"The Missing Husband" missed the element of suspense I was seeking.

Did the book's stunning cover elevate my expectations?

(Perhaps!)

In addition to the cover, the book's premise was ultra-intriguing:

A perfect couple's marriage was on the rocks. One day, the husband fails to come home, leaving his cell phone behind..

What happened to the husband?

Overall, the book's pacing was slow with waaay too much melodrama.

I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, yeah, my least favorite trope is at play here. Adultery… Pete the adulterer says to his wife that he didn’t go looking for it, but it just happened… How about just saying no, Pete? Guess that never occurred to you, did it? Obviously, not. You’ve been so unhappy and unsatisfied in your marriage for so long. I suppose it never occurred to you to talk to your wife and let her know if it’s something that can actually be resolved. You know, before you swan off to France with your little chippy to live that perfect life. Nope, not good ole Pete. Instead, his plan is to leave a note on the pillowcase and take off. No goodbyes, no explanations. How did it work out for the brilliant Pete? You have to read this book and find out.

Before we tie Pete to the stake and set him on fire, let me just say that Kate isn’t completely innocent in all of this either. She never bothered talking to Pete about the resentment and frustration building within her. Raising two small children, she feels like she has given up her whole life, while Pete gets to continue living his life and having no cares in the world. I understand that having children and being a first-time parent is a life-changing experience, a game changer. Feeling overwhelmed is a natural reaction to my way of thinking. Kate doesn’t ask for help and resists attempts for help for a long time.

So much anger, heartache and misery could have been avoided if they had just communicated and if they had just tried, any effort really. I saw zero effort being made on both of their parts.

I really wanted to despise the other woman, Claire and for the majority of the book I did. She didn’t cause the problems in Pete and Kate’s marriage, but she knew he was married and she should have nipped that right off the bat. It would be really difficult for Pete to enter into an affair with her if she isn’t entertaining his flirtatious behavior and encouraging his attentions.

So, the burning question is what happened to Pete? How does Kate pick up the pieces of her life and be the parent her daughters need and deserve?

I thought this story was riveting, though I absolutely hate adultery story lines. I believe there are some lines that one should never cross and this is one of them, but the author does a great job of drawing the reader in with just enough details to keep the reader engaged, sitting on pins and needles.

The chapters are broken up and narrated by the different points of view of Kate, Pete and Claire. Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life with the right amount of emotion that made their actions believable and kept the story progressing.

My Final Verdict: How can a reader expect a happy ending or any closure with a story like this? I had zero empathy for any of these characters. I found them all to be quite selfish and despicable in their own right. My compassion lay with the children, Lilly and Maggie. They are left to grow up without their father in their lives. He won’t be a part of all the milestones they will achieve.

There are no winners in this dynamic, just varying degrees of coping, moving on and survival. I highly recommend this story to fans of thrillers and suspense and books that surprise the reader.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Missing Husband from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Kate and Pete seemed to have an admirable marriage and partnership, at least until the day when Pete unaccountably left his wife, with nothing but a terse note to explain he decided to leave their life together.

There is so MUCH MORE information waiting just off-stage to be discovered...

A wonderfully clever and entertaining mystery and page-turner, I am rating this one an enthusiastic 5 stars!

The description grabbed me from the start and I had to read this! It’s a great domestic suspense book written well and has some great narration.

Thank you, Natasha Boydell, Dreamscape and Netgalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Kate is shocked when she reads the letter Pete has left on her pillow. After years of marriage, he tells her he has fallen in love with someone else and is leaving her and the girls. Kate had no idea. Sure, Pete had been traveling a lot for business and working late more but late nights and traveling is a part of his job. Their marriage has not been that exciting lately but most marriages fall into a routine over the years.

But what Kate never expected was a total cut off of communication. Pete doesn't call her or answer emails. He doesn't get in contact with the girls. Finally, Kate swallows her pride and gets in touch with Pete's best friend. She finds out that the woman in question was Claire, who had been a temporary receptionist at Pete's company. The two had taken off to France, where Claire had inherited a house. Pete had quit his job months ago.

Kate is reeling but as the weeks go by, she realizes that this is her life now and she must go on to keep the girls' world safe. She starts to make new friends, women whose children go to the same school. Kate hasn't worked since she had the girls, but she contacts some of her old clients and soon is starting to get some publicity jobs, the field she had left. As she becomes more independent, she starts to realize that she is actually happier than she's been in years. Then there is a knock at the door.

This is a debut novel and Boydell has a real career in the thriller market going forward. She writes about every married woman's worst fear, that their husband will fall in love with someone else and leave their family for her. Kate survives that happening and is thriving until she finds out that everything she thought has been based on a lie. I listened to this novel and the narrator has the perfect accent to make this English setting seem real. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I kept reading waiting for something to tell me that this was in fact a mystery. It wasn’t until I was 80% done with the book that I realize there was in fact a crime. Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley

College sweethearts Kate and Pete seem to have it all. A beautiful home, two children, etc. All is well until Pete leaves for work one day and just doesn't come home. He has left his phone behind and a note saying that he has been unhappy for a while and is leaving her for someone else. When time passes and he doesn't even call her to check in on the children, she starts to investigate what is really going on with her husband's disappearance.

Fast paced and written in multiple perspectives, this is an easy book to get caught up in. The audio book was very well done. It is one of those books that have you both loving and hating characters. The ending is excellent. Worth a read if you like domestic thrillers.

