I do t enjoy being overly critical but this book had no positives for me. The story started well so I have to admit I was hooked early on but then the whole plot was just so implausible as to be comical. I can’t give detailed examples or that would be spoilers but the sheer co-incidence of how Rob met Hannah was one instance.
I’m in the minority reading the other reviews which is good. Just goes to show we don’t all enjoy the same thing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I was on the edge of my seat while reading, I read long into the night over several days as I just had to know what was going to happen next. I felt the subject matter seemed well researched and very sensitively handled. I got a real feel for how much trauma they suffered not just physically, but emotionally. Yet from this awful place a baby was born and she was cared for, protected and loved.
The thriller side was great too lies secrets and unexpected twists kept you guessing and you wanted everything to be ok. I found myself really routing for Hannah and Belle. One of the top books I have read for 2022 so it was nice to end on such a high!

Let me start by saying that I usually compare all of my books to anything written by Freida McFadden.
I liked the idea behind the book which is why I asked for an ARC. This book took me forever to get through. I've seen it's gotten good reviews on goodreads, so I think this just wasn't for me. I wanted to DNF a few times, but I rarely ever do that so I pushed on.
The good: The characters were likable, mostly Hannah. I was rooting for her throughout the story. I felt the plot was very thorough.
The bad: The plot was overly thorough. I felt there were many times that details were not needed, which made the story feel like it was dragging on.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I still did like the book, I just have a hard time with books that give too much detail.

Thank you NetGalley for offering this book. What a surprise this turned out to be, not at all what I was expecting. I didn't really love Hannah's story line at first as she kept eluding to a big secret that would put her life in jeopardy if Rob, her husband found out. When her eighteen-year-old daughter Belle announces her engagement at her birthday party Hannah's world implodes. The man is old enough to be Belle's father and Hannah knows who he is. Rob seems to be a weak character at the beginning by letting things slide and not pressing Hannah about what she's hiding. Some photos turn up and things move very quickly from there. The story gets pulse pounding, heart stopping as Hannah tries to save Belle. The fireworks begin and the story really takes off. The twists at the end are brilliant and make this an excellent read and a book I highly recommend.

The Engagement is a fast paced thriller that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. The story is told from 3 different points of view, one of Hannah in the present day, one of her daughter Belle and the last in Molly's view in the past. As we read each chapter, the story unfolds from each character's perspective giving us a sense of how the past shapes the current events.

Belle returns home from a language learning trip abroad with a shocking announcement. Not only did she not go ahead with the purpose of her trip, she spent time with a much older man to whom she is now engaged in the short span of two months of knowing each other. However, when Hannah meets this person, it is as though her past is coming back to haunt her. The story then follows her as she tries to make sense of the situation, protect her daughter and prevent some of her darkest secrets from coming to light.

The story is well-written with a lot of twists and some of them are so unexpected, you just do not see them coming. Each person has some kind of agenda and so many deeply buried secrets that it is a revelation to the reader. Some parts of the story are horrifying to read about but the author handles it all rather delicately. I truly enjoyed reading this book and was left shocked right until the very end. Even the last few pages had a twist that the reader just doesn't see coming.

This book is a must read for all those who enjoy a good thriller.

5 ⭐️
WOW. I was blown away by this book! I thought it was gripping and I stayed up way too late reading it!

Hannah has some secrets… This book was so quick paced and lived up to the genre name— it was really thrilling! I was unsure until the last page on what was happening in a good way! This was twisty-turny and full of surprises.

Overall a fantastic read. This was honestly better than some really popular thrillers I’ve read. Samantha Hayes has a true talent for writing and I’m excited to read another of her books! Highly recommend The Engagement! It releases January 10 on Kindle Unlimited 😍

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Samantha Hayes, but this one blew the others out of the water and might be one of my top reads in the last year!

Hannah is shocked when her daughter, Belle, comes home from a few months abroad in France for her 18th birthday, and is engaged to an older man… if it isn’t bad enough, he’s someone from Hannah’s past, that she’s been running away from.

My heart was pounding and I was on the edge of my seat as I read this book! I couldn’t put it down. I loved the chapters in the past, and how things come together. Reading from Belle’s perspective was alarming, and I think it accurately portrayed how easily young teenage girls can be groomed by someone older.

This is a must read - 5/5 stars ⭐️

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I would review this book as 4.5 stars, I did enjoy the book and the story of Hannah, her daughter Belle and Jack imposing on their lives and capturing 18 year old Belles heart whilst Jack is a much older man.
I felt the book quite a slow burner that I kept coming back to, I was feeling the story to be predictable until 80% in to the book and it just exploded with the biggest twists, blowing everything I was feeling out of the water. I couldn't put the book down after that.
Definitely worth a read for the ending, I will be looking to read the authors other booms. Would recommend this one.

I love this authors books always an addictive and twisty read. Hannah and her partner Rob have it all. She has a daughter with Rob Amber. Hannah has a daughter Belle who is turning eighteen who is in France on an exchange with the school. they arrange a suprise 18th birthday party. but the suprise will be for them as Belle has got an older man Jack and they are engaged but Hannah knows Jack. wont say no more but a very page turner read you can never leave the past behind

Hannah and Rob have a daughter Belle, who announces her engagement to Jack, an older man with links to Hannah's past. The story is told in chapters by the mother and daughter, and Molly, a former prostitute who worked with Hannah as a teenager.
Some of the story is really implausible, Rob and Hannah both have secrets from each other, but don't reveal them, even in the face of the risks that Belle faces. One of the plot twists is so obvious, and one of the others makes no sense.

