This book started a little slow but then the mystery started later. Mark and Ceceilia seem to be a perfect couple. However, the loss of a baby seems to put a strain. the relationship. What happens after that involves a mysterious woman and supposed cheating in the marriage, Plans don't work out quite as Mark expects and eventually oneof them pays the price.

Mark, an advertising guy, and Cecelia Hamilton, an art curator, are a happy couple. They are good looking, smart and well-off. No one knows that their marriage is filled with resentment and regrets, after Cecelia’s miscarriage.

An unexpected encounter with a beautiful woman, Alice, causes Mark to fall deeply in love and to consider being unfaithful. Divorce is out of the question, since Cecelia knows a secret that could land Mark in trouble. When Alice suggests killing Cecelia to get her out of the way, Mark agrees, setting the stage for the climax.



The book is written in the first person present tense account of Mark. The pacing of the book is perfect. The character of Mark is flawed, complicated and real. There is a lot of internal monologue but it helps us understand Mark better.

The book was well written but I didn’t appreciate the twist at the end of the book. It wasn’t very impactful, after the smooth start and middle.

At the beginning, I got a little mixed up between Mark’s friends, Ed, Clyde and Phil, but gradually the identities of the three men became clear.

Mark and Cecelia used to be happily married couple until a miscarriage at 6 months along devastates them. The once romantic couple can hardly even speak to one another never mind sleeping together. The loss of their once vibrant sex life has caused Mark concern and he's hoping it's just a matter of time for Cecelia to get through her grief and then they'll be back on track and hopefully she'll be willing to try for another child again. A family is what Mark wants more than anything.

"We've become a mystery to one another. Two books written in different tongues, covers shut, gathering dust in a forgotten place."

One night at a party Mark sneaks away to have cigarette behind Cecelia's back. Oh, how she would be furious with him. While there he meets another woman also smoking a cigarette. Alice. She's beautiful and bewitching and Mark can hardly believe it when she begins flirting with him. After parting ways Mark realizes he'll likely never see her again but that doesn't stop him from thinking about her.

At work again on Monday morning he receives a note from his secretary and he opens it to discover that Alice has tracked him down and would like to meet him for a coffee at a bench in the park.

It's just an innocent coffee. He isn't a cheater. These are the things he tries to convince himself of, that is, until Alice mentions she will happily have an affair with him if he wants to. How can he say no? He hasn't had this much excitement in his life in months.

"Alice, the beautiful temptress. The innocent distraction."

Oh, Mark, you are going to REGRET this decision.

You never know what you're going to get when you download a debut but, in this case, it worked out in my favor. Mark is a main character that is totally despicable but yet you can't help but be invested in his life, his poor decisions, and his snarky attitude to all of those around him. He was entertaining for sure. I felt terribly for Cecelia for being married to such a jerk. Alice, I often wondered, why oh why are you getting involved with this man? That answer will be revealed in the end and what a revelation it is. This book was a page-turner for me, slightly predictable, but still loads of fun in the *I'm glad this isn't my life* kind of way! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my complimentary copy.

A great debut twisty thriller. The protagonist Mark outwardly has it all, but he and his wife Cecilia are suffering after she has miscarried their baby. They have grown apart and Mark is thus susceptible to the attentions of a stunning woman, Alice. The first part of this book is all "woe is me" and then things go pear-shaped and it was not at all what I thought was going on.

An climactic story that quickly drew me in and left me astounded. This is an incredibly fast paced thriller. I really enjoyed it.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. I want to give an honest review.
I hated this book for the first 75%. I found the MC to be so boring. He has that "nice guy" attitude where he can justify anything he does wrong or shift the blame. He was boring and horney. He had a job that might have been fun if he weren't the most boring man alive. I could not understand how a man like this had so many friends and two women interested in him. It was a struggle to read it at all. I kept waiting for it to get interesting or for Mark to not suck so much.
And part of this is my own bias. I usually read books by women or they are at least about women. This was just one guy who was boring and annoying. He was also just mean about his friends. UGH.
Anyway, it was worth it. It was so worth it. At the 75% mark it gets super exciting and the ending was so good. I loved that ending so much! I think someone without my bias might love the book the whole way through.

Mark and Cecilia Hamilton are struggling to resume their once charming marriage after the loss of their son when Cecilia was 6 months pregnant. This handsome man and beautiful woman with jobs in the creative world, Mark in advertising, and Cecilia an independent art curator, with a lovely home in London, a holiday home on the coast of Dorset, and supportive friends seem poised to move beyond their individual and shared grief. Instead, they remain shattered. They share the same home but their hearts are isolated from one another. Then a random conversation at a party opens new possibilities for Mark. Is it possible to dream again or will a secret from his past tether him to his wife?

