The twelfth thriller by KL Slater!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy.

Alexa's life is torn apart when her sister is accused of murdering patients at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Carrie is living with Alexa and husband Perry folowing the break down of her marriage and Alexa's mental health concerns. She helps out with childcare for Alexa's one year old Florence. But with one of the victims being a baby, can Alexa still trust her own sister around her precious daugher...?
I found myself absolutely gripped by the plot of The Girl She Wanted. Alexa's dilemma and fears for her child are realistic and I think most readers would identify with her battle to trust her sister in light of the unfolding events at the hospital.
Alexa and her husband are already at odds as he feels Carries has outstayed her welcome. But Alexa relies on her sister and is afraid to leave the house without her sister to support her. We don't find out about the cause of Alexa's anxiety until two thirds of the way through the book and it is heartbreaking.
The style of writing is interesting as we have chapters from Alexa's first person perspective so see the effect of the accusations on her family and emotions. Other chapters are written in the third person to show the police investigation and the other family members and witnesses. This led me to be completely unsure about who Alexa could trust.
The Girl She Wanted is a great psychological thriller.

I trust my sister Carrie with my daughter’s life. But then she’s accused of a terrible crime. Carrie lives under our roof, she pushes my daughter on the swings, she takes her out for ice cream. She swears she’s innocent, but can I believe her? I must put my darling Florence first. But I can’t just throw my sister out.

This has a very strong start and I was surprised at how invested I was. The premise sounded okay but in reality, Slater has written a gripping, engaging read. The action begins quite early on and from the beginning Slater throws doubt and red herrings at every opportunity. Just when I thought I began to see the end another twist would enter and spin everything on its head.

Then we get to the end and what a disappointing and ridiculous ending. The whole way through this, Slater ensures the plot feels slick and clever only to throw it all away for a cheap ending. I am sorry to be harsh but the ending completely ruins what was an intriguing read up until that point. Slater could have ensured this was a complex thriller but instead cheapens it with an unbelievable ending.

Despite the ending seriously letting the read down I did still enjoy this read and that is a lot to do with Alexa. She is such a strong character and one who is very likeable as well. I hate to use this phrase but Alexa really goes on a journey in this read, the character she is at the beginning is very different to where she ends and I loved following her. The other characters are good but definitely supporting characters and you do not get such a good feel for them.

'The Girl She Wanted' starts off promising and slick and transcends into ridiculousness. What a disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

A nurse is accused of killing two of her patients, one of whom was a baby. She lives with her married sister and her sister's baby daughter. The question is whether the nurse is safe to be around her niece.

The story is set in Nottingham, as are many of K.L. Slater's books, and this is something I like as I know the place so well. It follows the process of a medical professional accused of misconduct and includes perspectives of a doctor, police officer, social worker as well as from the suspect, her sister and her sister's husband. All of these points of view expand the story and the tension as we don't know whose side to take.

This is a fairly fast-paced story that is difficult to second-guess as characters have their own personality traits and hang-ups. It considers how secrecy is used as a way of control and disguised as being protective, as well as looking at a couple of other mental health issues. So definitely a psychological thriller.

In all, this is a well-plotted book that looks at the fragility of family dynamics and instinctive trust. I have read a few of Slater's books and can say that they are getting better. A good read, recommended.

I’ve read a couple books by this author before and really enjoyed them so I was very excited to start this one. Overall, I thought it was a great read! It kept me guessing the entire time and I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to see how it all played out. It was one of those stories where you really don’t know who to trust and find yourself looking at everyone as though they’ve got something sinister going on.

I really loved Alexa as a main character and it was great to see her growth over the course of the story. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Alexa and Perry have a one year old daughter. Perry works on an oil rig near Aberdeen so is away from home for long periods of time, a minimum of two weeks at a time. When Carrie, Alexa's sister gets divorced and loses her house, she moves in with Alexa and Perry. There are some secrets here, Alexa is dealing with some issues of anxiety and a bit of agoraphobia, but the reader is not sure why. Having Carrie there is very helpful to Alexa. Perry does not want her there, he doesn't trust her but can't convince Carrie to ask her to leave. Everything falls apart when Carrie is accused of killing two patients over the last four months, at the hospital where she works.

