This book is creepy! It will send chills down your spine. We get a glimpse into Ella's life before the accident. She lives a simple life work, sleep, eat, repeat. Then she awakens in a hospital bed and is told that her husband is anxious for her to recover. The problem is Ella does not recall that she has a husband.

Then the ride from hell begins. Ella opens her eyes from her coma and sees someone from her past. Someone that she never expected to see again, that is claiming he is her husband. Ella is rendered powerless and must go along with the facade.

This is my second Samantha Hayes book and it did not disappoint. It was a page turner that kept me guessing the whole way. Ella's life after awakening from the coma was an anxiety riddled roller coaster. Every page I flipped I felt myself cringe hoping that she was going to make it to see another day. Throw in a twist that I did not see coming and it was a suspenseful page turner!

Thank you to Bookouture and Samantha Hayes for this ARC.

The Liar's Wife was a book which for me seemed like - been there, done that. The story began with Ella and her life of routine, she never wavered from it. Till she met with an accident and found herself married to Jacob who was her connection to the secret of her past. The story saw her being under his hold, doing everything as he wanted, till it reached an explosive finish...

Dual timeliness of present and past this book had us understanding Ella's life slowly and surely revealing each layer with a precision. Ella was sweet and quite unassuming; Jacob was an uggghh repulsive character.

The story felt a bit clichéd and my attention wandered many, many times, the overall plot was good and the ending redeemed the book.
Overall a creepy novel with twisted ending.

Ella lives a very restricted life. She goes to work, works all day without socializing with her co-workers, rides her bike home where she spends her evenings alone, reading or doing embroidery. She wants more but knows the scandal in her past prohibits that. For all she knows, she is wanted by the police and if she isn't, she wants to stay under the radar so that she isn't.

Then it happens. On the way home one dark, rainy night, a van comes out of nowhere and the next thing Ella remembers is waking up in the hospital where she is informed of her injuries and the lengthy recuperation she'll need. But don't worry, the nurses tell her. Your husband can take care of you. With that, Ella raises her eyes and sees a face she never thought she'd see again, a face she thought she had killed one night all those years ago.

Although she denies being married to him, her objections are seen as part of her injuries and as soon as she is ready, she is sent off with the man she dreads seeing more than anyone. Jacob has done everything to make sure his second chance at a life with Ella will work; he has bought a new house and furnished it with everything they need, including a security system that works to keep Ella prisoner during the days while he works. He even makes friends with the neighbors to keep up the facade. Ella realizes that it does no good to make waves and decides she will have to escape by her own wits. Can she do that before her past catches up?

Samantha Hayes has written a psychological thriller that will make the reader squirm. It is an impossible situation but is laid out in a way that makes it imaginable, although revolting. Ella is determined to save herself no matter what happens and the introduction of a co-worker who has missed her and wants to help adds another dimension. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Raced to the finish, couldn't get enough of this. Loved it all, and needless to say nobody got dinner while I was reviewing this book. 10/10

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is a slow paced but entertaining psychological thriller. The characters are well developed and believable. Ella's social anxiety and self imposed miserable lifestyle are both heart-breaking and captivating. Her so called husband was a creepy well thought out character and I loved to hate him.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was amazing and I could not put it down! What would you do if you woke up in a hospital and a horrible person from your past claims to be your husband and takes you home? That is what happens to Ella. This book is so suspenseful and had me at the edge of my seat until the very end with lots of surprises along the way!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can you imagine waking up in the hospital from a serious accident and having the nurse tell you that your husband has been devotedly by your side the whole time? There's only one problem, you aren't married! So who is this man that has lead everyone to believe that he is just that, your husband. The problem is you can't tell anyone the truth because he has a hidden secret involving your past. This is what has happened to Ella.
Once Ella is released from the hospital her husband takes her home, to a place she has never been before. She becomes a prisoner in this house looking for any way to escape.

This book is so full of twists and turns it will have your head spinning. Just when you think you have figured out the truth, you're thrown a curveball that has you reeling in it's implications. A great fast paced book that keeps you on the edge the whole time!!!

I received an ARC from Bookouture via Netgalley in exchange of honest review.

I’m usually a fan of dynamic pace when it comes to mystery/thriller. Something slow and stable is usually not working for me. I either got lazy because I feel there’s nothing ever going to be happened and continued to read half-heartedly, or I carelessly decided, so early, that I don’t enjoy the book. And I know, this is a bad habit but I’m working on it. However, The Liar’s Wife was a bit stagnant in its first few chapters. And weirdly, I’m okay with it. Sure, Ella got hit by a van and someone from her past appeared out of nowhere, is far from dull. It’s exciting and intense. But other than that, we still have no idea who’s this person is or what’s his intention, up until the half of the book. And no, I’m not saying everything’s going to be reveal at this point, but I’m talking about the first actual clue that I think will be matter in this story. Can you believe that?! I read up until half of the book just to think I found the first clue! However, I enjoyed the slow and painful build up, knowing that whatever twists this book is going to have, it will be worth the wait. And it does worth the wait.

