If you like Lisa Jewell's books check out Why She Left by Leah Mercer. It's a mystery/thriller with well-developed (though some unlikeable) characters.

After running from an abusive boyfriend, Isobel returns home with her teenage son Isaac. She hasn't been home for 15 years. Her mother, Ruth, the headmistress of private school Burlington Square in London, is shocked to see her daughter after so long without a word. The reason Isobel left is slowly revealed throughout the novel.

The story is told from the perspectives of both the mother and daughter. While I wanted to shake them both at certain points, this was a page turner that kept me guessing throughout. I especially loved the relationship that developed between Isaac and Ruth. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author. I really enjoyed the narration in the audiobook as well.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Isobel disappeared 15 years ago and now she has returned home. This book flits between narration by Isobel herself and her mother, Ruth, as we gradually find out what happened all those years ago.

Ruth owns and runs a private school, and the majority of the book is based around this. I didn't particularly relate to either of the main characters and, in many places, found them to be irritating. I appreciate that it is a work of fiction, but some of the police procedural parts of the story just felt inaccurate.

There were a few twists and turns throughout the book and there were parts that I did enjoy. Overall, I would say that it was 'ok'.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you Bookouture, Laura Mercer, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. Loved the plot. The narration was well done. Definite must read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 star review from me.

I’m going to start this review by saying this book wasn’t BAD. It was truly a decent story. I liked the characters a lot and the twists were fun but, with that all said, this book was a bit…chaotic.

It’s not so much that the story was all over the place (the story was easy to keep up with and the fast-pace of the story was enjoyable.) It’s more so there was just a lot going on. There were a couple of different plot lines that could’ve just all been their own story: we could’ve had a darker domestic fiction with Isobel’s plot line with her family drama. We could’ve had a mystery/thriller with Isaac’s plot line. We could’ve had another general fiction about Ruth and the school. But instead we had all of it at the same time and it was just kind of… a lot. And I think because there was so much going on, there were many moments/scenes that were glossed over or left hanging (or turned into something else entirely that didn’t always feel realistic.)

Also, I found the story fairly predictable and that, in general, is always a bummer for me when it comes to a mystery/thriller read.

But again - this book was still fine. If this was a book you had on your TBR or this is an author you really like, I’d definitely say still read it. If you haven’t heard of this book but your interest is a bit peaked, I would recommend the audio version when it drops of December 12 because Mira Dovreni was a wonderful reader and makes things more fun!

As always, I want to thank Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio-ARC!

Isobel left home fifteen years ago and hasn't been back since. She turns up at her mother's house with her son, Isaac, out of the blue, and we follow her journey from there. This is two from two perspectives, from Isobel and Ruth's, Isobel's mother. There are family secrets, love, relationships, betrayals and drama throughout.

This is mainly set around the eerie school where Isobel was supposed to take over from her mother, Ruth, who is the headmistress. Still, given her disappearance, her sister Cecily has stepped in, awaiting her mother's retirement.

Isobel has returned from a difficult situation, but we never learn how bad that really is and whether she is justified to be scared and run. However, this doesn't really add anything to the book.

The characters are varied. Ruth is a hard headmistress obsessed with her elite school, which she is desperate to keep in the family. Isobel is scarred from her past and highly protective of her son Isaac. Isaac wants some freedom and suddenly falls into this prestigious family with an excellent school; he feels happiest here. Still, things never go the way you expect.

Cecily has given up everything to support her mother and keep the school running, taking over what should have been Isobel's role. But, she finds herself trapped until she is suddenly free, but we never learn where she has gone, which is disappointing.

Alex is a strong character with a dark past that doesn't become apparent until the end. This gives a great and unexpected ending that nobody saw coming. It was obvious what direction it was headed but not the reasons why and what Alex sees as the future for the school.

I enjoyed this; it was a quick read, with outstanding writing, lots of twists and turns and a suspenseful family drama. It makes one question whom you can really trust. Who has their own agenda, and who is safe?

The narrator on the audiobook was great, she has a lovely voice.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

This book was a total mother- daughter dynamic. Isobel's mom was always trying to figure out why she left so many years ago. Isobel tried everything not to have to return to her mothers house.. until one day Ruth found Isobel at her door step needing her help.

