Don’t Say A Word

by Nicola Sanders

Kate married Max for one reason to protect his sixteen-year-old daughter, Holly.

For the past year, while planning her escape with her stepdaughter, Kate has played the perfect wife to Max, a man twenty years older who's charming in public but cruel behind closed doors.

They are so close, literally days away from leaving, when Holly kills her father. Panicked, Kate hides Max's body in the garage freezer. Now all they have to do is stay calm until she can make it disappear.

But then Holly takes a friend's car for a joyride and hits the new neighbor. It might only be a sprained ankle, but Kate—with a husband in the freezer and a terrified teenager upstairs—can hardly refuse her the spare room.

Except Teri doesn't seem in any hurry to leave. She's relentlessly friendly. She asks too many questions about Max. Soon, Kate starts to wonder whether the accident was really an accident at all.

Incredibly, the body in the freezer isn't the problem.

The woman in the spare room is.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Nicola Sanders writes psychological thrillers. She lives with her partner on the edge of a forest where she is regularly swooped by magpies.

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books]

3.5⭐
Genre ~ domestic fiction
Setting ~ not sure exactly, somewhere in the UK
Publication date ~ book ~ June 16, 2026, audio ~ July 28, 2026
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page Count ~ 274 (p+ 47 chapters)
Audio length ~ 6 hours 43 minutes
Narrator ~ Sarah Kempton
POV ~ single 1st, present tense + one bit told in the 3rd
Featuring ~ controlling father/husband

Kate (23) only married her husband, Max (45), in order to protect her step daughter, Holly, from his controlling ways. But then Holly kills her father and it's dumb choice after dumb choice after dumb choice from the both of them. And then there's an unwanted house guest that puts a damper on things. Can't say it was really shocking how she ended up playing into the story.

Man these teenagers bug me with their antics. But I suppose I did some dumb stuff myself back then. Kate really took the cake on dumb stuff, though. You'd think she'd know better, but she's still young herself.

Overall, this was fast paced with unlikable characters making dumb choices, so if that's your cup of tea then you'll probably like this one.

Narration notes:
She did a fine job. I don't have any complaints.

[Laura Lovesreading]

DO YOU WANT TO BE TRIGGERED? READ THIS BOOK

In Don't Say A Word Kate married Max for one reason to protect his sixteen-year-old daughter, Holly. But when Holly kills her father and they hide his body, they need to stay calm and also distract the new nosy neighbour who seems intent in staying in their home and asking to many questions about Max. Who really is the nosy neighbour and what does she really want?

Ms Sanders is back with another popcorn thriller that will have you throwing expletives insults like there’s no tomorrow. This book had me enraged in the best way and I couldn’t get enough.
I hate everyone in this book! You will hate everyone in this book. Those characters you love to loathe… yup they are right here.

➽ Bad decisions,
➽ Moronic dialogues and
➽ Clearly everyone sharing one brain cell is how this book plays out.

Sanders has a knack for making you feel like you want to rip your skin off in frustrations and that’s what makes me keep coming back to her books.

They are easy to read, they are flamboyant, convoluted, OTT and not to be taken seriously in the slightest and it’s just the perfect filler read after reading a hard hitter or if you are in a reading slump and just want a easy fun nonsensical read.

Nicola MORE PLEASE! She is def one of my favourite popcorn thriller authors and I can’t wait to read what she comes out with next!







---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Immediately saw this on Netgalley and requested so quick!
Absolutely loved 'Don't Let Her Stay'!
I'm ready to be aggrieved and annoyed AF!
🖤🤍🧡🖤

[chantalsbookstuff]

I had a great time with this book because it was fast paced and full of drama. It grabbed me immediately, and every time I thought things couldn't get any worse for Kate, another problem appeared. There were so many twists that I never got bored, and the short chapters made it really easy to keep reading. Some of the characters made frustrating decisions, but that only added to the chaos and kept me wondering how they were ever going to get out of the situation.

I did have to ignore how unrealistic some parts were, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story. The final chapters wrapped everything up in a satisfying way, and I couldn't put the book down until I knew how it would all end.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to review this ARC.

[Nina (ninjasbooks)]

Another great one by sanders! Suspenseful and twisty and I wasn’t sure what would happen until the very end.

[Christine Tistechok]

If you are looking for an easy, gripping page-turner to devour in a single sitting, Don't Say a Word by Nicola Sanders delivers just that.
While the plot treads on a few familiar tropes and leans slightly predictable toward the end, it more than makes up for it with sheer entertainment value. Sanders keeps the momentum high, making it a classic popcorn thriller—fun, engaging, and hard to put down once you get going. Perfect for when you want a quick mystery fix without overthinking it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[April]

Whewwww these characters worked my nerves in the best way! To me a book isn’t good if the characters don’t make me feel some kind of emotions and I yelled at them so many times! It started off great, just enough to pull the readers in and it never let up. The narration was excellent, and the narrator absolutely added to those tense filled moments. My second read by Nicola Sanders but definitely won’t be my last. Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy.

