This one kept my attention but in the end fell just a little flat. The story is engaging and I really liked the multiple POVs. I found myself relating to the story more than most works of suspense/mystery. This book is more about the how they got to the end result rather than the actual end result. The writing is very good and the audio is performed very well. If I had gone in without the expectation of twists and turns, I think I would have enjoyed it more. If you enjoy the telling of a good story, you will enjoy this one.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I really enjoyed this book. It is not fast pace or a thriller etc but the story itself was dynamic and kept my interest. I listened to it in a day. The ending had a very sudden surprising twist. Highly recommend! It was not what I expected in a good way.

I love this book!

Friends and neighbors think Kate and Pete have the perfect marriage. They have two darling daughters who go to the right school. They live in a beautiful home in the right neighborhood. So when Pete leaves his family for a younger woman and never contacts Kate again, they are all in shock.

This is one of those books you can just curl up with in a comfy chair with a glass of wine and really savor. The prose is calm and flowing even though the subject matter is ripe with tension. I just could not put it down. The author set up everything really well, and while I did see the end coming, I relished it as I did. The climax isn't so much of a twist as it is a fulfillment of what you hoped for all along.

If you love a good chick lit mystery, this one is for you.

This is my first book by this author and will not be my last. I enjoyed this story from start to finish. I liked that the majority of the book was told from the husband's perspective and only when his wife learns he's been reported missing do we hear her side of events.

The characters are well-developed and believable. I loved the plot and felt like I was right there with them. The story is full of twists and turns, which kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. I definitely did not see the final twist coming.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery/suspense novel.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and this one just missed the mark for me. It was well-written, and the narration was on point, but I was disappointed. I went in expecting a "psychological thriller" and that is not at all what this book is. It is a family drama - there's no mystery or thriller at all. I think had I been expecting a family drama, I might have been able to enjoy it. The entire time, I was distracted by wondering when the actual thriller part was going to start - thinking any moment we'd find out one of the characters was actually a murderer or kidnapper or something, but that never came. It's just a story about a piece of shit husband and what happens when he takes his selfishness to the next level and leaves his wife and kids for another woman. The marketing team did this probably great writer a disservice with this one.

The twists, the turns! After Kate is left with a note from her husband of 15 years that he was leaving her and did not want to be contacted, Kate has more questions than answers. She tries to get in touch with him, but she finds him completely cut off from his previous life. As she begins to peel back the layers, she begins to find out her husband had more to hide. What kind of information is Kate going to learn as she begins her search for her husband?

I definitely would not categorize this book as a psychological thriller. More like a… drama? It was mildly entertaining, however, it felt like it drug on a bit. The different perspectives were ok, but the flash back and the present sometimes got confusing.

Finding out what happened to Pete seemed to take forever. I felt like it was a bit repetitive.. “I emailed Pete & he didn’t respond. Where is he, or rather why isn’t he coming back to see his children?”

Again, the story was entertaining enough, but definitely could have been shorter. Maybe a bit more twists? I would recommend, but not as a psychological thriller.

I really enjoyed this while I was listening to it, All the characters were well developed & interesting and the plot was great. I found myself looking forward to my evening dog walks so I could keep listening.

The problem I had with this book was that the plot twist was extremely obvious. I was less than half way through when I figured it out and I kept waiting for another twist but it never came.

Overall I really liked the story and I would definitely read more from this author.

Overall the writing was good, but the book was too slow for me, with a story that hardly deviates from the many other trending books, and a huge plot hole. The plot follows Kate's journey after she wakes up and finds a note from her husband telling her he is leaving with another woman. I am not sure if I would really classify this book as a mystery thriller, but more as domestic fiction. I think it was tolerable as an audiobook, but as someone that is not married, this just feels like sitting in therapy for a marriage that lost themselves after having kids. Pete being missing does not get mentioned until 60% into the book. All the rest is Kate "feeling bad for being left by her husband," and Pete falling in love with the receptionist. It literally could have not being more cliche. If you didn't get the impression of foul play from the description, you are in for the most boring ride. Although the book is slow and probably advertised as the wrong genre, my main issue with this book is that the author cheats the reader from the possibility of guessing the plot twist. The book changes back and forth from the perspectives of Pete and Kate (adding a chapter or two for the mistress) and for the first 80% of the book, Kate is confused and sad. It is only in those last chapters that we find out she killed him. The only reason the investigation gets started is that Claire needs closure after he "dumps her," and Kate is just in this limbo where you want to say she is a sociopath but not really? The only emotions you get from her are fake, and there is no real remorse after she realizes he is dead. But at the same time, she does not display other typical traits. Her character development is so poor, that at the end of the book she gets away with it and you can't tell if you are happy she did, or mad that didn't get caught. You simply don't care. It was such an anticlimactic novel, which is sad because like I mentioned at first the writing itself is good. The words flow, this just happens to be insanely boring. Kate being the killer could have been a decent twist, if the author did not disclose what she was thinking and feeling. I think it shows such a lack of skill to resort to straight out lying. Throughout the novel, Kate was anxious, and maybe scared, but not worried and wondering if that ring at her door is her husband coming back full of regret. I would have much rather have the unreliable narrator where the wife drinks wine like it was water, over this cheap cope out. It is overall such a disappointing book that just drags along until the missing guy gets murdered. This might not bother other readers, but I refuse to give more than 2 stars to authors that will merely give you one twist, solely by lying.

