This is the first book I’ve read by this author, it was an enjoyable read but I did find it unbelievable in places. I liked the fact that the storyline was told from different characters points of view, and the not knowing of who was behind it all! My only criticism is that I found the police involvement to be really weak, unbelievable and unrealistic! And felt other members of the storyline did their job for them !!

For Amy, life was going well. Until it wasn't. The day her fiancé disappears, two weeks before their wedding, Amy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The police begin to question her, she finds out her fiancé had a double life, and secrets from the past threaten to boil to the surface. Amy and her daughter, Jess, are desperate to find out the truth behind Matt's deception. On the other side of town, Matt's secret lover is looking for the same answers.

I enjoyed this book, it was a twisty-turny suspenseful tale of guilt, obsession, deception, revenge, and betrayal. It gives the reader a look into what living with a narcissistic sociopath is really like for the victim, where they don't even realize the gaslighting that they've been experiencing until it's too late. I guessed the twist before the end, but the book was still enjoyable and suspenseful throughout. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Vow starts off well, with a snappy pace and enough intrigue and questions asked to leave the reader sifting its pages for more. I finished this in one day and can say it makes for very easy reading, but the further in I got the less convinced I was. There's a lot of dialogue and scenario that just doesn't sit right in terms of realism for me and so I struggled to maintain a belief in the story as it unfolded. Ultimately The Vow just felt too inconsistent and weak in its conclusion for me to leave with a lasting impression of it.

TW: domestic abuse

Oh dear, where do I even begin with this one? What started as an interesting premise quickly devolved into a mess. The major problem for me was with the writing style: it was extremely clunky, with lots of telling (and no showing), and highly repetitive. The author literally holds the reader’s hand throughout the book, as if we are incapable of determining things ourselves. The characters were also not well-developed and I didn’t like any of them. The plot was not unique and it was quite a predictable story. My biggest issue with this novel was that there was absolutely no point to it – and by the end, I simply didn’t care. I also had an issue with the way the author addressed domestic abuse; I don’t think it was done very well. All in all, I did not enjoy this book.

Very good thriller about how psychopaths work. When Amy’s partner goes missing, strange things start happening and all of a sudden she is charged with his murder. What on earth?

The author has pulled together a story which, in other hands, ought to be totally ludicrous. But Howells makes it work, and describes so well how otherwise strong, intelligent women can find themselves in an abusive relationship.

I found the attitude of the investigating police officers to be inconsistent; one minute they’re understanding and supportive and the next minute, disbelieving and accusatory. It suited the story, but was hard to believe and I felt their attitudes were manipulated to move the story along.

A good debut that moved along at a steady pace and was believable, despite being far-fetched. But as they say, the truth is stranger than fiction. 4 stars.

This is a good book with plenty of twists and turns , the story is told by two separate woman, Amy and Fiona. Amy is weeks away from her wedding to Matt and life is good for her although it does touch on a secret from her past she has hidden from everyone around her. Fiona has also recently met, and fell in love with Matt, who assures her that he is about to leave Amy and be with her.
When Matt goes missing the heat is on for the police to uncover the truth about what happened to Matt on that last night but they reveal , with the help of Amy's daughter, Jessica, more than they were expecting.
Full of secrets, lies and revenge.

Great book! Couldn’t wait to read it, and it didn’t disappoint! Grabbed my attention within the first two chapters, and then I didn’t want to put it down. Excellent character development - I think that every reader will find a character to whom they relate. I enjoy books where there is character development, and then also a surprise, and this book provided both! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

The Vow had an interesting premise and it started off really well. I was intrigued and I was quite captivated when I started reading it. It was interesting, pacy and I was invested in the story.
I thought this would be a game-changer and I couldn't stop turning the pages.
However, somewhere in the middle, it went wrong for me. The pace of the story went down and I started losing interest in the characters and the story. I was expecting more and it just did not live up to it.

