If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be gripping. I seriously couldn't put this down because of the excellent pacing and well-timed plot twists and reveals. The story follows two women, both of whom have been at the heart of an accident and victims of betrayal and accusations. Amy's soon-to-be husband has run away and as if that wasn't enough she finds out he was planning on leaving her. From there it's a mystery as they try to find Matt or even his killer and fingers start flying everywhere.

This book was just so well-paced and yet again we see women in toxic relationships who are too blind with love to notice anything. My heart went out for Amy and I really enjoyed reading about her as she tried t solve the mystery her life became. Since this book is told in multiple point of views though, you get really confused as to what is real because every character paints their own narrative and this certainly takes the story to a whole new level. There's an aspect of herbalism to the story that gives it almost a witchy wibe which I absolutely loved because I spent half of the book wondering if any witchcraft or magic was involved.

I believe I found this as a sort of psychological thriller and while I'm not sure I would pitch it as that, I would recommend this book if you're a fan of mysteries that lapse over two timelines and have a sort of what-is-really-happening aspect.

The Vow starts with an interesting concept: Amy's fiancé, Matt, goes missing and another woman claims that Matt has been living a double life. However, I felt that as the story progressed the plot became a bit too incredulous.

There are three POVs, and by the third one I felt it was a bit too repetitive. There are some twists and turns, but not enough to make it so shocking, however because I did find the concept interesting and the chapters reasonable enough to keep reading to the end, I'll give Howell's novel 3*s.

⭐⭐⭐💫
I really enjoyed the 1st 60% of the book and then it unravelled a bit for me. I think it is a book a lot of people will really enjoy. The pace is fast and it's got some good twists but I found the behaviour of the police a bit unrealistic. They seemed a bit lacklustre. I can still recommend it if you want a good psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

This is the 1st book I’ve read from this author and whilst I enjoyed it I felt there was some minor discrepancies within the plot timeline that niggled with me ( this could be due to it being an arc)
Amy and Matt are getting married in 2 weeks and everything is perfect, but are things as perfect as they seem?
We learn more as the story evolves and we meet Amy, her daughter Jess and Fiona ( Matts other woman). The story is mainly told from these 3 perspectives, with a throw back to the late 1990’s from an unknown perspective.

I enjoyed learning more about the characters and the secrets they were hiding but I didn’t love any of them and couldn’t quite gel with them and why they did the things they did.

Altogether a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Set in the picturesque village of Steyning on the outskirts of Brighton,Debbie Howell’s The Vow begins with final preparations being made for Amy and Matt’s impending nuptials. It’s an exciting time for Amy, single parent to daughter Jess whose away at university, finally having met the man she wishes to spend the rest of her life with. Personalised vows have been written, invites sent, outfits sorted so there is very little left for the couple to do save confirming seating arrangements with the wedding planner. When a work meeting forces Matt to cancel this arrangement, Amy isn’t too concerned. However twenty four hours later when he’s still failed to return Amy’s increasingly anxious calls she’s forced to involve the police in his sudden disappearance. Is it a case of cold feet, is he the victim of an accident or are there darker forces at play?

There is an immediate assumption that the title refers to wedding vows, that in this instance are never formally voiced but could there be a more sinister relevance, maybe the vow is a long held vow of secrecy instead? If so who could be involved in such a pact, who has secrets they are at pains to keep hidden? This is a thriller rife with deception, unhappiness, secrecy, tragedy and revenge giving the reader plenty to think about. Naturally the truth will rear its ugly head at some point; the fun is in wondering how the author will take you from point A to point B!

The Vow’s storyline is very much centred around a relationship defined by abusive and manipulative behaviour, aspects of which are well favoured by authors of this genre. Gradually, as more details of Matt’s disappearance are divulged and it transpires he has been leading a double life,never intending to make his vows with Amy, it descends into one of ‘she said she said’ with Amy and the other woman Fiona (whose name we only learn of in part two)going head to head in the believability stakes. Which woman’s version of events sound the most plausible? As a lawyer is Fiona the more credible individual as opposed to Amy whose career as a herbalist is less recognised as a trustworthy profession? Are they both ignorant of each other’s existence or could they be connected in ways the reader is not yet privy to? Just like WPC Page I didn’t trust either women’s version of events, suspecting they were both being economical with the truth.

I liked how the storyline is told in two parts although I think the first half is much stronger in terms of suspense. The narrative relies heavily on both womens perspectives as well as Jess’s and is easy to follow. To further muddy the waters there is a mystery voice interspersed throughout, alluding to a past incident that shapes the lives of all involved and is responsible for the current predicament Amy and Fiona find themselves in. Whilst I read this thriller quickly and found it enjoyable I admit to not being a fan of plots that rely on an ordinary civilian playing amateur detective, uncovering crucial details the actual police investigation fails to find. In my opinion it lends an air of implausibility to the unfolding drama and is my major criticism of the plot.

Apart from Jess I didn’t like this untrustworthy bunch of characters. Given Matt’s treatment of Amy I should have felt able to empathise with the woman but I could immediately sense she’s no angel with more than likely a few skeletons in her closet. Both the therapist and best friend behave in ways that raise alarm bells and of course the other woman, Fiona, by the mere fact she’s part of Matt’s double life does nothing to win my favour or support.

