This is a brilliant book that well and truly had me hooked.
Amy is due to marry Matt but a couple of weeks before the wedding he doesn’t come home.
After phoning around, she decides to call the Police.
Getting more and more worried Amy starts to crumble.
This is made worse when the Police tell her that another woman has reported Matt missing and he’d told her he was going to leave Amy the night he went missing.
Amy is under suspicion but she really can’t understand what is happening.
In part two of the book we get Fiona’s perspective and more and more information is revealed.
Saying any more will spoil the story, so I’ll stop there....
I can say this is a brilliant psychological thriller that is full of secrets and lies.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

'You didn't know about the alchemist's curse. About the significance that lay, not just in essence but in intent.'

Too many inconsistencies and implausibilities made The Vow a not remotely enticing read. I found Amy, the protagonist, to be spineless. And the reason everything happened was just silly. Honestly, nothing about this book came across as realistic...from the police procedural, to the clues, to the character's reactions, to the conclusion.

I don't really have anything else to say.

Available October 15, 2020.

**My sincere appreciation to NetGalley and Avon Books for my review copy.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book The beginning was engaging and entertaining. It gave me all the predictable mystery vibes. Somewhere towards the middle of the plot I just felt like I was just stuck. I kept waiting for the real story to unfold. Towards the end I didn't really feel connected anymore. So overall there were parts that were enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Vow drew me in with its interesting premise: a woman reports her husband-to-be missing only to find out that another woman has done the same, leading her to question whether she really knows the man she was about to marry at all...

I would have rated this one higher, but I found myself irritated by the writing style. As an example, many, if not most, sentences are written like this: "Hunting around for my silver jacket, when I don't find it, I settle for an old one of Jess's, before finding my car keys and heading back outside." This seems rather ungrammatical and jarring, and I often found that the style took all of the impact out of parts that ought to have had particular meaning. Similarly, instead of describing the subtleties of people's emotions, we're often told that a character "looks outraged" or "looks shocked", and one character even says the word "etc" in dialogue. I just can't help but feel like this book could have done with another round of editing to fully flesh it out.

All of that said, I might have struggled through the majority of the book, but it really started to ramp up and grip me by the end. It turns out that I was right all along about what had happened to Matt, Amy's husband, but I was still surprised by the twists the author delivered! I also appreciated the perspective Howells offers on domestic abuse, particularly regarding gaslighting, which can be easy (and frustrating) to recognise when it's happening to a loved one but not so simple when you're the victim.

Two weeks before her wedding, a stranger stops and tells Amy that she is in danger. That night her fiance, Matt doesn't come home. Amy phones the police and reports Matt missing. She's forced to call off her wedding. Then, another man is reported missing by someone called Fiona. The man matches Matt's description. Amy doesn't believe that Matt and Fiona could be lovers but photographs prove this to be true. Matt has been leading a double life.

This story is told from Amy, Fiona and Jess's point of views. There is also some snippets from another person from 1996. A story of secrets and lies. I did not like Matt or Fiona. Matt was controlling, I don't know why any woman liked him. I was pulled in quickly to this story needing to know what was going on. This is a well written and twist filled story. I read this book I one sitting.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AvonBooksUK and the author #DebbieHowells for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG this is a rollercoaster of a read.

Matt and Amy are looking forward to getting married. But Matt fails to return home from work and his phone is switched off.

Amy reports Matt missing, but then another woman reports Matt missing – and she knows all about Matts relationship with Amy and paints a very different picture to the domestic harmony Amy paints.

The plot unfolds between four main viewpoints Amy, Amy’s daughter Jess and Fiona (the other woman – or is she?), and a third viewpoint from 1996. And what comes together is a very thick plot with lots of red herrings and lots of suspects. What has happened to Matt and who was responsible?

Keeps you guessing to the end with a very satisfactory outcome that leaves you looking over your shoulder and wondering what people really think about you.

A woman’s fiancé disappears two weeks before the wedding. Could it be the blissful life she thought isn’t what it seems. Especially when another woman reports him missing too, claiming to be his girlfriend.
The author has written a fantastic book. All fans of who dunnit books will love this. There are plenty of little twists thrown in. Every time I thought I’d solved the puzzle another clue was dropped in making me change my mind again. This is one book you won’t put down go the very end.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Vow’ by Debbie Howells in exchange for an honest review.

This novel ticked all the boxes for what I look for in a psychological thriller/domestic noir.

Two weeks before her wedding, Amy is stopped by a stranger in the street with an unsettling warning about danger. That same night her fiancé, Matt, doesn’t come home. The next day she is unable to contact him and calls the police. They have a wait and see attitude.

Then another man is reported missing, a man matching Matt’s description. His girlfriend, Fiona, says he was about to leave his fiancée for her. Amy is in denial until photos prove otherwise. It becomes clear Matt has been living a double life. The police become more interested as circumstantial evidence mounts .... against Amy.

I won’t say more about the plot as I always feel that these kind of thrillers are best approached ‘cold’. The narrative moves between three first person viewpoints: Amy, Fiona, and Jess, Amy’s daughter, who has just started uni. It also contains the occasional cryptic flashback to events in 1996.

Amy is an herbalist with her own business, who grows her herbs in a very atmospheric old garden as well as mixes her own products. The book contained information about various plants and even the language of flowers. Throughout the early days of Matt’s disappearance I was very aware that Amy couldn’t just stress out but was sorting out orders for her clients. It was a quite subtle way of establishing her character.

So often psychological thrillers are advertised with statements like “impossible to put down” or “totally gripping”. In this case I will enthusiastically say that ‘The Vow’ certainly lived up to these descriptions and then some.

I was thoroughly engrossed from the start. I even had to contain myself from skipping ahead as I was so keyed up. ‘The Vow’ certainly kept me guessing right to its satisfying final pages.

This was a very fast paced, interesting thriller. What started out as a simple missing person mystery, soon turned into a dark, twisty and shocking thriller, and who doesn't love an unreliable narrator?!
Thoroughly enjoyable.
I will definitely look for more offerings from the author.

Amy is about to get married and preparations are on track for the big day in a couple of weeks. She's out and about one day when she is accosted by a stranger who warns her that she is in danger. Then, that night, fiancé Matt doesn't come home. After repeatedly trying to make contact with him, she eventually calls the police. If things weren't bad enough for her, another woman, Fiona, also reports Matt missing, claiming to be the woman that Matt was about to dump Amy for and move in with. despite Amy's disbelief, there's evidence to back up this fact but even with the double life he has obviously been leading, none of this explains where Matt is or what has happened to him?
An so begins a rather convoluted, twisty, and turny tale of secrets, lies and a hearty slice of dysfunctional behaviour that begins back when Any was a teen, interspersing past into present as the story meanders on, peeling back the layers until the rather shocking truth is all laid bare.
The tale is told by three people - Amy, Fiona, and Any's daughter Jess, as well as the all to prevalent these days "unknown narrator" speaking from back in 1996. Each had a unique voice and were easy to differentiate between.
Characters were, let's just say, interesting. I lost track of how many times I swung my allegiance between them all, after finally deciding that maybe they all need their heads banging together! So many secrets and lies...
Yes, OK, at times it went a little OTT, as seems to be the norm in a lot of books of this genre these days, but I guess it just made it all the more interesting along the way!
All in all, a good solid read that, although I had my niggles, did keep my attention nicely and left me mostly satisfied. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review. As is common in many books of this genre, The Vow is told through multiple points of view. Amy and Matt seem like the perfect couple until the groom disappears just a few weeks before the wedding. When another woman comes forward with information about Matt, Amy begins to realize that the man she loves has been living a double life. But Amy is harboring plenty of secrets of her own.

The book is fast paced and full of suspense and intrigue. As the author peels away the layers of Amy and Matt's lives many secrets are revealed. While some of the reveals were easy to guess, there were some genuine twist and turns in the book.

Overall, The Vow is a solid domestic thriller.

Great story that had me hooked from the start. Maybe a little predictable but that didn’t take away from the reading pleasure. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, and
the herbs and flowers added an interesting dimension. However, maybe I've read too many books in this genre, but I didn't feel there were any real surprises and the characters remained quite sketchy rather than fully formed. I also found there was quite a lot of repetition; something happened to a character, who then told someone about it, then told the police.
Thank you to netgalley and Avon books for an advance copy of this book

I think this would be a brilliant book club read, with the question: who had the greater punishment? A fiancé who goes missing just two weeks before his wedding to a woman who thinks he is Mr Perfect. A daughter who thinks he is anything but. A mistress who is running away from her past. There are so many secrets in this book, which is interspersed with a back story from 1996. I couldn’t see where it was going for a while, and skipped over the flashbacks, until I knew enough to want to go back and read them again because they tied the whole story together. Highly recommended.

The Vow has introduced me to an author that I'll most certainly read again.

I was captured initially by the blurb of this novel, just as you are supposed to be. However, in recent times, I've found that occasionally the blurb is better than the novel itself.

Absolutely not in the case here!Debbie Howells captured my attention from the very first page and produced a story that kept me guessing right until the very end.

Every action and reaction that the author describes is questioned throughout, leaving the reader happily confused as to what really happened and who could possibly be responsible.

What a wonderful way to be introduced to a new author! We'll meet again...I have NO doubt.

Two women who think they know their man but have no idea what will happen as things unfold. This book will make you want to keep reading as the secrets unfold and keep you gripped.

An interesting read, which I read in one sitting. The writing from three main viewpoints is mostly well paced, though later on one viewpoint becomes slightly repetitive which briefly interrupted the pace and flow for me. The story that unfolds through the pages is compelling. Experienced thriller readers will almost certainly have guessed where the plot is leading to before the climax, but this doesn’t detract from the story or make you less keen to speed through its pages. I was still suspicious of various additional characters, and wanted justice to be served. For me, the least believable/ weakest parts were the interviews with the police and the evidence ultimately used as a basis for conviction for one character. (This evidence was based on an interpretation of things from the past, and I felt it probably would not have stood up sufficiently in court to secure the conviction.)
I enjoyed this. Enough twists to keep me motivated to continue turning the pages and a theme of mental health which felt relevant and contemporary in today’s society. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5* rounded up.

the story kept my interest, two or more unreliable narrators, hints of another person involved which had me fear for daughter's safety. well written but with more of a romance feel than a psychological thriller

A suspenseful drama, that has you second guessing through the whole book. You question every character, Is she a good character or have I too been duped? I am due to also get married shortly so this was very relatable for me and I read it with a mixture of suspicion and incredulity. How did she know so little about him etc etc. How much do we ever know anyone?

A great read that does make you question your relationships but also highlights how little we actually know the ones closest to us.

The Vow follows Amy who's happily engaged to Matt. After a warning from a stranger that she is in danger, Matt goes missing and Amy's perfect life beings to unravel, especially when she finds out that another woman has reported her boyfriend missing, and that boyfriend is Matt.

This was such an interesting experience. The Vow is supposed to be a mystery, but personally, I found all of the twists completely predictable, and I could pretty much figure out what was going to happen from the start to the very end. Personally, I need my mysteries to surprise me, even if I guess most of the twists I need a little something, something that seems to come out of nowhere. As a result, The Vow was never going to be a new favourite, because it was disappointing in the exact area it was supposed to succeed.

I could have given it the benefit of the doubt if it had been predictable but I'd loved the characters or what the twists actually were. But the fact is that the characters were very bland and quite unlikeable, Amy was not exactly a trustworthy or great person, I don't mind an unreliable narrator, but I felt like we were meant to be rooting for Amy throughout the book and I just couldn't bring myself to. We didn't spend enough time with any of the other characters (Fiona, Jess, Matt - I mean I forgot Matt's name when I started to write this review) for me to care about any of them.

The plot was okay at best, it didn't feel particularly original and I didn't always feel like the author where she was going with the story. The whole plotline with the random lady on the street and her warning felt extremely pointless and the 'resolution' it received wasn't a real resolution, it was pointless and I feel this whole part could have been cut out. For something that was mentioned in the blurb, it really wasn't enough of a part of the story.