I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the writers style, I really enjoyed the plot as well. I did feel the main character at times could be a little tedious/self centered but I think that was on purpose. The book keeps you guessing with the “ is he or isn’t he” of a cheating spouse but there’s more to the story and it’s a good read! I recommend this book and I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this great author!

69% done: wow…this is…what is this story about again? (Goes back to read the synopsis….yet again)

100% done: “Oh ok..” *eye roll*

I was not a fan of this book AT ALL. It took waaaay to long to get to the eff’n conclusion for it to not make any sense. The majority of this book was spent making the main character, who is somewhat of a narcissist, out to be a babbling paranoid wife…only to get to the last sentence of the story and say…just kidding. This was a waste of time. There were no like-able characters, no realistic scenarios. Just…blah.

Elizabeth Bennett knows she’s been blessed- she has a luxurious house, handsome husband Arno, and adorable daughter Emma. But all of that seems to be in jeopardy when she finds a flirty text on Arno’s phone.

Liz spirals down the rabbit hole, desperately trying to find any clue or indication that the text could be something more. Is she about to lose it all or is this all in her head?

To start, this is described as a twisty psychological debut but it read more like general fiction with themes of infidelity and new motherhood. Which is fine as it was an entertaining enough read, I just went into it with wrong expectations.

It was a little slower pace, especially with the first half. And since most of story revolves around Liz, I wish I had liked her more than I did. I empathized with her but didn’t like her character until much later in the book, almost too late. Although infidelity is a major theme in the book I also feel it was trying to include motherhood and mental health. I just wish it had been little more even coverage instead of 80% of story being about Liz obsessing over husband cheating or not.

The “twist” comes at the last page with the last sentence so there’s no follow up to how the twist is handled or where it goes from there which normally I’m not a fan of but I think it worked for this story

It was a good story, but nothing I haven’t read before hence the average rating. Still worth a read if you’re looking for an easy, fast read.

Is Liz crazy? Is she being gaslit? Or are gut feelings usually right?
After finding a kissing emoji on her husbands phone, her mind goes into overdrive. She begins a deep dive into her husbands life. Will finding out the truth make her feel better? Or is she really unhinged, as everyone thinks?

Wow. Suspicion, surprising, and chasing. Awesome ending! Thank you @NetGalley@HeSaidHeWouldBeLate@HenryHoltandCo.

I had difficulty liking the main character Liz. She spends most of the book stalking her husband in an attempt to catch him in a lie.
The extremes she goes is sad but it was hard to have sympathy for her because she made most of her own misery.
Or did she?
The ending was the best part of the book.

I typically do not enjoy the cheating trope, but this was uniquely done!

I’m torn on how I feel about this one. On one hand, I feel the whole story could have been resolved with a conversation (then there’d be no story) but on the other, I think it was interesting. Many reviews state that “nothing happens” which is also true. This whole story is about what the mind does when a wife suspects her husband of cheating. Liz is definitely crazy and I definitely think she just should have asked him. But the ending was a plot twist that I enjoyed. I can’t say much more without spoilers. All in all, I think this is one you have to read and judge for yourself.

Thank you for the ARC!

He said he would be late - a review

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

In short, this novel is the story of a woman who suspects her husband of an affair, she goes to great lengths to find out the truth.

I enjoyed the journey (reading the novel) however arriving at the destination (the end) was a bit abrupt.

Here's food for thought - I worked as a private investigator in a major US city for 3 1/2 years, and the majority of the cases I investigated were domestics (suspicion of spousal infidelity).

Women's intuition proved to be a vastly more accurate barometer than men's.

When a man thought his wife was cheating on him, they were wrong 98% of the time; when a woman thought her husband was cheating on her, they were RIGHT 98% of the time...

Until next time, keep your eyes wide open, and on your spouses extracurricular activities.

