This was a very interesting psychological thriller and the first I’ve read by K.L. Slater. As I started to delve into this, I thought it would focus more on the ten-year-old cousins, Maddy and Brianna, who are being accused of murder. Seeing as they remain silent for a good portion of the story, it actually brings a lot of attention to the girls’ mothers, Juliet and Chloe. They are sisters who have their own questionable past, and as they uncover secrets of their dysfunctional family, suddenly all the pieces to the puzzle start to fit together. But the truth behind both the murder and Juliet and Chloe’s past were very surprising, and while I love to predict what will happen in a story, I was blindsided by it. The end of the book even had me choking up a bit. Definitely recommending this one!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2905591595

As always KL Slater did not disappoint.

Another book that keeps you turning the pages amd delivering punch after punch.

Absolute brilliance

Two young girls are exploring and decide to enter an old womans home. While there, something horrible happens and they decide together to take a vow of silence. As time goes on and people get involved secrets come out.
A well developed story. I did enjoy this book.
#TheSilentOnes #NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Loved it!!! I never would have guessed the ending. It wasn't what I was expecting. There were so many twists and turns. The story ended up being about so much more than two ten year old cousins being accused of killing an old lady. The family was hiding so many secrets. Juliet ended up being my favorite. Her family was pretty much awful. I was happy when the truth about everything was finally revealed to her. Joan was horrible. She was a terrible mother and the type of person who should not have children. I hated the way Juliet's family treated her. They gave all their support and comfort to Chloe. I loved the the story and writing style. This book was a quick read. I couldn't put it down and wanted to find out what the girls were going to say when they finally broke their silence. My only problem with the story, was the reason behind why everything occurred with Bessie and the motives behind it. It seemed a little crazy and definitely out of the blue.

Definitely recommend the book. This was the first book I read by the author and now I need to read more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one was pretty good. I can see something like this occurring in real life (although I wouldn’t want it to, obviously). I wish that the sister’s relationship was a bit better defined and I would have loved to learn more about the situation (it seemed to be a quick a forced ending to me). I enjoyed reading it, but wanted more.

Wow! I thought I had heard about dysfunctional families before but this one takes the cake. It’s really hard to write a synopsis of this book because it changes so often. What you think is one turns out to be the exact opposite.
I am still not sure if I like the book or not because of the many twists and turns but I think readers should make up their own minds so I will recommend the book because I kept reading so obviously I didn’t hate it.
I agree with another reviewer that the main characters are not very likable which is probably the reason I didn’t mind the ending.
Thanks to Bookouture/NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

10 year old cousins, Maddy and Brianna, are accused of brutally assaulting their elderly neighbor, Bessie. Their mothers, Juliet and Chloe, cannot believe their daughters could possibly have committed such a crime. While we don’t know if the girls did in fact assault Bessie, we do know that the girls were in the vicinity. The problem? The girls have taken a vow of silence and refuse to cooperate with the investigation.

A family therapist, Dana, is brought onto the case with the intention to find a way to get the girls to communicate. As Dana learns more information, it becomes apparent that there are so many secrets and issues within the family that no one had ever suspected. It’s time for Juliet and Chloe to be honest about their family secrets before their daughters end up in prison.

K.L. Slater has done it again with her brilliant ability to write a page-turning, nail-biting thriller that leaves you chomping at the bit. I loved all of the twists and turns as more and more secrets were revealed within the plot. I don’t want to give any more of the plot away because this is one of those roller coaster rides that you just need to experience all the bumps for yourself. Definitely pick this one up if you love a good thriller!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Blog post: https://thereadingchemist.com/2019/07/24/book-review:-the-silent-ones-by-k-l-slater-(earc)

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Silent Ones by KL Slater.
One of my favorite authors, Slater takes normal circumstances and brings drama and energy to each book.
This book is another hit - Two young girls have been accused of a terrible crime - they are cousins - and they are not talking.
How can two young girls be part of a crime that is horrible, but the past is the way to the present, and the moms (who are sisters) must dig deep to find out what happened and how it impacts their lives.
Drama filled with a thrilling ending.
4 stars.

While disturbing on many levels, this book was incredible. Another amazing KL Slater book, and actually I think my favorite one because it just cut so deep and it was a plot that was new and different. This book definitely keeps your attention, and stays on your mind. Totally 5 stars!!

Six books. The same excitement as the first time I picked a novel by K.L. Slater. With series, you know what you are going to get. You will meet the same characters, you will walk places you’ve visited before. The risks to be disappointed are lower in this case. To create one standalone after the other and manage to keep things original, addictive, and refreshing takes talent. But Kim Slater doesn’t just write standalones…

My life has been all over the place this month, and my reading… Well, let’s say a slump was underway! I had tried to fight it with the beautiful novels waiting for me but nothing appealed to the mood reader I am. Until a name appeared on my Kindle. No blurb. All I had was a cover and an author’s name. I felt my fingers itch and twist, ready to turn pages. Is there a better feeling? Nope!

