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

A chance conversation between two new brides on their honeymoon leads them to having dinner together with the new husbands. When Erin accidentally knocks a man’s drink and he gets annoyed, the evening is spoiled, with everyone going their separate ways, with a storm brewing. Later, when the man is found dead, the honeymoon period is well and truly over as secrets and trust issues come to the forefront.
This is a brilliant book. I cannot believe it is Kate Gray’s first book in this genre. I read it in a day, unable to put it down. All of the characters are engaging, and I felt their fear alongside them, due to how well the book is written. When Sophia starts to have suspicions about George’s death, we find out more and more about each character, and also find difficulty in knowing who to trust.
A definite 5 stars, I only wish I could give it more!

Just wow! What a brilliant debut thriller. I loved every minute of it, so many great twists. I couldn’t put it down, so absorbing and addictive.
I loved all the characters, they are so well written, you just don’t know who to trust. I really enjoyed the different POV’s and the short chapters, it adds so much more to the suspense of the story, with a fast pace and great storyline it had me gripped from start to finish. Just brilliant.
A thoroughly enjoyable captivating read, í definitely recommend this one.
I look forward to reading more thrillers by this author @KateGray
Thanks to #NetGallery @welbeckpublishinguk for an eARC of #TheHoneymoon in exchange for an honest review.
Book publishes on 20 July 2023

The hHoneymoon covers the events that happen on the trip and then how it unfolds as they return. The book moves between different characters narrative which is OK but I did find it hard to connect with any of them. Some twists, although I did not find the final chapter particular shocking.

The book burb sets the scene so well and its intriguing . The story unfolds gradually told mainly by the two women . The pacing is good and the slow reveal with lots of red herrings and twists and turns had me gripped. The very subtle hints about severalmale characters put me at ease as i felt every character secret wouldbe told in the right way of that character. Everything that happened was plausible.
A trully gripping first novel. Im glad tge author has entered this genre using their own name. I look forward to the next one. A good solid 5 star hold on gir the ride highly recommended.
Thank you net gallery and the publisher for my arc

3 stars

A story of two couples who meet in Bali on the last day of their honeymoons and go out for dinner.

One couple, Sophia and Mark, are living in London confident, well off but with a paranoia about their safety. The other, Erin and Jamie, live in a secluded renovation project; Jamie is as outgoing as Erin is insecure.

On that night someone dies in suspicious circumstances, but that almost plays out as a subplot when the couples are back in the UK it becomes clear that they all have secrets.

The book is told from multiple perspectives, which I love, and at first it seems quite a cut and dry thriller, but as things go on which narrators can we trust?

I enjoyed this book, but found some of the situations were a bit too forced, the whole reason for the original accident seems an over reaction and I struggled to get that out of my mind. There were a lot of twists and to be honest I'm still not 100% sure what was real and what wasn't. The book seemed slow at times and then the last quarter was jam packed.

This was a debut novel from Kate Gray and I'm really looking forward to reading more.

Two honeymoon couples meet in Bali though they all have secrets and on returning home they find out a man had been murdered.
There are lots of twists to keep you guessing and you don`t know who is telling the truth.
A bit of a slow burner and I couldn`t gel with any of the characters.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

On the last day of their idyllic honeymoon in Bali, 2 couples meet for dinner. Over cocktails and a delicious meal they bond with each other. But by the end of the night someone dies and the lives of the newlyweds unravel from here on in. What seemed like perfect lives for the 4, soon becomes a tale of secrets and lies.
I was so engrossed in this book, I couldn't put it down, wanting to read just a little bit more. I found it very fast paced. Some of the characters weren't particularly likeable but that added to the story. A great read, perfect for a holiday.

I found this to be a really confusing book, trying to work out what was going on. The storyline seemed to go round and round in circles, making you doubt what you’d just read and whether it was the truth or not. The saving grace was the characters, you could get into them which then didn’t help with the going round in circles storyline!

This book was addictive and I absolutely devoured it. What a brilliant debut thriller, I’ll definitely be watching for future books from Kate Gray! The writing was brilliant and twisty and the characters were well written, I genuinely couldn’t get enough. I loved how it flicked between characters to give you different perspectives and how at times you weren’t sure who you could trust! A great story!

While thrillers aren't my favourite genre I do enjoy picking them up from time to time. This book was decent and had lots of twist and turns but I just didn’t connect with the storyline or characters. From reading the blurb I expected more to happen in Bali, however the majority of the story takes place back in England which was a bit disappointing for me, I would have loved if more happened whilst they were in paradise.

We start off at a slower pace but things do pick up as more connections are made and more revelations come to light. As the story progresses the author does a good job of keeping you guessing as there are lots of twists (perhaps too many 🤷🏻‍♀️).

For bigger fans of thrillers this would be a great read.

A fantastic read from a talented author. Plenty of twists and turns and intriguing characters. Who is lying? 5 stars from me!

When two women meet while both on their honeymoon, they assume it will be just a holiday friendship and nothing more, but on the last night something happens that leaves a man dead and all both couples have secrets to keep.

This is a psychological thriller that starts as a fairly slow burn but then has so many twists it’s hard to keep up. Who is lying?

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of The Honeymoon. It soon became obvious that there was more to the plot than originally met the eye but heavens it took a long time to get going. I was 52% into the book before my interest was really piqued. Up until that point I was considering giving up which I hate to do and it was kind of okay but I am so gald I kept going.
The story was chilling and full of intrigue and suspense which spiralled to the unexpected ending, which to a degree still kept me guessing. So overall, yes I would recommend this book but be prepared for the slow burn.

Two couples on honeymoon on an exotic island……..one dead body. Was it a tragic accident or murder?
This was such a gripping story and I was drawn in straight away and could barely put the book down.I loved reading about the two couple post honeymoon and getting immersed in their lives. It was all about secrets and lies, cover ups, twists and turns but whose lies? Whose secrets? It was a very pacy dark read and very chilling at times and who do you believe? I did get a little mixed up at the end with all the confessions and what actually happened and had to reread it but still not sure! A very addictive compelling read.
Many thanks to net for giving me the chance to read this book.