I absolutely raced through this one. Set in the paradise of an island in the Maldives, everything is intended to be idyllic. But things are far from perfect. Honeymooner Jemma wakes one morning to find her husband Jamie missing and, to make matters worse, the couple had a row the evening before he vanished. What is the story of his disappearance and, seemingly just as importantly, what happened in the years leading up to it? Has he vanished of his own accord, accidentally drowned or has he been murdered? It's a truly intriguing page-turner that I guarantee will keep you up into the small hours.

Slightly disappointed in this book to be honest. It dragged on a lot in the middle and I thought the ending was slightly farcical. This book had so much promise so it's a shame really.

111111111What I thought:

This is one of those books where I scratch my head wondering if I have actually read the same book as everyone else. There is a lot of love for The Honeymoon so I am definitely in the minority here, however...

Where to even start? I suppose I did finish it so that's something, but it was more to find out what this "amazing twist" was. Well, yes, it is a proper WTF moment but I didn't know whether to laugh or cry (mainly that I had plowed on to the end to get to it).

This book had the promise of a great holiday thriller: a newly married couple on honeymoon in the Maldives and the groom disappears into thin air one night. With no way off the island, did he plan to disappear, did he commit suicide or was something more sinister at play? So here are my problems: set on a luxurious and idyllic island in the Indian Ocean and yet for all the sense of place I felt they could have been in Margate, and a couple who's relationship I didn't buy at all - I could never quite fathom what on earth kept them together for so long as there didn't seem to be any spark of love (or even lust) between them.

The book is narrated mainly by Jemma who is a hugely unlikeable character with, in my opinion, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Neither did her husband for that matter, or indeed the other couple on the island, Chrissy and Kenny. I found all the characters to be either cardboard cutouts or caricatures and couldn't invest in them in any way. I found the narrative flat and one-dimensional, almost Janet and John at times, which may sound harsh but honestly, I just felt nothing while reading this book. Well, apart from at the end, once I got over my disgust and howled with laughter at its incredulity. It's almost worth reading just for that but I actually feel that the reader has been cheated with the ending as any possible scenarios seem to fade to nothingness.

Verdict:

While I wasn't expecting a work of great literary merit when I picked this up, I did at least expect something more than I got. I'm afraid this book left me feeling duped. I'm all for a bit of misdirection and the odd red herring but not when you realise that the entire book is one big diversion.

I'm really in the minority here and as I always say - judge for yourself; particularly as it seems to be a big hit for most. I just can't recommend this book, sorry.

Absolutely loved this book, read it all in one sitting! Full of twists and intrigue. Well written and extremely creative. A definite 5/5!

'The Honeymoon' explores the tempestuous life of Jemma and her relationship with brothers Dan and Jamie. When Jemma's husband goes missing whilst they are honeymooning on a luxury island the finger of suspicion points to Jemma. Told from various viewpoints this novel keeps you guessing right to the very end
For fans of 'Girl on a Train' - because you are never sure who is telling the truth.

I thought this was a dreadful read. The main character - not a heroine!!- was thin, repetitive and weak. For me, she was even likeable. The story was about this girl who was portrayed as selfish and self obsessed, having her dream wedding/ honeymoon and wishing she had married her brother in law. I felt that it was just a poor soap opera and the ending was awful.
I am sorry - but I cannot recommend it.

I actually enjoyed this s novel until the ending which was so implausible and ridiculous it spoilt the whole book fo me. Such a sham as previously I had me engrossed.

The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis is a psychological thriller with quite a few twists and turns. I really disliked the main character in this book and I could not believe her version of the disappearance of her husband but the story kept me hooked until the end. I would like to thank NetGalley for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m finding this a hard review as there were parts of the story that I found massively annoying, even though it was generally well written. Jemma and her new husband are honeymooning in the Maldives and early on we discover that he’s disappeared. Jemma is strangely cold about it all. Later we find (the narrative skips back and forth between the present day and the recent past) that she has history with two brothers, one of whom is the missing man. The plot, as they say, thickens.

I found Jemma herself a dysfunctional character as she never appeared to feel love, though there were many occasions in which she hated or despised someone else. Her family history gives a clue to her irascibility and temper. She’s not an easy person to like, however, and is accused of getting rid of the husband she was heard arguing with by other honeymooners. Even so, she seems strangely unmoved. The shock ending really didn’t work for me. I didn’t find it at all credible. Nevertheless, I read on just to see what had happened. So, not a bad book but it had limited success for me.

I'd never read this author before so didn't know what to expect. I love thrillers, especially psychological ones and the blurb and reviews made this sound perfect for me. I had really high expectations of many twists and turns and an unexpected ending (I predict the ending in 99% of cases)!

The blurb and other reviews share plot details which I won't go into much. Story is told in present day and in flashbacks from, mostly, the main character's perspective. That does fan out to other characters' perspectives as the story progresses.

It began really well, had me hooked from the start and I deliberately neglected chores in favour of reading time. I was thrilled to get to the first twist fairly early on without seeing it coming. I even raised my eyebrows! I read on excitedly.

As the story unfolded I began to question every character and how they could possibly be linked behind the scenes. I imagined aliases and secret relationships and certain characters being in it together (and every single character combination) and was convinced several times, I knew what was going to happen. Even more so when new details of characters were revealed.

As the main character developed though, I liked her less and started to find things dragging a bit. And I did wonder why, every now and then, a peripheral character's actions kept being mentioned. Same with a "possible" pregnancy. That also dragged out too long (just take a test or see a doctor already)!! So, was it just sickness, was it poisoning, was it faked? Were these just red herrings?
And that's when the ending occurred to me and I hoped I was wrong.

