Excellent! I love when you read a book and it's like you're watching this suspenseful movie. You're so engrossed, you can picture all the characters, time just flies by and you are just immersed in the story. I kept wanting to get back to the story. Nicely done.

With a character who would give Joe from You a run for his money, DJ Palmer has written a harrowing tale of obsessive love taken to the extreme. When Nina’s first husband goes mysteriously missing, she is filled with a sense of betrayal as his secrets continue rising to the surface during the investigation into his disappearance. While continuing to grapple with his absence and the truth of what happened to him, high school teacher Simon swoops in like a heroic gentleman from a Regency era novel.
Simon, who until now has been a fringe acquaintance at best, slithers into Nina and her children’s lives with perfect timing. Nina takes their (too many) coincidental meetings and likes in stride. The near constant symmetry of their personalities and preferences give Nina tinge of uncertainty and doubt that she actively ignores, which at times can be frustrating to the reader. Only thirteen-year-old Maggie seems aware that all is not as it appears. Simon is revered not only in her household, but within their community, and she is the sole person who sees past his carefully crafted façade.
Without giving away much of this psychological thriller, I felt most drawn to Maggie, the friend Ben she makes during the novel, and the dog, Daisy. Nina often aggravated me with the many times she blew off her daughter’s concerns and her impossible desire to have at least the appearance of a happy home life with interloper Simon. As a mother myself to a daughter of similar age, I was often left incredulous and slightly appalled by their interactions. However, without Nina’s staggering doubt, the story would have ended much sooner and the plot would not have moved forward to its exciting and nerve-wracking end.
As others have noted, this is a story that has done before, but Palmer succeeds in coming up with some truly unique ideas and takes it to a whole new level. Unlike other reviewers, I never felt any suspension of belief since the actions always remained true to the characters. The first bit of the book does drag on, but it’s also a necessity to set the scene and shows an accurate portrayal of how an abusive partner gradually and subtly intensifies during the relationship. Taking these pros and cons into consideration, I’m giving this one 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary advance copy. This had no impact on my review.

Very much like a story one might see on a 'Dateline' mystery. Read if you like a little mystery that you know what's happening. Very easy to tell where all things were heading, it just takes awhile to get there and see everyone's viewpoint along the way. Predictable. You'd think she would have figured it out way long before nearly two years had passed. It might have been nice to put the person's name at the chapter headings when the voice is changed. Not sure the title is correct, as they were never married. Thought provoking for women who have met new men with a hazy past
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

The New Husband was a really FUN read. Prepare to suspend reality and DIVE IN!

This book immediately grabbed my attention and kept me turning the pages till the very end. It was pretty far fetched but it still kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. I was clenching my teeth and my heart was racing as I turned the pages which is one of the things I look for in a thriller.

I loved how different this book was from D.J. Palmer’s first novel, Saving Meghan, which was a medical thriller. Great work, 4.25 stars and an author to watch out for!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced eARC of The New Husband.

Talk about twists and turns! While Simon’s “true colors” became evident to me long before the book revealed them, I loved the way the author weaves the story from different viewpoints and really liked Maggie’s essay at the end. I do wish we had some closure where Allison was concerned, but other than that, this book was fantastic and I’ve already passed the name of the book and author on to a few coworkers that love to read!

Having read and enjoyed the author's previous book, Saving Meghan, I was pretty excited about this one - and I wasn't disappointed. The New Husband is completely different from Saving Meghan, but just as twisted.

The first half of this book was somewhat of a slow burn....and then about halfway through - BAM! - we're hit with a reveal that changes everything and has me saying "Wait, what?? Hold on a sec..." and flipping back a couple of pages to make sure I'd gotten it right. From there it's a disturbing, non-stop ride to the twisty end.

Some quick character impressions:
Nina: Most of the time, I wanted to grab Nina by the shoulders, shake her, and tell her to get her mental shit together so she could see what was going on. The amount of gaslighting that goes on - that she accepts! - is mind-blowing.

Simon: I had an immediate, almost visceral reaction to Simon. The minute he appeared on the page, I was like ugh, this guy - and not once throughout the story did that opinion change.

Maggie: Oh, Maggie. The true hero of this story. I wanted so badly for Nina to believe the things Maggie was bringing to her attention.

Connor: I would have liked to have seen Connor support his sister, rather than immediately assuming she was just being "dramatic."

As the reader, your best bet is to go into this one as blind as you can so you can enjoy it for what it is - a crazy ride of a psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A mysterious empty boat, --- but is that blood?

A move with an upset teenager

A new relationship

New beginnings can be scary!!

Wait - a discovery!

Choices made, poor choices- choices for survival - choices for family
choices create change.

