Oh holy god if Chloe was a real person I might throttle her… for the first two thirds of the book that is. The constant second guessing and not seeing what’s right in front of her got exasperating. It is a slow burn for sure but the pace ramps up for the last 1/4 of the listen and it got interesting and definitely got my attention. But then the big reveal was underwhelming and a little silly. It was an ok enough listen when you got into the nitty gritty.

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

"It's all about guilt...the poisonous emotion was the common denominator, a deadly catalyst..."

Dan Marsden woos and marries Chloe in a whirlwind courtship that lasts about 2 months. The first signs of trouble appear as the two are boarding their plane for the honeymoon. Chloe had dreamed of the Maldives but suddenly she learns that they are actually going to Menorca. What?? Turns out that this is not the first time Dan has taken her by surprise, and when they arrive at their destination, Chloe finds out that nothing is anything like what she had expected. Dan has just informed Chloe that they are not going back home to Brighton after all. NO SPOILERS.

I really enjoyed the fast pace and the writing in the first half of the book as tension built and I was trying to figure out what was actually going on. It was fun guessing about Dan's motives and getting annoyed with Chloe because she's got to be pretty stupid as she dithers about and makes the dumbest choices a woman could make. Since I couldn't relate to any of the characters and the whole crazy plot, I really had a hard time at the end as everything is revealed. Unbelievable to a degree that defies even my superpowers of suspension of disbelief when reading psychological fiction. Alas, I was disappointed with the explanations and the conclusion. The most interesting part of the novel was the description of the island as I had to go find it on a map. It definitely was a book that begs to be read in a single sitting.

I listened to the audiobook and was struck by the lack of differentiation between the various different characters voiced by the narrator. It lacked a dramatic flair and at times very monotone but she was OK.

I've read other books by this author, and I'll give her next one a try. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this audiobook to review.

This gripped me quite quickly, I listened to the audiobook version and was practically shouting back at the narrator trying to make Chloe see sense!
It definitely had my interest and I was desperate to see what happened next.
I think there was a lot going on at the end, which because almost slightly confusing but it didn't ruin my enjoyment.
I felt on edge at certain points of the story, which is what a good book is all about!
I thought the narrator was good and worked with the story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start this off with I absolutely LOVE the cover for this book. It's gorgeous.

Now, on to the actual book.
There were no likeable characters in this story.
Chloe had no personality and couldn't make a decision, and stick to it, to save her life.
Dan was creepy. And controlling. And odd. I didn't trust him from the second he appeared on page. And a lot of his actions went wayyyyy too far.
Chloe's grandma was awful. So were her siblings. She should've cut them all off years ago.
The bad guy was an odd choice. Their motivations were flimsy at best.
The overall plot was severely lacking. A lot of things were more convoluted than they should have been. And for a thriller, not much happened. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to get the book over with.

It's like the analogy, when you see a train wreck, you just can't look away even though you don't expect to see any good in it. This is exactly how I viewed the main character in this book. * shakes head * So many red flags, so many stupid decisions being made.

Chloe lives with her grandmother, "gran". Her gran treats her like crap and has no loving emotion towards her. Yet, due to mistakes made in her past, Chloe stays to help her gran as a caregiver. Chloe has a career job is as a physiotherapist. One day, while treating a patient, she meets Dan. They have a whirlwind romance and are married in like 2.5 months. (took me 8 years but who I am to judge)

Once married, red flags are flying everywhere. From the beginning, Dan is controlling and making decisions without consulting Chloe. Love is blind, I guess, because even though she KNOWS he is being shady, lying and has a ton of secrets, she makes excuses for him for everything.

I did have some sympathy for Chloe - her family despises her, she carries a lot of guilt, but she did seem to be a good person deep down. But, ultimately, her weakness overshadows it all and makes her a character you want to love but just can't. More like a character you want to shake some sense into!

Overall, it is a fast paced book. There is a lot of "as if" happening in here but I can overlook it, finished over the course of three days which is fairly fast for an audiobook for me. The narrator Rona Halsall has a great voice to listen to and I enjoyed her narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced audiobook to listen and review.

Chloe hasn't had much luck in love, so when the handsome Dan swoops in with maximum charm, she falls for the romance of it all. Two months into the relationship and they are walking down the Isle. Is it into wedded bliss, though? How well does she know her new husband...? As they are about to board the flight to their honeymoon, Chloe realises it is the wrong destination. A strong grip on her arm and some whispered words, see her boarding against her better judgement. It isn't the Honeymoon of her dreams. As she tries to qwell the growing unease, each day brings more undesirable surprises. What is Dan hiding? The past holds secrets and dangers and is creeping into their present lives. Will it be happy ever after? A twisty audiobook listen that has you questioning everyone. #thehoneymoon #ronahalsall #audiobook #netgalley

The Honeymoon is a thriller with many twists and turns. Some were predictable and some were not. Ronal Halsall did a great job of keeping you guessing on many of the plotlines and had a good grip on who her characters were. The story itself wasn't believable enough to keep you on the edge of your seat but it did create tension. While the book wasn't for me, it certainly will find an audience. The cover is gorgeous and her dialogue is well written.

Chloe falls head over heels in love with Dan - she has had multiple failed relationships in the past, but Dan seems to be the one!
As their relationship progresses she announces to her granny that they are getting married - her granny does warn her that the decision made seems to be a hasty one but Chloe doesn't pay any heed to it - she decides that she also deserves a chance to be happy and Dan is the answer to that!
With limited guests they get married and proceed to their honeymoon, Chloe's first shock comes when Dan says he has changed their destination without any discussion with her. She later realizes that he is being overprotective without giving any reasons and seems to be behaving unreasonably. When Dan says that they are never leaving the island they have reached Chloe decides it's time to escape from him - while she somehow manages to do that what waits for her back home turns out to be more shocking - how and why is Dan doing all this?
What is he trying to protect her from?

While the reason sounded far fetched (maybe because it was just inserted in between the story and not a lot of details are shared regarding the reason - but I loved the character of Chloe who knew to stand her ground and her survival instincts are so spot on!

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Rona Halsall for approving the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Apparently I’m in the minority once again… 😮

Although the premise sounded interesting, I found that the author just kept repeating the same things over and over. At multiple times, I actually stopped the audio to see if it somehow went back, but no. It was just repeated. Multiple times….
That being said, I feel like the book could’ve been MUCH shorter.

The book revolves around Chloe and Dan, the two main characters. They are BOTH hiding things.

They meet at Chloe’s job, and seem to fall head over heels, immediately.

Thus, they proceed to get married, quickly, and that’s when the CRAZY begins!

For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t just move on… ??? I mean seriously….What are we waiting for??

So, the characters, to me, were not likable at all. That’s fine.
But then when the plot just doesn’t seem to be making any sense…well, I give up.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me, as I did like the premise, but I did not like the portrayal…

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released this week. (6/14/24)

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall and narrated by Naomi Frederick.

I will limit my posting to Goodreads and NetGalley on this one…

I made it to the 62% mark, but couldn’t allow myself to finish. It’s a shame, because I’ve really enjoyed the other books I’ve read by this author.

I struggled with this book because I found it to be extraordinarily boring, with the most unlikeable and shallow characters. I mean, there are people with red flags and there are people with red flags that have been set on fire with 10 gallons of gasoline. This was the latter and I just couldn’t get past it. I’m sorry for this bad review, but it’s my honest opinion.

I really do appreciate the opportunity to review this in exchange for an ARC. Thank you to the author (who I really do typically enjoy), NetGalley, and Bookouture Audio.

Thank you @Netgalley for this audio ARC.
The Honeymoon focuses on Chloe & her very short romance with Dan before they get married only to quickly realize she knows almost nothing about him. I was entertained most of the time, but there were some plot holes & both Chloe & Dan made the worst decisions 90% of the time it seemed. It’s not a book I’d read multiple times, but even with any complaints I had, I enjoyed the ending very much. The narrator did a great job & it never felt monotonous.

Chloe and Dan have just gotten married and are setting off on their honeymoon when everything starts to change between them. Dam has changed the location of their trip with informing her. Then Chloe can't find her phone. Things get very strange and Chloe feels uneasy with her new husband. They did rush into things and she has secrets of her own that she's hiding. Whenever Chloe tries to ask Dan about things he brushes her concerns off and ends up not answering. Chloe needs to figure out what's going on but she's also concerned for her grandmother in england who she takes care of. She's been stripped of her resources and in a foreign country.

This book was completely infuriating. I enjoyed the overall plot but it's completely aggravating to me that people would still rather be polite than trust their instincts. It may be a British culture aspect that I am unfamiliar with. I still liked the story overall but there were far too many red flags for it to be believable that she would stick around.

