I read The New Husband by D.J. Palmer as part of a buddy read, and it was really fun to be able to discuss the book with a whole bunch of my closest Bookstagram friends. This will be a super short review because I don’t want to say too much and give any of the story away.

This was a quick read that gets nice and twisty near the end. I felt it was paced fairly well and I binged it in one sitting. Nina Garrett is a single mother of two (due to some pretty crazy circumstances) and when a new man enters her life and seems absolutely perfect she doesn’t question it too much…until things start happening that she just can’t ignore or reason away anymore.

Do be warned that this book is full of emotional spousal abuse along with some other truly heinous acts.

3.5*
The new husband...what if he’s just too good to be true!? What if he just wants you to think that!?

For Nina it’s time to move forward. Her not exactly devoted husband has been gone for close to two years now. He vanished into thin air – not necessarily a bad thing! But he’s left Nina with a big ZERO in her accounts and plenty of questions still unanswered.

She’s met a new man Simon and feels confident he’s the one. A real keeper! Due to Nina’s lack of income and savings she makes the easy decision to move into a new home with Simon (along with her two teenage kids Maggie and Connor). And it’s no stretch to say the new family is far from happy!

There were sections of this book that had me riveted. Shocking revelations! Real jaw-dropping moments.

But there were also points in the story that had me rolling my eyes. Nina’s apparent weaknesses, to be precise. I also stumbled when the story-line switched to Maggie’s POV. Sorry, just too YA for me.

But, overall it was a fun thriller that managed to shock me, and made for the perfect spring/summer read.

A buddy read with Susanne whose detective cap was working much better than mine! She had it all figured out! Lol!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC to read and review.

first thank you to St Martins press and the author for gifting me an arc. this review is by no way required or influenced.
first off i loved it.. but and yes there is a but. halfway threw the story i saw or knew what was happening and wanted to smack or yell at the MC but at the same time in a way i was a little off track.. I have read D.J Palmer's debut Saving Meghan and love that one also, his writing and story telling is amazing kinda predictable but no really.. there's always a twist that you just didn't see coming.. so its a definite recommended book. if you like twist turns a bit a predictability but not really because the story takes a whole different turn then this is the book for you.

Loved this one! Creepy for sure. Remind me to never remarry if my marriage doesn't last forever. My book club is reading The New Husband this month, and I cannot wait to discuss.

2.5 stars
I was so anxious for this book. Having read [book:Saving Meghan|40122065] and enjoyed it I thought I was in for quite a ride. When I cracked open this book I saw that it too was told from alternative perspectives; once again a mother and a daughter. And I wondered if we the readers would once again be led to choose which version of events to believe. But it was quite apparent almost immediately that it is young Maggie who steals the show. Nina in her naivete is at times exhausting. I mean a middle schooler can figure things out why can't you? For me as a mystery reader I like surprises. From the outset we know who the bad guy is. The synopsis pretty much tells us all we need to know. I guess I got hopeful when Glen disappeared because I thought we would have a mystery to wrap our heads around: Did he run away with his mistress? Get caught up in some nefarious dealings where he needed to fake his death? Or was he spending time with the fishes at the bottom of the lake? But readers don't have long to dally in these waters. This mystery is wrapped up with a pretty bow at just about the halfway point of the book. So what do you do during the other 188 pages? You wait for Nina to come to her senses while you bang your head up against the wall.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and DJ Palmer for access to this book.</i>

I love this book! DJ Palmer does it again. Although different from Saving Meaghan, The New Husband keeps you wanting to find out more. Nina's life is turned upside down when her husband Glen disappears. In walks a knight in shining armor or so she thinks. Simon the cool, middle school teacher gives Nina a new life. The move in together and although her son Connor grows fond of Simon, Maggie her younger daughter is very suspicious of him. This book takes you through them getting comfortable in their new lives, finding ways to adapt and discovering that nothing is as it seems.