[Caity’s Reading With Her Cats]

I think I just don’t like Nicola Sanders.

All of these characters were horribly unlikable and the main character did every stupid thing she could possibly do. And the prologue basically gives away a big portion of the book. This was just overall terrible.

Edit: Sometimes I write these reviews as soon as I’m done the book and I find that I don’t have much to say because I’ve either got a great book hangover or I hated it so much I can’t even think straight.

This was the latter.

I started off enthusiastically because the plot was different than the typical ones— the MC hates her rich husband and stays only to protect his teen daughter. But thats where all of the good for this book stopped. Great idea, not so great execution.

Like I said above, the characters were not likable. The MC could have been, but she was just such a pushover. It was annoying. She just allowed half of the things that happened to her to happen, and she reacted in ways that made me make weird faces the whole time I read the book. And then Teri, the antagonist… yes, she’s supposed to be unlikeable, but she was unrealistically unlikeable. If someone invites themselves to stay in your house for a week and then starts borrowing your panties without asking…. Send them home! I just…. The MC’s reasonings for allowing things to happen to her were just so bonkers.

And then the ending….. we had to have one more Big Reveal, and this one wasn’t even a good one.

This book was just really goofy. I gave it 2⭐️ because I did read it in a day, so like, points there I guess. But it just sucked. It was a sucky book. With sucky characters.

And the author made Max a piece of shit dude, but not like an I’m gonna kill you piece of shit dude.

[Cherish Noel]

Everyone in this book annoyed the hell out of me. This was just a waste of my time in all honesty.

[Tracy Bookish]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don’t Say a Word by Nicola Sanders was such a fun, fast-paced psychological thriller! This is the definition of a popcorn thriller—short, addictive chapters that kept me flying through the pages, constantly saying, just one more chapter.

Kate doesn’t stay with Max because she loves him—she stays because she loves his young daughter, Holly. Knowing Max is an abusive, controlling psychopath, Kate sacrifices her own happiness to protect Holly. But when Holly finally reaches her breaking point and Max ends up dead, the two of them are forced to cover up what happened. From there, the lies, secrets, and consequences spiral completely out of control.

I had anxiety the entire time because I never knew what was going to happen next. The twists kept coming, the tension never let up, and I was constantly questioning how everything was going to unravel. If you’re looking for a twisty, binge-worthy popcorn thriller with short chapters and nonstop suspense, this one is definitely worth picking up!

[Cecily - MillennialBookGal]

Thank you Nicola Sanders and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of this novel.

Though not an original trope by any means the story in its entirety was great with a pretty devious ending.

I have read a few novels related to the man hating energy that exists as women fight back for their autonomy more and more and this story was really satisfying though the character "Terry" drove me nuts. Such a b***ch but made the ending that much better.

The narration performance was great, no complaints here.

Good read.

[EmG ReadsDaily]

Bingeable domestic thriller.

I appreciate the short chapters as this made for a fast-paced story, and my attention was held from the beginning through to the satisfying conclusion.

'Kate married Max for one reason to protect his sixteen-year-old daughter, Holly.'

I enjoyed this as an audiobook, which was well narrated by Sarah Kempton. She managed the voices of the varying characters well, so I could always follow what was occurring.

[Ahmed Ismail]

Nicola Sanders is one of the few authors whose entire backlist I've read, so whenever she announces a new release, it immediately jumps to the top of my TBR. I downloaded the ebook on publication day, but when I spotted the audiobook on @dreamscape_media through #NetGalley, I couldn't resist. I'm so glad I didn't.

This was another compulsive, one-sitting listen. Sarah Kempton's narration was outstanding, capturing the tension so perfectly that the story felt increasingly claustrophobic, as if the walls were closing in around the characters.

I had such a great time with this one, and I'd happily recommend it in either audiobook or print. While I don't think it's Nicola Sanders' strongest novel, it's still an addictive, thoroughly entertaining psychological thriller that's well worth your time. If this happens to be your first Nicola Sanders book, you have an even bigger treat waiting for you in her earlier novels.

A huge thank you to @dreamscape_media for the gifted ALC via @NetGalley. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
.....................................................................

#NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia #NicolaSanders #DontSayAWord

[Michelle]

4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 🎧 📖

Man, what a wild ride this was! I listened to about half of this on audio and read the e-book for the rest, and honestly, the narrators killed it!