My home town of Brighton and Hove seems to be a favoured location amongst crime/thriller writers and I couldn’t help wondering why the author has chosen the city and surrounding areas as the setting for her latest novel. I don’t think the location has any substantial bearing on the plot, as it’s one of those storylines that could take place anywhere in the countryside. Maybe Amy’s profession as herbalist, far more pertinent to the plot, fits in with the alternative side of life that the city is well known for and of course as a long time resident of the city it’s as good a place as any to set a thriller!

Whilst I liked the storyline I didn’t really love it and by the time the penny dropped my interest was waning. For me it was one of those storylines that began strongly but lost momentum towards the end. However there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing for the majority of the time and I’ll confess to not knowing whether I should have been on team Amy or team Fiona and for those reasons I still think this psychological thriller is worthy of four stars. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Amy has a lovely life, after a rocky marriage she has met the man of her dreams, she lives in a house with a lovely garden where she can grow the herbs for her herbalist business, and has planned her dream wedding. Her husband to be rings her one evening to say he will be late home... and never returns. As she contacts police and friends to find out what has happened, events begin to spiral and we learn that things are not quite as they seemed, and Amy has events in her past that will rise to affect her present.

Her daughter Jess is solidly convinced of her innocence, and is determined to find out who is setting her mother up.

There are lots of plot twists, and it is feels almost too much to accept convolution of the final events. I did suspect what was happening some way beforehand, although I was convinced another character was involved who appeared innocent by the end. It all felt a bit contrived and unbelievable.

Overall it gripped the reader, and I enjoyed it but I wasn't totally convinced with the plot. Simpler might have worked better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodread's summary is spot on. I began reading with great enthusiasm because it had all the ingredients of my favorite kind of book. What the summary doesn't tell you is there are a lot of really annoying aspects. Granted, these aspects may very well only be annoying to me. But, they definitely took away from my enjoyment of the story. A gardener or herbalist will love this book. Many words are spent describing flowers and plants and the meanings behind them. Someone with a short term memory problem will love this book. Whenever a character interacts with a new character, the entire plot is retold to catch them, and unfortunately the reader, up on everything that has happened so far. These and other quirks of the author made the writing seem very immature to me and at the very least, like the author didn't trust the reader to follow along. Of course, I appreciate Avon and Netgalley giving me the chance to read this ahead of publication. I wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up. It just wasn't for me.

Amy narrates her story, alternating between Jess (daughter of Amy) and Fiona’s narration. Jess’s narration which starts later gives the reader a perspective to the story. The plot involves a few characters and, navigating through them is easy. As the chapters progress, everyone seems to have a motive in the disappearance of Matt.

The story captures the reader’s attention, and one cannot keep the book down. The central theme is abusive relationships. Unlike, the physical abuse this abuse does not leave any mark on the body. But it scars the mind and soul of the victim.

Debbie Howells builds up the story with a good pace, to let the reader soak up the clues and past episodes.

Jess, Fiona and Amy capture of most of the scenes, but it ended abruptly for Fiona. The readers would have preferred to know what happens with her at the end. Amy and Jess develop with the story.

Howells writing is impeccable. She weaves a mystery with a gentle pace and engaging readers her with subtlety.

My rating for the book is 3.5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn't bad. I enjoyed the writing and the plot was interesting enough. There was suspense and the way the book is told, via Jess, Amy and Fiona's point of view was enjoyable. The author threw in another point of view from the past who is an unknown narrator...I really liked that.

What I didn't like was the repetitiveness and the fact I figured out some things. It didn't take away all my enjoyment as I wanted to keep reading to find the why and if I was correct. There was a pretty big coincidence and you have to suspend belief a little bit, but if you can do that it is an okay read. And although the women in this story make many mistakes regarding love, friendship and a multitude of others...they still came off as very strong (if a bit naive), independent women who know what they want and go after it.

I liked this book enough to give it three stars, which on my scale means it is a good book and I would read more by this author.

I devoured this book in two days. I couldn’t put it down, it’s thrilling, full of twists and turns. I got noting else done this weekend but read, i was so engrossed. Fantastic.

Vows are usually made at weddings, but they can also mean a devastating promise to someone!

Amy and Matt are getting married in two weeks, but when Matt leaves for a business trip, he never comes back. Amy and the police investigate Matt’s disappearance and came to find that Fiona also reported him missing. Was Matt leading a double life? Was he a spy? A twin? With so many unanswered questions, Amy searches answer to the trying situation she is in!!

The story starts off well, blends in beautifully with the characters, but there were some parts that felt dragged and a bit unnecessary, but I never felt the need to put down this book! It was that good. If you love psychological/urban thrillers, pick this one!

Thank you Avon Books UK, Debbie Howells and Netgalley for the ARC. This is my own honest opinion!

A fast paced twisty psychological thriller that will grab you from the first page.

Matt and Amy are getting married. It’s only a couple of weeks until the big day but one evening Matt doesn’t return home from entertaining a work client.