ARC review for The Engagement, by Samantha Hayes:

Hannah Greene has a dark, sordid past she thought she escaped from. Nearly 20 years later, it has come back to haunt her, with her daughter as the pawn. Hannah's daughter, Belle, is engaged to a man who was involved in her shameful past and is now trying to exact revenge on Hannah. Her family knows nothing of her former life and Hannah plans to keep it that way.
Overall I enjoyed the plot. I felt the author did a magnificent job executing the mother/daughter dynamic. Very appropriate and realistic. Belle annoyed me just as an 18 year old who thinks they know everything should. I wanted to slap Hannah at times and would yell, "Just tell everyone the truth already!" But after realizing what was at stake, who knows, I might have done the same thing too. The first half of the book dragged a bit for me. I felt it was a bit redundant and slow moving. But the second half had me postponing making breakfast for my family. It actually ended up being lunch.....
I sensed what the twist was about 60% through, but didn't expect it to pan out that way.
I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 stars, solely on pacing. I found it hard to get back to reading once I put it down. But once the story got moving, I couldn't stop. Overall, I enjoyed it though and if there were a sequel I would definitely add it to my TBR list.

I enjoyed this pacy thriller about a woman with a secret and traumatic past as a sex worker - and what happens when a man from her past shows up again, engaged to her daughter.

Not many thrillers tackle sex workers and people trafficking sensitively and whilst I felt elements of this plot were over dramatised, i was glad to see that the women were portrayed synpathetically and with a lack of judgement.

The Engagement tells the story of a mom, Hannah, whose daughter ends up engaged to a dangerous man from Hannah's past. The book follows Hannah as she tries to figure out how to put a stop to the engagement while stopping her secrets from coming out. Spurts of Hannah's previous life are revealed in between, and we learn who exactly this man is and why Hannah is so desperate to get him away from her daughter.

The book is gripping and the premise is interesting, plus the characters feel very real. I personally thought the plot really took off in the second half of the book, which included more twists and turns as we followed Hannah on her journey. I think this will appeal to suspense readers, but the pacing might be a bit slower than what some are expecting. Overall, a good read.

An author i’ve read before! An easy to read book with an interesting storyline! The characters were realistic and it had me guessing, the ending was unexpected too. I read this in one sitting..

Wow! This book was suspenseful from the beginning to the end. Was never quite sure where the author was going to take the plot. Deception was from all angles but never was quite sure how it would end, sent chills down my spine. It was original and gave great details given that really showed what can happen to young female woman and how they can be groomed so easily. A definite must read book!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw that Samantha Hayes had a new book out, I knew that I needed to add it to my TBR list right away! The Engagement revolves around Hannah, whose 18 year-old daughter Bella is returning home from France for a family party. She also brings with her a fiance - a much older man named Jack. When Hannah sees his faces, she gasps. Jack is someone she knows from the past, and he is bad news. Can Hannah save Bella from him?

Here is a chilling excerpt from Chapter 4:

"‘Mum?’ I hear Belle say.
I watch as Belle’s arm links with Jack’s as she presses against him, feeling myself freeze from the inside out.
It’s as though I’m underwater – everything blurry and surreal around me. I don’t take my eyes off the man. I’m stone-cold frozen. Can’t even lift up my hand or speak a word.
‘Jack is my fiancé,’ Belle says, snuggling up against him. She rests her head on his shoulder. ‘Isn’t it exciting? We’re engaged!’"

Overall, The Engagement is the newest unputdownable book from the queen of thrillers! Ever since I read The Trapped Wife, I have read every single book from her and even looked up her older titles. One thing that I love about her books is that I never see the twist coming. Another highlight of this book is the intriguing premise, which had me dying to find out what happened next and who Jack was. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that having multiple character POV's and past and present timelines was a bit much. That's just a personal pet peeve of mine though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in January!

This book reads like a Netflix series you have to binge watch! Right away the mysterious story behind Hannah and her secret past bleed out into her everyday life when her barely legal daughter comes home engaged. This book had me from the start and the descriptions of the story make you feel like you’re there. I enjoyed the multiple points of views and the short chapters. Overall I was super into this book and enjoyed the mystery. There was one twist that I feel was obvious from the start. However the final twist will blow your mind

Wow! What a twist! Hannah meets her 18 year old daughters fiancé at her birthday party. Hannah knows him by another name. A name from her past that she would rather forget. That ending, just wow! Great twisty thriller that I could not put down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc copy of this book.
Solid 4-4.5 stars!

this book is the epitome of the miscommunication trope. none of it would’ve happened if hannah had just talked to rob! and yes, even after that epilogue, it would’ve never happened if she had been honest. and in all honesty she should’ve, especially when you think about how she treats rob in the book. it had a really promising premise but the execution was pretty poor. first of all: belle. how stupid is that kid, i swear?!? she’s the dumbest teenager i’ve ever read about. we’ve all been warned again and again against weird strangers and what did she do? kiss one after talking for 3h! a guy who clearly was twice her age!! that’s just being stupid i’m sorry but that’s the truth. then there’s the issue of hannah not saying ANYTHING the man she’s been with for almost 20 YEARS. it was overall very predictable, i saw a lot of it coming. she would insist on something in such an not-subtle-at-all way which made it extremely easy to guess.

Overall, this book was definitely one that kept me on the edge of my seat! The subject matter could be a bit triggering for some. I felt the book started out a bit slow but once it took off, I couldn’t put it down - I had to see how it ended!