An emotional and gripping family story. How keeping secrets can destroy a person but also a family. Isobel is back in The Square. The place she left fifteen years ago, running away to keep her family save. Can she come back when all started and keep his son save or will the past destroy all she loves again? A great Audiobookt

𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!

Secrets, family drama, unexpected twists and turns, fast paced and simply addictive, this is the kind of story that pull you in slowly and keep you engaged the whole time a great psychological thriller. This is my first book from this author and it won’t be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ALC.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢.

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I was drawn in from the first chapter. I was sure I had it all figured out pretty early on and I only hit on the tip of the iceberg. I’m usually so good at knowing who, what and why, but not this time. I really enjoyed not liking Ruth and liked Isaac. I only wish he had a little bigger part in the book. Mercer nailed the prep school atmosphere and the poor rich girl vibe. I enjoyed the listen partially due to Mira Dovreni’s narration.

This is a fresh storyline that keeps you on your toes throughout. It involves complicated family dynamics and mystery. It had just the right amount of changes in point of view. I enjoy how this author writes and it was a great audiobook. The narrator was fantastic as well.

I received the audiobook for my honest opinion.

This book was a mixed bag for me. At times it was really good and interesting, and then other times it fell flat for me.

Basically a decent read.

After disappearing from her mother, Ruth’s, life sixteen years ago, Isobel shows up on Ruth’s doorstep with her fifteen-year-old son, Isaac. The story goes between past and present as Mercer leads you through Isobel’s past life and what led her to leave, and then come back. Ruth is the headmistress of a prestigious school that have been in their family for decades. For Ruth, reputation of her and her school is everything. Soon, Isobel and Isaac settle in and that’s when things turn. Isaac is beaten up and left in the school dark room. Has the past come back to haunt her and her family? I wish the character development was a little more. Parts of the story were repetitive and predictable. The first third of the book was slow, but then it did pick up. This was a story of secrets, legacy and betrayal.

Thank you NetGalley for an audiobook copy of Why She Left in exchange for an honest review.

Like Mother Like Daughter.

Isobel was just a teenager when she got pregnant and ran away from home in her attempt to protect her mother and the famous school her family had ran for generations. 15years later Isobel and her son are running away again, this time from her boyfriend who has been violent, she returns to the only place she thinks they will be safe... her mother's front door. Ruth is so stunned to see Isobel and her grandson that she welcomes them with open arms and enrolls him into her school immediately, dismissing the years they've lost in hopes of a new chance to be together. However this exclusive school has its share of dark ugly secrets that disrupted their pasts and is threatening all of their futures.

The novel is told from both Ruth and Isobel's perspectives which helps to move the story along, although I did not find either character all that likeable. The plot is formulaic and extremely predicable with a twist ending that feels anticlimactic. All of the characters are selfish and seem more interested in using each other than building relationships or dealing with the past. Mercer's writing style is enjoyable but I think the plot needed more. I had a copy of the audiobook read by Mira Dovreni who was easy to listen to but the story was hard to get excited about.

The narrator I like them. They have done very well in getting this story across. Isabel has come home after leaving years ago. But why did she leave a loving home. Issac her son
Ruth seems strict and
Isabel a forbidden relationship and a shock. I would of loved to have an more Indept connection to the characters. However this book really calmed me and was a nice listen to the domestic life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this drama by Leah Mercer, narrated by Mira Dovreni. 4 stars!

Fleeing a bad relationship, Isobel returns to her mother and her family home 15 years after she ran away. Her mother, Ruth, is astonished to find Isobel and her teenage son, Isaac, on her doorstep but welcomes them back with open arms. Ruth is in charge of a very successful family-run private school and Isaac is soon happily attending. But being back in the school environment brings back many unhappy memories for Isobel. When Isaac is harmed, Isobel threatens to blow up everything her mother holds dear.

This was a well-written family drama, complete with many family secrets and questionable characters. I thought the narration was great - pleasant tone and pacing with no trouble distinguishing between voices. There's lots to dissect here - family values, nurturing, resentment, secrets. I was intrigued to figure out the mystery plot line of the book.

Isobel suddenly appears on Ruth's doorstep after leaving 15 years ago. She's brought her teenage son along with her, Ruth's grandson who she never knew existed. She is back because she has nowhere else to go, but why did she leave?

While not a bad read, I did find it very predictable. It was easy to see where the story was going and how each character fit in.

I listened to the audio version and have no complaints. It was clear and paced well. I do usually prefer speeding things up, but the app I used only goes in 25% increments and at 1.25, it sounded distorted a bit. I went back to the default setting.

This was the first book by Leah Mercer that I've read. I would try another book by this author.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the Slow burn of this book.
I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and the author Leah Mercer for this Advanced Audio Copy.
I didnt prefer the narrator only because I couldn't disguinish between the mom, son or grandmother. I probably would of preferred to read the book instead.
Besides that it was a good book with a nice twist at the end.

