A gripping book that I could not put down. Full of lots of twists and very cleverly written. Definitely one to add top your book list, you will not be disappointed.

What a debut! Although most of the action takes place after the honeymoon, the stage is set and the secrets unravel…

This was one of those novels were my allegiances changed rapidly - first with Erin - then with Jamie and finally onto Sophia! At one point I wasn’t sure who to trust if anyone.

The twists came thick and fast at the end - reaching a climax that I didn’t see coming (and I’m usually good at these).

There are aspects of miscarriage and domestic violence that some may find upsetting but these elements are needed to build your opinion of the characters and why they do what they do.

A great thriller that will keep you guessing until the bitter end!

On honeymoon in Bali, two couples meet on the last few days and hit it off straightaway.
Following a meal together on their last night, something terrible happens to one of the couples.
As they return home to their new married lives, the guilt of what happened in Bali comes back to haunt them.
Told from the POVs of the females Erin & Sophia, it’s a great psychological thriller.
Who do you believe - there’s paranoia, manipulation and one of them is hiding their guilt amazingly.
Excellent storytelling with the tension building to panic-stricken levels at times.
The short snappy chapters make it an easy read and the atmospheric sense really immerses you in the story.
Thanks @kategray @wellbeckpublish & @netgalley for the eARC

I really enjoyed this book. 2 couples honeymooning in Bali become friendly and spend their last evening together. A big storm blows in and at the end of the night a man is dead. But it was an accident surely? And you don't expect the story to follow you home. This was a really twisty tale and you end up not knowing who is telling the truth. This kept me on the edge of my seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A good thriller first set on a honeymoon in Bali but also including life afterwards in England. Two couples become friends on Honeymoon and stay in touch back home. Not only did they have things in Common as couples do but they share a tragic experience...a dead body. But the death was an accident,right? Some parts are slow and I've read similar plots before but I wanted to see how their nightmare ended. A good enough read overall..especially for a debut.

It was indeed an extraordinary reading experience. The story of this thriller revolves around a crime committed on the last day of the honeymoon. From the beginning, we meet two young couples, Erin and Jamie and Sophia and Mark, who are entirely different from each other. One thing they have in common is being newlyweds on their honeymoon in Bali. I was mesmerised as the story of this extraordinary acquaintance in a dream setting so brutally overshadowed by the nightmare of a murder unfolded. I liked all the twists and turns and the slowly revealed secrets that I didn't expect, which opened up the following dimensions of the character. The whole story is shown from two points of view of the main characters. I admit I was very annoyed by Erin's behaviour at times. However, it is most appropriate, so if you are even a slightly similar reader to me, do not be discouraged because the story is worth knowing—an excellent thriller.

what a thrilling debut of a book! i was shook to my core by the twists and turns in this. my toes were curled the entire time and i was sitting on the edge of my seat. this definitely has “white lotus” vibes!

This book wasn't what I expected at all. I was expecting a thriller happening during a honeymoon.
It starts on the last day of two couples honeymoon in Bali, when they meet and go out together for the evening. Whilst out there is a thunderstorm and they split up and then 'something' happens. This part of the book I enjoyed.
The remainder/majority of the book is set in England and I then found it slow going and I found I didn't like or connect with any of the characters. Probably the only reason I continued to read and finish the book was the fact that it was an ARC I had requested.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this advance read.

I read it one sitting!

Married life and the honeymoon are meant to be happy occasions. Bali, a place of paradise. The power of secrets is immense.
It starts with a strong prologue that draws you in to find out more about who is dead.
The unravelling begins on Monday 12th September and weaves different view points of what led up to someone being found dead.
There are two couples - Erin, a former care worker and Jamie, who sells security systems who meet Sophia, a journalist and  Mark, a mortgage adviser.

