This book did take me a while to get into the story line but once I did it turned out to be a well paced thriller, well written with interesting characters, some of which I liked but some I didn't!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Laura and Brian have two children, Emma a teenager and their baby boy. As she approaches her 40th birthday, Laura is struggling. She is sleep-deprived, anxious and feeling guilty about her thoughts as she juggles with all her commitments and she is aware that she is short-changing Emma with her time and that Brian just irritates her. Her best-friend Tiff is her life-saver, her best-friend – really, her only friend. Laura is even distant with her parents. Plus she has a secret.

She has huge gaps in her memory. Despite therapy, despite medication, she just can’t remember and this leaves her anxious and troubled. So Tiff organises a surprise party and to organise the guest list she uses Laura’s Facebook account. Enter Oliver Dunmore, her ex.

Oliver then becomes somewhat involved in Laura’s life and in particular because his wife, Melissa, is missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller and as I read I constructed many scenarios (most of which were wrong). So I must say that the plot was well-structured and kept me guessing and involved. The characters were believable, although I could have strangled Brian. Tiff was just too good to be true, or was she?

My only slight hesitation: I am ever so slightly disappointed by the end – just a bit. However, I have no hesitation in recommending it as it kept me entertained, it is well written and I never guessed how it would end. Job done.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This book was a fun read but I struggled to stay connected with it at times. The main character Louisa was not likable at all nor was she relatable. The author reiterated her new mom status coupled with lack of sleep over and over again until I found myself skimming. Descriptions of her sleep deprivation got boring and repetitive. The plot was intriguing with her former college flame coming back into her life and his wife gone missing but there were many parts that were not realistic to me. It was hard to imagine having your best friend and your husband do some of the things they did behind Louisa's back - I just couldn't connect those dots so to speak. That part of the story line made it seem like they didn't know her at all nor did they have her best interest at heart.
This is my first book to read by Sam Carrington and I would absolutely read more from him this one just wasn't one I loved. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy and opportunity to read.

Lots of people to suspect and dislike in this book. I enjoyed how we gradually got to know more about Louisa's past as the story unfolded. Some good twists or shocks to the reader but then elements that appeared confusing or strange to imagine . Overall a quick, easy read. Recommend when you are wanting something to enjoy that doesn't require too much thinking.

Sorry! There was nothing in this book I liked, other than the enticement of an exciting thriller, which, I’m afraid this isn’t. The summary sounded very interesting, unfortunately, the characters and storyline just didn’t flow and I found the main character of Louisa, frankly, irritating.

I’m sure this will have an audience and I wish it every success for those who enjoy it. Not me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

Another engaging read by Sam Carrington! The Missing Wife had lots of twists and turns and though it wasn't necessarily the most original thriller, I found it to be great entertainment and enjoyed myself reading it.

I was sadly pretty disappointed by this book. I didn’t find any of the characters very likeable at all. Louisa, particularly, was actually quite annoying through most of it. I feel like I should be feeling bad for her but I just didn’t. The plot moved really slowly for me, half way through I found myself skimming through some parts. There seemed to be too much going on and even after finishing I am still sort of left confused about some things. With all that said, it was compelling enough that it made me want to finish and find out what was going to happen. This thriller just wasn’t thrilling enough for me.

Thank you to the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read to this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love this book. First off, she’s a new mom having a hard time with dealing with the needs of a little one. The constant forgetfulness is something I can absolutely understand. As a new mom i def had the “baby brain” and it was nice to read a book that touched on the hardship of being an overwhelmed mom. This was a good mystery/thriller. I kept trying to figure this one out and the outcome was nothing I expected.

Sam Carrington's book, "The Missing Wife,is a complex and gripping psychological thriller. Louisa is a 39 year old woman struggling with a new baby,a stroppy teen aged daughter ,memory loss and an acute lack of sleep. To add to her problems her well-meaning husband and best friend arrange a surprise 40th birthday party for her which is the last thing she wants or needs, The best friend,,Tiff, hacks Louisa's Facebook account and covertly invites some of Louisa's former schoolmates,most of whom she doesn't even recognise at the party. The exception is former boyfriend Oliver and Louisa's already hectic life gets a whole lot more complicated when his new wife apparently disappears at the party. By this time the reader has already witnessed Louisa's confused state as she struggles through life suffering from exhaustion and not trusting her memory,she's suffered from lapses throughout her life. Strange things start to happen and readers are left to decide whether it's Louisa's memory and tiredness problems, something she's hiding ,possible mental issues or someone playing mind games that are the cause of her struggles. Does she have a stalker.......or a Guardian Angel? Are those close to her hiding things from her or is she paranoid? As events spiral out of control and she begins to unravel Louisa's secret past comes back to haunt her and Sue Carrington has her readers wondering who is lying,who is doing what with who,who can Louisa trust and can the reader trust Louisa? That and the odd red herring make for a largely satisfying tale. I say largely as the denouement is more than a bit unbelievable and far too "wordy"before the grand finale. In the manner of certain crime shows on tv the main protagonists lay out their theories and revelations at great length during what should be a tense standoff situation to tidy up the loose ends in the story.
That aside a very good read and I'll certainly read more books by Sue Carrington, if you like Elizabeth Haynes and Gillian Flynn,and there's a nod to the latter in this book,you'll enjoy this.