The Missing Husband by Natasha Boydell was one of those books that made you question…What would I do if this ever happened to me? I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins. It was most definitely a character driven book with some characters I was truly rooting for and others that I disliked from the start. The Missing Husband was well written and well paced. The audiobook ran for a manageable 8 hours and 10 minutes. The plot drew me in from the onset and kept me immersed until the surprising and not expected ending. Since The Missing Husband was told from three different points of view, each character’s perspective was well established. This was the first book that I have read or rather listened to by Natasha Boydell but I would definitely read more books by her in the future.

Kate and Pete met in college, fell in love, got married, bought a nice home together and had children. For all those that observed them, they had a perfect life and marriage. Their two daughters completed their “perfect” family. When Kate got pregnant, she had a hard time adjusting to what would become her new life. She suffered from postpartum depression but Pete was virtually unaware of how she was coping. As the years marched on, they realized that they started to have less and less in common with each other. They became complacent with the way their marriage was evolving. Their marriage was becoming more of a source of convenience rather than an emotional or passionate involvement. Kate and Pete lived together in the same house but no longer felt the strong connections they felt when they had first gotten married. It was almost like they were tolerating each other and just going through the motions. Neither Kate nor Pete wanted to admit this to each other but their marriage was in serious trouble.

It was no wonder that Pete noticed the new receptionist, Claire, at his office. Their involvement with each other started out with niceties and a little flirtation. Soon Pete was going out of his way to make sure he had to walk by Claire’s desk on purpose. Before he knew it, Pete and Claire were having an honest to goodness affair with all the passion and romance that was missing from his marriage. Claire made Pete feel alive for the first time in a very long time. He looked forward to seeing her and invented excuses to do so. Pete managed to keep his new found passion a secret from Kate. He tried to maintain a normalcy at home. Claire awakened feelings and emotions in Pete that had laid dormant for so long. His feelings for Claire started to turn into something real that he was no longer able to ignore or deny. Pete knew that after spending so much time with Claire over the past five months that he wanted to spend his life with her. Could he end his marriage with Kate? What about his children?

Claire had never been married and had no children. She had no ties whatsoever. She was considering leaving London to live in a house in Paris that her father had left to her when he died. She always dreamed of converting it into a bed and breakfast but she did not want to do it alone. Claire wanted Pete to come with her. Pete was conflicted but he quit his job and found a new job that he could work at remotely. All this time, Kate had been unaware of all the decisions Pete had made and had successfully executed without her knowledge. She had been blindsided. She had no idea of what Pete was planning to do. One day, Pete had just up and left Kate and his daughters without a discussion, with no warning or any goodbyes. All he left was a note on their bed and he simply vanished. When Kate read Pete’s note she was angry and sad. She knew their marriage had not been good for a while but how do you end 15 years of marriage without a discussion or a goodbye? How would she cope and what about her daughters? They still needed their father. Would he find room in his life for them? Where had he gone? How did she not see this?

The Missing Husband focused on the way Kate and Pete let others see them as the “perfect” couple compared to the real struggles they were experiencing that they kept private and far from the eyes of others. It explored the way in which morals could be overlooked or even abused. The guilt that accompanied an affair or ending a marriage was looked at and portrayed in a realistic way. It also explored what one accepts as acceptable in order to obtain happiness. The ending of The Missing Husband was quite surprising and not at all what I had anticipated or expected. Overall, I enjoyed The Missing Husband and would recommend it very highly.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, LLC for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This audiobook was fantastic. The book had a slow start, but once it picked up, it kept me guessing the whole time. The narrator was great at conveying emotion and not giving away the twist ending at all. This one snuck up on me completely because the narrator was so good at playing the part. Often thrillers are given away because the narrator has tipped something off in their deliver. That was not the case with Penelope and Rupert. I would love to read more thrillers narrated by them in the future.

received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Kate’s husband Pete meets a woman at work and unexpectedly falls in love with her and decides to leave Kate and their two daughters to start a new life with Claire. Pete is a coward though and instead of telling his wife, he plans his escape and then leaves her a note on her pillow.

Pete closes his social media accounts and leaves his job and doesn’t tell anyone his plans. Kate finds the letter and tries to contact him and weeks and then months go by and she hears nothing. Did her husband really run away for good or is he really missing?

The story switches from Kate, Pete and Claire’s point of view. You can sort of figure out what happened pretty early on but the journey there is just as intriguing so you keep listening to see if you were right. I really enjoyed this book and am glad I requested it and can add a new author to my ever growing list of authors I keep an eye out for new books from.

