Every year, it comes. And every year, it reminds Grace that someone knows her deepest secret–the secret whose silence has tormented Grace over the years. That secret began with an innocent gang of teenage friends who called themselves The Kitty Committee. The Kitty Committee of Grace’s youth was ostensibly a group of friendship and support. But the friends fell victim to the ringleader’s … the ringleader’s manipulative personality and recklessness, which set the girls on a course of vigilante justice, culminating in an act that will forever change their lives, an act that becomes their shared secret.
Grace’s silence and guilt has led to over twenty years of disappointing relationships, an inability to commit, and a crisis of morality. And no matter how much Grace has suffered and lost, still it comes every year. The reminder that someone out there wants The Kitty Committee to suffer–someone who won’t forget and won’t forgive.
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3 Stars
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla is full of secrets, suspense, mystery, manipulation, haunted memories, torment, and fear. It had a Pretty Little Liars vibe to it.
Grace has been haunted by her past, never fully ‘living, always looking back, worrying, wondering, remembering. Every year she gets a reminder that someone else out there knows what happened, too- and won’t ever let her forget. It’s 20 years on- but she’s stuck in the past. What happened you may ask? What is the burden that she’s carried for all these years? Who knows her secret and sends the yearly reminders? What, and who are The Kitty Committee? All these answers can be found in this suspenseful tale.
I have read all of Ms. Berla’s books now and was really excited to see she had written a suspenseful novel. I love a great suspense, so I quickly snatched up a copy to jump into. The story had a good pace, although it was somewhat slow to get going. The story switches back and forth from past and present perspectives. I spent a good majority of the time torn between needing to know what the secret was, thinking how the dialog didn’t really seem to suit a teenager, absolutely detesting Carly and wondering how no one saw through her, and feeling like the story just wasn’t meshing as well as I had hoped for. And when the big ‘reveal’ came, it felt rushed and wasn’t as detailed as I would have liked, or had expected from Ms. Berla.
This isn’t my most favourite read of hers, which pains me because I normally rally love her work, but I will keep a lookout for her next release.
Thank you, Ms. Berla!
Okay, so this is a difficult review for me to write because I normally adore, absolutely adore, Katheryn Berla’s novels and the words for the reviews just flow freely for me. Unfortunately, when it comes to The Kitty Committee, things just continuously fell short for me. The plot was there, and it was strong. Immediately upon reading the blurb and knowing the author I was sold and ready to dive into this novel. However, when I got a good 25% in I was so completely frustrated. I saw where Berla was going with Grace, but there was nothing about her that was connectable. I kept waiting for this big explosive event or ta-da moment and it just really wasn’t ever there for me. She really seemed like unnecessary filler to me. Then there were those lovely time jumps. Out of NOWHERE. It just completely threw me off guard, tossed me around, and then confused the holy crap out of me. Quite frankly, it lost me, made it near impossible to want to finish, yet I did, and I truly don’t know what for. What happened here??? So with that all said, Katheryn Berla usually writes with a message behind her novels. A strong plot that usually has a mission to make you think long and hard, yet you don’t even know realize that you are doing so. I will say that I can see where this was trying to go. Women are mean ya’ll. We are. We love fiercely and we can sometimes love so fierce it can cause pain unintentionally. I believe that is was she was trying to portray here. I may be wrong. Anyways, on to the next adventure, and awaiting the next one with Katheryn at the helm! Happy reading!
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla can be an emotional read. Kathryn Berla does an amazing job of grabbing your interest with in the first paragraph and continue to hold it to the end. This is a mystery story that has a roller coaster effect. Personally, my emotions went all over the place. I can see one of my daughters as Grace and it was an easy comparison. Once you realize that it is story that can be real it is haunting at times. One must wonder while you are growing older and more responsible if you can handle your past. Did Grace?
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla is a great novel that is, as the title suggests, full of suspense.
The story is split between the present day and also back to when our main character and her friends are in high school. Grace is holding a terrible secret from her high school days and every year she receives a letter or email from someone who knows her terrible secret.
The Kitty Committee was formed by Grace and her friends Carly, Maggie and Jane. The Committee had strict rules of membership and the girls were required to do tasks that proved their allegiance to the group.
I have to be honest and admit that I hated Carly. She is a twisted, evil girl and I wanted to slap Grace so many times for being so taken by Carly and giving in and doing everything Carly asked.
The story was well written and flowed well between present and past and we are given great insight into each of the girls.
So what is the big secret that is tearing Grace apart? Who knows the secret and has been sending the yearly messages to the girls? Will Grace confess the secret and her part in it? I’d recommend that you read this book and find out for yourselves.