Take a lovely family picture. Add a few cracks kissed by a blue sky. Welcome in Chloe and Juliet’s lives. Sisters and business partners, they have different personalities that appeared clearly in the early chapters of The Silent Ones. It doesn’t prevent their daughters to be best friends. The two cute ten years old cousins spend a lot of time together, being kids, getting into small troubles, trying to have fun.

The fun takes a bad turn when they are found in the home of an old lady with serious injuries. The blame falls on both girls, but the accusations only met silence. ‘What could keep those children from speaking?’ was my first thought. Even quiet young souls usually can’t stop talking, and in the light of recent events, you’d think they’d react and defend themselves.

I am not one for favourites. Favourite kids, favourite dogs, favourite aunts… My heart is big enough for many different relationships, as affinities make us lean towards certain people more than others. But…

When the news that two small girls have attacked an elderly hit the village, people start talking. They start gossiping. The venin is out. Kim Slater has brilliantly depicted the urge for an audience to point the finger, their urge for revenge, and their need for someone to be punished. Those details, the small scenes showing the strength and quick reactions from a crowd were so vivid it hurt. We see it every day outside of the pages of a book. Remember the tales of infuriated villagers brandishing torches and demanding justice? (Yes, I am adding a reference to the first Shrek movie here, because there’s so much truth in it that I just had to!) Fed with eye-catching newspaper headlines and unknown sources claiming to know the ins and outs of the case, people are quick to judge and condemn. The girls are guilty. They must pay. This made me so uncomfortable, as I recognized all too well this behavior. This time, it could cost two little girls their lives.

Thankfully, the police want to get this right, despite the pressure weighing on them. I usually don’t rely on police work much when it comes to psychological thrillers as they’re always one step behind, but the author gave me faith in the team she assigned the case to. Aware of the consequences their choices will have, they handle this dangerous investigation with care and heart, without ever going soft. Oh, my heart wanted them to find a way out, but also to get answers about what had happened to that poor old woman. I was torn. I was sweaty and on edge, as if it were my own daughter’s fate hanging in the balance.

The difficult situation the girls are in put the entire family in despair. It also acts like an earthquake and soon enough, the ground stops supporting them all. A distinct crack appears, and I picked a side. I know I said I didn’t like favourites, but Juliet’s pain tugged at my heartstrings. I guess I felt close to her as I used to be a people pleaser, cutting myself in a million parts to make everyone happy, carrying so much on my shoulders that I was in a constant state of anxiety. Chloe puzzled me. I was irritated with her one minute, then feeling sorry for her the next. I guess that’s what having siblings feels like! I was wary of her, I was scared for her, I was offended by her. I just couldn’t stop changing my mind!

As if a brutal attack and the unthinkable horror of holding girls responsible for a devious act were not enough to keep your heart racing, Kim Slater slathers each interaction between the adults with thick layers of the past, distorting the present and poisoning the family dynamics. If I’d always been in awe of the author’s abilities and a huge fan of her plausible and gob-smacking twists, I only took in how much she understands and plays with psychology when everyone got thrown into a mad washing-machine, forcing them to show their true colours. Turning and fighting their feelings, protecting themselves and those around them, keeping quiet or shouting, they all ended up speaking to me. The key to the kids’ words lays in the adult’s tale.

Juliet is riddled with guilt, worried sick, and swimming against the current. Chloe is fighting like a mama bear, showing a strong face and an iron will while falling to pieces at times… If I enjoyed the different personalities, the outstanding secondary characters brought a new light on the two women, drawing a parallel between them and their children…

We willingly accept different standards of behavior from different people and before we know it, the brainwashing is complete.

Could the cousins’ silence be a cry instilled in them by their mothers?

When the past gets unearthed, secrets stain all of the protagonists. Like sand washed away by the wind, guilt appears as the main character. Its invisible hand toying with innocent lives lost tainted by a hundred decisions which have led this family to explode.
The Silent Ones is an emotionally complex novel. I loved every word, every page, every chapter. I fought the fight and felt an indescribable mix of emotions that kept me gripped until the very last page.

K. L. Slater is an auto-buy/request author for me. I don’t even need to read the blurbs of her books to know that I will love them.

The story begins with 2 girls visiting an old lady. By the end of the visit, the old lady is seriously injured. Did the girls do it? Well, the community seems to think so and so do the police. Worse still, the little girls are not saying a word. This was definitely an intriguing case, sadder because of the victim’s and the accused ages but so many questions.

I can’t imagine the nightmare that the moms had to go through. Can you imagine having your little daughter accused for a serious crime? I especially felt so bad for Juliet. She was caught up in such a terrible situation without much help or support from her family. I especially didn’t like her mom who openly picked sides and showed that she preferred one daughter to the other.