Big thanks to Sam Carrington, Avon Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.

Really enjoyed reading this book, it has twists and turns in it and it really makes you think of who dunnit.
I loved getting to know the characters and learning their pasts into why they are the way they are.
The ending of the book was great however I didn’t give it a 5 star because some of the parts I thought were a little unbelievable but it didn’t affect how much I enjoyed the book. Such a good read from Sam and thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I had hoped I would, for me it dragged a little at places. It’s well written & strong relatable characters.

It was only ok, i found it dragged a lot and i was starting to skips bit which would be very unusual for me. Louisa kind of grated on me. I was still intrigued to know what happened to her so kept with it but it just was not my style of a thriller.

This psychological thriller follows Louisa, an approaching 40 mother of a teenager and 3 month old baby. When a surprise 40th birthday party is organised for her, a boyfriend from her past turns up. Things become complicated when his wife disappears on the night of the party.
It becomes apparent there are secrets from the past between Louisa and her ex, leading him to have a hold over her. Her relationship between her best friend and husband become difficult with trust being questioned.
This book kept you guessing with a twist at the end. I am unsure of the relevance of her 3 month old baby within the story line and found a small part towards the end slightly far fetched. Overall a good read which I would recommend.

Really enjoyed this one and couldn’t put it down.
I read in 1 day.
I really loved the characters especially Louisa as I could connect with her being a mum to a baby.
Loved the ending, I didn’t give it 5 stars, as I felt the ending confused me and I found it a little unbelievable but that didn’t stop me from feeling satisfied that I had read a good book.
I haven’t read any books by Sam Carrington before but will certainly be reading her other books now.

Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley and of course Sam Carrington for letting me read this book as an ARC. First of Sam's books that I have read and will absolutely read more . Wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, the story revolves around Louisa, a new mom, and also a mom of an 18 yr old. She admits that her new son Noah was an oops as she didn't think she could get pregnant again. She is about to turn 40, her best friend Tiffany and her husband arrange a surprise party for her, and during the pre arranging, she suspects an affair. just so happens all these people at the party, half of them she doesn't know, but one person from her past is not someone she wants to re-acquaint with. Oliver is an old boyfriend from 20 yrs ago and starts to bring up the past and force his way back into Louisa's life.
The characters are well thought out and introduced in a manner to remember who's who. There are twists and turns and sometimes your just not sure who to believe or who actually dunnit. The ending was not what I expected, so good job there. This book is a quick easy read, i did enjoy it

This was a bit of a challenge for me as I didn’t really take to the main character nor was I enthralled by the storyline.

I kept going with the book hoping that the story would improve & grab my attention but sadly it didn’t.

I appreciate the opportunity to read & review this book.

You are an almost 40 yr old mother of a teen and a newborn. Sleep and free time are a luxury. Your husband books an overnight for you and a friend at a spa not far from your house. You arrive and your friend, Tiff wants to get dressed up and go to dinner. Though you have very few friends, your husband has thrown you a surprise party. What would happen if your one friend went on facebook and just invited everyone on your list. This is what happens to Louisa. Hoping for a quiet night, she took some sleeping tabs before dinner but then overwhelmed by seeing all these people, many for the first time in several years, she continues to drink, which makes her blackout and forget everything that happened that night.
Oliver, her ex-boyfriend has shown up at the party and ingratiated himself into Louisa’s life after his wife, Melissa goes missing at the party. The trouble is that no one at the party remembers seeing Melissa and everyone seems to be acting very strange since Oliver showed up. What has really happened to Melissa? What secrets are her friend Tiff and her husband hiding?

Oh my goodness this one was excellent! I have not read any books from Sam Carrington and I am so glad I was able to read this one! Excellent novel and one that you all must read. Go out and get it because I loved it!

This book is an easy read with a hint of thriller. It tries very hard to be a mystery but unfortunately the plot doesn't live up to expectations. There are a lot of coincidences and the stages in the plot jump a lot, they don;t flow or feel connected. The characters are average but there is no real depth and the basis for much of the plot is explained by amnesia.

I enjoyed this book. The story line held my interest and I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it.