I was not expecting the twists and turns in this story! Typical husband cheats on wife with coworker makes the wife the bad guy for his disgusting behavior. Chooses his mistress over his 2 daughters and wife of many years or does he? This was definitely a psychological suspense thriller. Made me angry, sad and shocked by the end.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for my ALC of this thriller - I enjoyed listening to it!

Kate and Pete are the perfect couple, until they aren't. Pete goes to work and never comes home, leaving behind a note saying that he's fallen in love with someone else - so where is Kate's missing husband?

If you like the missing/unfaithful husband trope, you'll probably enjoy this book. I enjoyed Kate's journey to find the truth, as well as the story of Pete's affair. I did not guess the twist! Both narrators were pleasant to listen to, and I flew through this story wanting to know what was happening! I agree with other reviewers that the ending was a little abrupt, but this one definitely kept me interested throughout.

Wow!! This did a great job at making you hateee Pete. I know a Pete. And I always said … this reminds me of a thriller I would read that doesn’t end well, and here we are!! Loved it. Can’t stand a cheater. Thanks for this one!

The Missing Husband by Natasha Boydeli and narrated by Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins was a mixed bag for me. First off the narration was great. It was easy to follow along and both narrators did a great job bringing their characters to life. I was expecting a mystery/thriller and this really wasn't a mystery or a thriller. Kate and Pete have been married for quite some time. Kate went through a long bout of postpartum depression after having their kids. Pete's pretty much over it. As they grew further and further apart, Pete meets someone else and up and disappears without leaving Kate an inkling of a clue where he is, except for a note.

This book was a lot of repetition. Kate went over things that led to Pete's leaving and her PPD a LOT. I pushed through, as this wasn't a terrible book, but it didn't keep me glued to the audiobook either. There was a fun twist at the end that I honestly hadn't been expecting, so that was a pleasant surprise. Overall, if you're a fan of this author, then I'd take a chance and listen. If not, I'd just be aware that the book cover and summary is a little misleading.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media, Natasha Boydell, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Missing Husband.

Kate's world is turned upside down when she finds a letter from her husband saying that he has been unhappy and that he is leaving her for another woman. She is left wondering how to go on, and how to tell their children. 👀🏃🧐

This was a solid read. I cannot say that I found myself all that surprised about any of it, but it was still an enjoyable read. I really liked the strong characters in this book! ⭐⭐⭐

The Missing Husband is a debut novel by Natasha Boydell. This book kept me guessing through out the book! At one time I definitely thought I had it figured out but I was totally wrong!! Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Dreamscape audio for this advanced audiobook!

Kate and Pete have had a perfect marriage. They have been together since they were teenagers! One day Pete leaves to go to work and never comes home. He has left his phone behind and deleted his social media accounts. Kate is distraught and sets out to see what happened to Pete.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Enjoyment: 7/10


In the Missing Husband, we follow Kate and Pete, a perfect couple who have been together for 15 years, now married with two daughters and a desirable house in London. Everyone looks at them and wants what they have. But behind closed doors, things are not as perfect as they seem, as their passion has long died, and they put more effort into looking perfect than in their relationship.

One day, Kate wakes up and discovers a note from Pete telling her he is unhappy and is leaving her for someone else. At first, she is hopelessly devastated, but when she calms down, she realizes that things are not so cut and dry as he has left everything behind. As she navigates life without Pete, Kate seeks closure by finding out the truth about his disappearance.

I listened to The Missing Husband as an audiobook produced by Dreamscape Media and narrated by Rupert Degas & Penelope Rawlins. I enjoyed their narration style; they brought both the characters and story to life with impeccable pacing. Their narration added to the atmosphere and was very easy to follow.

Boydell penned a highly atmospheric novel that was as hopeless as it was healing. She did a fantastic job developing the couple. We understand Kate's betrayal and how she slowly adjusts to her new life while not hating Pete. Through his point of view, we slowly learn about his motivations, feelings, and conflict. This book focuses mainly on their relationship dynamics; although the mystery plot is well done, but takes a slow back burner to the characterization.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Dreamscape Media, Natasha Boydell, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Missing Husband.

Kate’s husband Pete is missing after he leaves Kate a note announcing he’s met someone else. He leaves behind not only his wife, but his job and two daughters. During his absence, the narrators reveal “how we got here” from their different points of view. The last few chapters bring you to present time—with an unexpected ending (and, even if you see it coming, the inner thoughts of the characters as it all goes down are still interesting).

The audiobook in particular was great with a different reader for each character. Overall, its a short (only 171 pages), super entertaining read. Set mostly in London, the narrators/readers have English accents. And, the structure has a Paula Hawkins/Girl on the Train feel. I wish it was a bit longer with more substance added to the ending—but ultimately I think the book is less about “the ending” and more about the “how we got here” … I really liked it!

Publication date: September 2, 2021

Thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!