Member Reviews

Thea and Drew were moving from London with their two girls back to their childhood village and Thea's childhood home. But the villagers are hostile towards them. The villagers are whispering behind their backs and Thea doesn't know why. Thea is also wondering why her husband was acting oddly. But then Thea finds an old newspaper clipping from twenty years ago. The past comes hauntingly back.

The first half of the books pace is slow. This is more a family drama than a thriller. There's a lot of secrets, lies and rumours. Thea's world seems to be crumbling around her. The second half of the books pace picks up and the story gets more interesting.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Emma Davies for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Pevensey. The perfect house in the perfect small town. The house where Thea lived an idyllic childhood until she moved away at eleven. Next door to Rose Cottage where she met Drew, her childhood best friend and now husband. When she, a children’s book illustrator with a new, well paying commission, sees that it is listed for sale, Thea quickly moves to buy it. It will be the perfect home for Lauren and Chloe, her two young daughters, and for architect Drew to start his new practice.

All goes well at first. The neighbors, Anna and Rob, the local curate, are fast friends. Their daughter Tilly, Lauren and Chloe quickly bond. The problem begins in the village. People who remember Thea as a child go out of their way to avoid her or just stare menacingly in her direction. Her children are ignored at school. Making things far worse, a local schoolboy is a dangerous bully and threatens to harm all three girls. When Thea discovers Tilly, who is partially dibbled, has also been bullied, she decides to fight back.

Her Husband’s Lie is about family, friendship, community and about bullying. All themes are treated well and work together perfectly. While I really enjoyed this book and its story of small town life, I had trouble understanding the reason why Thea is ostracized. Things that happened were not her problems. No more discussions to avoid spoilers. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Emma Davies for this ARC

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This book wasn't what I was expecting. Based on the title, it seemed like Drew did something terribly wrong, but he didn't.
It was a pretty good read. I didn't love the storyline but it wasn't terrible. I'd probably read another book by this author.

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Wow! This is such a powerful book, with a strong message.
Essentially about bullying, of not only children, but adults too.
I found the first 25 percent of the book a little slow, if I'm honest, but when I got to that point I couldn't put it down and I'm so glad that I continued with it. The characters are warm & believable, except obviously for the ones who intentionally aren't! They are believable too, and as the story unfolds we can see why. On the whole, this is a great book & I recommend it!

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This is my first book by Emma Davies, Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read.

I really enjoyed this, got going after 3 or so chapters and could not put it down - but of a twist as the title is a little deceiving.
Lots of secrets by the end come to light and I really enjoyed the last few chapters as it gave closure.

I am looking forward to reading a few more by Emma Davies.

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This is a typical slow burning domestic drama. There is a lot of secrets and lies throughout this one, don't be expecting a whodunit type of thriller.

It was definitely an enjoyable ride with a lot of family drama. I was intrigued all the way through.

It wasn't my most enjoyable read, but it was okay. The writing was okay and the characters were unrelatable to me. I really was hoping for more of a thriller than a family drama.

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This book follows a couple in their 30's as they move back into the wife's childhood home. They soon realize that their return is less than welcoming, and that small town life is full of people who know everyone else's business and like to gossip and to spread lies.

Thea is the main cause of their scrutiny as she soon realizes that the town thinks her family did horrible things when she was a child. I understand her frustrations as she soon discovers her family's past has been hidden from her, and it's especially painful when her husband Drew does not tell her the full truth.

I like her resilence and her determination as she sticks up to the town bullies, and proves that she is a worthy member of their community. I do, however, wish that we would have found out what happened to Leo after the truth comes out that he really was a bully to the girls. We all know that one person who treats others terribly, but when you call them out on it, they play the victim.

This book was a great read and a reminder that sometimes you have to fight for true happiness and a reminder that things really do happen for a reason.

