After Nina's husband Glen disappears without a trace while fishing, leaving debt and betrayal behind him, Nina is ready for a new start. Simon seems perfect-- a history teacher at her children's school, willing to provide for her and her family, becoming the kind of father to them that they've never had. But Nina's daughter Maggie isn't so easily fooled. Something just seems off about Simon, glimpsed in a rare moment of temper, and Maggie is determined to show her mother the monster he's trying to hide.
This is truly the most disturbing psychological thriller I've read in a while. I was hanging on every word to see what crazy thing Simon would do next, and how much he could get away with and still have Nina stand by him. Then a major twist came halfway through the book that just left me speechless and changed everything. I absolutely could not put this book down!
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Publisher's description: Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you know them.

Nina Garrity learned that the hard way after discovering that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But Glen's gone—presumably drowned while fishing on his boat—so she can't confront him about the affair or any of his other misdeeds. A year and a half after the accident, Nina considers herself a widow, even though the police never found a body. Following a chance encounter with Simon Fitch, a teacher from her daughter Maggie's middle school, Nina finds love again and has hopes of putting her shattered life back together.

Simon, a widower still grieving the suicide of his first wife, has found his dream girl in Nina. His charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina's teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, but Maggie sees a far darker side to this new man in their lives. Even Nina’s good friends wonder if Simon is supremely devoted—or dangerously possessive.

But Nina is committed, not only to her soon-to-be new husband but also to resuming her former career as a social worker. Before she can move forward, however, Nina must first clear her conscience that she's not making another terrible choice in a man. In doing so, she will uncover the shocking truth: the greatest danger to her, and her children, are the lies people tell themselves.

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"The New Husband" is the first book I have read by D.J. Palmer, and I'm undecided on whether I will read more. I'm giving this one 2.5 stars (which rounds up to 3) stars. I am sure some readers will love it, as demonstrated by some of the other reviews, but I have really mixed feelings.

***SPOILERS EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT***

Let's start with what I did like. This felt like a new take on an old topic for thrillers. I've read so many novels that start with someone missing, presumed dead, and the book (or movie for that matter) solves the mystery along the way. The difference here is that the book started with the presumed-dead husband, but the wife had already moved on and the book really isn't about what happened to the husband at the start. It's about who the wife had chosen to move on with. In this case, Nina was no longer mourning her "dead" husband Glen. She had fallen in love with Simon and had just moved in with him. Some think it was too soon a year and a half after her husband's death/disappearance, but you can't put a timeframe on fate, right? I was intrigued for sure, and that's what kept me reading.

Where the book fell down for me was that the author gave too much away too soon, which kind of ruined the thrill aspect. I knew from the very first chapter that Glen wasn't dead (it was too obvious), and in chapter 8 (13% into the book), I had figured out that Simon had something to do with Glen's disappearance and that his appearance in Nina's life was no happy accident. It was obvious when Simon started pressuring Nina to change her hair to mimic a model in a magazine that he wanted her to look like someone from his past, and I suspected it was his first wife. There were so many red flags that he wasn't who he pretended to be. Nina -- the licensed social worker -- didn't notice them, constantly making excuses for things that seemed off at first, but her middle school daughter knew that something was wrong? Not very believable. And of course, I was right. I knew all of it before it happened. Even to the point where I knew at the end of the book that, when Nina went to Simon's lake house to look for her missing dog, she was going to linger too long, she was going to find Glen hidden in the secret room in Simon's basement, and Simon was going to get there and trap them both. Of course, the police detective who came to check things out didn't have backup and ended up getting killed, and Nina had to power through and save the day. The idea was intriguing, but the execution was so cliche.

Now for the writing style itself. First and foremost, I just wasn't crazy about the author's "voice," for lack of a better description. It didn't sound like a person really talks and felt like the author was trying too hard. Then there were the points of view for each chapter. Another reviewer mentioned this as well. The chapters rotate -- Nina, Maggie (the daughter), Simon, Glen -- but Maggie's chapters were all in the first person. I also would have preferred if the chapter breaks indicated whose point of view we were in as the chapter title. Chapter 1 would have actually been a prologue since it's 17 months before the rest of the book, but then Chapter 2: Nina, Chapter 3: Nina, Chapter 4: Nina, Chapter 5: Maggie, etc. And the book has an Epilogue of Maggie's college essay (so YEARS later). Maybe this was why Maggie's chapters were in the first person, because her essay would be in the first person, but I found the whole chapter to be preachy and irrelevant, so it really wasn't necessary to make her chapters first-person point of view.

There were also number of elements that would require a pretty substantial rewrite.