This book is Dark and twisty! Reading this is like reading someone’s worst nightmare . I couldn’t believe what was happening to Ella, and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to her. Some AMAZING twists that no one could possibly see coming . Fantastic writing and complex characters.

Dutch:

De nieuwste hit van Samantha Hayes. Met ieder boek weet Samantha haar lezers steeds weer te verassen. Zij zet haar verhalen zo goed in elkaar dat het einde raden vaak moeilijk is. Liars Wife is vooral een claustrofobisch boek aangezien de hoofdpersoon nergens naar toe kan. Het verhaal is in de stijl van Misery van Stephen King. Al is de hoofd persoon geen schrijver. Ik kon het verhaal met moeite wegleggen en was er dan ook zo door heen. Een echte page turner. Weer een nieuw succes voor Samantha Hayes.

English:

The newest success by author Samantha Hayes. In every book, she writes she is able to surprise her readers. With the way she writes her stories, it is difficult to guess the ending. Liars Wife is foremost a claustrophobic book, because the main character has nowhere to go. The story breaths the style from Stephen King’s Misery. Although the main character is no writer. I could not put the book down, i finished it quickly. A real page turner succes for Samantha Hayes.

When you want to shout advice at the protagonist, you know you’ve been emotionally drawn into the fictional world that the author has cleverly created. TALK TO THE NURSES YOU LOON. I got past the frustration and was gripped. Overall a little too violent for me (but I am a massive wuss)

I liked the story however at times I was confused as to why Ella did not seek help right in the beginning when she was at the hospital. However after that hiccup the story progressed well. There were a few surprising twists and turns which made the book more interesting.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t too sure about this book, it seemed similar to others I have read over the last few years. When the woman wakes up and is living with someone who is supposedly her husband. This was slightly different because there was something in the woman’s past that meant she had to stay with ‘Jacob’ and do what he said, even after he takes a baby from his/her pram. It is only at the end that we find out who ‘Jacob’ really is. The truth is also found out about 10 years earlier when the woman was at university.
The ending was good and everything was clearer at the end.

This truly is a gripping twisted psychological thriller. Although it’s tough reading material, it’s a greatly written story and one that’s worth finishing.

Unfortunately, I was not able to download this book fast enough to give my review on The Liar's Wife from Samantha Hayes.

A great tense read! Full of gripping moments and twists and turns.
The story was exciting to read and the characters were fleshed out well.

The Liar’s Wife is the latest psychological thriller from the excellent Samantha Hayes. I have read and enjoyed several of her previous books – particularly Tell Me A Secret and Until You’re Mine – and was delighted to be able to join this blog tour.

The story has a fascinating premise and an intriguing prologue. In the early chapters, Ella’s creeping fear, shock and terror are well described as her horrifying situation is gradually revealed. (It is difficult to say much more without risking spoilers!) Suffice to say, the mystery has all started in the past.

Ella is a complex character: she clearly has her issues and the further you get into the book, it is easy to see why. She largely leads the book, although there is a second narrator, and her story includes some illuminating flashbacks to the key time at Durham University.

As the story progresses there are many moments of nail-biting tension and breath-holding fear as well as some surprising developments and eye-opening and shocking twists in the tale. I was reminded of some classic domestic thrillers like Misery, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and Sleeping with the Enemy. This is domestic noir turned up to eleven! The book is well-plotted and cleverly written and the final reveal was really well done.

If you’ve enjoyed Samantha Hayes‘s previous books, you will love this one, and if you haven’t yet tried them, then this is the perfect place to start! Bring on the next one. 🙂

Thank you to Bookouture for the ARC of The Liar’s Wife and to Noelle and Kim for my spot on the blog tour.

Wow! This book kept me gripped from very early on. The story was really well-written, giving you enough insight into Ella’s past life to be intrigued whilst hinting at secrets that you think you have worked out! It jumps from the present to the past as the story unfolds revealing the back story which made Ella who she is in later life. I was exhausted reading the end and very tense - willing Ella on, trying to understand her guilt and therefore her situation. I thought I’d got it, but didn’t see the final twist at all. Brilliant read! Samantha Hayes is up there as one of my favourite authors nie having read all of her books (& hoping for a follow up to The Reunion!)

The Liar's Wife started out as an interesting, yet typical kind of thriller - single young woman Ella leads a simple life, is involved in an accident, then wakes up in hospital with a stranger claiming to be her husband. The story didn't stay typical for long. We find out that the husband is no stranger, yet we don't really know who he is. What we do know is that there's something very, very wrong and that there are many secrets and lies wrapped around Ella, her husband Jacob, and their past.

Suspense builds in the novel even as aggravations with the storyline occur - WHY doesn't she get help from the neighbors when she has the opportunity? WHY didn't she tell the nurses to keep Jacob away from her? We know something devastating happened in the past that Jacob is threatening her with, but is being silent really worth the cost? And the baby situation - seriously?

With several twists and turns and a red herring or two tossed in to keep things confusing, the story builds to a wild ending that I barely figured out right before it is shared in the book. I'm not sure how realistic the overall story is, but it was fascinating enough to keep me hanging on until the very end. Great suspense throughout and all in all, a gripping story. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.