It is there last night in Bali. As Erin and Jamie go off for a walk, the passion sizzles. Someone notices the couple and that is when everything gets dangerous!
The book, from the beginning is atmospheric, but by this part, there's a hike in tension. The writing makes this an instant page-turner and the chilling nightmare begins, that creates a honeymoon from hell. They find a person's bloodied body at the bottom of some stony steps...
Back home, things don't get any better, at least not for Erin. Instead of the warm glow of honeymoon and being away, it is the memory of the body that lingers.

The marriage between Sophia and Mark isn't exactly the same fiery passion, but seems a bit cooler, in-comparison. In Bali, isn't the only time that they meet with Erin and Jamie. They end up staying in-touch... This increases intrigue as connections from then and remain.

The secret that they all possess, takes its toll, especially on Erin. You can feel the tension and what it does to people as the words in this fast-paced book flash before your eyes. It’s a book that will also have you holding your breath at certain points, with an unguessable ending!

The Honeymoon is a book on one hand you can't wait to see how the nightmare ends, but also on the other-hand, don't want to get to that final page because then it all ends. The writing and plot is excellent. I highly recommed this summer for your TBR. This is an author, whose work I would review more of. Keg Gray is one to watch!

I found this an okay read but felt it was a plot that had been done before. Two couples on honeymoon, different lifestyles, encounter a dead body. Lots of twists and turns but at times quite slow.

“Two happy couples.
One dead body.
A whole load of secrets.”

This was fun! I decided who the murderer was and kept getting different clues flung at me. It was lovely and twisty: interesting plot, fleshed out characters and keeps you reading long after you should be asleep!

It beautifully demonstrates how control over your life can be swiftly taken away, leaving you vulnerable and isolated.

I won’t say more: a perfect holiday book. Well, maybe not if you’re on a honeymoon.

Thanks to Netgalley and Welbeck Publishing for an E-arc, all opinions are my own.

I was gripped from the start! Erin meets Sophia on the last day they are both in Bali on their honeymoons. They are completely different people, but all of a sudden, their worlds collide when a man dies.

Back in the UK, all sorts of sinister stuff starts happening; lies, secrets and unreliable characters plus a good few twists had me literally holding my breath at points!

I will admit to being slightly confused about a couple of motives, but overall, a great read 👏🏻

4 ⭐️ Thanks to #Netgalley #welbeckpublish and #KateGray for an ARC in return for my honest review.

The Honeymoon by Kate Gray
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 20/07/2023
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Two newly-wed couples are enjoying the last days of their honeymoon when a body turns up. A tragic accident? Or something more?
As the couples return home to their new married lives, homes and jobs, will the guilt of what happened in Bali haunt them?
An excellent book with so many twists. There were many moments when I thought I had it all worked out only for the whole story to be upended, shaken about and thrown back down. Incredible.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Gray and Wellbeck Publishing for this ARC in return for an honest review.
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#books #booknerd #bookworm #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstack #bookchallenge #booklover #reader #read #2023Reads #readersofinstagram #reading #bookswithcookandacuppa #netgalley #TheHoneymoon #KateGray

I couldn't wait to read this, it had an interesting storyline and was really intense in all the right places. The characters were memorable and intriguing and i was hooked from the start. I enjoyed the multiple POV, it made me second guess who to trust. I also enjoyed the twists and turns the story took to captivate my attention. A decent thriller, thank you for allowing me to read and review

Two couples on their honeymoons in Bali enjoy a luxury meal together to celebrate their last night. By the end of the night, there is a dead body. Just an accident, wasn’t it?

The story is told predominantly from the points of view of the women from both couples, Erin and Sophia. It worked so well to see their interactions from both points of view whilst trying to work out who was telling the truth.

The chapters were fairly short which kept the fast pace going throughout the book.

I honestly had no idea what was coming next; it was full of lies, deception and manipulation!

A fantastic debut thriller from Kate Grey that I’d definitely recommend to fans of the genre. The Honeymoon is out tomorrow, July 20th! Definitely one to pack in your suitcase for your summer holiday.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Book Review The Honeymoon by

What an amazing debut of a psychological thriller.

