This is a psychological thriller about a woman who goes on her honeymoon with her husband to the Maldives. While they are there, the husband mysteriously disappears and you are left unsure whether he has been murdered by a stranger, murdered by the wife, drowned or even absconded. This book takes you on many twists and turns throughout, and everything is never as it seems.

I really enjoyed this book, which swaps timelines a lot to help build up the entire picture. You also get different perspectives as the novel progresses. The protagonist is such an unreliable narrator, which leads to you constantly second guessing yourself and not having a clue who to trust, including her.

I will say that the end wrapped up a little too quickly for me, I would have liked everything to have been fleshed out a little more, though everything is explained and you will finish this book feeling satisfied, I personally would have liked a little more. I correctly guessed the ending at one point mid way through the novel, I was never sure though, and changed my mind multiple times after that.

I also think this book had a few pacing issues, as I occasionally found it to drag a little, this was caused mainly by the protagonist spending just a bit too much time on the island for my liking, it all got a bit repetitive.

All in all this book thrilled me, and I will definitely be checking out more of this authors works.

The Honeymoon is a dark and indulgent mystery set on an idyllic Maldivian island.  Immediately drawn in by its seductive opening chapters I found this slow burning claustrophobic story hard to tear myself away from.  Straight away the reader is sucked into a whirlpool of tension and suspense as we meet Jemma, newlywed and on the honeymoon of her dreams, however her blissed-out time in paradise has suddenly turned into a nightmare.  Jemma wakes up on the fifth morning of her holiday to discover her husband has not come back to the villa overnight.  As she begins to search the island for him it soon becomes clear that he has vanished without a trace.  Struggling with her memory of the previous night Jemma tries to piece together exactly what has happened and try to save her marriage from breaking down so soon after it beginning. 

The story is written well, split between the present narrated in first person by Jemma, and flashback to seven and a half years earlier where we see Jemma first meet Dan, which is narrated in third person.  We know from the present day chapters that something has happened to cause a massive rift between Dan and Jemma, and it takes going through the full seven years for the story to catch up with itself and unveil the whole picture.  That being said, the first twist is fairly early on, throwing a whole new perspective on things and keeping the reader on their toes.

Jemma is a fairly unlikable character, selfish and self-centred, it was hard to empathise with her.  There is an intriguing air of fantasy about Jemma and I did often wonder if she were being truthful, both with herself and the reader.  I changed my mind frequently over whether she was involved with her husband's disappearance or not.  I did become slightly obsessed myself with trying to work out what had happened to him, testing my theories over how a man could seemingly vanish of the face of the earth.

There are a host of eclectic characters on the island meaning there is no shortage of potential suspects or accomplices, as it is never definitive whether the departure was voluntary or not.  Did she kill him?  Did he fake his own death?  Has a third-party kidnapped him?  These are all plausible scenarios that Jemma has to explore and she does not know who on the island she can trust, if anyone.

The paradoxical sense of menace in such an exotic and picturesque setting left me feeling anxious and uncomfortable.  The author lulls the reader into a false sense of security, setting such a beautiful relaxing scene to sink into, only to slowly tighten the strain and increase feeling of unease, until you are left with nothing but a cold sweat and knots in your stomach.  I found the contrasting passages a highly effective technique to seriously crank up the tension.  If I had a knife, I could have cut through it.

The Honeymoon is a beautifully written chilling and haunting story.  I was beguiled, almost hypnotised by the picturesque setting but couldn't shake the feeling of agitation as I teetered on a knife-edge eagerly awaiting the ending.  There is a twist at the end as we find out what really happened to Jemma's husband.  Unfortunately for me I had an inkling of what had happened so I didn't get the full shock factor during the big reveal that I was anticipating, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  Overall rating four stars.  I would have loved to have read this on a warm beach in one sitting as I think it would have scared the bejeesus out of me.  Thanks to Tina Seskis, Pengiun books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

Jemma’s honeymoon was meant to be perfect – a stay in a luxury five-star resort on a tropical island in the Maldives. However, paradise turns into a nightmare when she wakes up the night after a drunken row to find her husband missing without a trace. As the days go by with no sign of him, Jemma’s rocky past means that the blame starts to fall on her, and with suspicious behaviour from everyone around, Jemma isn’t sure who she can trust or if she’ll ever see her husband again.

This book draws you into the action right from the start, picking up with Jemma waking up on the island with her husband gone. The story then alternates between two narratives – the present day, where Jemma searches for her husband and eventually informs the hotel staff and authorities that he’s missing, and the past, detailing how the two met and how their relationship progressed up to their marriage. The author masterfully builds up the suspense in a way that keeps you turning pages and the small, secluded island setting added a claustrophobic atmosphere to the disappearance, as there seems to be no way someone could vanish completely from such a small and inaccessible place. Jemma’s heavy drinking the night of her husband’s disappearance and her increasingly fractured mental state make her an unreliable narrator, which further increases the mystery. Multiple characters are introduced who may or may not be involved in in various ways and details of what happened are introduced slowly in the plot to keep the reader guessing and build up the tension. When what happened to Jemma’s husband is eventually revealed, it is a huge and shocking twist that I definitely did not see coming despite plenty of clues in hindsight - in fact, it was one of the best plot twists I have encountered in a long time.

Despite a great ending, I felt that this book was a little drawn out in places and could’ve been made shorter. Some of the past sections detailing Jemma’s romantic history were a bit tedious, and I found that her relationship with her boyfriend (who becomes her husband in the present day) seemed to change quite significantly halfway through the book for no obvious reasons. Jemma’s constant analysing and re-analysing of her husband’s disappearance in the present day also became a bit repetitive and meandering and distracted a little from the suspense, particularly as the full backstory hadn’t been revealed yet so the reader didn’t have all the information on their relationship to properly speculate on what may have happened to him. There was also a smaller plot twist at the start of the story that seemed a bit unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the overall storyline, other than creating a red herring that was quite easily dismissed. I struggled to sympathise strongly with Jemma throughout the book, as her behaviour seemed unreasonable and selfish at times.

Overall, this an addictive and well-written holiday read that was difficult to put down and suitably shocking in parts, but not the most disturbing or engaging thriller I’ve ever read. The excellent ending, however, was completely unexpected and totally shocking, although some readers may find it a little unrealistic. I would recommend this book on the basis of that alone, but feel that some of the build-ups could’ve been a little shorter and more tightly put together in places in order to maintain the high-tension feel of the story.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and the author Tina for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading this book…… right up until the last couple of chapters! I feel cheated! I really got into this book and the twist at the beginning is just genius writing…..but the rushed and quite frankly ridiculous ending has really disappointed me! Her writing style flows really well and she really sells her characters to you so the ending came as quite a surprise……… what a shame! This definitely could have been up there with The Girl on a Train for me…… I’m super gutted!

Brilliant, loved this book. Jemma is on her honeymoon, her husband has gone missing. The book cleverly weaves the past with the present. Even early into the book I felt myself saying no I didn't see that! And that is the beauty of the book, each twist surprises you right to the end. I would really recommend this book, I don't think you will be disappointed!

This is quite an unusual psychological thriller/mystery with a BIG twist that made me gasp out loud that kept me turning the pages to find out just how on earth a newlywed husband can disappear, on his honeymoon from a remote luxury holiday island. It's very clever and very twisty and completely puzzling all the way through.

However the characters all really grated on me. I don't mind the odd flawed character. But the main character Jenna, whose husband goes missing was so very dislikeable she annoyed me. I just could not work out her motives for being such a mardy cow! The rest of them are all a bit off, I'd hate to have been there on that so called luxury island.

But its a very enjoyable read, the perfect holiday read if you like something a bit scary.

It was only right at the end just before the big OMG moment that I began to have an inkling what had actually happened to Jenna's husband and it was a real shocker.

If you like luxury exotic locations and a slow burner that reaches a sudden inferno you'll love this.

A good read; who do you believe? Was kept in suspense. Well written

i enjoyed the twist in this book but it's a shame it took so long to get there! just seemed to go on forever and not getting anywhere fast.

I had heard a lot about The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis, but not having read any of her previous books I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

This psychological thriller really does keep the reader guessing. Jemma is on her honeymoon on a beautiful and exclusive island in the Maldives, but it is clear from the start that all is not right with her new marriage, and when her new husband goes missing the reader is unsure whether Jemma’s version that gradually emerges as the book progresses it true, or if she is hiding something.

The book goes back to the start of Jemma’s relationship with Dan when Jemma was really not sure whether he was ‘the one’. As the relationship progresses and we learn more about the backstory I became less and less sure about what was true and what wasn’t. Jemma definitely didn’t seem like a reliable witness.

There are plenty of twists and turns in the book, and I’m happy to admit that I didn’t see the main ones coming. Jemma, as a character was not likeable and there was very little about her that I could like, but that didn’t stop me wanting to know what had happened to her husband and whether she was involved. Another couple on the island provide a bit of light relief, which was welcome.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Honeymoon, I wanted to keep reading and the twists were great and cleverly done. If you like a twisty, turny book then this is for you! It gets an easy 4.5* from me. I’m off to look at Seskis’s other books.

