"I thought he died ten years ago. But now he's back."

The Husband Before You by A J McDine is a fast paced thriller full of shocking twists and secrets!

Alex has spent the last ten years of her life trying to mourn the death of her first husband Freddie. Now she is married to her second husband Carter and they have a happy family with their new son and Alex's two daughters. But Alex's picture perfect life is shattered when Freddie reappears at her door one day with a warning... Don't trust Carter. Faced with trying to figure out which husband she believes, Alex tries to separate the truth from the lies and must find out which husband to trust.

This book was so much packed into a relatively quick read!! Definitely a fresh take on a domestic thriller/ drama, McDine's premise is original and intriguing! I absolutely loved trying to figure out the motivations behind the actions of these characters. I did feel like it slowed down a bit towards the middle but I still really enjoyed it! This was the first book from A J McDine that I have read but definitely not my last!!

Thank you to NetGalley, A J McDine, and Bookouture for this ARC!! Publication day is April 1st 2025.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I thought my first husband Freddie died ten years ago. But now he’s back…

I live in a gorgeous house with my handsome second husband Carter, my two daughters and our adorable baby boy. Then Freddie says, ‘Don’t trust Carter.’ I trust him with my life… don’t I? Could one of them be behind the threatening notes I’ve been receiving? I have to make the right choice, because it soon becomes clear that my life depends on it…

Thoughts :

Omg what a read! This is hands down my favourite book I’ve read so far by this author!

Right from the very first page, I thought there was a great opening chapter which did a fantastic job at setting the scene and it drew me into the story. The story was told through a dual POV and timeline, and paired with short chapters, the book was addictive and fast-paced, whilst still being easy to follow. I loved how atmospheric the writing felt too!

There were some shocking twists that I never saw coming! 🤯😍 They literally made my jaw drop! I thought that the ending was brilliant too. Everything was wrapped up beautifully, but it also left me dying for more from the story- I would absolutely love to see a sequel, because I NEED to know what happens next! 😬😄🤞

Overall this was a fantastic domestic/psychological thriller. With mind-blowing twists and short, snappy chapters, this one was impossible to put down! Definitely one of my favorite books so far this year!

Highly recommend this one!

A huge thank you the publisher for the advanced Netgalley copy. Out now and available on KU, e-book and paperback.

All opinions in this review are my own.

As always with A J McDine books I was hooked right away and the twists had me shocked, suspensful read overall.

The Husband Before You by A J McDine was a fantastic book, that was hard to put down once I started to read it. I didn't want to put it down, Especially as I wanted to find out what happens next. it was so addictive, fast paced and I ended up reading it all day until I had finished. Superb book I loved it! Great Holiday read.

I highly recommend it.

From the first page of this book I was intrigued by the plot and what would happen with the two husbands. I will say it took a little too long for the main character to find out why her first husband showed up. The story was well put together with the different view points and different timeliness.

This psychological thriller pulls you in from the very first page with its gripping suspense and eerie sense of mystery. The plot unravels at a steady pace, keeping you hooked as secrets from the past come to light. The tension builds well, and the final twist is satisfying, even if some parts feel a bit predictable. The characters are intriguing, though a few of their decisions seem questionable at times. Overall, it’s a compelling read with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. A solid 3.75 stars dark, thrilling, and full of surprises.

The blurb of this book immediately captured my attention and I was so excited when I received this ARC. Alex thought her first husband, Freddie, died 10 years ago. So, imagine her surprise when Freddie shows up on her doorstep, warning her about her new husband.

This was a fast-paced and fun thriller with twists around every corner. With each short chapter ending on a cliffhanger, I easily found myself sucked in and binge reading. I have read plenty of fast-paced books, but the timing of this one was truly unmatched. It was so easy to fly through the pages of this one.

I was able to predict the ending, which I don’t completely love, I was hoping for a more shocking final twist, but the journey to get there had me completely absorbed. I loved how the book explored both past and present, giving the reader different glimpses of the life of our main characters.

