"The Ex-Husband" by Samantha Hayes is a Domestic Suspense novel about Leah, a recent divorcee who moves into a new house for a fresh start only to realise that her ex has moved in next door.

The Ex-Husband has brilliant pacing. There is a natural progression of events that happen that steadily build up suspense and made me want to know how Leah was going to respond. The Ex-Husband plays with high stakes and manages to put them cohesively. Leah is a frustrating character, but her mental deterioration is done reasonably well. The spiral of Leah's emotional state and the gaslighting she experiences are written in satisfactorily.

The twist in the end was unpredictable.

But the plot was quite loose in several areas. We do not get to see first hand how Craig manipulates and turns everyone against Leah and how he manages to beat the odds in his favour most of the time, considering Leah wins custody of her kids, legally. The lack of logic in Leah's actions can be put down to her distraught state, but there is a contrast in her character considering she believes herself to be in control of her actions. Which is why her character fluctuations do not make sense. Craig also fails to come across the supreme narcissist he is meant to be, and despite being scary, he also makes questionable decisions that go against his planning nature.

Overall, this was a quick enjoyable read with a strong psychological factors. Domestic Suspense novels have been done a lot and I enjoyed Samantha Hayes' take on it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Hayes and Bookouture for the Advanced Review Copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't lived here long. The house is small and a little rundown, but each piece of faded floral wallpaper i peel away feels like unwrapping the second chance I never thought I'd get. I'm finally free to wear what I want, and don't flinch when I accidently burn the dinner. My new home is warm, and the kids are safe inside. Anywhere would feel idyllic after the nightmare marriage I've just escaped. But then I see my ex-husband Craig stroll stroll past the window and let himself into the house next door. Fear chokes me. How did he find me? Does he want me back, or to destroy me for good.

An ex-husband who will stop at nothing to ruin his ex-wife's life. I was immediately gripped by the storyline. This is a rollercoaster read with plenty of twists. I loved the authors writing style and I couldn't put this book down. My heart went out to Leah. Who would want their abusive ex living next door? The characters were well developed. The ending was satisfactory. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #SamanthaHayes for my ARC of #TheExHusband in exchange for an honest review.

The Ex Husband will have you turning the pages quickly while cringing at all the nasty people.

The ex husband, Craig, is a nasty piece of work that is abusive not only to his ex wife Leah but to most of the people around him.

Leah is excited to be finally divorced and making a new life for herself.

Don't celebrate too quickly Leah as Craig is about to move next door with his new wife.

Things get crazy as Leah knee jerk reacts to Craig and the tension mounts.

So many secrets, so many lies.

You can't go wrong with a book by Samantha Hayes; you just know there will be a catch to two somewhere.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for twisted but oh so good read.

I wish I liked this book more. I was not a fan of Leah, the main character. More and more I feel uncomfortable with female characters that seem to be weak. I would love to see more female characters that are strong, decisive and positive. I'm sure Craig was nobody's favorite. I did not like any of the characters in this book. There were some surprising twists that I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for allowing me to read this book and offer my honest review.

Be warned, this is a book about extreme coercive and abusive behaviour both physically and mentally. Leah has finally left her obnoxious bully of a husband, Craig, and is looking forward to a better future in her lovely new home with a new boyfriend, Gabe. She is excited to welcome her new neighbours until she discovers that Craig and his new partner Gillian have just moved in next door and Craig doesn’t seem as though he is going to change his desire to control and ultimately destroy Leah for daring to leave him.

I really didn’t like any of the characters. Obviously Craig is an obnoxious bully. Gabe a bit too hippy for me. Gillian is a control freak and I just wanted to shake Leah and say grow some. Having said that I found it a great read and couldn’t wait to find out how it all turns out for Leah. I couldn’t make up my mind about which way Leah was going to jump and the end was a shock. There were so many twists in this plot, some of which I didn’t feel contributed to the story overall, but none the less I thoroughly enjoyed this book .

Leah has finally escaped her abusive ex-husband, and bought a small house which she and their two kids move into. Shortly after, someone moves in next door, and she is excited to meet the new neighbors until she realizes that the couple living next door is her ex-husband Craig, & his new partner, Gillian. Leah tries to make a go of it, but Craig starts in with his gaslighting, and verbal, emotional, and physical abuse almost immediately, painting the picture of an emotionally unstable ex-wife, bent on revenge, in the eyes of the police and all of her friends. But when a body is discovered in a bonfire, charred beyond recognition, and the police believe it could be Craig, all eyes are on Leah.....
This was a psychological domestic thriller that begins with the police going over the remains of the body in the bonfire, and then jumps backwards to when Leah first purchases her home. I have to admit, I found it hard to believe so many women could fall for someone like Craig, as manipulative and abusive as he was. I just feel like his true self had to have shown through the cracks in his persona. Also, Leah was a bit exhausting. I felt bad for her, and all she was going through, and had gone through in the past, but she was just not handling it well at all. I don't know if it was the author's intent to paint her as an unreliable narrator or not, but many of the things she claimed happened with Craig were shown in an entirely different light, when the police investigated the matter, and then she just acted either confused as to why it wasn't showing like she described the scene, or she blamed Craig for manipulating the scene somehow. There were several twists and turns, and for awhile, you aren't even sure who died in the bonfire. Overall, it was an ok book, just not my favorite book by this author.