The beautiful setting of Bali, you’re on your honeymoon, you meet a couple and have dinner at this beautiful cliff side restaurant. Next thing someone dies. Was it an accident.

I kept seeing this advertise and couldn’t wait to get stuck in and read this. The cover is beautiful and enticing. I swapped my book order about to sneak this one in first and am so glad I did.

It was twisty and intense, where I had to know what was going to happen. But to the point I couldn’t work out what was coming next. There was things linked and the author really kept you guessing.

I felt Jamie and Erin’s house was so eerie and gave me the shivers. I was always waiting for something bad to happen there.

Intelligently written and I didn’t see that ending coming.

I hope this book gets all the love it deserves as it was amazing. A real page turner.

Definitely one to add to your list this summer and take on holiday. You will race through it sitting by the pool.

Amazing. I loved this! I find with thrillers that I tend to guess pretty early on what is going on but with this, the twists were so good! I thought I knew what was going on and then there were yet more twists that had me doubting myself.

I loved the multiple POV’s and the plot just had me hooked.

I stayed up way later than I should have to finish this. What a fantastic debut into psychological thriller!!

It’s another book that cements my belief that dogs are better than people.

Lots of dubious characters and mistrust. Gaslighting, paranoia, manipulation, coercion - all the best ingredients for a great domestic psychological thriller. For the longest time I had no idea who to believe - written so well. Twists until the last pages.

Quick synopsis: two couples meet on a luxury honeymoon in Bali (Erin and Jamie, Sophia and Mark). After a meal out on their last night something terrible happens to one couple. Sophia is a journalist determined to get her job back at a prestigious national newspaper, so when she gets a whiff of a story, she won’t stop pulling at that thread. Like a poorly knitted jumper, it all unravels.

Told predominantly from the points of view of Erin and Sophia. It was great to see how their interactions are seen from both sides. Is one hiding their guilt effectively? Does the other suspect. Really great storytelling.

Claustrophobic, almost panic-inducing in parts. Kate really knows how to build the tension to almost uncomfortable levels at times.

The Honeymoon is out tomorrow (July 20) and I’d recommend it to anyone!

Thank you NetGalley and Welbeck publishing for sending me this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

It was a dark and stormy night on Bali when a man, George, came across a couple about to have sex. They weren’t happy, and he ended up dead. The couple, Erin And Jamie, were on the last night of their honeymoon and had intended a little al fresco love making, when the man appeared. An altercation led to a struggle during which he fell down some slippery stone steps ending up at the foot of a cliff. Although at that point they didn’t know his name, they recognised him because earlier that evening Erin had accidentally spilled his drink, while at dinner with another honeymoon couple, Sophia and Mark. She and Jamie flew back to the UK the next morning, Erin consumed with guilt, Jamie considerably more nonchalant. Sophia and Mark flew back later that day, where she resumed her career as a journalist, albeit one who had been fired by a National for losing crucial evidence and was now working for the local rag. When they hear that George’s death is being treated as suspicious, Sophia senses a story that might get her her old job back. To start the investigation she contacts Erin and Jamie because they she knows they were out that night; as indeed was Mark. And then the secrets start to come out, because they all have secrets, including George.
This is a psychological thriller by definition, though it could be a bit more of each. It is told alternately from the point of view of the four main characters, and it is clear that they are all unreliable narrators; indeed the main structural device is that the reader is uncertain who is telling the truth, right up to the end (and possibly beyond). The unrolling of the plot is smoothly handled, so it is easy to not notice the mechanical flaws. The pace is a bit slow early on and then becomes rather scrambled at the end. It is, however, an entertaining tale, and untangling the relationships and the lies is a good brain workout.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Two couples on honeymoon in a luxurious location filled with secrets, lies, intrigue, and death...
A tantalising read with well developed characters