Justine is a new author for me. But her book was easy to read. Kept me interested the whole way thru and I really hope she has a 2nd novel.
Well done and begging for more.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
He Said He Would Be Late (ARC)
Author: Justine Sullivan
Pub. Date: March 14, 2023
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He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan is a fictionally story, literary fiction, and I’ll add marriage fiction book about a super wealthy married couple Arno and Liz, who are too pretty for words and the husband (hedge fund) works ALL THE DAMN TIME and the wife sits home with the new baby, Emma, finding of ways to believe he IS cheating on her. Liz is paranoid, or is she??? Thus, begins her uber busy stalking career where she leaves her 13-month-old baby with a nanny while she finds ways to spy on her husband who she KNOWS is going to kick her to the curb. There is scant evidence but that does not deter Liz. There’s a famous quote that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy” and Liz is rolling down that slippery slope at warp speed. The ending is a bit fun. #HeSaidHeWouldBeLate #JustineSullivan #HenryHolt&Co #NetGalley #adultfiction #obsession #jealousy #literaryfiction #dsyfunctionalFamily #upper2% #wealth #suspicion #NotAThriller @henryholtbooks @netgalley
👶🏻
I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Henry Holt & Co., NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: March 14, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

I was drawn in by the book title and blurb and I stayed around to see if Liz's suspicions were true.;

I know other reviewers have mentioned it but I have to express my opinion that this is probably more of a women's fiction than a thriller. Even though there is a mystery at play about whether or not Arno is having an affair, it isn't enough to throw it into thriller territory. I never felt that Liz was in any type of actual danger in her exploits.

The story begins with Liz living what appears to be a happy life with her perfect family - - husband Arno and daughter Emma. She's an author who had a successful first novel but can't seem to get a second one flowing since she found out she was pregnant. You get the sense that she is struggling with parenting and her husband works a lot. As in he works late hours almost all the time which leaves her alone with Emma a great deal of the time. The author never spells it out, but you get a feeling that Liz is suffering from some post partum depression and is struggling to find her way back to who she was before motherhood changed her life. Even so, she believes she's lucky to have the life she does. At least until the morning she sees a text on Arno's phone from one of his attractive co-workers thanking him for "helping her" and sending along kissy face emojis. Liz isn't sure what to think but suddenly finds herself doubting all the late nights Arno has been working and questions his honesty. Could he be having an affair?

The remainder of the story is about Liz trying to figure out if Arno is cheating. She goes to some extremes to stalk him in the attempt to either catch him in the act or put her doubts to rest. Even though I found myself frustrated at times by the ongoing doubts when I thought Liz should have just confronted Arno and gotten it over with, I also couldn't stop reading. It was like the train wreck you can't look away from. I absolutely had to see how this book resolved itself. So, I read on and will admit that even though not a lot happens, when something does, it's definitely worthwhile. I can't say that I liked the ending. I actually found it frustrating because I felt it was too open. ended, but I can also understand why the author handled it this way.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audiobook was a notch better because I think it enabled me to feel more of what Liz was experiencing than just reading it. The narrator could emote more verbally and help the listener experience her feelings and frustrations. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I chose to read and listen to both of them and write a review. The opinions contained within are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of the debut novel by Justine Sullivan, and beautifully narrated by Kelli Tager - 4 stars!

Liz is a new mother to Emma, married to handsome and successful Arno, and trying to work on her second novel. When she inadvertently sees a somewhat flirty text from her husband's coworker, she begins to question Arno's faithfulness, which leads her to behave in all kinds of questionable ways. Is it all in her mind or is Arno cheating on her?

First of all, the narration on this one was fabulous and really kept me intrigued. While it's being promoted as a psychological thriller, it's more of a character-driven domestic drama. Putting aside more the more serious issue of postpartum depression, this is just a well-written story of a woman desperate to keep her life intact. There are lots of humorous moments to keep you reading. Liz makes some bad decisions, but most can relate to a thought-worm that gets trapped in your brain and you twist reality to fit. Anxious to read more from this author!

Is Arno cheating? Is he having some sort of affair with his co-worker Viv who sent him the text with the kiss emoji? Liz is on a tighter rope than she recognizes when she finds this text and she spirals slowly into a controlled frenzy of sorts. She's a new mom who is struggling with post partum depression, she's an author who has been unable to write her second book and she's worried about her relationship. So what does she do? She stalks Viv. Not the wisest of decisions but it makes sense to her. This isn't a murder mystery but more a character driven portrait of a woman who seems to have everything but has to poke holes. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes it a good read.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for the chance to read and review this book prior to release.

