I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it and all I can say is "wow"! This book was absolutely amazing and I read it in like 12 hours. I have to say that I almost gave up on it at about 20 percent but I am so glad I didn't.
Sam and his girlfriend, Naomi, are the main characters. During the pandemic, Sam walks out on Naomi because of all their problems and he moves back in with his grandma, Joyce, who raised him.

Fast forward a year when Sam runs into Naomi pushing a stroller with a baby that looks just like Sam!
I am going to stop here because I do not want to give anything away, but the twists and turns are so amazing and I highly recommend this book.

The Ex by S. E. Lynes is another of the author's layered psychological thrillers. The story is told by several different characters and works well for this suspense. Sam is walking through a park area as he seeks solace for the disappointing past year he has experienced. He was divorced by Naomi in 2020, a year of drastic changes with Covid confinements, limitations, and his unsettling divorce. Sam went back to live with his grandmother and had not seen Naomi in a year. When he looks down the slight hill, he catches a glimpse of Naomi pushing a baby stroller. At first, he is shocked and hopes to avoid her, but she spots him and wants to talk with him. He cannot refuse her, he clearly has not gotten over her, and he agrees to meet. There is one thought that is nagging in his mind, was the little boy in the stroller his son?
This sets up all the elements for a perfect storm in his life. I don't want to post spoilers, but the strategy that Naomi has planned to strike revenge against Sam is overwhelming! Naomi is deceitful, dangerous, and deadly. As the story progresses my heart hurts for Sam and I want Naomi to fail in her plan. The story is emotional and intriguing.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Ex. The publication date is August 26, 2022.

One day you meet the love of your life. At least that’s how it feels. You are floating on a pink cloud. The world is a better place and it seems like the sun shines everyday.

Little by little though your eyes open and you see the truth. The pink cloud is turning into a dark grey one and you decide to leave to save yourself.

Time passes and suddenly you see that person you thought spending the rest of your life with again. Have they been keeping something live changing from you? You need to know and there is only one way forward: ask the question that is driving you crazy.

From that moment on everything changes for our main characters Sam and Naomi. Is it in a good or a bad way?

If you would ask Sam, he would definitely say in a very good way. The best even, in fact. Even though he has to deal with a very devastating event, he has his lovely girlfriend to stand by him, to pull him through.

If you would ask Naomi, she would definitely say in the best possible way. She has never felt better, because every day she comes a step closer to get the life she always dreamed of.

Love and marriage. They go together like a horse and carriage… That’s how the song goes. Let’s hope you did not pick a dark horse, because it can lead to the carriage going of the rails…

Lies, deceit, love, pain. These are a few of the emotions you will encounter in this great book. Some of the things that are going on, you can read between the lines. Believe me though, there is more.

A very captivating read. 5 stars

Thank you

To be honest, the plot was intriguing but I wasn't really impressed.

There was just way too much SHOW in the first few chapters that I got bored.

I wouldn't say it's not good, I'd just say it's not for me.


I'd probably read it later again but I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This review is difficult to write because I'm afraid I might leak a spoiler. All I'm going to say is "wow", not what I expected. Sam breaks up with Naomi during the COVID shutdown, but this isn't a typical break up revenge book. Naomi takes psycho ex to another level! I would recommend this book if you enjoy psych thrillers and a book that keeps you on your toes.

I couldn't put this down and finished it in just a few days, which is pretty similar for all my Susie Lynes reads!
From the start of the story you know something isn't right with Naomi. Can a leopard change it spots? No. Always trust your gut feeling and poor Sam was too blindsided by her once again to realise the catastrophic consequences of meeting her for the second time.
I really liked the fact that there weren't lots of characters in the novel. Sometimes I find it hard to remember who is who, which wasn't the case in this close knit tale. The references to Lyme Regis where the majority of the story is set brought back lots of memories for me as I used to holiday there as a child and have been back a few times since, so I know many of the real life locations.

