2.5 stars

First things first, THE NAME. "The Bigamist" really? And that cover. I just don't like it.

I would definitely recommend this book if it only included pages 70 to 200. Anything before 70 and after 200 was boring or rushed. I feel like the twists happened so early on that there was nothing to end the book with. The twists after page 200 felt so forced. It felt like the book was going nowhere and the book wrapped up very quickly for no reason.

Overall, this book felt very rushed.

Emma meets Sam through a bereavement group being run by Sam’s sister. There starts a quick relationship with emma then finding out she is pregnant, The plot thickens after Emma calls Dams phone only for it to be answered by someone claiming to be his wife!
I enjoyed reading this book although there were some moments that I just found too far fetched. I couldn’t understand all of Emma’s actions and I found my mind drifting more towards the end. However, if you don’t mind things going a bit far fetched, and you enjoy a twisty story with a few surprises I would definitely recommend this book.

I have read quite a lot of Rona Halsall's novels and always found them to be extremely entertaining. The Bigamist was no different and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A really good concept of a story with super strong and intriguing characters.

We meet main character Emma, heartbroken by the death of her mother she joins a group and meets what she thinks is the man of her dreams Sam. They fall in love and Emma soon finds out she is pregnant with their child. Sam is over the moon but his job keeps him busy late in the evenings and he is off on work trips.

When Emma tries to call him, a woman answers the phone and tells her she is his wife - obviously Emma is shocked but we soon learn that she is keeping secrets herself and the story goes into full throttle.

This novel was so gripping, I could not put it down. Full of mystery and suspense, this novel will keep any avid reader gripped from the very first page.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rona Halsall and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is only the second book I've read by this author and its the second one I've loved. Thinking I knew exactly how this story was going to play out , I was stunned when it was not what I expected. There was so much more to this plot which kept on twisting and turning throughout. I need to seek out this author's other books.

The first half of The Bigamist had me gripped. As it went on, however, I found the main character, Emma's actions increasingly hard to fathom. The second half felt like one plot twist after another. Unfortunately, I didn't find them exciting - I felt the book literallly lost the plot and just got more and more farfetched.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Bigamist. The title of the book and written by Rona Halsall makes for an exciting time of reading!! Soooo happy to have read another one of her fantastic books, this one did not disappoint. There was a coincidence that I was like “Really?” I still kept loving reading to see what would happen next. What a Twist at 50%, WOW!!!! Part three was so so, but All in All a very engaging book. I LOVE Rona’s books. Thank you again.

For anyone looking for a book that is impossible to put down, I recommend The Bigamist by Rona Halsell. For anyone that likes a good psychological thriller, this is the book for you. Emma has been struggling with the recent death of her husband. She attends a grief support group where she meets Sam, who is grieving the loss of his wife. She feels a kinship with him, and their friendship quickly develops into a relationship. Before she knows it, she is planning a She meets Sam at a grief support group, and before she knows it, she is planning a life with him. She is eagerly anticipating her new home that Sam is building for her, and they have a baby on the way. Imagine her surprise when she calls Sam and another woman claiming to be his wife is on the phone. What on earth is going on? This is when you will really realize the twists and turns that are occurring. The plot is strategically crafted to keep you guessing. I found Sam unlikable and unreliable, which is also another great tenet of a good psychological thriller. The character development was spot on, as I felt that I really got to know the main characters: their feelings, thoughts, and motivations. The best part however was the ending, the surprise that kept me guessing. I will be looking for more books by Ms. Halsell. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Emma has always wanted to be a mother and when she meets Sam in a bereavement group and they become pregnant and start to plan a life together, she thinks all of her plans are coming true. Until one day when she calls Sam, another woman answers and claims to be Sam's wife. Emma is taken aback and from that moment on she works to unravel an intricate plot of deception.

The premise of this story is fantastic. There are a lot of twists and turns in the second half of the story that will give you whiplash.

Unfortunately, I did not connect with the way in which this story is crafted. After the initial reveal at the beginning I was waiting for the pace to continue to heighten, but the placement of the backstories stunted my reading flow and-while I did read the entire story-I had a hard time picking the book up again. I also felt that the characters were one dimensional and I just didn't care to spend time with them.

Had the crafting of this story worked better for me, I could see the second half of the story being a blast to read. Seeing reviews from other readers thus far, it looks to be a fun and thrilling ride for a majority. And while this story didn't work for me, I would always recommend checking this story out if you are intrigued by the premise-this could be your next favorite read.

I read and reviewed an advanced eARC of this book thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley. All honest opinions are my own.

2.5✨'s

"I'm sorry, Sam's not available." says the woman who answers my husband's phone. I can't place her voice, so I politely ask who she is. Her answer sends my world spinning out of "I'm his wife."

I know I want to marry Sam the moment I meet him. After I lost my beloved mother so suddenly, this charming, softly spoken architect with his deep-brown eyes is just the fresh start I've been looking for. I'm delighted to be expecting our first child before we've even had the chance to plan a honeymoon. I want our family to work so I try to ignore his long work trips. I turn a blind eye to the private calls he takes, and I listen to his excuses about why the money keeps disappearing form my bank account. Then I find out Sam's got more to hide than I ever imagined was possible. Because my husband is leading a double life.

The characters in this book are unreliable and unlikeable, but the plotline has been cleverly crafted. It's filled with twists, secrets and the pace was fast. Emma attends a bereavement group and ends up meeting and marrying Sam, Emma believes she has been given a second chance in life and is overjoyed to discover she is pregnant. There's a creeping sense of unease throughout. There're also some farfetched moments. I thought I had it all worked out in a few chapters, but I was wrong.

