Oooh this book was definitely a fun read. Nina has suffered a huge loss, with a husband who is missing and presumed dead, no money to speak of, and two teenagers who need their mother. What's a girl to do?

Thankfully Nina meets Simon, a widower who seems to be everything that Nina's ex is not. He's kind and supportive and he really wants to be there for her family. He sounds perfect? Right?

This is a book that tells you that things are not always as they seem, and just because you love someone doesn't really mean you know them? Who was Nina's lost husband Glen? And who is her new boyfriend Simon?

This book jumps back and forth, mostly between Nina, who is trying to move on with Simon, and Nina's daughter Maggie, who doesn't trust Simon any further than she can throw him.

And while I generally enjoyed this book, I will say that it had the slight ring of a Lifetime movie. Did that ruin the book for me? No. Was I totally overwhelmed by the story and the ending? Not really. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. At the end of the day it's a fun read and definitely makes you question how well you know someone.

The New Husband, quite undeniably, is an absorbing read, albeit frustrating. I do not suffer obtuse women kindly and Nina Garrity is one obtuse woman! The book is too long. It became monotonous. I found myself speed reading to get through the repetitive dialogue. I know it may sound conflicting to use the words absorbing and monotonous in the same review, but it’s the way I felt about this novel. Another added comment, the story is far fetched. I won’t site examples, as they would be spoilers. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and D.J. Palmer for the opportunity to read this book. Wow, what a book it is. It begins with Nina and her children, Connor and Maggie moving in with Simon, Nina’s new boyfriend after her husband disappears. What follows is a twisted story full of suspense. The characters are well developed and realistic, with Maggie being my favourite character. Maggie saw the truth while nobody else did. This book shows the various forms of domestic violence and abuse that can occur in a relationship. If you like being on the edge of your seat and not knowing what will happen next than this book is for you.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and D. J. Palmer for giving me a chance to read this book for an honest review.

OMG! For me this touched on the one subject that many people don't know about and it was psychological abuse...an it showed what someone goes through when there is mental, and emotional abuse going on.

This was a really good book, the only thing I struggled with was how it switch from Nina to Maggie and back again with out really knowing who it was.

Nina discovers her husband is missing and that he has led a double life. Along comes Simon to sweep her off her feet and he is the one that lays the ground work for her to start doubting herself. Her daughter sees the darker side of Simon but Nina isn't sure if it is because she is missing her dad or what.

Soon she is questioning why he wants her to quit her new job, and with the help of therapy starts to question him in general. and because of a tragic event starts to see the darker side.

Another book I finished only to be able to give an honest review. None of this was enjoyable. All unlikable characters, juvenile writing, poorly plotted, and just bad.

Nina, mother to Maggie & Connor, has recently moved her family in with her new love, Simon. She met Simon very quickly after her husband either vanishes or gets murdered. Simon is wildly controlling, and Nina might just be the dumbest fictional character in recent history. Simon is hiding a dark secret- one the reader figures out pretty quickly. Skip this one.

Great psychological thriller! I was tempted to skip to the ending to find out how things turned out but I'm so glad I didn't. Great twists and turns throughout. I also really liked the characters development, Maggie especially. Looking forward to more books by D.J. Palmer in the future.
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This was a twisted thrill ride of a read! So many underlying themes, which only added to the many layers that made this book what it was. I would absolutely recommend naming each person that is narrating, but besides that, I loved the entire thing! Found it brutal and disturbing at times, but that only made me want to read it more! A must read for my fellow thriller fans! Look forward to more from D.J. Palmer, as I do think the author really instills lessons within the novels!
Will make sure I buzz it up!

Nina feels like she has a second chance at life. Her husband Glen disappeared almost 2 years ago and took his secrets with him. Nina is sure he must be dead and is moving on with her life. A new house, looking for a new job, a fresh start for her and her children, and a new love interest. Simon is a schoolteacher and Nina thinks he may be her soul mate and salvation. Her son Conner gets along well with Simon, however, her daughter Maggie loathes him. Is it just because she misses her father and resents her mother for replacing him so quickly? Or could Maggie be the only one who sees Simon's true nature?

There is quite a bit that I would like to say about these characters, but that would be giving too much away. Nina seemed to have maybe left her common sense at her former house, and I found myself shaking my head at many of the decisions she made. I was all about team Maggie though, and I just hoped this girl could catch a break! There is much more to the story than you might imagine, and after the first unexpected twist, they just kept on coming. The first half seemed slow to me, but once I hit the 50% mark, it was a fast-paced read. There were revelations that I guessed before the author reveals, but I was surprised at how far someone would go to become The New Husband.

Wicked psychological thriller. This novel was on another level of twisted. On the edge of your seat read, complimented by a lovely animal family member. Would read another by this author.

This story was disturbingly believable. It kept me engaged from beginning to end. The twists were chilling.

Holy cow! I just finished this book and it was one of the best of this type that I've read in a while. I usually gravitate towards romance or books on the best seller list but this was an unexpected treat. It thought I could guess the ending early but with each twist I was less sure of what was going to happen. The writer had so many directions to choose and they did not ever guess which would be the right one.
The characters are well written and easy to imagine. I truly cared what would happen to these people!
A great ending made the experience even better and extremely satisfying!

Domestic suspense at its best. Although you can see what’s happening to Nina, you can’t stop it and that feeling leaves you tearing through the pages! A great read

I read this author's previous novel, Saving Meghan and loved it so I was really excited to get approved for this latest novel by D.J. Palmer.

I read this book in just a few hours. Not a new storyline and yes, I did find some parts of it to be predictable. And, yet, I didn't put the book down until I finished it (in just aout 3 hours from beginning to end).

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC.

