Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“You didn’t get your happily ever after, and neither will they…”

I devoured this psychological thriller!! Who is Rebecca? Who killed Maddy? Is Benji the perfect husband? Does Gwyn have it out for Maddy?
Never Trust the Husband is filled with jealousy, betrayal, secrets, and revenge. The pacing is perfect and the twists just kept coming!! The ending…🤯🤯🤯 You will just have to read to find out!

4.5 stars / 5 stars

Love, marriage, friendship, betrayal, jealousy, Never Trust the Husband has all of it and more. Following Rebecca as she seeks to avenge the murder of Madeline, while simultaneously trying to figure out her connection to all of the characters was a wild ride. I did have one twist pegged, but it still made my jaw drop at the reveal. From that point on, I couldn’t put the book down as I followed the twisty ride. There was even a little teary eyed moment toward the end when I was wishing things could have been different…this one gets two thumbs up from me.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Confession: I went rogue at my book club when I didn’t finish the assigned book because I couldn’t put down this twisty turny read! I was pulled in from chapter one. I truly enjoyed the alternating short chapters as they helped me feel close to both timelines, and the momentum never slowed! It left me guessing until the very end (and what an ending—no spoilers.)

This book had me hooked from the first chapter when newly married Maddy is pushed off a cliff while camping with her closest friends and new husband. The narrator has changed her appearance with surgery, contacts, hairstyle and even altered her voice and 3 years later is getting close to Maddy’s best friend and her husband who are now engaged. Mandy had a huge trust fund and was envied by many for having “it all” so who wanted her dead and who is the narrator? I had such a hard time putting this down and foresee more Jessica Payne books in my future!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC! #NeverTrustTheHusband. #NetGalley

What kind of best friend gets engaged to your husband after your death?! meet Gywnn, best friend of Madeleine, who was pushed from a cliff on her honeymoon. She is now engaged to Benjamin, Madeleine’s husband of just a few days.

Tell me that doesn’t make you want to hear more?, I love Jessica Payne books and always jump at the chance to read them. Once again we have a wild and crazy story that ai read in an evening. Plenty of shocks, plot twists and omg moments let me tell you that. A must read if you love a good thriller.

Thanks so much to Bookouture and Thriller Book Promotions for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on March 5th.

Okay let’s talk about the obvious… THAT title!! 👏👏 I mean come on thriller lovers… we know it is ALWAYS the husband! 🤷‍♀️ OMG this book got me steaming 😠…mad!! What kind of BFF 👯‍♀️ gets engaged to your husband… when you die?!!! 😠🤬🤯 UGH Gwen.. how could you??

Thankfully our girl Rebecca is bound and determined to make these two pay! I mean it was obvious that Gwen was super jealous of Madeline…🤷‍♀️…but enough to kill her? 🤔… Benji… oh Benji boy.. what about him? I had soo many questions… 😂😳… The perfect hubby?? I think not! 😬… Or was he?? I totally binged this book as I HAD to know!! I LOVE a good bit of revenge..😉.. well in my books of course..😂🙄

Once again @jessicapayne.writer delivered a fast paced, twisted thriller that ended with…. A total WTF 😳🤯moment!! YES!! 👏👏👏 That ending!! 😍🤯

❤️❤️❤️ I absolutely love all of @jessicapayne.writer ‘s books!

This was a great book. I had so much fun in trying to figure out who was responsible for Madeline's murder and who was scheming against who and why.

This was, for me, a different version of the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. Here it was more the case of keeping you did not trust closer so you had a lot of opportunities to keep an eye on them without them finding out.

The more the story evolves, the more I started to see who was lying and who the people were you could trust. But sometimes you are shocked to find out that some of them are real good actors and you should have been less gullible. 

Is there still time to turn the tables or will you regret your decision to confide in them for ever? 

A wonderful story where I started to see on which road the author was taking me, but she managed to surprise me with a perfect twist. 5 stars

Thank you

Jessica Payne knows how to write a gripping thriller filled with fantastic twists, with the best twist coming at the very end of the book! Didn't see it coming at all!

Madeline, who thought she would never want to get married, reluctantly falls in love Benjamin, and after a whirlwind romance, they do get married. On her honeymoon, she is pushed from a cliff and is presumed dead, although her body was never found. It doesn't take long after Madeline is out of the picture before Benjamin starts dating Madeline's best friend, Gwyn who was always jealous of Madeline. The couple have Madeline declared deceased after only three years and they move forward with wedding plans.

The story moves along at a fast pace. It is told in alternating voices from the past and the present. First there is Madeline, who describes the development of her relationship with Benjamin up until the day she was pushed over the cliff. Then there is Rebecca, who knew Madeline and Benjamin, and strongly suspects that Gwyn and Benjamin had something to do with Madeline's death. Rebecca has gone to great lengths to change her appearance in order to insert herself back into Gwyn's life. She is trying to prove that she and Benjamin are guilty of murdering Madeline and she is out for revenge.

I enjoyed Jessica Payne's style of writing. The story never lagged and I devoured the book, always wanting to know what would happen next. The end was very exciting. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Payne's other books. This was my first and I'm happy that I have more to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review:

Three years ago, millionaire Maddy goes missing two days after her wedding. Elena turned Rebecca considers the people who could have murdered her sister and plans how to kill them in revenge. The plot follows the current trend of going back and forth between now and then.

"Characters don't necessarily show you who they really are. Their depicted the way the author wants you to see them." It's written in such a way for the reader not to like the characters who were supposed to be Maddy's closest friends.

As the title states, NEVER TRUTH THE HUSBAND. Immediately, Benjamin, as well as Maddy's best friend who is now engaged to him, both come across as too guilty. But they almost need to be ruled out immediately because its just too obvious so no it can't be either or both of them.

Coincidentally, one of my close friend's sons' names are Benjamin and Aaron.

I enjoyed the last 25% of the book the most.

I rate this book a 3.5. As an avid reader, the plot felt similar to so many other books I've read. I had some trouble believing this couple would go backpack camping for their honeymoon and include their friends.

DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPOILERS:
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I did suspect the ex as soon as she was introduced but I never suspected that Elena could be Benjamin's ex. I was also very suspicious of Kip. Elena seemed like she could be an unreliable narrator with issues.

I loved the writing style, 1st person pov. I tried guessing who the villain might be but I got none right !! That was a twisty read !! And I so love how it ended for that character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This is an easy to read, fast paced psychological thriller. It's told from dual POVs to try and find out what happened to Maddie on her honeymoon hike after wedding the perfect husband Benji.

The story was easy to follow and had me racing to find out what happened. Whilst I guessed most of the twists it was still an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

I enjoyed reading this book, i got through this quickly as I couldn’t put it down.. I couldn’t wait to see what happens as it was very intense throughout. The characters were good, the story itself was full of suspenseful twists and turns and the style of writing was perfect.
I have read many books by this author and have enjoyed them all.: looking forward to the next book to come out.
I would highly recommend this book and this author to anyone who likes reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book was really great! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. It kept me interested and I definitely was surprised by what happened. I do wish that there was one more POV. We get the book in two perspectives from two different periods, Maddy and Rebecca. Who pushed Maddy off the cliff and who’s Rebecca? The fact that there was so much betrayal and secrets had me so hooked that I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened. I had the suspicion of what the motive was from the beginning. First book by her and I definitely want to read other books by her. 4.7/5 but rounded up here on GR.

Immersing oneself in the pages of "Never Trust the Husband" is akin to embarking on an enthralling journey through an amazing, chilling, and deliciously psychological domestic thriller. The narrative offers a captivating cat-and-mouse dynamic, where discerning the roles of predator and prey remains a thrilling challenge throughout. The incorporation of dual timelines, intricate past and present friendships, and a revenge-fueled plot brings the story to the next level.

The author's skillful writing and well-executed twists contribute to the allure of this mystery. For enthusiasts of suspenseful mysteries and intricate plot unraveling, "Never Trust the Husband" is The Must Read It of 2024! The narrative adeptly builds suspense in each chapter, creating a palpable sense of anticipation that culminates in an unforeseen twist. This person here, me, that is, a self-proclaimed someone who is well-versed in mystery literature, was pleasantly surprised by the author's ability to deceive, offering a refreshing and unexpected plot development.

Avoiding spoilers to preserve the intrigue, this book beckons readers to unravel its myriad twists, turns, red herrings, and the ultimate mystery. Allllllll the characters, some likable and others not, make this one an exceptionally entertaining reading experience. This one here is a meticulously crafted psychological thriller that deftly weaves suspense, mystery, and intricate character dynamics into a narrative that is both engaging and unpredictable.

