Three lonely, homesick newcomers to a dilapidated, nun run, boarding become fast friends. Beth, Sally and Carol share everything. Until Carol experiences what she is convinced is a message from the beyond from her father who died when she was six. Sally’s parents have gone through a terrible divorce which leaves Beth’s family as the most comfortable place to visit. But Carol has a terrible secret which the three of them promise to hold onto forever. And the secret slowly eats away at their relationship until Carol finally leaves for another school unexpectedly, continuing to pull away from them until they finally feel the need to hire a private detective to locate her. Circumstances are emerging however that may require their promise be broken. And someone wants to silence them with increasingly disturbing threats. Truly wonderful read with completely unexpected revelations.

"'I think I put my hand over her mouth...' 'Don't say that. Don't even think that. You wouldn't have done that.' 

They sit very still in this room full of blood and sorrow - girls whose pulses burst in their veins and boom inside their ears. Their heads. Some where a clock ticks. A bird calls...

Three girls. One dead."

The past never really stays in the past... especially when the past holds a terrible secret. Three friends made a promise nearly 30 years ago to never tell a soul. But it seems that their secret just might be unearthed by events beyond their control. 

After Sally, Beth and Carol made their vow of silence at Catholic boarding school, Carol drifted away from her friends. Teresa Driscoll's psychological thriller delves deep into the past and brings you to the current events responsible for their anxiety of discovery today. Sally and Beth hire a private detective to track down Carol as they try to figure out how to right a wrong from their past. And in digging up the past, they just might change the future for the better.

Like other reviewers I found this book to have a slow start. I prefer to be hooked within the first few chapters and this did not do it for me. I started and stopped this book many times, but I continued because I wanted to finish the book.

I had high expectations of this book, but it fell flat for me. It wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. The 'secret' was really ugh. Not my taste

A promise is your word. A promise is a vow. A promise is binding. A promise is an agreement to do that which is difficult. We promise to attend a ballet recital for 6 year olds. We do promise to eat the entire quart of Rocky Road ice cream.
Teresa Driscoll writes about The Promise that three boarding school teenagers pledge to each other. Beth, Sally and Carol promise to keep a deep dark secret for their entire lives, regardless of the consequences.
Years pass. Beth and Sally remained close but Carol did not. In fact, Carol was out of their lives by her own choice.
The news that their old boarding school was closing stirred Beth and Sally’s fears that their secret would be revealed. The two want and need to talk to Carol. To find Carol, they hire a private investigator, Matthew Hall.
As Matthew searches for Carol, more secrets are uncovered. Author Teresa Driscoll gives us a mystery within a mystery. As the layers of the story peel away, we are confronted with the question: What secrets are worth taking to the grave?
The Promise is slow to start but as the story unfolds, the pace quickens and tension rises. You will find yourself in a mad dash to the conclusion of this thriller. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #ThePromise

This one started off a little slow for me, but after several chapters I was so antsy to know what the so called "promise" was that I hung in there until it finally hooked me. The Promise follows three women, but are bound together by a promise that they made to each other as teenagers in boarding school. When their former school is going to be torn down emotions and memories get stirred up for these three former bffs. It's a unique story of friendship and how a single wrong turn can change the path of the rest of their lives.

It took me months to get through this book and I debated whether I would even bother finishing it. I love psychological thrillers and this one was a total disappointment. The story takes way too long to reveal what the girls did, what happened to their friendship, and the final reveal. I actually have no idea how I got myself to finish this book.

Well written plot with interesting twists made this a good read.  I was hooked and wanted to read on.

A school girl's promise reaps consequences many years later.  Three friends share the secret.  One is determined that the secret will not come out, after all, a promise is a promise.  This was a solid mystery that I enjoyed reading.  Teresa Driscoll put considerable effort into her characters and their back story.  It's could easily make a good movie!

I really couldn't get into this book at all. Basic story concept and like a mix of genres. This didn't live up to the hype albeit an ok-ish read. The main protagonist is very likeable, but not enough grit to be a true thriller novel. The twists aren't believable and the whole plot comes across as though it's trying to go for the shock factor, but fails miserably. Other novels by this author are more enjoyable, just a shame this was not as great as "I am watching you"

When should a promise be broken......is it ever 'ok' to break one? What if it's eating you up inside, damaging your marriage, your safety...even your sanity? A promise made by Carol, Beth and Sally as teenagers to keep a dark secret hidden is at threat of been revealed. Beth and Sally are still close but Carol broke away shortly after the events that still haunt them. Now, with the secret threatened they reach out to Carol but soon find themselves and their families at risk...

