I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few of this author’s books and find them to be gripping, so I was looking forward to a quick read.

Abigail is due to marry the very wealthy Bruce after a whirlwind romance. At her hen party, she’s seduced by ‘Scottie’ and they end up sleeping together. Wracked with guilt, she decides to forget it and focus on the wedding. She receives an email from Scottie asking if the wedding is still on, she’s convinced she sees him at the wedding, and is horrified to meet him at their honeymoon. Bruce chose their honeymoon on an exclusive island, but Abigail is concerned by the large numbers of staff and male guests. What’s really going on?

The book is an easy read, and although I couldn’t connect with the characters, it was readable and I wanted to find out what was going to happen. Abigail was annoying and such an idiot. I found the middle part of the book quite unsettling, there’s definitely something off about the island and Abigail is seemingly trapped there. The last quarter of the book is quite gripping, but I found the ending so underwhelming and quite disappointing.

Overall 2.5 stars rounded to 2, the author has definitely written better books. The characters and ending let it down for me. I would still read more from this author but this book wasn’t for me.

I'm not sure what to say about this one....it was fast paced and I flew through it but nothing really happened till about 50%....the story got a little bit silly and the ending was anti climatic.

3.75 stars*. Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Faber Books for the eARC for an honest review. I got the audiobook from Audible to listen along to.

This is my 4th Peter Swanson book, my very first and favourite of his being Before She Knew Him. I went into this one not having read the blurb since requesting in on Netgalley a couple of years ago, so basically blind to any idea of what it was about. It was a very quick listen as it only took me two days to get through the audiobook. For me the first 50% - 70% of the book nothing really happened at all. If I didn't listen to this as an audiobook I probably would have taken a while to get through the first half as it was not that captivating.

We have Abigail, the MC, who marries a rich guy after cheating on him at her bachelorette. The guy she cheats with seems to be following her all the way to her honeymoon. Firstly, Abigail isn't really a likeable character - that's fine but it makes it hard to get behind a MC that you don't like. It's a Peter Swanson book so obviously there is a big twist that starts the interesting part of the book. It's quite a slow paced book until the very end when suddenly we are fast paced and I was pleasantly surprised with the twist. I don't feel like enough happened - There could have book more build up to get the reader really hooked rather than a big twist and the end.

This book is a very dark twisted psychological thriller and I found the premise of this book to be a little sickening. There isn't enough development for any of the characters, the plot plods along until the very end and then we are slammed into the heart of what the book is about. All I was left with was the question 'why?'. Overall, the ending saved this book for me and is the reason for my rating. I did enjoy it to a certain degree but didn't feel like it was paced correctly and it left me wondering why a male author would write a book like this on this topic but not put the effort in causing it to feel a little dramatic and unfinished.

Not his best but still an enjoyable read.

Twisty, well paced but i saw the twist a mile off & I didn't like the main character.

A twisted family affair! The relationships in this book were complex and dark and kept the book interesting. Peter Swanson is always a good go-to for a thriller.

Dark and twisty but so gripping. The plot takes you in a direction you wouldn't expect and goes beyond the typical thriller.

The only other Peter Swanson novel I previously had read was “Rules for Perfect Murders”, where a series of unsolved murders appear to be based on crimes depicted in classic mystery novels. For a fan of crime fiction, what an amazing concept for a crime novel! It was fresh, unusual and related to one of my favourite pastimes – not murder… but reading classic crime fiction. I loved it!

Having now read “Every Vow You Break”, I was surprised by how different in style it was to “Rules for Perfect Murders”. There is a surprising amount of darkness and difficult subjects touched on throughout the novel and so is in many ways a more serious novel than I was expecting.
Peter Swanson does not appear have a pattern or style which he follows (unlike many other crime/thriller writers), however, his knowledge of contemporary and classic literature comes to the fore easily and frequently and is put to very good use in the storylines of his novels, and similarly to “Rules for Perfect Murders”, the inclusion of references to contemporary and classic literature and film plays a big part in the unfolding of the narrative.

