The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense

The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla was a breath taking mystery novel. Grabbing my attention from page one and not letting go until the back cover. I easily lost myself in the pages, getting tangled in the words intertwining the past and present as the characters moved from one memory to the next. The mystery aspect of the story really made this story a unique test that I wasn’t prepared for but really showed how well the author could pull you into a story. Getting to know Grace and how secrets from the past could steer her life in such ways. The self-doubt and constant questioning of who she is not only as a woman but as to how her life has turned out really made this for an interesting book. Grace’s friends have all created a sort of “Kitty Committee” and this group all share the same secret as Grace. But can a group of people really be trusted with a secret this big. When tragedy strikes the Kitty Committee it will take them all sticking together to make it out alive. Berla is a new to me author, but I am so happy that I picked this story up. She pulled me in from page one and didn’t let go until the very end. If you are looking for a great story that is sure to keep you guessing and heart racing than this is one you definitely need to own for your collection. I can’t wait to see what Berla brings her readers next, because if it is anything like this story I will be first in line to buy it.

THE KITTY COMMITTEE grabbed me from the very first page. The story sets up in such a way that you know there is a mystery as to the what, why and who. I was looking forward to digging in and moving into the story.The story is told from the protagonist's point of view and we are immediately introduced to an antagonist. I could not understand why Grace would even call Carly because Carly clearly didn't care about what was going on. I was angry from the get go. Like why??? For me, it didn't get much better than that.Grace "tells the story" in flashbacks between high school, now, after college, high school, etc. and at times it was a little frustrating because it was too seamless. Almost like a puzzle with pieces that fit so perfectly together yet they are from different puzzles (does that make sense?). Also, there is a lot of build up and then ~shoulder shrug~ It's over.I read A LOT and I don't always remember what authors names that I have read. I absolutely have authors I will "one click" because I've enjoyed their past works and others I look forward to being introduced to based on friends recommendations. This is an author whose work I have always enjoyed but didn't recognize until I looked up what she had previously written. I've enjoyed her previous work, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

The Kitty Committee: A Novel of SuspenseBy Kathryn BerlaRated 4 starsThis 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 SuspenseBy: Kathryn Berla5 out of 5 starsThe story The Kitty Committee: A Novel of Suspense by Kathryn Berla is a thrilling mystery book. It does a wonderful job of grabbing your attention from the very beginning and I soon found myself lost in the pages. It is a book that had me wondering what was going to happen next. The story does a great job of smoothly going from the past to the present and I was impressed on how well I was able to feel the emotions that Grace and the other characters felt themselves. I enjoyed not only the plot but also reading about the character of Grace. A secret kept can lead to your life being molded by it. The emotions that can rule over you run deep and lead to guilt. Grace is a woman who has such emotions. Self-doubt is a constant companion. Some of it has to do with her time in The Kitty Committee. A group of inseparable friends who all share in a secret with Grace. What is the secret that they keep? Every year a letter is sent. Who knows about The Kitty Committee’s secret? I found Grace to be a character that does a lot of thinking about what sort of person that she was and has become. She seems to be searching for happiness in her life that alludes her. What does the future hold for Grace and the other Kitty Committee members? Read this story to find out. I also enjoyed reading about many of the other characters in the book, the part that each of them plays in it and how they interact with Grace. This is a well-written story that I would recommend reading. I found myself thinking about it long after I had finished the book. I can’t wait to read what the author writes next.

The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla is a dark coming of age story. It tells the story of Grace, a naïve girl who gets caught up in a dangerous friendship group.The narrative switches between different points in time, so we get Grace’s experiences as a teenager and the impact it has on her as an adult side-by-side. This is very effective – we know something bad will happen and have some clues as to what but have to wait to find out what.It reminded me a lot of Mean Girls at times. Grace’s parents are missionaries and she has spent most of her life away from America. Initially, she has a hard time adjusting to high school until she is accepted by Carly and Maggie. It also reminded me a bit of Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, particularly nearer the start. I was worried at times that it was going to be too much like Mean Girls (not that I have anything against Mean Girls!) but the structure allows for the girls’ choices and actions to have much deeper and more serious consequences.There’s a lot going on in this story – sometimes it feels like a bit too much to follow everything at once but it’s also very enjoyable. Grace spends some time travelling around Europe which was particularly fun to read about!For me, this is a four star book. I’d recommend it to fans of high school stories like Mean Girls who are after something a bit darker.

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: 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.

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.

The Kitty CommitteeBy Kathryn Berla4 starsI 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.