I really liked this. The author has created believable characters and crucially also a relatable friendship between the three women. The twists at the end come almost from nowhere but not in a ridiculous way. Unless I've been a bit thick with this book I think the clues are there but you have to be paying close attention to work it out. It was nice to be truly surprised at the end of a book. If you're looking for a summer thriller for your suitcase look no further.

A great thriller. Super entertaining with great twists. Less character development than I was expecting but a great read nonetheless.

The Promise has such an interesting story line, 3 best friends, one secret they all promised to keep no matter what. Years later, something threatens to expose it. 

*trigger warning for physical abuse/rape/miscarriages* 

I figured I would DEVOUR this book, being a huge fan of thrillers, but I can say, I was a little disappointed. The writing was great, the story dragged a bit. It wasn’t until the last 25% of the book that it completely picked up and when it did, it was non stop twists. Besides that, I kind of wish that you had more insights from other characters. While some chapters are from sally and Matthews point of view, MOST are from Beths. I enjoyed sally and even Adam as characters, I wish I would have seen more from their perspectives. 

I did however appreciate the epilogue which wrapped up everything nicely for our characters.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a thriller told from the perspective of several characters. About mid way through you realize what has happened and there is a slight twist at the ending, but it's more about the story rather than the thriller. The characters are well developed and interesting. I found it to be a page turner with a satisfying ending. 

I plan to look into reading other books by this author because I had never heard of her before.

This book sort of drug out for me a little but I stuck it out and it did pick up some towards the end. I wish it would have been like that all the way through though. Still a good read that you won't regret reading!

Three schoolgirls make a promise to take what they have done to the grave with them. They are not going to tell anyone. When we pick up with the story, it is thirty years later and  the former boarding school has been scheduled for demolition. This news makes the girls nervous and know that they have to get together and decide what they are going to do. The problem is, Carol, one of the three girls that made the pact with Sally and Beth has disappeared. They have got to find her so they hire Private Investigator, Matthew, to help them. 

The story alternates between the past and the present. While Beth is intently searching for Carol, she gets threatening messages and is being watched by someone. Does someone already know their secret? What are they going to do? You will want to read this one to the end, even if it takes awhile for the back story to be set up. I was curious as to what was going to happen and was glad that I kept reading to the end. 

I would recommend this one if you like suspense. This story was well set up but the back story just took awhile. I still thought this one was pretty good! 

All opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

It’s about the friendship of Beth, Sally and Carol. Something awful happens when they are fourteen and they all promise to never say what happened or what part they played in it, having to keep this secret all their lives really affects them and it shows in the book in different ways.

I enjoyed this book, it had a really good storyline - the continuing secret that carried on through the book made for a gripping story. The characters were really well developed and believable. You could feel the tensions and heartache of keeping the secret and its effects on the women. 

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book, not read anything from the author before and so wasn’t sure what to expect.

It’s about the friendship of Beth, Sally and Carol. Something awful happens when they are fourteen and they all promise to never say what happened or what oartvthey played in it, having to keep this secret all their lives really affects them and it shows in the book in different ways.

A great read that was pretty tense in parts but highly enjoyable, wasn’t sure what the secret was to be honest can usually guess, I really liked it and would read more from the author.

Three girls who become friends at a boarding school are involved in something which happens to another girl and the three swear to keep the secret for the rest of their lives. Eventually the school is due for demolition, will their secret finally be revealed?

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Teresa Driscoll's new novel, The Promise. I enjoyed Driscoll's writing, especially her pace. Two twists, and I only foretold one of them. Kept me reading!

When three friends promise to take a secret to their grave, they had no idea what the future will hold. Thirty years later, that secret is going to come to light. Can Beth and Sally find Carol and convince her that they need to tell the truth? Who else knows the secret and is threatening Beth's family?

This story is told from Beth's POV, but occasionally there is a chapter for one of the other main characters. There are also chapters from the past and the present, so the story hints at what happened that caused the girls to make this pact. I was not sure what the secret could possibly be, but I had my suspicions, they were wrong. This was a book that had me up late at night trying to finish it. There were some twists, some unexpected turns and the final reveal was so surprising. I liked that this book was about friendship and how there are trials that cause the best of friends to have a hiccup, but when it comes down to it, they are there for one another. There is some unhappiness, terrible situations and more secrets than just the one from their school days. This was a well-written and paced story that had me feeling for the characters, even knowing they had done something terrible. The supporting characters also play an important part in the story and were well developed considering the role they played. I enjoyed this book and will look for more by Teresa Driscoll.