This psychological thriller has secrets, lies, cover-ups and suspicions from the first page of the story. There are several twists along the way that keep the reader guessing. I know Carrie is the character we are supposed to love to hate, but for some reason, I liked her right from the start and kept hoping that the truth would out and that it wouldn't be Carrie. I thought I had it all figured out, but then something else was revealed and I was sent back to the drawing board. Part of what I suspected from the start was correct, but not all of it and the final twist had me chortling with glee. The characters in this book were well-developed and we got to know them better as the story went on. I loved how they changed with the situations, it made them more realistic. The story is told for a few points of view, so you could see things happening from one character that you wouldn't have known otherwise. I know someone was lying, someone was keeping secrets and someone had actually killed these two patients, but K.L. Slater does a wonderful job of dishing out just enough information along the way to keep me on the edge of my seat. This is my first book by this author, but I can guarantee, it won't be my last.

My thoughts on the book: I was told I was going to ride a roller coaster but not told what one. I was enjoying my time entering the amusement park in anticipation of what was to come. Then as we approached, I realized it was the children's roller coaster. I hopped on and had some fun during my time but had really been hoping for some bigger drops or faster turns.

I think this book had some promise and I didn't dislike it but the middle was VERY repetitive. I enjoyed the story but won't remember it long term.

This story is told from multiple point of views. Btw what is the connection between the story and the title? I don't understand lol

Alexa is dependent on her sister, Carrie. Like too dependent and it's kinda annoying. Carrie is suspended from her job as a senior nurse because someone accused her doing a terrible things to her patient.

But the twists at the end make me question myself like what the hell? I am pretty sure she did that but then boom the twists goshhh I didn't expect that at all lol

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this ARC!

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is an ok mystery thriller about the relationship of two sisters and what happens when mistrust is sowed by outside forces.

Alex is married with a one year old daughter Florence. Her older sister Carrie is a nurse and is living with Alexa after the break-up of her marriage. Carrie and Florence love each other and Carrie dotes on the little girl. After Carrie is suspend from her nursing job under suspicion of causing the death of two patients, Alexa's home is assessed to determine if it's a safe environment for Florence. Alexa is fiercely protective of Carrie and has no doubts about her innocence, but as the evidence begins to pile up, Alexa must admit that she needs to start questioning what she thinks she knows about her sister.

This was an ok book for me. Alexa is a hot mess and after awhile, it was tiresome to read her anxious thoughts and self doubts. Carrie was secretive and closed off and considering the author repeatedly said how close the sisters were, it was not realistic that they wouldn't sit down and talk about anything. I mean I get it, the author had to create tension, but the idea that the sisters were close, but then couldn't hold a simple conversation didn't gel.

Overall, this story just didn't engage me, and the odd twist at the end seemed abrupt and too far out of left field. I can see why this book would appeal to a lot of people unfortunately just not me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a domestic thriller as much as the next person - and sometimes I struggle with the originality! This had no such problems! Excellently written, great characters and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing from start to finish! I did find the relationship between Carrie and Alexa a bit frustrating at times, but it was necessary to the whole plot!
Tied up nicely, the ending was perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As psychological thrillers go, this one is a nice easy read. Some, can be very fast paced, but this one gently eases you into the story, slowly unfurling, in a tantalizing way, that keeps you absorbed. The characters are well developed and believable, and I really liked Alexa, even if, at first she does come across as timid and a little nieve, she developed well through the story, slowly growing in strength, in a way that was easy to relate too. And K.L Slater keeps you guessing with some clever twists and crafty plotting.

A great read and a big thank you to NetGalley, K.L. Slater and her publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this wonderful book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This one grew on me. A gripping story of two close (too close?) sisters, and how their relationship implodes amid accusations of terrible crimes. A really good read, exploring the complexities of relationships and trust. Recommended.

Your sister has been accused of a terrible crime at work, and now there’s been an accident at home involving your 1 year old daughter in her care. Is your sister actually the person the police and media are making her out to be? Did she injure your daughter on purpose? Alexa no longer knows what to believe.