Sam and Naomi were once a couple, but Sam makes the decision to leave her during the first lockdown of Covid19. She is stunned, angry and devastated, he so relieved to be out of a toxic relationship and much happier living with his kind and encouraging Grandma Joyce with whom he’s lived most of his life after his mother passed away. Sam is critical, demanding and she always put him down. Now he feels comfortable as the old team reunite, both keen on gardening and plant selection. In fact Sam earns his living in this way. He works with his group of gardeners and does the hard work of landscaping.
Then he sees Sam pushing a pram with a baby in it. Eventually she tells him that he is the father of the little boy she has named Tommy. Sam is blind sighted because Naomi told him more than once that she could never be a mother. She is a natural mother with Tommy and really seems to have changed her ways. She adores her son and it is obvious that Tommy loves his Mum. They part, but Sam cannot get Tommy, his son, out of his mind. He has already fallen for the little boy and wants to see him again. He gets in touch with Naomi and gradually she allows him more and more access. She tells Sam that he cannot have overnight access or teach Tommy that he is her dad until she feels certain that he will not leave his family again. Sam understands how much he had hurt her and acquiesces to her every wish.
Sam wants to do the right thing by his family. He is so chuffed to have a son of his own and Naomi is so much nicer and more stable than she was when they lived together. Motherhood obviously suits her and calms her. They are growing closer every time they meet and Sam wants to try again. Naomi wants to build up the trust first. She cannot go through another desertion, especially now she has a baby to look after. He decides to propose to Naomi and she is so happy that she says yes almost immediately. He is over the moon. Then Joyce is murdered in a break in. Without her Sam is grief-stricken. They eventually marry and Sam moves in to her house after their honeymoon. Naomi receives a call that night and their planned first night together in their home ends in tragedy when Sam is called to her friend’s house when her friend’s husband leaves her. Sam stays home to look after Tommy. He likes that Naomi is so kind and rushes off to help. That night she does not return and his life changes forever. Again he is devastated.
I have always been very impressed with every novel I have read from Susie Lynes. She is a talented and inspirational storyteller; she has the flare and ability to create the most believable characters, nourish them and take your breath away with their individual actions. This novel totally floored me with its brilliance and attention to detail. The idea for it started with a story that impressed Susie and then adapted it (with an author’s license) and ended up the most marvellous story of them all. Her unique style of writing and working a storyboard so that the reader’s interest is fully engaged all the way through the story is admirable. I loved the themes in this story: greed, hypocrisy, manipulation, grief, love and devotion. There is no way you could predict the final and best shock of them all at the finale of the story. This novel is unputdownable, a page turner with a total corker of plot, and totally unmissable.
Thank you for my copy of this novel received through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Bookouture, sent to me in return for an honest unbiased review. I loved it and my review reflects this. I cannot recommend this novel enough as an excellent, satisfying, brilliant read; thrilling, enjoyable, fascinating and authentic. Watch out for the hideous unreliable narrator who misrepresents the story in order to conceal information that they want to supress.

The new psychological thriller by author S.E Lynes. I really enjoyed this one for most of the book but in my opinion the excitement dropped a little towards the end. Perhaps I am being a little harsh as no doubt about it this author always writes exciting, intriguing novels.

Sam bumps into Naomi his ex girlfriend twelve months after they split up. The couple split around the start of lockdown and Sam moved in with his nan Joyce. He is surprised to see that Naomi has a child with her, Tommy who she claims is belongs to a friend. It becomes obvious to Sam that he still has strong feelings for Naomi and would love to get back with her. Tommy has similar colouring to Sam and he begins to wonder if he is in fact his son. After further meetings Naomi admits to Sam that Tommy is in fact there child and they start to try and build their relationship once again.

Nan Joyce never got on with Naomi and always felt that she was not the right person for her precious Sam, but on seeing how happy he is in meeting her again tries to help the relationship.