Ultimately, this novel is much closer in nature to Harlan Coben or Jeffery Deaver and is much more straightforward than the author’s preceding novel. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you know what you are getting into – but you may notice there are much fewer exclamation marks in this review than my take on “Rules for Perfect Murders”.

3 ⭐ the worst honeymoon ever? probably

Abigail made a mistake, but it was a one-time thing and she is determined to put it behind her and enjoy her life with her new husband, Bruce.
Most of this story takes place in Heart Pond Island, where the newlyweds go to enjoy their honeymoon. An island where technology is not a thing, where you go to run away from the world inside your phone and regain some balance in your life, or so it seems.
When Abigail arrives at the island, it is beautiful and luxurious. But something feels off... There are only male guests, except her and another recently married woman, Jill. The staff ratios are just unbelievable and would make any business extremely unprofitable.
And then, it goes from weird to very suspect when a new guest arrives: Scottie, the man Abigail slept with during her bachelorette weekend. It can't be a coincidence, right?

I enjoyed the tension throughout the whole novel but the characters were all so unlikeable (which was probably the intention) that I just didn't feel invested. Abigail was not a great person, so I found it hard to root for her - not that you should die for infidelity, but if you are unsure, why go ahead with the wedding in the first place?
It just seemed a bit farfetched, but who knows, people can be petty af and just absolutely insane, so with unlimited funds, who knows what that would look like?

I don't know, it wasn't horrible but I also didn't love it.

Peter Swanson is an absolute auto buy author for me, so when I got approved for this one on NetGalley I was so so excited, I almost squealed with joy.

I have loved every one of his books I’ve read so far so I was very excited for this one, and it didn’t let me down. 5 stars! I was hooked, I was gripped, I didn’t want to put it down and I stayed up late to finish it in one sitting.

The suspense built up throughout the book, with interesting characters mixed with the intrigue of secrets, betrayal and lies, you’re never quite sure who you can trust. The setting is meant to be a romantic honeymoon destination however, the longer the couple stay on the remote island the more the atmosphere begins to change and morph into a creepy prison like scenario and the more Abigail starts to question everything she thinks to be true.

You have to suspend your disbelief a little bit towards the end, but that’s what I love about Swanson’s books, that you can’t predict what’s going to happen. I think this one really worked perfectly and was a real shocker of an ending.

If you haven’t read anything by Peter Swanson I would 100% recommend you pick something up by him immediately! I would read a table menu cover to cover if it was written by him!

A scary tale of what could happen if you betray your love and then it builds on a nightmare one night stand to something so sinister and unbelievable it’s so dark.
It is a slow going story and at times felt like there was a word count expectation or the author was being paid by the word. Ultimately though I was a left a little disappointed with Swansons writing style this time. The storyline could’ve been just the crazy darkness of the man behind the one night stand…. Not a twisted murderous Peter Pan tale.

I absolutely love the way Peter Swanson writes. So even though I had mixed feelings about ‘Every vow you break’, I still enjoyed it.
The story started off really slow, introducing us to Abigail and her relationship with Bruce. After finishing the book, I understand why this was relevant, but so much of it felt like filler at the time.
When the story started to build during their honeymoon, the tension was insane, I couldn’t stop reading and I frantically raced to the end. The ending was good and I appreciated the resolution, but the reveal felt very slightly ridiculous.
Overall I would recommend this book, but I would really recommend Peter Swanson’s other book ‘The kind worth killing’ too.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every Vow You Break
by Peter Swanson (Goodreads Author)
19538149
Julie Quick's review Sep 13, 2021 · edit
really liked it

This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author. One previous one I really liked, one not so much..this one falls not the former category,
It’s hard to give a view of this without giving too many spoilers.
It is however twisted and dark, maybe not so psychologically complex as I really enjoy, but right up there.
As twisted a tale of jealousy, retribution that you are likely to find right now.,

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4231233990?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Blurb- Abigail’s life is turned around when she meets millionaire Bruce, and he completely falls for her. They have a whirlwind romance, complete with a fairytale wedding. However three days before the wedding, Abigail receives an email from someone from her Bachelorette party…. someone she wants to forget and doesn’t want anyone to find out about. Little does she know this person is not going away, and her dream honeymoon soon turns in to a nightmare, and her actions start to have terrifying consequences.

