The premise was intriguing and I did keep reading to find out who this would end. But, sadly I was a bit underwhelmed. I was pretty annoyed with Rachel and found her unlikeable. Also didn’t feel like a 12yr old was age appropriately portrayed. But despite all this, as mentioned, I did keep reading to find out how it would end, so that counts for something, Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

The Widow's Husband is a domestic thriller focused on Rachel, who has been trying to move on in life after her husband left her for a younger woman and then subsequently disappeared. It's been seven years and Rachel has come to terms with knowing that she may never know what happened; however, she then receives a note, supposedly from her husband, indicating he is still alive. The book is fast-paced and definitely gave the "can't-put-down" vibe. With that said, I did find the book to be quite predictable and the dialogue is extremely forced, which is why I'm only giving it three stars.

This was super enjoyable! What happened to Tom? After 7 years, Rachel is finally about to be able to declare Tom dead after being missing. However when notes that looked to be from Tom start showing up, could he actually be alive? If so where is he? Rachel calls Heidi, Tom’s mistress before he went missing to get to the bottom of it.


This was very entertaining and I truly couldn’t wait to keep reading. Rachel was a much stronger woman than most characters in books. She wasn’t as naive or as stupid as the protagonist usually is in these situations. This just made it that much more enjoyable for me.

Definitely would recommend reading!

Rating: 1.2/5

Unfortunately, this will not go down as one of my more enjoyable reading experiences. In spite of its premise, which sounds appealing, "The Widow's Husband" has a clumsy, simplistic and predictable plot, with cardboard cut-out characters and stilted, unconvincing dialogue.

Read this if you must, but I would suggest that, unless you have more time and money than you know what to do with, you would be better advised to seek out an alternative.

As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.

I was intrigued by this story but it left me underwhelmed. I found the characters to be unlikable and annoying, especially Rachel, and found it hard to connect with them. I liked the plotline about Tom and the lead up to his disappearance; however, it was predictable and the ending did not surprise me. I was expecting more drama in this story, but Rachel makes one stupid decision after another. This book was just not for me, but I feel that fans of the author & this style of domestic thriller will enjoy it.

Thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

The Widow's Husband
by Lesley Sanderson

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Widow’s Husband. I enjoyed the book for the most part. It seemed to become slow a bit. But, As I mentioned, I enjoyed the premise of the book.

This is a great read with an intriguing title. Rachel is not a widow--yet. Her husband Tom disappeared almost seven years ago. It is only a matter of weeks before she can have him declared dead, and then she will be a widow and can truly move on with her life with her two children. She loved Tom, he cheated on her, he disappeared. But is that what happened? Lesley Sanderson creates a compelling mystery around Tom's disappearance, his mistress Heidi, the remodeler's assistant Danny, and Rachel's daughter Lara. A compelling read from beginning to end, and hard to put down.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy to read and review.

A rather strange but extremely gripping storyline that’ starts off as a fairly common occurrence of a man disappearing to escape from an apparent broken marriage,and the other woman in his life.The story continues to wind its way with lots of twists and turns finally concluding with a brilliant end a must read for anyone into a different type of thriller,

Thanks for the advanced copy of this book! It was a fast read and kept you guessing. I enjoyed the topic and characters and look forward to reading more books by this author!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an easy read, I liked the characters and there was enough suspense to keep me reading to the end without skipping pages. It was fairly predictable but I didn’t feel this ruined the story, I would happily recommend and thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy x

Rachel’s husband goes missing for 7 years. No one knows if he’s dead or alive. Lots of secrets unfold and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next! Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! This started off with such a bang. I was completely hooked from the outset and could not wait to find out exactly what was going on. Its well written with well rounded, well adjusted characters. I also loved that the characters all make intelligent decisions and aren't portrayed as complete idiots for the sake of making the story work. It does become a bit predictable towards the end but even knowing what's coming, it still didn't take away any if the enjoyment I got from reading it. There were also a few things that I hadn't seen coming so it's not all quite as simple as you might assume. It's a really engaging book with a nice fast pace and plenty of questions throughout

You have  a successful business... You have a great marriage and a beautiful family... And still this does not seem to be enough…

The grass always is greener on the other side, right… Until you are on the other side and the green is fading, showing the brown colour underneath…

When your partner leaves you for someone else you are hurt, devastated, angry,… but you try to do your best to survive. You still love them, because love does not work with a switch. You cannot turn it on and off like a light.

What would you do when it seems like they want to come back? Would you open your arms to them, because of the love you still feel or because everybody deserves a second chance? Or maybe because of all of the above?

And than your life is turned upside down once again. You find yourself on the bottom of that dark pit for the second time. You grow stronger every day and decide it’s time to move on, but that is easier said than done..

Who can you trust? Can you count on friends to help you or are you on your own?

An enjoyable read where the author shows us it’s perfectly possible to love two partners, but impossible to keep them both happy. You will always end up with your back against the wall. 4 stars.

Thank you

Thank you for this advanced copy. I found this book to be rather slow and predictable. It started out really good with the note from the husband, but seemed to slow down. I ended up skipping to the back to see what happened as it didn't hold my interest like her last book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Overall, this book was ok. There were some really good suspenseful parts, but I felt it moved rather slow. I did skip ahead to the middle and then to the end to see what happened. I have had this with her books in the past, but wanted to give it a shot.

Rachel's estranged husband Tom went missing nearly 7 years ago. Just before she is going to have him legally declared dead, she receives a note from him. This premise had me intrigued. As I got into the book, we learn more about the backstory and the circumstance surrounding his disappearance. We're introduced to Heidi, Tom's former girlfriend, and Freddie, his former business partner. While wanting to trust them, Rachel always becomes aware that she must also be a bit guarded because she isn't quite sure who to trust. In the end, I did enjoy the book. I found it a touch predictable which I don't love in this type of book. The writing overall was good and I felt that the character development was good as well. Id give this a 3.5 if I could but since I can't, its 3 stars for me.
Thanks to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Widow’s Husband. It was ok, kept my interest. Nothing really stands out bad or good, fast reading novel.

When Tom left his wife Rachel and his 2 kids for Heidi, Rachel had been hit hard. But then Tom had second thoughts and wanted to come back. Before he could act on it, he disappeared.
That was almost 7 years ago and now as Rachel has finally moved on, she gets a note from Tom, saying he wants to come back to her.
As Rachel tries to figure things out, two people from the past suddenly seem to be a part of her present.
A intriguing read and a plot twist. A story that has love and traces of human selfishness.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

This was a good read but for me, it just didn't gel. I couldn't empathise or really like any of the characters. I just couldn't warm to them, which stopped me getting totally engrossed in the book.

3*

Absolutely fabulous intriguing story. Rachel is navigating her life the best she can with her 2 children. Her husband Tom disappeared and unable to know what happened Rachel has had to wait for Seven yrs to declare him dead. As the anniversary gets closer Rachel is shocked to find a note from her husband on her doorstep. Rachel has been through a lot. Prior to her husband disappearance her husband left her for Lara a younger woman. She is not sure her heart can be broken again. Is Tom still alive? Why did he walk away from his kids?
Thank you to netgalley for complimentary copy. I enjoyed this mystery of what happened to Rachel and Tom’s marriage. And why did he walk away?