By no means is this a bad book. It's worth a read but did not work that well for me considering it started off with a bang.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very interesting page turner. Great story line, great characters. Kept me turning pages until the end.

Two weeks before her wedding to Matt, Amy is stopped in the street & told she is in danger. She finds this unnerving & is already pretty uptight about the wedding. Matt calls her to say he will be late home but never returns. Amy calls the police who initially don't seem too concerned. However when another woman reports on her missing lover & he seems to fit Amy's description of Matt their interest is piqued.

The story is told from Amy's point of view as well as her daughter Jess, Fiona (the other woman) & another narrator who does not reveal themselves straight away the reader gets a picture from many different angles. Who can they believe? This was an interesting idea, somewhat far fetched in places but overall a good read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This reminded me of a similar book that I read not too long ago. That's not necessarily a bad thing though because I enjoyed both!

What a fun read. You think you know the narrative and It clearly turns you around. Howells keeps the story fresh with smart dialogue and expected and definitely unexpected twists. Can’t wait for her next one!

Very readable and enjoyable! I finished it very quickly, as the pacing was excellent and the plot was very captivating.

The book started fine when Amy was about to be dumped and left at the altar. I liked knowing Amy, though she shocked me too with her past. But midway down the book, the story lost its steam and dragged quite a bit. It became repetitive and quite far-fetched. The prose didn't flow well, and I had to skim read it to get to the end. Overall, an okay read

The first part of the book is told by Amy, with some chapters interspersed from the perspective of her university aged daughter, Jess.

Amy is excited for her upcoming wedding and life with loving fiancé Matt. She is very happy growing flowers and herbs to make tinctures and ointments for her clients in the surrounding community. One day Matt does not return from work, and Amy finds out he has been leading a double life.

In Part 2, Matt’s other woman, Fiona tells the story from her perspective in chapters alternating with those told by Jess, Amy, and a mystery narrator telling a story from 1996. At first, it is difficult to tell how the story from the past relates to the current story, and to know if Amy, Fiona, or both are unreliable narrators. As the book unfolds, all becomes clear.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable and quick read! The story, although implausible (thus my 3 star rating) kept me guessing until the end!

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

the writer knows how to keep you guessing and keeps surprising you with new things.
the writing style is nice and it was a really fast read.

The Vow by Debbie Howells is a great suspense novel with a very unique story line. I enjoyed ever minute of it. It involves a woman who is supposed to be getting married. The groom to be disappears two weeks before the wedding. The police become involved and some dark secrets are revealed. This novel was a page turner from beginning to end. There are themes about secrets, friendship, manipulation, and loyalty as the novel progresses. This is definitely a 5 star mystery and suspense novel. I would like to thank Avon Books, Debbie Howells, and netgalley for allowing me to read this enjoyable novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.]

An amazing psychological thriller that I couldn’t stop reading! Love that it is so fast paced, because that way I couldn’t put it down and read it in 1 day!

I had my suspicions about what had happened, but it really kept me guessing! By the end, it was obvious but I still didn’t know how it would play out. I think reading Jess’s POV was my least favorite thing, because in the first half of the book it gives too much away about Amy’s character, without that we would be having conflicted thoughts about her until the end!

I would say it’s a great book for people who want to read this genre, with good writing!

* arc provided via netgalley*

I honestly don't understand how this book has been marked down in so many reviews!
From the start I absolutely loved this book, and was picking it up to read at every available opportunity.
I found it fast paced, and I was so intrigued to find out what happened in the past etc as it was obvious it was connected to the present.
Would definitely recommend this to anyone :)

I’m sorry, I tried. Really tried. But 35% into the book I couldn’t take anymore. I had to give up. The characters were so 2 dimensional I couldn’t get to know them. Also, mentioning the investigating officer as “WPC Page” really wound me up as women police officers are no longer called this; surely someone should have checked this out?

The writing was not edgy and I have to admit, I did skip to the end to see what had happened. Saved myself at least a week’s worth of dull reading!