I was engrossed in this from the start. I found some of it to be a bit predictable but I was still really interested to see how it was all going to pan out. I loved the ending too, and found it quite fitting to the story. Can't wait to read another by this author

Sam (son of Georgie) and Lauren (daughter of Tim and Helen) are the children of two close family friends and it seems like fate when they get married, officially joining the two families together. However when Lauren is found dead, and Sam is suspected, Georgie does everything in her power to clear her son's name and find out who is responsible. This book did have many twists and was unpredictable, but I did feel that it was too descriptive at times and not paced quickly enough. I did enjoy how it was written from Georgie's perspective as you feel like you're going on a journey with her.

Want a read to keep you guessing? You’ve found it. Georgie is thrilled that her son Sam married Lauren, his childhood sweetheart, particularly after having an occasionally unsettled family life. The married couple seem happy but when Lauren is found dead at the bottom of their spiral staircase, and the police indicate that things are not what they seem, suddenly Georgie’s beloved son is in the frame. And true, he’s hiding something, not able to look at his mother or meet her eye. As she’s friends with Lauren’s parents, it feels all the more claustrophobic, especially as Georgie hopes her son’s in-laws will view their new relation as innocent. If mother knows best, it’s up to Georgie to look for information to clear her son. What to do… well, let yourself into their bedroom, that’s what. But perhaps you shouldn’t look into something that you’re not comfortable finding out…

Summary:
Georgie's best friend Helen and her husband have always been like family to her, so she's happy as can be when her son Sam gets mareied to their daughter Lauren. But then Sam calls her to tell her that Lauren is dead. Soon, it turns into a murder investigation - and Sam's the prime suspect...

My opinion:
I loved this book! Telling a story from the victim's mother-in-law's perspective is such an unique trope, and I liked Georgie as a character. I loved how the author untangled all the secrets and lies, and the ending was surprising and stunningly crafted.

This was my first book by Sue Watson

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

“Absolutely Fabulous”

This was a super read, another super book by Sue Watson.

I was, hooked, gripped and didn’t want to put the book down, wanting to know what happens next and how it ends.

There was soool many twists and turns, which kept me engrossed. The ending shocked me, was not expecting that.

Lauren and Sam who are newly married, have the best lives, great careers, a new home as well as supporting families. How can anything go wrong.

Then Laura suddenly dies, at home, which shocks everyone. This then takes the story to finding out about long standing relationships, friendships, as well as some accused wrongly and suspects, police corruption to eventually find out the truth.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s got everything, tension, mystery and intrigue.

After the marriage of her son Sam, to his childhood sweetheart Lauren, Georgie is prepared for a storybook ending. Lauren is Georgie's best friend's daughter and this seems to bind a 'like family' relationship into actual family. But things don't remain fairy tale for long and Georgie begins to realize that the perfect Jackson family, that she admired so much, isn't nearly so perfect. In fact she hardly knows them at all.
This story goes to show how jumping to conclusions about what you think you know, without all the facts, can be disastrous. A half overheard conversation and it can completely change your perception of another person, only to end up being way off base.
The author does a great job presenting all the clues you would need to figure out what happened, but they are revealed in pieces that still leave you guessing. About 70% through the story I felt I finally had it, but there are red herrings everywhere so I couldn't be sure. This is a very enjoyable suspense/mystery and I will be reading more of Sue Watson's work soon.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the e-ARC of this engaging family drama thriller.

I'm a huge fan of Sue Watson's books and was therefore thrilled to receive this as an ARC. I absolutely loved it and stayed up into the early hours to finish it!

The story begins with Georgie's son Sam marrying his childhood sweetheart, Lauren. Everything seems rosy and perfect, until Lauren is found dead. How could this happen when they seemed so happy and in love? Was it just a tragic accident or could Sam really be responsible?

I love Sue's writing and, although the premise of the story initially appears simple, the building uneasiness and underlying tension completely captivated me. The atmosphere and eeriness of wild Dartmoor and the isolated cottage is wonderfully captured and the characters are realistically and skilfully drawn, especially Georgie whose belief in her son, yet determination to uncover the truth, makes her easy to root for.

Part of the way through, I thought I had figured things out, only to be completely wrong footed again further on! This is another reason I loved this book, as I read a lot of psychological thrillers and so it's always refreshing when the ending is a complete surprise.

This is Sue Watson at her very best and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Thanks to the author Sue Watson, publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my... whenever I read something like this I stop and ask myself, is it possible that there really are families and people like this in the world? Normal people and families, I mean, just like the Jackamoores appear, on the surface, to be. There are so many secrets, and quite a lot of dodgy behavior going on (the twist at the end was quite a good one!)

I did think Georgie could have stood up for herself a bit more than she did, especially to Helen, who I thought behaved rather badly overall, but in all honesty, I enjoyed this. I especially loved the way the author spoke about the cottage, and the windswept, unforgiving moors. I would have loved that cottage, and been very happy to live there.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sue Watson and Bookouture for my ARC.
3 and a half stars.

Sue Watson has done it again with The New Wife, a twisty and gripping tale that had me bobbing and weaving through a plethora of suspects from beginning to end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, turn the page.

Georgie is a single mother to son Sam, her pride and joy. The one constant in their lives has been their friendship with another family, Helen and Tim, and their daughters Lauren and Kate. The two families are so close, in fact, that they have even jokingly blended their surnames. So it is the icing on the cake when Sam and Lauren tie the knot, officially joining the two families. But when the new bride is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, bonds are tested in a way that they have never been before, and aspersions of doubt are cast where before there was only love and mutual admiration. Was Lauren's death just a terrible accident, or is someone in this cozy tableau hiding something truly despicable?

