After Annie locks eyes with a Mark on the commuter train into London she soon finds herself in the midst of a whirlwind romance and before you know it they’re getting married and starting their ‘happily ever after’. That is until there’s a stranger no one seems to know and her wedding and suddenly things are starting to get complicated.

This was a well-paced, easy read thriller with interesting characters that all feel real and distinct,and well developed relationships.

I don’t think I’ve ever labeled a thriller as an ‘easy read’ but genuinely this was the perfect read for a lazy afternoon. It started off slower (which isn’t a bad thing we get to know everyone and the scene is being carefully set) before things start ramping up with mysteries crawling out from the bookwork. I couldn’t put this down and devoured the whole thing in one sitting.

I enjoyed the references to mythology, they tied in beautifully with the story itself and they added some really interesting pacing dynamics.

I’ve seen a few people mentioning the split timelines and POVs - personally I didn’t find it difficult to keep track of things as when there were split POVs the characters all had very distinct voices.

I did see the twist coming, but as I often say - twists need to be believable and I’ll only buy into them if there’s been some groundwork set. Gauntlet set the groundwork for the final twist early on so it was a really satisfying reveal watching everything click together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

A unique, dark thriller that is intelligently written. A meticulous plot built around obsesion and a narrative that burns towards an exhilarating climactic reveal.

Fabulous world building and authentic characters most of them unlikeable except for sweet Nora.

What's not to love?

An unhinged read & not in a good way. Annie & Mark have both been unlucky in life & love & have found each other. The journey is far from smooth & if I’m honest pretty ridiculous.

Between people just disappearing & nobody looking into it & Annie’s so called darkness it was just laughable. I couldn’t wait for it to end. The twist was a bit of a shock alright but I expected a much better outcome from it. The end was far too abrupt. Don’t read it. It’s not worth it.

This story starts with Annie & Mark as they get married. However at their wedding Annie notices a stranger she doesn’t know. She questions her now husband Mark and he doesn’t know him either.
As the ‘happy’ couple go on to their honeymoon the story splits into how they met and their past stories and we find out who the stranger really is.

This book was a slow burner but as you get into it more and more happens and it speeds up.
I had no clue where the story was going to go. I thought I was heading in one direction with it and then something changes! I was quite shocked by the ending!

I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and Raven Books for the advanced reading copy.

A slow burn tale of obsession with plenty of misdirection.

This is a good read, but beware those that enjoy instant gratification. You have to work for this one.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy of The Stranger at the Wedding a slow burning, rather chilling story of addictive love. I found the narrative style quite difficult at times, changes in timeline, and narrators or even both.
Overall though I found this to be a most usual tale which eventually drew me in and let me shocked at the very end.

A slowly unravelling story about obsessive love and how what's done in the dark will eventually come to light; perfect to begin curled up with on the sofa, then having to sit up as you get pulled into the lives of Annie and Mark. Both are dynamic characters, so the storylines are easy to get immersed in, with lots of tension and a twist that matches well with the story. The writing style was great and flowed nicely so as not to overwhelm you with details. Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I don't know what I expected when I first started reading but it was not this! Annie is marrying Mark, two years on from his first wife disappearing without trace.
On their wedding day Annie notes a stranger watching her curiously and as the day progresses he engages in chat with her mum. It transpires that he is investigating Hope's disappearance at request of Mark's dad.
A book filled with mystery, intrigue and Greek mythology interspersed, very unique.

This is a fabulous debut.
It might appear slow to begin with, however it has complex layers and characters.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who likes a clever thriller. The ending is amazing!

What a strange story. Everything seems to be falling into place with Annie and Mark’s relationship, despite the usual ups and downs of married life. Annie snared Mark and eventually captured her love, but underneath the surface lies an evil and twisted woman taking whatever she desires. Annie is indeed a nasty character, but in the early stages of this novel you would never guess what’s in store.

When Annie’s plot is eventually brought to life in the book, the end is easy. No more surprises, as Annie gets her just desserts. To begin with I thought I was reading a romance, but ended up as a thriller.

Not my usual genre, but it was compulsive reading nevertheless.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

A strange read with many layers.

I loved the twists and turns this book took me on and I enjoyed the reveals as the book went on. However I found it a difficult read. For a short book it felt quite long and I'm not sure why.