I had a hard time getting through the first third of this book. I almost gave up, but I’m glad I didn’t. Once I hit a major turning point in the story, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up liking it and could definitely see it in movie form.

"The New Husband" was one of the creepiest books I have read. The author does a great job of portraying the sociopathic behaviors of Simon Fitch, the new man in Nina Garrity's life -- his ability to be charming, warm and loving; his manipulative controlling behavior -- isolating her from her friends; manufacturing situations designed to make her doubt herself and portray him as the injured party; manipulating situations so that when Nina's daughter, Maggie, who does not like or trust Simon, tries to raise concerns about Simon to her mother, it appears that Maggie is just being a bratty pre-teen who misses her father (Glen, who has disappeared and had some major secrets); the quick flashes of darkness in Simon quickly hidden by the façade of normalness he is so great at displaying for the world to see. It was pretty obvious early on that Simon likely played a role in the disappearance of Glen Garrity, Nina's husband and Connor and Maggie's father, and that he had likely been watching Nina for some time and/or somehow gained information about her and the family from Glen, as he happened to drive the same truck and use the same cologne as Glen and he just happened to cook Nina's favorite meal the first time he made a meal for her, among other things. However, the truth of what Simon did was much darker and more twisted than I had anticipated. While that is the biggest plot twists, there are some other good surprises in the book. Simon is the most complex character in the book, but Maggie is probably my favorite, with her resilience, ingenuity (with the help of her new friend, Ben), and strength of conviction. If you like psychological thrillers, this book is for you.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Holy crap what a book.. started off a little slow but MORE than made up for it. It was a real rollercoaster. Palmers second book is as great as their first book, Saving Meghan. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

4.5/5

This supercharged thriller begins with a fishing boat, adrift and covered in blood. The sole inhabitant of the boat is a lone dog whose gaze is fixed on the shoreline.

Meet Nina today. Two years ago, her husband Glenn Garrity, went mysteriously missing. He had gone fishing as he was prone to do, and someone came across his boat adrift, with a large amount of blood on board. The family dog, Daisy is on board too and she is unharmed. But there is absolutely no sign of Glenn. The police notify Nina and begin a search for Glenn or most likely his drowned body. Just after the police leave, Nina receives a text with pictures from an unknown source. The picture is of Glenn kissing a waitress named Teresa. All at once she learns her husband is missing and may be cheating on her. But there’s more. She discovers Glenn has drained all their bank accounts, leaving Nina virtually penniless. So, what’s up? Did her husband leave on his own to start a new life with Teresa? Did he drown? Is he the victim of foul play? Bottom line, Glenn’s body has not been found.
Nina, confused and devastated, decides to do what she feels best for her family and move on with her life and the lives of her son and daughter. Lonely and vulnerable, Nina becomes involved with a social studies teacher from the local middle school named, Simon Fitch. Unfortunately, he is a teacher at her daughter, Maggie’s, middle school. Middle school is rough enough without the scandal of your mother moving in with the teacher.

But it’s ok, Nina considers herself a widow. Simon is a widower, and is still grieving the suicide of his second wife and the early death to cancer of his first wife. Simon seems to have found his dream girl in Nina. Nina feels she has met the man she needs. His charm and affections are tender and irrestible. They buy a home and move in together. Now add the children to the “blissful” mix. Nina’s teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been. Glenn was a good man and a good provider, but work and fishing usually took precedent over family. Maggie a bit younger than Connor, is furious that her mother has betrayed the family by bringing a strange man into the home. She doesn’t like him nor does she trust him and she feels certain that her father will return home one day. It’s just too soon to move another man into their home even if he is all that.
Even Nina’s close friends seem to feel the same way and wonder if Simon is supremely devoted, or dangerously possessive. Maggie creates great drama in this new family dynamic and wonders why won’t her mother listen to or believe her over this stranger who seems to pick on her? At least she doesn’t have to have him as her teacher this year.

On the other hand Nina can’t believe how lucky she is since Simon is close to perfect. He’s loving, (to Nina), attentive, respected, handsome and seems and does have a lot of money, more than one might expect from a teacher’s salary. How is that?

The narrative alternates between Nina, Maggie, and another character who is unknown.

As lie after lie begins to unfold, you will not be able to read fast enough to find out what the heck is really going on here.

I’m thinking mini-series to be made from, The New Husband and speculating who will be our stars.

Thank you a Netgally for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book that is surely to be a big hit in 2020

I seem to be inadvertently reading books about domestic violence and this one adds to my list. The book starts out slowly, alternating chapters somewhat between Maggie, a 12-year old daughter and Nina the mom. I liked how the reader slowly discovers the truth about Simon mirroring the sometimes slow inveigling way abusers take over their victims lives. I have to admit I did not see the reveal before it came. My only criticism was I felt the character of Connor could have been better developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy to review.

Do you ever read a book where you just want to shake the main character and tell her to pay attention? Kinda like yelling at the horror movie victims to get out of the house? This book kept me on edge like that. I wanted Nina to come to her senses and really learn about the new man in her life. And the previous man.
I think my favorite character was the youngest one, Maggie was mature beyond her years and, in my mind, was the hero of the story. She looked at life in a very practical way, at least as well as a middle schooler can. I'd love to read another book about her!

Wow, D.J. Palmer has crafted a masterpiece, an utterly chilling novel that will leave you with goosebumps.

Nina, a mother of two, moves in her with boyfriend Simon less than two years after her husband Glen disappears. Nina isn’t sure whether Glen is dead or alive. Nina is trying to move on from the past, and Simon seems like the perfect boyfriend. Her daughter Maggie seems to feel differently. Secrets, lies, betrayals entwine this spine-tingling thriller leaving you to question how well do you really know someone.

The New Husband is the perfect psychological thriller. The epilogue was particularly spectacular. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller.