This was very easy to devour. Full of twists that kept my mind racing all the way long unto the book.

A must to read ASAP.

Thanks netgalley for the copy. This is my honest feedback.

Absolutely incredible I read it in one very short sitting over a couple of hours, I couldn't put it down. Full of twists that had me on the edge of my seat

📚 Book Review 📚

The Husband Before You by @ajmcdineauthor 🤵‍♂️

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

When Alex’s husband, Freddie, walked out on her ten years ago, her life was turned upside down. On her own with a toddler and 3-month-old and suffering with post-natal depression, she didn’t know how she would cope on her own. That is until her husband’s friend and colleague, Carter, swept her off her feet and stepped up to become a husband and stepfather to her girls.

Fast forward ten years later, the unexpected return of Freddie upheaves Alex’s life as she tussles with her past and the precariousness of her future. But where has Freddie been?

AJ McDine, where have you been all of my life? Crafting a perfectly suspenseful narrative, an intricately weaved web of lies, and a ticking time bomb of emotions, this makes for the perfect psychological thriller. The Husband Before You features the dual POV’s of Alex and Freddie over dual timelines – before Freddie left, and when he returns. The use of the dual POV’s and timelines are intertwined so well that I was constantly betrothed in this whirlwind of a story, enjoying every twist and turn thrown my way.

The emotional depth and character dynamics that surrounded both Alex and Freddie couldn’t be overlooked and made for a poignant read. It was hard to read about Alex’s struggles with post-natal depression and Freddie’s mental health decline due to his demanding career. I could envisage McDine’s thought process and thought the topics were approached sensitively and with consideration.

The Husband Before You captures you from the first to last page and never lets you go. I promise you will struggle to put this one down.

A huge thank you to @ajmcdineauthor for reaching out and offering me an e-ARC in return for my honest review. The Husband Before You releases on 1st April 2025, so don’t be a fool and pre-order today! 😂

How would you feel if you open your front door and come face to face with the husband you thought was dead for 10 years ? Well this turns into a reality for Alex who has moved on and remarried her exes best friend.

I loved the fact that you jumped into the main plot straight away. The flashbacks are also good and not confusing. It's nice to see from Freddie's POV. This book is fast paced and full of suspense. Some of the flashbacks do feel a little pointless and filler but it doesn't take away from the book. Overall I enjoyed this book and will look forward to reading other books from A.J ! I'd rate it a 3.5 🌟

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for access to this ARC

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆...𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆?

A completely immersive domestic thriller that will have you enthralled until the very end. Told in dual timelines going 20 years back, Alex is struggling with post-partum depression and tending to two small children; meanwhile, her husband Freddie is a pediatric doctor who is under a lot of stress himself. After a particularly grueling shift leaves him doubting his abilities not only as a doctor but also as a husband and father, Freddie simply vanishes. Alex hears nothing for ten years, so she's forced to move on. She remarries and has another child, and while getting dressed for an anniversary dinner, the doorbell rings.

It's Freddie.

Where has he been, and why has he picked this moment to return? Freddie is reticent but is adamant about one thing--and that's Alex should not trust her new husband Carter, who happens to be Freddie's former best friend.

Is your head spinning yet? There is so much more to this story, and during each flashback, I learned something new. It was so much fun putting the pieces together in this wild, twisted story. Many thanks to Bookouture for this early copy. This title is expected to publish April 1, 2025.

“One wife. Three kids. Two husbands.”
“The truth will out”
I love how strongly I feel about all characters whether they are portrayed in a positive or negative light I have such a connection to them all. It takes a great writer to evoke empathy from a reader and to make you feel genuinely angry or shocked on behalf of a written person. I couldn’t put this book down I felt like I was on the edge of my seat and I just wanted to keep reading and reading until I figure out the plot twists and got all the answers I was searching for. It was such an addictive and thrilling book. I honestly couldn’t read fast enough to get to the bottom of what happened. I would definitely recommend this book if you are starting to read thrillers!!

AJ McDine never fails to keep me guessing with her fast paced and fun thrillers. I struggled to put this book down, with each chapter ending on a cliffhanger. Full of surprising twists and turns right until the very end.

Alex is finally happy again. It has been 10 years since her first husband Freddie went out one night and never came back, leaving her with 2 young daughters to care for, now she is remarried and has a new baby son. And then she answers the door and sees Freddie standing there. What the??? Where has he been all the time and why did he leave in the first place? crazy right. It gets better but I don’t want to spoil anything. You have to grab this book and settle in for a binge read.

Thanks so much to AJ McDine and Bookouture for my early copy to read. Publishes on April 1st.

In The Husband Before You, Alex’s carefully rebuilt life with her husband, Carter, is thrown into chaos when her long-lost husband, Freddie, suddenly returns. His unexpected reappearance forces her to question everything—where has he been all these years, and why now, just when she’s finally moved on? Along with struggling to make sense of Freddie’s return, anonymous notes are being sent, each carrying an ominous message. Could they be connected to him? Or is there something even more unsettling at play? The story unfolds with layers of suspense, making it impossible to predict what will happen next.

The characters are well-developed, especially Alex, whose doubts and paranoia feel incredibly real. Her emotional struggle—caught between the comfort of her present and the ghosts of her past—adds depth to the story. Themes of trust, deception, and the complexities of relationships are woven throughout, making the tension even more gripping.

This book was engaging from start to finish. The author masterfully weaves an intricate web of suspense, leading to a finale that is both unexpected and thought-provoking. The resolution ties everything together in a way that lingers long after the final page.