This is another not to be missed offering from Ms Watson, and it is the author at her very best. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

This book is written from the perspective of Georgie, who is Sam’s mother. They’ve always shared a close bond and relationship, as Georgie brought him up on her own. Her best friends are Tim and Helen, Lauren’s parents. Georgie was always a little bit jealous of their perfect marriage, but she wasn’t resentful. They took her and her son in, and Sam and Lauren became inseparable. It was no surprise that they fell in love and got married.

However, everyone’s happiness is shattered when Lauren dies. It appears that she fell down the stairs in her house in the moors. As the cottage was isolated, there were no witnesses. The police think she was pushed and they immediately point the finger at Sam.

When Sam is arrested, Georgie simply cannot believe that her son would commit such a heinous crime. She will do anything in her power to uncover the truth. She discovers that Lauren had secrets of her own but when she tries to speak to Lauren’s parents, Helen becomes hostile. It seems that Helen believes what the police are saying and she throws accusations about Sam, that he was violent and that Georgie didn’t know her son.

What’s more interesting is the fact that Lauren’s best friend, Sadie is getting very close to Sam. She is abrupt, confident and has no manners, and Georgie dislikes her with abundance. Is Sadie trying to take Lauren’s place? Was she the one that killed Lauren? Soon, Georgie uncovers the truth about Lauren, Sadie and Sam… This sets off a series of events with far-reaching consequences.

I loved this book, it’s a story about the power of mother’s love, but also that sometimes we see things as we want them to appear. This story definitely shows that people are not who we think they are. It’s a story of deceit, lies, and survival, and how far people are willing to go to protect themselves and their loved ones.

WOW. This was quite a thriller! I thought I had figured it all out but I was completely shocked and surprised by some of the conclusions of this book. The characters were engaging and realistic and the plot moved along nicely. I read it in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next!

Wow this book was a rollercoaster ride. I read alot of thrillers so i thought i had it figured out when it started. I did not, and i was perfectly fine with that. I loved how this story started right away. There was no fluff at the beginning. The fluff came later when things already went down. The writing style of this book was amazing. I was addicted and had to know what was going to happen! Will be picking up more from this author in the future!

I received this book/audio from NetGalley on a read and review basis. All opinions are my own.

3⭐️
A new to me author with a psychological thriller.
Told from the POV of Georgie who is Sam’s proud and adoring mother who is happy when he marries his childhood sweetheart Lauren, which Georgie is proud to have engineered.
Three months later Lauren is dead and Sam is the prime suspect. Can Georgie clear his name.

It’s very slow moving, and has a family drama feel. It’s very character driven, the characters are decently developed. It does feel too descriptive, and consequently too slow to keep me fully engaged. Three quarters in, and I feel that very little has happened. I feel it’s a book of 2 parts, all the action, and tension is in the final part.
I didn’t engage with any of the characters. They aren’t likeable. It utilises the tropes of keeping secrets, and unreliable characters, the later being a pet peeve of mine.
I felt that Georgie is living life wearing rose tinted glasses.

I don’t feel there’s enough offered along the way to keep the interest levels. The final reveals are ok. I didn’t guess the culprit.
If I hadn’t been reading it to review it probably would have been a dnf for me.

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARLS!

I've never read this author before but boy oh flippin' boy will I be reading more! This book was fantastic! I think I went back and forth between the 3 "suspects" of who did it about 5 times. And then the ending. THE ENDING when it ALL unravels!! The lies! The deceits! Sweet baby otters! My eyes could barely keep up devouring this lovely eye candy! Thank you NetGalley!!

3 stars
This intrigued me, the title and idea of a new wife, love from high school, and then boom, she is dead. All the secrets and lies are slowly shown and although the idea was strong, it took a very long time to come together.

This is a personal opinion, but The New Wife didn't quite hang together for me. I found the stylistic choice of commas to separate full ideas felt amateur and run-on. The title - and the 'You don't trust her - you shouldn't' didn't quite illustrate the actual story.

What a fantastic book. Another brilliant read from Sue Watson.

If you’re a fan of suspense, twists, turns and great characters this book is definitely for you.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was an okay read with an okay storyline but I personally felt it dragged on a bit too long hence only 3 star rating.

The New Wife is told from mother-in-law Georgie's point of view.
Georgie's son Sam met Lauren at nursery school and have been the best of friends ever since. Now they are getting married at long last.
But three months later Lauren is dead. As typically happens the husband is the first one the police suspect in her death.
There are a few twists in this one. A few I saw coming (at least in part) and some I didn't. There were some clues along the way, but you just never know what to believe.
A great keep you reading to find out what really happened kind of book! I liked this and will look for more by the author.

Many thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.

Yes a gripping story, that begins with a death of a woman. She has everyrhing, a career, new husband, family and friends. She is perfect and everyone loves her but one day she is found dead.

We get this story with the eyes of her mother in low. A single mom, a mom she always dream to had. Her son and met in kinder garden and when they were adults they got married. As always we look at her husband, but there are more possible murderer in the eyes of Gorgie, the mother in low.

They are so closed the two families but it is obvious they had so many secrets to be reveled. And not only them.

Thank to Netgalley and Bookouture publishing for this copy.