Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this excellent book! The mystery was well paced and thought out with an absolutely out of pocket hook.

If you liked: The Teacher

I have no idea what on earth I just read (or rather listened to). I like a decent twist full thriller but the key to one of those is believability. It has to make you go "OMG what?!" but follow that up with enough plot to make the twist make sense. This was just nuts. I found myself rolling my eyes and wishing harm on all the characters, there isn't a single one I was routing for.

There were too many PoVs and although the narrator of the audiobook was pretty decent, I really didn't like the voice she did for the "creepy maybe murderer" and one of the school mums which she made sound like Moira Rose.

This was a really good book! At first I didn’t like the narration. It was too slow paced for me. Bumped it up to 1.5x speed, then it was great! Was easy to follow along with the book. Lots of great twists.

This was super twisty. The cast of characters was pretty unlikable but the ending made up for that! Excellent on audio!

This was a thriller that you can binge in one sitting, especially with the audiobook.
I enjoyed the narrater and the way the author set up the narrative.
Although I enjoyed the different POVs, it did become a little confusing.

Such an awesome thriller! There were so many twists and turns, and it kept my attention the whole time. Definitely pick this one up!

This one was good but it was pretty predictable. But regardless I enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends

In "The Teacher's Secret" by Lauren North, listeners are taken on a gripping journey into the heart of a small village torn apart by the mysterious disappearance of a beloved teacher and her son. Narrated by Emma Woods, the audiobook unfolds with tension and intrigue, drawing listeners into a web of secrets and lies that threatens to unravel the fabric of a close-knit community.

The premise of the novel is both compelling and chilling: a substitute teacher is thrust into the role of investigating the disappearance of her predecessor, Cate Walker, and her young son Archie. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a tangled web of suspicions and whispers, with rumors swirling about Cate's charismatic husband, Oliver, the headteacher of the school.

Emma Woods' narration expertly captures the atmosphere of unease and uncertainty that pervades the story, immersing listeners in the unfolding drama. Her pacing is steady and engaging, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats as the tension mounts with each new revelation.

The character development in "The Teacher's Secret" is particularly strong, with each member of the small village community feeling fully realized and multi-dimensional. The protagonist's journey from outsider to reluctant investigator is compelling, and listeners will find themselves rooting for her as she navigates the treacherous waters of suspicion and deceit.

North's writing is taut and suspenseful, with twists and turns that will keep listeners guessing until the very end. From anonymous threats to break-ins, the sense of danger and menace is palpable, adding an extra layer of excitement to the narrative.

I liked this book, I have never read this author so I wasn't sure what to expect. It did have a twist at the end which I enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for this audio copy of The Teacher’s Secret by Lauren North. The premise of the book is a female teacher and her young son go missing on a Friday afternoon and her husband quickly becomes the main suspect in the disappearance by not only the police, but the community as well. The book was good, but my issue is there were like 4 different POV’s all with their own secrets and guilty feelings and it became really difficult to keep up with it all and I ended up getting confused. I’ll say too that the narrators voice didn’t really change from character to character so that added to the confusion if I missed whose name was speaking at the beginning of each chapter. It’s worth a read.

This one was interesting. I was intrigued and wanted to continue reading but I wasn't getting chills or scared. I felt like there was so much going on I felt like the plot was all over the place. I did really like the narrator but I feel like there were so many characters and so many points of view, it was a little confusing. Overall, it was entertaining but not a favorite.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @Bolindaaudio for the Audio ARC. I enjoyed the narrator of this book very much. The Teacher's Secret was a thrilling book to read. A teacher and her son go missing and all points to the husband of course. Yet, everyone in this small town has something to hide. I did not see that ending coming.

This was fantastic! The thrill and suspense was perfect and reminded of Frieda McFadden (who I absolutely love). I don't typically enjoy audios that are duel narration but this narrator was great at making sure I was able to picture each character in my mind and I throughly enjoyed listening to this audio. Both this author and narrator are new to me but I will definitely be looking for more books written by North and audios narrated by Woods!

Thank You, NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

The Teacher's Secret by Lauren North was a good read.

Set in a small town with various characters, this was a cozy mystery that you can finish reading in one seating.

Worth a one time read, I would say.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and it honestly was so much better than I expected it to be it is an incredible read.
There wasn't anything I disliked about this book. the writing style and format was good and engaged me the whole way along, the storyline was absolutely riveting and thought provoking. I couldn't Stop listening

There Is unreliable narrator And then there is whatever this is. It's an enjoyable Sunday afternoon read that moves a nice pace and has interesting characters. But the conclusion is a knotted messy let down.

Reading Between the Wines book review #26/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Teacher’s Secret
Author: Lauren North
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: A missing child and mother is a very scary thing. There are so many suspects and reasons of what could have caused the disappearance. I was able to figure out who caused the disappearance and why. But the twist to that was very surprising. It was a decent read.

Cheers and thank you to @BolindaAudio and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheTeachersSecret.

#TheTeachersSecret #LaurenNorth #BolindaAudio #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

this book was just an ok read for me. thank you netgalley. for the audio. um so this story was about a mom and son who disappered, and a subsatiute teacher who replaces her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping work of psychological fiction from Lauren North - it had all the essential ingredients of a good read/listen! - fascinating characters, dark and twisty plot....and those all important plot twists!!

A teacher and her son disappear, her husband, a local head teacher, reports her missing, but as is often the case he is quickly cast as a suspect as the case is escalated to a suspected murder. A highly prominent character is Lexi, a substitute teacher, as is Gemma, a teacher at the same school. Both these women appear to have an agenda, but just what that agenda is is very 'smoke and mirrors' for much of the novel.

I LOVED there enigmatic quality of this book, it is shrouded in mystery and intrigue which is gratifying to the extreme and makes the ultimate reveal all the more spectacular!

This book is superbly well written and as such I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it it readers/listeners of this genre.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.

This story is seriously creepy. It’s a simple premise; a teacher and her son have gone missing and a replacement teacher is brought in. The setting is a small school in a village community and as might be expected, gossip is rife. I loved the way the narrative switches between viewpoints.

Cate, the replacement becomes personally involved in the mystery and right from the outset, it’s impossible to gauge who may be implicated and why. What I didn’t expect was the final reveal which came as a complete surprise. The characters are well depicted and the tension builds inexorably as time goes by and the teacher remains missing. Secrets and lies are uncovered later by layer as the real story unfolds. Very clever plotting and an all round chilling domestic thriller. Great narration and I really enjoyed this.