A couple struggling to move forward after the loss of a child as told from the husband’s POV is in itself a different approach in storytelling and is well-written. I guessed the major twist but it did not diminish the grip of this thriller. The pace was composed effectively in building to a crescendo of action. The writing style of the ending clinched the engrossing climax in a way that I doubt could have been achieved in an epilogue. Well done!

I highly recommend this first-rate domestic thriller. I hope this debut author is already writing his next novel as reading just one of his novels is not enough.

My sincere thanks to Eliot Stevens, and Inkubator Books for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#TheWomanontheBench #NetGalley

What to say other than Gone Girl vibes😬 brilliant debut I look forward to the next book.

Thanks for the ARC I will be telling folk to buy it when it’s published I predict this is the domestic thriller noir of the year.

Will make a great movie or tv series

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!
Eliot Stevens is an author to keep your eyes on. This first published book of his was a treat. I enjoyed his seductive writing style that allured you in and kept you wanting more. I look forward to his future work, thanks again!

A gripping read with detestable characters! The plot is pacey and keeps you reading from the first page. A great dubut - well drawn out plot and enough intrigue to keep you gripped. Although I suspected the twist it p[layed out beautifully. HIghly recommend.

The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens.
At last, Mark has found the perfect woman. There’s just one small problem – his wife.
A good read. Bit slow. Wasn't sure if I liked Mark. Didn't like Cecillia either. Wasn't sure about Alice. Twisty. Didn't see that coming. 5*.

This was a great read loved it though I did guess how it was going to end up.
Mark and Cecelia lived the good life though both had good jobs and had an ideal life, that is until Cecilia lost her baby at six months. Mark desperately wanted another baby but Cecilia had turned cold ever since the loss of her baby.
Mark was getting frustrated and upset by her coldness, until that one night when he met Alice.
She was everything he wanted. And was willing to do anything to have her.
Thanks netgalley for this book loved it. Thanks

Married couple Mark and Cecilia seem to have it all looks, wealth, love. But behind closed doors, things are very different they live in silent resentment, their marriage broken by the shattering loss of the child they so desperately wanted.
Enter Alice Mark’s idea of the perfect woman. She appears from nowhere and offers Mark the chance of a new life filled with love, passion, and finally the joys of parenthood. Everything he’s ever dreamed of.
But there’s a catch.
Mark can’t leave Cecilia because she knows a dark secret from his past that would ruin him if it was revealed. And he’s sure she'd be more than happy to use it against him if he betrayed her.
Mark’s future with Alice seems doomed. Until one night, in a secluded cottage on the Dorset coast, they hatch an unspeakable plan that might bring devastating ruin, or life long happiness…
But who is Alice, really? And can love ever begin with murder?
Wow really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Inkubator Books
I just reviewed The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens. #TheWomanontheBench #NetGalley

3.5 rounded up

Way to come out of the gate running, Eliot Stevens! This is a great debut. I really enjoyed reading this, the mystery was good, the characters horrible (in a good way 😄). The twist wasn’t amazing but still a twist!
I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for more from this author in the future!

“The Woman on the Bench” is a debut thriller by Eliot Stevens. I have to admit that for the first quarter or so of this book I kept wondering where it was going to go. The main character, Mark, just whinges, kvetches, and monologues like crazy - but as other reviewers had commented that the book does get better, I’ll echo their sentiments - push through it. After Mark meets Alice, it’s a bit of a roller coaster and Mark’s real personality comes shining through. The main twist I predicted, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book (and, I’ll admit to even seeing the final twist and am rather pleased that it turned out that way). For a debut book, this was a really good one. It was easy to follow, the majority of the characters had traits to keep them apart (though for a few pages I did get some of Mark’s male friends muddled), and even for the parts where I felt like I needed to suspend reality a bit, on the whole this book was an enjoyable read.

Debut published book for this author and I will start by saying I look forward to more of his work….
The writing in this psychological thriller is interesting, I always enjoy books where characters say one thing in dialogue then in italics next to it is shown what they really mean and are thinking, we all do it and it takes a good author to pull this off in a book, it’s pulled 😎
The characters are an eclectic mic of good, bad and so bad they are likeable ish and the main one, Mark, of course is the best, he is vapid and self centred yet caring and regretful, a real mix of a man, all of them are flawed in various ways
The story, well the story is easy to read, easy to follow and with a raised eyebrow of unbelievability in parts that I was prepared to let go was on the whole fine
A good debut and as say look forward to reading more from this author

7/10
3.5 Stars ( 4 on Goodreads and Amazon and deserves going up than down )

Oh my goodness! So this book…. Wow.
I took a star away because I hated the main character, couldn’t relate, and it made for quite the long start. But man oh man, I am glad I kept going. Because it was a fantastic ride!

