This book has a great premise. A woman's husband just up and disappears one day leaving her and their two young girls. Ten years later and she is married to his best friend, and they have a young son. One day, the first husband (legally declared dead) knocks on their door. Surprise!
The story picks up from there. There is a very big story going on with someone who is sending anonymous letters and being a bit scary. There are twists and turns and although it may not be incredibly hard to sort out who is doing what. it's a lot of fun getting to that point!
I enjoyed this author's writing style a lot. It flowed well and was perfectly cohesive. I'll definitely read more by the author.

A thriller of family affairs! This was my first AJ McDine book. I enjoyed this easy to read thriller. The story was character driven and I connected well with the characters. I liked the multiple POV and short chapters. The book takes place over a week or so and I devoured it quickly. It reads like. Frieda McFadden book…if you are a fan of that series I recommend this book. I find the characters more intriguing/intelligent/human in this book which I like.

I was able to predict the villian in this book early on. They intensely bothered me and I wish there was more revenge and justice against their actions. I look forward to reading more AJ McDine books.

Imagine your husband just walking out on you leaving you to cope with bringing up two young children while your in the middle of what appears to be a serious breakdown? He’s been missing for ten years and you’ve had him legally declared dead and now you’re settled, a new husband and a new child. Your life is made and then you open your front door and there he is standing – dishevelled and slightly worse for the wear but most definitely alive.

This is the dilemma that faces Alex, who is getting ready to celebrate her anniversary to her husband, Carter – a successful and handsome consultant in paediatrics, she thinks her life is made but deep down she still has feelings for Freddy, her first husband. If this wasn’t head screwy enough, Freddy and Carter were once best friends and Alex’s own best friend Gemma, was once romantically involved with Carter. Talk about close relationships!

But when Freddy warns her not to trust Carter, Alex finds herself unsure as to who she should trust and she’s got a few dark secrets of her own. This creates a dark and twisted tale, full of suspense and intrigue. The threatening notes Alex is receiving adds an element of fear to the story which gets the old heart rate pumping!

Told from multiple viewpoints and across past and present, we learn why Freddy left, the impact on Alex. Short pacy chapters keep you turning the pages as you get caught up in exploring the dynamics between the characters, and as a reader I really didn’t know who I could trust. At times I wanted to reach in, pack Alex’s bags and get her the hell out of Dodge!

The Husband Before You is a pacy and engaging read, it has all the elements of a suspenseful thriller with characters who will frustrate you and engage you at the same time. This is a must read for psych thriller/domestic noir lovers!

A J McDine is one of my favourite authors so when I seen this I was so excited to read it and wow I definitely was not disappointed. I was gripped from start to finish the story was unique with such well developed characters I didn’t know who to trust or how it was going to end and wow I thought I knew how it was going to end but I was so wrong fantastic writing.It was such a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns which kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall another fantastic thriller by this author which I will definitely be recommending to everyone it was so good. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this fantastic thriller.

This book had a great message to it and that is that communication is key. When you get married someone always gives the advise of being good communicators. This book shows why it is so important. I loved this book and loved the hidden meaning, whether it was intended or not.

I was on the edge of my seat at times, but I did guess who was the culprit/ what the ending would be and I thought that it should have been pretty obvious to our main characters.

So while it wasn't a thrilling keep you in suspense book, it was a lovely domestic drama style book and I really enjoyed it.

To be honest this book fell flat for me. At times it was a great read and at other times it felt predictable. Not bad but not great either. Just ok

*The Husband Before You* by AJ McDine is a thrilling mystery that revolves around Alex, whose husband, Freddie, disappeared without a trace ten years ago. He was presumed dead, but to everyone’s surprise, Freddie reappears a decade later. During the years after his disappearance, Alex has moved on and married Freddie’s best friend, Carter, a doctor who supported her through the years of uncertainty.