If you’re in need of a thrilling read that hooks you from the beginning, I definitely recommend picking this one up! Thank you to NetGalley and A J McDine for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own, honest feedback.

Alex is married to Carter and lives with him and her three children. She is shocked when a surprise knock at the door ends up being her first husband Freddie, who disappeared ten years ago. He later tells her not to trust Carter and when she starts receiving threatening notes she needs to work out who she can trust.

This is another great thriller by one of my go to authors. I loved the premise of this story so was excited to start reading. The story starts strongly and I was compelled to see where it would go. I also really enjoyed the character development, feeling intrigued by them and having fun finding out which husband would win. I did find the pacing dipped slightly half way but it soon picked up again. I also found this a bit more predictable than this author’s other thrillers, however overall this is definitely still a worthwhile, entertaining read and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

A.J. McDine delivers a gripping psychological thriller in The Husband Before You, a novel packed with shocking twists, buried secrets, and an impossible dilemma: which husband can be trusted?

The story follows a woman who has spent the last decade grieving the loss of her first husband, Freddie, and rebuilding her life with Carter, her devoted second husband. But everything shatters when Freddie suddenly reappears, very much alive—and with a chilling warning: Don’t trust Carter. From that moment on, the tension escalates as she tries to untangle truth from deception, questioning everything she thought she knew about both men.

McDine expertly crafts a suspenseful atmosphere, weaving in eerie notes, disturbing revelations, and a creeping sense of paranoia that keeps the reader on edge. The protagonist’s emotional turmoil is palpable, making it easy to sympathize with her as she navigates a nightmare of lies, betrayal, and danger. The pacing is relentless, with every chapter ending in a way that compels you to keep turning the pages.

With a cleverly executed plot and an ending that will leave you breathless, The Husband Before You is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. If you love stories that make you question everything and everyone, this book won’t disappoint.

The Husband Before You is a thriller/suspense novel about a group of people who clearly and viciously hate themselves and each other and yet they continue to hang out.

This is my first novel by AJ McDine. If there’s one thing I will give the book, is it’s quick-fire way of laying out the things at the beginning of the book that the reader should keep on their radar throughout: why is Freddie back?; why did he leave in the first place?; why did he tell Alex not to trust Carter?; what dark secret is Alex keeping that she and others swore never to tell anyone? Everyone is on the chopping block, and you find yourself questioning people’s actions. I was hooked right away.

The story, however, I found to be incredibly predictable, and each time the big moments were about to drop they always fumbled or the big truths were incredibly and frustratingly disappointing. Like, “Oh… THAT’S why you did ALL OF THIS? Really? Therapy would have been way simpler.”

This book tackles a lot of themes that do not apply to me, the main ones being extreme marital struggles and postpartum depression. As a child-free-by-choice woman, I failed to connect with the story’s focus, Alex. If anything, this book was more like bringing a mirror up to my face and showing me how my life would spiral if I had kids. The endless drivel of Alex’s life at a stay-at-home mom, coupled with her constant self-flagellation, make her a pitiful protagonist that pushed me to skim through her POV chapters.

The motivation behind the antagonist’s actions was, to put it bluntly, trite and very dumb. I don’t think I could talk about it more without spoiling it, so I will leave it at that.

I really enjoyed the book up until the 40% mark. Once the truths started to come out, it was one after another of anticlimactic lackluster.

Thank you to Bookouture for the gifted ARC provided through Netgalley.

As a person who suffered from PTSD I can totally relate to Alex FMC. She was dealing with a lot and not having much help can be very stressful. I did think the book was good but a lot of things could’ve been left out. It dragged somewhat in the middle of the book but I will say the beginning had me hooked. The plot was a little predictable but still enjoyable. Definitely recommend!

The Husband Before You by A J McDine is a gripping, compulsive thriller, that had me captivated from beginning to end. An absolute must-read!
A great brilliantly addictive book and I loved every page from beginning to the end.
This book was fast paced and interesting with well developed characters.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from Bookouture and the author.