He Said He Would be Late is being marketed as "a fast-paced, twisty psychological debut". While it's definitely psychological as it deals much with the inner workings of Liz's emotions and mental state, I would consider it more of a slow burn. I think some may be led to believe this is a thriller based on the title and cover and be disappointed. This is one case where I think the readers should read the synopsis to make sure they correctly set their expectations- that may have helped me to enjoy it a little more.

That being said, I don't think this one was for me. The whole problem of the book could have been solved in a 5 minute conversation. I also can appreciate that the author was aware of that and wanted to get to the heart of why she did what she did when she could have taken a more simple route.

I wish the author great success and look forward to what she writes next!

This book will be available on March 14th,

I didn’t love this book but I think the premise was there. It felt like not enough things happened for her to be suspicious of her husband cheating. But she continues to push it, by doing outlandish things. It felt a little slow for me with not a lot to the ending.

Elizabeth (Liz) Bennet is navigating life as a new mom, wife, and a writer. She is a college graduate, published author and a stay at home mom, trying to write her second novel.

She is married to Arno, a handsome and successful man who works in finance. He's often working long hours at the office; tending to "new deals" that usually require dinners and drinks. He is perfect man, and she's still not sure how she managed to be married to him. They live in a picture perfect neighborhood, right outside of Boston, made out of "new and old money" as Liz would say.

Things turn upside down for Liz when she happens to notice a flirtatious text message on Arno's phone, from one of his female colleagues, thanking him for his help.

Suddenly Liz is questioning Arno's loyalty and goes to great lengths to figure out what's going on, who's the woman in the text message, and is Arno cheating or not?

Guys, this was kind of fun. Even though it's a thriller, there is no murder or kidnapping. The main trigger here is potential infidelity. A simple yet gripping story with a few twists and turns along the way that kept me up well past my bed time. You feel like you MUST find out what's going on.

I think the pace of this book is just right -- slow enough to build some tension and keep you on your toes, and fast enough to keep you entertained.

Like many psychological thrillers, I think this book lacks depth. I know this is hard to do when you're trying to write a twisty story. You probably won't fall in love with Liz, I didn't. You might even roll yours eyes at her priorities. I think with her background, love for books, and the fact that she's trying to write a second novel, Liz could have been more interesting.

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

My rating 3.75/5

Liz Bennett has it all. A handsome husband, beautiful baby girl and a lovely home, but something’s not right. Arno frequently says he’ll be late. When Liz sees a kissy face emoji on a text he received, she’s sure he’s having an affair. Liz isn’t loving the stay at home mom thing and feels completely inadequate, as a published author, she’s having a difficult time with her second book. Hiring a nanny gives her the time she needs to write, but instead she’s gone full fledged Nancy Drew to catch Arno cheating. Her antics are often humorous, but also a bit heartbreaking. When she finds out Arno isn’t sharing big news with her she’s even more convinced something is going on. Is Liz right or is she totally unraveling? Will she finally get the answers she so desperately seeks or will her spiral cause her to lose everything? Sullivan writes a fast paced debut that’s a fun read with a perfect ending! Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is not really a thriller per se. More of a woman spending the bulk of the story wondering if her husband is having an affair because she saw a suspicious text and then spiraling out of control. She could have simply confronted him and/or trusted her instincts, but there's always that "don't ask questions you don't really want the answers to" thing. Not a lot of new territory covered here, but the writing and story were well done, and there is a last "gotcha" twist at the very end that's worth sticking around for.

I thoroughly enjoyed this character-driven, psychological suspense, which will appeal to fans of Caroline Kepnes. Readers delve deeply into the mind of the incredibly unreliable narrator, a young mother who suspects her husband of cheating. Sullivan’s character is masterful and the way she interweaves the narrator’s thoughts with the domestic drama of her life is brilliant and had me hooked for the entirety. I look forward to more from this author.

A book that drew me right in a true page turner .A story that kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the twists and turns.#netgalley #henryholt