I ended up listening to the finished audiobook version of this book, and I really enjoyed it! I do think that it could have been pared down slightly - there was a little more ramble than I generally prefer, and I am honestly not sure I would have liked it in print. But, I listened, and I liked it, so that's what matters. Definitely a unique storyline, and a really interesting use of narrative between past and present.

Cathy Lamb strikes again! "The Man She Married" follows Natalie, a woman who, upon learning her husband isn't the man she thought he was, is involved in a hit and run and left to deal with a traumatic head injury. Natalie has to learn how to do many things over again and adjust to her new normal, all while trying to figure out the truth about her husband. In true Cathy Lamb form, I found myself loving so many of the characters in this book, especially Natalie's dad and mom. Overall, a wonderful read.

This was the first Cathy Lamb book that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. The writing was good and it held my attention through the entirety. I thought the hospital scenes, and especially the patients, were particularly well-described and will give the readers a lot to think about in terms of prejudging people with head injuries, or any type of mental illness. The plot flowed nicely and had just the right amount of suspense and intrigue. The ending wrapped everything up nicely and left me feeling good.

An interesting story. Zack was a little too good to be true, lol, but I really enjoyed his interactions with Natalie. Overall, a very readable book, hard to put down and easy to get into
Thanks to the publisher for granting my request for an ARC, all opinions are my own

Very enjoyable book. Good mystery and was a real page turner! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

I was beyond frustrated with this novel and seriously dying for it to end. I feel like someone is playing a joke on me now with the run of bad luck I've had with books lately. The lead character Natalie was beyond annoying and so naive it was just embarrassing. I hate wishy washy characters so this just did nothing for me. Eek!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a devoted fan of Cathy Lamb, as an author and a person. Some of her books have been phenomenal, while others were more “ok”. This story had serious potential and had some great moments. Unfortunately, the characters were a little too cutesy or over the top for me. Still an entertaining read...just not this author’s best.

Cathy Lamb is an author with a unique and signature style. I love her dry humor. Don't get twisted though, she can bring years just as easily as those laughs. The Man She Married is a perfect example of both.

A solid work of Women's Fiction. Natalie finds out from her husband that he is not the man he claimed to be. Zack is not even his real name. Natalie is strong and goes through hardship but re-discovers herself in the process of it all.

I tried really hard to finish this book. I kept trying to pick up where I left off and found myself skimming through too many pages. I became aggravated and gave up at 40% in the ebook.
I do like the cover and the story line. But the characters had no substance or depth to them. There was too much rambling and repetitiveness that felt like was done on purpose to just meet a word quota. I do thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. I wish I could have given it a better review.

The Man She Married by Cathy Lamb is a very well written story, the characters and the plot are well thought out and I found the book premise intriguing. It's a satisfying story and I must thank netgalley for gifting me an arc. I voluntarily read the book and provided this honest review

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Cathy Lamb.
This is the story of Natalie and Zack a married couple who totally love each other. Natalie is in a coma after a hit and run accident following Zack telling her something from his past. Natalie, while in a coma can hear and know what is happening in her surroundings but cannot respond. She is stuck in an unresponsive body. During this time we meet her family and friends who talked to her daily. There were very warm, touching moments where you felt throughout the pages the love they have for Natalie.
While in the coma and after she awakens from her coma more incidents happen in the hospital and her home to endanger her and Zack.
Zack knows more than he is letting on to both the police and Natalie
Secrets are revealed during the second part of this book. And what secrets they are.
Did not expect that very surprising ending.
Overall this was a very well written book. Loved the characters and the story.
Recommend.

Natalie wakes up to devastating news from her husband Zack. While running from his truths shes in a terrible hit and run accident. When she 'wakes' from her coma locked in her body that was scary. After really waking up and rehabbing in the Brain Bang Unit while trying to remember the morning of her accident she never gave up and had lots of support from her loved ones.
I experienced a variety of emotions during the reading of The Man She Married. Natalie was actually a funny MC. Especially during her time in the Brain Bang unit. I was sad after Justine told her teenage secret. You could feel her regret and love for Natalie Chick. Chick was always saying something funny about her six kids lol.
While the suspense was there there was plenty of humor and the drama of life going on. I really felt apart of their world while reading. Cathy Lamb did a great job writing this book.

I always love meeting new to me authors in roundabout ways. Earlier this year I happened to be invited to book blogger week over at Tall Poppy Writers and found an outstanding community of authors who are dedicated to interacting with their audiences.

I have read and reviewed a number of authors from this group, but at the time I didn’t know they were part of this amazing community…..in fact I only just discovered the group a few weeks ago as I mentioned, and I had been reading a number of Poppy Writers for years!

Anyway, so I participated in their book blogger week met a number of new to me authors, one of which was Cathy Lamb, who also happens to live in the Portland, OR area which is about 45 min north of where I live. Small world!

She asked if I would be interested in reading her latest book, The Man She Married, and I was happy to do so. I didn’t really know much about the book or the author, but I was at least willing to support a fellow Oregonian by reading the book…..but was I in store for something that was not only interesting, but also different that I hadn’t been expecting.