Chapter 1 started with Anthony Strauss finding Glen's abandoned boat with blood all over the deck and the dog barking at something on the shoreline. We had no idea who Anthony was, and he never appeared anywhere else in the book. If he was so non-essential, the police should have found the boat, or Nina, or one of the kids, someone who had standing in the story. As I mentioned, the boat was covered in blood, but the police never found a body, so they assume Glen drowned? "The deck was covered in deep red. How odd, Anthony thought, until his mind clicked over. A gasp rose in his throat as a sickening realization set in. Anthony had gutted plenty of fish in his day, but none had ever bled like that." And Nina tells her therapist later that they ALL thought Glen had drowned. Umm...how was a blood-covered boat NOT a suspected murder scene?

Simon had two previous wives (not one, as indicated in the description). Allison ran off and was never heard from again, and Emma committed suicide. We heard a lot about Allison, but no one ever finds out where she went or what happened to her. Since she's the start of Simon's story, I think it's pretty important that Nina find her during the course of this book. And at one point while she was in Simon's lake house, Nina saw three photos in on the wall, all looking eerily similar. She identified her own photo and Emma's, but she looked at the first photo and whispered "Who are you?" WHAT?! Nina had talked to her therapist about Allison! She knew about Allison! (I suspect it's possible that the original storyline only had one ex-wife, based on the description, and the second ex was added, but then the book needs some serious editing.)

Finally, while Nina, Simon, and Glen were all in the secret room where Glen was held captive, Simon told Nina about $200,000 in cash in the closet upstairs. It was Emma's money, and thanks to her will, now it was Simon's money, and they can take it and run away together. Once Nina killed Simon and Glen was on the mend in the hospital, Glen and Nina were talking about what they were going to do, and Nina said they would rebuild. Glen wanted to know how because he didn't have a job, and up until very recently, Simon had provided for Nina (she had just gone back to work as a social worker because she didn't want to rely on anyone else to support her family, so she really didn't have anything.) Nina smiled and told Glen that when she went upstairs to call the police, she looked for the money in the closet and put it in her car. Glen told her she was a clever girl, and Nina said they "deserved" the money. She planned to fund drug treatment in Emma's brother's name (he died of a drug overdose), provide for the police detective's widow, and fund an effort to find Allison. Considering that she and Glen had no money to speak of, they expected that $200K to go pretty far. But despite the fact that she had charitable plans for some of the money, just the fact that she took it because they deserve it and Glen went with it, in my opinion, made them both instantly unsympathetic.

That's my take on this one. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title will be available for purchase on April 14, 2020.

Oh holy f***. The book starts out with a bang and slowly ratchets up the tension and suspense while making me want to scream at Nina the entire time. The amount of gaslighting she accepts without question, the disbelief in Maggie, the excuses...it all frustrated me so much but I could also understand how easy it is for others to fall victim to a similar trap. Thanks to the author, I’ll now distrust any guy I ever meet and question my memory of past conversations. I had one small issue with the ending related to the police officer, but otherwise, this book succeeding in making me want to keep reading late into the night...with one eye open.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first part of the book was pretty slow. It took me awhile to get through the book, I stopped reading it several times wondering if I wanted to finish it. I did finish it because I wanted to know how it was going to end.
The story is very creepy/twisty as you get about half way in. In my head I was wondering about a few different ways this could be going but the way it went really surprised me.
An interesting mystery/suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat....
I have to say I didn’t dislike this book, it just wasn’t a favorite.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Never wanted to put this book down. Such a good thriller! I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I didn't read reviews before I read this because when a book is labeled a thriller, I don't want to have spoilers revealed. But I did read a lot of reviews before starting mine because I wanted to see if people noticed the same things I did.

To me, it was odd that when we were in Nina's perspective we were in the third person, but when we were in her daughter Maggie's perspective, we were in the first person, and I imagine that was difficult to write switching narratives as such. Also, I didn't love how suddenly a chapter would be Maggie's perspective, but we only know that from reading the text (it would be nice to let the readers know, hey, I'm switching perspectives and narrative here for a chapter...) Connor wasn't much of a character, yes he came into play later on in the book, but he was mostly just there, and that's okay because this really is Maggie and Nina's story. Randomly, what 13-year-old calls a remote a clicker?

And I'm trying to avoid spoiling for other people but come on, the creep vibes were from the start! And I thought that was really interesting of Palmer to not create an air of mystery but rather flat out start with this vibe, that screamed danger, no thank you, move along! And I'm left wondering if I'm the only one that sees this or not because I'm not seeing it in the other reviews I'm reading.

This quote is the perfect tagline for the book "Just because you love someone doesn't mean you know them." Because yes, yes, Nina, yes. Get on board with the program Nina. I've written all this and noticed I didn't do my normal summary, and I think you get the gist from the summary that there's a lot of creep, a lot of signals being ignored, children being ignored, and there's an excellent vibe coming off this book that says "definitely read me but be prepared we're going to get weird in some elements of the writing style and with the story itself." Bare with it, it is a bit slow in some places but it does get better. Well Done. Thank you St. Martin's Press for this little gem, I tend to always dig their reads so that's why I request them a lot.

