Wow! What a ride this book was! Creepy and twisty, just the way I like it! To be honest it didn't really seem like a whole lot was going on, then all of a sudden I took a sharp corner and fell down the rabbit hole. Never saw most of what happened coming. Loved this book and can't wait to read more!

I really wanted to like this book and from the blurb, it sounded like everything I'd want in a thriller, but to be honest this book was quite strange. At just 25% of the way through I was a bit confused; I felt like I didn't know enough about the characters, that their actions made no sense. Reading this felt like starting a new TV show on episode 3 - it felt like pieces were missing, that I didn't fully understand the characters (why did Alice agree to visit Joanna when she hadn't seen her in ten years? Why agree to stay with Mark?) Some of Alice's actions were incredibly unbelievable.

I felt I really had to suspend my disbelief for this book. Overall it's an enjoyable thriller, but definitely not what I was expecting. That said, I love Wendy Clarke's writing and thoroughly enjoyed What She Saw, but I just didn't connect with this one.

This book was phenomenal. From beginning to end, I was hooked. Wendy Clarke, you are an amazing author. I can’t wait to read more of your work.

sadly, this book was just okay for me. I wanted to like it so much more than I did.
The one thing I will say is that while it was not for me, I think it does have potential for others to like it.
I am having a hard time putting to words how I feel about this one. I think that some parts were quite exciting and others fell very flat, which is hard for a good pace, especially this being a thriller. Our main characters decisions did not always make sense, they felt spazzy as a way to speed up the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly had no idea what was going on in this book until the end or why. The story was incredibly farfetched from the start. I took issue with so many aspects of this book. These characters were, for lack of a better word to describe them, cringey. The attempts at suspenseful moments were more so telling you what you should be thinking rather than wondering in your head about what the twists will be. The ending did not offer any satisfaction to me at all. I wish I could find more positives to say about this book but I can't.

Joanna hasn’t seen Alice in ten years , yet she sends a cryptic message that she’s getting married and would like Alice to meet her intended. Alice newly estranged from her boyfriend and out of a job goes to see her friend only to find her missing and her fiancé is really her husband. Thus begins the truly wrenching tale of a friendship at its best one sided and at its worst deadly. As the days past an events unfold it isn’t till the end we find the villain who manipulates this story right to the last sentence. Chilling! Happy reading

I’m not sure about this book really. There were quite a few incidents that I found unbelievable. I did read it to it’s conclusion but a lot of Alice’s decisions didn’t make sense. Not for me, sorry.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alice Solomon has lost her mum, her job and her fiance. But now she has the chance to reconnect with her childhood best friend Joanna who invites her to London to meet her fiance. But when Alices arrives, Mark informs her that Joanna has gone missing...
Most of the plot is delivered to us via the first person narrative of Alice. We have access to her fears and doubts which seem to stem from her childhood. And there is a mystery about why she and Joanna lost contact. About two thirds of the way into The Bride, we finally see Joanna's perspective but there are still more secrets to be uncovered!
The secrets, lies and confusion make for an engaging and entertaining plot. Alice is a pleasant enough character and our sympathy is aroused in the opening chapters by her vulnerability and problems. There are some scenes of abject fear and these were very realistic.
I think the title is a little misleading as the bride in the book is not the main protagonist, although she is the catalyst for the events that take place.
I loved the ending: I had completely forgotten the prologue so the conclusion leaves you with a sense of dread. It is open ended but still really satisfying.
Overall, The Bride was an enjoyable psychological mystery.

*4.5*
ohhh the twists inside this book! There were many a "OMG" and "WTF" moments in here. I thought I figured it out towards the end and then SWOOSH it took a hard right turn into the valley of psychopaths with no warning!
If you promise a twist, you need to deliver a twist and Wendy Clarke did just that.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book had so much potential but the writing was stilted and the plot was convoluted. The ending was also disappointing.

The second part of this book was for me much better than the first part. Well written with enough twists to keep my interest. I did feel there were still loose ends that hadn't been tied up but I did enjoy this story.

