I thought this was a good read by Vikki Patis. This is my first read by her and I can say that she will be added to my list of author's that I will read again! The twists in the plot will keep you guessing as to what is going on for sure. I thought at one point I had it figured out, but I was wrong in the end.

We start out with Hannah being dead and Lauren is going back to her hometown for the first time in forever to Hannah's 10th Anniversary of her death, which is also Hannah's birthday. Lauren has not kept in contact with any of her friends from school and is sort of anxious as to how things will go once she sees everyone at the memorial. Lauren is living with her partner now and no one really has any clue about the life that she leads now. Lauren is anxious to see her dad though.

We soon learn that Lauren and Hannah had been friends since Lauren was born. Their friendship is so close that they actually call each other sisters. Hannah is always at Lauren's house and is mesmerized by how her family functions and how her parent's treat her. When Luren's mom is tragically killed in a car accident, Hannah and her mom Tracey end up moving in with Lauren and her dad to get away from Gary, Hannah's dad.

With Lauren and Hannah being in the same house, they share the same group of friends when they are in school. They try the usual teenage things and have secrets that are kept between them, or so they think. When some secrets are leaked, things begin to change between the group of friends. Who could have done these awful things? The book alters between the past and the present and gives us a glimpse of what really happened and why there are feelings that are talked about in the present.

When Lauren gets to her dad's house and is getting ready to attend the memorial, she starts getting these crazy text messages. The messages are things that only someone close to Hannah would have know. Is Hannah really dead? Who is this crazy texter? Not only does Lauren get the texts, but so do the girls from the circle of friends from high school. Lauren has got to figure out who this is! There is mention of a Diary that Hannah had when they were growing up, but Lauren knew nothing of it and they lived in the same house.

You will get caught up in this story and not be able to put it down until you have finished it. Vikki Patis knows how to grab your attention and keep it from beginning to end. I enjoyed this read and look forward to more from Vikki Patis in the future!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy!

Overall I really enjoyed this book but I did feel it could have been better. I somehow expected a bit more from it, a bit of a slow burner for me. Thanks for the preview.

How to describe this book in 1 word? Incredible.

It has been an absolute delight to read this book, and I can honestly say this is one of my favourite reads. Yes, I will be reading this one again, and again.

The characters are very well written, from meeting Lauren in the beginning I just knew she was going to be my favourite character. The book is written in her perspective, following the journey she takes visiting her home town of Hitchin, visiting old school friends and encountering old enemies.

The journey you take with the group of girls from school, is a whirlwind of emotions. With betrayal from your closest friends, to bullying, to sisterhood, to very sensitive subjects such as Sexual Abuse and Suicide. I could almost feel the words piercing through my heart, and hitting me right in the feels. 

The mystery with 'The Diary'... Who has it? Who has been using the secrets within it's pages to torment the girls? Will they release its contents? What secrets will be uncovered?

The only down side to this book, is why did it end? I wanted to read more!!

Vikki has managed to hook me in from the first page, it's obvious she has poured her heart and soul into this book, her debut novel, and it has been such an honour to read. You have set the bar high, now hurry up and bring out your next book!!

This book started off as a thriller with a dead girl, a ten year anniversary of her death, the gang of girls who were alive, each harboring a secret, and the sword that held them to the edge - The Diary!!

Lauren came home for the death anniversary of her best friend & sister, Hannah, and someone started sending her threatening  text messages, almost as if it were coming from Hannah. The author Vikki Patis, started the book with a scorching mystery. Lauren met up with the girls slowly one by one, all of them having received these messages.

The author's writing cast a doubt on all the characters, the plot had the turns where Lauren was betrayed badly by these close friends, so she was a wreck in the times she met up with them. The initial part had no clear sense of direction. The story unfolded giving glimpses of the past, all the time hinting at the diary, which Lauren did find, but never found the guts to read. I felt Lauren was like the waves, she would advance to read the diary and then retreat without reading. This happened in most of the story where one reading of that dang diary would have solved the mystery. She totally frustrated me!!

The book had its niggles, Lauren ran away all the time, none of the girls were really friends, in the past they just drank and drank and drank. In the present, most of them smoked and smoked during tension filled scenes. And none of them were likable.

Why did I read/finish the book? The book then became an emotional read where Hannah's torturous abuse was revealed. It had me fighting my tears, a lot of pain was hidden in her which caused her to act out. And the last bit had me empathising with all of them and their juvenile mistakes. Their selfish and judgmental teenage selves destroyed lives, but it was nice to see them rallying together as grown women to fight the veiled stalker!!