The following day Matt still hasn’t returned and Amy can’t reach him on the phone or at work so she reports him missing to the police.

When the police start to investigate they discover another woman, Fiona, has reported her boyfriend, Matt, missing. Could they be the same Matt ? Was he living a double life ?

What follows is a twisty tale told by Amy, Fiona and Jess, Amy’s daughter. We soon learn that not everything is as it seems but will the truth be discovered before it’s too late ? This is so much more that a missing person story and you will be hooked right from the start.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This is a fantastic mysterious/thriller. It kept me guessing until the very end with some very brilliantly placed red herrings. I don't mind if I predict the ending as long as it flows with the plot. I don't like when endings come out of nowhere. This ending was perfect. I never felt like the author was giving us too much or too little information.

This started off as a fast paced & interesting read, but it lost it's steam about halfway through. It did pick up again, and the discoveries about Amy, Mark & Fiona just kept coming. I did feel that Amy became annoying as the story progressed, but it was an enjoyable read.

This was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2 weeks before her dream wedding to Matt, Amy realizes he has disappeared. A few days later, another woman calls the police to report Matt missing, saying she was in a relationship with him, and that he was leaving Amy for her. What unravels is twisty. When I first started reading this, I wasn't too impressed. Amy was too naïve, Matt was a schemer, and Fiona seemed a bitter woman. But then, all the pieces started coming together. Thankfully, Amy had her teenage daughter, Jess there to look out for her. I was a bit disappointed with the police investigation. When someone goes missing, it seems to me that nowadays, the first thing they look at is social media to answer some questions, look for clues or follow up on leads. The police in this story did not do that.
Instead, Jess was on Facebook connecting dots, researching past news articles and brought all that she discovered to the police. That being said, this was good little mystery of what happened the night Matt disappeared. This book is set to release 10/15/20. Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Debbie Howells.

Matt disappears two weeks before his wedding to Amy. Then another woman also reports him as missing. Who is this woman and how does she know Matt? What happened to Matt? Where is he? Who was involved in his disappearance? So many question and so many clues.
The Vow kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Do yourself a favor and read this one.

Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc

2 weeks before their wedding, Matt disappears after going for dinner with a client. Amy can’t contact him and eventually calls the police.

Prior to Matt’s disappearance, Amy was approached by a stranger warning her that she was in danger. Who was the stranger and how did she know who Amy was?

The police find out that Matt was leading a double life and was planning on leaving Amy!

The story started off well and I was enjoying seeing where it was going. I found after a while that the story just wasn’t working for me, the fast pace of the story slowed down and I found it to be repetitive. Unfortunately the story just couldn’t hold my interest.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books U.K. for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love this novel. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Definitely look forward to her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Debbie Howells for the e-ARC of The Vow, which releases on 15 October 2020.

The Vow was chock full of suspense, buried secrets, and double identities and I enjoyed every minute reading it!

Amy and Matt are getting married in weeks when Matt suddenly disappears. Soon, another woman emerges with claims that Matt was leaving Amy for her and that Matt has been saying for years that Amy is unstable and dangerous. Is there any way this can be true? We soon find Amy, her daughter Jess, and a host of friends (who may or may not be trustworthy) left to put together the pieces of a puzzle that seems ever changing.

In the midst of the present day drama, there is also a second storyline following the mysterious death of a teenager and the subsequent effects on her family and friends that happened many years ago. This part was a little confusing for me as both the POV and timeline shifted without notice and it wasn't until well into the book that I was able to understand how these clues fit the storyline.

An additional aspect of the novel I really enjoyed was the botany/gardening aspects. Amy is a herbalist so there was extensive discussion of plants and their uses that I found interesting.

Overall this was a solid suspense that I would definitely recommend to mystery/thriller fans--especially those who can't resist a double life situation.

This one came on strong at the start, with a frantic Amy trying to locate her fiance Matt after he disappeared a couple of weeks before their wedding. Not long thereafter, a woman named Fiona reports her lover's disappearance. He was, she claims, about to ditch his fiance and move in with her. As I expected when the second woman turned up, evidence - including photos - prove that the guy reported missing by both is one and the same.

Also about the same time, I got a sense of deja vu; not all that long ago, I recalled reading a different book with a plot about two women claiming the other was lying about "her" man. Please God, I said to myself, don't let this one end the same way. Thankfully, it didn't, but I know my enjoyment of this book was dimmed a bit because my mind couldn't help constantly making comparisons.

At any rate, each woman claims not to know the other one, and both insist Matt was a loyal, loving partner who would never dream of leaving them in the lurch. But clearly, at least one of them is very wrong. As Amy learns what her daughter and friends really thought of Matt, the chapters shift between the perspectives of the two women and readers learn secrets from their past lives that may be coming back to haunt them. The rest of the book follows their thoughts and actions as well as the police investigation that culminates in a sort of surprise ending (one which, I'm sure, would have turned out differently - and frankly, more to my liking - had the story taken place under the auspices of the U.S. legal system). I also noticed a bit too much repetition, especially as the various characters fill each other in on what's happening.

That said, it's an intriguing, fast-paced story that kept me swiping the pages of my Kindle right to the end - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.