This book was given a high rating here on GoodReads, a 3.98. With all the good ratings I just had to read this book!
This book hooked me in the the first chapter… A fishing boat found drifting on a lake with just a dog on board, nothing else but blood… lots of blood.
I really liked the way this mystery/domestic thriller started out in chapter one. After chapter one the book is centered on the main character Nina, mother of two, with a missing husband. Seventeen months after her husband went missing Nina is dating Simon, a divorced history teacher. Nina and Simon buy a house together and co-habitat before they get married. Nina's teen daughter Maggie really can’t stand Simon. There’s something off about him and she tries to get her mother to see what she see’s.
There is a lot going on between all the character’s in this book. As the book unfolds, we are slowly given details of each characters life, past and present. Readers can see what’s really going on by halfway through the book. I found myself getting frustrated by the characters. Nina was always questioning herself, and I saw her as a weak character (and so many contradictions with Nina's character). I’ve been seeing that a lot in mystery thrillers/domestic thrillers and I’m growing tired of it. I want to see strong women, not weak, clueless ones. I found this book was very dark and disturbing by the end. It started out good but lost its magic as the story went on. I’m in the minority of readers here on my rating, but I’m giving it a two star review.
*A very special thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.*

Nina's husband disappeared, presumed dead, also presumed a cheater. As Nina tries to support her children, a new man comes into their life, seemingly lifting Nina up from her misery. But some sinister signs become too glaring to ignore, forcing Nina to confront her past and present.

I really wanted to like this book. The problem with it, for me at least, is that there are so many books out there with similar themes, that an author has to put a surprising spin on the story for me to like it. Palmer's book felt so predictable, and so obvious. I was able to call essentially every twist chapters before it happened.

My name is Maggie Garrity and I'm thirteen years old. I live in Seabury, New Hampshire, and unfortunately, today is moving day. My mom, older brother Connor, and mom's new boyfriend Simon will be moving in together. I don't want Simon to move in with us, he's taking my Dad's place, and I don't want that to happen because I know my dad is alive and he'll come for his family. Seventeen months ago my dad went on a fishing trip with our golden retriever Daisy. Daisey is the only one that came home that day. The police don't know what happen to my dad on the boat, but they think he's dead and my mom and brother do too. Mom told us that Dad was having an affair with a waitress, and he cleaned out the bank accounts and our college funds. I know my dad worked long hours, so mom is the one that did most of the parenting, but there has to be a reason why my dad would do this. Mom thinks I'll come around and accept Simon, but I won't. He's not the good guy everyone thinks he is, and I'm going to prove it to mom and Connor.

I've seen mixed reviews on this book and I was worried that it would be a slow burner as other reviews have mentioned. I'm pleased to say that it kept my interest and I felt for poor Maggie. She's still processing the fact that her father is most likely is dead, and her mother is moving on with another man. It doesn't help the fact that Simon puts his two cents in on everything concerning the children. Nina is convinced Simon is the perfect man and seems to think just a little time will heal all their wounds, and they'll be a happy family. But is Simon the man she thinks he is or is he a man to be feared?

This book was sort of hard to make it through. It was very predictable and just didn't seem like it all connected, or something. I kept reading to see it through to the end because I felt invested, but this is probably not a good read for someone who enjoys suspense, thriller, or anything similar. It might be better for readers who typically enjoy light reads.

This was an amazing thriller that had me reading into the night!
If your looking for a domestic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole book than this is for you!

This is the first DJ Palmer book that I've read and I liked it! Nina's husband Glen went missing mysteriously and she discovered that he had been leading a double life. A few years later, Nina has found a widower who seems like the perfect match for her. But is he really as good as he seems?

I did not find this story predictable which is a big plus to me, I don't usually enjoy thrillers where I know what's going to happen and I'm right in the end. This is a good Summer thriller that can be easily binged in a day or a weekend. I would be interested in reading more DJ Palmer books in the future.