This book had just the right amount of suspense. New information coming to light adding more and more doubts and questions into both Alexa and the readers mind. I did find the book to start slow, as the first half eases its way about, and 5e second half really ramps up the drama with more and more secrets and things coming to light.

I always enjoy K.L. Slaters writing style, and will enjoy more books as they come out.

Great story. Two sisters who go to great lengths to help and protect each other. Their bond is strong until one sister is arrested and the other starts to doubt her. I liked the bond they had and how she was willing to give up her husband to help her sister.

I really enjoyed this read, I love psychology thrillers especially when they involve families. Alexa and Callie are very close as sisters, Alexa is fragile after a family tragedy and Callie who is a nurse is always there for her. Callie is so supportive and loves helping look after her niece Florence. Until the day she is accused of murdering two patients in her care. The book explores the difficulty of wanting to believe the person you love and trust beyond everyone else when the evidence points to them being guilty, trying to stand by your husband when he wants your sister to leave. The book is an easy read with some twists and turns and I found myself changing my mind about who was guilty and who wasn't. As usual a good read from this author

This was an enjoyable, fast paced read. I really liked the characters, and I was drawn in from the very first page.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

This was a quick and twisty read, though I must admit that I don't understand how the title ties to the story. It centers primarily on Alexa, a young mother whose sister Carrie has moved in with her and her family after Carrie's own marriage ended. Alexa and her husband are already at odds about whether Carrie is overstaying her welcome when Carrie is suspended from her job as a head nurse due to a terrible accusation. There are some chapters thrown in from the POV of the police investigators and some other tertiary characters, which seems like a lot, but it was an easy read and the story flowed well.

I liked the storyline and thought that the relationship between Alexa and her daughter Florence seemed genuine. That being said, the relationship between Alexa and Carrie seemed codependent and I was often frustrated with Alexa's blind support of Carrie that was often to the detriment of her other relationships and overall well-being.

I was surprised by the end of the book and found it to be satisfying, though I do wish that the author had dropped us just a few more clues that tied the various pieces of the story together.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and felt like Slater once again put out a twisty and fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think The Girl She Wanted is just as fast paced as KL Slater’s previous books. I would have read it quicker than a few days if I wasn’t so busy! It was hard to put down, but then really easy to pick back up, so the momentum was kept going.

The story revolves around sisters Alexa and Carrie. Carrie is a senior nurse and A&E manager, a well-respected employee of the hospital. When her marriage broke down she moved in with her sister Alexa, and her family. Alexa is very close to Carrie and nothing will get between them.



When Carrie is suspended and accused of a serious crime at the hospital. and then when she is looking after Florence, Alexa’s 8 month old daughter, Florence gets hurt. Alexa’s husband turns against Carrie and blames her. Which Alexa doesn’t believe, as nothing will get between her and Carrie. It causes a lot of tension. I feel for Alexa caught in the middle, plus she has her own anxieties to deal with.

A huge 5 stars from me, full of suspense, twists and turns and keeps you guessing. Thoroughly well developed characters and fantastically written overall. If you have a few spare hours for a who dunnit read, then The Girl She Wanted is for you.

This is the first novel I have read by this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style and strong characters. This story is from multiple points of view, so you get a glimpse of how each character views the events and accusations. The plot drew me in from the beginning and held my attention all the way through. There were many plot twists that kept me guessing.

I really enjoyed watching Alexa become a strong, confident woman, and I loved the last chapter!

Thank you K.L. Slater, Netgalley and Bookouture for this suspenseful ARC.

#thegirlshewanted #klslater #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer y’all. Less than twenty four hours to gobble this book up. I don’t even know what to say 😱 I didn’t see the twists coming. Two sisters bound together by a secret. One sister a nurse. Charged with the murder of two patients. Did she do it? The other sister. Married. With a child. Unsure if she can now fully support/trust her sister. The journey these two go on and the truth exposed at the end will leave you #gasping. #bookstagram #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks📚 #bookaholic #netgalleybooks #netgalleyreads