Lauren and Hannah are the best of friends one of them is very cold controlling it is the 10th anniversary of Hannah’s death so Lauren goes back home to the place she has ran from I don't like spoilers so will say no more this book is very heart tugging lies and deceit very well written cant wait to read more from this author and this book made me cry

The psychological thriller is now a mainstay of much of modern fiction. Its popularity can be evidenced by visiting a major supermarket and counting how many books of this genre can be found on the shelves. I must admit I'm rather a fan these books and generally apply only two tests as to whether it has been successful or not. They are, firstly was it gripping? and secondly did it have a page turning unputdownable ending? In the case of The Diary it is yes and yes. Also what perhaps distinguishes this from other rather formulaic rivals is the power and intensity of the writing with this being attributable to as Vikki Patis states in the afterwards " the novel features some themes that are very close to my heart" and " writing the diary gave me the opportunity to face my past". There are certainly some very powerful issues covered here including bullying, rape and suicide and at times it was quite difficult to read due to its power and intensity.

The story is narrated in the first person by Lauren (with chapters in the past and present) who returns after many years to her home town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire to attend a memorial to her best friend (they were more like sisters) Hannah who while living at Lauren's house committed suicide ten years previously. The haunting figure of the enigmatic, controlling, manipulative but at the same time terribly vulnerable Hannah will be an all pervasive presence throughout the story. It is not long after returning that Lauren receives a text message from an unknown number stating ‘I don’t know why you’re back, but I know why you left.’ What the circumstances were surrounding Hannah's suicide and why a group of former female friends of Lauren and Hannah would also now receive threatening texts alluding to uncovered secrets will form the basis of the novel. As the title of the book would suggest a diary is involved here which is found by Lauren hidden in Hannah's old room, a diary that may go a long way to solving the mystery.

The unraveling of the past, coming to terms with past actions that haunt the present and the falseness of memory are all integral components here. The characters are fairly well crafted although you do not get the impression from the writing that Hitchin was voted in a poll in the Times in 2013 as the ninth best town in the UK to live in. Through a series of deduction and elimination I was able to ascertain the culprit about half way through but this is not I would suggest primarily a who done it but rather a thriller that shines a light on some very powerful themes that remain still far from resolved in our society. Well worth a read.

3/5 (thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the digital arc)

[TW for The Diary: sexual abuse & bullying]

Reading The Diary was like walking down the memory lane where everything was wrong. I am still in a journey to get closures from some things, and I'm glad that Lauren Winters got hers in the book. It was a bittersweet mystery-thriller, great for everyone who wants feelings and not just whodunit stuff.

Lauren left her hometown only to come back for the tenth anniversary of Hannah's, ex-bff, death. She is forced to finally sit down and listen because someone knew things that are supposed to be secrets from the youths. Lauren and several friends try to make amends, uncover buried pasts, and might be in danger while doing those.

The Diary's problem is that it doesn't have a stake high enough for me to be excited. For a mystery-thriller, it is tame. But, the lack of suspense is substituted by the drama of it. Patis gave Lauren, Hannah, Nicole, Natalie, Yasmin, and Sophie some depths. Enough to make me care for them, particularly Lauren and Hannah.

The pace moves oh so slowly, but I guess it works for this type of book. You do not race to get to the ending, you savour the moment. You walk with these girls, silly with teenagerial mistakes, but now adults with futures.

I'd recommend The Diary for the mystery lover, although don't expect too much action. As I stated above, it's all in the feels.

The Diary by Vikki Patis hooked me right away. I like the authors writing style which flows well, the pages practically turn on their own. Lauren’s best friend/step-sister Hannah died ten years ago and she is hesitant to return for the ten- year memorial. Only because she wants to please her father does she agree to come for a few days and accompany him to the service for Hannah. back at her childhood home, she discovers an old diary from Hannah where Lauren is shocked to discover the truth about her best friend.

Suddenly she begins getting strange messages, who are they from? What do they want?? My first thought was Hannah’s dead…so who is sending the messages and why?

Here’s the official synopsis:

Lauren has spent years running away from her home town, her childhood and the memories of her best friend, Hannah. Until the tenth anniversary of Hannah’s death forces her to return home and to the group of friends she abandoned there. It should be a quick visit, just so Lauren can pay her respects. At home, Lauren finds Hannah’s old diary. A diary full of secrets. The terrible things Lauren did, the lies she’s told, the reason she ran away. And she receives a message:

‘I don’t know why you’re back, but I know why you left.’

But no-one else has seen the diary, and Hannah’s dead, isn’t she?

The book switches between past and present as the reader slowly learns the truth. The Diary is a very good book and I will be eager to read more from this author.

Due out November 2018.