It's quite a slow burn at the start and then a lot happens quite quickly. However I found it hard to keep up with the flipping between time zones without it being clear when the story was referring to what part. Told from Annie's POV primarily with other POVs dotted throughout, it was sometimes hard to know who was storytelling and in what timeframe. In one part, one character flips to the past, then even further back, then back to the first past and then to the present again.

Overall a good book to read but I wasn't wowed by it.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC

Annie fell in love at first sight with Mark. Six months later they are married.
Mark had been married before for 8yr then his wife disappeared so he does not want this one to go wrong.
A bit of a slow burner told from both POV but who do you believe.
A fantastic twist at the end.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.
Posted to Goodreads

A dark tale of obsessive love. Multi layered, a story that dips in and out of timelines, though the two main characters Annie and Mark are dislikeable. A satisfactory read but a difficult read.

4* A tale of obsessive love

This addictive thriller opens at Annie and Mark's wedding. There's a mystery regarding what happened to Mark's first wife and a detective investigating the disappearance arrives at the wedding reception - he's an uninvited guest and the stranger in the book title. Before being asked to leave he talks to Mark, whatever was said had a serious impact resulting in Mark becoming withdrawn and distant.

I found the beginning slow, but once Annie and Mark's pasts begin to be revealed, I became hooked. Not a book suitable for merely a few minutes of reading. This needs plenty of time to fully absorb the complexities of the plot and attention is definitely required due to several timelines. Even with the author giving clues and hints I was surprised by the ending.

eARC generously supplied by Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed this complex story - particularly at the start, and less so towards the end. I thought the writing was excellent but I did get confused with the timelines which often seemed to change suddenly within chapters. I liked the mythology references and all the mysterious twists and turns that really kept my attention throughout. The ending was rather a shock and left me feeling frustrated and with lots of unanswered questions, but I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Annie and Mark are getting married. Both have a past, particularly Mark, leading to a detective being hired to investigate the disappearance of Marks first wife.

The detective’’s gatecrashing of the wedding leads to a chain of events that culminates in the solving of the mystery.

Overall, a twisty mystery thriller which leads you to places you don’t expect.

I normally love different timelines a that can bring so much to the current story being read but I found this very muddling here. From the start I could not really work out what the mystery was and what was going on after the wedding between mark and Anne. Some chapters appeared to be confsing as it was hard to see who it was about before it changed again. However about 50% of the way through I just wanted to continue to find out what was going on and what was really happening..The plot was excellent but I just felt that it was a plod at the start but I can honestly say that it was well worth the read.
I found the mythological references wonderful and added so much to the story as it unfolded as they were not only interesting but entwind into the story plot. Despite clues being given I did not work out what had happened and was happening still.
A great read and I encourage anyone who likes psychological thrillers and/or mythological stories topreervere and they will love this story.

This was a very addictive thriller which once I started I could not put down. I loved the writing style it was told from different timelines which I think definitely helped build the suspense. It was a very tense read at time that I found it hard to put down I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who loves a gripping thriller. Fantastic read. Thanks to the publisher and netgallery for my advanced copy.

This is an intelligent novel that I found to be more literary than the psychological fiction I gravitate towards, as such I found it a harder read, but as is often the case with novels of this ilk, it is worth persevering with!

Mythology is featured in. this book, which I hadn't expected and as such it encouraged a deeper thinking - likely this would be a good book group read.

The couple featured in this book are Annie and Mark, a couple who have individuality suffered tragedy, Annie is besotted, so far so good, until the mysterious stranger arrives at the wedding, without giving spoilers I will just say questions are raised surrounding `Marks past..... Ewell worth reading to discover more!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This is very much a book of two halves. Annie and Mark are getting married. All is going well until the day of their wedding when a strange man turns up. Annie takes an instant dislike to him and gets him thrown out but not before he speaks to Mark.. Whatever he says it puts Mark off their honeymoon and this is pretty miserable for the most part. As is usual with books of this sort we are gently misguided and the revelation late in the book came as a real surprise to me (well, a sort of surprise because there were clues there).

What I liked about this book: it was well plotted with a denouement that was interesting and for the most part, unexpected.

What I didn't like: I didn't like the characters. Annie comes across as obsessive, Mark as cold and unfeeling. I didn't buy into their chemistry. I also found the style a bit plodding and distant and the use of imagery a bit odd at times. A 'menagerie of jewellery' anyone?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.