The Wedding Vow by Dandy Smith is a gripping and intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story revolves around Verity and Linden Lockwood, a seemingly perfect couple who vowed to stay together for better or worse. Five years into their marriage, they've managed to maintain an image of the golden couple. However, everything changes when Linden is brutally murdered in their picture-perfect home.

Verity is devastated, but her heartbreak deepens when she uncovers that Linden has been hiding a dark secret – an affair. Determined to discover the identity of the other woman, Verity embarks on a journey into her husband's hidden life, only to find that everyone in her circle could be a suspect – her neighbour, best friend, assistant, and even her cousin. As she digs deeper, the shocking truths about Linden's life unfold, and Verity begins to realise that she never truly knew the man she married. With each revelation, the story becomes more twisted, and Verity soon learns that the truth might be more dangerous than she ever imagined.

The book alternates between different perspectives, primarily Verity’s and that of the mysterious other woman, creating a thrilling sense of suspense. The central mystery of who the other woman is kept me hooked throughout, with Smith cleverly throwing in twists and red herrings that make it difficult to guess the outcome.

With jaw-dropping moments and a mind-blowing ending, The Wedding Vow is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. It’s a fast-paced, addictive book. The layers of deception, betrayal, and shocking revelations will make this a hit with thriller lovers everywhere. If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing, this one is for you!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Embla Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was so brilliantly written, it was a great twisty psychological thriller and just when you thought the twist was revealed another one would pop up. I absolutely loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Verity and Linden were living the perfect happily married life, beautiful home, great job and living a wealthy lifestyle. Five years ago they vowed to love each other until death do they part...little did they know those vows would come true. Linden is found murdered in their home while Verity is away for the weekend. While Verity tries to figure out what happened to her loving husband she discovers that he has another woman in his life and the man she thought she knew was all a lie. Stay tuned for the most twisty psychological thriller of 2025.....this will be a hard one to beat....Enjoy!!!

Wow. Talk about that unexpected ending. Shocker. This took me a bit to get in the first like 40%. I felt like I was spinning in a circle but once I got past that point, it really got hard to put down. There are a lot of characters and two different POV‘s/timelines but I did really enjoy the book. There are two stories going on in each pov. A murder/mystery and a love story in the other pov. The murder/mystery part of it was predictable but the twist had my mouth wide open! Definitely is a great pool side read or summer fast paced weekend book. This book reminds me a lot of Geneva Rose’s perfect marriage book.
#theweddingvow #murder #mystery #twopov #dualtimelines #arcreview #bookreview #netgalley #dandysmithauthor #dandysmith #aunties.book.club

special thank you to @netgalley and @dandysmithauthor for allowing me this arc opportunity!

I have now read all Dandy Smith’s books, and this latest book did not disappoint.

Verity and Linden Wood are a married couple who are madly in love and have made vows to always remain together. Verity is the owner of a very successful business, Verity Rose, and after many years of building the business, she has now surpassed Linden as the major bread winner in the family. Linden sees himself as a successful writer, he is charming, charismatic and people are drawn to him. He comes from a wealthy family but there are tensions between himself and his other family members.

Then Linden is murdered, and Verity is devastated but as time goes on, she soon finds out there was far more to her husband than she was aware of, and she becomes aware of his affair.

The book moves between different POV’s. Verity and the other woman in question and the major mystery throughout the book is who the other woman is, and I struggled to work this out is which set the scene for a very entertaining book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoy a good murder mystery and this one did not disappoint. Not to give anything away but, there is a murder that took place and the list of who- done it is long. As things are being revealed, I started putting things together and before the book was over I figured out the ending but, the twist at the end I was not ready for.
This one took me a lot longer to read than normal but, it wasn’t for lack of interest, it was lack of time to devote to read. This is my first book by this author and I really did enjoy it.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC read, I really appreciate it ❤️

Verity Lockwood runs a successful business - Verity Rose. Verity and her husband Linden Lockwood are thought to be the perfect couple. When Linden is brutally murdered, Verity is distraught and struggling to cope. A year after Linden’s death, Verity finds love letters written to her husband hidden under some floorboards. She realizes she didn’t really know the man she married as she unearths more and more secrets while she tries to figure out who wrote the love letters. The book switches between chapters of “The Wife” and “The Other Woman”. So many characters are presented as possible women Linden was involved with. The characters are well written and the plot moves along quickly. I was very intrigued to see who the murderer would be, as well as who the mistress was. I don’t want to give everything away but I found it to be very interesting, with many surprises along the way. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 27, 2025.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This book was a good thriller. It was an easy read book. From the moment I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. Will read other books by this Author.

Absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!

I absolutely l flew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable!!! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller.

A massive 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars! My eyes were on stalks reading the last couple of pages. Wow!

This is another great book from the author, full of twists and unputdownable at times! This author is slowly becoming one of my favourite thriller writers as the end of her books always surprise as you think you have it all figured it and then it all changes. Overall a really great read and is very well written. Thanks to the publisher and to netgalley for this advanced copy.

Having no interest in influencers on social media, I found it difficult to care about Verity, the successful face of ‘an aspirational lifestyle brand’. I can appreciate her distress at finding her husband Linden bludgeoned to death in her dream home. I should imagine the blood stains would be difficult to remove from her bijou upholstery!
‘The Wedding Vow’ focuses on Verity’s shocking discovery that her husband was unfaithful and alternate chapters are written from the point of view of ‘the other woman’. Instead of moving on, Verity remains fixated on uncovering the identity of the scarlet woman a full year after her husband’s death and it seems that all the females she knows are possibilities. The reviews suggest that many readers found this quest riveting, but I didn’t really engage with it and gave up at 45%.

