Wow! What a page turner!

If you’re going to read this book, you need to be willing to pull an all-nighter because you won’t want to put it down!

Alice bumps into her ex-husband and his heavily pregnant girlfriend in Tesco. There is an altercation, she blacks out and in a panic, flees to Corfu. Except, of course, there’s more to it than that…

Hooks all the way through, remind the reader that there’s something big to come and there sure is! The author delivers shocking and clever twists in abundance as the story races to its exciting conclusion.

Great characters, beautiful descriptions of Corfu (you will be able to smell the orange blossom) and a pace that keeps you engaged and tantalises you to keep reading.

5⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A real page turner, could not put it down at the beginning or the end.
I was instantly hooked, I felt a lull towards the middle of the book and then the ending made it great again.
My overall issue with thrillers is that they are often so far fetched and unimaginable I begin to lose interest. I’m a very logical person, so when the main character Alice is mid forties and is more gullible than a teenager, it causes me to dislike the story, and when you dislike the main character it’s usually downhill from there.
The dialogue between certain characters felt forced and very unnatural, it made me cringe.
However, I was intrigued by other characters in the book, Sylvie being one of favourites, the pace was fast and the guessing game continued until the end which kept me engaged.

I would say if you like Colleen Hoover and wish she wrote more thrillers then this would be a hit with you.

The main character, Alice, is a bit of a mess at the moment. Divorced and struggling to move on and using alcohol to cope. She decides to get away and goes to Corfu. She makes a new friend quickly and then starts a relationship with NIk.

A cast of interesting characters. Some with the appropriate amount of creepy thrown in. A little slow at times but quickly picks back up again. I guessed some of the twists right away as they were obvious, but did not guess them all. I was quite surprised by one of them and that is always a good thing.

Not my favorite by this author, but still a good read.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.

Firstly I love Sue Watson's books and secondly I love books where weddings/marriages go wrong so The Wedding Day was the perfect book for me. I enjoyed the characters and the setting and I could feel the tension building with each turn of the page. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked all the way to the explosive ending - Fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Alice was devastated when she was unable to have a child while married to Dan. Alcohol was her medication of choice to deal with distresses of infertility as well as some major problems during her marriage. A chance meeting with Dan and his current girlfriend, heavily pregnant, has Alice fleeing to Corfu in Greece and maybe she can forget some of her pain. Making a new friend in Sylvie and a potential beau when it comes to a handsome man named Nik, it just might be that Alice’s life has hit the reset button.

The thing is, Alice left legal problems behind in the UK. She also left her sister very worried about her, always a protective mother hen to her. Alice is determined to prove that she can make her own decisions in life even if that means staying in picturesque Greece. Nik owns a bountiful vineyard and it does not take Alice long to imagine being married to Nik at the vineyard and living an entirely new life.

What a stunning domestic thriller! What are the twists? Well, we can start with Alice’s fuzzy memory issues. Is alcohol the reason that her memory is so spotty or could it be something else entirely unrelated? These are questions that even the most attentive reader might ask while reading this latest book by Sue Watson. To say that I found myself surprised is an understatement. Then, when you factor in the way the book came to an end with those additional twists thrown in, let’s just say this book was another excellent read.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

3.5

It was good. There’s many to unpack in the story as you dive in and i was surprised on the revelations. The motive, the main character, I did not see that coming! Although the ending is quite predictable. Thank you netgalley for approving me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

It's the day I've been dreaming about my whole life. As I glide down the flower-strewn aisle overlooking the Greek orange groves, in my pearl-encrusted ivory gown, I finally see my fiancé Nik. We look like the perfect couple, but not all fairy tales have happy endings. I try to forget the urgent call from my sister this morning, and how she doesn't know I'm about to marry a man I've only known a few months. His family seem a little off and he shuts down when I ask him about his past - but we've all got skeletons in our closet, right?

The pace is slow for most of the book. Alice, a divorcee, tries to escape her past in the UK and heads for the Greek island of Corfu. Before she knows it, Alice is getting married to Nik, and she has a new best friend, the glamourous Sylvie. The tension and suspense build throughout this book. The characters are well developed, but Alice grated on my nerves. As the story progresses. everything is not quite as it seems, some things are just too good to be true. I felt the story dragged for a bit in the middle. There were a couple of predictable twists, but there was one fantastic big one I never saw coming.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #SueWatson for my ARC of #TheWeddingDay in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for providing me with an ARC of this which is due to be released on Wednesday (17th May).

This is the first book that I have read by Sue Watson but I will definitely be going and checking out some of her other work following finishing this.

The book is fast paced and I really liked the characters in the book too, especially Alice (the main character) who, although troubled, was interesting. The setting of the book was stunning too and I could imagine it all taking place.

I found this so predictable and then a little nonsensical and I'm sorry to say that it didn't pick up for me.

I am sure there are people that will love this but I really need a basis of reality in my books.

Thank you to Netgalley who provided this ARC in return for an honest review.

A really good and suspenseful thriller.

Things haven't been going well for Alice lately. She suffers greatly from not being able to have children, her marriage has broken up, and now she is suspected of physically and brutally attacking her ex-husband. So Alice decides tike some time on the sunny island of Corfu. There, she quickly meets a wonderful new friend and a mysterious vineyard owner who is clearly interested in her. Her newfound happiness is marred only by bad news from home and posters of missing women in Corfu, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Alice.

The story has a very good pace. The author very efficiently captured the atmosphere of mystery and danger, as well as the idyllic nature of Alice's prolonged holidays on a Greek island. And although we sometimes feel that certain things happen very quickly, just like Alice, we let ourselves be carried away.

The main character Alice guides us through this story quite capably. I think she fits the story very well. Her past problems, as well as current alcohol abuse and approach to life make this story even more interesting. At the same time, Alice is convincing as the person who found herself at the center of the events described in the book. Her personality is consistent, and the decisions she makes, even if they may seem ill-considered at times, are in her character. I also appreciate that she's not entirely naive.

The ending may not be to the liking of readers who like the book to stick to reality until the end, what you will find here is a bit over the top. But it didn't bother me at all. I believe that the last few chapters fit the story very well. The author left enough breadcrumbs for you to guess some things, but not so much that the ending was completely obvious.

I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good thriller for summer vacations.

Sue Watson is a talented author who is capable of writing the twistiest of novels. I like the premises of this book. I could even feel the sun on my face, and smell the different smells. At first I thought no one is this gullible, but then I reminded myself of many humans who see what they want to see, even though the situation is obvious to everyone else.

There might have been a few things in this book I did not find to be believable, but otherwise I really enjoyed this book, the quirky characters, and the atmosphere in general. What can I say, the old truth of something seeming to good to be true, it probably is really works for this book and the people in it.

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I found the story engaging and interesting but felt the title does not fit the story. This is about our main character who goes through an emotional breakdown due to her spouse finding another woman and leaving her. She ends up going to Corfu and I was unclear how she ended up there when she has no money and just left. She ends up staying there for months on end it feels because she is trying to uncover the story about missing women on the island. I felt like that was a big jump when her own life was in ruins. Yet somehow there is a link between her uncovering the missing women mystery to her finding herself.
It was a really good story with twists and turns and a surprise ending. I felt I knew who it was but just didn’t know how it tied up but it ended well.

A bit of a slow burn domestic thriller, but it was still good and 3.5 stars rounded up for me.

Just to start, I'm glad I didn't read the synopsis before I read this as it meant more mystery throughout the less thrilling parts of the story so my suggestion, if you're a Watson fan, is to go in blind. I think that if I'd have read the synopsis, I may have been less inclined to keep coming back to this.

Even though I'm a sucker for fast paced books, the unreliable narrator was intriguing and kept everything moving along nicely.

I could not and still cannot believe some of the twists at the end. I think it's about the 80% mark where you just do not want to put this down.

I did have a few issues, including that there were changes in tense, where Alice is telling us about the now but then in the same paragraph it's as though she's recalling something from the past about what was happening then. This happened a few times toward the end of chapters and whilst it was obvious (eventually) what was going on, I didn't rate it. Mostly because it seems to be a way authors are trying to build suspense lately, for example (and not quoting the book, I don't think) "if only I knew then what I do now". I think references to past or flash backs should be identified with a paragraph break at least. I'm not actually sure on reflection whether we were hearing the story from her past in present day or what.

All that aside, and a couple of little plot holes on the financials front, I enjoyed this. You may predict some parts, but others were entirely shocking and clever.

I love books where women stick together or strong women support each other so there was a little bit in this one that I was celebrating 🥰.

I'll definitely check out more of Sue Watson's work after both this and The Nursery were enjoyable for me.

Anticipated publication date: 17 May 2023

⚠️ Check TWs online, includes DV ⚠️

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Bookouture for my eARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Set in the Greek island of Corfu, Alice tries to escape life back at home in the UK, where her life has been left in turmoil.
Alice meets Nik and a whirlwind romance ensues. She also establishes a great friendship with local girl, Sylvie.
Before Alice knows it she is getting married.
But nothing is as it seems and her whole world is about to change.

I was pretty sure I’d guessed most of the plot but I really hadn’t even scratched the surface. This book is full of twists and turns and boy, what a ride.

Highly recommend. It does not disappoint.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

If you want a book that keeps you wondering what the hell is going on, this is the book for you. I did enjoy it but you are drip fed, what is happening and it was a bit confusing until the last 3rd when it all comes together.

The story starts when Alice runs into her ex husband in a supermarket with his new pregnant girlfriend, which is a kick in the teeth as they couldn't have children. As she runs away, she is arrested for smashing a wine bottle over her ex's head. She is released from police custody and runs away to Corfu, (you are told there is a reason it's Corfu but you don't find out till the end).

She meets a lovely lady called Sylvie and they become firm friends. She is pursued by a wealthy vineyard owner called Nik, who helps her. With the police looking for her in the UK and her sister begging her to go back, Alice turns to Sylvie to help her. There is a mystery on the Island, where lots of middle aged women have gone missing over the years and the locals suspect Niks cousin, Dimitris. Has Alice jumped out of the frying pan into the fire ?

It has an explosive ending with lots of twists and turns. Will Alice survive ?

I did enjoy the book but it was a bit frustrating at times.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Wedding Day by Sue Watson, published by Bookouture
I really enjoyed this novel for the most part, there were times when I wanted it to move a little faster, it was just a bit repetitive at timed. I found the calls Alice had with her sister didn't always seem realistic. Overall good book and I will watch for more books from this author, I've not read her books before and see that she has written lots!
I thought the plot well thought out, I wasn't prepared for the twist, didn't see that coming at all. I liked all the characters, they were well developed and described. I love how it all comes together at the end
This story's main character is Alice, she is divorced and can't seem to forget her ex husband, she needs and escape and takes off to the Greek Island of Corfu where she meets a wonderful man of her dreams, or is he. She has also met a lovely woman who becomes a fabulous friend and helps her through dealing with the past she left behind.
I don't want to give anything away in my review, but I feel this is a great summer read. It really picked up about half way through, and I didn't want to put it down.

I've been a fan of Sue Watson for a few years now and so I was thrilled to receive an ARC via Netgalley and the publisher to read and review.

This book started off slower than Sue's previous novels but I don't mind a slow burn thriller. I found the character of Alice very frustrating. I wanted to shake some sense into her for most of the book. She comes across as very naive and gullible. She makes some decisions that seem so unbelievably stupid that I found myself shouting at my kindle.

However there are some big twists and reveals in the last few chapters that totally save this book. So while this isn't my favourite Sue Watson thriller it still makes for a good read.

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

The blushing bride...The handsome groom...A secret one of them will kill for...

First of all, forget the description premise - that doesn't even take place till about halfway through the book and there is so much more to come before the illustrious wedding. Secondly, this is one messed up train wreck of a story! Our narrator is so unreliable readers can't even trust her let alone anyone else. And then there's all the other pieces of the puzzle that are literally littered all over the place with no rhyme or reason. I say again, train wreck!

I'm a big fan of Sue Watson and am always eager to read what she has next in store for us. THE WEDDING DAY, again, is something a little different. OK, so it's a lot different and I'm still getting my head around how someone can be so naive to make such stupid ill-conceived decisions. But one thing that didn't slip by was the big reveals. I knew exactly what was going on (or thereabouts) and was neither wowed or shocked when the reveals came. Maybe I am just too seasoned to be shocked and know exactly where to look...but hey, it was still an entertaining read watching Alice make some stupid decisions.

We meet Alice on her way home from work one evening stopping by the Tesco Express for another bottle or two to drown her sorrows on this Valentines Day where her Decree Absolute has become final. She spends as much of the time choosing the wines as she does ruminating over past failures as a wife/ mother/person when she spots a familiar figure in the aisle. Her ex-husband Dan...and he's not alone. And she's pregnant. Very pregnant. Devastated, Alice flees covered with the spattered drops of wine, only stopping when she stumbles onto the train home. In her ragged state, commuters believe her to be homeless as does the ticket inspector who demands to see her ticket or payment for one but without her bag - which she left back in Tesco - she is bundled off the train at the next stop.

Poor Alice. She hasn't had much luck in recent years. After failed attempts at IVF, to now discover her ex has soon impregnated a fast replacement only adds salt to the wound. But now Dan is in hospital with a fractured skull after taking a smack to the head with a wine bottle and the police are looking to her for answers. Instead of using common sense, Alice packs her bags and boards a plane to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu. I don't blame her, I'd probably prefer the sun drenched shores of the island myself.

There she meets Sylvie who quickly becomes her new best friend. The two women share so much in common and neither have been lucky in love so what better way than to drown the past in Cosmopolitans?! No thank you, but each to their own. Alice has taken a long term rental there with no return date for the UK booked and the more she hears from her sister Heather back home, the less likely she is to return. Can things get any worse?

And then she meets Nik. Beautiful Greek god adonis Nik. Owner and manager of Kouris Wineries in the rural Greek mountainside. He's handsome, he's rich and he's interested in Alice. Can her luck finally be changing? After a whirlwind romance, the couple marry at his vineyard destined to spend their lives happily ever after. Until Nik is arrested on their wedding day.

When I started reading THE WEDDING DAY, like most readers, I was thinking "where's the wedding?" Ok, so that comes later. Much later, as it happens. But before that is a whole lot of other stuff that I found quite confusing. Alice's blackouts...even her reasoning behind them were somewhat vague that I doubt anyone would have believed her had she told them. It seemed a little wishy-washy just out of reach that it was hard to connect anything that she was saying to what was happening. Even her references to the disappearances in Corfu were vague. She claimed her and her sister were true crime fans and followed the case online but that didn't wash with me. Both Alice and Heather seemed a little too personally involved. They knew something but they weren't sharing. I just didn't get why these women were so important to Alice when she didn't know any of them...or did she? She didn't seem to and she certainly never admitted to doing so. It was just so confusing that I didn't know what her role in it that mystery was...because she was sooooo stuck on it. She's like a dog with a bone and wasn't giving up.

BUT...everything starts to make sense towards the end, trust me. But it is a long time getting there. The pace is a little slow to begin with, slower than Watson's previous thrillers, but it does pick up at the wedding and following that. Alice still, however, continues to make stupid decisions throughout. I was shouting at her at every major decision to STOP! NO! DON'T DO IT! Because I knew it was only going to end in tears. No good was going to come of it, I felt sure. My skin was crawling, my nerves were tingling...something most definitely was not right. But like all stupid lovesick idiots, she failed to heed my warnings...or that of her sister, with whom she was in direct contact (as opposed to me, a humble reader to her happenings). Really, Alice ignored just about every red flag waved in her direction. Either that or she was just blind to them completely, I'm not quite sure.

The question is, do you know what is happening or will you be as shocked as Alice when all is revealed? Or are you a seasoned reader of this genre like me and can pick a predictable path to the end? Either way, there is one twist that had my jaw dropping because it was most certainly something I wasn't expecting. And what a twist it was.

Overall, THE WEDDING DAY was an entertaining thriller that did drag a little but picked up as the threads were woven into place to a satisfying end.

I would like to thank #SueWatson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWeddingDay in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

When Alice leaves for corfu after a situation with her ex husband, Dan, can life improve for her?
She makes a new friend and a new live interest and soon the island of Corfu will be a nightmare.
Sue weaves a beautiful location with deplorable characters and intrigue that keeps you guessing to the end.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.