get news that their former school is going to be demolished. Now they are in fear that their secret, long ago, will be discovered. Also, someone is watching them, but who? Is there someone out there that knows what they did?

The story is beautifully written and the characters are wonderful but the story moved along a bit slowly for me. It is told by four different points of view (Beth, Sally, Carol and Matthew).

Gosh, but, this is a really good read. I got lost in the excellent writing, great storyline and such well developed characters that I couldn't put it down.

Three schoolgirl friends have made a promise back when they were at boarding school together and it's something that continues to affect each of their lives, many years on. Now, they hear that the boarding school is to be redeveloped and their secret may be discovered. What follows is a woven tale of secrets, lies, friendships, family, grief and loss and it's so, so well written. It's got twists and turns and you're never quite sure who is honestly revealing themselves. I thought the character of Matthew was fabulous and brought an added dimension to the tension.

A fabulous read.


Thanks so much to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author for the ARC and the opportunity to preview.

The Promise was a very difficult story to get into. It was very slow going and nothing irritates me more than when characters refer to an incident in vague details throughout 50-75% of a story. The end of the book had some nice twists but I can't honestly say it was worth the wait to get there. The major event is nothing more than scared teenage girls, really. They made terrible choices, yes. It seemed like other events in the story were much bigger but this was supposed to be the main conflict. I would have enjoyed this more if there wasn't such a huge buildup to this big secret they all (only partially) shared.

The Promise – Teresa Driscoll

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Back in a private religious boarding school, teenagers, best friends & roommates Beth, Sally & Carol are unwitting accomplices in a death. Not knowing what else to do, they cover it up as best they can, and promise to never say another word to anyone about the events of that fateful night.

Years later, each have their own lives – Beth is happily married with two children, and she remains close with Sally, who is having relationship struggles of her own. Carol, however, for reasons unknown, has distanced herself from the group, partially due to her relationship with a world traveling businessman. And then the girls receive letters that their old boarding school is going to be sold and demolished – with the real potential of exposing a secret many years old.

As the girls search for Carol, in a desperate attempt to ensure that the promise isn’t broken, they also endeavor to protect the events of that night at all costs. As Carol is located and brought unwillingly into the fold with secrets of her own, strange things start to happen. Beth receives warnings in her email and via Facebook, and her husband is badly injured by a hit and run driver. But no one else knew of the long ago events of that night…or did they??

Told in past and present glimpses into the lives of these three women, their story gradually comes to light and just when you think you understand the events of that long ago night….another curveball or three are tossed in that have you frantically turning the pages to get to the very last page! This one kept me up well into the night. A great read from Teresa Driscoll!!

Teresa Driscoll’s latest psychological thriller starts slowly as she draws the characters and fills us in on some of their shared history, but it picks up in the second half.

Something terrible happened when these three friends were at boarding-school which still binds them together in secrecy today. Now that their old school is being bulldozed everything comes flooding back again. And it seems that somebody else knows what happened too…

I did enjoy The Promise, but it wasn’t my favourite book by this author.

Oh my! What a fantastic read by Teresa, I was totally hooked! Have read a few of her other books and they will not disappoint. I don’t normally read thrillers, but wow, just wow, I loved it!

Beth, Sally and Carol are three young teenage girls who meet at a boarding school - The Convent of St Coleman. The three of them become fast friends, spending all of their time together. But when something too intense for teenage girls to handle on their own occurs things change between them.

Fast forward about 25 years, Beth and Sally have kept their friendship and promises to keep secret what happened in the past intact. Carol’s contact with the two others has been sparse over the years.

When the school informs all their former students of its upcoming closure and the fact that it will be demolished Beth and Sally attempt to find Carol.
Beth and Sally are very anxious that secrets from their time at the school will be uncovered.

The pace of this book started a bit on the slower side, flashing back and forth from present day to events that occurred while the girls were attending the school. I really idea no idea what could have happened to them that cause them to have kept their secrets so long. When I finally found out in the second half of the book what their secret was it wasn’t what I was expecting. Things really picked up in the late few chapters of the book and the secrets and lies kept coming, and from places I wasn’t expecting. Overall I enjoyed this enough to read it quickly, but it was too thrilling or suspenseful. I give it three stars because it kept me curious and interested but it didn’t give me any big shocks that I would hope for from a thriller.

This book begins with the idea that three schoolmates share a secret, and the aftermath decades later. A very interesting premise that becomes even more interesting as the novel progresses. I don't want to reveal too much here, but this one's worth reading all the way through!

You really get to know the main characters as you read, and there are a good number of twists and turns to the storyline. Keeps you on your toes throughout!

Amazing read, lots of different situations believable characters, twists and turns gripping and compelling to read.Highly recommend this

I am trying to come up with what to say about this book. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I can't give away too much because I don't want t spoil the book, but at times I was really bored. It felt as if the author wanted to write several different books and mashed them all together. This is because a lot of the characters have pasts that are dark. By the end of the book everything did come together. I would say this is a character driven book versus a plot driven book.

If you are a fan of thrillers and you read every one that you can get your hands on, then go ahead and read this one. BUT if you are not familiar with the Thriller genre you may be disappointed as it is not very thrilling.

A real page turner that will keep you hooked throughout. Plenty of twists and a constant reveal of information all the way through the story.

The story is told over two main timelines: present day and the past when the main characters were at boarding school. Most of the story is told via Beth but there are various chapters where we find out small snippets of information from a few other characters.

Beth, Sally and Carol all attended the same boarding school, run by a group of Nuns. They spent their whole time with each other but they are keeping a secret which could be finally revealed with the upcoming demolition of their school. Beth and Sally are still the best of friends but after school Carol drifted away from them but now Beth and Sally must try to find Carol to decide what they are to do with the secret and promise they made to each other. Will they find Carol in time ? And will they be able to keep their promise ?