I absolutely loved this book! I love characters where I just love to hate them and that was exactly Simon! It’s a roller coaster of a ride from the start! It always kept me up late not waiting to stop reading and when I did I would pick it right back up! I loved Saving Meghan but this one really upped the game in the domestic thriller category!! It’s a must read!!!

OMG insanely good is the best way I can describe this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow I was hooked from the first page and cheering daughter Maggie on with her suspicions about her weird, creepy future stepdad!!!!!!! Nina's husband had a boating accident but there is no body to be found. After 2 yrs she has him declared dead so she and her two children can move on with their lives without their father and husband. She has met a new man who seems amazing to her and her son. Maggie her daughter does not like him though and is very suspicious of him. He seems way too good to be true and as most of us know that means he usually is. This new man is a manipulative, controlling freak and you will be reading this one well into the night to find out what happens. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪💫𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘕𝘌𝘞 𝘏𝘜𝘚𝘉𝘈𝘕𝘋⁣
Thank you to @stmartinspress, @djpalmerauthor and @netgalley for this gifted copy of #thenewhusband, in exchange for an honest review. ⁣(physical book and e-ARC both received) ⁣
Boy, this book makes me really glad I’ve been happily married for 15 years now. I don’t think I could handle dating! People really know how to wrap up their crazy and bring it out once you’re sucked in. No, thank you, sir. I will take my sane husband and our normal life, and enjoy reading books about those crazy people in my comfy sweatpants. ⁣
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Nina Garrity is a wife and mom whose life has been turned upside down by her husband, Glen. Glen, a workaholic, has also had a completely secret life Nina knew nothing about. When Glen goes missing after a bloody accident, and no one knows if he is alive or dead, Nina moves on with her life. With her children, Maggie and Connor, Nina moves in with Simon Fitch. Simon is the perfect man who ticks all the boxes. Attentive, loving, anticipates her needs, surprises her with gifts...the whole package. Allegedly. ⁣
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Maggie suspects Simon is not as perfect as he seems to be, and as events unfold, she is convinced Simon is a terrible person trying to destroy their lives. But how can she prove it? ⁣
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What happened to Glen? How deep can a person’s obsession go? How far can a manipulator go to get what he wants? ⁣
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Find out 4/14/20 when The New Husband is out! Put this twisty thriller on your TBR list! ⁣

Thank you Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
To say this story is filled with mind-fuckery would honestly be an understatement.
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Nina is a newly single mother of two - Maggie & Connor. You see her husband Glen is missing. At first you think he had a serious boating accident, come to find out he lost his job 2 years ago and never told his family. And to top it off he was having an affair, a friend of the woman told Nina.
At a time in life when Nina was really and truly vulnerable, Simon entered her and the kids lives like a knight in shining armor. Except Maggie, she was always hopeful her dad, Glen, would return. Also there was something truly unsettling to Maggie about Simon... she just couldn't put her finger on it; or get any one in her family to believe her.
As this tale unraveled to say I was angry towards Nina would be a lie. I mean in my eyes she kept putting her happiness with this new man, before her children. I mean she met Simon weeks, 2 months at the latest, after Glen left. They started a quick and fast paced romance; ending with them moving into a new house together just shy of 2 years of Glen being MIA. But there are always two sides to these stories. Maggie could have been upset about Simon just because she wanted her real father.
Low and behold as this story neared the ending, I could not put this book down. I was truly enthralled with DJ's writing. This story really reels the readers in towards the end. You get a good up-close and personal look at crazy.

Wow! I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. While I did figure out what happened early on in the book, the author had so many other twists that it didn't matter. The characters are well-written, with uncommon depth. The author draws the reader in, baiting them to become emotionally involved. I was interested until the very end.

This was a book I loved, especially for it's relatability. Even if you love someone, they can still be a stranger. Do you ever, or can you ever, really know anyone down to their core?

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I had high expectations for this read but after a slow start the book picked up mid way through and then I felt as if the conclusion was also a bit drawn out. The writing and the characters seemed exaggerated and "overacted" for lack of a better word. Certainly some people prefer this type of read, and although there were parts of the book where I couldn't put it down, others seemed to drag by and I didn't want to finish it. I probably would not chose to read other books by the same author, mostly because the writing doesn't seem my particular style.

I am on the fence with this one-although there was a great twist in the middle of this book-- it truly dragged at the beginning and I found the main character and most all characters except for Maggie and her friend Ben very unlikeable. It was just a little too cliche and quite unbelievable at times.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

Nina Garrity’s husband is presumed dead. He took out his boat fishing and it was recovered with their family dog and lots of blood. A year and a half later, Nina and her children, Maggie and Connor, are still struggling with what happened. A body was never recovered so Nina is still technically married. While trying to put the pieces together she discovers that her husband was having an affair and had been unemployed for quite sometime without her knowledge.

