Name of Book: The Pre-nup
Author: Arianne Richmonde
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller with a lot of drama
Pub Date: July 27, 2023
My Rating: 4.2 Stars!
Pages: 352

Story is told from the POV of Ava, Lucas, Claudia, and Jasmine.

Story starts three years after Lucas and Ava Fox are marrieds; on their wedding day Ava felt like the luckiest woman alive.
Now it appears Lucas has changed. Ava is beginning to feel trapped and unsafe in her own home and wonders what happens to her kind, sweet thoughtful husband; she now can hardly recognize him as the same man she married.
She wonders if signing the pre-nup she also signed away her freedom.
She was pregnant and her wealthy in-laws felt that Ava was after the family wealth so not only encourage marriage but a pre-nup. They married but she miscarried but now three years later is once again pregnant.

However strange things that she can't remember are happening (like passing out in bed, finding one expensive earring under their bed – that is hers!), she knows this isn’t brain fog that often happens to expecting mothers. It appears Lucas is gaslighting her.

Story switched to the POV Claudia Spector a world-famous movie star. She and Lucas had a relationship. Her story confirms that Lucas is the jerk we suspected.

When Claudia finds out about Ana another story begins.

I read a lot of thrillers and often say – ‘I didn’t see that ending coming’.
Guess what?
I didn’t see this ending coming!!!!!

I always enjoy when an author shares their inspiration for a story. In her “A Letter from Arianne’ ~ She tells us that some of the characters in this story taking lying to a new level. Ms. Richmonde wanted to do a deep dive into a dysfunctional marriage, where the players are all lovable but also despicable.
Yep she accomplished THAT!

Great read ~ My first author, Arianne Richmonde and certainly am looking forward to another!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 12, 2023.

I was completely hooked! This had some crazy rollercoasters and twists. Definitely recommend this one for all thriller readers.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

"The Prenup" is about, not just a prenup that gets in the way, but an infamous love triangle with serious consequences.. The book is a great read that kept me hooked from page 1. And there's twists that you will not see coming and will hook you in even more!

The Prenup
By Arianne Richmonde
Pub Date: July 23, 2023
Bookouture
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I was captivated throughout. I wondered if Karma would get him in the end. But the twists… those were great,
4 stars

Ava is in love with Lucas. Signing the prenup before they married wasn't an issue. They were going to be together for ever.
However, three years later and things have changed. Lucas, is not the perfect man Ava thought he was. She is living a life on egg shells and well as getting over miscarriages. Her perfect world doesn't seem so perfect anymore.
So when something comes to Ava's attention she decides she has the opportunity to get a better deal in her prenup and even get it rewritten.
This book was so well thought out. The twists I didn't see coming. Hence why I'm definitely not going to give away any spoilers.

I was hooked on this storyline from the beginning but found it difficult to get into throughout the middle. I found myself skipping through some pages to get to the end. I thought the end was decent although predictable. 3/5 stars overall.

To the outside world Ava and Lucas look like the perfect couple in Hollywood. The book is written with each character having a voice in their chapters. This thriller takes you through the gaslighting questioning what is true. I enjoyed this book and didn’t want to stop reading.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

Ava feels fortunate to be marrying her perfect husband, Lucas, who showers her with love and affection. However, doubts arise when she recalls signing a prenuptial agreement, questioning if Lucas sees her as a gold digger. Despite this concern, she believes they will be together forever.

Three years later, everything has changed. Ava feels unsafe in her own home and notices a drastic shift in Lucas's behavior, causing her to question her decision. Trapped in a deteriorating marriage, she realizes she never truly knew her husband. Fearful for her life, she navigates the confines of their house, desperate to escape the dangerous situation she finds herself in.

The book's description initially drew me in, but the execution fell short of expectations. The plot twists added depth to the story, but the pacing was uneven, with a strong start, a slump in the middle, and a more engaging ending. Repetitions of thoughts and events could have been minimized through tighter editing. The excessive focus on the Malibu house and unnecessary details detracted from the overall narrative. Furthermore, the characters Ava and Lucas were unlikable. However, the book redeemed itself slightly with a significant twist at the end, which was a highlight.

Thanks netgallay and to the publishers for this arc copy. I loved this book i think this is in my top 5 fav books so far this year. Loved the way the author wrote it in all the different povs and in past and in present the chapters werent super long. I loved everything about this book i think it will be something i read again at the end of the year and i hardly ever re read books

There were lots of twists and turns throughout and well developed characters. It’s a great domestic thriller.
Thank you to Arianne Richmonde, NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of this book

I loved this book!
Multiple POV, fast paced, I had so many guesses as to what could have happened, and ultimately I was wrong! It was so, so good.

Ava has signed a prenup for her marriage, but her husband lies to her over and over.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I would recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Prenup, to be published 27 July 2023. Couldn’t believe the gaslighting and lying that the husband did! It was remarkable. I liked the way the novel was presented by different points of view over time. Ava was a delight even though it seemed she was pretty naive. This was a new author for me, but I will definitely be watching for more of her writing! 5/5 Stars. #NetGalley. #Bookouture #ThePrenup. #ArrianneRichmonde

All of the characters in this psychological thriller make some WILD choices. We’ve read plenty of stories and watched countless tv shows / movies with cheating husbands, but I think Lucas may go down as one of the worst ever. He’s a chronic liar and gaslighter who has been surrounded by privilege his whole life. While Ava is very much in love with him, as a reader we don’t really get to understand why. We mainly see his toxic gaslighting and lying — and not even the bluest of blue eyes can make that okay.