McDine does an excellent job building suspense and maintaining a sense of mystery throughout the novel. The story keeps the reader on edge as Alex is confronted with the sudden return of Freddie, and she is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about his disappearance. What happened to Freddie all those years ago? Why did he vanish? These questions drive the plot forward and keep the mystery enticing.

The emotional complexity of the characters adds a rich layer to the story. Alex’s struggle to reconcile her past with Freddie and her present with Carter is portrayed with sensitivity and depth. As secrets unravel, Alex is forced to navigate a delicate balance between the life she has built and the man who has suddenly reappeared in it.

However, while the twists and turns keep readers engaged, the ending of *The Husband Before You* may feel a bit predictable. After all the tension and suspense, the resolution doesn’t come as much of a surprise, which could leave some readers feeling a bit underwhelmed by the conclusion.

Overall, *The Husband Before You* is a captivating mystery that delivers suspense and emotional drama. Although the ending may lack a shocking twist, the journey to get there is engaging, and McDine does a great job keeping the reader invested in the characters and the mystery at hand. This book will definitely appeal to fans of domestic thrillers and those who enjoy a story with emotional depth and intrigue.

Absolutely brilliant book, twists and turns that will leave you shocked. Read this in a day and genuinely didnt want it to end xx

This is my third book by A J McDine and I really enjoyed the first two I read so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of this book.

The premise of this book had me hooked from the start. Alex's husband disappeared and she gets married to his best friend many years later, however one day her first husband turns up on the doorstep.

This was an easy read, I read it across a couple of sittings and was pretty invested in the characters and the story wanting to see how it all plays out. I did find it slightly too predictable, the biggest twist I had been waiting to happen for half the book so that was slightly disappointing. But all in all I really enjoyed the story, not my favourite by the author but still a great read and I would definitely recommend.

Freddie has been dead for ten years so when he shows up at Alexs' door she is rather shocked... Alex has remarried and now has to discover the facts..

This is a twisty psychological thriller that amazed and shocked me.
It is pacy, punchy and has more than few of OMG moments.

Well written with a unique plot I loved it..

Another great book by AJ McDine. I really enjoyed this one, well paced and easy to read. The characters were really good and I enjoyed reading about the family life. I have to admit I guessed a couple of twists but it didn’t spoil the story in any way. Overall a really good read and I definitely recommend it.

This the fourth book written by A J McDine which I have read and it will definitely not be the last one 😊
I have really enjoyed reading this book including the other ones!
I love her style of writing! Her books are always character driven and this one is no exception. It is written from the POV of two main characters - Alex and Freddie and goes back and forth to the current time and ten years back. It's fast paced and quite gripping and there is not a moment where you get bored! In fact, I was so invested in the life of the characters that it was difficult to put the book down 😀Highly recommended!
Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!!

Just wow! Another fantastic AJ McDine novel. This was fast, furious and totally captivating. A roller coaster of a ride with captivating storytelling. I loved the characters and family ties.
Thank you NetGalley, AJ McDine and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When Freddie shows up after 10 years missing, everyone is shocked—his re-married wife Alex, her best friend Gemma, his best friend Carter (who’s the new husband), and their kids. Tension mounts in this story told in time jumps between now and ten years ago. Relationships, messages, malpractice, and more are woven together into an interesting tale.

The writing was good and easy to follow. The plot was suspenseful and kept me guessing up until the very end. The story was left so that there could be a sequel, which is intriguing.

Thank you Bookouture, A J McDine and Netgalley for the eArc of The Husband Before You.

The Husband Before You is a medium paced domestic thriller that will keep you guessing. I found I was sucked in by the situation of Alex, having to experience her husbands disappearance 10 years before. Grieving and moving on, only to open the door one day to find your first Husband staring back at you! I really liked the duel timelines and the POV's which slowly pieces together what was happening between Freddie and Alice before he disappeared, much to the dismay of Carter. Alex' s Husband.

