Thank you to Michael Joseph/Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC, which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

The book begins with a woman sitting on a beach hoping to catch a glimpse of her husband in the sea. She sits there until the sun rises and then decides she needs to report him missing to the relevant authorities. The chapters move on and are set in the past and present. Jemma informs the resort's staff and another honeymooning couple Chrissy and Kenny.
The last thing Jemma said to her husband was 'I hate you' and the only thing missing from their villa is his mask and flippers. What has happened to Jemma's husband?
If I carry on, I will give two much away, so I won't!

To be honest I was getting a little bored with the book, but then it really picked up pace. I never in a million years would have guessed the ending and I was really pleased that I didn't. In the end the book entered very dark territory and made me think about these 'Honeymoon Paradise islands'. It must be almost overwhelming to be in the middle of nowhere, having to be romantic every minute.
What if something did happen? - like in the book? I suspect you would feel very trapped and I wouldn't like that at all.

Twisted and thrilling. Could not put this one down.

The story is based around the main character Jemma, the chapters are split into "now" and "before" for most if the book. I didn't warm to Jemma at all throughout the book, I don't know if this was on purpose or not but I found her st times to be childish and very self centred but this did not hamper my enjoyment.
The story starts with Jemma having a date from an online couples website that her friend put her up to, here she meets Dan who she likes but doesn't instantly take to, her relationship moves on and she finds herself kissing his brother, Jamie at a family party. From there Jemma and Jamie are together and end up getting married and it is on this honeymoon that Jamie disappears, did he drown? Was he murdered? Well I'll leave you to find that out for yourself but you will never ever guess the ending which made me glad I'd spent all afternoon reading it!
An enjoyable thriller and will be looking out for other books by Tina Seskis in the future.
I would like to thank netgalley and penguin random house for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is Jemma's story and is told in short chapters jumping from the present to the past when she met her husband and his family. All the characters are complex and have secrets that are slowly revealed, but I did find Jemma very infuriating with all the bad decisions she made. There are many twists and turns, even from the beginning of the book with the identity of her husband, and then the conclusion of the book left me gasping! The Honeymoon is a great read and would recommend it to readers of psychological thrillers.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Great plot!! I actually bought this book for a friend of mine that got married (just for fun) but I kept the book... now she wants to read it. Recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley for my ebook. I have never read anything by this author before so I had no idea what to expect.

For the majority of the book chapters either take place in the present or are set a definitive period in the past and this was handled well. However, as time went by I was becoming impatient to concentrate on the present and I found it rather hard going.

Unfortunately I couldn't take to the main character Jemma at all, I could not empathise with her and often felt like giving her a bit of a shake, she was far too concerned with all situations as they affected her and felt no apparent empathy towards others so maybe I wasn't supposed to like her.

I then got towards the end of the book and felt it was a bit forced, a bit unlikely BUT then there was a totally shocking twist which I doubt any reader would have foreseen and that made the whole book a worthwhile read in itself.

Good premise and kept me turning the pages but I found the ending too far-fetched.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been maybe two thirds of the length.
The overall plot was a good one. Man goes missing whilst on honeymoon, has he drowned or is something more sinister going on. It is revealed quite early on that the honeymoon is not going well and that the bride does not want to married to her groom. We are given the back story in flashbacks, starting seven years earlier and coming right up to date, in alternative chapters with the present. The structure keeps you reading but it began to get quite repetitive, with long sections of Jemma going over things in her head which was ok to begin with but I just started to lose interest.
The final reveal, however, disappointed me most. Unexpected yes, but only because it is so far fetched I couldn't take it seriously.
Sorry, not for me.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

Absolutely excellent read. (My son and his new wife went there for their honeymoon last year) The descriptions are excellent. the atmosphere marvellous and there is enough confusion and subterfuge for any devoted reader of psychological mysteries. Highly recommended

This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. I could not put it down. The story centres around Jemma and her husband Jamie and her ex-boyfriend Dan who is Jamie's brother. Jemma and Jamie are on their honeymoon in the Maldives when Jamie goes missing. It cleverly centres on whether Jamie is in fact missing or dead.
As I honeymooned in the Maldives I could actually feel mself back there throughout this book.
The book switched back through time to how Jemma met Dan, how she switched to Jamie and then to current day. It made me love Jemma then hate her, envy her and repel her. It was totally absorbing and actually kept me guessing right up to the last pages. I truly had no idea how this book would end. I certainly did not expect it to finish how it did. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good psycological thrillers and I look forward to reading more from Tina Seskis.

The Honeymoon was a fab book that I struggled to put down. I loved the ending I did not expect that.
Jemma is on holiday with her husband on their honeymoon when her husband goes missing. What has happened? Has he drowned? Has he secretly left the island? Or is there something else going on?
Have a read you won't be disappointed.

Wow, what a fantastic book this was to read. I liked the way it started by going back and forth between the very past and the present before then changing to slightly past to the present to allow you to get the full picture of what was happening storyline wise. Definitely kept you gripped right until the very end of the book. A highly recommended book to read!