The Honeymoon (audio)
3⭐️

At first this gave me Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris feels. Just-married-couple Dan and Chloe are off to their honeymoon when Chloe starts realizing Dan may not be the man she thought she married (ahem: this happens when you marry someone after knowing them less than a fiscal quarter). Chloe has her own secrets and forces herself to believe she is just being paranoid about her new husband.

Chloe’s POV in past and present. There’s also a mystery narrator randomly here and there. This was one of those domestic suspense books that wouldn’t exist if the couple would just communicate and be honest with each other. This may have rated a tiny bit higher for me if it was shorter. Some of the suspense-building leaned too much into repetitive information.

This a good read/listen if you enjoy Lifetime Movie-esque drama with twists the reader won’t be guessing. I enjoyed the first half, but it felt like there was too much going on and too much new information added as the story progressed. This will keep the reader from predicting the ending, but to me it just feels like separate stories when you hold off on important storylines.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio
for this audio ARC.

Audio Pub Date Jun 14 2024

Welcome to the Honeymoon from hell!

Overall, I found the character development to be well done and the emotions portrayed felt genuine. The author did a great job of keeping me guessing and I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected twists and turns in the plot. The themes of love, trust, and betrayal were explored in a thought-provoking way that kept me engaged until the very end.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspenseful and intriguing read. It may have had its slow moments, but the payoff was worth it in the end. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my free ARC audiobook copy. I absolutely enjoyed the narrator of this book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Three stars. Don’t get me Wrong, the last 30% of this book was 10 out of 10, However, I feel the beginning drag on quite a bit. Chloe really got on my nerves with how naive she was about the whole situation and how she constantly said about not knowing Her husband, even though she’d only known him two months. I believe the beginning bit could’ve been shortened quite a lot as there was probably some unnecessary details given that we didn’t actually need to the main storyline.

The ending was somewhat predictable, but it was still good nonetheless. I listen to this via audiobook and the narrator really added depth to the story. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this as much as I have if I Would have read it. I did enjoy the slight plot twist in it all And would probably read this author if it was an audiobook. I can’t comment on the writing style as such As I didn’t read the novel only listened to it. It took me a few days to complete as it was slightly longer than the average thriller book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audible arc! I really enjoyed this audio book. It was addictive from the beginning and had me guessing the whole time!
Chloe, a physical therapist meets Dan who is the son of one of her patients. It was love at first sight, and they get married a few months after meeting.
Things take a turn for the worse on the honeymoon, though. Dan jokingly says he would like them to stay there forever. You'll have to read to find out his reasons. :)

Publication date is June 14, 2o24.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really great audiobook that I got through in one day. What a creepy plot. I can’t imagine going on my honeymoon and finding my new husband has changed all the plans. And the getting there and being told I’m going to live there.
So many bizarre twists and turns, especially once you get past the halfway point.
So much I was not expecting. Kept me interested. Good writing and narration!

Chloe and Dan are newlyweds after only knowing each other for a couple of months. On honeymoon, they jet set to the Maldives, but wait, Dan has changed their plans and they’re now on the way to a very non honeymoon location.

Obviously, Chloe is upset that Dan has completely changed their booking without her knowledge nor input and so begins her journey into discovering if Dan is who she really thought he was.

He says he is just trying to protect her and keep her safe. Safe from what or whom? Her phone goes missing, her privacy no longer her own, and he insists that she go nowhere without him. What is her loving husband up to? He is not the same person from just days ago!

👀
My thoughts:

WOW! This was one INTENSE ride of a book! I felt like I was on top of a skyscraper, walking across a tightrope!

If I hadn’t had to work, I would have listened to this in one spell! It’s that GRIPPING! I just could NOT figure out what the heck was going on! Was the new husband crazy psycho or were his concerns legitimate? I could not understand why he just wouldn’t tell her WHAT the danger was! Grrrr! It was hella frustrating! But, I absolutely LOVED the ride!

Readers, if you like edge-of-your-seat suspense and authors like Lisa Jewel and BA Paris, you’re gonna like this one!! I promise🤞🏻

I requested this as the cover and title was appealing! The plot was interesting but a bit too long and I found myself guessing what will happen half way in, the narrator did a good job and overall it was ok but nothing outstanding but worth a listen to if you like easy thrillers. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the audio arc.

The Honeymoon was fast paced and addictive. I listened to it in a day. Girl meets boy, falls in love, and married in a blink. On the way to the honeymoon spot girl notices odd things... and the odd/ interesting continues thru to the end.