A Mesmerizing Psychological thriller with a well constructed plot with realistic and believable characters ! Will leave you completely fulfilled with a flawless ending ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #TheDiary

A good read that kept my interest throughout, the chapters going from past to present and describing friendships and secrets it was a page turner till the end. I didn’t find it suspenseful although it did have mystery and to me it really seemed a novel more about how we deal with situations especially at different times of our life and how friendships can change and how we can regret things when it’s sometimes to late. My first book by this author and I would read more from her in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The mystery is interesting and the characters are intriguing. The plot is slow-paced though. I found myself skipping parts to get to the more interesting stuff. I did have it figured out halfway through. All in all it's a pretty decent read.

This is my first read by Vikki Patis but I’ll definitely be watching out for her again. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a fast paced psychological thriller that you will not want to put down, I know I didn’t!!!

Lauren & Hannah are sisters, although not by blood but in every other way. Hannah commits suicide on her 18th Birthday and Lauren withdrew from the small town of Hitchin, she couldn’t face it until her Dad asks her to visit for Hannah’s 10th anniversary for a memorial service.

Lauren starts to receive text messages about both future and past secrets and as she reconnects with the rest of the group from back then, it turns out so have they, its as if Hannah is talking and taunting them from the grave and then talk of a secret diary that Hannah kept with all the secrets of her friends, why did she feel the need to store up everyone’s secrets and for what purpose? As things unravel and secrets are discovered, who is behind the messages and warnings? Are the girls in danger from the past?

So much going on in this book but was cleverly put together, told in both present day and “then”. You’d wonder after reading this how these girls/boys were ever friends, it seems each one is stabbing someone in the back!!! Definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

☆°☆°☆ARC provided by netgallery ☆°☆°

The diary was the first book I have read by Vikki Patis.

I must say the cover of this book is why I wanted to read it. It was eye catching.
I absolutely fell in love with this book and all of the crazy twist and turns with each page I read.


I really could not put it down.

This is a compelling story about sisterhood and how tenuous and easily broken the ties are between us and the people who are important to us. It's a story about the mistakes we make when we are younger. We all have things that we did or said in the past that we would love to do differently,I know I have. It's about the different types of abuse that are endured everyday by people of all ages,in many different situations,environments and sectors of society. It's about friendship,judgement,revenge,redemption,forgiveness, misconceptions and how we can only move on with our futures if we find a way to let go of our pasts.

Lauren White has spent years running away from her past,her home town,her childhood and memories of her beloved best friend Hannah.

But Lauren has been forced to return home to the small town of Hitchin because her Dad has asked her if she will go with him to the memorial service that is being held at Lauren`s old school to mark the tenth anniversary of Hannah's death. Lauren doesn't plan to stay long,just a few days,long enough to pay her respects.

At home,Lauren is shocked when she discovers Hannah's old diary.A diary full of Lauren and Hannah's friend's secrets. The terrible things Lauren did,the lies she told,the reason she ran away.

Then Lauren and some of her old group of friends start receiving threatening text messages.

Someone else knows their secrets but no-one else knows about the diary,and Hannah is dead,isn't she?

This enthralling story is voiced entirely by Lauren and told in chapters that flip back and forth between the present and the past. Lauren was a likeable character but I struggled to understand why she put Hannah on such a high pedestal and thought she was so amazing when Hannah seemed to do nothing but treat her badly. Why do we put so much time and effort into being accepted by people who mistreat us. That friend that suddenly stops talking to you and is slagging you off behind your back but who you would happily still be friends with if they decided to start talking to you again. Even Hannah's friends said that Hannah was mean and cruel,a fact that was proven by some of the comments that Hannah had written in her diary. Who was the real Hannah,was she the cruel person she appeared to be or was she just scared to let herself get too attached to people because of things that had happened in her past? The characters in this book were a mixed bag of vivid,realistic personalities,some likeable,some not so and most of whom had hidden secrets. My favourite parts of the story were the chapters set in the present day. Who was sending the threatening messages? How did the person or person`s know the group's secrets?

The Diary is a mesmerising,very well written debut thriller that had me hooked in from the first page. The story flows with ease in both times frames and no parts come across as unnecessary or added to pad out the story. The author states in the notes at the back of the book that she has been affected personally by some of the issues raised in this story and I hope that writing this book has helped her start the journey towards moving on even if it's only in a small way. There are some hard hitting issues covered in this book that would raise some heated discussions if it was read by a book group. Highly recommended,I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

The diary by author Vikki Patis is an intense, fast paced thriller with lots of mystery! The characters are well structured and the plot is thick. I would absolutely recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Diary in exchange for an honest review.