​​The story is about Kate, who was planning to escape her abusive husband, Max, with her stepdaughter, Holly. But right before they can leave, Holly kills Max, and Kate has to hide his body in the garage freezer. Things get even crazier when Holly accidentally hits a new neighbor with a car, and they end up having to let her stay in their spare room, only for her to start asking a lot of suspicious questions.

I swear I had to take several breaks while going through this because I got so mad at what was happening! My heart was literally pounding in my chest. But hey, if a book can get you that worked up, the author definitely did a heck of a job. Perfect Popcorn thriller! Easy 4.25 stars from me!

[Joseandbooks]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Don’t Say a Word is one of those psychological thrillers that pulled me in almost immediately and refused to let go. The story centers around Kate and Holly as they try to escape an abusive husband and father, but everything changes when he’s killed before they can get away. From there, the tension just keeps building.

I loved how fast-paced this was without feeling rushed. There were plenty of twists that kept me questioning what was really happening, and every time I thought I had things figured out, the story took another turn. The characters are messy, frustrating, and incredibly well-written. You’ll probably spend most of the book wanting to shake a few of them, but that’s part of what made it so engaging. I also appreciated how the emotional weight of the story never got lost behind the suspense.

The audiobook narration by Sara Kempton was excellent. She brought the emotions and tension to life, making it easy to stay immersed in the story. Her performance really elevated an already gripping thriller.

If you enjoy domestic psychological thrillers with high stakes, family secrets, and twists that keep you turning the pages, this one is definitely worth picking up.

[Laura Briars]

I was instantly drawn in by the blurb when I stumbled across this one on NetGalley, and I was lucky enough to be approved. And I’m SO glad I was, because it’s given me another author to add to my ever-growing list of favourites!
This was genuinely so easy to binge. Did I devour the entire thing in one sitting and stay up until the early hours to finish it? Of course I did 😂 There was absolutely no chance I was putting it down once I’d started.
And the hatred I felt for Teri… MY GOD. I genuinely wanted to reach through the pages and punch her 😂 Meanwhile, I wanted to wrap Holly and Kate up in a massive blanket and protect them from absolutely everything.
It was tense, addictive and had that just one more chapter quality that inevitably turns into finishing the whole bloody book at a ridiculous hour.
Safe to say, I’ve already added Nicola’s other books to my TBR, and I don’t think it’ll be long before I dive into another one! 👀📚
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Nicola Sanders for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine Cazeneuve]

Fast Read

I almost lost my voice yelling at the main character for all the naivety of her actions. It's a quick read with a satisfying ending and who doesn't like that. There is a twist at the very end but it's not as shocking as you might believe. I didn't like this book quite as much as the previous book of hers that I read but it was good enough. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Mariam Khan]

Deliciously devious and twisty. The characters will trigger you to a point you will be screaming at them all but it’s worth the ending 🤯

[Lindsay Nixon]

OMG that was so good I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Thanks netgalley

It is best to go in blind for this one, no summary or brief needed!

[eli]

it wasn't bad, I just have some mixed feelings about the ending really.

[Ally]

This was such a frustrating read for me. I seriously considered giving up so many times because the characters' decisions kept making me angry. Every time it seemed like Kate might finally stand up for herself, she made yet another unbelievably stupid decision. She was such a pushover that it became exhausting to read. And Holly infuriated me! What an incredibly ungrateful and uncooperative brat! Every time I stopped reading, it was so difficult to pick the book back up because I knew whatever happened next was going to piss me off.
Another issue for me was how unrealistic the plot felt. So many of the situations could have been avoided if the characters had used even a little common sense. I found it hard to believe that anyone would repeatedly put themselves in those circumstances, which made it difficult to stay invested in the story. While I finished the book, it was more out of determination than enjoyment.

[Jackie]

3.5 ⭐️

Nicola Sanders has a way of pulling me into seemingly perfect families whose lives quickly spiral into complete chaos. I never go into one of her books expecting anything groundbreaking, but I always know I’ll be thoroughly entertained, and she never lets me down.

This was a fast-paced, easy-to-follow thriller with a couple of characters you’ll absolutely love to hate. One thing I always appreciate about Sanders’s books is that they’re such effortless reads (or listens). I could be multitasking or let my mind wander for a minute, and I’d never feel like I missed anything important. It’s the kind of story that keeps you engaged without demanding every ounce of your attention. I definitely questioned some of the characters’ decisions along the way, but I also think that was exactly the point. Their choices drove the tension and made for plenty of frustrating, page-turning moments.

This was also my first time listening to an audiobook narrated by this narrator, and I thought she was such a great fit for Kate. She captured Kate’s emotions and vulnerability perfectly, making it easy to stay invested in her story from beginning to end. I’ll definitely be looking for more audiobooks narrated by her.