#netgalley #leahmercer #whysheleft #goodreads

This book did not go in the direction I thought it was going to, at all. Isobel left her home and her family unexpectedly 15 years ago. As this story starts, she is returning home and has a 15 year old son with her. Her mom and sister had no idea why she left or that she was pregnant, nor have they spoken to Isobel in all this time. This is the first twist. Eventually, we as readers understand why Isobel left and how her son, Isaac, came to be. When Isaac is attacked and the school (including Isobel's mom) play it off like an accident, Isobel knows something is up and is reminded about why she hated that school in the first place.

Like I said, this book did not go where I thought it was going to go. For whatever reason I was imagining the family somewhat reuniting, Isaac learning about who his father was, everyone bonding, etc. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. What I did not expect was a novel full of lies, half truths, deception, assault, and much more. It was a lot darker than I imagined, but so much better than I imagined!

I listened to this on audio and loved the narrator. She really made the story come to life. Highly recommend.

Why She Left is a very good read, which caught my interest right from the start.

I loved the story, a domestic drama about misunderstandings and family relationships, with an unexpected twist as an added bonus.

The narrator did a very good job, that added to the enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

There are some twists in the book, a couple that were satisfying
that I didn't predict, but taken as a whole the book is just an okay read
for me. There wasn't anything very unique or original.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a decent job with
voicing Ruth and Isobel. I didn't thinm that the two narrators were distinguishable
because their voices weren't that distinct from each other. I was drawn to listen to it more to find out what was
going to happen, but the book is a bit of a slow burn and it took a bit
for the action to begin.
Overall, this is a decent read as a domestic drama with a bit of
suspense. Thank you netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to provide feedback

Oh wow, I don’t know where to start with this brilliant read or in this case it was listen as I had the audible version of the book. It was wonderfully read by Mira Dovreni with just enough subtle difference to the voices so you know exactly who is speaking and along with Leah Mercer’s descriptions and Mira Dovreni’s voices, you can actually “see” the characters. I love audio books that evolve like a story in your head and thanks to the skill of the author and the narrator, this was one of those books.

This is a not a thriller it is a domestic drama about family dynamics and how even those closest to us can misunderstand, not read the signals, keep terrible secrets and make mistakes, even with the best intentions, that have far reaching effects. It is also about bullying, grooming and high expectations.

At the centre of the story is “the school” whose tentacles reach out and invade everyone’s lives. The school is the reason Isobel fled, that Cecily gave up her dreams, probably that Ruth’s husband left. In fact everything that has gone wrong is ultimately down to the school. Whether the school will claim anymore victims is what makes this such an exciting read.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

It tells the story of Ruth a stern headmistress and Isobel her daughter who left home 15 years ago without a word and suddenly returns home.
The story is told from each of their point of views in turn.

The narrator has a very pleasant voice and made for a very pleasurable listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me review this audiobook.

Why She Left was an enjoyable read (or listen in my case) but didn't have anything to really make it stand out. It was quite predicable, although there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I probably found the last few chapters the most interesting and it definetly ended better than it started. The story alternates between Isobel and her Mum, Ruth, which I enjoyed. It's a family drama involving Isobel and her 15 year old son Iscac and Ruth and her prestigious family owned school. Enjoyable if you are looking for something not too earth shattering.

I listened to this book on audio. I must admit I struggled to get into it at first, found it a little slow going and wasn't that gripped, though it was never a chore to pick up. The second part of the book definitely made up for it and I was keen to keep listening to see how events would unfold and fall in to place. The ending was a surprise though I did have my suspicions around one of the characters intentions from the start. The book is more of a family drama than a thriller but it does contain some good twists. The story is centred around a prestigious school and it's head mistress. The school is a dominant part of the book and is practically a character in it's own right. The head mistress Ruth has been separated from her daughter Isabel since she left without explanation when she was little more than a school girl herself. When she returns with her son years later Ruth is thrilled to have her daughter back in her life along with a grandson she never knew she had. The story that follows explains why Isabel left and we learn of how Ruth was willing to put the school, set up by her grandfather, before any one else, even family. She is a proud woman with a reputation that she will do anything to protect. But this has consequences and we see how these ripples affect many lives over the years that she is in charge. Overall this was an enjoyable 4 star book and I would be happy to read more of this authors work in the future.

Why She Left
By Leah Mercer
Narrated by Mira Dovreni

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced audio copy in turn for my honest review.

Mira Dovreni did a wonderful job narrating this story. I really enjoyed the tone of her voice which made the story that much more enjoyable to listen too.

The story starts as Ruth, the head mistress at a private school, daughter shows up at her door after 16 years.
Where has Isobel been all these years and who is the child she has with her?
Isobel left her mom and sister 16 years ago because of a secret that happened while she was a student at the school. Why is she back? Why did she leave?

I really enjoyed listening to this story and did not want to stop listening. All the good books come to an end too soon.

Again thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the audio version for an honest review.

Isabel left home and her life to start again on her own, years later when she falls on hard times she returns to the family business. Now she comes to terms to why she left and faces her demons at the same time the rest of her family have their own demons to tackle. Intriguing plot that kept me hanging on to the end. Thank you #Netgalley for the audiobook to review.