I found myself riveted, appalled and thoroughly entertained by this one! It is a story I had to read in bites as I would get angry/triggered and needed to walk away for a bit. Kudos to the author for eliciting all the "feels". There is quite a bit going on all at once with the final chapters revealing all the twisted twists!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

A true psychological thriller with hints of suspense and mystery thus story certainly kept me on my toes. I devoured it in one sitting.

This book was proper dark and twisted which has you flipping the pages fast and before you know it bam you're at the plot twist you just don't see coming. The author has you guessing at every chapter and that's what I loved so much.

Just when you think you know someone.. you really don't.. even those blood related to you. Just don't know who you can trust eh!

Can't wait to read more by this author.

This was a gripping domestic thriller. I found some of the content a little hard going, but the characters were well developed and the ending was partially good, I would recommend this title but would also say check for trigger warnings before you make a start,

*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Highlights manipulation and peoples doubt in others. There were a few surprises I didn't expect. The ending was pretty good. Would recommend.

great story, all the twists and turns, it will keep you guessing until the end. could not put it down, read it in one afternoon.

What a tense and uncomfortable read- but in a thrilling, can't stop reading way! It's wonderfully put together with you wondering how her ex husband is getting away with his reign of terror. You absolutely love to hate his character.
The book starts with a body being discovered on a bonfire and immediately answers are required! There is a few big twists that really caught me out. I think the term 'jaw dropping' really applied here especially when revelations are dropped at the end. Another brilliant psychological read by Samantha Hayes.

Considering what the plot of this story was about I expected it to be a little bit more fast paced and to completely hold my interest. However I found myself continually putting this book down and I wasn't quite able to immerse myself in the story. While the description of this book sounds like everything that I would love, a thriller about a woman whos abusive ex moves next door, I found the actual delivery to be disconnected and uninspiring. The characters were hard to relate to and I had to keep reminding myself exactly what was happening after every chapter. Not my favourite read by far but I do think that there were lots of positives about this book. What I liked the most was how the story was told through a third person's point of view because it gave the reader insight on what the the characters didn't even know was going on. It wasn't until about half way through this book that
I really got invested and saw what all the hype was about. This was when the story really caught fire and I couldn't put it down. While there were parts I wasn't a fan of the good parts outweigh those by far.I'm very glad I got the chance to check out this book and I was very sad to see it end.

The Ex-Husband is a thriller that lacks the thrill. Domestic suspense would be a better description. This book is easy to read, I liked the shorter chapters, and I was sucked into the story. This is the perfect book for anyone who likes domestic suspense.

I have liked books by this author but I tried and just couldn’t get into this one. I don’t like to leave 1 star reviews for not finishing so I gave it a 2 just because.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

What a great thriller this is exploring the complexities of abusive relationships and how they appear to the outside world. I don't want to go into too much specific detail as there are quite a few twists and turns throughout the book, so I don't want to give anything away.

All I'll say is that I couldn't put this down! I wanted to know what had happened to lead up to the murder in the vegetable patch and I had a few different theories, none of which were right!

There are some really fascinating characters, such as Gillian the glamorous new gf of the ex-husband and also Leah's next door neighbour. You never know if to quite trust her, or anyone in the book for that matter. And throughout the book you feel as though Leah's mum is holding something back. In fact, everyone seems shifty in this book!

Leah is likeable - but also self destructive at times. I definitely felt frustrated at some of her actions, but that's the whole point of the story. Her narrating also keeps you guessing - is she just trying to do her best for her family or are her version of events quite as they seem?

It's worth noting that the theme of domestic abuse runs throughout the book and some may find this destressing if it's a trigger. I found that the theme was handled very well and you could really empathise, I felt those feeling of claustrophobia when Leah described the helplessness of her time with Craig.

Will definitely be reading the authors other titles.

Leah thinks she is free from her ex husband until he moves in next door !
From then on things go from bad to worse for Leah. Very dark and twisted a great character the ex husband who you can really hate!
Fast paced, lots of twists and turns an easy and fun read really enjoyed.
Thank you to the publisher and author for an advance copy.

I've enjoyed Samantha Hayes previous books so was looking forward to 'The Ex-Husband'. I thought the premise for the story was absolutely brilliant - a woman who has escaped from an abusive marriage only for her ex-husband to move into the house next door to hers. Unfortunately the story itself didn't work as hard as it could have done for me. I felt that none of the characters were likeable - even the ones we were supposed to like. The main character was unreliable and as the story progressed did things that I didn't think were particularly realistic. In fact the storyline felt contrived and far fetched at times.

I did finish the book but unfortunately on this occasion it wasn't for me. If you wanted something very lightweight for the sunbed you might want to give it a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha Hayes has been on my radar for a good bit so I was very excited to read this book

Well written, tense and kept me on the edge of my seat

Leah has escaped from an abusive marriage and set up in a new home with her daughter Zoey and son Henry.

Soon after moving in, a new neighbour, Gillian arrives. Her husband is away on business, but on his return Gillian invites Leah round for drinks.  She then gets the shock of her life; it's her ex-husband, Craig.

Things go from bad to worse for Leah with mind games, domestic violence and coercive control. Many twisted attempts by Craig to turn friends and even their children against her, making out she is crazy and the one stalking him!

This was actually hard and upsetting to read at times as I know this happens all too often in real life, but I couldn't stop page turning to find out where the story was going.

There was one slightly unbelievable part towards the end regarding an affair, but other than this, what a great twisted thriller. Didn't see that ending coming at all!

Written in chapters mainly from Leah's point of view.

 📣 Mental and domestic abuse.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC.