I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A slow-paced thriller with unlikeable characters. It had a few decent twists but didn’t grab my attention and lacked backstory.

Seventeen years after running away, Hannah arrives at the doorstep of an old friend - Rachel - who happens to be married to another old friend, Matt. She is quickly forced to extend her visit due to a snowstorm and people and feelings start to unravel and things get … scary and weird.

Wowow this book was WILD. It wasn’t quite what I expected given the title and description and the first half felt quite slow, but it picked up after that. This book leaves you questioning everything. Is Hannah hallucinating? Are things really happening, or is she spiraling in trying to deal with her past and present head on? Is Rachel a good friend? Can we trust anyone? Truth be told, I was confused at times with who was speaking and left with some questions but this book was a page turner by the end!

tw // stalking, sexual assault

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, &
Elena Wilkes for my ARC!

“You never really run away from anything, do you? Because you take your sad, sick self with you no matter how far you go”

Hannah decides to face her demons after 17 years and takes a trip to see her old friend, Rachel. Secrets, lies and forgotten memories all come to the surface in this “trust no one” thriller.

I enjoyed the way this book flitted between past and present and the way the author set the scene. The characters were well developed, especially Leach. I really could see the leery, disgusting, character and had a clear image of him in my head.

This book was filled with unlikeable characters, but unfortunately, that included the main character, Hannah, and I do better when I can really get behind someone and be on their side.

There was action from the start, but I felt the pace slowed quite a bit through the middle section, which left me a little disinterested.

I did keep turning those pages, though, and it was a quick and easy read.

Just a small side note: I’m not sure the title is altogether fitting as we don’t really find out too much about the marriage between Matt and Rachel. The story very much focuses on Hannah and Rachel’s past friendship and what happened to Hannah.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced copy.

The quintessential picture-perfect couple Rachel and matt, whose meticulously curated facade masks a tumultuous relationship teetering on the brink of collapse. Set against the backdrop of a snowstorm that traps them all together, the novel unravels a gripping tale of secrets, lies, and the unraveling of trust.

Rachel and Matt seem to have it all—impressive careers, a beautifully renovated home—but beneath the surface, their marriage is plagued by hidden truths and simmering resentments. The arrival of Hannah, Rachel's long-lost best friend, after seventeen years, serves as a catalyst for the unraveling of their carefully constructed world. As tensions escalate within the confines of their snowbound home, Hannah's presence ignites long-buried secrets and forces Rachel and Matt to confront the darkness lurking within their relationship.

As the narrative unfolds, the reader is drawn deeper into the web of deception woven by each character. Hannah, harboring her own secrets, becomes a catalyst for chaos, her sudden reappearance sparking a chain reaction of revelations and betrayals. The snowstorm outside mirrors the storm raging within, heightening the sense of claustrophobia and tension as the characters grapple with their demons.

The novel's strength lies in its exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their own interests. Each character is flawed and multifaceted, their motivations shrouded in ambiguity until the final, shocking reveal.

Ugh. I’m so sorry. I really wanted to love this, I really did. I found the two friends in likable which may be good for a book, but it wasn’t for me. I felt some confusion with the back and forth. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc.

I 100% recommend reading this book! It was so hard to put down. It's definitely a great read. It is well written, from the characters to the scenes. The Broken Marriage is full of drama, mystery, and lots of suspense. The book is takes you back in forth in the timeline but it's not hard to follow along. How far will you go to keep your friendships? What's real and what's not?
Trigger warnings ⚠️ SA, drugs, alcohol

I did get this ARC thanks to NetGalley, and Storm Publishing for my honest review

I havent read this author before and this was too slow for me and I unfortunately i struggled to finish it. just not for me I'm afraid

This is a slow burn thriller which was a little off the pace for me however i really appreciated the build up and found it really well written with several twists that caught me off guard. I was hoping there was more in the story about Rachel and Matt especially given the title of the book. I would give this 3.5 stars and look forward to the authors next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this copy for my honest review.

Trigger warning: rape

A slower paced thriller, which wasn’t one of my favourites. I didn’t like the theme of the book, thought it would be about something different from the title. I felt the ending was a little rushed.