Psychological thrillers are probably my favorite genre of book. That being said, this book just didn't do it for me. The twists and turns in the story were okay but the characters were lacking in my opinion and I just didn't care for them. 2.5 stars rounded up to three.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A good psychological thriller. Two friends set for a reunion after many years but one disappears. Lots of red herrings getting to the final scenario. The description of the area of London docklands is so cleverly written. You could feel the remote loneliness and eery atmosphere of living in the only building with few residents. A good read.

This was an unexpected surprise of a book. Right from the start, everything seems off for Alice and each chapter ends in an explosive cliffhanger which kept me reading. The twist was unexpected and I will definitely check out more from this author.

Just ok for me, I’m sorry. Didn’t care for the characters and some plots seemed very unlikely or even impossible. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review review.

Dark and moody. I enjoyed the ambience of the story and the intensity of the characters, but ultimately I feel like the twists and turns were a little too forced. It was almost like I was on the back of a horse that kept trying to buck me off the saddle! I really enjoyed Wendy Clarke’s writing though, and I would definitely read more of her work.

Alice and Joanna, who are former best friends, haven’t spoken in 10 years. But when Alice gets a text from Joanna asking her to come and meet her new fiancé, she doesn’t hesitate because the bond is still there, isn’t it?

However, when Alice arrives the only person home is Joanna’s fiancé, Mark, who eventually admits that Joanna is missing, and that’s when this book goes from weird to scarily twisty!

I found this one to be a solid psychological thriller after you get past the oddness on the beginning. Then it all makes sense! It has a good twist and a drop off of an ending!

Thanks to NetGalley, Wendy Clark and Bookouture for this egalley!

So... This book was ok. I have a hard time not finishing this book but there were a few times I wanted to and it took me awhile to get through it. The characters left a lot to be desired, I felt like they were just there basically to explicitly tell you what to think, and were so many cringe worthy parts. This book wasn't one of my favorites and I'll probably immediately forget that I read it.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the arc of "The Bride" by Wendy Clarke.

Synopsis:

Alice had it rough. She lost her mother, her job and her relationship. Feeling depressed and without any perspective, she decided to visit her old friend Joanna who lives in London's Black Water Dock. After texting to confirm their plans, Alice arrives at the modern, state of the art appartement only to find Joanna's partner Mark who is totally unaware of Alice's planned stay. In fact Joanna isn't even at home. Puzzled by the turn of events, but dreading the long drive home she takes on Mark's offer to stay and wait for Joanna to come back home from the supposed course she's on. However when Joanna doesn't turn up and Alice finds out that Mark hasn't been completely honest to her, things start to become pretty unsettling...

Thoughts:
I'm sorry to say this one wasn't for me. I didn't get it. It felt as if I didn't really got to know any of the main characters or learn much about their past or relationships. I didn't understand the choices they made and therfore felt little connection or empathy towards them. The author did a great job creating a creepy atmosphere though.

Alice is having a bad time. Her reunion with her father has not gone well, she nearly gets run over & her boyfriend dumps her. Getting a text from Johanna asking her to come & meet her fiance seems to have come at an ideal time. Johanna & Alice had been best friends from school. They were inseparable all through Uni but at some stage about ten years ago they lost touch. This seems an ideal time to meet again. Alice goes off to stay with her. When Alice gets to the address in London's Docklands it is not the high end luxury development. The block is in the middle of derelict buildings & Wendy Clarke really does convey the setting brilliantly. The address IS a luxury block. The apartment is very high end, but Johanna isn't there & Mark (her fiance, soon to be revealed as her husband) says she is away. For some reason Alice decides to stay anyway- after all she was here to get to know Mark. He tells her eventually that Johanna is missing.

I'm as good at letting go of my grip on reality for a good story, but I'm afraid this one was too much for me. I kept with it because I wanted to see how it ends but it was not one of the best 'thrillers' I've read.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.