I really enjoyed this book and found myself really liking Beth and Sally. Carol was kept as a bit of a mystery and I wasn’t really quite sure what to make of her but I think this all adds to the suspense and mystery.

If you love twisty mysteries then you will really enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more from Teresa Driscoll in the future.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I was given an advance copy for a honest review
3 stars. The story starts out really slow it was hard to keep my attention. It did get better I just wish I liked it more than I did.

"Every spring when I watch the petals lost to the wind, I think of the fragility of our dreams."

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll centres around three friends, a promise made decades before, and their relationships, past and present. The author's writing is very distinctive and she writes in such a lovely style as she brings her characters to life. You get to know them so well, they are living, breathing people you root for from very early on.

"How cruel would it be? To dust a person with the magic of the mountains then snatch the dream away."

So many times I paused at a piece of text, admiring the prose. The story was so engaging, I couldn't help but keep turning the pages to discover more about this trio. It came as no surprise to learn the author spent time in a boarding school as the authenticity of the writing seeped from every page. The twists and revelations during the last quarter of the book blindsided me. The ending was truly satisfying and left me with a warm glow. Another winner from Teresa Driscoll. Five stars from me.

The Promise was a wonderful story of three best friends who are faced with bad circumstances, and together and among much hardship, make it through the struggle. I loved reading about the bond that the three girls shared throughout their lives. It was very heart warming since you don't see friendships that endure and last through so much today. The many twists and turns keep you guessing and excited until the bittersweet end. This novel about death, abuse (sexual and physical), and the contrast of friendship, love, and devotion is quite memorable and enjoyable. I will look for more by this author. Highly recommend.

Three school girls have a secret and they have sworn never to tell.
Thirty years later they are still dealing with the trauma of what happened all those years ago. Little do they realise that someone is watching them but WHY?
This book is a slow burner and at times I wanted to give up on it. It was really hard to get into. The premise has been done to death and I am sorry to say that this is not a good one. The ending was disappointing and very abrupt. This is not a book for me.
I would like the author, Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for giving an honest review.

I was excited to read this book after really enjoying Driscoll's I Am Watching You. Unfortunately, I didn't find this one to be nearly as good. The Promise was certainly a decent thriller with a few surprises threw in. In fact, I was impressed that I was actually shocked a couple of times, which to me signals a successful mystery/thriller. However, I just didn't connect with the characters as much as I had hoped. Beth and Sally, the main characters and best friends, didn't really speak to me, so I found it hard to become too emotionally invested. However, this was a quick and fast-paced read. I would recommend if you're looking for a psychological thriller.

This was my first book by this author and I will be diffently reading more. This book gripped me from the start, with its twists and turns. Very well written, I highly recommend this book.

Wow - This story was like peeling back the layers of an onion....everytime I thought I knew where it was going and who the criminal was, another twist came, and I threw me off course - in a good way!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
The Promise is the third book of Teresa Driscoll that I have read and whilst I didn’t think it was quite as good as ‘I am Watching You’ and The Friend’ . I did enjoy the concluding chapters of the book which were totally engrossing and the psychological drama of the concluding chapters were what you have come to expect from Teresa Driscoll.
Highly recommended.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author, Teresa Driscoll, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Promise in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I thought the book offered a good read, though it was slow to start. An easy book to pick up and put down if you are busy

I enjoy Teresa Driscoll, having discovered her with I Am Watching You, and I very much enjoyed The Promise too. The promise Sally, Caroline, and Beth made when they were together at boarding school was different to what I was expecting, and Driscoll cleverly through in some red herrings that twisted the story even further. I was also happy to see a recurring character turn up.

Beneath the pacy, exciting thriller that I enjoyed, there are several key themes that stood out to me. How easy it can be for someone to manipulate you, and just how much someone can change when living with an abuser, how they can appear to push you away. Another is (and this may be my own beliefs interpreting what Driscoll has written) how dangerous blind faith can be, especially when it comes to religion (and women's rights). How terrible it can be, to be weighed down by a secret for so many years. The characters in this book were fully fleshed out, unique, and engaging, exactly what I've come to expect from Driscoll. Really enjoyed this one, highly recommend.

I found this book really hard to put down. Really intriguing and it kept me guessing until the very end. A web of destruction that perhaps we could all encounter. A great read!

A fabulous story of loss and friendship spanning many years and the secrets we keep. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and found parts that made me smile and also made me cry.

You can find this review and all my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 3.75 stars.

Beth and Sally have kept the promise, the secret, for over 20 years now. They've never told a soul what happened when they were 14 and still best friends with Carol. Inseparable, attached at the hip, but no longer. Carol often pops into their minds but for the most part, they've put the past behind them. Until they receive letters stating that the St. Colman Convent, the girl's old boarding school, is closing down and set to be redeveloped. After all this time, is their past going to come back and haunt them? More than it already does? The death that happened, the secret they kept all these years, Beth and Sally are at a loss of what to do. They start an insane journey to find Carol, get in contact with her, so they can ask her opinion, what she wants to do. She's the third girl in this promise, and Beth doesn't want to continue without her go ahead. But as they search and search, coming up with nothing, their anxieties rise higher, beginning to effect Beth's home life and Sally's sanity. All the guilt from what happened so long ago spilling over into their present day lives. What happened when they were 14? What is the big secret that they're so afraid of? And what has happened to Carol? Where is she?

This is a gritty psychological thriller, it switches between three different points of view - Beth, Matthew and Carol. Carol's point of view is written mostly in diary entries so we're still not sure what's actually going on with her or why she has become so distant. The story focuses mainly on the promise obviously, drip feeding us small tidbits, enough for us to form our own opinions of what actually happened when the girls were attending boarding school, but as I found out in the end, not actually divulging anything that could force us to uncover the truth without the story doing it for us. Well, that's for me anyway. I had absolutely NO idea that the story would turn out how it did, and it definitely upped my rating in the end.