Not one to actually read on your honeymoon. But I was hooked all the way through wondering what was going on. The ending....hmm... I didn't like it, but should you like the ending? Isn't that the point.... ???

This was generally enjoyable and suspenseful, with enough twists to keep you guessing right to the end. I did eventually guess correctly and before it became incredibly obvious. I'd be amazed if there are people who didn't work this one out because there comes a point where it couldn't have been anyone else when the second man went missing. Also there was too much talk about food which helped me work it out.

I wish we knew more about Chrissy and Kenny especially why she was addicted to those drugs as they were very interesting characters. The dynamic between Dan and Jamie could have been explored much more too and would have added an extra something to this fairly standard crime mystery.

Although I did generally enjoy this, I don't know if it was particularly well done. Don't get me wrong, the twists were brilliant and there is a lot of enjoyable material in this book. It was the reveal that was just a bit boring- especially considering that it was actually pretty dramatic! Overall I think this is a fairly successful book and I'll probably look out for this author again.

The descriptive writing in this book is marvelous and the sections set in the Maldives evoke an exotic location with sinister undercurrents. However, i did not find the characters especially sympathetic. Perhaps it's because I am older but the way that some of them drank enough (occasionally supplemented by pills) to forget events was not pleasant. Unfortunately this was a key part of the plot. A good read but I would not necessarily wish to meet the characters!

THE HONEYMOON is a brilliant thriller full of twists and turns, complete with unreliable narrator and patchy flashbacks.

Set against the backdrop of a beautiful island in the Maldives, this thriller leaves you hooked and guessing at every turn. I was gripped from the beginning and I never would have guessed the route the story took. Jemma was drinking the night her husband disappears, so her memories are spotty and she, at first, genuinely has no idea what has happened. Has her husband abandoned her? Is he hiding out on the island, avoiding her, or sailed away, or has he been murdered, or kidnapped? Nobody knows…

I like how slowly the answers are given – that is, not at all until the very end. Every little reveal gives you another avenue of investigation, and you really have to think about what happens. It’s certainly not predictable, as I have found a lot of thrillers are.

The plot would have been better if it was kept simpler. Too much of it hinged on coincidence and not enough on clever writing.
I read this whilst on a beach holiday but never felt that I couldn't put it down. I have to be honest and say slightly disappointed - although the writing was good

This book is an easy read yet predictable. An easy read for a holiday.

I have just returned from holiday and i had been saving this book to read by the pool as it sounded like a good one........ Oh boy, it certainly delivered! I literally could not put this book down. Each time i picked it up i felt like i had been transported to the Maldives (i was in Cyprus).
The characters were well developed and i was so drawn into the storyline that i could almost have been a guest at the hotel watching the whole thing unravel.
I'm not sure if i liked the ending if i'm honest but at least it was something different. That isn't a complaint, more of a personal preference. Maybe i'm just annoyed that this gripping book had to end at all!

I thought the premise of this book looked interesting. An idyllic setting, a romantic honeymoon, a bride- but where has the groom gone?

I really deeply, disliked Jemma! Self-absorbed, bad tempered and manipulative, Jemma pressurised Jamie into proposing but did she still hanker after his brother? (Who I did like & was glad he'd escaped her!) She is the narrator of most of the story- which should make her more sympathetic but doesn't.

I kept reading this because I really wanted to know what had happened to Jamie. Did Jemma know more than she seemed to?

As to the ending- yes it was unexpected but believable? I don't think so.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read it. Lots of people really enjoyed it but I'm afraid I didn't.

very good reading, an idyllic honeymoon goes drastically wrong when the groom disappears.Is the bride involved ? She voices her unhappiness regarding her marriage throughout the book and the reader cannot help but suspect her . Written in an unusual way going back and forth from the past to the present, and through different characters eyes, a compelling read and a good twist at the end .

While Jemma and her new husband are on their honeymoon in the Maldives, a drunken argument turns violent. As the days pass and he still hasn't returned to their holiday bungalow, the police are called to investigate. What should have been a honeymoon in paradise soon turns into Jemma's worst nightmare.

I loved how this book switched between the past and present as the story slowly unfolds then climaxes. Jemma's relationship with her husband's family is deliciously fraught with twists and turns that left me breathless. The writing was excellent and the descriptions of paradise tainted by tragedy were perfect. There was so much angst bubbling just under the surface you could almost reach out and grab it. Just when you think you've got it solved, the author throws another juicy tangent into the mix. A fantastic book for summer reading.