I found some of the writing to be repetitive - namely when it came to the house, the dogs, Ava’s job, and of course, the pre-nup agreement. It’s a bit of a slow burn and the second half of the book takes some interesting twists and turns. There’s definitely some surprises and suspenseful moments throughout.

To be completely honest, I didn’t love this book or any the characters and yet somehow I kept reading?! I felt compelled to find out what happened and how the plot came together.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an ARC review courtesy of Netgalley and ‎ Bookouture
Ava is married to Lucas. He is the dream husband even though she feels as if he is gaslighting. Is he or isn't he.
Then Ava discovers that Lucas has been cheating on her with celebrity actress Claudia. somebody Ava has always followed and admired.
There is a prenup in place that ensures Ava cannot have everything if she leaves Lucas. However, she soon smartens up and plays him at his own game to amend the prenup.
This is a fast paced psychological thriller with a twist right at the end, in fact in the epilogue which is simply fantasitc because you don't see it coming.
Richmonde keeps you on the edge of your seat as we go from the present to the past to see how the plot and story has evolved. I personally like this style of writing so for me it's easily a win-win.
Ava is an astute woman who has built herself up from basically nothing. Her father left when she was a baby and her mother was an addict. You can't help but like Ava, she is feisty strong and a woman definitely of her own mind. She won't allow Lucas to take advantage of her. I love a strong leading female MC and Richmonde delivers on this too.
Lucas is her lawyer husband. Rich, good looking, smart and sexy. Enough to bag a movie star on the side. But you can't like him His character is so flawed. For a start he is a gaslighter and seconly he is a cheating husband, disloyal and dishonest. Even lying when he knows that Ava knows he is. His character is well defined yet I cannot like him in any sense.
If you like a twisting plot, fast paced and the outcome right at the very end, this is definitely the book for you. I can highly recommend you reading it.
Kerry Kennedy Author

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Arianne Richmonde for an ARC of The Prenup. I was hesitant at first thinking it’d be another one of the other cheating husbands book, but I did enjoy this twist! I feel like the author got more into it as she wrote and you could feel the excitement for the story unfolding. I loved the character development of honestly all the characters - how it ended with each of them from start to finish. My only gripe was that it was semi hard to follow the time of events. It wasn’t super clear when things happened and I had to go back and forth to see how many months ago something was or when it happened in the story. Lucas at one point dropped a huge bomb, but it was definitely looked over as well. But otherwise, highly recommend and I will be reading more books by Arianne Richmonde!!

This book has to top all twists at the end! Ava and Lucas got married and he insisted she sign a pre-nup and what takes place till the end is a thriller to say the least. Oh I was cheering at the end !!! Yes I was. Karma gets you every time is what I say! Ha! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this new release which comes out July 2023. It’s a doozy!!!

When you are asked or maybe even forced to sign a pre-nup, it's not a very good start to a marriage in my opinion. It's the one thing that puts the sticker 'gold digger' in big fat letters on your forehead and it really must be the best feeling knowing your future in-laws thing so much of you... not. But when you are in love, you just go for it, because in your head as well as in your heart you know you will stick together till death tears you apart. Nothing else will come between you, so that signature on that piece of paper does not trouble you at all. 

Times change. People change. The pink cloud you were on has turned grey and it seems like a storm is brewing...

And than a woman has got to do what a woman has got to do...

I had a hard time trying to figure out who did not tell lies in this story and it seems there weren't any. Are there no honest people left in this world? ;) :) 

I did not know which outcome I had to expect, but one thing is for sure: I never thought it would come to this. Shocking! 

This is a great story with interesting characters and my friend karma. 4 stars

Thank you

I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Just when you think the author delivers the final twist, there are 12 more crazy turns in the last chapter! I stayed up way passed my bedtime to finish it and afterwards, it had my mind spinning!

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a sucker for a thriller about a crazy marriage. This story proves that your gut is never wrong.

At first, I really thought Lucas was the problem. He's the perfect suspect. Cheater. Liar. Always has the right answer for all Ava's questions. I found myself cursing at him while reading this.

Part 1 had me so sad for Ava. All she wanted was to live a happily ever after with Lucas and her two dogs. Lucas had to go ruin everything for her because he couldn't keep it in his pants. He really paints a bad picture for all top dollar lawyers.

Part 2, I was just in complete shock. You get introduced to Claudia and her POV. All my questions were answered in this section of the book, and it really wraps up the story.

Overall, LOVED THIS! It was one of the best thriller's I've read this year!

3.5 stars. This was a great, fast paced book with a lot of back and forth in the timeline. It followed the story of a cheating lawyer and how his infidelity affects his stay at home wife who is bound to him by a pre-nup that means, should she leave, she gets nothing. I loved how fleshed out the story line was and really did not know what was going to happen. I did not see the ending coming and appreciated how all the characters added to the narrative.