The Wedding Day is the newest publication from Sue Watson, a talented writer of psychological thrillers, and this mystery novel follows the complicated life of Alice and her evasion of the UK police as she travels to Corfu and subsequently meets Nik.
The characters as a whole were unlikeable and untrustworthy, and as a reader it was difficult to know who to side with. This worked well for the mystery element of the story. Another factor that added to the mystery was the unreliable narration by Alice as she experiences blackouts and memory loss. I did wish that Alice's sister, Heather, had played a bigger part to the story.
It was a typical, "cookie-cutter" thriller but very enjoyable and quick to read. Whilst there were some unexpected twists, the main plot was very obvious to me. I think this book could have benefited from a dual POV or dual timeline to give it more backstory and depth. The ending was open to interpretation but for the most part was concluded well.
Personally for me I wasn't a fan of the Corfu setting, however I think if you are a mystery thriller reader this would be a great holiday read for summer. I am a fan of Sue Watson and have read a few of her previous publications, and whilst this may not have been my favourite of her writing, it was a thrilling read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for this advanced reader copy.

Review published to Goodreads and Amazon.

OMG, OMG… What a freaking ending! Alice is lonely on Valentine’s Day and keeps remembering the year before with her last ditch effort to make her marriage a good one but sadly it failed and here she is on Valentine’s Day going to buy her a bottle or two of wine to help her sleep the night away. Unfortunately she runs in today and her ex-husband and he’s with his new partner who is pregnant which is a shock and a slap to the face of Alice. They tried for so long for Alice to get pregnant and although she did she carried none of them to terms at least none with her husband. After a violent altercation with her husband that Alice doesn’t remember she flees to catch the train only to be arrested one stop later for the assault on Dan. When she is released she decides to go to Carfu,Greece, for reasons not shared with the reader or at least not yet. When she gets to Greece she sees pictures of many missing girls and one is much younger than the others but they all resemble her and she gets fixated on who committed the crime. One day in a restaurant to meats a wedding planner who immediately becomes instant friends with Alice something Alice welcomes through her she meets Nick a vineyard owner who lives with his creepy cousin Dimitri and this is who Alice thinks is the killer. Allison and Nick quickly fall in love despite his weird actions and the younger woman Angelina who openly flirts with Nick and is also equally openly hostile to Alice but he claims to love Alice and so they marry. It’s right after the wedding that things start to fall apart and OMG what a convoluted mess of circumstances Sue Watson creates in her book The Wedding Day I thought The Nursery what’s my favorite book in the one I always recommended to others that they should read for a great thriller but OMG if this book doesn’t replace that by far! Hey you put a gun to my head I couldn’t of gased the ending and I always look for great endings and wow when I say this was great I almost want to invent a new word that means great tenfold because this book was awesome from beginning to end it is a book you have to make time to read and trust me you will not want to put it down I absolutely love this book so good! I received this book from NetGalley Ian Bookoucher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Alice has had a tough time since finalising her divorce from Dan, coming to terms with her infertility, and marinating her pain in alcohol to relieve her bad dreams. After an unfortunate altercation with her ex, too foggy to completely recall, she decides to flee to Corfu to gain a new perspective. She quickly finds a new best friend, Sylvie, and gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with Nik. Life seems to finally be turning Alice's lemons into lemonade, despite her sister's panicked concern. Things sour, however, when Nik is arrested on their wedding day. 'just like Instagram, real life is never quite as pretty as it seems.'

When I started reading this story, I was unsure. Alice has a vague memory of some events, while also alluding to historical trauma, so it was difficult for me to connect. However, after the halfway point, the story really started coming together for me and I really started wondering how everything was going to be resolved. And, as with the only other Sue Watson story I've read, 'The Nursery', the end is never really the end. Overall, a good read for all psychological thriller lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow! I did not see that coming. Just when I thought I had it all figured out there was a twist that showed I really had no clue. I was pulled in from the very first page and had a hard time putting this one down.