This is a thrilling read where you just don't know who you can trust! Who is threatening Alex and which husband should she trust? Why did Freddie walk out on them and what does he want now? What a dilemma!

My favourite quote:

"But the depression was always there, like an old lover impatient to welcome me back into his arms."

AJ McDine writes the kinds of thrillers that you can put yourself right into. A group of pretty average people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and each find their own way of dealing with it.

In this latest release, Alex comes face to face with a dilemma. When her husband and father of her two girls, who went missing 10 years ago and was declared dead, turns up at her door, how does she tell him that she has since married his best friend and their son is asleep upstairs.

Moving between the present day and 10 years ago, the story of Freddie's disappearance is gradually uncovered and Alex is forced to question who she can truly trust. This slow, brooding tale of love and deception builds to a climactic conclusion that I did not see coming!

A brilliant read, highly recommend it for any psychological thriller fans.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Husband Before You’ written by A J McDine in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Soon after the birth of their second child, Freddie walks out on Alex and isn’t seen again until ten years later when he turns up dishevelled on her doorstep. But by then Alex has married Carter, Freddie’s best friend, and they have a life with Freddie’s two daughters and a new son.

‘The Husband Before You’ is a domestic drama of a woman who has two husbands. Alex is determined to find out why her first husband, Freddie, abandoned her while she was suffering from postnatal depression and why he says she can’t trust her second husband Carter. Although predictable at times, the plot drew me in especially as Gemma, Alex’s best friend and Carter’s work colleague, increased the tension and had me wondering which husband Alex was going to choose.

The Husband Before You by A J McDine is amazing! I love the dual POV And timelines. It felt like I was truly able to get both sides of the story. We get Alex's story as she deals with her world unexpectedly being turned upside down when her diseased husband, Freddie, comes back from the dead 10 years later, and despite all of the craziness I think she handled it so well. I was so proud of her overcoming everything she did despite never really knowing what happened to Freddie. I feel Freddie grew so much in the short timeframe of the book. It is very fast paced, but there is so much that happens, it feels like the book spans months. I'm sure we can all relate to having those weeks, and A J did an excellent job putting that to paper. I was really suspicious about one character, but I was never quite sure why I felt that way up until the last 10 chapters or so. This was my first A J McDine, but I will absolutely be reading more of her work, and every thriller fan needs to pick up this book!

Ooh yes, yes, yes! What an original premise and a really fresh take on a domestic noir. I got totally sucked in and loved tbe twists. It did drag a bit in parts and a few parts could probably have been removed but overall, I still really enjoyed seeing how it all played out and finding out what the ending would be

An interesting storyline. There were many twists and turns during the book. Elements that were a bit frustrating, but overall an enjoyable read.

Alex's husband, Freddie, left her without a trace with a toddler and a newborn while she was in the throes of serious post natal depression. Ten years later, she has managed to survive, and even remarried Freddy's friend, Carter, and has a son. When she answers the door and finds Freddie standing there, her world is turned upside down, especially when Freddy warns her not to trust Carter. When strange notes appear and other inexplicable, and dangerous, things happen, Alex is determined to find out who is responsible, even though it puts her and her family at risk.

I enjoyed this book, but felt that it dragged a bit in the middle. Also, the culprit was somewhat predictable and I felt that Alex should have realized it way sooner than she did. That said, I would be eager to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Part of the appeal in reading books like this is trying to figure out what each character’s motive is and flushing out the fakes.
Alex has two husbands and three kids. I thought she was too lenient on Freddie. I would have demanded answers immediately upon his return.
I thought Freddie was very weak. You just don’t walk out of your life when the going gets tough especially when you have two kids!!
I underestimated Carter and I guessed Incorrectly about which husband Alex would choose.
I knew one character was rotten but the scene that had me scream was down by the river and Fleming.
It’s a good suspenseful read.