So many twists and turns - this book kept me enthralled from the first page to the last.
I love the style of Debbies writing, and can’t wait for her next offering.

A strange woman with a message, an address that doesn’t exist, old secrets, a missing fiancé & another woman … these should have been the components of a great story.
The book starts with disappearance of Matt, who is due to be married to Amy in 2 weeks, we soon discover that there is another woman claiming him as her partner too, and strange things start happening ...
The story is told from the various viewpoints of the main characters as well as some odd flashbacks that were initially confusing & distracting but later became relevant.
I liked the overall idea of the book, but the main characters were flat and uninspiring. Jess, the daughter, was the only interesting character & much more could have been made of. I liked her tenacity & determination to dig deeper! The police involvement was odd – ranging from genuinely concerned/helpful to blaming – and where did they find the PC with the botanic knowledge from?!
Overall it was a nice summer read but it was quite predictable and was more of a cosy mystery than a thriller … just a little bit too flat to really grip me.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

*Contains spoilers*

Amy is getting married to Matt but he disappears a couple of weeks before the wedding. Quickly it turns out things weren't as they seemed, he appeared to be gaslighting Amy and he was having an affair with Fiona.

I enjoyed the style of the writing with Amy, Fiona, Jess (Amy's daughter) all taking a turn in narrating and with some flashbacks to childhood by an unknown narrator.

However I did have some issues with the book. I felt there was sympathy missing for Matt from the police etc, and he was discussed as a complete psychopath when, although his actions were definitely unjustifiable, he had had his life ruined as an impressionable child by Amy and Fiona. The statement from WPC Page that he hadn't expected them to find the notebook that exonerated Amy when it had been hidden in the same flower bed as the blood stained clothing he'd planted was ridiculous. And I also wasn't convinced that the notebook containing two recipes written by the grandmother was really enough to secure a conviction for Fiona.

The "big reveal" I had guessed a long time prior to that but it was still an interesting story and I didn't struggle to read it.

There are numerous typos etc that I noticed but I assume they'll be cleaned up for the publication date.

All in all, I would recommend it as I did enjoy the tale and it's easy enough to ignore the issues I had with it if you're happy to go along with it.

My thanks to Netgalley and Avon Bks for a copy of “ The Vow” for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first half of this book but things went downhill for me.
I’ve read books where you need to suspend your belief at times but with “ The Vow “things became a little too far fetched for me I found the police procedure at times laughable .WpC Page becoming an expert on the meaning of flowers being grown in Amy’s garden !
I struggled to finish it so unfortunately I won’t be recommending this

An interesting read with unexpected twists and turns. Easy to read and very enjoyable. The plot was believable and so were the characters.

I was really intrigued by the way that this book would go and while it certainly kept me curious with various red herrings and unreliable narrators, it felt somewhat slow and I found myself growing bored. It also seemed a bit I thought it was a good decision to have Jess's chapters as these helped to shed some light on the reality of the situation although it felt unrealistic to me that the police would confide so much in her and that she was able to uncover things that the police miraculously overlooked. I thought the flashbacks added some interesting context to the plot although I don't think we needed as many dotted throughout as these ended up feeling repetitive.

Thanks netgalley for my ARC of this book.

This is the first book I’ve read in a long time that has really caught my attention from the very start. It kept me guessing throughout. I wanted to get to the end to find out what happened but did not want the story to finish. A thoroughly enjoyable read and is highly recommended.

A good solid domestic thriller once again demonstrating how hopeless I am at guessing whodunnit. I do believe that this book is written to make sure you suspect most incidental characters and follows this through right until the end.

Amy is getting excited for her wedding to Matt, which is due to take place in 2 weeks time. One night he doesn't come home though after an evening entertaining a client and very quickly the story escalates. At the beginning, we are led to believe that Matt and Amy's relationship is idyllic but this becomes obviously not the case.

There were some moments of slight irritation as with a lot of these types of novels - WOuldn't the Police suspect more sinister goings on than the neighbours chimney suddenly being blocked? Wouldn't Amy be a little more irritated than she was at finding the address didn't exist. Not displaying any spoilers here but just pondering.

I liked the daughter though - I liked her suspicious nature and that she was feisty and wouldn't let anything drop without being unnatural.

An engaging book from the start and it continues in that vein Written from the points of view of three main characters it starts with a few strange things happening to Amy and then her fiancé fails to come home. Everything then starts to go downhill for her. Secrets and the truth are gradually uncovered, keeping the reader turning the pages until the eventual conclusion.
I found the flashbacks distracting initially but as the book progressed the relevance became clear.