The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla
Four Stars
I couldn’t do it. To go years with so much guilt on you. To be reminder at what feels like every turn that you committed a crime is suffocating. I did nothing and yet I felt like I should tell my secrets. Grace lets everything from her past stop her from having a life. At every turn Grace sees her mistakes and doesn’t feel deserving. This is why teenage girls are scary. They can get you to say and do just about anything. Their instinct to protect themselves is at an all time high. I felt like the author was showing us how we lose ourselves as we get older.
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense
By Kathryn Berla
Rated 4 stars
This girl has had quite the life. She has traveled all over the world more than once. She is impressive. But she made a mistake and it’s been haunting her for twenty years.
I feel this is more of a tale of time. This is the story of Grace’s life. She has a lovely family and she has made numerous friends over her years. She’s even had a few lovers. Sadly all she wanted to do in her youth was belong. She was picked on and made fun of in her new school. She found a few girls and would do anything to remain friends.
My main issues in this book was there is a lot of back and forth from present to different pasts. I struggled with this area. Sometimes we went back to HS then moved forward in time to after college then back to HS or the present. I also struggled to have it hold my attention. There was a lot of storytelling from the different time periods and not a lot of dialogue. I’m guessing that was my problem.
I really enjoyed Nathan. He was SO cute when he asked Grace out for “coffee”. He made me smile. I think her brother was also a fav character. He just seemed so full of wisdom all through the years.
Can what happens in your youth really affect you the rest of your life?
The Kitty Committee: A novel of suspense by Kathryn Berla
4 stars
This story follows Grace and the secret shes kept for years. This story pulled me in from the start but I felt like it took a while to find out the secret. I’m not a huge fan of present to past novels and this one was sort of confusing but you get used to it after a bit.
I didn’t connect to well with any characters as it was a retelling of the past by the main character and while shes talking of the teenage years its to be expected it threw me off a bit. When the secret was revealed, it seemed tonend very quickly after and I felt a little let down.
Written well but just not my style of story .
The Kitty Committee A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla is an interesting read. It is a story of mean girls and lifelong regrets. I found it hard to get in to the flow and rhythm of this book and the two and fro of the past and the present. I also felt that sometimes less would have been more, the story could have been told with fewer words. Having said that I could not put the book down, I had to know what happened and why and I definitely didn’t see the twist at the end coming.
The Kitty Committee is a suspense novel by Kathryn Berla AND it is her first novel written for adult readers. I have read her YA story “Going Places” and I absolutely fell in love with her writing so when The Kitty Committee popped up on my radar then I went … hmmm, let’s see how she is when writing to adult readers …
She did not disappoint me! Her writing was good as ever … she has given us a story that shows us what far reaching consequences might our decisions have that we take as teenagers, influenced by our friends and loyalties at the time … unfortunately, the decisions and actions of this group of girls, oh my, they have disastrous consequences and the shadow the lives of so many people …
I loved how the timeframe kept changing as it kept me sharp and on my toes … I liked that at no point did the writer fall into the ‘language’ of teenagers … I have to say though that at times I had hard time to relate/feel for Grace as I felt that she never really found her feet as a person in her own rights … on the other hand, one could really feel the lasting impact that the act of her youth had on the rest of her life … The writer forces us to think and feel and to understand why we think and feel the way we do … The story is really worth while reading …
The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla was a book I enjoyed, but I personally had a hard time staying focused on it. I don’t believe it has anything to so with the book, just the person reading it.
I felt bad for Grace, she was thrust into a completely foreign life and wasn’t ready for any if it which had a domino effect in her life.
I didn’t like Carly from the start and my dislike of her grew the further I got into the book.
I feel it was a happy ending for Grace. She finally figured out who she was and anyone who can do that deserve happiness.
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Katheryn Berla was an interesting novel. There definitely was a huge aspect of suspense and how “catty” female relationships can be. This story took a long time for me to get through. There did not feel like much was going on in the story and then when things were happening, it jumped around a lot. I did not connect with Grace except her travel stint. I loved reading about it and how she was opening herself up a little. But I felt as though she was very closed minded and then as soon as something bad happened she ran back into the familiar. She seemed to lack likable qualities because she was very agreeable and willing to please but aside from her Europe trip never did anything on her own free will. The story wasn’t especially hard to follow despite the flashbacks. I know there will be many people who enjoy this book because the suspense is well written. I also believe that the author had good intentions with the characters and storyline. I would read another story by this author to one give them another chance and two because I did like the story, I just believe the delivery could have been clearer.
Kathryn Berla has captured what it is like to be an adolescent girl in this book. I was able to see bits of my awkward middle and high school self in the character Grace. This novel also shows how a loving friendship can turn toxic and the best part about this is that it’s so gradual you don’t even really notice it at first. Carly is such a strong willed character and Grace just wants to fit in so badly to a new society that is nothing like the missions with her parents and brother that have been her life. The need for friends, other’s approval, and a skewed sense of right and wrong combined with a weak sense of self turns this into the perfect storm and Grace has to pay for it every day. And someone will never let her forget what is in her past.