This was the first book by Leah Mercer that I have read. It was a story that had my hooked quite early on. I do enjoy reading books about families. The premise was interesting. About a daughter who had been out of touch with her family for over 15 years. Why did she just disappear and not contact her mother or sister at all.
It had some unexpected twists to the story that didn't occur to me.
I will be reading more by this author.

I really enjoyed this book! It jumps back and forth between Ruth, who runs a school and her daughter Isobel who she has not seen in fifteen years. Ruth was not only surprised to see her daughter but also her teenage grandson that she didn’t know about. As I learned both perspectives and why Isobel ran away in the first place, I was sucked in and just could not stop listening. Even when I thought I had the whole story figured out there was a final twist that I did not see coming. I highly recommend this audiobook to my fellow Thriller readers.

It took me a bit to get into but I was soon hooked and couldn’t wait to get back into this family’s story. Just when I thought I had it all worked out I realised I didn’t. Highly recommended reading.

To start out, I love boarding schools, I love the creepy atmosphere around them, the secrets they hold & the mysteries that unfold amongst them.

Isobel returns to the school she grew up in, the school that her mother owns and runs. But she doesn’t turn up alone, she turns up with her teenage son, Isaac. As her mother, Ruth is trying to interpret just why she left so suddenly many years ago, Isaac is attacked. As the family tries to save the school & determine just what happened, you find that things are not always as they same, secrets lie beneath those walls.

Overall, this was a audiobook I enjoyed listening to, although it lacked some depth in the story line. I was drawn to the descriptions of the school, the familial relations & the unfolding mystery, but I just found it so predictable. It got better as the story went on, so overall a good solid read!

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This one was okay. I liked the story, but it kind of lost my attention partway through; I just wasn’t as interested in it as I have been in other stories lately. The premise was good, and there was a bit of suspense, but it wasn’t so much a thriller (more what I was expecting) than a family drama (still good, though!). For the most part, I enjoyed parts of the plot, characters, setting, but they just didn’t feel super special to me. I might look at other books from this writer in the future, but they won’t quite make it onto my “can’t miss” list.

Fascinating story about a woman who put her career above her family and lived to regret it. Ruth lives for her school headmistress job. The school is of utmost importance and was started by her father. She has two daughters, Cecily, who works at the school and expects to some day take over her mother’s job of headmistress, and Isabel, who has returned after vanishing fifteen years previously.
The story begins with Isobel’s return along with her teenaged son,Isaac. Ruth is hesitant to welcome her daughter. There is a lot of unasked questions and Isabel has returned only due to an abusive relationship she has left. Soon, Ruth has taken over and has Isaac enrolled at the school. Isaac loves the idea of stability and a posh school. He is as enthused to remain with his grandmother as his mother is anxiously planning to leave.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Ruth and Isabel I would of enjoyed reading Isaac’s viewpoints also. The narrators did a great job with bringing the story to life. It an was intriguing book. There were many emotions
and secrets that are slowly revealed. The story had a satisfying conclusion and at different times I felt empathy for each character. I recommend the story. Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutre for a chance to listen in exchange for my honest review.

This book had all of the making of things that I love in books. Family drama and dark academia. I wanted so much to like it, but it took forever for something exciting to happen and when it is marketed as a thriller, as a reader you think you will be thrilled the whole way through. I did like the second half of the book when the excitement level picked up, but overall, it was just ok.

Wow this was one magnificently wonderful and powerful book. I just loved every minute of it. It was so full of action, twists and turns you may get whiplash and your jaw will hit the ground throughout. I could not put this book down, talk about a real page turner.  I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was brilliant.  She added to the novel in so Many ways creating such a powerful sense of atmosphere that left me on the edge of my seat. The story-line was so complete it really did move me so much. It constantly had me thinking what is going to happen next and then I would be completely wrong and became even more shocked by the outcome. So much atmosphere and tension was created by this stunningly written book. This author can sure pack a punch. I can't recommend this book enough it has everything you could ever want from a novel. I would say this book really should be read through the audiobook as it must be one of the best audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.  The characters were brilliant and you are given just enough information that you think you know them but do you really? Its a real emotional roller coaster of a ride that I didn't want it to end.  Its so wonderful yet so shocking at the same time.  I will definitely be reading more from this author. She really does know how to keep her readers happy.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for producing this truly stunning masterpiece.  Above review has been left on goodreads, Google books and Barnes&noble under ladyreading365 and on my blog
https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/why-she-left-by-leah-mercer-bookouture-audio-5-stars

There was an ominous tone throughout this thriller that seemed to emanate from the audio performance. The narrator’s voice portrayed a serious yes dramatic telling of this story that didn’t quite fit the plot. It was, at times, hard to take the plot seriously as a result.