Review- @petermswanson is an absolute auto buy author for me and I have loved every one of his books. I saw this one had mixed reviews before I read it so was hoping I would still love it, and I really did! I am not sure why there are such mixed reviews as I thought this was yet another addictive and gripping thriller at the same high standard of his previous books. I always feel like there is a little bit of magic in these books and this one was the same.

The suspense built up throughout, with interesting characters, mixed with lies, betrayal and secrets. The setting is meant to be a romantic honeymoon destination however the longer the couple stay there, the more the atmosphere changes in to a creepy prison like scenario, and the more Abigail starts to question everything she believes.

You have to suspend your disbelief a little bit at the end with this but I thought it worked perfectly and was a great shocker of an ending!

If you haven’t read anything by this author, I would massively recommend you pick up something by him soon!

A one night stand turns into a nightmare when Abigail's bachelorette hook up turns up on her honeymoon. Professing undying love and threatening to expose Abigail's affair to her new husband, Abigail must take drastic measures to control the situation. But the island where she's honeymooning may have other ideas...

I've now read two Peter Swanson thrillers and I can say with certainty that this won't be my last from him. Fast paced, intriguing and packed full of action, Every Vow You Break will be sure to please those looking for high octane drama. The plot is tightly packed in from start to finish, never letting up pace until the end - and although I thought the writing wasn't the best, I still found it hugely entertaining. The descriptions of the island in particular really helped to set up this highly strung, deeply creepy claustrophobic environment that offers little relief and comfort. The woods exude menace and there's no sanctuary for Abigail, no places to hide.

The story does peter out towards the end, and the reader is left with many unanswered questions and little in the way of explanations with regards to motive. I can't really go into depth here as to why I found myself disappointed at the end, due to spoilers, but just know I was left wanting more questions answered and more emotional development from Abigail.

Highly entertaining, highly addictive read that's perfect for the summer months. Peter Swanson hasn't failed me yet.

This book made me really uncomfortable while reading it, I had to stop for a couple of days then went back to it and skin read the remainder of the book. I thought it started well but then went extremely far-fetched. The writing on the whole was good but the story line wasn't one that I particularly enjoyed.

I love Swanson's books, and this was no different. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters and the writing with a lot of depth. He's a writer I'd highly recommend.
Thanks a lot for this copy.

Hmm, some times you run in to the book that you have love/hate relationship.. this book was that for me.
Yes it was absolutely predictable and I dislike most of the characters but still I did enjoy it very much.
I like very much Peter Swanson work, and yes this one was very different from previous, but I do love how this man writer's.

Big big thanks to netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this copy for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second book by this author and I was completely blown away by how good it was. This book sucked me right in and I didn’t want to do anything else only read it.

This was so atmospheric and really took me by surprise. Peter Swanson books have been really hit and miss with me but this one blew me away. I loved that it a turn which I wasn't expecting at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoy Peter Swanson’s books, he writes entertaining, twisty psychological thrillers. His latest follows a newly-married couple honeymooning on a luxurious island off the coast of Maine where everything is not quite as perfect as it at first seems. I found it a fun read but a bit silly and not quite as subtle as usual for Swanson’s writing.

I enjoyed the fact that Swanson stepped out of his comfort zone and made the villain male rather than the cold hearted woman he so often favours.

I don’t think this is Swanson’s best book but is fast-paced and readable and keeps you guessing up to its slightly daft ending. It also feels quite of the moment with a #metoo undercurrent to the plot.