Now this is a fantastic suspense thriller! I truly loved the plot from the start, and the story delivered. Each character felt so real and developed really well. I bounced between liking and not liking certain characters, which was the point, and I was suspect about more than one of them at different times! And oh how the twist twisted! I couldn’t put the book down!

It’s hard to leave a very long review without giving the story away. So I won’t! Just know that you will be completely immersed in Alex, Carter, Freddie, and Gemma’s lives from chapter one.

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

This was such an insane book. I can't imagine how I would feel if my husband that disappeared came back after ten years. Then to have both your old husband and new husband in the same house along with your children. The different aspects of this book were amazing. In my opinion Carter was handling it so much better than I would have. I loved finding out why Freddie left as well as how Alex ended up getting married to Carter. This was a page turner, and I couldn't stop reading it.

What a fun read! A must for thriller fans or for anyone wanting a palate cleanser from another genre. It grips you in from the first few chapters and is fast-paced throughout. Some parts are predictable, and really how could Alex wait so long to question Freddie upon his return lol, but you will find yourself racing to read until the end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for this ARC, I will be checking out the author’s other books for sure!

I was hooked from the very first page and read it in one sitting! I absolutely loved The Husband Before You by A J McDine! Addicting! Highly recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Rating: 5 stars Publication Date: April 1, 2025

THE HUSNAND BEFORE YOU BY A J McDINE.
Release date set for the 1st of April 2025.
This is my second book by this author.
The first one being EVERYONE HAS SECRETS which i highly recommend.
This book is yet again another great book, full of twists and turns.
I'm reading away thinking i know for a fact where it's going to go but nope i was wrong.
Really fast read for me and another book i highly recommend.

I was really excited to read this one, I love AJ McDine anyway and the concept for this is right up my street. Alex's first husband is missing, presumed dead, and she moves on and marries his best friend. 10 years later, the first husband shows up again and drama ensues!

I was immediately invested in this story and really enjoyed exploring the dynamics in Alex's increasingly awkward situation. The characters were really well-written and vivid, so I really felt their anguish and insecurity. I enjoyed the fact that we got Freddie's POV as it helped to understand what had happened to lead the family to the point they are at now.

I did not approve of Alex's final choice of husband as I thought he was horrible, but shaking your head at the characters' decisions is part of the fun. I liked that the ending tied up all loose ends but also hinted at potential drama in the future.

Overall, very much recommended.

I devoured 'The Husband Before You', a gripping psychological thriller. The suspense built as the story unfolded, and I loved how the past was woven in to reveal its impact on the present. My suspicions were spot on... right up until the twist at the end! This was my first book by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it - I'm definitely reading more!

I quite enjoyed this book for the first half and by then I had guessed the ending . I loved the characters especially the 2 very different husbands and the interesting storyline with the dilemma of what to do if your missing husband turns up . I would still recommend this book as I love this author and the book was well written. Four stars from me

Release: April 1, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

Rating: 3.5 ★ 

Review:

The Husband Before by A.J. McDine is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the very first page. The story is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and an eerie sense of unease that builds as secrets unravel. The writing is fast-paced, making it an easy but immersive read. The characters are well-developed, especially the protagonist, whose doubts and paranoia felt incredibly real. The tension between trust and deception is handled brilliantly, keeping me guessing until the end. While some parts felt slightly predictable, the execution was strong enough to keep me engaged. Overall, it’s a solid psychological thriller that delivers on its premise. I’d recommend it to fans of domestic suspense and unreliable narrators.

Summary:

In The Husband Before You by A.J. McDine, Alex is happily married to Carter, a pediatric doctor who also happens to be the best friend of her first husband, Freddie. Ten years ago, Freddie walked out on her without explanation, leaving her heartbroken and struggling to move on. But when he suddenly reappears in her life, old emotions resurface, and Alex finds herself caught between the stability of her present and the unresolved past. As she searches for answers, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about both men—and the real reason Freddie left all those years ago.

Favorite Quote:
"I picked up the pieces when you walked out. She was broken. You broke her. But she put herself back together and she's doing great. We're doing great."

What do you do when the husband that disappeared a decade ago shows up on your doorstep?

Freddie is Alex's first husband; she woke up one morning and found him gone without a trace. Carter is her new husband and wait for iiiitttt Freddie's best friend. When Freddie returns he tells her
<b>Don't Trust Carter.</b>

The first half of this novel was a four-star read, but it took one of those turns. I enjoyed getting to know each of these characters and exploring the bubble of their little world. And the dog,🐕 of course I loved ❤️ the loyal family pet. The riveting plot was left behind, then petered out with easy answers and threw down breadcrumbs for the second half so obvious they were no fun to follow.

* Those that haven't read many thrillers may feel differently.*

I found the overall writing style easy to get lost in which I like. The first half was strong enough that I would read this author again being this was my first experience with her work.

First 1/2 --4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Last 1/2--2.5⭐⭐.✨✨
Average--3.25⭐⭐⭐.✨
Rounded To--3⭐⭐⭐

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

This was a little gem of a book! It was an easy and quick read. The writing was a lot like Daniel Hurst’s or Kiersten Modglin’s, quick twisty and enjoyable psychological thrillers. I don’t think the twist or the ending was very shocking but I still felt I was reading intently to confirm my suspicion and there was a few things to discover. I would definitely recommend this book as again the ending was satisfying, whereas similar books with a similar plot line of a disappearing spouse has left me frustrated. I look forward to reading more by this author.