By: Danielle Stewart
ISBN: 9781837903153
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 10/20/2023
Format: e-book
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
Daisy sobbed as she pointed at the picture of my darling son. “It was him,” she cried out distraught. “He was the one who attacked me.”
Today all my worst fears came true. I thought I had escaped the dark secrets of my teenage years. But when my son is accused by one of my students of a crime I know only too well, my past comes hurtling into my present.
Surely my beloved son Bryson, my kind and caring boy, who I raised to be nothing like the men of my past, couldn’t be mixed up with – or worse, be – what they are describing. Could he?
But when Daisy comes to me in the classroom with tears in her eyes, trusting me with her confession, I vow that she won’t suffer the same fate I did. But what can I do? I love my son. I need to believe him no matter what.
As I struggle to know who to believe, the threats begin. Notes on my car, messages saying you will pay for what happened. Just like last time. Only this time I don’t know if I’ll get out of it alive…
This addictive and gripping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and The Girl on the Train.
My Review
Danielle Stewart's THE TEACHER is a twisty, riveting psychological thriller with a cast of unreliable narrators of a woman who befriends one of her students who needs help and gets caught up in a dangerous web of deceit, lies, secrets, and revenge that may destroy her entire family when the past and present collide.
THE TEACHER is a dark and twisted exploration of loyalty, family, and how far we'll go to protect the ones we love.
Meet Elizabeth, who has had a rough, traumatic life (you sympathize with her). She was left alone to protect and care for her little sister Jules at a young age, with an abusive father in jail most of the time and a mother in a mental hospital.
She did not want to go into foster care and risk being separated from her sister. She would do anything to ensure her little sister was safe with food and a roof over her head. Elizabeth has sacrificed much and works three jobs, and nothing will stand in her way to get custody of her once she turns eighteen. She has shielded her sister, Jules.
In the process, many men did not have her best interest at heart from controlling, powerful, and manipulative. She is untrusting of others, and rightly so.
Presently, Elizabeth is a high school teacher, married to Rick, a lawyer (older) with a fifteen-year-old son, Bryson. Jules, her sister, lives about an hour away and runs an investigative firm.
When she notices a young girl named Daisy down on her luck at school, she reminds her of herself at that age. She lives with her grandmother and has little food, and the water has been turned off. She would have wanted someone to notice her and help her back then. She befriends her.
When Elizabeth digs further, she learns Daisy was attacked at a party at her house. She was drunk or drugged and said no. Bryson held a party while his parents were away. Bryson was a good boy and would not do anything to hurt a girl or woman.
However, Elizabeth will not stop until she learns more about Daisy. As things come to light, her husband wants to send her to Bayview for psychiatric help. They think she is being obsessive. However, does her husband have her best interest at heart?
She does not know whom to trust. Who is lying? Who is manipulating her? Can she trust her husband, Rick? What about Daisy? Is Bryson telling the truth?
Things get complex, and the plot thickens as there are more back-and-forth plays than a tennis match. Told from POV: Elizabeth, Daisy, and Rick.
Your loyalties will change multiple times with a cast of unreliable narrators. Just when you take a breath, there is another jaw-dropping twist and the final one at the end that will leave your head spinning!
THE TEACHER is a twisted, mind-bending tale of deception, gaslighting, and falsehoods. What a thrill ride! Every character brims with dark secrets, and every page holds a surprise. This one will grab you from page one to the end. This novel would make for a great movie!
I enjoyed the students' opinions on the book discussion: "a blank canvas" and "love bombing." How older men with power or wealth seek out young women because they are looking for someone who hasn't yet found their identity.
Yes, there are some over-the-top moments; however, an entertaining domestic suspense thriller, I could not put down. Great characterization! I loved Elizabeth's character— for fans of authors Robyn Harding, Wendy Walker, Michele Campbell, and Mary Kubica.
My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more!
Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for an ARC for an honest opinion.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 20, 2023
About the Author
Danielle Stewart is a USA Today Best Selling Author of over forty books. Her series include The Missing Pieces Series, The Brave Moments Series, The Piper Anderson Series, The Edenville Series, The Clover Series, The Piper Anderson Legacy Mystery Series, The Rough Waters Series & The Barrington Billionaire’s Series, The Broken Mirror Series. She has had more than 3 million books downloaded and held the number one book rank on Apple Books, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Danielle currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and son. She works hard to perfect the ability to write in a noisy house and create story lines while folding laundry. She loves hearing from readers so please find her on social media! WEBSITE
