This story line could have been magnificent, instead it just seemed to drag on to me. I was not enmeshed in the characters problems. I am sorry I did not enjoy it-others who like a slow build up may like it better.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

HE PACT
BY DAWN GOODWIN

This was a very well written psychological thriller written by the talented Dawn Goodwin. I really enjoyed it and although if you read the Good Read's and the Net Galley synopsis I still didn't guess how the book would turn out in the end. That is always something that I appreciate not guessing the ending and having the novel surprise me. The characterization and plot were executed well. I really loved the main protagonist Maddie and how nice to see her husband continue to treat her like she was part of his new life. His girlfriend Gemma was not happy about all of the help Greg gave Maddie and the way he witnessed Maddie's love for his daughter.

The novel begins with Greg helping Maddie move in to her new downsized living quarters. Greg and Maddie aren't quite divorced but he has had a baby with his personal assistant Gemma. It is just heartbreaking how some couples marriages fail because there are too many miscarriages and IVF seems to put a strain on many marriages when even that fails. I see this more often than not. So this may be a trigger warning to women who have not been able to have children but badly wants them.

Maddie meets sly, cunning Jade who lives upstairs and whose little boy named Ben that draws Maddie to enter a friendship with Jade because Jade doesn't make a very good impression. The two women bond slowly and Jade suggests to Maddie that she will kill Maddie's ex Greg if Maddie will kill Jade's ex named Mark who Jade says is Ben's father. Maddie doesn't take Jade seriously with some dire circumstances.

This was a thriller that drew me in and I was so invested I read it within a few hours. It has plenty of tension that slowly builds. This was really fantastic and one I highly recommend. I would rate this 4.5 stars rounding up. I would be interested in looking into this author's other books.

Publication Date: October 8, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Dawn Goodwin and Aria & Aries Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ThePact #DawnGoodwin #Aria&AriesPublishing #NetGalley
HE PACT
BY DAWN GOODWIN

This was a very well written psychological thriller written by the talented Dawn Goodwin. I really enjoyed it and although if you read the Good Read's and the Net Galley synopsis I still didn't guess how the book would turn out in the end. That is always something that I appreciate not guessing the ending and having the novel surprise me. The characterization and plot were executed well. I really loved the main protagonist Maddie and how nice to see her husband continue to treat her like she was part of his new life. His girlfriend Gemma was not happy about all of the help Greg gave Maddie and the way he witnessed Maddie's love for his daughter.

The novel begins with Greg helping Maddie move in to her new downsized living quarters. Greg and Maddie aren't quite divorced but he has had a baby with his personal assistant Gemma. It is just heartbreaking how some couples marriages fail because there are too many miscarriages and IVF seems to put a strain on many marriages when even that fails. I see this more often than not. So this may be a trigger warning to women who have not been able to have children but badly wants them.

Maddie meets sly, cunning Jade who lives upstairs and whose little boy named Ben that draws Maddie to enter a friendship with Jade because Jade doesn't make a very good impression. The two women bond slowly and Jade suggests to Maddie that she will kill Maddie's ex Greg if Maddie will kill Jade's ex named Mark who Jade says is Ben's father. Maddie doesn't take Jade seriously with some dire circumstances.

This was a thriller that drew me in and I was so invested I read it within a few hours. It has plenty of tension that slowly builds. This was really fantastic and one I highly recommend. I would rate this 4.5 stars rounding up. I would be interested in looking into this author's other books.

Publication Date: October 8, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Dawn Goodwin and Aria & Aries Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ThePact #DawnGoodwin #Aria&AriesPublishing #NetGalley

Have you ever said, "Oh man, I could kill [insert anyone here]"? Well be cautious of who you are venting to, especially if it is over a bottle or two of wine, with someone you've only just met... Maddie and Jade become neighbors after Maddie's separation, and Jade befriends her, but intentions are not what they seem, at least not for one of these women. Maddie, having lost the dream of a family she's had, quickly falls in love with Ben, Jade's quiet but cute 3 year old son, and despite the warnings and red flags, Maddie is just longing for some time with the child, she never had. This book isn't the most original plot, but it is good, like grab you from the beginning and hold your attention until the very end. It is a fairly quick read and there are a few surprises, that even the most seasoned thriller reader may not see coming. Trigger Warnings for Miscarriage, Infant Loss, & Suicide.

This was a decent read that had slow-burn thriller quality, though some of the things that happened seemed a little far-fetched at times. It centers on Maddie, who is in her late 30s and living on her own for the first time in 20 years after her husband leaves her for his PA. Maddie has what seems like a very unhealthy obsession with being around children (that is never addressed as such), and befriends her neighbor, Jade, who has a 3 year old son. Jade and Maddie are very different types of people but Maddie forces the friendship so she can be around Ben, and it turns out that Jade has her own plans too. During an evening with too many drinks, Jade comes up with the plan that they each kill each other's exes, which Maddie thinks is a joke initially, but realizes how deep she is as Jade continues to push her.