I thought the characters were all very well developed, the plot was excellent and the pacing was perfect. I liked that Alice was a bit of an unreliable narrator which makes you really wonder what is going on, what is true and what is not. The Wedding Day is an excellent domestic thriller and is perfect for all thriller fans.

Another twisty tale by this author, full of intrigue. I loved the setting on a Greek Island, but the author did a good job of adding in unsettling details, which made us understand this was going to be no idyllic holiday. I was never sure about the main character, probably as the author intended, as we have hints of something tragic happening in her past. All in all an entertaining read!

Alice's pent-up aggression and frustration have led her to attack her ex-husband in a supermarket, but now she needs space and chooses to escape to Corfu where she meets Nik.
Thinking she will have her happily ever after may not be what it seems.

What a fantastic narrative by Watson, with characters who will leave you guessing and a plot with twists you won't see coming and an ending to leave your mind blown.

I did find this novel slightly slow in places but it was a very intriguing read and so didn’t put me off. This is one I would highly recommend to your to-be-read pile.

It’s pretty much a given if Sue Watson writes it, I am going to read it! I found The Wedding Day to be a shocking, twist filled and gripping book. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, Watson threw in another twist which proved just how wrong I was! I love it when this happens.

Alice was devastated about her divorce and that her ex-husband, Dan, had moved on. Wanting to leave everything behind her and to escape her troubles, she flees to the Greek island of Corfu. There she becomes fast friends with Sylvie and meets the charming and handsome Nik. Things are looking up until Alice and Nik's wedding day when he is arrested...

I thought I had things figured out, but I was so way off course that it wasn't funny. The book has tension throughout but after the wedding day, the tension amplified as did the sense of unease. I was on the edge of my seat flipping the pages, wanting to know more. Again, she fooled me, and I was left wondering about the outcome until the very end. Watson knows how to shock readers and this book was no exception! The setting is amazing, the characters are an interesting yet not very likeable bunch that worked perfectly in this book.

Shocking, well written, twist filled and hard to put down!

@bookouture @suewatsonwriter

The Wedding Day by Sue Watson was a bit of a slow burn for me, though I became more invested as the plot advanced.

Alice runs into her ex Dan one evening while he is shopping with his new partner, the very pregnant Della. Months of hurt and frustration come to a climax, and Alice lashes out. Allegedly, she has hit Dan across the head with a wine bottle, though her memories of the shocking event are unclear. Needing to escape the fallout, she travels to Corfu where she soon attracts the attention of handsome vineyard owner Nik, and she wonders if she can truly trust herself to love again. But has running away from her problems only led her to an even darker place?

I must admit that while the twists are jaw-dropping, I felt that certain elements bordered on the ridiculous, but perhaps there was just too much transpiring all at once to be believed. While not my favourite title from this author, it is undeniably a solid and enjoyable read. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Sue Watson, she the writer of wonderful books comes up trumps with another cracking page turner in the form of The Wedding Day!

Having whacking her ex round the head with a bottle inside the local Tesco, resulting in him being hospitalised with a bleed on the brain, Alice is now facing criminal charges. Rather than hang around waiting whilst the case is compiled, Alice decides running is the best option...Corfu anyone?

Was running really the right thing to do. Is everything as it seems?

This. Was. Good.

The Wedding Day is full of suspense, tension is running high and the twists come thick and fast. And the ending...Wow, just wow! I wasn't expecting that at all.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Interesting book. I wasn't sure I liked it, bit ot did keep my attention. It all came together in the end amazingly. I ended up really liking it. I hated some of the characters, but for good reason. Good job!
Thank you net galley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Poor Alice. If it wasn't for bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all!

She moves from England to escape possible legal issues to what she believes is a blissful escape on the beautiful island of Corfu. She’s long been fascinated by the cases of older women who have gone missing there, middle-aged, with money, and no one looking for them.

But Alice’s sister warns her that she might still be wanted for an investigation back in England, because “someone, somewhere always knows something”!