I believe that Driscoll portrays the uncomfortable, anxiety of resurgent guilt from a past mistake. I honestly felt anxious for the characters while they stumbled through this story absolutely terrified that their secret would come out, that everyone would know what happened, and that their lives would be completely destroyed because of it. Holding something so terrible in for so long would almost become like a background sound - white noise - constantly threaded through the everyday lives of someone. Driscoll's portrayal of the depression that completely clouds Beth as she struggles to deal with the possible ramifications of this is wonderful. Being someone who lives with depression, I feel that she got the feelings one experiences when in a depression rut rather well. Even though it was honestly only a tiny part of Beth's story, I felt that it was important anyway, and she pulled it off. The descriptions of going through the motions but not really being present, of feeling stuck in a fog that is cutting you off from your loved ones, and your life in general, was on point for me. Her loved ones becoming increasingly worried, and her assuring them that she's fine, that everything's fine, while actually trying to BE fine because of her two young boys.

Sally was written fantastically. And this is the point where I will put in a trigger warning. At the very beginning of the book when we're transported to Beth and Sally in 2009 - there is details of a miscarriage. So if you think you will have trouble dealing with reading about such a horrible experience, I'd probably suggest against reading this one. It's not super graphic or anything, but the detail into how Sally herself was effected, they way that she was as it happened, is pretty descriptive. So I can imagine that it would be incredibly hard to read for some. There are other trigger warnings that I will put here, that have to do with abuse, domestic abuse, and rape. This is not as light a read as I thought it would be. It dealt heavily with hard subjects, but I feel that it was done well. These subjects were not included for shock factor, they had impacts on the story as well as the characters, they were woven through this story wonderfully and they really did add another dimension to it. I feel that the book would not have been the same had it chosen to forgo inclusion of these themes.

Matthew was okay, we get to know a bit about him, but he's not completely in the forefront of this story, he is the private investigator hired by Beth and Sally when they decide to ramp up their search for Carol. He was a nice addition to the story, and it would not have been the same without him in it.

I love that Driscoll dealt with so many things in here. The themes mentioned above, as well as the loss of a parent and how it can impact someone's whole life. The struggles for some students who attend boarding schools, spending majority of their young life away from their family. I can't really say much more with giving away too much of the story itself.

The reveal was fantastic. When we finally find out what the bit secret was, I thought that everything would start to descend back towards the bottom of the proverbial mountain, ready to be tied up into a nice little bow, but oh I was wrong. So much more is revealed than I originally thought was even happening. We get answers to everything and more. Everything begins to make sense. The only word I have for the last 5 odd chapters is explosive. The revelations, the reasons, the surprises, phenomenal.

The reason that my review is not higher, is that at times, I felt that the story lagged a bit. Pacing was a bit slower than I like and I found myself looking at where I was in the book and thinking "Really? I still have 30% to go??". But other than this, I can't pick much fault with it. It was a great book but it didn't hit that giddy, unbelievable, butterfly inducing 5 star rating for me. When I was near the end, thinking back on the story itself, it sometimes felt like a mess of strands that were all tangled up and it was impossible to see which thread went where. Though once I got to the ending, it was as though the ball of mess had untangled itself. I believe that this feeling of chaos actually probably lent even more realness to the story itself. We are thrown into such a chaotic story that we can't help but feel empathy for these characters and what they're going through.

Three schoolgirls make a promise - mot take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave. For thirty years Sally and Beth have tried to put the trauma behind them, even though Carol, the third girl, has distanced herself from her former friends. Something had happened at the boarding school that was run by nuns. Now, the former boarding school has been scheduled for demolishing. The news has the girls scared and nervous. Sally and Beth hire Matthew, a Private Detective, to try and find Carol. Will their secret be revealed?

The story is a bit of a slow burner, but curiosity makes you read on to find out what the secret is that the three girls are keeping. The chapters alternate between past and present and narrated between the characters. Parts of the search for Carol seemed to drag out a bit. The pace quickens up at around 70%, but from then on, it all just seemed a bit rushed. I did guess what the secret was and I found it to be a little disappointing. All in, this is still a decent read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author Teresa Discoll for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Awesome!!!! Couldn’t even move or eat dinner to finish this one! I’ve got 4 words for you.... good luck sleeping tonight!

5 out of 5 stars

First I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The more books I read by Teresa Driscoll the more I enjoy her writing and this was no exception. The first book I read by her was "I am watching you" and I really enjoyed it. I just finished the audio version of "The Friend" and really enjoyed it. "The Promise" was just as good even though it had a different feel.

Sally, Beth and Carol, three best friends living in a catholic boarding school made a promise to keep a secret just between them forever. A secret so dark that has haunted them for life.

Now grown woman Carol has completely distanced herself from Sally and Beth to the point that they can't even find her. Sally and Beth however have grown closer So close that they are practically codependent. When news comes that the school is being demolished they are afraid that their secret will be revealed. In desperation they hired a PI and that is when things really begin to implode.

Yes, this is a mystery but I also really reads like a character study. Each woman handles things in a different way and it is very compelling to watch as these women handle the stress, fear and heartbreak that has been handed to them.

I must say that I really enjoyed seeing Matthew from "The Friend" in this and I liked that it told us the story of Matthew before we meet him in "The Friend". It was a pleasure to see him again.

Will you be surprised by everything in this book? No, not really but I think you will enjoy the story immensely.

This is a story of an intense relationship between a trio of friends. Such innocence and promise. I enjoyed the journey these girls went through throughout the book, gaining the insight and perspective from each character. They were all on the same journey, however their paths were very different. The way the author allows you into their lives using the past and present is clever. I did find the revelations predicatble, some not all I had worked out, but that's ok with me. All the main characters were likable, I felt for them and that is because the author made it so.