OOO-MMM-GGGEEE! Oh gosh! Lord ham Mercy! Is this book ever full of so many twists, turns, deceit, manipulation and a whole lot of cray! Nina's life is turned upside down when her husband, Glen goes missing and a good samaritan named Simon brings back the family dog Daisy, who was on the husband's trip. Simon casually stays around and immerses himself into Nina's life along with this of her two children, Connor (who likes him) and Maggie (who does not). Nina feels her life is getting back on track with Simon and Nina even finds a job, against Simon's better judgment; but Maggie is out to prove Simon shouldn't be a part of their lives and she has several reasons why, all going back to her dad Glen. Is Glen really dead? Who should Nina trust? These are just a few of the questions in this action-paced suspense thriller. Plus it has "OMG" moments and "Holy moly, did that just happen" also.

This was finally, in my opinion, a worthy 5 star review thriller/suspense book. I have read some mediocre thrillers this year and this was a pleasant change. It wasn't predictable. The characterization was great and so was the story. You will go through the whole span of emotions with this one, I sure did!.

Thanks to DJ Palmer, the publisher and NetGally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I definitely want to read more by DJ Palmer if her books are as good as this was. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did!

I was super excited to read this one ! Thank you so much @netgalley for this arc which I read in two days !
Nina Garrity, Mother to two teenagers is informed that her husband Glen has been declared dead following a boat accident!
His body has never been recovered however !
Fast forward 18 months and we find Nina, her two children and Simon Fitch ( new boyfriend and teacher at her daughters school) moving into a new “family” home!
Connor ( son) immediately bonds with Simon, whereas Maggie sees a darker side to Simon and doesn’t like him . She still holds out hope that her father will return!
I was totally involved with all the characters up to this point and couldn’t wait to find out how they would all blend together with Simon!
Nina returns to work in her field as a social worker and this is where the story turns dark as she uncovers some not so rainbow filled information on Simon !
This is where I started to lose interest as I could predict exactly where this was going and how it was all going to end !
I was almost disappointed when it just so happens that I was right!
This is a great book and I would recommend in a heartbeat!
It’s just that for me, being such a thriller seeker I may have read too many books and find that I can predict accurately how it’s going to end ! I want to be left with my head spinning at the end of a thriller !!!! Give me a book that makes me lose sleep due to its ending ;)
With that said , I would definitely read another one of this author’s book as I was rushing home to keep reading ;)

Hmm... This book seems to be rather polarizing, though I tend to think that the overwhelmingly positive reviews are in reaction to the negative ones, and vice versa? I'm firmly in the middle here. It wasn't offensively bad, but it also wasn't anything to write home about, or anything that will stick with me past... finishing it. I liked the relationship between Maggie and her mother, but I think it went overboard, asking too much of its readers in terms of suspension of disbelief. I think it reads a little immature, but that could also be due to a large part of it being told by a teenager.

D.J. Palmer The New Husband is the perfect way to spend a cold winter day. It’s roller coaster ride through the lives of Nina and her family will warm you soul. Her first husband has been missing for years and there’s a new man in her life. Every thing seems rosey with her new love Simon until her daughter Maggie just can’t deal with this new guy. Things move quickly and you will be flipping pages to the very end.

This book started out a little slow but picked up quickly. About 2/3 of the way in you could pretty much figure out what was going to happen. In spite of that, I really enjoyed this read. It was well written and kept my attention. I wanted to keep reading to see how the author pulled it all together.

This story didn’t break any new ground, as far as thrillers go, but it was still a fun, quick read.
Two years after her cheating husband goes missing, Nina feels like she is finally getting her life back on track. She has recently moved in with a wonderful new man, Simon, who adores her and her two kids. Simon is thoughtful, generous and eager to spend all of his time taking care of his new family. The only problem is that Nina’s daughter, Maggie, HATES him for trying to replace her dad. She is also certain he has a darker side to him and is hell-bent on convincing her mom that Simon isn’t who he claims to be.
Little by little, Nina begins noticing troubling things in her relationship with Simon - she isn’t spending time with her friends, she’s changing her appearance to please him, he’s pressuring her to quit her job - and she begins looking into Simon’s disturbing past. After Maggie’s life is put at risk, Nina can no longer ignore that Simon is not only controlling, but possibly dangerous.
I found this book entertaining and exciting, if not not very surprising. I would recommend it to people who enjoy fun, easy psychological thrillers.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Nina's husband disappears and evidence leads her and the police to believe he probably abandoned the family due to secretly losing his job two years before his disappearance. Within a couple of months of her husband's disappearance, Nina is in a committed relationship with "too good to be true" Simon, a teacher at her daughter Maggie's school. Maggie is very upset about the relationship for a number of reasons and now, two years into the relationship, friction between Maggie and Simon is just one of the problems Nina is facing.

