Member Reviews

When Sarah's ex husband wants to introduce their son Ollie to his new girlfriend Laura, Sarah is a little apprehensive. She meets Laura beforehand but soon has suspicions about her behaviour and the secrets she told Ollie.
Is Sarah jealous of Laura or is there something more sinister going on. Add in Laura's mother who brings out the worst in her. And what happened to Jacob, Laura's brother, that she cannot forget about. Is Sarah right to be suspicious?
This book is very good at building mistrust of the characters and not really knowing what's happening but I felt the ending, although good, was rushed
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own

Was this review helpful?

Sarah is a fairly recent single mum to 3 year old Ollie. She then starts seeing an old flame of hers called Joe. Her ex husband Steve had a new Partner as well - Laura. Reluctantly Sarah starts to let Ollie to stay over with Steve and Laura and even meets Laura to ‘get to know her’. She seems lovely but as time goes on .......... something is niggling Sarah’s mothering instincts. Is she being to overprotective? Or is Laura not all she seems?!

A smooth reading book ..... until it grasp you by the throat, gives you a good shake ..... and your thinking ..... where did THAT come from?!

Absolutely love this author and this book! Having only read one other - I need to source her other books!!!

#netgalley #bookouture #sherylbrowne #myhusbandsgirlfriend

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adore this author and this could quite possibly be my favourite book yet. This has completely pulled me in, been a book that I have been unable and unwilling to put down.
This is a book that is well-written and gripping. Browne has created a unique and original read that has been addictive and kept me on the edge of my seat.
I have really felt for Sarah throughout this one. She is definitely one of my favourite characters Browne has created. A missing child is the instant storyline that makes your stomach drop as a reader and Browne has made me feel as though I have been right there with the characters.
This book has taken my emotions through a whirlwind and been completely unpredictable. I absolutely cannot wait to see Browne has in store for us next after reading this book.
A definite five star read and one that absolutely needs to be read.

Was this review helpful?

Amazing read. Very dark storyline. Lots of twists and turns. My heart was racing towards the end with Sarah and Laura. It shows how easy it is to jump to conclusions and that we should not be so judgemental of others without knowing all the facts. I would highly recommend it. Would give it more stars if I could.

Was this review helpful?

My Husband's Girlfriend is the latest story by Sheryl Browne. Sarah, our main character, is separated and divorcing her husband. She has begun seeing a boyfriend from years ago. Her future ex has a new girlfriend who he's already moved in with at her house. But that means Ollie, their child, will be spending time there and Sarah doesn't trust the girlfriend. Ms Browne gives the reader some twists and turns, and at times keeps us on the edge of our seats. I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy to review.

Was this review helpful?

Sheryl Browne is becoming one of my go to domestic suspense writers! My Husband's Girlfriend was a thrilling ride of an emotional roller coaster! The story revolves around Sarah, the ex wife, and Laura, the new girlfriend. When Sarah notices some things she's seen and heard might be somewhat off, she's determined to get to the truth without coming across as a jealous ex wife or the overprotective mother of their little boy, Oliver. But will Steve, the ex husband, and Joe, the current boyfriend, believe her or even take her concerns seriously? Loved the story line, the characters and the twist and turns!

Was this review helpful?

Sheryl Browne is quickly becoming my go-to author whenever I’m in the mood for a quick and exciting read! This one was no exception, telling the story of a mother set on discovering the truth about the woman she’s been replaced with by her ex.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve loved Sheryls books in the past and this one didn’t disappoint. Not quite the story I thought it was going to be , it had hidden layers to keep the tension going . I still couldn’t figure out who was the bad guy but after racing through it , the end definitely didn’t disappoint . Another 5 star book from this author

Was this review helpful?

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'My Husband' s Girlfriend' by Sheryl Browne.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Sheryl Browne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 7th April 2020.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It was originally titled 'The Whisper' but the name was changed prior to publication.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching and intriguing cover and its captivating synopsis. The synopsis also stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Claire McGowan, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell'. I am a huge fan of Lisa and Shalini's books so it will be interesting to see if it lives up to this statement.I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 61 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective and the protagonists are Sarah, Laura, Steve, Sherry and Joe. The benefits of third person perspective with several protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

Wow!!! What did I just read!!! What a twist and a half fairplay, I most certainly was NOT expecting that!!! Anyway, we shall return to that!!! This book is extremely well written and completely drew me in from start to end. The synopsis and cover worked well with the storyline although the event described in the synopsis didn't actually happen until much later in the book than what I expected it would, towards the end.

The storyline was extremely compelling and I cannot remember the last time a book made me question myself so much. It was filled with little mysteries, twists and surprises and had me completely absorbed throughout. It is a slower build thriller than I usually read but I found that worked perfectly as Laura's background slowly came out in dribs and drabs throughout. It was filled with suspense and had me on tenterhooks on the edge of my seat and biting my nails to get to the truth. I absolutely loved how it completely shocked me at the end!! There's not much worse in a book than when you have already figured out what is going on by 50%!!