When Natalie Shelton thinks back to how things were before the car accident, she remembers a great marriage. She and her husband, Zack, seem as strong and dependable together as the houses he builds. They live in Portland, Oregon, and Natalie is co-owner of a successful accounting firm. They’re happy, she’s almost sure of it.

Yet as Natalie lies trapped in a coma, unable to communicate though aware of everything around her, she realizes that her husband is hiding something. Zack has always been reticent about his past, which she attributed to an unhappy childhood. Now the strange calls he’s receiving, the apologies when he thinks she can’t hear him, and her fragmented memories from the morning of the accident suggest a deeper secret.

When she finally awakens, Natalie is determined to find out the truth. Sorting through clues as her brain heals, she realizes she has a rare opportunity—to reexamine the life she’s made and the man she’s made it with. But as answers come to light, she faces surprising, heartrending decisions, as well as a danger that could upend her world once again, as Zack’s past finally catches up with them (summary from Goodreads).

I don’t normally read a whole lot of women fiction or contempo lit, as my general review genre is historical fiction, however there are times when I pick up a book that is more contemporary. Which is the case with this book. Though when I skimmed the summary, it almost sounded like it was going to be a thriller or mystery. However, this is truly more of a women’s fiction novel. At least for me it was. I know a lot of people, including Book Bub have classified this book as a psychological thriller, but for me it had a little too much humor to be considered that. For me, it wasn’t a disappointment to read a women’s fiction novel rather than a thriller, but I would say that the summary definitely suggests thriller so if you are expecting a thriller, some readers (though as I said, many consider this a psychological thriller) might be a little disappointed.

As I said, I wasn’t the least bit disappointed reading this one. I loved that it was set in Portland. There are so few novels set in Portland that when I find one that is, I always feel so fortunate!

I also loved that even though this book was an easy read for me, it still packed a lot of emotion into the narrative. It was fast moving and had a lot of comical moments, but there were also enough serious and moving moments that would satisfy readers who were looking for something a little more emotional.

This novel does a great job at telling the story of Natalie in her coma. While most of the book is about her recovery, the coma part for me was the most interesting. I haven’t read any books that tell a story from the POV of the person in the coma. So I thought it was interesting and while the recovery is the meat of the story so to speak, the come part stood out for me.

The characters were well developed, Natalie was interesting and relatable (coma and all) and her dad was really a unique and fun character to get to know. Zack was a little underwhelming for me. He wasn’t a bad character by any means, but he just seemed a little blah for me as a reader for some reason. A little one dimensional perhaps? It’s hard for me to really identify what it is about him that didn’t work for me, but there were just other characters that I liked better.

One thing that I noticed about the prose of the book was that it was unique. I was struggling to put a name to it and then I read another reviewer that described it perfectly—-irreverent. Yes yes yes, such a great word to describe her signature style! It’s a very quirky, but yet recognizable prose. I don’t know that it’s for everyone, but for me it worked. Lamb’s humor and style rang through in this book.

For me this was a solid book. I have’t read anything else by Lamb before, but she has written a lot of other books that sound excellent. I love that I found this author in a roundabout way and now I have a bunch of new books to add to my TBR list!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Man She Married by Cathy Lamb

Kindle Edition, 480 pages
Published October 30th 2018 by Kensington
ASIN B079KTVHGD
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Genre: contempo lit, women fiction
Memorable lines/quotes

With an intriguing premise and a solid opening, Cathy Lamb's new novel has a lot of promise that it mostly delivers on. While the reader is aware of the events of the first chapter, Natalie Shelton awakes several days later to the aftermath with no memory of the morning she learned that her husband has a past that is now a threat to her. A woman who prioritizes safety in all aspects of her life, Natalie hears everything from her "coma coffin" as various friends, family, and medical personnel talk to her and about her.

As Natalie's thoughts move between her present and her past, she slowly shares different aspects of her life with the reader. And as the danger enters Natalie's hospital room, and follows after her in recovery, the reader is swept along in a highly readable combination of present suspense and back story reminiscence. Along the way, she discovers more about her husband's past and, more interestingly, her parents. As her parents become more three dimensional, the mother Natalie has a low opinion of slowly becomes one of the most entertaining parts of the story.

Though the climactic scene was, happily, a bit of a surprise, this is firmly a chick-lit book and possibly psychological suspense (light). Natalie, though our narrator, is not the most sympathetic character and she often imitates a stuck record, repeating things over and over. Using phrases like "coma coffin" and "my blond hair," and continually telling the reader how irresistible women find her father, how insipid her mother is, how sexually compatible she is with her husband. And along with the repetition, a bit of a sloppy shortcut of a villain whose appearance and giggling are fictional shorthand for mentally deficient evil.

But any nit-picking aside, and disregarding the curious mix of unwillingness to write out a swear word while constantly rehashing her last pre-"coma coffin" marital intimacies, it is an entertaining one-sitting read that belies it's 480 pages. If you enjoy chick-lit with a suspense element, this might just be for you.