I really enjoyed this book. Amy is looking forward to her wedding to Matt in 2 weeks time. But then he goes missing. Amy is beside herself with worry. Then the police tell her that a woman called Fiona has reported her partner missing, and that he too is Matt, who was apparently about to call off the wedding and move in with her. The story is told from 3 perspectives: Amy, her student daughter and Fiona. It soon becomes apparent that Amy and Fiona knew each other years ago, but does Matt know that? This is a good story which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

‘I raced through this book, compelled to keep turning the pages to unravel the secrets. Kept me guessing right until the last moment. An intriguing plot with a host of characters that leave you wondering who you can trust!’

First, a thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story started off strong and retained it's momentum until about midway through. After that, it just sort of went on and on, spinning it's wheels a bit with a few minor moments of intrigue, and would benefit from sending a few chunks to the chopping block. It's definitely got potential, and like I said, the beginning is great and immediately captivating. I did find most of the characters interesting, namely Jess, the main characters daughter, who is light years beyond all the adults in question in both intelligence and perceptiveness. I admit that it took me quite a while to get the gist of exactly what was going on and was suspicious of the dubiousness of several characters until it was proven otherwise. The book has a lot going for it, so I think that if edited more prior to publication it may prove to be a fantastic read.

The premise of this book is intriguing. There are two women in love with one man. One is his fiancé and the other is his mistress. The book begins two weeks before the wedding with the man’s disappearance.
We soon learn he planned to leave his fiancé and move in with the mistress. At this point the book should have really taken off. Instead, it became a whiny mess about a woman the author simply could not make me care about. But, because I try to finish NetGalley books, I read on.

Despite the repetitive writing and flat characters, the story did pick up somewhat as it went on and there were a few twists, most of which were very obvious. This story has so much potential and with some tweaking, could be much better.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Amy and Matt are due to get married in 2 weeks. After a night out with a client, he doesn't come home. Amy reports him missing but soon finds herself under arrest for his murder.
Fiona, a lawyer, has also reported her boyfriend, Matt, missing.
These 2 apparent strangers soon both find themselves not only as suspects but finding deep secrets from their past revealed.
An absolutely brilliant book, a bit slow to start, but soon picking up pace. Full of twists and turns with an ending I didn't guess.
Highly recommend.

Lovely novel, full with great atmosphere, twist and really great touch in characters.. absolutely colorful psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley 🙋

Amy's fiancee did not come home. She has called and left numerous texts, all to no avail. Finally she calls the police. She is told someone else has reported him missing, his girlfriend.
Amy is devastated. It is only two weeks before their wedding. How could he have a girlfriend? She's told he was leaving Amy for her. Amy finds herself in a dilemma where mounting evidence is piling up against her. There is no body yet. However the evidence is is enough to get her arrested.
When she discovers that the accidental death of her sister may also be charged to her, she is even more concerned. She had thought that that case had been closed. Her grandmother had claimed culpability for it, saying he should have made sure her herbs had been locked away securely.
How is the past twined with the present and future? Can another crisis be circumvented.? Great story!

Such a thrilling read throughout, I really struggled to put this book down.

Shortly before her Wedding Amy is warmed by a complete stranger that she is in danger, but assumes it was just a local crazy person.

Then her fiancé Matt goes missing and everything in her world turns upside down.

She reports his disappearance to the Police and shortly afterwards he’s also reported missing by his ‘other’ girlfriend and Amy’s world comes crashing down.

But where is Matt?

Any begins to question everything in her life and also has to prove she has no knowledge of where Matt is.

A great read from beginning to end, I didn’t trust any of the characters to be blameless until the very end.

Absolutely worth a read.

Who can you trust ? That is the question I found myself asking throughout this book . I enjoyed this book it will keep you guessing till the end

I've been a fan of Debbie Howells since her incredible debut, The Bones of You and her latest does not disappoint. A beautifully twisty-turny tale of a woman whose fiance goes missing only for her to discover that his whereabouts are the last thing she should be worrying about.

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Vow’ by Debbie Howells in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Just two weeks before their wedding day Amy’s fiancé Matt disappears. Amy contacts the police and as WPC Page carries out her enquiries it becomes apparent that Matt is a serial womaniser and has been having an affair with Fiona Rose, intending to leave Amy to start a new life with her. Although Matt’s body hasn’t been found the police soon feel they have the evidence to prove Amy is responsible for disposing of Matt. Amy swears she’s done nothing wrong and her daughter Jess, who has never trusted Matt, starts delving into his past for anything to prove her mother’s innocence.

‘The Vow’ is an entertaining thriller that’s kept me guessing from start to end. It has a perplexing plot, suspense, drama and intrigue, and the odd red herring thrown in along the way to muddy the waters. The italicised sections are part of a story within a story and confused me for a time until everything was made clear. Despite the ending being somewhat predictable I enjoyed this novel so much that I had to keep reading and ignore the housework.