Oh my goodness, I think this book got me out of my two-to-three month reading rut. I could NOT put this down! This book was stressful but in a way that made you want to race to the end. The reader knew more information than the characters, so you were rooting for the characters to finally find out the truth. Along the way, you found out even more disturbing information from the characters' pasts and also more disturbing things kept happening in present time.

This is one of the most twisted books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Nina’s first husband disappeared without a trace. Eighteen months later and she has met someone else: Simon Fitch. He seems like the perfect man, the perfect husband. He knows everything about her likes and dislikes—her favorite foods, her favorite movies. Everything. Nina’s son Conner loves Simon, but her daughter is not as welcoming. Unfortunately, Nina discovers that not all is as it seems, and she must do everything in her power to keep her and her kids safe. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not wait to find out what would happen next. My only regret is that it ended too soon.

Oh boy the thrills and coffee spills this caused was crazy! My second book I’ve read from this author and I loved it even more! The shock and surprise, this leads the reader into a huge web of lies! Don’t always trust to fast or easily, some people are never who they seem!
I totally recommend this to readers who live for the psychological thrill! Hold on, it’s gonna be a twisty ride!

From the beginning I was already wrapped into this story. I had a hard time putting down this book. I was a bit confused on why Nina doubted herself the whole time. But either way this was a good creepy book!

As the story opens, things have been rough for thirteen-year-old Maggie. She has been ostracized by her former friends at school. Nearly two years ago, her father, Glen, disappeared without a trace -- he never returned home from his regular Saturday morning fishing trip. Even though her mother commenced proceedings to have Glen declared dead, Maggie has never believed that he won't be back. While she continues mourning her father, her mother, Nina, has entered into a relationship with Simon, the science teacher at Maggie's school. Worse, they are moving into a new home . . . where Simon will be taking up residence with them.

Nina believed that her twenty-year marriage to Glen was a happy one. She gave up her career as a social worker because Glen earned a comfortable living as an investment adviser and amply provided for the family. But everything changed when Glen left one Saturday morning, as was his custom, to go fishing, and a few hours later police officers were on the doorstep bringing Daisy, their beloved dog, home. They informed Nina that Glen's boat was found abandoned . . . with blood on the deck. Worse, a text message from an unknown sender delivered a photograph of Glen with another woman. Nina learned that Glen had not been employed for nearly two years before he disappeared. Every day, he pretended to go to work but was secretly draining the family accounts in order to make ends meet. Nina believes that Glen is deceased, his body submerged in the lake.

Nina agreed to go on a date with Simon when he brought Daisy home after she apparently slipped out the unlatched front door -- a mere twelve weeks after Glen went missing. They have gradually grown closer and Simon wants to marry. Now Nina is out of time and her options are limited. Her financial situation has put her at a crossroads: move to Nebraska to live with her parents or accept Simon's offer to finance a move into a new home. Nina knows that the transition is going to be difficult, especially for Maggie, who does not like Simon and wants nothing to do with him. She has kept her license to practice social work current and wants to remain in New Hampshire. And she has grown to love Simon, who is doting and attentive, and understands her needs and desires. Indeed, he has an uncanny ability to anticipate them. Still, Nina was profoundly hurt by the revelations of Glen's duplicity and betrayal, and she's struggling to achieve the level of intimacy and trust with Simon that he desires. Nina admits to her therapist that she didn't think she would ever date again after what Glen did to the family. It doesn't help that Simon's scent is curiously like Glen's, conjuring memories of her years with her husband. As time passes, Nina begins to notice troubling behavior by Simon, but she chalks his conflicts with Maggie up to her daughter's grief about losing her father and refusal to acknowledge that he will not be coming back. Unlike Connor, who readily welcomed Simon into the family and revels in the attention he gets from Simon, but never received from his father. Her lack of self-confidence causes her to excuse her misgivings about Simon's behavior, blaming herself instead of rationally analyzing his conduct and recognizing how troubling and destructive it is.

