This is a brilliant modern family thriller. The storyline was excellent and totally unexpected with a gigantic twist, I never saw coming.

I thought this book was a quick easy read, some interesting twists.
I'll look out for more from Suzy K Quinn

Ok so this one kept me up turning the pages

Lizzie has run away from her abusive husband Ollie together with her 6 year old Tom

She changes Toms name and starts him in a new school and then really weird things keep happening like puncture wounds in Tom’s skin and he keeps having repeated seizures. Lizzie is frantic she knows Tom is being abused but no one will believe her

I didn’t guess the ending to this book until the very nearly end it’s absolutely brilliant

Lizzie has escaped from her abusive husband with her son Tom and moved away. Kate is their social worker and the book is told in chapters from their point of view. Tom has a new school and very strange things start to happen as Tom starts to be unwell and is covered in unexplained bruises. The chapters told by Kate give a good insight into how the social workers are overworked and underfunded and how easily things can slip through the cracks. I was drawn into the story and the characters from the start and I’m Oe of the reviewers who didn’t see the twist coming at the end. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was easy to get in to, right from the first page, which I find is always a good start. The story starts at the present time, and then has flashbacks forming an insight into the past interjected throughout. The narrative is mainly told by Lizzie and Kate, but occasionally other key characters narrate their part.
The plot was cleverly constructed and I wasn't sure which way it was heading. Although I did guess what might be happening, it was just a hunch I wouldn't have been able to justify my idea.
I found the title of the book was a bit misleading. It had very little to do with the teacher, in fact the teacher seemed almost inconsequential. School life had a part to play in the story, but the school itself felt very unreal and unbelievable and just muddied the storyline.
The social services involvement in the story was quite scarey, and left me mulling over and wondering how true to life the characters could possibly be.
The conclusion of the book followed the path I expected, and I speedily read to the end.

Really enjoyed this book. I couldn't tell where it was going lead which is always a good sign for keeping me enthralled.
I liked the characters of Kate, the character from Social Services. Good and novel to have a character from this department who is likeable and does a good job.
I'm not sure that the school's part has enough of a role in this book (especially as the book's title reflects this).
Difficult to say too much without giving away the main thread of the book but overall a good read.

Ok....I'm giving this book 3.5 stars as I did enjoy it and it was an easy enough read, but....... I've got to say there were way too many mistakes/plot holes/inconsistencies etc.

Firstly the narrative voice of the 6/7 year old boy did not sit right with me. I work with young children and I don't know how many of them could phrase things quite as maturely as Tom does. It often seemed like a much older character was speaking.
Also, from a medical point of view I'm sure things wouldn't have played out quite as they did in the story? No blood test at any point in time that may have revealed the presence of all of these drugs?

Anyway, in spite of all of the 'glitches' within the story I did enjoy reading the book, although I'm glad that I received it as a Netgalley release, rather than something I'd paid for. I'm not sure that this will be a re-read for me though.

Lizzie and her son Tom are starting a life away from her abusive husband and this means a new school for Tom. Things seem different and odd at this school but Lizzie is determined to find out why.

I'd like to thank netgalley for the opportunity to read this especially as it isn't my normal go to read. I did find it a bit hard to get started but by mid way I didn't want to put it down

Don't Tell Teacher is a page-turning, jaw-dropping read with many twists I did not see coming. The book is mainly told from the perspectives of Lizzie, the mother and Kate, the social worker which I thought made for an incredibly interesting read. The social worker perspective is not one we're given often and that made it more intellectual and therefore enjoyable for me.

What I liked
I liked the fast pace of this plot. I felt that I learned a lot in every chapter, bouncing from Lizzie's past to her present and then to Kate's perspective to round things off. This gave the structure of the book an easy flow and made me feel like I wasn't wondering what had happened when, where or why. This structure also meant that no detail was missed, as things were analysed by young Lizzie, older Lizzie and by Kate, so instead of repeating things as could have been done in a single narrative book, this allowed for reminders of things and then for a separate outlook on them.
I also thought that Tom was a great character and was used so well to show the true trauma that he was put through. From a psychological perspective, he and the Neilson boys were the most complex and interesting characters. I would love to see a book about them told from Kate's perspective in the future. I will say that I admired Kate a lot but was rooting for her to go home and have fun with her husband, as she was too dedicated to the job.

What I didn't like
Firstly, I thought the title was great, but since reading it, it is a little confusing to me. The actual school part of the storyline was perhaps lacking, only in that we never found out anything about the headteacher's methods until right at the end and it didn't have much bearing on the rest of the plot. Yes the headteacher is corrupt, but that entire sub-plot could have happened on its own separate to the rest of the plot, which made it feel weak. I would have preferred if the headteacher had had a bit more to do with Tom's well-being, as otherwise his villainy is not up to scratch.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is tense and dramatic and the kind of domestic thriller that I cannot help but devour very quickly. I would recommend this book to people who love domestic thrillers, especially Lesley Kara's The Rumour. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my proof and e-arcs of this book. 4*

Lizzie Riley has escaped from an abusive relationship. She has managed to escape from Ollie, her husband, & with her son Tom, is trying to create a new life for them. The Social Services have managed to get Tom a place in a prestigious outstanding school. Maybe now things will get better for them. However from the beginning she has misgivings about the school. The Headteacher seems obsessed with security & the parents are not allowed through the locked school gates. The school seems unnaturally quiet with the pupils very subdued.

Kate is a social worker, constantly chasing her tali she struggles to do the best for the families on her list. At first Lizzie & Tom's case seems straight forward, but why is Tom suddenly having fits? Why is he always so tired & how did he get those marks on his arm that look like needle marks? What is going on?

The story flashes back to the start of Lizzie's relationship with Ollie, making the reader very sympathetic towards her.

The solution to Tom's problems was not something I saw coming. It was a good edge of your seat read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Don’t Tell Teacher is a fantastic thriller that had me staying awake longer than I should have done to try and figure out how this was going to end.
The chapters are told from different characters perspectives, the first being Lizzie Riley, mother of Tom and has just been relocated to a different place, house and for Tom, school as well. This is to escape Toms dad, Ollie, who for years has subjected Lizzie to mental and bodily abuse. After turning his hand to Tom, Lizzie sought the help of social workers to get her out of this relationship and get an injunction on Ollie. Kate is another character that has her own chapters and it shows how she has too much on her plate trying to help all the children on her list. I liked Kate and thought she was a very realistic character. The school Tom attends is a strange one and I wasn’t sure where this fitted and indeed how but it did.
This was a fantastic thriller with an ending I didn’t see coming.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzie and her son Tom Riley – nee Kinnock are hiding.

From her ex-husband and Tom’s dad – Olly – once a loving, caring man he became dominating, abusive and angry – they had to leave, he hurt Tom and now they’ve moved and are started a new life – a fresh start.

Tom starts a new school, but it’s like a prison with locked gates, CCTV and the strangest headmaster – the unfortunately named (for a teacher) Mr Cockrun – Tom already brings the stigma of being a ‘social services’ child and so brings trouble, as far as Mr. Cockrun is concerned. Tom soon befriends children also with troubles and the same social worker, Kate – which turns out for them is a godsend. As its often the forgotten hardworking social workers that manage to piece together the puzzles that others have tried to avoid.

I love a book with characters you thought you knew, that suddenly throws a total curveball in the mix and shakes the whole story up into something else entirely different from how you thought the story was going to end.

A truly brilliant and plausible storyline, which I am sure Suzy K Quinn cackled with glee over when she added that fatal blow. A fabulous sun bed read – greatly relevant in today's society and the way the world is made to think about peoples lives and – ‘which side of the town they come from’.

Well done Suzy K Quinn – Loved it !

Lisa and her young son have escaped an abusive relationship, moved to a new town and enrolled young Tom into a prestigious school, this should be a fresh start for the both of them. But when they get to the school, it is the total opposite of what Lisa had expected, the school is creepy and the people strange.

This wonderfully written and intriguing story was initially a little tough to get into, but it soon picked up pace and grew into a creepy and captivating read.

This is a pacy and fascinating psychological thriller that kept me guessing till the final page. Lizzie enrols her son Tom in a new school, having divorced her abusive husband and is trying to make a new start. But from the beginning the school, with its creepy headmaster and bars on windows and chains on the gate, does not seem a welcoming learning environment.

We learn more about Lizzie's past; her controlling mother, her domineering husband, and see her trying to cope as events spiral. Her social worker is Kate, an overworked dedicated person trying to keep all the balls in the air.