The Promise starts off slow and it took too long for me to get into it. I don’t feel confident in recommending this to close friends or family because, unfortunately, I was left with many unanswered questions. This wasn’t what was I was looking for in a thriller’s ending despite others enjoying it.

This was an easy read with a secret withheld for much of the book and the effect keeping this secret had on the lives of three girls from a convent school. This is not the only issue this book deals with but it is the major one and keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know the whole story and the outcome.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Teresa Driscoll/Amazon for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Promise started off with an intriguing hook that had me gripped and in suspense of what the big secret actually is. It was chilling at times but it was a slow burner so be prepared for that.
Didn’t love this one but it was still an enjoyable read that intrigued me and it was mostly unpredictable and maybe a tad bit too dramatic.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Teresa Driscoll for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller - it won't disappoint!

Three girls become fast friends at a Catholic boarding school. They also make a promise - to never reveal a secret about something they did to anyone, ever. Fast forward and Beth and Sally are still best friends, but they've lost touch with Carol through the years. An announcement that the school is being sold to developers who are planning on demolishing it send Beth and Sally into fear that their secret will be revealed. They must find Carol. Enter Matthew, a private investigator with his own secret. But is the hunt for Carol endangering their lives?

This was a great read with lots of twists - some you'll guess and others you won't. It's also a story of how what happens to us in the past changes our future and the power that secrets carry in our lives.

Three friends, Beth, Sally and Carol meet at boarding school but while they are there something terrible happens and they make a promise never to tell anyone what happened. But the boarding school is about to be demolished and Beth and Sally have lost touch with Carol, and feel they must find her in case their secret is discovered. So they hire Matthew, an ex-cop private detective.

The story, past and present, is told mainly from Beth's perspective, interspersed with that of Matthew and Carol, and there is a long, slow build up before we finally find out what the secret is. From that point things start to move pretty fast and there were a couple of big reveals that I didn’t see coming.

I enjoyed Ms Driscoll’s writing style and her descriptions of life at boarding school. It came as no surprise to read in the authors notes at the end that she did actually go to boarding school herself. The back story of Matthew was also very interesting.

This was my first book by Teresa Driscoll and I will now be looking up her back catalogue.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book "The Promise" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I had trouble staying focused on this story. Towards the end it did get better but not sure I can recommend. This was a slow story to get going. I really thought the "incident" was going to be much more severe. Overall an okay read. The chilling new psychological thriller is in the title but I did not find it to be a thriller.

With thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Promise is about three school friends Beth, Sally and Carol. At the age of 14 tragedy struck one of the girls during the Easter holidays. Scared to tell their parents the three girls make a promise not to tell.

In the present day Beth and Sally receive a letter to say their catholic boarding school is due to close. Beth and Sally have tried to forget the tragedy and are reluctant to go. Carol left the convent when she was 16 and now lives in France. Carol distanced herself as an adult and not seen her friends for years. Unsure whether to go Beth decided to hire ex policeman Matthew Hill to find her.

I agree with other readers that The Promise is a slow burner but that didn't put me off. The story really got going for me at the 60% mark, but after that there were so many twists and turns I was left reeling. I kicked myself for not guessing the girls secret, it was heart breaking but sensitively done.

The chapters were divided between Before and Now 2016, ,the story is told from the POV of Beth, Matthew and Carole.

I liked the characters in this book especially Sally, Matthew and Carol`s young next door neighbour.

I highly recommend this five .star 🌟 read.

What did Beth, Carol, and Sally do that was so bad they promised never ever to tell? Well, you won't find out for a while. Whatever it was, it happened at a school run by nuns and that school is about to be demolished. Sally and Beth are frantically trying to find Carol, even hiring a private detective. Told in dual time lines, this one takes a while to get going but eventually it delivers. You might guess the secret but there are other aspects of this that make it a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Promise is the story of three friends; Beth, Sally and Carol, who met at a Catholic boarding school and became inseparable, then something terrible happened and the girls made a promise to never speak of it again and take the secret to their graves. Thirty years later Beth and Sally are still best friends but they have lost touch with Carol who moved away. When they both receive a letter which could unearth their secret they panic and know they have to find Carol, whatever the cost, so they hire Matthew, a private investigator to help find her, but someone else knows their secret and will do anything to prevent the secret being revealed. Beth is torn between keeping her promise and ensuring her family are not in danger.

The story is told over two timelines and the chapters alternate between all four main characters, so you get to connect with each of them and learn what happened from each of their perspectives. I've read this author's work before and find her books very easy to read, I devoured this one in just one day! Teresa Driscoll knows how to draw her readers in and completely engulf them in the story, I found this one very hard to put down and am looking forward to reading I am Watching You which I also have on my kindle. If you like a psychological thriller which grips you from the start and keeps you wanting more then I recommend The Promise.

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Promises are forever – and can ruin lives. Three teenage girls vow to keep one and it haunts them way into adulthood. When something happens that threatens to reveal their dark secret, things come to a head. I enjoyed the author’s depiction of the carefree, happy childhood these three friends had at boarding school, and seeing how their lives panned out (this didn’t unfold in linear fashion but as occasional flashbacks into the past). I was kept guessing by the subsequent strange behaviour of one of them, who’d been sunny, beautiful and bright as a youngster. In particular, I loved Beth and Carol’s mothers, both of whom – despite their trials – were wonderfully loving characters. Mystery abounds and I was kept guessing. Just exactly what was the promise? And what on earth was wrong with Carol? There are new relationships, interesting projects and some awful revelations - a great mix.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll is a 'psychological thriller' set around three friends who have held a secret since childhood.

I found this to be a slow read and not particularly thrilling. I guessed the secret fairly early and had to muddle my way through until I found out I was correct.