Verity and Linden appear to be the perfect couple. Until Linden is brutally murdered in their home. A year after his murder, Verity is trying to move on with her life. She has a super successful business and has been focusing her time and energy into it. Everything changes when she finds out that Linden was having an affair. Verity is determined to discover the identity of the other woman. She suspects everyone around her and uncovers many secrets while doing so. Looks like Verity didn't really know her husband...

This was my third read by Dandy Smith and it did not disappoint- another knockout! This one was super hard to put down. So many crazy twists and turns that I did not see coming. I had absolutely no idea where the plot was heading and wow it really headed places! I raced through this one because I just had to know what was going to happen. The twists at the end are INSANE and I literally felt winded after finishing the book. So unexpected and so satisfying. A must read!!

Thank you Embla Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful book. Super intriguing plot that kept me guessing until the very end! The ending came together so beautifully!

Dandy Smith writing makes her books such a fast paced read.
You can very easily fly through this book.
While I think looking back I should have figured it out sooner. I think there's a lot going on that can throw you off and make you question other people.

This book is incredible!! Despite having read psychological fiction on a daily basis for 20+years I honestly can’t remember being quite so gripped!

The plot is partly ‘whodunnit’ as an adulterer is brutally murdered in his home, discovered by a neighbour, who also happens to be his wife’s best friend. However rather being a support to the widow, (Verity), neighbour/ best friend (Mimi), avoids all contact with Verity. Meanwhile Verity receives some very disturbing communications as she uncovers her husband’s affairs.

The story is told through the perspectives of the widow, (Verity) and also ‘the other woman’. The absolute genius of this book is that we are left wondering who ‘the other woman’ is throughout the novel - with lots of clue’s and red herrings in there to keep us guessing! This is one of those utterly superb smoke and mirrors books and this one is utter perfection!

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

The Wedding Vow by Dandy Smith had an interesting premise, but the execution felt a bit underwhelming. The pacing was uneven, with some parts dragging while others felt rushed. While the twists were somewhat engaging, they weren’t entirely surprising. Overall, it was a decent read, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

I really enjoyed this one it was well written with a good amount of twists and turns that kept me guessing all the way through

Verity and Linden Lockwood have been married for five years and they live a blissful life together. Verity runs a successful company and Linden is a writer. Verity is away checking out a yoga retreat for a possible partnership, when she returns home she is shocked to find her front door wide open. Linden has been murdered.

Things go from bad to worse in the following days as Verity is cleaning in Linden’s closet and finds a hidden trove of love letters—Linden had been having a long affair. Now Verity is determined to get to the bottom of his cheating and his murder.

The action in the Wedding Vow is narrated in alternating chapters by Verity, and his unnamed mistress. Clues to her identity are dropped throughout the early chapters leading to lots of guesses before discovery her identity.

I had high hopes for this book, and while I enjoyed some of the twists, I found it overall to be rambling and a bit messy. Having also read and enjoyed Dandy Smith’s other 2025 release, The Wrong Daughter, I was definitely disappointed. Overall this one struck me as just an average thriller so I’m rating it 3 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This book had several twist and turns! I enjoyed reading this book from multiple perspectives. Definitely worth the read!! Not sure how I can tell more detail and I don’t want to spoil the book just do yourself a favor and grab this book!

She is the perfect wife. He is the perfect liar. Verity is happily married to Linden. A year after Linden is unalived Verity uncovers Linden was having an affair. Told by 2 different POV one being Verity the wife and the other from a nondisclosed POV.
I thought this was thriller was just OK. I did enjoy the twist.
Thank you to Netgalley and Embla books for ARC.

Everyone’s a liar.

An aspirational couple’s perfect life is shattered when Verity, a successful self-made woman returns home from a Yoga retreat to find her husband Linden bashed to death in the lounge. Nefarious goings-on hurtle Verity and her cousin Addison into a thrilling and dangerous search for the truth where everyone has something to hide.

Verity is an influencer based in Bath, and the story is chock-a-block with homage to the beautiful city and its quirky bedroom towns. The believable cast of glittering young professionals all have secrets. As Verity discovers the depth of Linden’s philandering and deceit and her brand ‘Verity Rose’ becomes everything to her. She suspects everyone. Her lookalike cousin Addison provides a voice of reason, reigning her wilder imaginings in. Her best friend Mimi goes AWOL, and the spotlight falls on women and men that have reason to want Linden dead.

The writing is stylish and smart. A deadly plot and delectable twist are Christie-esque in their mastery. There’s a whiff of Hitchcock too: MacGuffins, mysterious blondes and tense interiors. She even dips her toe into the ‘Dandyverse’ by namechecking the fated Elodie Fray from 'One small mistake'. Like a Michelin-starred chef, Dandy sets out her delectable mise-en-place and we are greedy to find out where it is destined to go. Piece by piece the evidence builds up and with surgical precision, the murderer is revealed. The chapters alternate between ‘The Wife’ and ‘The Other Woman’ creating dramatic tension and an increasing desire to get at the truth. The authorial voice is strong and sure with snatches of humour, dark, delicious and biting, and insight into Millennial living and angst. Wherever Dandy Smith directs, the reader goes willingly.

The Wedding Vow is a lean, sexy and beguiling psychological thriller serving as a post mortem of a toxic relationship. The characters are presented in living colour and the plot is anything but beige. If you are lucky enough to feature in one of Dandy Smith's novels, you better have the chops to keep singing when she sends you purple rain. Some promises should be kept at all costs, like a wedding vow, and like an author who pledges a domestic thriller and delivers a story as fabulous and compelling as this. If you're a fan of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell or K.L. Slater, you will love this novel.

Thanks to Embla Books and NetGalleyUK for the eARC. I devoured it.