There is a lot more going on in this story and I will not say too much as I don’t want to spoil it. Exciting read with interesting characters.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Susie Lynes hits it out of the park again! I loved this new thriller so much. Had me hooked from page one and didn’t let go. Characters were amazing and kept me totally invested in the story.
Expertly done! Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Another dark and suspenseful take from Lynes that had me ripping through the pages. I loved the clear male lead and the way the author flips between narratives. The writing is just right, perfect. So perfect that I think the book could be used by teachers of creative writing.

The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in. Atmospheric, haunting and superbly plotted. A book I’ll definitely be recommending! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love when a book evokes strong emotions in me, and this was definitely one of those! I haven't hated a character as much as I hated Naomi in a long time and I raced through the pages hoping that she would suffer a drawn out, painful death at the end (I won't spoil it to tell you if I get my wish or not!) I absolutely loved Joyce's character, she was really well-written.

The only thing that stopped this from being a 5 star read for me is that there weren't any surprises - it was fairly obvious what was going on and whilst the journey was good, I do like to be surprised when reading thrillers. I also wasn't entirely sold on the story being told by Miranda as how would she know all the details she wasn't present for, including Sam and Joyce's thoughts and feelings. I would have preferred if the story had been multiple POV.

Overall I would recommend this book as it is stressful to read (in the best possible way) and it really touched me emotionally.

The Ex by S. E. Lynes never slowed down, never a dull moment.

This was a nail-biting read!!!
I pictured every single thing in my mind, sitting on the edge of my chair.
The storyline grabs you from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the end!
The intensity continues rising as the story wears on, and when the explosion happens, you find yourself reeling for a moment until the twisted clarity settles.
Riverting and extremely twisted, there was no way I could put this one down and it resulted in an all night read and a book hangover!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I go back and forth between no one can be this gullible, to wow the love one has for their child. While I knew something was really wrong here, and guessed exactly what it was, this book did have a lot of suspense and held my attention. The lengths one will go to for their child or to get revenge if they are offended is insane! not a bad book!

A good thriller once i had got into the story.
My problem was it took an age to get going.
The usual mix of a weak character and an extremely strong one. Love and murder eventually make it a worth while read.
My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy.
A decent holiday read when you have plenty of time.

This author has been a firm favourite of mine since I read her very first novel. She has never disappointed me before, so did this live up to my expectations? Oh yeah it did!
From the very well thought out and executed plot line, to the beautifully twisted, characters I found myself completely immersed in this book. It was too hot to sleep last night, but I was in good company with this book!
Highly recommend.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.
5 out of 5 stars for me.

My Review:
Wow!!!!! Loved!!!!! Speechless!!!!! These are just a few words I would use to describe this wonderful book. This was not my first rodeo with this author and it certainly will not be my last. I have loved every single book that I have read by her so far. Ok, let’s talk about this fabulous read. There were so many twists and turns that my head was spinning throughout the whole entire book. I never knew where it was going or what was going to happen next. This author kept me guessing and that ending was a complete shock. I do have to say that my favorite part of the whole book was how it was told. Instead of having the person who the story was about tell it, the author had the best friend relate it to us readers instead. I loved having that different perspective and that made the book for me along with that heart attack of an ending. This book kept me interested the whole time and I raced through each chapter like it was my last. I just had to find out what happened. All in all I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more of this authors books. In my opinion this book was the exact definition of a psychological thriller. Kudos to SE Lynes for such a great job on writing this one.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Ex, what can I say apart from what an amazing book, I literally could not put my kindle down I had to find out what was going to happen next, such an addictive read.

Wow, Murder, secrets, Lies, a manipulative character that would do anything to get their Ex back , can't trust or even want to trust any of what you thought you knew becouse of how the story is told from various perspectives. .

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…mystery and intrigue…likable characters…some not so much…love and romance…family dynamics…secrets…this author is talented at writing a story that is intriguing even though it moves slowly at times…enjoy…