This was such a captivating read. I kept trying to guess what happened to the old lady. I suspected one girl first but kept changing my mind. My curiosity had me turning pages faster in search for answers. The community where the incident occurred added to the tension in the story. Those people were judgmental, harsh and did not hold back from showing their anger towards the girls and their families.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers then this is one title that you can’t afford to miss. Filled with lies, secrets and twists, this was quite an entertaining read.

This was probably the best book by K.L. Slater I’ve read. It draw me in slowly and then I was stuck and couldn’t stop reading. The suspense is building up and you know that it’s going to be so much more worse then you thought in the beginning. Two little girls accused of a heinous crime and before even knowing the circumstances everybody has already judged them and their families. Juliet bears already so much guilt about an accident involving her brother that this incident with her girl is threatening to push her over the edge. Her parents and sister aren’t really helping in being willing to put it all under the rug. There is so much hush hush in this family that, in times, I screamed out in frustration. And then came the ending, and it was just.....What? Mind blowing . This is a book everyone should read.

Wow wow wow!! Two little girls accused of murder, a family of lies and deceit, and what happens is shocking! A pyschlogical thriller at best!

The Silent Ones is the perfect dark beach read. I already wanted to binge read to figure out who assaulted Bessie, the elderly woman who’s incident jumpstarts the story. I was suspicious of everyone in the story until the very end. This is my second K.L. Slater novel (I loved THE VISITOR) and I’m glad I was able to stumble across The Silent Ones. Some of the twists were predictable (after reading so many thrillers, your radar is on all the time). However at the end I was caught off guard. This was a great quick read with a twist you will not expect!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.25 Hearts What a great suspenseful story. This one had me all over the place. Seems every time I thought I had the story figured out I was very wrong.

The family is interesting in their dysfunction. The girls are remaining silent. I mean totally silent which we do not understand. The mom’s are desperate and scared.

This is a really good story that will keep you turning the pages. Very few books keep me unsure of “who-dun-it” so long into the story but this one did.

Highly recommended. If you are a fan of the genre you will be thinking of this one for a long time.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddy and Brianna are cousins and one day while visiting their grandparents, they are arrested for a horrible crime.

The incident creates a huge blow up between the sisters (moms) and the girls aren't talking - they won't say what happened.

When Brianna finally speaks and says everything that happened was Maddy's fault, the broken relationships are hurt even more.

But to figure it all out, the sisters need to come to terms with a secret from their past. Will finding out the truth help or hinder the current situation? What really happened that day in the past, and also in the present?

Good plot line and also a twist I didn't see coming. Recommend for anyone looking for a quick but suspenseful read.

There’s nothing more satisfying than reading a book which says its psychological thriller, and is One!

This is my first book by the author and seems like soon I will read the rest of the books. It was a superb mind-bending novel.

While reading the book I felt like enjoying a riding a roller coaster ride. I was excited and nervous at the same time. And the ending gave me a massive jolt of surprise. I think the reader might keep guessing but can never figure it out what the ending will be!

Chloe and Juliet are sisters running a business together. Their daughters, Brianna and Madeline are 10 years old and are the best friends. But one morning it all changes. The girls are accused of murdering an 81-year-old woman, in cold blood.
Both the girls turn to complete silence. They don’t talk to the police, or the therapist or their parents.

With a whole village turning against them, the family and the police need to know the truth before it’s too late.

The book takes a targeted direction right from the start. There’s no going around the bush. The pace of the story is great. It is not a racing thriller and is not a slow read.

The story takes place in a span of 2 days. The author creates a sense of emergency and urgency and is a reader can perceive the urgency.

One of the best things about the book is its character. Main characters are well developed, say it for Chloe, or Juliet, or their parents. In fact, there is a scene where I feel irritated of Chloe and her actions. Just at the moment, I thought I can connect to the character makes feel happy about the author and the story.

The underlying theme of the book is how secrets can create rifts in families. Communicating about our problems, our likes and dislikes helps us understand people better and helps solve the problem.

A big thumbs up for the story, narration, ending and the characters.

My rating is 5 stars.

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review of the book.

A really gripping start! I’ve always enjoyed this author’s books and this was no exception. I did guess where the story was heading but it was still a good read.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

From the very first to the final line I loved this book. Terrific psychological thriller with some unexpected twists & turns. The characters all came to life for me and I would have no hesitation in recommending this book

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review

This book.

The opening catches you right away - two little girls let themselves into an old woman's house and act in an unspeakable way. One is an unwilling accoplice, the other, maybe is a bad seed? And what happens next will haunt you.

The little girls' mothers, sisters Juliet and Chloe, can't believe either of their daughters could commit such an act. And we much go on a ride with them, jumping between both their viewpoints as well as the present and the past to figure out what happened between then, and what happened between their daughters.

This book is riviting, mostly because it's so hard to believe that 10 year old girls could commit such a terrible crime. I also found myself hungry to know what happened in the sisters' past that would cause such a rift between them.

Although this book stumbles ever so slightly, the mysteries are so good and I found myself wondering where it was going to go.

This one is definitely a great mystery that I think you'd all enjoy!