Meanwhile, Maggie exasperates Nina by, for example, blaming Simon when her school project goes missing. Because of Nina's own vulnerability, she chalks Maggie's misgivings about Simon up to teenage angst, coupled with the ongoing process of grieving Glen. She dismisses Maggie's claims that Simon is exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. But Maggie will not be deterred, especially after she sees a dark, but fleeting expression on Simon's face that frightens her and confirms her suspicions about Simon's character and capacity for cruelty.

Palmer establishes those conflicts among the characters at the outset and gradually ratchets up the tension through successive encounters and events. He likens the story to a "frog in slow boiling water, which is in reference to the biological phenomenon that if you slowly heat water on a stove, a frog in a pot won’t sense the danger in time to escape." His stated goal was to set a pace that mirrors real abusive relationships in which the lurking danger is not immediately cognizable. "Each little moment in the book is written to be one degree hotter than the previous until the boil begins." And it begins in earnest when Palmer reveals what is really happening. At that point, the race is on to see if and which of his characters will discover the truth before it is too late for some or all of them.

Palmer effectively employs alternating narrators to tell the tale. Maggie's first-person narration is compelling, moving, and authentic. She is a typical teenage girl dealing with extraordinary circumstances. Not only has she lost her father, she is being asked by her mother to adjust to having a new man take up residence in the family home. That man is a teacher at the same school she attends which makes the situation more uncomfortable. Maggie wants nothing to do with Simon. She relates the pain of being ostracized by her friends, and her burgeoning friendship with Ben, a boy on the spectrum who, like her, is not popular but is intelligent, loyal, and supportive. He befriends her in the school lunchroom, and she begins confiding in him. Her believable narrative details her growing suspicion of Simon with her adolescent emotions and logic fully and endearingly on display. She will not be dissuaded, convinced that Simon has ulterior motives and determined to discover and expose them so that her mother will finally believe her and take action.

Nina's experiences are recounted through a third-person narration and one other narrator appears about halfway through the book, rounding out the various perspectives employed to tell the story.

The tension builds at about the midway point in the story when a major revelation sets the tale on an unexpected trajectory. Once Palmer explains what has actually transpired, his focus turns to whether Nina will believe mounting evidence that she has, because of her gullibility, loneliness, and hurt, placed herself and her children in danger. It's then a page-turning race to the conclusion. Will Nina recognize that she has been subjected to psychological abuse, gradually and systematically isolated from her support systems, and find the strength to extricate herself . . . before it's too late?

The New Husband succeeds as a fast-paced, entertaining thriller, as well as a nuanced character study. Palmer convincingly and compassionately portrays a family in crisis, victimized by emotional and psychological abuse, and the manner in which individual family members eventually recognize and respond to the truth.

The New Husband is SO good. Five stars!

When her husband goes missing and is presumed dead, Nina believes she is moving on with the perfect guy. He's attentive and seems to know just what she wants, but her daughter can't seem to get along with him. Maybe her daughter sees through the shiny exterior...

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer is a domestic thriller with unexpected twists. Recently widowed Nina is newly in love with Simon, a teacher at her daughter Maggie's school, but all may not be as perfect as it seems. A fast-paced edgy read for fans of domestic thrillers.

2 Stars.

Things that make you go “Hmm.”

Nina Garrity’s husband Glen disappears mysteriously yet 3 (three) months later, she finds love with her thirteen year old daughter’s teacher, Simon Fitch. Real Nice. Now they are moving in together.

Can you see my eyes rolling?

Swept off of her feet, Nina is madly in love. Of course it helps that Simon’s bank account enables him to take care of her and both of her children. If only he got along with her thirteen year old daughter Maggie. Maggie however is suspicious of him. For good reason. He’s manipulative and controlling. Nina of course doesn’t see it.

By this point, my eyes just about started twitching.

Predictable and campy from the get go, for some reason I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

The best part of this novel was the relationship between Maggie and her best friend Ben. That kid rocked! Everyone needs a friend like him around!

Another buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and D.J. Palmer for the arc.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 5.9.20.