This book has plenty of elements to keep you on your toes:

• Missing women
• Bitter divorce
• Husband with secrets
• Wife with secrets
• Creepy cousin
• Noises in the night
• Intimacy issues
• Money issues

Even though you might want to shake Alice a million times while reading The Wedding Day, it’s only because we, the readers, see all, know all. Well, until the twists that will catch even you, dear reader, unaware!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this entertaining read!

I’m going to start – and not for the first time with a Sue Watson book – with the front and back covers. Last time round, with The Nursery, I was quite critical of these because the story they seemed to convey differed from that actually told in the book. In all fairness to Sue, she agreed, and took the trouble to explain that she as the author had had very little say on these.

This time, though, there are no such issues. They’re bang on. That cover is a perfect image of the appearance of happiness on the outside with a more sinister and foreboding undertone. And the blurb is just right too: intriguing and relevant without giving too much away.

The good news doesn’t stop there. Sue Watson is masterful in the way she conveys a setting. This time, most of the book takes place in Corfu and the descriptions of “the paradise island, where the sun shines all day and the cocktails flow all night” and “the apricot sky, the sunset flooding orange through the trees”, … right, that’s it. I’m sold. I want to beg some leave from my day job, go to Corfu indefinitely and visit a vineyard in the evening. Even if I will have to be more careful than the book’s main character, Alice, about who I start chatting to in bars.

Speaking of which, the character of Alice is wonderfully drawn, too. Struggling to come to terms with infertility and a painful divorce, and fearful of the possible outcome of a more recent occurrence, she is pleased to run away and leave all of her problems behind. And when she befriended the lovely Sylvie and was introduced to the gorgeously handsome Nik … well, I thought I knew straight away where the book was going. But just in case there was any danger of me being swept away as fully as Alice seemed to be, both of us had the presence of her loving, nagging and crime drama-fanatic big sister Heather at the other end of the phone, doing her best to keep Alice’s feet on the ground. Heather, too, is very well done: we only actually see her face to face once, at the very beginning of the book, and yet we feel her presence throughout.

My only real criticism of the first two-thirds of the book is that I thought the foreshadowing was a little bit overdone. Several chapters end on a note of “if I’d known then what I know now”. I’m not sure these needed to be included, certainly not more than once. Like I said, it seemed fairly clear where the story was going and even if that hadn’t been the case, I knew I was reading a psychological thriller and that something had to go wrong somewhere.

When that something happened, though … wow. I said I thought I knew where the book was going, but I was wrong. Revelation after revelation that I hadn’t foreseen at all kept on coming, and yet all of them fitted. My over-riding feeling as I finished the book was one of admiration as to how well the plot came together.

Came together, that is, insofar as Alice was concerned. But her character, and her circumstances are wonderfully and uniquely complicated. Which means that – and I’m trying hard not to give away a spoiler here – believing that something that happens to her in this story could also happen to multiple other women felt just a little bit forced.

And if you look back over the book after noticing that plot hole, you’ll realise that there are a few others. Don’t get me wrong, none of them are catastrophic, or indeed enough to affect my enjoyment of the book. Just noticeable, in the way that the sensation of a plaster over a cut on your finger is noticeable.

Ultimately, though, I can easily forgive The Wedding Day its few, small flaws because of good old entertainment value. This seems a strange thing to say given some of the subject matter – so call me strange if you will – but I really did find this book rather fun.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m off to end this evening in a taverna, watching the sun set with a cocktail in my hand …

My thanks to Bookouture for my inclusion on the blog tour, and to the author and Netgalley for the digital ARC. I have reviewed the book voluntarily and honestly.

Alice has started a new life in Corfu by painting over the old one to cover the rough spots. But when her perfect life starts flaking away, she can't pull the memories up to defend or deny them. What a rollercoaster of a thriller! We follow Alice from the bottom of her former self to the top and her dream wedding, only to find there's a drop off just ahead. Sue Watson packed plenty of build up to Sue's character, whether you like her or not, she's definitely human. The back story that transitions into the present is full of surprises. Great reading that kept me turning those pages quickly to see what will blow up next!