At this point, whatever Nicola Sanders writes, I’ll read. Her storytelling always keeps me entertained.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media through NetGalley for the advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review. (Audio)

[Tamara]

Description-Kate married Max for one reason: to protect his sixteen-year-old daughter, Holly, from his cruelty. For a year, she's played the devoted wife, wearing the clothes he chooses and following his rules, while secretly saving every spare penny so that one day she and Holly can vanish for good.
They're two days from freedom when Holly kills him. No one will believe it was self-defense. Max was charming, successful, and adored by everyone who didn't live with him.

Don't Say a Word is a really gripping psychological thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. The story moves quickly, with plenty of twists that kept me guessing without ever feeling too complicated. The characters feel well-developed. But they are the type of characters you will love to hate. Kate had me thinking Weekend At Bernies.
The tension builds nicely with each chapter, making it hard to put the book down. The ending was satisfying.

Sara Kempton provided a superb audible performance. Her voice was easy listening. She captured the emotions of each character.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. Get your copy of this thriller on the expected release date July 28 2026.

[Ali O]

Don’t Say a Word by Nicola Sanders
Narrated by Sarah Kempton
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A wildly twisty psychological/domestic thriller. It has non stop action from beginning to end. There isn’t a dull moment in the storyline. I was completely engaged with the unique read! The drama unfolds quickly and is intense!

Kate and Max have an interesting marriage. Max isn’t the nicest person and Kate just wants to protect her 16 year old stepdaughter, Holly. She will do whatever it takes to protect her!

The story is very well written and I’m looking forward to reading more from this fantastic author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio of this book. The narrator did an excellent job and brought the story to life!

**It’s out now and I highly recommend the read/listen!*

[Clarabelle]

I really enjoyed this book! Every time I thought I had figured out what was going to happen, it surprised me again. I honestly couldn’t stop reading and flew through the chapters because I needed to know what would happen next. The twists kept me hooked the whole way through, and that ending completely surprised me and gave me chills. Definitely a 5/5 for me!

[Cheri]

Another book my Sanders where I wanted to shake the main character! Lol. Not my favorite of hers but still delivered a decent twist.

[Cindy]

An entertaining domestic thriller with a preposterous plot. Suspend belief and go along for the ride. An emotionally abusive man gets his comeuppance, but things go awry from the beginning.
Good narration and pacing.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #DontSayaWord for review purposes. Publication date: 28 July 2026.

[Julie (bookjulesreads)]

This thriller had me so anxious the whole time! I found myself yelling at them to fix this problem! How could they not see what was really happening?! I love a story that pulls me in and keeps me guessing. Don’t Say a Word did all of that. While I had a good idea of the motivations of the characters, I had zero idea how it would end. The ending was perfect and twisty! There was a lot of repetitive dialogue and phrases throughout which is what kept it from being a 5 star read. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[william]

So many flaws

I liked other books by Nicola Sanders but this wasn't good, I thought about just stopping a few times. I did finish it, but it had so many flaws, so many situations they characters got into were so stupid, completely unbelievable

[Katie]

Reallyyyyy not sure how this has a 4-star average rating. The writing is extremely simplistic, the characters are flat and annoying, and the plot just sucked.

[Sam]

The Clues Were Right There—and I Still Didn’t See What They Meant

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, compulsive psychological thriller. At only around 6.5 hours, the shorter runtime worked incredibly well for the story. There wasn’t much room for the tension to let up, and once I hit the back half, I flew through it.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply the number of twists. In fact, I guessed the general direction of the story fairly early. What I didn’t predict was how the author would continually change my understanding of things I’d already seen. Small, seemingly mundane details are planted throughout the story, and later revelations give those details entirely different meanings. The clues aren’t necessarily hidden from you—you just don’t know what you’re supposed to be looking at yet. That made the twists feel earned rather than thrown in purely for shock value.

The relationship between Kate and Holly also gives the thriller a surprisingly compelling emotional and moral center. Their relationship raises questions about love, protection, accountability, and how far someone might go for the person they love most. By the final reveal, even that relationship looks different than it did at the beginning.

Sarah Kempton’s narration was an excellent fit for this story. I completely disappeared into the audiobook, and I actually think the audio format heightened the experience for me. The pacing and performance made the reveals especially fun as they started stacking up toward the end.

I did figure out part of the mystery early, keeping this just shy of a perfect read for me, but the execution absolutely got me. Every time I thought I finally understood the whole story, there was another piece waiting to change what I thought I knew.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.75 rounded up)

Who should listen: Readers who love psychological/domestic thrillers, morally gray characters, hidden-in-plain-sight clues, escalating reveals, and endings that make you mentally replay everything you just heard.

Content warnings: Domestic abuse/coercive control, murder/death, violence, manipulation, parental death/fatal accident, and a teenager involved in violence.