The story started out slowly, with Nina allowing Simon to pretty much dictate how things were in the relationship but when Nina rekindles her career, Simon starts showing his true colors. Maggie blames Simon for misunderstandings, missed appointments, and other things going on in the household although Nina doesn't want to believe he's causing these problems. But as Nina realizes that Simon does seem to be trying to keep Nina away from her family, friends, work, and anything that keeps her from him, she decides to look further into her husband's disappearance and further into Simon's past, a past that he doesn't want to talk about.

Once Nina develops a backbone and starts thinking for herself, the story got better for me. Maggie is a delight, a smart, creative, young lady with a mind of her own. Her father's abandonment of the family, along with schoolmate jealousies, has her being bullied at school but she's smart enough to know that she has done nothing wrong. She is also smart enough to become friends with Ben, another intelligent, funny, kind, loner...they become best friends and this gives Maggie a stability she doesn't have a home.

Sadly, the last part of the story had me rolling my eyes more than Maggie does, behind Simon's back. Nina gets dumb and I can't stand it when characters start doing dumb stuff and keep on doing dumb stuff. She even knows she's doing it and says so over and over that she needs to do something differently, in italics! During this time in the book, all the kudos go to Daisy and that's all I'm going to say.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow! This book takes you on such a wild ride. Nina's new boyfriend is too good to be true. Or is he?? After her husband Glen disappears/dies, Nina falls in love with Simon. He is everything and more ~ handsome, kind, thoughtful, a good provider. This is a crazy concept but it works. It was so hard to put this book down because you wanted to keep reading to see what was going to occur next. In your wildest dreams, you would never imagine the events that occur. Is Simon really the perfect one? Why doesn't Nina's daughter like him? What really happened to her husband Glen? A great mystery that gets better with each turn of the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this unpredictable ride of a book! Simon is the definition of a gaslighter, and you'll be rooting against him. Thanks again for this read!

I liked this book even though it seemed to start off slowly.. Keep at it (or it may not seem slow to you) once the story gets really going its great. Nina is enjoying a middle class, two children and a husband happy life, In an instant that changes. Her husband is missing presumed dead. Everything she learns from that day forward about her husband and their life will leave her devastated. All she knew as truth is not.
A new man enters into her life. sweeping her off her feet.. She's not sure she can commit to marriage but she decides her and the two children will share a house with him. Her new love Simon, treats her like a queen. However, even though her son loves him her middle school age daughter Maggie, hates him. She will not cooperate with even trying. Worse yet for her daughter the new man in her mothers life is a teacher at her school. Ostracized by her best friends or who she thought were her best friends, Maggie tries to figure out how to make her mom see that this new man, Simon, is a really bad man. Her brother says she's a drama queen and to get with it but Maggie sets out to prove she's right. Everything she finds Simon explains away easily but he also gives pay back she soon learns. He is not too trifle with and she could end up in a very bad place. She must continue to try non the less. Nina may have caught a glimpse of what her daughter saw as evil and mean but passes it off as imagined. A mistake. This book has good characters, strong story line and once into it you can't put it down. There definitely are surprises! Thank you NetGalley, D.J. Palmer and St Martin Press NY for allowing me to read this ARC this is my honest opinion.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm not sure how I feel after this book. This was so twisted and disturbing. I can see this as a Lifetime TV movie. Nina's husband goes missing without a trace, and no signs he is still alive. So she tries to move on with Simon. I immediately didn't trust him, but wasn't expecting how sick things would get. It was a good read, but not a favorite of mine.

You will be drawn in by this suspenseful thriller from the very beginning!

Nina's husband is missing after after going on a fishing trip and never being found. Nina tries to move on with a new man and start a new life. Let the real suspense and creepiness begin!

If you love thrillers then I definitely recommend this story!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Thank for NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy of this book. I had read Saving Meghan by the same author so I was excited to read this one.

The main character, Nina, is a mother with two teenage children, Maggie and Connor.. Her husband, Glen, disappeared 17 mothers before and is presumed dead. There are secrets discovered as his disappearance is investigated - he apparently had been involved with another woman and had lost his job 2 years before, without letting his family know.

Nina gets involved with the Social Studies teacher at her children's school, Simon Fitch. Nina becomes very dependent on Simon financially, due to the state of her husband's affairs. They move in together but Maggie is very distrustful of Simon. Part of the story is told in Maggie's perspective. She has seen a side of him that he does not show to her mother. Maggie has also been the subject of bullying at school and is having a rough time, even without the added stress of the teacher's relationship with her mother. When Nina goes back to work to gain some financial independence, all hell starts to break loose at home.

The story builds and builds to a explosive finale. I literally could not stop reading it until I finished it. I highly recommend this book.