Happy Publication Date 5/17/2023.
Thank you to the author , Netgalley , Bookouture publication for sharing the ARC.
I truly appreciate receiving the copy of the book in advance but unfortunately this did not work for me . There were so many popular thriller tropes all entwined that to me it felt like I was reading a mix up for many books in one and it wasn’t enjoyable .
But it’s subjective opinion, I am sure there maybe others out that that may like this story telling .
The upside was that chapters were short enough to keep you reading and it’s relatively easy read .
It’s a 2.5 / 5 star for me .

After her divorce, Alice has been struggling with life in general. After an alleged altercation involving her ex-husband and his new girlfriend she decides she needs time away even though she is being investigated for what happened that night. Heading to Corfur, Greece (where she has been before) Alice tries to get her life back. She makes a new friend, Sylvie and falls in love with Nik who has a questionable cousin Dimitris who makes her feel uneasy every time he is around. In this town there are women who have disappeared and Alice has become somewhat obsessed with the posters she sees of the missing women.

The twists and ending will blow your mind! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the incredibly talented Sue Watson for my ARC!

The Wedding Day by Sue Watson was another excellent book from start to finish with brilliant twists and turns from the beginning till the end. Sue has a very clever way of drawing you into the story and it is so addictive you will find it hard to out down once I started to read it

A great read for holidays, but be aware..........once you start to read it all your things you had planned for your day off, will go out the window!!!

Big Thank you to Netgalley, the author Sue Watson and Bookouture for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Valentine’s Day

A year ago, Alice, 44, was officially divorced from Dan. She and Dan were unable to have children. Now, he is married to Della who is pregnant. When Alice sees them in a Tesco while buying a bottle of wine, it appears her fury at seeing them leads her to hit Dan on the head with a bottle of wine and he ends up hospitalized. She was arrested but doesn’t remember anything. Her counselor says she has PTSD.

Alice has been living with her sister, Heather, who is concerned about her. When Alice tells her that she is going to Corfu, Greece for a vacation, she thinks Alice shouldn’t leave the country but Alice insists.

In Corfu, Alice is immediately drawn into the beautiful weather and ambiance of the place. She does notice some posters of women who have gone missing and have never been found. She soon meets a woman named Sylvie who is a wedding planner and a charming person. Her assistant, Angelina, is not a pleasant person. She is introduced to Nik Kouris, a handsome Greek man who owns the Kouris winery.

In a short period of time, Alice and Nik marry. But life is not yet perfect for the couple. There are arguments and Alice worries that she may still be in trouble in the UK and that it could follow her to Greece and ruin her life. But, Nik assures her that everything is fine and finds way to make her life more stable.

This book was way too long which made it drag at times. Somewhat repetitive as well. I didn’t care for any of the characters. Alice comes across as a whiny, clingy woman for whom I had little sympathy. But it is certainly a different plot.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Wedding Day is another excellent psychological thriller by Sue Watson. As soon as I had finished reading the prologue I just knew that I was going to be completely invested in this book until the final chapter. Admittedly this for me started off quite slow but as the story progressed the pace picked up and there were some omg moments and a few good twists along the way. One or two I did guess but one major one had me completely lost for words. Something I absolutely love in a thriller when I can’t work out what’s going on until the big reveal. From start to finish this was super read and one I highly recommend for psychological thriller fans.

I love all Sue Watson books and she is the queen of domestic thrillers! Thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding Day and couldn’t put it down, Well done on another cracking read! 5 stars from me.

This was my first every book by Sue Watson. It was a bit of a slow burn domestic thriller it felt kind of slow at the beginning setting up the plot but then it took off and WOW I LOVED IT!! this one took me awhile to get into about half way 50% I was tapping and grasping my kindle I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved Alice’s character she had such a bubbling personality!! I Highly recommend this story and I will definitely be reading more of Sue Watson’s books!! I also loved the setting of the book that it was taken place at a wedding!!