This review refers to a digital galley read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cathy Lamb's foray into psychological suspense territory succeeds as this is a compelling read although bogged down in the middle and the ending seemed to ramble on a bit. But other than that those who like a domestic psychological suspense with emotional content about love and marriage along with a few quirky family dynamics will enjoy this.

Readers of Lisa Jewell's I FOUND YOU, B. A. Paris' THE BREAKDOWN, and most any suspense thriller by Lisa Jackson may find this novel by Cathy Lamb to be a comparable reading experience.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.

Amazing read!!! Just when you think you know someone you find out the real person. You marry a man who you think the world of and you come to find out he is not the person you think he is and then in the blink of an eye you forget and go back to thinking he is your world again. Zack is everything a woman could want. He is patient, loving, understanding, an all american boy. Natalie is a girl who has overcome a mom who walked out on her when she was a young child to be raised by a caring and loving father who would do anything for his little girl. One faithful morning Natalie finds out the truth about Zach only to have an accident cause her brain damage and her memory can not be fixed. She knows something is off but she can not figure out what it is. Then the threats start rolling in to Natalie, scary threats that are causing her to really realize something is off. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one. Great read!

I love a Cathy Lamb book, and this latest one, is no exception. Occasionally  a reader might be turned off by the sometimes deliciously irreverent tone, but that's just part of her unique writing voice. I do believe I could be read a page of her writing and name it as a Cathy Lamb book. Now you can't recognise a writer's voice with many books, but hers - unique.

Sometimes there is always a little touch of the tall story, I could see that with the story her Grandma Dixie tells of shooting a man, such fun.

Natalie is married to Zack, and they sure do love each other, but... Zack seems to be hiding something and when Natalie meets with an accident and has a bad brain injury slowly all is revealed. (It takes the whole book!) Natalie makes a slow recovery, there is no magic wand that cures her within a chapter. And will Zack and Natalie last with all that has been hidden?

I loved all the characters who filled this story, Natalie has such great friends in Justine and Chick - together since kindergarten they are the Moonshine and Milky Way Maverick girls - which sums up perfectly there fun loving, risk taking, sweet, compassionate selves.  Then there are many of the local people, plus the three in rehab who were wonderful too.

Lastly I could not leave without looking at Natalie's mother, she sure is something else!  She deserted her child and husband when Natalie was seven and now she is on husband number five. I'm telling you, however she does have a surprise up her sleeve and neither Natalie or I saw it coming.

There is so much I could say, I laughed out loud, I shed tears, I delighted in the antics and hyperbole, and as the friendship, love and compassion shone through I just knew I am so grateful that Cathy Lamb is a writer.

Published by  Kensington. 30th October 2018. An e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.  But... I did buy a paperback copy as well! If you haven't read her, what are you waiting for!

One morning, Natalie Shelton’s husband, Zack, tells her that they must run from the home they love. No explanation. He only tells her that he is not the man she thinks – even his name is a lie. Instead of leaving with Zack, Natalie runs to her car and heads to work. At a stop sign her car is hit by a man with a sinister grin. Natalie ends up in a coma.

While in a coma coffin, Natalie can hear everything. She can’t let them know that she is okay. Her body simply won’t cooperate. Her thoughts are poignant and often humorous. This is a particularly special opportunity to visit inside the mind of Natalie. She is brutally honest and allows us to explore all of her thoughts, emotions and fears.

After Natalie comes out of the coma, we struggle with her as she fights to restore her speech, balance and memory.

The characters are so rich that it is easy to believe you are in the room watching what occurs. Many times, I found myself immersed in Natalie’s thoughts to such a degree they could have been mine.

I cannot describe how much I liked this book. It is engaging, and I didn’t want it to end.

Cathy Lamb has her own unique style. Her books are heartwarming, quirky, and always have their share of laugh-out-loud moments. I could not wait to read The Man She Married.

Natalie Shelton suffers a brain injury in a terrible car accident, and she is in a coma. Though she cannot talk, she is aware of her surroundings, and suddenly puts it together that her once happy marriage is in jeopardy because her husband has a secret. She can feel it. He must. His behavior is becoming more apparent because he thinks she can’t hear him, and not only that, she can remember bits and pieces from the morning of the accident that cast further doubt in her mind.

Natalie finally wakes up, and she is on a mission to figure out what is going on. Once things start to unravel, or fall into place, depending on how you look at it, there is a turning point for Natalie and Zack because his past can no longer be denied.

Cathy Lamb gets inside Natalie’s head, and the flow of the writing very much authentically follows the scattered, fragmented thoughts on someone with a brain injury.

Natalie is such a likable and endearing character. I was rooting for her to reclaim her memory and figure out what Zack was hiding. She is a true heroine, and her story inspired me, while also bringing along some Cathy Lamb-style witty entertainment and laughter. There were some other quirky, charming friends along for the ride, and here we have another signature Cathy Lamb book!

Thank you to Kensington Books for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.