Sadly I wasn't! And it kind of ruined the book for me. I had imagined SO many more possible motives, opportunities, background stories and surprise endings, that the actual ending to me felt like a bit of lazy cop out! I could also see what %age I had left of the book to read and still, no definitive "baddie" was singularly forming. I kept thinking if it was going to be one of my other endings, there wasn't enough left of the book to explain everything. (I still lived in hope and read on wanting to see it fulfilled satisfactorily).

But no, when the mystery was solved. I thought "is that IT?"! So that's why the author kept mentioning that which seemed insignificant .... For those of you who have read the book already, you'll understand what I mean (even if you have to think back to where it was written). So I felt the ending really rushed, unsatisfactory and unnecessary actually (just for shock)? I sooo wish it had been a better one of my imagined endings instead.

It's get a 3 out of 5 from me but that's mostly for the premise, the early twist I didn't see coming and my excitement to read on. Two stars taken off for not continuing this to the end ... and my disappointment in that.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.

This thriller kept me turning the pages intrigued to find out what happened to Jamie on his honeymoon to Jemma. Jemma is a complicated character, and I wasn't sure if she was an unreliable narrator, because her moods and opinions keep changing. She draws two brothers to her - Dan and Jamie. She dates both, but eventually marries Jamie. However, on honeymoon she isn't happy because Dan tells her he still loves her. She thinks she has married the wrong brother and makes this very clear on her honeymoon. This has devastating consequences for Jamie - who goes missing. I wanted to find out what happened to Jamie, and I wasn't disappointed. I do think Jemma should have taken more responsibility for her own actions, instead of simply blaming Dan. Can certainly understand why the mother - in - law didn't like Jemma. And poor Cory and Natalie who are dragged into Jemma's mess. Wasn't sure I liked Jemma, but I certainly enjoyed reading about her! Couldn't put the book down. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me review this book. I would definitely recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of The Honeymoon.

The novel opens with Jemma alone in a honeymoon resort in the Maldives with her husband missing. It switches between her first person narrative of current events and flashbacks to key events over the past seven years leading up to the current situation. Later on third person narratives are introduced as the novel gets to the nitty gritty of the events surrounding the disappearance and its aftermath.

I'm very much in two minds about this novel. Initially I found it compelling and the mystery surrounding Jemma's guilt about her husband's disappearance intriguing but as it went on (and on) I found myself getting impatient and wishing these reasons would be revealed sooner rather than later. What a let down when they are and the final twist to the solution is laughable.

I don't think the novel is helped by Gemma's personality. She is a flake and mercurial in her moods. It makes it very difficult as you get to know her to like her or to have any empathy for her.

The Honeymoon is well done and initially very absorbing but it failed to hold my attention for the long haul.

Definitely the best book I've read so far this year. It's gripping and offers you the range of emotions you would expect from a good thriller whilst being set in the most stunning location.

I really enjoyed this book which had a very unexpected ending. The suspense was intriguing and I liked the way the story unfolded. I will definitely look out for future books from this author.

I devoured this book in two days. From page 1 I was hooked on the characters and the plot. There were constant twists and turns, I felt the need to keep reading just to see what happened.
Loved the twist at the end, it kept me guessing but no matter how many times I tried to guess what happened I wouldn't have guessed this ending!
Absolute brilliance!!! Fantastic read !!

Enjoyed this book. Especially the end. The book had me engrossed right from the 1st page. Love when a book does this.

I loved this book! It was so easy to read and I devoured it in a few hours. It kept me interested and I so did not see the twist coming. I will definitely look out for more from this author. Just brilliant. Thank you for allowing me to read it early.

Jemma's husband goes missing half way through their honeymoon in the Maldives. She has no idea where he is; did he leave willingly or reluctantly, is he safe or in danger, or even is he alive or dead. Tina Seskis once again draws you in and turns everything on its head.

Each chapter deals with either the present, or events from the past seven and half years that have led up to the disappearance. Jemma's first person narrative for the present acts in stark contrast to the third person chapters from when she first met her husband. It serves to differentiate a very clear difference between Jemma before and Jemma after the disappearance. Other characters take over the narration briefly to help shed light on the truth.

I never seem to like the central characters written by Tina Seskis until much later in the book, and this is no exception. Despite being stuck in a devastating situation, I couldn't warm to Jemma. She's an unreliable narrator, with a guarded personality in the present, but is arrogant in the past. The stark contrast forces you to consider what may have happened to force such a change, or if she's not being honest with herself. The other characters are a mixed bag. I warmed to some instantly whilst the others were constantly under suspicion.

Tina Seskis left me guessing until the very end, with an audible gasp when the truth finally emerged. A shocking, fast paced and very cleverly written psychological thriller!

To be honest I was struggling a bit with this one to begin with as it felt more 'chick lit' than I expected. I enjoyed the flashback chapters written in third person but really couldn't take to the 'now' chapters in the first person of Jemma. I did get drawn into the story more as I progressed through the book and overall I enjoyed it. I had a few theories on the disappearance but wasn't even close and I'm happy to have been hoodwinked.

I whizzed through this book in 24 hours, having loved Tina's previous books, and I was not disappointed with this one! Jemma is on her honeymoon when her husband disappears - pretty much anyone's worst nightmare. The first part of the book is told in first person and third, with the first person narrative tailing off in the final half (the only thing I would have changed!). The mystery of what happened to her husband and the events leading up to his disappearance slowly unravel - and with an early plot twist (Ididn't see coming) it made for a satisfying read. But oh, that ending! I still can't get the images out of my head! Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.