An easy but slow read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!
This book starts off fairly slow, but I went in pretty blind in the hope for surprises. Curious to find out what the secret was… I was keen to keep reading. However, I did feel a bit disappointed. Although I liked the characters and the writing of this book.. I found that even going in blind I guessed every single twist way in advance of it being revealed. I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by some unknown, or maybe a shocking twist at the end, however, I wasn't. Who knows, maybe I have read/seen too many thrillers these days to be surprised.. But maybe I am being unfair, I guess the overall promise was a slight surprise… but then I found that part to be delivered a bit flatly.
Either way I did enjoy the book, and I give this one 3 stars!

**2-2.5 Stars **
Expected Publication: February 7th, 2019

Unpopular opinion alert...I'm SORRY!! I wanted to like this so much, but it was such a slow burn that by the time something actually happened, my mind was made up that I just didn't really care. Three girls from boarding school make a "promise" to never discuss something tragic and throughout 60-70% of this book it just keeps referencing it without any details. Then the last 30% of this read, things get cray cray which did redeem it. I did love the way things came together, it was dark and twisted but it just came too late for me. I can see how a lot of people are giving this rave reviews. I would say know going in that it will be slow and if you can stay interested, I think the ending will be worth it.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Teresa Driscoll, and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review..

Three boarding school friends receive information that their old school that bonded them many years ago... is gone.

It’s a relief eat first, because maybe the secret they share will go to the grave with the demolished building.

But just as they think everything gets laid to rest.. a secrets climbs it’s way through the dirt.

A little predictable but over all fun to read. Seemed like Roanoke Girls meets Pretty Little Liars.

I keep hearing great things about author Teresa Driscoll so I was excited to read her newest psychological suspense thriller The Promise as an advanced reading copy from NetGalley. I am a sucker for books about friends with a secret from their school days. This idea has been done a lot but she has a bit of a fresh take on it with the secret these Catholics boarding school girls have kept for many years. Now, their school is about to be torn down and developed so their secret may be revealed. The book is told from alternating viewpoints and takes awhile to build up to the action. I was so focused on the main secret that I missed other secrets along the way. The books come together well at the end. 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

This book was an enjoyable mystery with some interesting suspense. It keeps the reader guessing. I gave it a four-star rather than five star rating because I thought that the ending was too 'fairy tale'.

In my family, I am the one who is hardest to surprise when it comes to plot twists. I tell my husband that it's probably due to my life-long involvement with the world of theater - I'm always asking myself "what are the possible plot twists?"

This book kept me guessing right up until the reveal. There were hints of something tragic; a horrible event that forever altered the lives of boarding school friends Carol, Beth, and Sally.

With carefully crafted flashbacks, Driscoll beautifully weaves a story of three boarding school students who become inseparable but find their friendships strained almost to the breaking point by something awful that occurred during their school years. The three friends promised never to tell anyone what had happened. But that secret begins to cause the unraveling of most other aspects of their lives.

I finished this book less than 24 hours after I started it. It's that good. The writer kept me guessing about the tragedy that these girls were hiding but kept feeding just enough descriptions - descriptions of blood on the floor, a lifeless figure, blue lips, and more - to keep you captivated and guessing. Once the truth is revealed, there is yet more to be discovered since Beth and her family have been receiving anonymous threats from someone who knows about the big secret.

The women eventually confide in loved ones and find support and love instead of the judgment and anger they feared. As for the threats to Beth's family - and even some serious injuries in one case - will the culprit be discovered? More importantly, will he or she be punished? And will the most common victim of this person's anger ever find peace and healing?

Very well thought out story but progressed rather slowly. The readers knows there is a secret and I'm sure imaginations will run wild with what it could be. The three schoolgirl friends made a promise never to tell, but of course secrets always have a way of showing themselves. There are lots of twists and turns in this story. I think the answers of what happens will surprise most. Recommended!

Three girls held a deep, dark secret. Three girls made a promise they vowed to keep forever. Now something and someone is threatening that promise. Will the truth come out or will these women do anything possible to keep their secret hidden forever?

I am a huge Teresa Driscoll fan and have previously rated her books very highly. The Promise is a slow burning psychological suspense novel - not a thriller - but a book filled with plenty of atmospheric drama. The book begins when the three women are at a private girls school. While we don't actually learn what the secret is, I suspect that most of us can guess. It's a terrible thing that happens and traumatizing, too, for each of the girls. However, the secret more than the event becomes the catalyst for problems down the road as is generally the case with secrets, right?

Without giving any of the plot away, I will say that I enjoyed The Promise but not nearly as much as I have liked Driscoll's precious work. While it's well written, I had a difficult time actually connecting with any of the three women. Perhaps it's because I'm too bluntly honest for my own good and keeping a secret for a lifetime isn't something I can conceive of doing. Just deal it already! Despite misgivings, however, I found myself engrossed in their story and I did read it in one very quick sitting. I suspect that if, like me, you are a Driscoll fan then you will like this selection. If you enjoy slow-burning psychological reads then this will be good one for you as well. If, however, you like thrillers, then this one is not for you. It is very much a solid three-star rating from me.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #ThomasMercer for my advanced copy of #ThePromise

My first time reading this author, but I will definitely look for her other works!. Starts a little slow as you learn all the characters and the movement of the character's voices. They are expressed 'to and fro', 'then and now', but it is easy to follow the timeline. Once you are ''listening '' to each of them tell their stories you won't want to put the book down. While you may guess what the promise is you will never guess the additional twists and turns all the way to the end of the book. No spoilers from me, the jacket cover and other reviews have given adequate descriptions. I only laid the book down for a few hours sleep once started! I am 'stingy' with 5 stars, but this one is deserving.
Many thanks to the author, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Enjoy!

I really loved the friendship of these girls and the unfortunate event that lead to the promise. It’s a long time since I’ve read a book this quick , it’s hard to put down . I love this author and this is one not to be missed .

When three young schoolgirls make a promise thirty years ago they expected their secret to remain as such forever. However, thirty years later there is danger of the past being uncovered which leads to a dangerous time for the three women.