The plot of this book had me gripped in that I wanted to know the ending, The story is mainly told in the eyes of Jemma who is on her honeymoon in the Maldives when her new husband goes missing. The story is then told in a series of short chapters jumping between present day and 6 or 7 years earlier when she first met her husband and his family.

A minor niggle – a significant character was called Dan and another was Jemma’s Dad. I frequently misread one for the other and got a little distracted from the story when I realised my error and went back to double check.

Despite the plot hooking me in so I wanted to keep reading I did skim read a lot of self-introspection and internal thoughts of Jemma. It felt like around 50% of the book was filler and didn't contribute to the plot or character forming. This is why I am only giving it 3.5 stars. There was a good twist at the end, slightly far-fetched, but one I definitely didn't see coming.

Absolutely loved this book, nice little holiday feel to it, complicated relationships/families - and a big mystery as to where James has vanished to on his honeymoon. Completely keeps you guessing what has happened, who to suspect etc - totally had no idea how it was going to end. Was quite disappointed when it came to finishing the book - thoroughly enjoyed and didn't want it to end.

I feel I am writing this review whilst gazing out across a white sandy beach with palms shushing in the breeze and a turquoise blue ocean before me. The novel as you may have guessed, has one of its locations set on a coral island. I really liked the feelings and emotions that were expressed by Jemma as she became imprisoned in paradise after her husband went missing. I have to say though that I did predict the ending but I was forearmed! Many decades ago I remember a TV drama where a couple chanced upon the most heavenly restaurant (French from recollection). They enthused over the courses, gorged on the gastronomy and wondered how a chef could make such tasty morsels. When it came to settling up, the final image was of the chef sharpening his knife, smiling to himself as he peered through the kitchen door port hole at the last remaining couple. I suppose a ponzi cannibal scheme. I digress. Well written but a little slow for me.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book free of charge. I have notbeen paid for providing this review.
Without giving too much of the story away, this is about the central honeymoon of the book's central character Jemma's honeymoon in the Maldives.
Whilst on holiday her husband mysteriuosly disappears and a number of susprects are identified, the main one being Jemma herself.
Liked the way the autohr flitted back and fore in time giving the background to their relationship leading up to the marriage ceremony and then up to date on the honeymoon.
Couple of real twists, one fairly early in the book and the other towards the end of the book.
All told a decent read, four out of five stars and wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author

Tina Seskis's 'When We Were Friends' was one of the few books I managed to squeeze in in 2015, between full time work/parenting and completing my degree, and I really, really enjoyed it. At that time, my mind was so completely taken up with the billion other things I had going on, that it had to be an unputdownable, gripping plot that managed to hold my attention - and this one really did the trick. So I had high hopes for Tina's latest novel, The Honeymoon, especially after reading some raving reviews.

I'm so pleased to say that The Honeymoon was every bit as compelling and gripping as I'd hoped. It was impossible to stop reading right from the very first page. It begins with the disappearance of Jemma's husband while on honeymoon in the beautiful island setting of the Maldives, and with a multi split narrative, details the time period immediately before his disappearance, early in the relationship and after - all drip feeding snippets of information to the reader, building tension and averting suspicion this way and that throughout.

As we learn about Jemma's relationship, it becomes clear how complex it actually is. This isn't a fairytale romance - it's messy, dark and abusive. Only it's constantly difficult to pin down where the blame lies. Is Jemma hiding something? Are there other people involved? I wondered many times why the hell these two people had come to be honeymooning at all - the relationship is so dysfunctional and they don't even seem to like each other. At one point in the book I began to think this was even effecting my enjoyment and belief in the situation, but stick with it - as secrets are revealed it all starts to make sense.

The Honeymoon is packed with twists and turns meaning I never knew which way the book was going to go, despite my best attempts at guessing. And when the final twist comes ....believe me, there's no way you'll see it coming. It's a shocker! Tina Seskis turns everything you think you know and expect about this genre in just a couple of paragraphs. I could not have predicted it at all.

With its stunningly beautiful and luxurious setting contrasting with a dark, claustrophobic mystery, this is a book that conjures atmosphere, intensity and intrigue by the bucket load. Tina Seskis's writing is evocative and compelling, holding me firmly in its grip until I'd finished the very last page. I only wish I'd been reading it on a heat soaked beach myself - this book is a must for your summer holiday reading this year.

This book had an absolutely shocking twist which totally floored me, read the end with all the lights on, and preferably not right before you go to sleep!!

Very enjoyable, will definitely be recommending!

A book full of intrigue and twists throughout. The story is centred on Jemma who to start with I wanted to dislike as being a spoilt snobby brat. As the story unfolded I began to feel sorry for her and the situation that she finally was in. I loved the approach of Tina Seskis who has short snappy chapters each giving just a little more of the story and so keeping the reader in suspense throughout.A true psychological thriller leaving the reader to keep trying to work out what had happened and I cannot imagine anyone working out the ending. A fantastic read which I was unable to put down from the very start. Highly recommend this to anyone who loves this genre..

I have read good reviews for this novel but didn't really enjoy it. It reminded me a little of " the girl on the train" which I also struggled with. I couldn't feel any empathy for the characters and found the behaviour of the main character unbelievable. Sorry not for me