The dynamics between the main characters, Gemma who is a long standing friend of Freddie, Alex and Charter were intriguing and complex which made for a few nice twists and a great finale. A J McDine tackles some of the subjects that have been written about high stress jobs, mental health lose, grief, Post natal depression ( post partum depression ) and the complex emotions that come from these life experiences well. And more importantly, the betrayal of how these things effect everyone in the family, whether we choose to see it or not )

I flew through this book and even though, the ending maybe a little predictable for some readers, it was a tense, edge of your seat finale which had be gripped!

4.25 stars for Storygraph, 4 stars for all other review sites.

The Husband Before You is a deeply emotional and gripping novel that explores love, loss resilience and the unexpected ways life can change over a decade.
The story follows Alex and her husband Freddie who is a doctor in a small practice alongside his best friend Carter and their friend Gemma who is a nurse. Alex is struggling with two young children: a baby and a toddler and suffering from postpartum depression. Gemma, Alex’s best friend does what she can to help Alex with the children. Freddie is frustrated with Alex and himself after having a very sick patient and makes some wrong decisions. Freddie decides just to walk out and is gone for 10 years, no sign of him at all.
During that time Alex and Carter, her supportive and compassionate friend feels the bond between them deepen and she rebuilds her life with Carter. After 10 years of ups and downs Freddie walks back into her life knocking on the door one evening as Alex and Carter are leaving for an anniversary dinner.
Freddies’s absence has been a mystery leaving readers questioning his reasons and the impact of his return on those he abandoned. The novel navigates the complexities of relationships, both romantic and platonic. While addressing themes of forgiveness personal growth and second chances the dynamic between the characters is rich and compelling making the reader emotionally invested in their journeys. There are some very incredible surprises and twists along the way which will surprise the readers!
Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and A.J. McDine for an advanced copy of this book.

Ten years ago, Freddie walked out on his wife and two young daughters without a word or note, leaving Alex, who had postnatal depression struggling.

Alex is now married to Carter, who was Freddie’s best friend. They have a little boy together, called Dylan.

One person who has always been there for Alex, is her best friend, Gemma. They have been together through thick and thin since becoming friends at the age of twelve.

When Freddie turns up ten years after leaving, Alex is understandably shocked, but her and Carter let him stay with them, more for the two girls to have their dad around again.

Alex has been received strange anonymous notes for a while. Since Freddie’s return, more strange things have been happening, but who is behind them all?

I loved this psychological thriller and couldn’t put it down.

The story is told by two timelines; ten years ago, in the lead up and disappearance of Freddie, and now.

I had fun unravelling the pieces of the tale, and there were some red herrings slipped in so I did wonder if I was wrong at times.

The characters were written well, and I felt as though I came to know them fairly well. I did feel for Alex, and I liked how the author integrated postnatal depression into the story. This can be such a serious problem for new mum’s and it was handled well and sensitively.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The story follows a woman who has rebuilt her life after the supposed death of her first husband, Freddie, ten years ago. Now, she has a loving second husband, Carter, and a happy family. But everything changes when Freddie suddenly appears at her doorstep, alive. His return is shocking enough, but when he warns her not to trust Carter, she is thrown into a whirlwind of doubt and fear.

Freddie and Carter were once best friends, so why would Freddie make such a claim? As she starts receiving mysterious threatening notes, she must figure out which man is lying her first husband, who has seemingly returned from the dead, or her second husband, whom she has trusted for years. Her life may depend on making the right choice.

It is not about the love triangle but a friendship between Alex and Gemma too. Who knows that out bestfriend will betrayed us and took what we have oneday?

Alex had it all… a nice home, beautiful children and a consultant paediatric husband. But one day he didn’t come now. Now 10yrs later she’s married to his best friend. But her first husband suddenly shows up again. Why? And in the meantime anonymous letters are arriving to the house saying the truth will come out. What truth?! This was a brilliant read from start to finish. Well paced & plotted. I read it in one sitting and didn’t expect the ending to turn out as it did. Definitely recommend. Thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review