Welcome to my review of Why She Left By Leah Mercer. 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? This is released today so go and place your orders!
When I open the door and see her, my mind starts churning. Why are they here? What do they want? And why did my daughter leave in the first place? Am I finally, after all of these years, going to find out? I take a deep breath and usher them in…
Ruth has spent every day of the last fifteen years wondering why her daughter Isobel left. Walking around the school to which she has given her life, every child she sees reminds her of her family’s bright future which vanished in an instant.
So when Ruth opens the door to find Isobel and a teenage grandson she never knew existed, she feels a rush of relief. Despite the years of hurt she never stopped loving Isobel and wants to help rebuild her life. Enrolling her grandson at the school, Ruth wants to make sure they stay for good.
Isobel has spent her life running from a painful secret. A secret which could have destroyed her family. Now, as she flees a bad relationship, she knows that her childhood home is the only place where she can be safe.
But as Isobel looks at her son in his crisp new uniform, she is taken straight back to the reason she ran all those years ago. Soon it becomes clear that she is not the only one tormented by the past. Someone is prepared to destroy everything Ruth and Isobel hold dear. Can Isobel confront her darkest secret before it is too late?
Leah Mercer was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Her first ambition was to be a journalist, but after completing a master’s in journalism, she soon realised she preferred anything other than reporting the news. After trying her hand at public relations, teaching and recruitment in various countries around the world, she finally settled in London and returned to writing… fiction, this time.
Her first two novels, Who We Were Before and The Man I Thought You Were, were shortlisted at the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. Leah loves books, running and visiting historic houses with her husband and their son.
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?
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.
| Title | Why She Left |
| Author | Leah Mercer |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 295 Pages |
| Genre | Psychological Fiction / Suspenseful Family Drama |
| Publisher | Bookouture |
| Release Date | 13th December 2021 |
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