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Thea and Drew live in London with their two girls. Desperate to leave the city and work from home Thea spots that her old childhood home Pevensey is for sale. Thea’s family left there when she was eleven and she has always missed it.
Once back in the small village again life turns out not to be as idyllic as Thea thought it would be when strangers shun her in the street and some are openly hostile to her.
She makes a friend in Anna the curate’s wife and Theo realises that Anna knows what is going on.
When she finds out that her husband Drew knows too she goes into a tailspin and wonders if life and her marriage can ever be the same again..
I really enjoyed this story as I never knew what was coming next. Secrets and lies are never good and sometimes it’s better to tell the truth than to protect someone by lying.
Good characters in the story. Drew was lovely as were Theo and their children. Theo was a feisty woman and I love it when women stand up for themselves.
I don’t understand the book title as I think the blame lay somewhere else.. I can see this book being re titled at some point.
Great read.

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To be fair the title of this book is a little misleading. What isn’t is the fabulous story that Emma Davies has created.
She has managed to capture a story that touches on friendship, love, marriages. Abuse, bullying and secrets.
Absolutely loved the characters of Drew and Thea. Childhood sweethearts who for a number of years have been living in London. By chance seeing that her childhood home ‘Pevensey’ is up for sale they decide to upsticks and move back.
Things don’t go as planned and the wonderful community they thought they were going back to isn’t as it seems. And soon Thea is the subject of gossiping. What could she possibly have done to deserve it.
The only light comes in the new friends they make next door. Anna and husband Rob the curate.
Great character development in the book. Highly recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review
#myhusbandslie #emmadavies #netgalley.

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What. A. Book.

Author Emma Davies decided to careen a little away from her normal contemporaries to give me a cracker of a story. This was such a perfect read during these tough times. The story kept me glued all through from beginning to end. Even when I had to do my chores, the book lured me to it like a siren. You naughty thing!!

Thea and Drew had the perfect marriage and kids and when her family home in the village was put for sale, they quickly decided to snap it up to begin a new life in the same village where they spent their childhood. But the others mum’s started giving Thea nasty glances and shushed up when she passed by. Something nasty was broiling, and everything broke in Thea when she came to know the truth. She had to make some tough choices.

A delightful book filled to the brim with suspense and emotions and gossip and small village secrets. The author was simply brilliant in this book. I loved how she etched her main character with such a loving hand, breaking her when she heard the husband’s lie, making her stumble, then giving her the strength to face the truth. Thea was a force to reckon with in the scenes where she stood up for herself. And everything in me bowed down to the power of the emotions that the author seeped her words in. I loved it.

The book had the gossipy mums and judgmental people, but it also had the power of friendships and strong relationships which were the crux of the story. The author how to bind me completely into the story, drawing my attention to the characters and their lives, making me feel their emotions and cheering them on. This was completely an immersive read for me where I had to know how the book ended.

Addictive and captivating.

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This book was not what I was expecting. It was more of a domestic drama than a thriller in my opinion. There seems to be so much of this lately. I found it long winded but well written. I think I am just burned out of the slow burning domestic dramas at this point. So for me, not a favorite but definitely a favorite for a lot of readers.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

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Because my attention span has been so short lately, I've been trying to pick up more thriller type books. My Husband's Lie was one of these and Netgalley provided me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thea bought up her childhood home, hoping to bring these memories back, but things weren't the same. I think this is strong as many people live in their childhood homes or hope to, sometimes hoping to avoid them altogether. The author does a great job of bringing these memories back and I found myself thinking about my own childhood home.

Unfortunately, this was not as gripping as I hoped it would be - at least not as many gut-punching twists as I hoped for I guess.

I would definitely read another Emma Davies book though as i enjoyed her style of writing.

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Sometimes, we see our childhood through a "happy" lens and think it would be great to go back and live in our childhood home or place. Thea convinces her husband that it would be the best thing for their family to leave London and move back to the small town where they both grew up. Then why is she getting snide comments and funny looks? When she discovers a clipping from an old newspaper, the past is brought into sharp focus and Thea's world seems to be crumbling around her. A secondary theme in this book deals with bullying, which is a scourge these days.

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I feel slightly deceived by the title of the book. There was a secret that had been kept, but not really a lie. I had thought this would be a thriller but really it was more of a drama that wasn’t nearly as exciting as the first few chapters made me believe the book would be. I liked it, just felt like the title/description sets the reader up for a different book than what was provided.