I'm one of those people who hates the scenes in movies when someone is doing something sneaky, knowing they could get caught at any second. I literally start breaking out from the anxiety lol. (I would not make a very good spy) So, the fact that a lot of this story involved people sneaking around and following others, etc, had my heart firmly in my throat throughout. And because of that, I found myself unable to put this one down as I needed to find out what happened next. It was such a fun, twisty read, and although I did figure out who the killer was, it didn't take away anything from the story.
This was such a great read. This was my first from this author, but it certainly won't be my last.

Thank you @jessicapayne.writer @thrillerbookloverspromotions @bookouture for the chance to read this in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture, and Jessica Payne for an advance copy of Never Trust the Husband in exchange for an honest review. This is my third book by this author and as always- she kills it (no pun intended). I found myself immediately engrossed in Maddys story which was told from two different timelines. It was fun to try to unravel the case as we learned new information & old information from the case side to side. As always, Payne had me turning the pages as fast as I could to figure out what the heck was going on. I did guess one of the twists close to the end but the final twist had me very satisfied. You need to pick this one up on March 5th, 2024! 4.5 stars- rounded up to 5 for GR!

This is my second book by Jessica Payne (highly recommended The Gold Doctor) and I think this might be a new favorite for me. Her books take place in the PNW (I live in Portland, OR) so I am always happy to read about the area. We get dual POV’s from Rebecca and past Madeline - so now we have two mysteries, who is Rebecca and who killed Madeline. The short chapters made it an easy read and I wanted to know the ending. I switched between who I thought was the killer many times, which made me miss the clues for who the killer was. I realized it about 75% into the book. A lot of the characters were unreliable and flawed which kept me intrigued. The book had so much jealousy, betrayal and secrets that the twists blew my mind at the end.

So incredibly gripping. Madeline is a trust fund girl who meets the man of her dreams.. But why did someone push her off a cliff on her honeymoon? Could she trust the people around her? Her new husband, who seemed to be hiding something? Her jealous best friend? Rebecca, now disguised as someone not in Madeline's life, goes back to Seattle to try and put together the pieces of what happened.

I loved the dual narrators of Maddy and Rebecca. I had so many thoughts about who Rebecca may have been. So many twists that I didn't see coming. The ending was satisfying, but not wrapped up in a bow that it felt too figured out at the end. All of my questions were answered by the end. I tore through this. It reminded me a lot of the Frieda McFadden books I love so much!

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Never Trust the Husband by Jessica Payne

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Bookouture publishing and author, Jessica Payne for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

I'm so glad that I finished this last night because I can now let out the breath that I've been holding for the last couple of days!!!

WOW Jessica Payne, you've knocked this one right out of the ballpark.

TRUST me 😊 when I tell you, this story will keep you guessing right up until the very last page.

Suspenseful, climactic, gripping; these are just a few of the words which immediately spring to mind now that I've closed out on the final chapter.

If you are a lover of psychological thrillers, you will adore this, and if you're not a fan, you'll still want to read this because, at its simplest level, this is such a well plotted novel. And let's face it, a strong compelling plot is essential to any story. Anyone can write down a chronological sequence of events, but it's just that - a list. What makes a plot well-polished is the ability to connect this sequence of events by good storytelling.

Setting plot aside for the moment, for this reader there are three other basic elements to a good story. Characters, Conflict and Resolution. Characters: Introduce us to characters with depth. Reveal emotion and explain the context. Above all, characters need to be real. Conflict: Illustrate how characters grow and transform through challenge. Take the time to let us know what they're going through and changes in perspective and understanding. Resolution: How did they change? We don't necessarily need a HEA but we do need to connect with them so we can process the necessary context.

It's a big tick from me for:
✅ Plot
✅ Characters
✅ Conflict
✅ Resolution

Payne 'sets the scene' in the first chapter and from then on, we move at a frenetic pace. Written in a dual narrative form with a dual timeline the story gradually unfolds, and each chapter will leave you wondering what is going to happen next. With fewer characters, Payne can devote more time to adding layers of secrets and mystique to each. Each revelation only seems to add another layer of 'what if' to the story, making it that much more compelling.

The expected publication date for Never Trust the Husband is March 5, 2024. Mark your diaries!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this thriller.

I must say this book really kept me on my toes. Just when you think you have a piece of it figured it out it throws a curveball. This is a must read for thriller readers. It's one of those novels you won't want to put down. At first you're confused as to whose perspective you are reading from, but you get used to it.

Definitely a book I'm already recommending to friends.

I think there's nothing scandalous in the novel to prevent young adult readers from reading it.