Just when you think you have a handle on the whole thing, the plot tips and suddenly you see things from another angle. The book wasn't an easy read, particularly from the point of view of little Tom, who is the pawn in all the events. Trying to make friends, possibly bullied by the local tough family, his perspective is heartbreaking.

Can Lizzie resolve all the issues and bring about a happy ending? Or will her husband find his family? And will Kate manage to keep the balance of her job and marriage - the book certainly makes a case for overworked social workers.

A fascinating read, really enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

Lizzy Reilly hoped to start afresh with her six year Tom after leaving an abusive marriage. Tom`s social worker Kate had managed to find him a place Steelfield, a popular school that had been rated outstanding by Ofsted.

On Tom`s first day at Steelfield, Lizzy had an uneasy feeling about the school. There were bars on the windows, parents were not allowed to wait outside the school until hometime and the pupils were unnaturally quiet. On Tom`s first day he hit a little girl in his class but he had no recollection of it.

Then Tom started to suffer from unexplained seizures, at the hospital a doctor discovered bruising and syringe marks on Tom`s arms. Lizzy became convinced that the school was responsible, but could she persuade social worker Kate and the medical profession?

The story was told from the POV of Lizzy, Kate and Lizzy `s mother Rachel and Tom`s dad Olly. In the story the reader was shown Lizzy`s strained relationship with her mother. We also discovered how Lizzy and Olly first met and how their relationship deteriorated after Olly`s accident. I also enjoyed reading about the pressures of social services, being forced to deal with the children in immediate threat and merely monitoring the rest.

I knew I would enjoy this book from the first page, Mr Cockrun reminded me of The Demon Headmaster. The book was well paced with interesting characters, although my favourite was Kate. I kicked my self when the twists was revealed because I should of picked up on the signs.

I highly recommend this thrilling book.

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Lizzie and son Tom have moved away and are desperate to start a new life but what is lurking under the surface of the perfect new school that Tom has been enrolled in?

I must admit that I read a lot of psychological thrillers during the year and I’m getting to the point now where I can guess the twist and occasionally even guess the entire plot a few chapters in! Every now and again however, there comes a book that completely knocks me backwards with it’s ending and is a pleasure to read that I recommend thoroughly to everyone I come across as soon as I put it down. This year Don’t Tell Teacher is that book.

The plot is masterfully split between two perspectives – mother Lizzie and social worker Kate with flashbacks to Lizzie’s past with the violent Olly. There were times I had to physically put the book down as it was so upsetting to see the young son Tom being failed by the school, parents and social workers in turn. Kate’s perspective in particular was great and a nice insight into the lives of social workers who have far too many children on their case load and have to prioritise cases for the most obviously dangerous while avoiding those that may actually be just as bad or worse. No spoilers on here but the ending really shocked me and is such a great conclusion to the story which has a great pace throughout.

Overall Don’t Tell Teacher is one of my standout reads for 2019 and easily on my Kindig Gems list – grab a copy asap! Thank you to NetGalley & HQ for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t Tell Teacher is a book you’ll find very hard to put down. Following her divorce, Lizzie moves her six year old son to the local academy - a fresh start for both of them. It has an excellent reputation and she knows he’ll be safe but then strange things start happening. With bats on the school windows and parents forbidden from entering school grounds, Lizzie knows something odd is happening at the school. Then Tom comes home with marks on his arm. Is her son in danger? She’s determined to find out.

A book that gathers momentum with each turn of the page which makes for fantastic reading. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

What an enthralling story that is emotionally draining. I read this almost non-stop and all the way through I sympathised for the son Tommy, the mother Lizzie and the Social Services. This depicts so clearly the restraints that social service worker have to cope with and how some workers will just keep on pushing. This is an amazing story written by an author that I shall certainly look out for again.
Thank you Net Galley and HQ for granting me a review copy.

OMG WHAT A BOOK!!!!!!
I was so hooked from the first page. A fast paced thriller that was both creepy and scary. The main character Lizzie was well written and so believable. This book shocked me. Really clever story telling and an original plot. A school from hell but so much more. In places this read had me sat on the edge of my seat and tapping my kindle faster and faster and plenty of heart in your mouth moments I LOVED IT.
A new author for me and she has just made MY MUST READ LIST. This book is a brilliant psychological thriller which has you constantly guessing. A very happy reader. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, HQ and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.