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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Michele Campbell is an amazing writer! “It’s always the Husband” and her newest release, “A Stranger on the Beach” truly blew me out of the water with her talent!
I picked this one up really excited to read and no doubt, it was a great read but, i knew “who dunnit” as soon as it happened. I expected it actually. However, the very ending was shocking and I did not see that coming!
I’m gonna give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
It took me on a trip and I enjoyed it and that’s honestly, all that matters. Michele is a terrific writer and I completely implore you to read her books! Her descriptions of the scenes are so vivid and real, you literally feel like you’re there, live watching the scene unfold.
The paperback version of this was just released so go grab it!!
I picked this one up really excited to read and no doubt, it was a great read but, i knew “who dunnit” as soon as it happened. I expected it actually. However, the very ending was shocking and I did not see that coming!
I’m gonna give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
It took me on a trip and I enjoyed it and that’s honestly, all that matters. Michele is a terrific writer and I completely implore you to read her books! Her descriptions of the scenes are so vivid and real, you literally feel like you’re there, live watching the scene unfold.
The paperback version of this was just released so go grab it!!
I was excited to have the opportunity to review this book. (Thanks Netgalley!!) I really enjoyed Michele Campbell's previous book, It's Always the Husband and I love books seet in boarding schools. Win/win for me.
She Was the Quiet One introduces us to twins, Rose and Bel, who have just lost their mother and are sent to boarding school by their grandmother. At the school, there are two teachers who are married and oversee the dorms. The point of view alternates between these characters.
Well written, suspenseful w ith an edge of creepy at the boarding school. I enjoyed this book even more than her first and am looking forward to reading more by this author.
She Was the Quiet One introduces us to twins, Rose and Bel, who have just lost their mother and are sent to boarding school by their grandmother. At the school, there are two teachers who are married and oversee the dorms. The point of view alternates between these characters.
Well written, suspenseful w ith an edge of creepy at the boarding school. I enjoyed this book even more than her first and am looking forward to reading more by this author.
This is a much more polished novel than her first, and the narrative carried tension right to the last page. A great beach read.
Thanks for the ereview edition, netgalley.
Thanks for the ereview edition, netgalley.
Initial thoughts: a bit slow getting in but once I did, I was hooked! I'll discuss this more in my review but there were certain aspects of this novel which didn't make sense to me, but there are also many things which are really well crafted and altogether beautifully written. I'm sorry (don't hate me) but I was not a fan of Sarah . I admire the way Michele Campbell rooted us to the side of whichever character's perspective it was at any instance though; I went from being on Bel's side to Rose's back to Bel's in an instant in the first few chapters because of this!
————————————————————
~I received a copy from HarperCollins NZ and willingly reviewed it~
[THINGS I LIKED]
• The final twist; if you’d just been stabbed in the gut with a dagger the ending twisted the blade in even deeper
• The initial figuring out of who the “quiet one” referred to in the title is
• How Michele Campbell made us root for both girls when it was their perspective; especially at first I switched sides with every alternating chapter.
• EMMA KIM!! My fave
• Darcy & Tessa making things more interesting overall
[THINGS I DISLIKED]
• The names? Why were some so great (Darcy, Tessa) and then so bad (Zach Cuddy, c’mon? I mean I guess I eventually visualised him better after this. Brandon Flynn just makes me think the actor)
• Subservient wife always taking her husband’s side despite all the evidence literally about to choke her,,, not a fan
• Was Zach involved in the murder? Was he not? We’ll never know
• I wasn’t aware rich people got expelled from private boarding schools so easily.
• The killer was kind of made obvious by being one of the only main characters without a perspective…
• Rose/Bel’s character personalities just didn’t make sense to me? I get she’s trying to break stereotypes almost but it didn’t work for me.
• If Moreland is so notorious for pranks then why did only the one incident occur all year?
I feel like Heath genuinely didn’t think he was doing wrong, and this is evidenced by Sarah during her chapters describing the publishing incident. And that’s the beauty of this story.
Spoiler
except that one scene where she used a math grid to figure out that Zach couldn't have killed Bel but cmon even then why would you need to do that?!————————————————————
~I received a copy from HarperCollins NZ and willingly reviewed it~
[THINGS I LIKED]
• The final twist; if you’d just been stabbed in the gut with a dagger the ending twisted the blade in even deeper
• The initial figuring out of who the “quiet one” referred to in the title is
• How Michele Campbell made us root for both girls when it was their perspective; especially at first I switched sides with every alternating chapter.
• EMMA KIM!! My fave
• Darcy & Tessa making things more interesting overall
[THINGS I DISLIKED]
• The names? Why were some so great (Darcy, Tessa) and then so bad (Zach Cuddy, c’mon? I mean I guess I eventually visualised him better after this. Brandon Flynn just makes me think the actor)
• Subservient wife always taking her husband’s side despite all the evidence literally about to choke her,,, not a fan
• Was Zach involved in the murder? Was he not? We’ll never know
• I wasn’t aware rich people got expelled from private boarding schools so easily.
• The killer was kind of made obvious by being one of the only main characters without a perspective…
• Rose/Bel’s character personalities just didn’t make sense to me? I get she’s trying to break stereotypes almost but it didn’t work for me.