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

I really enjoy this book and the story was a lot deeper than I expected. As I continued to read the book it became clear she’d found he was a bigamist from early on in the book so I was expecting more twists and turns and I wasn’t disappointed . I loved the characters even though they all had flaws and thought the ending was perfect for the main two characters . I would definitely recommend this book and can’t wait for the next from this author .

The first half of this book feels more like a drama, then quickly got thriller vibes in the second half, with TONS of twists. With the being said, I feel like were some plot holes and the pacing was very all over the place for me. Some parts happened so quickly I’m thinking omg how did we get here? I was however, very engaged basically throughout the entire story & kept trying to figure out what would come next…many things happened that I wasn’t expecting at all. The ending was very abrupt though and we don’t get a lot of closure 😩

Oh dear, what a ride this has been! This was the first book in a while that kept me literally awake at night, I just couldn't put it down despite having to get up in the morning. Every time I told myself, "just one more chapter" (book lovers' biggest lie), twists and turns happened that made it hard to stop. At one point, I was so heavily invested in one of the characters that I had to put the book down to calm myself down because my own anxiety had been triggered by the things the character went through.

The ending, on the other hand, was not quite my cup of tea. But I guess that's a me-problem rather than a book-problem. I'm sure there are loads of people out there who loved it.

All in all, 4 stars and a definite recommendation!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me access to the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I think the author described it better than I could ever. It was a rollercoaster of twists and suspense for me. I always try to figure out the villain while reading and I always come up with quite a few theories. (most of the time wrong lol). And this time also, I didn't figure it out AT ALL.. I was so far from the truth. And when I thought I came to the end of the book and understood it all, again bam another twist and another ending. Goodness, this author is really good !! This is the first book I read of hers, but it won't be the last.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Imagine calling your husbands phone while he is on the road working and another woman answers and says she is his wife. What do you do? This book makes you think you know what's going on but you really don't. Wonderful thriller, I love books by this author.

Book Review 📚

The Bigamist by Rona Halsall - 4/5 ⭐

This is a new author for me. My first time reading anything from Rona and to sum it up, I wasn't disappointed. I had a read of the blurb and decided to give it a go.

The story line itself had me non-stop reading. I finished the book in just over 2 days (if I didn't have to work I would of had it finished in 1). It was a page turner. It started off big and continued throughout the book. For me, it was the characters that definitely made this book so much more enjoyable. They had me questioning everything and I felt like I just couldn't trust them? They sucked me in and won me over. Each of them had something to hide.

The plot follows a husband who has more then one wife (clue is in the title). How he managed it, I will never know, but he did and I found myself hating on him but loving him at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were countless surprises in store, twists and turns happening throughout the book. When a book keeps you hooked like this one did, you know it's a gooden. But just be prepared for the ending, so many "wtf" moments but the ending really tipped the scales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoture for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a book where the reader is left perpetually on edge, anxiously anticipating what shocking event will unfold next. THE BIGAMIST is one of those books! For a psychological thriller to work, I need those delicious ‘OMG’ moments. I need to feel I’ve been played at every turn and Rona Halsall accomplishes this with ease. Emma meets Sam, they marry and then the old saying springs to mind “Marry in haste, and repent at leisure”. And boy does she have lots of time to repent, especially when the evidence points to Sam being a bigamist.

The characters are well depicted. I must admit I ended up hating most of them! But that’s a good thing, as it made the book all the more interesting. The characters are untrustworthy. They tell so many lies and half truths you are constantly second guessing who is actually telling the truth. Every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, the author slyly pulled the rug from under me.

Rona Halsall has an uncanny ability to craft tension throughout the entire duration of THE BIGAMIST, progressively evoking a growing sense of unease and apprehension in the reader as the plot unfolds. The plot twists were perfectly placed and I hold my hands up and admit ‘I never seen them coming’ a rarity in its self. I had one small niggle I wanted more from the ending, but maybe there will be a follow up, well here’s hoping. I really enjoyed this book. It made for an addictive and gripping read with plenty of surprises along the way.

The Bigamist
by Rona Halsall
Pub Date: 05 Jul 2023

A must read for those who love a mind blowing psychological twist! You won’t want to miss out on this one. It's a cleverly written tale with a big bang of an ending, full on psychological thriller that you never quite know where it is leading or taking you to. A totally unputdownable, twisty, will-leave-you-gasping story of marriage, guilt and lies.

Synopsis:
‘I’m sorry, Sam’s not available,’ says the woman who answers my husband’s phone. I can’t place her voice, so I politely ask who she is. Her answer sends my world spinning, ‘I’m his wife.’ Then I find out Sam’s got more to hide than I ever imagined was possible. Because my husband is leading a double life. He’s already married to someone else.

Thank you #NetGalley, #TheBigamist and #Bookouture for the opportunity to read an ARC of this 5 star book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

What would you do if you suspected your husband was living a double life? I honestly thought that would be the only question asked and answered in this read and BOY was I wrong! The layers in this book could take an onion to court for plagiarism and win — you don’t want to skip this. I had never read a title by Rona Halsall before, but I’ll definitely be adding her to my list of favorites.

Pleasantly surprised! The Bigamist is the latest book by Rona Halsall and was a great book. Enjoyed the characters and I did NOT see the twists and turns of this story coming! Definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley, Rona Halsall and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had requested this book on another blogger’s recommendation. The premise sounded intriguing to me, but the more I read the more I realized it wasn’t what I had expected. The writing did not seem fully developed and the main character’s decisions were often questionable and did not strike me as convincing as the thought process was not typical.