The story itself was slower paced and a little repetitive, focusing on the same dilemma over and over again. I also thought that there were some loose threads needing more explanation, development and depth. For example, the man Isobel was initially fleeing seemed like an afterthought than a real threat.

Despite the shortcomings, I was intrigued to know what exactly happened to Isobel when she was younger and how Alex fit into the drama. The ending was a satisfying wrap up that made sense and provided some surprise.

It wasn’t the best psychological thriller I’ve ever read but it was far from the worst. A quick easy listen that fit the bill. I received an advanced audio copy from Netgalley and Bookouture Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Typical and predictable. Teacher, student, pregnancy runaway. The story was just okay, at best a really long magazine article. I finished the book, as I read for NetGalley. I asked to review and wanted to be wowed and like it. Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Media for accepting my request to read and review Why She Left.

#NetGalley
#BookoutureMedia
#Audiobook

Why She Left by Leah Mercer and narrated by Mira Dovreni was a solid 3.5 stars. The narration was well done and I would definitely listen to more performances by Ms. Dovreni. Unfortunately, the story itself fell a little short for me.

The story revolves around Ruth, who runs a very upscale private school, and Isobel, her daughter that ran away from the family years ago with no real explanation. Isobel shows up on Ruth's doorstep one evening with Isaac, her son, Ruth's grandson. Thus begins the unraveling of the mystery of what happened all those years ago and what is happening now. The premise of the story is good. Unfortunately, there was no real big reveal and nothing that really built up before the plot twist was revealed. I kept on waiting for the story to reach a crescendo with something exciting happening, but it just didn't happen for me.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley #LeahMercer and #BookoutureAudio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC!

🎧BOOK REVIEW🎧 🌟🌟🌟
PUB DATE: Dec 13 2021 / 8 hours 35 minutes

This was an enjoyable family drama and my first book by this author. The description sounded interesting and I love trying new authors, so I was excited to listen to the audiobook.

Isobel abruptly left home as a teenager without any explanation. And she hasn't kept in touch. She never intended to return home or tell her mother the reason, but life has a way of throwing curveballs at you. She and her son, Isaac, are forced to flee their home without any money, so her only choice is to return home.

When she shows up at her mother's door with Isaac, her mother is shocked but happy to have her home. Isobel has never shared her secrets with Issac, either, and intends to keep them buried. She only plans to stay long enough to save money. But Isobel isn't the only one with secrets and secrets never stay buried.

I'm not quite sure why I didn't find this story more enjoyable. It is well-written, the narrators are fantastic, and the conclusion has a surprising twist. I can't point at anything that I didn't care for, so it is either due to my mood at the time I listened to it, or this book wasn't for me. I do feel like it lacked suspense and there was no exciting “wow” moment, for me anyway. But the author's next book sounds good and I've added it to my tbr list!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook copy. This review is my honest opinion.

#whysheleft #bookoutureaudio #netgalley #leahmercer #justfinishedreading #tbrbingo2021 #familydrama #bookreview #inexchangeforreview #thrillerbookaddict #bookaholic #booknerd #lovebooks #compulsivereader #fortheloveofreading #ilovereading #coloradobookstagrammer #coloradoreader #readingintherockies #lovebooks #bookishlife #booksbooksandmorebooks #readabook

Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Sixteen years after leaving her family home Isobel and her son Isaac turn up on her mother's doorstep as they have nowhere else to go. Ruth quickly takes control of the situation and enrolls Isaac in her prestigious school. While Isaac is enjoying his new life, family and school Isobel is finding ghosts from the past difficult to deal with. Due to money problems at the school Ruth is looking for a investor. This puts her grandson in danger.

I loved this so much. An emotional roller coaster of an audio book. It held my attention to rhe very end and I kept listening to one more chapter just to see what happened next.
Believable characters, great narration. I'm looking forward to more books by Leah Mercer
My thanks to Netga6and the publisher for offering me the chance to listen and review.