The story slowly unravels and leads you to the dark secret that has remained hidden for so many years and you discover the bond that keeps the three women together through their toughest years.

I found the story slow in places and not sure where this was going, how bad could this incident have been for the girls and what happened. The last quarter of the book did pick up the pace a bit and ended ok.

Beth, Sally and Carol made a promise to each other when they were 14, a promise to keep their darkest secret to themselves, to take it to the grave with them.  Thirty years later, Beth and Sally are still best of friends, although Carol has distanced herself from them.  Suddenly they get some shocking news, and Beth and Sally realise their secret is at risk of discovery.  They hire a private detective to try and trace Carol so that they can decide what to do.  Unknown to the three of them someone else knows their secret, someone who will stop at nothing to ensure the secret isn't discovered.

This was a great read.  I am a big fan of thrillers of all description, so I usually find them easy to get into, and this was no exception.  Beth and Sally are both likeable characters, and their friendship comes off the pages as a genuine and believable friendship.  Carol is very different, and we don't learn much about her as she is now, as she is estranged from the others. 
I enjoyed having the book narrated by different characters, and for the chapters to move between past and present.  From the very start of the book we are aware that the girls have a terrible secret from their time at school, and each chapter leads us closer to understanding what happened. We don't get many chapters from Carol, and I think that works well.  It helps to reinforce Beth and Sally's feeling that they don't understand why Carol has drawn away.
I don't want to say too much more, as I don't want to give away any details that will spoil the story for people.  I will say though that I think this hits the mark for psychological thrillers.  It's a quick read, easy to get into and moves at a good pace.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers, or books about secrets.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an arc in exchange for an honest review

I thoroughly enjoyed this dark and brooding psychological thriller. The book is well writen with a great cast of characters and a story line that is interesting and believable. It is a very emotional book with an unexpected ending. I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

This is quite the emotional roller coaster. The story contains nail biting drama. Three young girls swear to keep a secret that brings multiple complications into their adult lives. The story is told through the voice of multiple characters which adds great depth to the feelings and voice of the plot. It also transitions from one period of time to the next to add comparative perspective to what the characters were feeling or doing at different times. The author doesn’t leave anything to chance and only introduces characters and details that are absolutely vital to the plot. This keeps the reader intrigued and guessing at what is truly happening until she is ready to reveal it. A solid mind puzzle you will enjoy reading and trying to solve before you get to the end.

I liked the idea of the plot but was having some difficulty following the time and character changes. I was having difficulty getting into the book and feeling overwhelmed with extra detail. It was well written but just was not my cup of tea.

Wow! What a thriller of a story! This book grabbed my attention at the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down. At times it did remind me of another book I had read and I thought I had it figured out.
The ending did kinda surprise me. Definitely recommend! Thank you for the chance to read this book early!!

Beth, Carol and Sally have a secret. 30 years ago, they thought they hide it away forever, but with their former school being demolished, the secret is in danger of being released.

Beth and Sally have remained close, but have become estranged from Carol. Beth hires Matthew to find their friend before all is revealed.

Told in four parts - Beth, Sally, Carol and private investigator Matt - we, the reader, slowly find out about the buried secrets of the past.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this thriller of a book.

A secret. A promise made by three 14-year-old girls at boarding school. Buried, but never forgotten. Carol, Beth and Sally have lived with this terrible secret well into their adult lives. 

Beth and Sally are still very close but Carol seemed to disappear off the face of the earth after she left school. While saddened by this, Carol seems to want nothing to do with them.

And then the cream-colored envelope appears. The school is being sold and torn down, the nuns reassigned and a long-buried secret is in danger of being dug up.

They set out to find Carol and decide what they should do. And that sets in motion a horrible threat to their very lives and their loved ones lives. But who? Who else knew what happened?

This was told through multiple points of view. There were maybe too many subplots here. In the end, even I was shocked by the biggest secret of all that had been kept!

Throughout the book I kept thinking how things we see at 14 seem so big and life shattering, when just telling the truth would have led them all down very different paths and spared a lot of pain in the end.

Netgalley/February 7th 2019 by Thomas & Mercer

This was a quick and enjoyable read, it flowed really well and kept me interested throughout. The storyline was simple but it worked.

Three friends (Beth, Carol and Sally) attend a boarding school, were all involved in an incident, someone died and now they have a dark secret that they’ve vowed to never tell anyone, and for many years that dark secret has remained buried. Present day the 3 girls have all moved on, putting the incident behind them and are now living their lives, news arrives that the boarding school is due to close, this opens up the tragedy again. Beth and Sally enlist the help of a PI to help them find Carol who disappeared shortly after leaving school. They must get together before their terrible secret is revealed.

My first Teresa Driscoll book and hopefully not my last, I enjoyed this very much, it contained everything I would want in the thriller, murder, deceit, intrigue and mystery.

You know it's going to be creepy when it concerns a secret at a boarding school. A religious boarding school for girls....

When the old convent is set to be demolished of course the girls are worried about what happened back when they were students. The reader is kept in the dark which was good and I did imagine all sorts! The act they committed was suitably creepy and sad.Makes me grateful I never went to boarding school if this is what they are like ;)

There's so many of these books about secrets at boarding school and this one didn't really stand out for me but the sense of claustrophobia and darkness was good. The idea of a demolished convent was chilling and I do like to find out about boarding school as they seem so constrictive

Pleased I don't know any girls like these in real life!

I was excited to read this one since had just read I Am Watching You also by Teresa Driscoll and thought it brilliant. This one, not so much.

Missing was her deft laying, and allowing the story to naturally unfold. Instead opting for the big bang finale. And goodness, such an incredibly slow start! Not to mention, boarding school, again? Being way overdone by other authors. I appreciate she attended one, but I guess everyone else has also.