I found this just a good read but it's not going to be one of my favourites, it's a little slow for me I'm afraid.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the author was quite good at keeping the reader wondering what was going on and who was telling the truth. On the other hand, the plot was confusing at times as it went back and forth from the present to the past. I think more backstory, both past and present, on the characters would have helped the book be better than three stars. The ending was creepy and certainly left the door open to part two with Rachel, Hannah, and Alison.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

I think the past excerpts should have been there own chapters & listed as the past. It would have flowed better & been less confusing to the reader. I was bored most of the time reading this. *sigh*

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, & the author for this ARC.
#TheBrokenMarriage #NetGalley

A lot of twists and turns plus an ending that I wasn’t expecting. This is the first book that I have ready by this author; Really good read

College is a time where you have loads of fun and meet amazing new people.
Rachel and Hannah are the kind of best friends who hold a terrible secret, the kind that makes Hannah run away from her life, and Rachel with unanswered questions.
17 years later Hannah returns to face her truths so she can begin to heal from her trauma and she can stop running.
This book was a decent thriller, yet was confusing at times with the time lapse. I’m not sure I enjoyed the short and sudden ending.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Broken Marriage by Elena Wilkes is a crime novel where Hannah reconnects with two of her college friends, Matt and Rachel, and sees the cracks in their marriage. Meanwhile, Hannah is trying to deal with trauma from her own past.

What I liked was how Hannah tries to take back control of her life when she learns that the man who sexually assaulted her is going to be released from prison soon. She goes to the prison and confronts him and tells friends her story.

Rachel is flighty and doesn’t seem to truly care about others while Matt is trying to hold everything together while being attracted to Hannah and realizing his marriage is over. Whether or not Hannah had returned to their lives, I don’t think that the marriage would have lasted much longer based on Matt and Rachel’s actions and personalities.

I would recommend this to fans of crime novels that have a lot of flashbacks and readers looking for explorations on why marriages fall apart.

This book was very complicated.
Hannah turns up on Rachel and Matts doorstep after 17 years apart. The story jumps to present and past, but it’s not often clear.
The ending twist I didn’t see coming.
Thankyou NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This did not hit the mark for me. First, the title did not really describe the book for me.
Second, it was kinda all over the place & hard to follow. I guess it was kinda twisty at the end, but I was over it by then. I’m sure this will be it someone one. It just wasn’t it for me, at all.

I want to thank Elena Wilkes and NetGalley for an ARC copy of The Broken Marriage. This is my honest, unbiased review. I love a good slow-burn thriller, and this one is no different. I found the build-up, foreshadowing, and setup to be well-executed, with several twists and revelations that caught me by surprise. The only thing I'll say was that I wished I could connect with the characters a bit more. I wished there was a bit more time spent on Matt and Rachel's marriage, which I felt was lacking, considering the title of the book. I believe a little more focus on that aspect would have helped me connect better or relate better. All in all, I'll give this book a 4/5 and look forward to reading more from this author.

⭐⭐⭐
The Broken Marriage by Elena Wilkes is a complicated thriller about many things. In some way, this book is all over the place. Seriously, I can't even summarise it as it's about everything! I was struggling to keep up with what was happening. And jumping back and forth in time was so confusing that I couldn't get what time we were in... I agree that the ending is unexpected but I did have my suspicions.
I definitely feel that the name of the book doesn't suit the book! At the same time, I don't have any suggestions.
I struggled to capture one storyline, it felt like I was reading multiple books at the same time.

This story is about Hannah, Rachel, and Matt who are strange now but 17 years ago they all were best friends. Now Hannah is back and is staying in Rachels and Matt's place. There are many secrets to unpack and relationships between all of them will become will become complicated.

Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this copy! I definitely recommend it as it was twisty and unpredictable.

This was a miss for me. I was really excited when I got approved for the ARC but I struggled to follow the storyline. I love a domestic thriller and the title led me to believe it would be such, but it really wasn’t about the marriage as much as it was about two manipulative women who consistently lie to one another. I didn’t find any character particularly likable, nor did I find myself hooked into the story.

The end was a twist that I wasn’t expecting which gives it the 2 stars, but because that was the only part I enjoyed, I unfortunately cannot give it any more than that.