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Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Emma Davies for an early copy of the book, for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into the first couple of chapters, but after that, the book really took off. The secret(s) that are coming to light throughout the book, are intriguing and really keep you interested throughout the rest of the book.

I loved how the author wrapped everything up at the end, and I truly enjoyed her writing style. I give this one a 4 out of 5.

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When a book is titled "My Husband's Lie", you might suspect that it's about infidelity or possibly polygamy. You would be wrong. This statement is not a spoiler, I hope. The "Lie" is about neither of these or anything similar. The first half of the book is slow going as Thea and Drew and their two little girls buy and move into the house that Thea grew up in and also where Drew was raised just next door. Their kids are cute and well behaved, as is the little girl next door who suffers from a genetic condition of having only one arm. (?) I never heard of it either.

Stick with this book even though you may doubt the facts behind the lie. "How could she not have suspected?",,you may ask yourself. Don't bother asking. Just move along and enjoy the description of the lovely countryside and old house getting a makeover.The fun really begins in the latter part of the novel and I guarantee that several dramatic scenes will have your heart beating rapidly.. I'm a sucker for British novels and love their spellings of words like neighbor. This novel is fun and I urge you to stick with it despite, perhaps, your having difficulty with a suspension of disbelief.

Thanks to NetGalley, Emma Davies and the Publisher for a chance to read this ARC which I enjoyed.

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#MyHusband'sLie #NetGalley #Bookouture #BookReview
Special thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with ARC.
I love women's fiction so much, it give me power and energy because you find someone that can fell the same felling you have and with the same way like * Sad, Angry, Love, Happy*
This novel is about family they moved from London to America and not any home but her childhood home, it's so emotional.
I loved the relationship between Thea and her girls,how she tried to save and protect them all the time, i have a daughter and hope when she grow up that we have an amazing relationship.
The relation between Tilly and Lauren is so lovely, that made me fell sad for children like Leo who not find love, safe and kind with his family.
This novel is fast and light reading for me, i finished it in one day.
The cover is so good, i always love crystal glass since i was kid so i was drawn to it through the cover.
This is the first novel to me by Emma Davies but i loved it, it's so good and well written.

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Overall, I think this is good read. This is my first experience with Emma Davies and I enjoyed her writing and the characters.

The reason for my 3 star review is this book is marketed improperly. I was expecting something darker and more twisty. The story is more of a domestic drama, which I don't have a problem with, I was just expecting something more sinister.

When re-framing the genre, the story is enjoyable. The village and it's people reminded me of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, the drama of a small town and all of the good fun that comes along with that.

I will definitely check out the author's other titles.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Emma Davies for providing me with an ARC.

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A very slow, mildly predictable book. I couldn't engage with the characters. I was hoping for a good, suspenseful thriller and it just didn't cut it for me.

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Drew and Thea were inseparable as children when Pevensey was Thea’s family home. As adults, they fell in love, married and now have children of their own. The story begins when Pevensey comes on the market and they decide to buy it in order to give their children the idyllic childhood they both remember so well..

But of course, things do not go quite as well as they hope… Early on, you realise that there is something the villagers are not saying. There are lots of unfinished sentences and strange looks until eventually, Thea experiences outright hostility from Stacey and Jackie, both of whom remember Thea from childhood.

Thea’s daughter Lauren is drawn to the house and its surroundings just as Thea was as a child, but when Thea discovers an old newspaper clipping detailing a scandal and a letter that she herself wrote 23 years earlier, the tension ratchets up a notch. What really did happen all those years ago and what did it have to do with Thea’s family?

The reader follows Thea’s roller coaster of emotions as she tries to build a relationship with her widowed mother, make peace with the villagers and put the old ghosts to rest, all whilst trying to build a business and support her husband and children. Along the way, Thea and Drew’s marriage comes under strain as she realises that Drew, the one person that she believed was always on her side, has kept secret from her.
A thoroughly enjoyable read which is out on the 9th April. It’s only £1.99 on kindle pre-order which is an absolute bargain!

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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