There are elements many readers may quite enjoy, it just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

They were best friends when they were at boarding school but something happened there that would change their lives. Sally & Beth have remained close friends although Carole seems to have distanced herself from them & everything from her past. When the school is scheduled to close they know they have to act before their secret becomes public knowledge- but where is Carole? Why is she avoiding her old friends? Beth & Sally hire a private investigator to help.

Told from each woman's perspective, Teresa Driscoll keeps the reader guessing. From the clues I thought I knew what had happened. I was thinking that it had been a bit too easy to work out. However the author had the last laugh with a lot of unexpected revelations at the end.

This was a quick book to read as I got so involved with the characters & wanted answers. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read & review this five star book.

THE PROMISE by Teresa Driscoll
Once again, Ms Driscoll delights her readers with clever twists and turns in this, her third, psychological thriller. When three school friends make a serious promise to each other, they have no idea of its far-reaching consequences or the devastating impact it will have on all of their lives.
Admirers of the author's previous novels, I Am Watching You and The Friend, will love The Promise. It is in turn surprising, shocking, intriguing and horrifying as the story unravels the lives of Beth, Sally and Carol. It reaches a clever and unexpected conclusion.
As ever, the author has skilfully constructed a dark tale that will delight established fans and new readers alike. Another great page-turner.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying me with a preview copy.

Three girls . . . Beth, Carol, and Sally . . . share a room at the boarding school at the Convent of Saint Colman, and for thirty years, find themselves held captive by a promise. A promise of schoolchildren, a promise rooted in fear, a promise they’ve kept but tried to forget. But, like most promises, the seed of it lives on in their memories, rising at times to haunt each of them.

When circumstances conspire to threaten exposure of their secret, they enlist a private investigator and work to keep it buried. But, as they consider the possibility of revealing their secret, someone is watching them, threatening to make certain it remains untold. And when Beth’s family is threatened, will she be able to keep the promise?

The story slowly unfolds, alternating between the boarding school years and the present. Tension builds slowly, but it pulls the reader into the story from the beginning. Peopled by believable characters, the realistic narrative keeps the pages turning.

The strong friendship between the women is a highlight of the story, as is the inner struggle with the keeping of the promise. This thoughtful narrative keeps the reader involved in the telling of the tale. Some unexpected reveals ramp up the suspense, making it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page.

Recommended.

I received a free Advance Reader’s Copy of this eBook from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley
#ThePromise #NetGalley

Wow! What an exciting story. I was hooked from the very first page. I always look forward to read anything written by this author. This is a story of three girls who go to boarding school together and become best friends. Something bad happens when they are fourteen and they make a promise to never speak of it. As time goes on their old school is going to be torn down and they are afraid their secret will be exposed. There are lots of surprises ahead with an unexpected ending.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

Beth, Sally and Carol not only shared rooms at boarding school they share a dark secret that they have promised to never tell even though they were 14 at the time. However in there late thirties there is news that their old convent where they boarded is being knocked down and builders are moving in to develops the site. The pain and fear grips and sickens Beth and Sally so badly they hire PI to track down their friend Carol which opens a tale full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing all the way through.
There is some romance but it's ok it didn't get in the way of the story speaking as a sensitive man, but as life moves on for those around them this story brings everyone in to a believable and very creditable place for all to be there if that makes sense. I mean basically everyone you meet provides a creditable part and key of the story and you see the pain they all endure because of events but you better read that for yourself.
I was really hooked by this thriller the writing is brilliant a great gift that Theresa has to bring so much into the plot and not lose you or over play any of the characters, I loved it. The plots within plots are so credible and easy to hold on to that you want to know the reason for them and will not be disappointed but i can't say you won't be shocked and surprised the ending is so well done that this may well not be the last of Teresa's books you buy a treasure that you will enjoy discovering more of. In a word excellent!!!!

Beth, Carol, and Sally me at boarding school. They made a promise to each other to keep a secret, and even though it has been 30 years, they haven't broken their vow(or have they). So what could possibly go wrong now? Well, their old school is being torn down and suddenly the promise that they kept may be exposed. While Beth and Sally have remained good friends where Carol has gone is a mystery and one that they are determined to solve.
POV alternates between Beth, Sally, Carol, and the private investigator they hire, Matt, to track Carol down. This started out as a slow burn, then it picked up the pace to race to the conclusion. I have to admit, I did see the secret these girls made, but the author throws in a couple of twists that hit me out of left field. It is surprisingly suspenseful and made a cold winter day pass by in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book.

I was a little underwhelmed by The Promise. I was excited to pick up another Driscoll book since I enjoyed I am Watching You, but maybe I wasn't in the right mood, but I felt the first half of the book was a bit slow, and I felt a bit impatient, information being doled out at a seemingly slow pace. Even though when we got to the reveals it all (somewhat) fell into place, I found that I had already lost interest. There were also some inconsistencies that I imagine will be updated for the publishing date.

I think Driscoll tried to shake up some psychological thrillers and turn them on their head, which she manages to do (again, somewhat), but by the time I had realized what she was doing, again, I had lost interest and invested more into the trope I thought was coming. Perhaps a failing of other authors falling into the same patterns, but nonetheless I didn't feel like Driscoll succeeded here either. The reveals themselves were very plausible, which I think was something in the favor of the book, but I felt the perspectives we saw maybe didn't do the story justice. I would have liked to learn more about Sally, even the Matthew story line seemed contrived. 2.5 stars.

