I really enjoyed this! It had a lot of twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. There are a lot of unlikable characters in this story, but it adds to the angst. Overall it was a nice, quick thriller.

This is a very fast paced domestic thriller. . It was filled with twists and turns
It was full of suspense.
It kept me on the edge of my seat.

Title: The Ex Boyfriend
Author: Rona Halsall
Publisher: Bookouture
Original Publication Date: September 30th 2020
Source: NetGalley—Ebook
Genre: Psychological Thriller/ Mystery
Recommend For: Fans of Thriller/ Mystery/ Domestic Thriller

Becca is a mother working part-time as a nurse, devoted wife to her husband, and is a carer for her daughter Mia whenever she can. However, it can be overwhelming at times, especially when she tries to help her sister caring for her elderly father, and it seems that she is being stretched to a breaking point. But all of a sudden, there seems to be a sense of relief when her first love Connor, suddenly shows up on her Twitter feed, and messages her to catch up, and she feels like she now has someone to talk to.

But there may be consequences to resuming this friendship that was a romance that ended on a cliffhanger. Becca realizes her husband is more distant than ever, her father and sister are not getting along very well and seem to be fighting constantly, her part-time carer that helps with Mia, Ruth is also having to resign her position, and Mia is suddenly getting sick all the time with no one able to find out why.

Halsall is gifted at creating characters that are not only relatable, but able to understand their way of thinking and the choices that they make. However, the amount of twists and turns toward the end of the plot did become a little too much in my opinion. There was too many back-and-forth in terms of who was the final culprit for the main mystery of the novel, and the way it ended between the two characters also seemed very unsatisfying and unbelievable.

Rating: 3/5

I really enjoyed this thrilling read, and I didn't want it to finish! There were lots of great twists and turns and just as soon as I thought I had something figured out, the author knocks you back. Recommended.

The Ex-Boyfiend is a fantastic domestic thriller. I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning and trying to figure out what was going on.

Becca is married to Dean and the mother of a wonderful toddler, Mia. Becca and Dean have hit that spot in their marriage where it feels to Becca like she is a second to Dean’s career. Just at a time when Becca is beginning to wonder if Dean eyes have been wandering. Becca receives a message from her old flame, one that she had thought she would be with forever until life got in the way.

But just as Becca gets the flash of her past and questions where she is now in her life with her marriage Mia begins to become ill. What seems to come on quickly and disappear just as fast leads Becca to seeking medical advice. Being told it’s simply a bug doesn’t sit well with Becca and when the illness keeps coming back Becca becomes more and more worried.

The Ex Boyfriend is the type of book that you just can’t trust anyone or anything that is happening at the moment. With every turn of the page it seems like the story unfolds another layer and twists things even further making you question just where things will end up. By the time the end came with this one I had more than given up guessing and just went along for the ride waiting to find out the truth of it all and when that happens I always enjoy whatever comes my way.

I highly recommend The Ex-Boyfriend to domestic thriller fans. The Ex-boyfriend is a book you won’t want to put down. Everyone has secrets. Everyone is suspicious, so you have to wait until the very end to find out who is poisoning Mia.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one and will look into this author more. I enjoyed with twists and the flow of the story. The writing was well done and kept my interest throughout. I will be recommending this one to friends.

i've always enjoyed rona's books, and was very excited to read this. i wasn't disappointed, what a wonderful read! anyone who is a fan of twisty thrillers will really enjoy this.

A Good read though I thought the title of the book was a little misleading as it didn’t really tie in with the storyline too much. It had you guessing with a twist at the end

Whew! I finished this book in less than a day. So Becca is mom to Mia and married to Dean. She’s struggling with loneliness because Dean is away working a lot. Becca is also a part time nurse and trying to navigate helping care for her ill father with her sister Kate. One day Becca gets a message on social media from an ex boyfriend from 10 years ago. She thinks there’s no harm in catching up right? Soon after, her life starts to unravel as her daughter is sick with what doctors deem as being poisoned. What’s going on and does any of it have to do with her ex boyfriend? Read this because you will WANT to know just what is going on and who Becca can trust. Ive never read anything by this author but I will definitely look for her future books!

Another good read from the author and a difficult theme to base the plot around. Full of tension and keeps you guessing. I blamed at least 3 people for Mia's situation and was quite surprised at the reveal. Well played! Can't wait to read from the author.

As a firm lover of Rona Halsall’s novels this was another fabulous novel.

The storyline was great as was the continued suspense through the book with various lines of suspicion laced through the various characters.

The character development was well written and I really enjoyed seeing where the storyline was going and who the culprit would be.

As we came to the closing chapters and re real it cemented it as another firm favourite for me.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where her writing takes us next.

Rosa Halsall is the Queen of Psychological Thrillers! Yet again she has delivered a fast-paced, exciting story. The Ex Boyfriend follows Mum, Becca, as she lives her quiet life with her husband and young daughter. When Becca's old boyfriend randomly messages her and Becca's daughter, Mia, suddenly starts to constantly feel unwell, Becca's life begins to unravel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy.

Thank you #netgalley #bookouture and #ronahalsall for the copy of this book.

The Ex Boyfriend is a brilliant domestic thriller.

Becca is married to Dean and they have an adorable daughter Mia. Things are a bit strained in Becca and Dean's marriage though as Dean spends more time on his business and Becca gradually feels lonelier. So when Becca's first love Connor connects with her via social media, she thinks why not catch up. After all, he's living in Australia and can lend a sympathetic ear. Is it a bit weird that he wants to know everything about her life? Nah, he's just being curious! It's been ages.
Suddenly her daughter starts getting sick. Tummy troubles, the doctor tells her. So why does it keep happening? And why are they starting to look at her like it's her fault? Becca knows someone is hurting her daughter, yet no one believes her. Surely it's not a coincidence that Connor appears and Mia gets sick? Is her ex boyfriend back to reclaim what he feels is his?

I really enjoyed this book. There were so many twists and secrets and just when I thought I'd figured it out bam! Another twist. Very suspenseful and atmospheric. I can't wait to read more by this author

The start of the book was good, but I have to admit it took a while for the book to get going. It keeps you on your toes as to who is the perpetrator. The final twist you dont see coming at all. I kept changing my mind all the time and that to me is a sign of a good book. I cant wait to read more of her books.

Although the start to this book was slow at times, as soon as the story really kicked off it was an absolute page turner.
The storyline was engaging and really pulls you in, with the suspense level increasing as the story progresses.
The characters are realistic and believable, and you can certainly feel yourself sharing in their emotions throughout.
Well paced, brilliant characterisation and an ending I didn't expect, this was a wonderful thriller.

This book kept me guessing from start to finish. It raised so many questions as it went through that were all answered but not necessarily in the ways I expected. Recommended.

This wasn’t at all what I expected. Based on the reviews and consensus this was wrong titled and we all went in thinking one and got the opposite. While the book was well written, throughly thought out but it lacked substance that a true thriller genre novel needed.

Great read!!! This book was very hard to put down. It was very different to other books I've read. I have personally not read anything like this. The storyline was incredible. Although, for the majority of the books I could barely breathe because of the fact that everyone thought that Becca was abusing her daughter and she could not be around her daughter. I could not imagine how it would feel to be accused of abusing my children and not being able to see them. This is part of why I could not put the book down because I wanted her to be with her daughter so bad. I could not figure out who was the one poisoning her. When I did find out I could not believe it. So many shocking discoveries in this book. She did not really have support from come of the people closest to her. The only one she felt that would support her was her ex boyfriend who she just recently started talking to. However, their conversations started to become odd and I started to think that maybe something was up with that. Loved the ending and everything about this book. I highly recommend this book!!!

Becca is a part time nurse. Married to Dean who is hardly ever home building his business to help care for their 3 year old daughter Mia. Becca’s life is hectic and when she gets a Twitter message from her past she wonders if this life is the one she was supposed to have. When Mia comes down with a mysterious illness her life spirals out of control. Becca is accused of poisoning her child and the race is on to find out who is doing it.

I almost didn’t finish this book. I was 35% in and it was slow moving. I’m so glad I kept going. It picked up the pace about halfway through and then I couldn’t put it down . You think you know who done it but you don’t. Your completely wrong.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Becca seems to have a happy marriage to Dean and has a young daughter Mia. Becca is feeling stressed as Dean is a workaholic, she has a stressful job and has to juggle childcare and still worry about her widowed father and her sister who is looking after him. Out of the blue Becca receives a message on social media from Connor. He was the love of her life ten years ago. Becca was then living in Australia but when her mother died she had to come home promising to return to him but never did. She ended up marrying Dean but realises that she still has feelings for Connor and as he seems to want to get in touch she starts to question her life with Dean. Then Mia starts getting ill and no one knows why but fingers begin to point at Becca. The story then unfolds with so many twists and turns that will leave you shocked as they are revealed. This was a book that kept me gripped and is a highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.