Simon, a widower, still grieving the loss of his wife to suicide, is a teacher at the school Nina’s kids go to. When he brings home the family dog after it runs away, Simon and Nina start up a friendship that quickly leads to romance. Nina knows that it seems rather sudden after losing her husband but Simon is attentive and affectionate and Nina falls in love quickly. Connor is all for it, he enjoys having a father figure in Simon, one that he didn’t have with his own father. Maggie on the other hand is leery. She has seen Simon angry and it scared her. She just doesn’t trust him.

This is an intense, dark, and twisted psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The plot is well thought out and flows well. The story alternates between differing perspectives but it is still easy to follow. Although the story starts out a bit slow, it quickly picks up speed and is hard to put down. The reader is definitely left with the questions, Just how well do you know your husband? and How much should you trust your children’s instincts? Great read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, WOW! I found this book a little slow in the beginning but I am glad that I kept reading. This one will really make you stop and make you question all of your relationships - past and present - and how well you really know someone - or don't!! After the first few chapters, I could not sleep until I was finished. Then, I couldn't sleep because I had finished! Definitely a good, intense read that I enjoyed and recommend if you like psychological thrillers!!
#Thenewhusband
#d.j.palmer
#NetGalley

Genre: Mystery and Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: April 14, 2020

Mini Review

After minor hand surgery, I wanted an easy read to keep my mind off the discomfort. (Please forgive me if this review is not up to par; typing is still a challenge). I wanted easy, but this book is, well, sophomoric. I know many other ARC reviewers enjoyed this one, but once again, I am in the minority. However, this time I am not completely alone. As Goodreads reviewer Meredith puts it, this book reads like a Lifetime movie. Those were my exact thoughts on this one. (I had already written this before reading her review). You know what I mean, with movie titles such as “Sleeping with the Devil” or “Escaping My Stalker,” etc. you know you are watching a film that will be somewhere between a weepy melodrama and a campy thriller focusing on the various ways women suffer by men who first charm them until they show their true colors.

“House” revolves around a single mom with two kids. Her husband has been missing for two years. His family and the police assume he is dead. The wife lets a new man into her life. He moves in, gets along with her teenage son, but not with her middle school-aged daughter. That is really all you need to know because, from the moment, the new husband begins keeping her from her friends, you know exactly what you’re reading. Of course, there are twists, though, in my opinion, unbelievable ones. Like a Lifetime movie, this novel can feel like mindless entertainment to be read when you want to keep your mind off real life. Since the novel accomplished this for me, as lame as it is, I feel obligated to give it two out of five stars.

"The New Husband", by DJ Palmer, is a quick mystery read that may ultimately leave you scratching your head at the end.

Nina thought she had a happy marriage to her husband, Glen, until the day he disappeared. Because Glen vanished from his boat, the police naturally assume that Glen is dead. and Nina begins to find acceptance that she is likely a widow raising her two teenage children. Enter Simon....the charming, kind middle school teacher who catches Nina's eye. In the beginning, Simon is everything that Nina wants, and then some. Devoted, kind, caring, and protective, he initially fits seamlessly into their lives. However, it is not long before Simon begins to display a dark side, particularly around Maggie, Nina's daughter. What initially came across as devotion and safety is not skating perilously close to obsession. Soon, incidents in Nina's life that she had attributed to bad luck or her own choices, now seem to point back to Simon. It isn't until Maggie makes a startling discovery that the train starts to go off the rails. Is Glen actually dead, or has he disappeared for a reason? And does Simon have information about what that reason might be?

While this story did keep me engaged, it was ultimately disappointing. I found it to be extremely predictable, and also very convoluted. So many of the questions that I had at the end of the story were not answered. If you are looking for a quick read, this fits the bill. However, it is not going to impress you with its twists and turns. What you see is what you get.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for answering my request to read and give an honest opinion on this book.
Wow....what a story...you think you have a handle on the direction this story will take. You think you have all the characters figured out. When about halfway through the book a bucket of cold water is thrown in your face. The story of Nina, Glenn, and Simon is weaved so well by the author..she really gives us so much insight and completes all story lines. I really enjoyed Maggie's chapters and her thought process. A truly dark tale of how a person can manipulate situations to meet their end goal.

This was my first book by DJ Palmer but won't be my last! This thriller makes the reader question how well they really know the person they are sharing their life with. Told through alternating points of view, this thriller kept me guessing for quite a while. I loved that there were things that happened that I didn't expect. I really enjoyed the characters of Maggie and her friend Ben, as well as the author wove bullying into the story. Well done and I will look for more by this author. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.