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll drew me in with the description, and it kept me reading with its unraveling of the mystery.
Beth, Sally, and Carol meet at boarding school, where something terrible occurs. They make a promise to never mention to anyone what has occurred.
Flash forward to thirty years later, the women are in their own lives and families. But when the boarding school is set to be demolished, they know they need to do something. Except Carol can’t be found. Enter Matthew, an ex-cop that is working as a private detective.
The Promise is told through different points of views, going back and forth between past and present, until the buildup where the reader finds out what really happened.
My first Teresa Driscoll book, and won’t be my last.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me but the second half reveals more, and had me racing through the pages.
Carol, Beth and Sally did something horrible when they were at boarding school, and have each tried to forget it.
It’s something that they will never speak about again and make a promise to take it to their graves. They then hear that their former school is being demolished and they become very nervous and scared that their secret could be revealed.
The three girls come together again and old wounds are opened up.
This is a good mystery thriller.
Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

‘I think I put my hand over her mouth.’ I was hooked from the first page to the end of this brilliant psychological thriller. Three girls become inseparable after they meet at boarding school, aged eleven. At the age of fourteen they share an awful experience and promise that they will never speak of this event with anyone else. Thirty years later they hear some news which makes it very likely that their secret will be uncovered.

Beth and Sally have remained very firm friends but they have lost touch with Carol, the third of the trio, who seems determined to keep her distance. Because of the promise, they need to find her, fast. They enlist the help of a private detective, Matthew.

The narrative moves between the past and present and, in the main, it is told by Beth, but interspersed with the views of Carol and Matthew. As the search for Carol continues, it becomes apparent that someone does not want the secret to be exposed and Beth, in particular, begins to fear for the safety of her family.

This is a very well written novel which really brings the characters alive. It starts quite slowly but this really helps to ramp up the tension and it speeds to its conclusion with plenty of twists and turns. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

2.5/5

I thought the premise of the book was pretty interesting, at least it's what got me intrigued. However, I found that the plot was a slow burner, and the thriller aspect to not be very thrilling. Yes, the plot of three school girls making a promise years go only to have the feelings of guilt made from the said promise to resurface, was interesting, but the execution...not so much. I also almost lost interest in the plot because of its pacing and somewhat dull characters, as I got attached to none of them.

In the end, I found the mystery of the promise to be rather anti-climactic (since Beth, Sally, and Carol make it seem to be something very, VERY traumatic, which it was, don't get me wrong, but the hype of it all didn't meet my expectations). As mentioned before, the pacing of the book was one the stories weak points, as the plot did not really pick up until like 3/4 of the way through the book. From that point on things get interesting and everything gets revealed, though the ending was a bit abrupt, but at least it was a good enough of a conclusion as all the questions were answered.

THE PROMISE starts slow but builds momentum quickly until you’re left in a daze! It’s the story of three boarding school friends forever bonded by a secret they’ve promised never to share—until keeping quiet becomes impossible. Thank you NetGalley for making this title available to me!

This is the first book of Teresa Driscoll’s that I’ve read but certainly not the last. The writing is gorgeous, the characters heartbreakingly relatable and the twists suspenseful, unexpected and exactly what I’ve been looking for! The foreshadowing and the backstory and the crumbs the author strategically placed held me captive until the end. THE PROMISE is an expertly paced, multi-perspective, psychological thriller told in present day, flashbacks and peppered with eerie diary enteries, that has a satisfying conclusion I’m still reeling over!

4.5 stars!! This is the first of Teresa Driscoll's books that I have read. I have to say I was absolutely INVOLVED with this story. If I was not actively reading I was most certainly thinking about what was coming next for Beth, Sally, and Carol. The Promise is one of those books that is equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking and yet at the same time something you cannot look away from. My mind was constantly working to figure out what was coming next and each time I was surprised by the actual twists and turns of this book. Driscoll does a great job of keeping her readers on their toes. My only dislike from the book came from a certain twist that I felt was too heavy handed and simply not needed to drive the story to it's conclusion. I will not reveal what it was specifically because I don't put spoilers in my reviews. This book deals with a lot of serious issues that many of us face and is not for the feint of heart. I received an advanced reader's copy through Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Teresa Driscoll for the opportunity for this first look at this great new novel.

Very interesting characters and stories of boarding school, and the bond and secrets the girls kept. The adults they became and how their lives were affected because of those secrets, certainly made the statement, "true comes out" a fact! Vert twisty turny, full of heart and friendship. Don't miss it!

Sally, Beth and Carol have a secret. One that they made at boarding school and promised to take to the grave.

Now years later, the school is being demolished and Sally and Beth hire a private Detective to hunt down Carol.

Will their secret be revealed?

An enjoyable book. Bit of a slow burner to start but picks up speed in the last third. I would recommend to others. A solid 4 stars from me.

With thanks to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Teresa Driscoll for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Having read I Am Watching You, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to read The Promise, a brooding tale that tells of a buried secret, three girls kept when they were at school. But it is a vow that the come to regret, especially when a letter arrives warning of the school’s imminent closure. Now the secret they have tried to keep is threatened and Driscoll cleverly unwraps each layer while startling us with a few red herrings along the way. You get the ‘sense’ that someone is watching them and for me, this provided the hook right out of the gate!

Told from four points of view, it is a tightly woven story which revolves around Beth, Sally and the illusive Carol in 2016, sprinkled with flashbacks to the past. Beth is married with two children and has kept in touch with Sally. But Carol, at this point is the most mysterious of the trio, partly because they can’t locate her and partly when they do she’s an unwilling participant.

It’s not a light read. There are tough subjects to handle. Though not graphic, they are detailed and weave through the intricate lives of each individual. Driscoll bravely tackles many issues head on. The loss of a parent, the struggles of boarding school, difficult choices, muddled ties that must be untangled - you can’t help feeling empathy for all of them.

The reveal took me by surprise. Not the secret itself, rather the way in which everything starts to make sense. If you love twisty psychological suspense, then this is definitely the book for you. I gave the book 4.7 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read an ARC of The Promise in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. Great story that hooked you from the beginning. 3 girls form a friendship at school but one day they make a promise that they can never break. Years pass and events happen that will test them to the limit. Great atmosphere as the story from the past slowly unravels. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end. Thoroughly recommend.