The Kitty Committee is a stand-alone novel from author Kathryn Berla. This is my fourth read from this author and she continues to surprise me. This is a completely different genre of book from her that I was surprised to see that she writes that genre. But what really surprised me was how much more I enjoyed this one from her than her others and that’s saying a lot considering I enjoyed the others so far.
This book was well written, captivating and compelling and had me hooked from the start. There was some definite twists and turns that leave you wondering what could happen next. I liked the the back and forth between the past and the present it was seamless and flowed, and I didn’t get confused.
The characters that are in this book are great to read and Grace stands out to me the most, but we cannot forget how great the secondary characters are, as they help progress this story further, and help Grace tell the story even more.
I can’t wait to see what else this author brings and how she will keep surprising me. I’ll look forward for more to come.
Another recommended read from Kathryn Berla. This tale of childhood friends, consequences, guilt is an emotional suspense with several twists and turns that kept me guessing. The plot was solid and the main characters were well developed. I really enjoyed reading this book and will recommend it highly.
The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla
4 Stars
This is a story about growing up and relationships. It is about how secrets can destroy lives and how guilt can eat away at your soul. It shows us that the truth can set you free. The book jumps back and forth between the past and the present to show us what happened and the future repercussions. The Kitty Committee was innocently started to be a support group between friends but later turned into something much darker.
Being raised as a child of the world in a family of missionaries, all Grace wanted was to fit in and have some friends. When Carly befriended her, Grace became enamoured. Carly was smart, sophisticated and seemed to know everything. Grace would do anything to stay on her good side. Carly was intimidating and manipulative. A perfect sociopath that led them astray. It took Grace more than twenty years to get over the train wreck of her life that Carly made.
I found the story to drag at times and become long with scenes that had no relevance to what was going on. Besides that, it was a compelling story that drew me in. I think it is a book worth reading.
The Kitty Committee
A Novel of Suspense
By Kathryn Berla
This is a novel exploding with suspense. Life is never as it seems.
Grace and her two closest friends receive a message on the exact same day, for the last 20+ years. Somebody knows their secret. A secret that should have been told back at the age of 16. Belonging to the Kitty Committee meant keeping the secret. Only problem is, it starting to escalade. Somebody is out to get even, and nobody knows who.
Kathryn Berla has written this novel for the adult audience. Her first of many to come. This story and her characters seem to be just the beginning for her. I loved the suspense that brought this story life. What a page turner! I was caught on page one and could not put this book down. I will be looking for more from this author.
The Kitty Committee- Kathryn Berla
4-stars
The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla is exactly what it claims on the cover – a novel of suspense! From the very beginning I was hooked, the way this author let the story flow kept me so intrigued the whole way through, I absolutely loved how it wasn’t a super-fast paced story but rather one with so much detail in both past and present moments. I was engaged and entertained the whole way through as I tried to take in all of the detail to try and piece everything together.
I really connected and related to some of these characters which made me feel so invested in their story, I was able to read it in one sitting as I just couldn’t bring myself to stop reading.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next suspenseful read!
The Kitty Committee
By Kathryn Berla
4 stars
I have read a few books by this author now and I always really enjoy her writing style. She writes beautiful thought provoking stories that always keep my interest from beginning to end. The Kitty Committee was as expected, a well written story about friendships and secrets. I think YA would particularly enjoy this story; it is easy to follow and flows really well. I liked Grace, the main character, because of the way in which the author chose to write this story I felt like I really knew and understood her as a character. Along with Grace there were her friends and I enjoyed reading about their friendship and interactions. I think there were parts of this story that were relatable for me, especially the ‘mean girls’ and they things the leader Carly put Grace through at school.
Overall another great read from this author and I look forward to more from her in the future.
The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla Posted Links
Suspenseful and exciting, this novel kept me guessing the whole time. Grace was the main character in this novel and she was an easy person to like. So much happened as the story progressed. The book shares her history in high school as well as her current life. I was at the edge of my seat with this book. Great read!
The Kitty Committee: A Novel Of Suspense by Kathryn Berla is a story about a shared secret that defines the life of a group of friends for over 20 years.
Grace lives her life knowing that every year she can’t escape what is to come. Every year, no matter how many years pass, there will always be the reminder about what happened when she was younger.
Once a member of The Kitty Committee she had a group of friends that everyone would want. Inseparable and supportive they were all each other needed. Until one single act jeopardised everything.
And even now, years later, Grace can’t forget and move on. Every year she isn’t allowed to.
This book is a great mystery. Even when reading the blurb I wanted to know what they had done. The book captures my attention immediately and I found the pages were so easily turned. Grace was a gray character. Her life has been entirely defined by what happened and you can see it reflected in everything she does. I found myself trying to work out what had happened all the time. This was a new author for me but I will be looking at more of her work for sure.