An exciting page turner of a book. A physiological thriller with lots of twists and turns. Old friends, now enemies brought together by someone from their past who they didn’t realise was even in the past! I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what was real and what wasn’t. Great read.

The Vow

This was an interesting thriller with lots of twists and turns.

The first half of the book is taut and fast paced but this does lose steam in the second half of the book....which was a shame but not a major problem.

I think some harsh editing would have helped...several characters either needed to be removed completely or enhanced as they seemed to be unnecessary padding (Zoe, Lara and Cath being the most notable) and the big twist was one I guessed as soon as Kimberley and Charlie's story was revealed.

I loved the herbal/alchemy side of the story and would have liked to have seen more of that. I think a Waitress type of intro to each chapter would have worked very well here...where they do different pies at the beginning of each section....would have loved a different remedy/potion/cure at the beginning of each chapter that gave us some info or hints of what we were about to read....I think this was a missed opportunity and something I would have enjoyed.

This comment is a personal thing and definitely not a criticism but I also would have preferred some more consistency with minor characters. There was certain characters who I think if we knew we could have trusted them more then this would have guided the story better.
With both Amy and Fiona being unreliable narrators...side characters needed to be obviously reliable or unreliable to guide the story more and they were a little too grey for my liking...but I think that's just me!

Amy was a very interesting unreliable narrator and I thought her unravelling was very well done. It definitely felt like a journey we went on with Amy and that's definitely a credit to the authors understanding of the harsh realities and abuse shown throughout this book. Such issues are dealt with emphatically and very carefully and I was very impressed. This should definitely be applauded and gave an intense realism to the characters emotions which was great.

It is only a good thing that I literally could not put this book down and read it in a single sitting so my lasting impression was fun, interesting and that this was most definitely an addictive read!

Will definitely be reading more from this author and was very impressed and very much enjoyed the story overall.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Matt and Amy are two weeks out from their wedding. After telling Amy he’ll be home late, Matt never comes home and Amy is forced to report him to the police.

Told from the perspectives of Amy, her grown daughter Jess, and an unnamed narrator from 1996, this book has so many twists and turns it starts to become outrageous. However, I’m giving three stars for the winding tale and creativity!

One of the best psychological thrillers I have read. I have just finished reading it and my body is tingling all over. Be prepared to hold your breath, if you’re not scared you should be. Well done for writing a tremendous book

Such a fabulous book it got me through lockdown.
Each page was a cliff hanger and I needed to find out more. Unusual storyline which I haven’t read similar too before.
The author had me at each chapter and I couldn’t put it down. I have recommended to several friends.

A good read, enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning over nicely; I read it in a couple of days - a nice, easy read.

Thanks for an ARC. I was hooked on the book from the start. Amy is wrapped up with her forthcoming nuptials but one night having been stopped by a stranger who advised that she was in danger, Matt her fiancée disappears. As the plot thickens so does Matt’s betrayal along with the cancelled wedding. The book has many twists and turns some I could not guess. Will be watching for this author’s next book.

The Vow starts off two weeks before a wedding is to happen, and stays interesting all the way along

A story about a double life, missing people and just so much more!

I am giving this book 3.5 Stars

The Vow is a must read thriller! I could not put this book down. I was hooked from the first page. There is so much suspense throughout the book. There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book.

Amy's fiance Matt is missing two weeks before their wedding. After reporting him missing, she finds out he has a mistress, Fiona, who also reported him missing. Both women have secrets they aren't telling the cops but what actually happened to Matt?

I recommend The Vow to all thriller fans. I don't think you will be disappointed. I am looking forward to reading more books by Debbie Howells. I also enjoyed that my favorite character's name was Jess.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The past always catches up with you one way or another.

Amy’s live is great, her daughter is at college, her business is growing and she is about to marry the man of her dreams and live happily ever after, well spent she thought.

She wakes up and her fiancé Matt isn’t there. He’s missing and hasn’t sent her a message to let her know he’s ok. She calls around and can’t make heads or tails where he’s been or where he is. She alters the police of his disappearance and begins to try and piece everything together. She’s never met his parents and he doesn’t have any siblings or old friends, she starts to wonder if she ever really knew him at all.

The story is narrated between Amy, Jess her daughter and Fiona whom we come to learn that her partners also gone missing and he matches the exact same description of Matt.

Turns out they all have secrets, after Matt goes missing and their neighbour ends up dead the blame falls on Amy as she’s set up to be the star suspect. Jess knows her mum’s not guilty and does everything in her power to prove it. Even if it means uncovering a secret they have all tried to keep for 20 plus years.

Loved this!! When Jess’s fiancée Matt disappears shortly before their wedding, we start to see the unraveling of their relationship! Told over various points of view - it really had all the bits I love about a thriller! Abuse, murder, gaslighting, stalking, a few twists thrown in for good measure and I was hooked!
There are so many amazing books of this genre around but this really did raise the bar! If I had to find a negative it would be that I finished it as I am left with a sad, empty feeling! Brilliant and I will most certainly recommend!

This book gripped me from the beginning. With so many gentle twists and turns it keeps the story building throughout and I especially enjoyed the way that the author referenced the same story from different points of view. Such an enjoyable and hard to put down read that I have already recommended to several friends.

This novel was pretty good I am enjoying these kind of marital issues dark novels more and more as opposed to the typical romance novel that I usually gravitate towards. I would recommend this to someone looking to get their feet wet in a more somber dark novel.

How painful is it to find out that the person you thought you would be spending the rest of your life with is living a double life? And went missing a few weeks before the wedding. I mean seriously, how awful is that. This story was told on multiple POV, and each of them is very interesting.
So many secrets and shocking revelations. A story about love, cheating, and deception. It is a good read.

This was a gripping thriller with some fantastic elements, especially regarding the mixed incentives. It’s been a while since I’ve read this one, so some of the details escape me. I do know I enjoyed the overall book and thought it was an interesting story.

What. Did. I. Just. Read? I loved this from cover to cover and had difficulty putting it aside to get actual adulting done this weekend.

A great read. Well written and flowed flawlessly. Domestic noir and deep dark secrets this book is really hard to put down xx

Two weeks before her wedding her fiancé disappears. What happens after this is not what you think. This book is quite a rollercoaster and from the beginning had me reading late into the night. This author throughout the book describes people and places so well and without overkill.
I can thoroughly recommend this book and enjoyed the easy flowing writing of the author

Two weeks before her wedding, Amy's fiance Matt disappears. Desperate and humiliated, she is forced to call off her wedding. Was she ghosted? And if so, why? Or is it something far more underhanded? Because, shortly after Amy reports Matt's disappearance, another woman named Fiona reports her boyfriend missing. He matches Matt's description, and Fiona claims he was going to leave his fiance for her. Could Matt really be living a double life?

This story is told from multiple perspectives: Amy, Fiona, Jess (Amy's daughter) and a narrator from 1996. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives as well as the past narrative. The first part of this story is so good! There's lots of twists and revelations that make you second guess the characters. However, the second half of the book really lost momentum. The plot became convoluted, unrealistic and repetitive. It was hard to get through and felt like it was tacked onto the original story by another writer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this one good at the beginning and middle and then the ending just sort of went limp. The chapters were nice and short and the characters were easy to understand. It gripped me in completely but I was a little disappointed in the ending. It was a type of book where I thought there would have been more twists and turns but was more predictable. Overall it was a good read but not exciting enough for me