We used to speak on the phone every day. Growing up I spent more time at her house than I did at my own. I’d always imagined what it would be like to see her get married, and now I didn’t even know her fiancé’s name.
The moment Joanna told me she was engaged, I had this awful feeling that something was wrong.

This book was a bit slow and I found the characters unlikable, I couldn't relate to them or either care about them. The story is mostly about toxic, co-dependent relationships. I enjoyed a little the suspense that picked up in the middle but it was a little wick. I guess you could say it is good summer read if you like a kinda suspenseful book that's not too dark.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a story about toxic, co-dependent relationships. The protagonist is needy and not stable due to occurrences in her childhood. Enter her very BFF from her childhood along with a brand new husband, a broken engagement and loss of her job, Alice is adrift and gets a last minute lifeline from her former BFF. Arriving at Joanna's swanky but isolated apartment she finds the husband, not the friend. Wendy Clarke is very talented but this one was a bit adrift for me. There were many threads left open at the end.

What a unique and ominous setting for a book. The abandoned wharf area with its one concrete block of apartments but with hardly a soul in sight. I could picture the setting quite vividly which lent to the feeling of isolation and mystery surrounding the disappearance of the new bride. Did something happen to her as soon as she moved in? Do the one or two neighbors know what happened to her? Is there something wrong with the inhabitants of this place, particularly with the husband, and particularly if the best friend is also feeling deep in her gut that something is not quite right. An interesting read that will leave readers wondering what happened to the Bride!

When friends schedule a visit with the main purpose of meeting the newest boyfriend, add in a couple of really flawed main characters and you'll have the background for THE BRIDE. Why would her friend invite her to visit then not be there when she arrives? Why would the boyfriend tell her lies when he had to know she'd find out her friend is missing? WHY seems to be the main theme in this twisted story. Wendy Clarke has given us a couple of unlikeable characters then asked us to stick around to find out why the bride to be has suddenly disappeared. There are a couple of twists thrown in that will lead the reader to a weirdly satisfying end. This one may not go down in history as the greatest thriller of 2020, but it's still a pretty good way to spend your reading day.

This book was promoted as a gripping psychological thriller, books of which are usually my jam, but I really had to slog through this one. The characters weren't very likable and one dimensional. It wasn't really suspenseful. The plot sounded intriguing but the author really dragged it out way too long and it lead to a very unfulfilling climax. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

This book was a bit slow to start and I found the characters a bit hard to get into. i enjoyed the suspense that picked up in the middle and carried through the end. A good summer read if you like a suspenseful book that's not too dark.

I am really sorry I just could not get in to this book. I couldn't engage with the characters and it all just felt a bit flat -- just not a book for me.

What She Saw is still my favorite by this author but I was entertained by this too.

This author has a nice easy writing style that I fully enjoy. She really creates some crazy stories and characters! This story went off the rails for sure. Not entirely realistic but I was down for the ride. The end was chilling! I’ll look forward to the next!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

I got halfway through this book and had to put it down to finish my library loans before they were returned. Two and half months later... I haven't thought about picking this book back up once. I've seen a lot of reviews that said this book has a bad ending, and if I didn't like the whole first half of the book then I sure as hell am not sticking around for it to get even worse.

This is one of those eye-rollingly implausible "thrillers" that's so dreadfully dull I couldn't have cared less what the outcome was. Nothing happened beyond what was in the synopsis, which is quite ridiculous at the midpoint of the story. The main character just sort of went through the motions with no real motivation or thought process, and she had zero personality. A character doesn't have to be likable to read from their point of view, but they also can't be completely vacant.

I hate to DNF an advanced reader copy, but there is no sense in forcing myself a book I'm not enjoying just to give it a bad rating. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing my ARC copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to Netgalley to read an Advance Readers Copy of this book. This was a book that hooked me from the first pages and kept me guessing until the very end. It’s highly suspenseful and oh so good. Read it ASAP as everyone will be talking about it.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be quite intriguing from beginning to end. It was fast paced, well written, and while not extremely thrilling throughout still written in a fashion that had me glued to the pages. The ending was a bit off for me, but still I loved the book throughout. Did have some fun who dun it throughout! Lots of little shocks, some thrills, some chills! Really highly recommend this author and book!
Will make sure to buzz around and use low Amazon reviewer number!

A bit of a slow start but once it got going it was so gripping. A really good storyline that once it got going, the twists and turns made you dizzy 🥴. I liked the fact that the ending just wanted you to know what happens next. A good read .

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get into the book.

The Bride by Wendy Clarke is a thriller about Alice, who receives a call from her old best friend Joanna. Joanna is now engaged and invites Alice to visit and meet her fiancé. Alice, having just broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job, is glad for a little getaway. She haven't spoke to Joanna in nearly a decade so she is thrilled to be invited. Upon arrival, Alice realizes the neighborhood is like a ghost town and it gets worse when Mark, Joanna's fiance, informs her Joanna is away for the weekend. Alice stays in hopes Joanna will return, but soon discovers something else is going on.

First, I want to say this was a bad title for the book. This is my second time reading a Wendy Clarke book and I must say I am disappointed with my second experience. The plot line felt like it dragged and tried to channel "Gone Girl," like a lot of new couple thrillers nowadays. I found all the characters to be quite dislikable. Also, the red herrings were a bit too obvious. However, I did enjoy the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher Bookouture, and author Wendy Clarke, for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A great story with lots of twists to hold the interest. I didn't like the main characters but that didn't spoil it. Well worth a read

This was quite the thriller! It had one twist after another and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I highly recommend it to fans of suspenseful thrillers!

This is the first Clarke book I've read. I was interested from the very beginning. I loved the cover. It was simple and intriguing. The book had great flow and I felt invested in the characters. I felt for Alice right away. You knew there was a reason from her past that was causing problem in her current life. Alice was doomed in her relationship with Drew. She hadn't fixed her issues with Joanna and therefore that relationship or any other relationship would not work. When Alice made it to Mark and Joanna's apartment right away you can something is very wrong with the situation. At first Mark just tells Alice that Joanna is gone on course, but soon he confesses that she is MISSING. Alice is such mess that she follows along with Mark's ridiculous plan, she doesn't get her cell phone charged, and she keeps searching for answers in the New Tobacco Wharf. So many times I found myself annoyed that Alice wouldn't do the things I wanted her to do. It was a quick read and I was interested the whole time. I will definitely look for more of Clarke's books in the future

The Bride is definitely a fun read - and has a lot of what I normally look for in thrillers, but I hated everyone. It was hard for me to find any redeeming quality in any of the characters and I was left with a bad taste for all of them, which I guess is the point. The relationships represented are awful and toxic, but it does all come together like a package with a nice little bow on top. I would recommend it for those who don't care about hating everyone in a book or those who are in general huge thriller fans.

What She Saw was my favorite Wendy Clarke novel and now here comes The Bride., an enjoyable psychological thriller. Alice and Joanna are best friends so when Alice goes to visit Joanna she’s not home, but her fiancé Mark is, someone Alice had never actually met. Alice is stunned at Marks reluctance to report her missing so Alice sets out to find the truth. Set in an upmarket apartment building, where could Joanna be and what is Mark hiding? . I really wasn’t sure, either, and kept changing my mind until the final reveal. While not a five star read, it’s a sold four stars for the twists and turns but not as gripping as I had hoped.

This is another good psychological thriller from Wendy Clarke. Although the plot seemed a little implausible, I was sufficiently gripped by the characters and writing to carry on reading and enjoyed the book.