While not a super unique concept, there were definitely parts of the book that were unique to this particular story, and the book itself moved at a pretty fast clip. I don't agree that it felt like a rip-off of Strangers on a Train, as other reviewers had mentioned, though obviously a similar story line. I found myself frustrated with Maddie, who seemed naive and immature and really should have talked to a therapist about her obsession with children. I didn't fully believe the Greg/Gemma story; though I understood Greg's frustration with Maddie's single-mindedness around having kids, I couldn't figure out what redeeming qualities Gemma brought to the table (other than her looks) which would cause him to throw away his whole marriage.

The end of the book felt a little rushed to me, and was tied up in a way that felt very unrealistic, though tied up all the loose ends neatly.

Overall, a decent read that held my interest throughout. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie finds an unlikely friend in her new neighbor Jade, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Maddie is lonely after moving into her new apartment. It doesn’t help that her (still) husband is living in their large, beautiful house with his girlfriend and their newborn daughter. Jade has a young son, Ben, and is worried that the baby’s father is going to try and get custody of him. Over a night of too much wine, they jokingly agree that Jade will kill Maddie’s husband if Maddie kills Jade’s ex. It WAS just a joke...wasn’t it?

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick, suspenseful, and smoothly written read. Maddie may be one of the most naive characters I’ve read in quite awhile, but I still liked her and was rooting for her in the final chapters. There was quite a bit going on in the last few pages, and I’m not sure how realistic I found it. Still, I found it to be pretty fun.

While not particularly groundbreaking, this is the perfect type of entertaining read for when you just want to lay around and do nothing else for a few hours. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Aria, Dawn Goodwin, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed that it was a quick, summer read with some suspense. However, the pacing and characters felt off and the situations didn't feel realistic or fully developed.

The Pact by Dawn Goodwin is a twisted thriller. Two women make a pact to kill each other exes. One of the woman was joking and the other is threatening her. Was the pact a joke or will they go through with it? Maddie’s husband left her for a younger woman and Jade wants to avoid losing custody of her son. Can you actually forgive a cheater? How far will someone go to protect their child?

I really enjoyed The Pact. There was a lot of suspense and character development. I wouldn’t consider any of the characters good people, at least the main characters. However, I really liked Maddie. I cringed at so many decisions the characters made but loved reading about those decisions so much.

The Pact contains unusual family relationships, complicated female relationships, blackmail, infertility, cheating, and neighbor interactions.I recommend The Pact to domestic thriller fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria for The Pact.

I truly struggled to get through this book. It was such an interesting concept but poorly executed. I think I would be willing to give it another try later one but I felt like it just went too slow.

The Pact by Dawn Goodwin is an excellent read with real life situations. Maddie is newly living alone after her husband moved on with a new woman and baby. Jade, Maddie’s new neighbor, become fast friends and the drama surrounding Jade slowly unfolds. I really enjoyed this book.

The premise of this book was great and it could have been an amazing read if it had been executed differently. It feels like the first draft of an inexperienced writers work. Some major editing of character development and just overall believably and practicality need to be executed to improve the reading experience. In all, big potential, lacking execution.

Jade is Maddie's neighbor. She lives in the apartment above hers. Maddie is recently separated from her husband. He is now living with his girlfriend, Gemma and their baby daughter, Jemima, in the home that used to be theirs.
Jade isn't the usual type of person that Maddie would be friends with. But, Jade has a three year old child, Ben whom Maddie simply adores. She knows that if she wants to spend time with Ben she will need to be friends with Jade.
Jade has ulterior motives in her thoughts. She will be as manipulative as she needs to be to get Maddie to do what she wants.
Great read, strong characters.

An excellent thriller that I was hooked on from the beginning, I have read books by this author before and this one was as good as the others.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Maddie moves into a new flat on her own after her husband cheats on her and starts a new family. A slap in the face to Maddie who experienced so many miscarriages, each one tearing her down emotionally. Maddie does her best to learn to live on her own when she meets some of her neighbors. She becomes intrigued with Jane and her son Ben. Maddie longed for being near children, so having Ben in her complex brought up her spirits.

As Maddie gets to know Jade, she becomes more and more intrigued. Jade also becomes more intrigued after a strange interaction in the park with someone warning her of Maddie. But Jade and Maddie still get to know each other with wine nights, where secrets begin to spill. And joking talking about eliminating the stressful people in each others lives, making a pact to help each other out. Little did Maddie know this pact was literal and she ends up in a fatal situation.

An amazing thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

A fun update on the Strangers on a Train scenario. A recommended purchase for collections where domestic noir and thrillers are popular.

A thrilling psychological page turner with rich characters and an enticing narrative!

Maddie’s grief jumps off the page, the raw, desperate longing for a child of her own and the heartbreak of so much loss wrenches you as you read.

I loved the perspective shift between the characters used to illuminate new angles to the story - it felt right and added to the thrilling nature of this text.

A thoroughly enjoyable read with an explosive ending!

Maddie and Greg had been together since the start of uni - 20 years. But now, Maddie is moving into a flat, alone. Yet, the flat is not too far away from their marital home. Greg now lives in the home with Gemma (his former PA) and Gemma & Greg's baby - Jemima.

In her apartment building, Maddie meets Jade. Maddie is primarily interested in Jade because Jade has a 3 year old son - Ben. Maddie craved to become pregnant until she and Greg separated. Not yet divorced...

Maddie is very lonely so she goes to Jade's flat, when invited, and has a good time. Maddie gets SO drunk there that she cannot remember what occurred the previous night. Recalling very little - (even The Pact she made with Jade) - and this could become a serious mistake.

Greg still cares for Maddie and helps her out & visits her with Jemima. Maddie, thinks Greg, was so emotionally draining that he would rather put up with Gemma's materialistic ways. Also, Gemma is the mother of Jemima.

Then, the reader gets a look into Greg and Maddie's past and present...

Many Thanks to Aria/ Head of Zeus Ltd. and NetGalley for a twisty, exciting read!

I've previously enjoyed Dawn Goodwin's novels, particularly "The Pupil", so I was excited to read her newest release, "The Pact".

The book centres on Maddie, newly separated from her husband after he had an affair that resulted in a baby with his beautiful employee, Gemma. Maddie herself is desperate for a child, but realises this is now probably off the cards after a series of miscarriages. When she moves to a new flat, she befriends her upstairs neighbour, Jade, more because Jade has a young son than anything else. Jade is facing a custody battle with her ex, and one night after one too many wines, she jokingly suggests that she and Maddie kill each other's ex-partners. Or at least Maddie thinks it's a joke...

I was intrigued by the premise, but for me this book lacked the spark and finesse of the author's other novels. My main problem was that the characters weren't nuanced or developed enough. Jade - and Gemma to an extent, though she is humanised slightly towards the end of the novel - is so crudely drawn and obvious that she's almost a pantomime villain. Same for Gemma - are we really meant to believe that Greg left Maddie , his wife and best friend of two decades, for this shrill, chilly, and superficial woman just because she was beautiful? Maddie, too, requires the reader to suspend their disbelief - it's hard to believe anyone could be so gullible and overlook so much blatantly sociopathic behaviour, constantly failing to draw the obvious conclusions.

I did enjoy the premise of the book and it was an entertaining read, but ultimately felt a bit clumsy for me. I will certainly continue to read Dawn Goodwin's novels as I have really enjoyed some of her others, but this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie has just split up from her husband Greg and has moved into a new flat where she meets a single mother Jade. She finds herself involved in a pact where they will each kill the others ex.

This is a good story, there is a good pace to it and although I could see where some of the story was going there was some surprises in there too. Personally I think I would have preferred for the story to have just been told from Maddies point of view, although it gives an insight into some of the other characters the way it has been written, I think it could have maintained more mystery that way. I wasn’t a fan of so many flashbacks either, some of them felt like they didn’t really add much to the current story. On the whole, I did enjoy this book, I read it in one sitting and would recommend for fans of a good thriller.

A little Strangers on a Train, without the train. Maddie and Jade are from different worlds, but their lives collide when they realize they have something in common. A shared dislike for their respective ex-partners leads to a drunken pact; I'll kill yours if you kill mine. The two women vaguely talk about this pact throughout the entire book, but there was certainly no action. Occasionally, Jade would mention the pact in casual conversation to an oblivious Maddie who thinks it was all a joke. I liked Jade. She was feisty and held many secrets. I couldn't quite work her out but I was happy I did work out a few of her lies. Maddie was a drip, no one could be that naive.

If you like a slow burn you'll probably like this. The optimal word is slow. Nothing of importance happens throughout the story until the last 20 percent, with the pact finally coming to fruition almost at the end. The majority of the story was filled with Maddie's obsession with children and babies and her flashbacks to how she met her ex husband at high school. The Pact was a simple beach read that I thought was just okay.

Thanks to Aria and Netgalley for providing my review copy.

A good book! Not that many twists but kept a nice steady pace!

Thank you for an ARC of The Past in exchange for my honest review.