There’s a body in a bonfire. Definitely a good way to start a book. Gets you straight away!

But wait! There’s still that body in the bonfire! Who is it? The story will take you back to when Leah has finally got away from her abusive ex husband and is starting afresh in her own little place with her two children, and is dating again. The house next door sells and she meets the new neighbour, Gillian, who invites Leah and her partner over for drinks when Gillians partner is back from his business trip. Dun dun dun Gillian’s partner just so happens to be Leah’s ex husband, Craig. The same one who abused her throughout their marriage! As you can imagine chaos ensued. There was never ending drama, with Craig doing whatever he can to upset Leah’s life and upset it he did. I will let you read the book to find out exactly what he did but it was what Leah would call ‘classic Craig behaviour’. There’s also some pretty nasty twists, one in particular that is downright awful, but you will have to read to find out what they are.

I am a big fan of Samantha Hayes and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. Leah is looking forward to the future with her two children. She has left her abusive and bully of a husband, Craig and has bought a new house which is keeping her busy renovating it, On seeing a removal van Leah realises that she has new neighbours moving in next door. Gillian, her new glamorous neighbour invites Leah around for coffee and informs her that her husband Rex is away on a business trip. On his return Gillian invites Leah and her new boyfriend Gabe round for drinks, Leah is horrified to discover that Rex is no other person than her ex husband Craig. Craig doesn’t appear to have changed and starts turning everyone against Leah and tries to convince everyone that she is losing her mind. This is a brilliant read that will keep you gripped until the end. I look forward to her next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Samantha Hayes ups the ante and ramps up the menace, tension and suspense in a juicy thriller I couldn’t put down: The Ex-Husband.

At long last, Leah is free. She has finally managed to escape her controlling ex-husband and has made a new life for herself and her kids. Leah is now mistress of her domain and the one who gets to call the shots. She has left her ex Craig in the dust and can now do what she likes, wear what she wants and not be answerable to anyone except herself. Leah is on top of the world, but her happiness looks set to be short-lived when she sees her ex walk past her window and straight into the house next door!

Craig is now her neighbour and although he insists that this is a mere coincidence, Leah is positive that her husband is keen to make her pay for walking out on him. Craig seems to have settled down with his new partner and judging by the laughter she hears coming from next door, it looks like her ex is in a happy and stable relationship with somebody who loves him. Yet, Leah cannot shake off this feeling that something isn’t right and that Craig is just biding his time before he can exact his cruel revenge…

One night the police are called and as past secrets come to light in the most shocking and unexpected of ways, Leah finds herself having to fight for her kids, her innocence and her life.

A pulse-pounding and nail-biting thriller that left me with my jaw on the floor, The Ex-Husband is domestic noir par excellence. Samantha Hayes has written a shocking, terrifying and chilling tale full of red herrings and twists and turns that had me gripped from beginning to end. Nothing is quite what it initially seems in The Ex-Husband and readers are constantly on the edge of their seats desperate to find out what is going to happen next.

A superb thriller that puts Netflix binge-watching to shame, Samantha Hayes’ The Ex-Husband is a must for domestic noir fans.

Another fabulous read! I loved.this book and could not read fast enough..I'll let you go in blindly because in my opinion it's the only way!!!!

This book was a good read took me awhile to get into it though,
Leah has split with her husband and for a fresh start has moved to a new house but then finds out her husband only lives next door with his new wife.
If you want a book to while away a sunday afternoon and a quick read and some nice twists get this book.

Favourite Quote:
“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.”

Rating:
3/5✨✨✨

Review:
I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers and enjoy Samantha Hayes books, this one I devoured pretty quickly desperately trying to piece together what was going on, who was doing it and what the outcome would be!

Leah is finally happy, creating a new life for herself and her children away from her controlling abuse ex Craig. That is until he turns out to be her new neighbour, and Leah knows it’s not just a coincidence. Bit by bit Craig begins to interfere with her life again, from destroying her relationships to seemingly turning her friends and children against her, but this is Samantha Hayes…so there’s always a twist! When things come to a head, there’s so many unanswered questions. Like that ending?!?! Does that mean what I think it means?!?!

Despite a few plot holes and an ambiguous ending, this psychological thriller will grip you and have you questioning just how far someone will go.

Recommend for:
Lovers of psychological thrillers who need an easy reads.

TW: Mention and discussion of domestic abuse, stalking and murder

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Samantha Hayes for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love the authors style of writing. This story took me in. The characters were so real and I felt like I was part of the storytelling. Great book. Highly recommended reading it.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I learned that books with domestic violence are no go for me. If you're not bothered by the domestic violence trope where everyone thinks the victim is bonkers, this book would be good for you.

I couldn’t finish this book. I dislike stories about insidious domestic violence where no one believes the victim, or she feels like she’s going crazy, so I couldn’t really get very far into this book.

Samantha Hayes is an excellent author of thrillers, including her newest book, "The Ex-Husband." This book centers around Leah, who is finally rid of her abusive and hateful ex-husband, Craig. However, she is horrified to discover that Craig and his new woman have moved in next door. He continues his gaslighting tendencies and makes her life a living hell. While I wanted to feel badly for Leah, she continued to make horrible choices and kept making things worse for herself and her kids. Also, one of the adulterous relationships Craig was involved in was particularly heinous.

I had to skip some sections of this book because I kept getting so frustrated by many of these characters. I also felt like the book's resolution was a little too unrealistic. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

i really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. The character Craig was very easy to loathe and fear simultaneously. The story was full of continuous nightmare scenarios and i couldn't wait to for it to come together and see what fate would await the abusive ex.

I’ve enjoyed a number of Samantha Hayes books in the past so was looking forward to reading The Ex-Husband, however this one just wasn’t for me. While I’m sure many people will enjoy it, I feel that I was waiting on thriller part of the story that never really materialised. This was definitely more of a drama than a thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Had been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it wasn’t for me. It just lacked a good plot to get you excited and wanting more. It was very slow paced and never picked up

This book was just ok for me. It was ok but there were no big twists and it went on for too long. It just felt kind of pointless for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

2.5/5

Thrilling. Tense. Fast paced. Suspenseful. Another gripping page turner from a very accomplished author. Loved this one.

Excellent read, always go to author. This book kept me gripped throughout it was a fast paced thriller

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow burning psychological
Thriller that sucked me in and kept me wanting to read more to find p jr what happened. It had lots of
Twists and turns and hidden secrets coupled with a dose of mystery and suspense.

Parts of
The book are definitely. Not
For the faint hearted

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one, I didn’t connect with the main character and I found it dragged and I wasn’t in a rush to finish it. Just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

I am a Samantha Hayes fan and have enjoyed her books. I think I am in the minority here when I say I didn’t like this one. I just didn’t think it to be believable and maybe there are women out there that wouldn’t stand up to an ex that is a complete ass and roll over when it comes to their kids….but I think most women wouldn’t put up with any of this. I was so annoyed by Leah that I couldn’t finish the book.