This book would make a truly captivating movie which I would love to see and I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by Sheryl. Congratulations Sheryl you have made my top authors list and as soon as I've finished this review I will be going straight to Amazon to add all your books to my wish lists!!

The characters were vivid, realistic, unique and very compelling. Throughout the book I liked, disliked and questioned each of the main characters unsure of who was to blame and who was doing what wrong and right. After I had done all that I was still wrong!!! Throughout the book I flicked from feeling sorry for either Sarah or Laura and then by the next chapter I thought that same character seriously needed help. Steve and Joe were also helpful at times and needed a slap at others. I felt the book ended perfectly the way it did and everything was explained with no loose ends, another pet hate of mine.

Overall a page turning, gripping and addictive dark psychological thriller that will shock you!!

Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Noir Fiction, Psychological Fiction and Crime Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Shalini Boland, Lisa Jewell and anyone looking for a book with an epic twist!!!

331 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#MyHusbandsGirlfriend #Bookouture #SherylBrowne #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@SherylBrowne @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

Was this review helpful?

This might be my favourite Sheryl Browne book yet! Taut, complex characters, a mother who would do anything for her child even when those she lives the most are in disbelief of her accusations. There is something very wrong with her ex’s new girlfriend. She seems oddly fixated on her son. But no one will believe her that something is seriously wrong with this situation. We’ve got drama, intrigue, love interests and above all a great psychological thriller and mystery. Read My Husband’s Girlfriend! You won’t be sorry!

Was this review helpful?

3.25*
A new author to me. Not sure of the relevance of the title.
This is a slow burning domestic thriller exploring the feelings,anxieties and jealousies of parents when the family unit breaks down and co parenting begins with new family dynamics. It has an easy reading writing style.
Sarah notices Ollie’s behaviour changes after his first sleep over with his dad and new girlfriend and has concerns. It culminates when Ollie who is 4 disappears while Sarah is distracted by a parcel delivery. Who is the culprit? He doesn’t disappear until late on in the book when doubt has been cast on several characters reliability.
There are 4 main narrators the mom Sarah, the ex Steve with his new girlfriend Laura and Sarah’s fledgling romance with Joe. Each telling their side of the story which leads to a bit of overlap.
Sarah comes over as the hysterical neurotic mother and an unreliable narrator. She demonstrates double standards she introduces Ollie to Joe on their first date, but questions Steve wanting him to meet his girlfriend Laura wanting to vet her first.
Laura comes across as trying too hard, she has her own historic issues. Laura has a speech impediment and feels socially awkward because of it. There are some early red flags about her behaviour. She also appears to be an unreliable narrator.
Other minor characters start to look unstable too to add to the mix.
The tension and pace ramp up at the end.
The ending felt abrupt, it is full of twists and turns but the antagonist felt unconvincing.
I didn’t feel that I managed to fully engage with this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story centres around Sarah, her ex husband, Steve, and their son Ollie. Sarah has a new partner called Joe, who has his own history in love, with his ex wife Courtenay, who cheated on him and ended their marriage. Steve also has a new partner called Laura, who Sarah does not trust a jot. Sarah arranges to meet Laura on her own, to get to know her a bit, before Ollie spends any time in her home. Sarah feels the meeting goes well, but Laura says the complete opposite to Steve. Sarah feels maybe she was wrong and accepts it. And decides she’ll try harder with her. Ollie stays the weekend with his dad and Laura, and comes home without his much lived toy, and Laura arranging to buy toys Sarah was going to buy, and she’d trimmed his hair. Sarah is annoyed by these things that Laura keeps doing, but Steve or her own partner, Joe, just doesn’t seem to see, and feel she is paranoid. Sarah is with Laura when Laura’s mum turns up, and it’s clear they do not get along, but is it something more than a small rift? Sarah knows there’s something more going on, and really worries for Ollie, and on the other side Joe is has issues with his ex.

I really enjoyed this, it really showed that you should never judge someone straightaway. And there was lots of stories mixed into to the main story, which gave it a different edge to the bog standard psychological thriller. Reading the story, I knew it would amount to something big, and I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t expecting the twists and turns. They characters were good, I liked Sarah, as I felt every maternal emotion she felt. I wasn’t keen on Laura, but I wasn’t meant to like her. The male characters were okay, but weak, as in their support and sensitivity.
Overall, I really liked it and would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

The Whisper was another great read by Sheryl Browne and I enjoyed this greatly.
Sarah and Steve are parents to Ollie they have split up and each starting a new relationship. Sarah has found hope and possibly love with her old flame Joe and Steve has found Laura. Laura can’t do enough for Ollie, from making sure his bedroom is identical so he won’t be as worried staying at her and his dads house to buying everything Sarah was going to for his birthday. Sarah meets Laura before Ollie does so she can vet her and seems to like her but when Ollie returns home things have happened. Sarah jumps to conclusions but Laura explains them away making Sarah feel stupid but something isn’t right so she starts to dig around and tries to find evidence that she is right and Laura can’t be trusted with her son.
This was a fairly fast paced psychological thriller that I read in a couple of days. I think if that had been me I would have been concerned who my child was going to so was a believable storyline.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Whisper was definitely a gripping page-turner, filled with questioning narratives and many surprisingly twists. I enjoyed this from the start but did think the author gave away too many clues because I was able to piece together many of the puzzle pieces long before they were revealed. However, as I always think "I've got it totally figure out this time" I was indeed wrong yet again because there were several pieces of puzzle I did not work out and was genuinely shocked by when all was said and done.