Mark and his wife are having a bit of a rough patch. He meets a lady named Alice and things click. Love at first sight. He decides instead of working things out with his wife, he wants to leave her and spend his life with this other woman. But she knows a secret about him, so he can’t just leave…. what lengths will Mark go to be with this woman?

This was a great read! I read it in one day!

Thank you NetGalley, Eliot Stevens and Inkubator Books for letting me read “The Woman on the Bench” in exchange for an honest review!

To sum it up: BLOODY BRILLIANT!

⚠️Trigger warning: miscarriages , cheating ⚠️

Mark and Cecilia, married couple that seemed to have it all. Steady jobs, friends and a good, solid marriage. Tragedy strikes and Cecilia looses the baby at six months pregnant. Half a year or so later, we enter the story. There is something unspoken between them. Is it depression, grieve, did they grow apart instead of together? Mark does not know. Cecilia draws back into herself.

At a party they end together, he meets Alice on a secret smoking break. Alice is stunning, there seems to be an instant connection. Mark can not forget the mysterious woman until she pops up again and leaves him a note at his workplace. He is smitten, he gets attention, he is wanted again.

This novel is written in a super clever way. I even felt sorry for the protagonist at first, he lulled me in. I usually write my reviews while reading and completely had to redo this one .

What the author wants us to believe:
Is Mark doing the right thing, can we even feel for him? Morally speaking not. Can I understand his actions? Yes, to a certain degree, because the author uses clever writing and all the right things to make me believe every word Mark says. He made me feel sorry for this ****. We all want to be loved, we seek a thrill, we all have trauma to deal with. The forbidden lures is in. It starts innocently enough with a coffee and quickly escalates from there.


I guess I could have forgiven Mark possibly, if he was a first time offender. Later on in the book it gets very obvious, that Mark is not the Mister Nice guy, he wants us to believe he is. Cheating on your pregnant wife is a no no. He is actually quite a *insert swear word of your choice here*.

It’s done in a really clever way. I wanted to believe Mark, I wanted to root for him, he almost had me.

It’s a very slow paced book at first and told from Mark’s perspective. For me personally that is unusual as I usually read books from the female point of view. But it’s a good change for me. The first bit was Marks whining, him against the world. I fell for it, until I saw the narcissistic behaviour more clearly. The second half gets a lot better. Boy, does it pick up. While I suspected the ending in some kind of way, it still took me by surprise.

The side characters were weirdly unlikable. Or at least that is what we got from Marks perspective. The thing is, while this is a fictional novel, it feels real, for the first part at least. Then it gets bloody brilliant. Cecilia “had a plan so cunning, you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel”

That’s definitely ten points for the author, to make it so relatable. They totally got me with this. So I would say 10/10 for the clever writing. The wheel was not invented again, there are similar stories, but as said, the writing made all the difference.

Finished this brilliant novel in six hours! Well written and an excellent story. A psychological crime thriller that takes your breath away. When Mark meets Alice, he believes he has found the perfect woman, unfortunately for Mark, he is married. The story takes you on intense journey with many twists and turns which in turn lead to a surprising climatic ending. Accolades to Eliot Stevens and Inkubator Books for a novel well worthy of five stars.

This is a sly sort of a book, told from the first person point of view of a guy who could be considered to be “An English Everyman.” He’s in his 30’s, married, has a close group of mates he meets at the pub every Friday, a decent job that he makes fun of in some of the funniest parts of the book. But there’s more to him. His wife has had a tragic miscarriage and more or less stopped communicating with him. He’s lost his way now that he isn’t going to be A Father. And then he meets her. The eponymous Woman on the Bench.

Mark isn’t set up as a bad guy right off the bat. He’s sad and he’s trying to find meaning in his life, and his wife (who is also sad) isn’t helping him. His friends are in various places along the spectrum of “successful” and “loser” and he’s somewhere comfortably in the middle. He’s vulnerable, and susceptible to the attention and flattery of an attractive women (although we are told repeatedly that he is married to a beautiful woman),

So we almost, kinda sorta feel bad for him. Until we learn about his penchant for cheating and the lies he’s told himself about it.

Turns out that the Woman on the Bench (Alice…or is it?) has a plan that she pulls him into so that they can be happy and have a family together. He follows along and in the process could very well destroy everything. But by the time that happens, it’s pretty clear that “destroying everything” must have been what the guy wanted in the first place.

A well-written book, I highly recommend for fans of domestic thrillers.