I enjoyed the tension and mystery of this book, but at the end, I did feel a bit cheated by the ending.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Missing Husband by Natasha Boydell
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 171 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers

Kate and Pete are what everyone assumes is the perfect couple—together for fifteen years with two adorable little girls and a dream house in London. So it’s quite an unexpected surprise when Pete leaves for work one day and never comes back. He left Kate a note saying that he’s found someone else and is taking some time off to let her cool down and oh, please don’t tell the children, she really shouldn’t upset them. What a douchebag. What follows is Kate looking back on what could have led to this and how to get her life back in order. The nice thing about this story is Kate doesn’t play the sad sack, which she actually kind of was before her husband left. Instead, she grows a pair and figures out how to pick herself up and take care of herself and her children.

All in all, it was an entertaining read although a little slow at times but there were some interesting twists thrown in to spice up the ending. A solid three stars for me.

Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy.

I love me some domestic dramas. Pete is unhappy in his marriage and runs off with his mistress. Kate is devistated and has to try to continue living life for herself and her children with Pete. Kate reaches out to Pete's friends and mother in hopes to gain some clarity on where her husband is. She has no clue what is in store for her. This was a great one. I loved the narration and I loved the various points of view. This will have you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot pulled me in immediately and I breezed right through it. This book tells the story of a marriage on the brink and a man's infidelity. All wrapped up with a twist I didn't see coming.

This was marketed as a thriller, but I would consider it more of a domestic mystery. The writing was good and the narration was great. I'd definitely read another book by Natasha Boydell and I would listen to these narrators again. I enjoy a book with multiple narrators. All in all 3.75 stars.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5 really well done, unlikeable characters but with the audiobook its pretty easy to deal with, would reread

Was unable to read this book due to it being achieved.

5 star rating due to not wanting the book to suffer, but also have not read so please take my review with a grain of salt.

A fast-paced, edge of your seat domestic thriller that will have you hooked on what is going on, and wondering what will happen next. Not everything is at it first appears, as you will see in this book. Full of deception, lies, and betrayal, with a shocking ending that you will not see coming, this book will have you hooked from the beginning. A definite must read.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 5
Pub Date Sept 2 2021

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first time reading this author and I was grateful that I chose to listen to the audiobook. It’s a domestic drama, and I know there are a lot of those out there, but I was quite happy with the way this one played out.

Pete and Kate met in college. Love at first sight and all that BS, lol. They married, bought their dream house, had two girls, but this is where the story goes off the tracks. Kate has postpardum depression with both children and Pete “fixes it” by hiring a nanny. Which helps Kate out, but it doesn’t help her depression. Their marriage becomes kind of stagnant, as a lot do after children come into the picture. Marriage isn’t easy. But Pete uses this as an excuse to have an affair.

The grass is always greener on the other side! My wife doesn’t understand me anymore. She isn’t the same person I married. We aren’t in love anymore. Wawawa! Cry me a river!! He didn’t even try talking to Kate about any of their issues.

Anyway, he finally has to make a choice between his boring wife or his hot mistress, who is perfect. And surprise…he picks the mistress. He leaves for work one day and doesn’t come home. Instead he takes the easy way out by leaving a note for his wife. He’s also left his phone behind, so Kate has no way of contacting him, but he promises to be in touch and asks her not to tell the children that he’s just run off like a coward. Now he’s free to meet his mistress, Claire, to start their new life in France. And Kate is left behind with the children to explain Daddy’s absense.

There were some low ratings on this one, but I think the audiobook was entertaining and recommend it to anyone who likes family dramas.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#TheMissingHusband #NatashaBoydell #Bookstagrammer #FamilyDrama #ReadingInTheRockies #coloradoreader #octoberreads #justfinished #booksofinsta #France #NetGalley #dreamscapeaudio

I really wanted to like this book as I love a good Mystery & Thriller. However, this was totally not what I expected it would be from the description of the book. The book moves very slowly. There is not a lot of action or really any mystery to it. The husband does not disappear until 65% of the book in.

I was really disappointed by this book and found it difficult to even get through. I did complete it all the way, which actually surprised me. I found that my mind was often times wondering off while discussing the affair that he has been having. This seemed like your typical cheating story.

I did not like the narration completed by Penelope Rawlins, specifically when she would do the male voices. It just did not do it for me and was not believable. I actually wish it had just been read complete by Rupert Degas as I liked his parts.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion.

Entertaining, fun and twisty describe this suspenseful thriller. The Missing Husband hooked me right away. Even though some of the story was slightly predictable, I still enjoyed the experience. The narration added an extra layer of intrigue and mystery. Fast paced and thought provoking, this debut novel has me looking forward to the next book by Natasha Boydell. This was a perfect escape. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook.

Another author to add to my to-always read list! This book did not disappoint. I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the way the story was told from all sides.

How would you cope if your husband disappeared?

Kate and Pete seem to be the perfect couple. Together for 15 years as a married couple with that seemingly perfect life. But we all know that the perfect life on the outside does not mean its also perfect behind closed doors. One day Pete leaves for work and never comes home.

Kate finds a note he wrote in which he says he hasn't been happy and he has met someone new. Kate assumes he has left to be with his new love but without things like his cell phone, etc. Will Kate ever learn what happened after she receives no responses to her attempts to contact him?


#TheMissingHusband #NetGalley.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not always what they seem. Married couples always have their problems. This book shows multiple angles from both the wife and the girlfriend (not a spoiler). However - things are not what they seem and will have you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

They were the perfect couple. Everybody said so. They had the perfect home...the perfect children...the perfect life. Or did they? I thoroughly enjoyed this audioook by Natacha Boydell and I am looing forward to reading much more from her! The naration was very well done and really made the story come alive. I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, publishet and NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook in return for my honest review.