One of the main themes of this focused on how we shouldn't judge someone by their cover or solely based on first impressions. We often find ourselves creating false narratives about people when we lack the entire perspective to do so, which was the case with Sarah and Laura. Sarah's constant paranoia (for good reason) kept her from ever seeing the other side of Laura and getting the full picture, and Laura's inability to face her past and recover her memory kept her from ever trusting...well...everyone.

Overall I definitely enjoyed this and was excited to see what the big reveal was going to be (there were a few) and would read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

3 topics covered in this book that although where not the main story gave good insight and was really interesting to have discussed and included in the book
1. Stuttering/Stammering and its effects on the person suffering with it
2.Animal Rescue/Shelters and what it is like to work for one and
3. Nightmares and Sleep Walking and how they present

I read Sheryl’s latest book in one sitting, having read and reviewed her previous 7 psychological thrillers it is no secret I am a fan
But was Book 8 going to be as good?
Well it was and I think one of my favourites of a favourite
The story is told brilliantly and one of those where you know a ‘baddie’ is a ‘baddie’ right from the outset and the story then follows all the characters as they are introduced.......separately they are troubled, together ( as they become involved ) they are chaotic and you begin to wonder as the drama unfolds if everything you have perceived about each of them is in fact as you thought
Brutal, tense and at times dark the author also manages to include humour, human goodness and a sense of justice, not always easy to do but done perfectly
In fact it was a perfect read for a perfect reading day

10/10
5 Stars

Was this review helpful?

This is a psychological thriller which builds up very gradually. The build-up is not very engaging, though there are twists towards the end.

After her separation from Steve, her 3-year-old son Ollie means everything to Sarah. Steve has a new girlfriend – Laura, and Sarah wants to be sure that during Ollie’s visits, she will take good care of him. After Ollie’s first visit, Sarah gets the impression that Laura’s is trying to manipulate Ollie. However, Laura has explanations for a few incidents which arouse Sarah’s suspicion. Sarah’s ex Steve and her boyfriend Joe both feel she is getting stressed and paranoid for no reason. And yet, Sarah senses there is something Laura is holding back about her past.

The book gets off to a decent start, but the build-up has a lot of repetitive and dull sequences and you just wish the story would move on. The story does pack several twists towards the end, but they come across as very forced. The multiple elements in the story just does not converge well and left me mostly unsatisfied.

I have liked Sheryl Browne’s earlier books which I found to be good relaxing reads but this one did not work for me.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah is a single mum to Ollie after her and husband Steve part,now Steve is seeing Laura who Sarah thinks is not good for Ollie after he comes home saying disturbing things.Throw into the mix Joe an old flame Sarah is now seeing and Laura's mum who is clearly hiding family secrets and what you get is another thriller from Sheryl Browne which i could not put down and with an explosive ending it really is a 5 star read.

Was this review helpful?

Lots of drama.....I truly felt like the character, Sarah, at some points.
Sarah is convinced that her ex-husbands new girlfriend has something wrong with her. She finds out things that happen and gets into her mom protective mode, only to have the incident easily explained away by others. The author took me on the roller coaster of emotions right along with her, that kept me turning the page. My only hesitation in giving this five starts was at times I felt overwhelmed, almost like there was too much drama at one time. Overall a great psychological thriller.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

WOW!WOW! WOW!. A brilliant edge of your seat domestic, suspense with a mix bag of characters and a gripping plot. I was asking myself all the way through "who the hell is tormenting Sarah" and by the ending it was revealed as someone completely different to who I thought it was. It really makes you think about how you perceive someone on first sight and you definitely can't judge a person just by how they look or how they act. It's a mind blowing read with twist after twist and characters who make you want to jump in the book and give them a hug. It's definitely a page turner and it will keep you guessing right until the last page when everything reaches a shocking conclusion.

Was this review helpful?

I was impressed by the premise of this story because it preys upon people’s realistic fears and anxieties which always makes a chilling read. I can imagine the anxieties and jealousy when your child is introduced to their other parent’s new partner, let alone when there are serious doubts about that person and a whole mystery about their past life.
If this book teaches us anything it is that you can’t really trust anybody although you’ll then feel very guilty for not trusting you if they are meant to be close to you!
A good, atmospheric, twisty read and I didn’t guess the ending which is always a bonus.

Was this review helpful?