• If Moreland is so notorious for pranks then why did only the one incident occur all year?
I feel like Heath genuinely didn’t think he was doing wrong, and this is evidenced by Sarah during her chapters describing the publishing incident. And that’s the beauty of this story.
This book was pretty good. I think the author does a good job of casting suspicion on multiple characters and leaving the reader wondering which sister does not survive. The ending itself was not surprising and I hoped for a few more twists and turns in regards to the killer. Overall, it was easy to lose oneself in the book and keep reading long after bedtime to try to solve the whole story.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thrilling book! The story keeps you guessing most of the book. The story was a bit drawn out at the end but it is still a great book!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
when i first read this years ago i rated it a 4 - but after rereading i'm bringing it down to 3.25
maybe my taste has changed but i did not enjoy this as much as i did the first time i read it. so juvenile in parts that i found it hard to engage
maybe my taste has changed but i did not enjoy this as much as i did the first time i read it. so juvenile in parts that i found it hard to engage
Set in an exclusive boarding school, She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell is an intriguing murder mystery.
Fifteen year old Bel and Rose Enright are fraternal twins who go to live with their wealthy Grandmother after their mother passes away. Grandma decides to keep with family tradition and she ships the girls off to the Odell School. Free-spirited, fun-loving Bel is delighted to be selected to join a group of senior girls whose leader Darcy Madden and her sidekick Tessa Romano are the epitome of mean girls. On the other hand, studious and quiet Rose struggles to find her place since Bel humiliated her in front of the other students the first day of school. The girls find themselves of opposite sides of a cruel prank and their relationship further deteriorates until one of them is brutally murdered. Everyone at the school is quick to blame the other twin for killing her sister, but local Detective Melissa Howard diligently works the case alongside state police Lieutenant Robert Kriscunas.
The Odell School is a savior for newly hired Sarah Donovan and her husband Heath. They are teachers at the school but they are also the co-heads of a dorm that has a terrible reputation for being out of control. Sarah is Rose's adviser and the pair immediately hit it off. Heath is Bel's adviser and he is crucial in helping her when she goes before the disciplinary board for her role in the prank that divides the sisters. Sarah is growing increasingly troubled by rumors and a feeling that something is not quite right with her husband. Heath has his sights set on climbing the academic rung and he is steadily working toward fulfilling his ambitions.
Despite the interesting premise, She Was the Quiet One is a slow-moving mystery that is somewhat predictable. The characters are rather one-dimensional and the plot is ridden with angst. Rose is the most likable character and it is easy to feel sympathy for her as she always plays second fiddle to Bel. As for Bel, she makes one bad decision after another and by the time she is ready to ask for help, she has completely alienated Rose. Sarah is willfully blind to what is going on around her and she plays the hapless wife all too easily as she ignores what is glaringly obvious. Heath is well-liked by the students but he exercises shockingly poor judgment. Readers will most likely see through the red herrings and accurately guess the killer's identity and motive for the murder fairly easily. The mystery is solved rather quickly and Michele Campbell completely wraps up all of the loose ends.
Fifteen year old Bel and Rose Enright are fraternal twins who go to live with their wealthy Grandmother after their mother passes away. Grandma decides to keep with family tradition and she ships the girls off to the Odell School. Free-spirited, fun-loving Bel is delighted to be selected to join a group of senior girls whose leader Darcy Madden and her sidekick Tessa Romano are the epitome of mean girls. On the other hand, studious and quiet Rose struggles to find her place since Bel humiliated her in front of the other students the first day of school. The girls find themselves of opposite sides of a cruel prank and their relationship further deteriorates until one of them is brutally murdered. Everyone at the school is quick to blame the other twin for killing her sister, but local Detective Melissa Howard diligently works the case alongside state police Lieutenant Robert Kriscunas.
The Odell School is a savior for newly hired Sarah Donovan and her husband Heath. They are teachers at the school but they are also the co-heads of a dorm that has a terrible reputation for being out of control. Sarah is Rose's adviser and the pair immediately hit it off. Heath is Bel's adviser and he is crucial in helping her when she goes before the disciplinary board for her role in the prank that divides the sisters. Sarah is growing increasingly troubled by rumors and a feeling that something is not quite right with her husband. Heath has his sights set on climbing the academic rung and he is steadily working toward fulfilling his ambitions.
Despite the interesting premise, She Was the Quiet One is a slow-moving mystery that is somewhat predictable. The characters are rather one-dimensional and the plot is ridden with angst. Rose is the most likable character and it is easy to feel sympathy for her as she always plays second fiddle to Bel. As for Bel, she makes one bad decision after another and by the time she is ready to ask for help, she has completely alienated Rose. Sarah is willfully blind to what is going on around her and she plays the hapless wife all too easily as she ignores what is glaringly obvious. Heath is well-liked by the students but he exercises shockingly poor judgment. Readers will most likely see through the red herrings and accurately guess the killer's identity and motive for the murder fairly easily. The mystery is solved rather quickly and Michele Campbell completely wraps up all of the loose ends.