I do enjoy this authors books! His stories have great plots & twists that keep you gripped right from the start! Such a great author!

This is one of the books that are hard to describe as good or bad. How you like it depends entirely on your expectations for it.
If you go in expecting a big mystery with loads of plot twists scattered along the whole thing, then you're in for a little disappointment.
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The book was kind of obvious in terms of what was going on and who was behind everything, I figured out the secret of Brent's transformation almost from the very beginning. And then I realized what was truly happening.
The author focused on how rather than why. From the beginning, you kind of see where everything was going. You see the manipulation and inconsistencies of Brent's character, the money issue that was all Brent could talk about, Mary's struggle to identify how she felt about her husband's drastic change, and you just feel where this was heading. It was a matter of how it would all tie up in the end.
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I actually liked this approach, the writing definitely made things interesting and compelling enough for me not to get bored and fly through the pages to see how it ends.
I've read a lot of books with manipulative, emotionally abusive characters, but Brent was really master level. His parts truly made me feel claustrophobic.
One thing for sure though, I really disliked Mary. She was just over the top delusional. The way she was so taken in with Brent, giving him the benefit of the doubt on almost everything was super frustrating to read.
The way she saw and described the change in character Brent went through, it sounded like the old Brent and the new one only shared a face. Their body was different, the mannerisms, the moral compass, everything changed!! You'd think she would be doubtful or questioning what actually happened. But, no. She just kept on going as if she wasn't basically living with a person she didn't understand.
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About two chapters away from the end, everything started to make sense. Secrets were revealed and confrontations were underway.
Some people consider a certain reveal was a twist, but personally, you could see it from a mile away.
The ending was unsatisfactory. It was lackluster and not plausible.
After everything the characters went through, I thought there should've been some firm and safe boundaries put. Or even safe measures taken, but that didn't happen.
It was kind of swept-under-the-rug finale.
Clearly, not my favorite.
However, it was mostly a great book.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The New Husband by Brian O'Rourke in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I liked the cover of this book and was so excited to read it as I have not read anything by this author in the past. I found the book to be a good read and had a great ending. Not as suspenseful as other authors but I really enjoyed this. I will for sure read more books by this author in the future.

I dnf'd this book at 48%. For me, it was dragging. I read a lot of thrillers and I guessed right away what happened. I know I'm right because after I dnf'd I looked ahead. I think for thrillers I like something a little more fast paced.

The plot of this book was pretty interesting but it fizzled out towards the end. It didn’t have the twisted surprising ending that I was expecting, I felt underwhelmed. A generic sort of thriller, I didn’t find anything new or too exciting in this story unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really great fast paced thriller. Kept me hooked and was an easy read. I definitely want to read more by the author.

The New Husband by Brian O'Rourke was my first read from this author, and I now plan to add much more of his work to my TBR.

Mary's husband Brent has returned from a wellness retreat, and seems like a new man. Mary can hardly believe that the tired, defeated husband who left her a month before is now looking healthier, fitter, and with a renewed sense of purpose. The changes are not all positive, however, and Mary begins to notice a more aggressive side to the man she loves, one that is not entirely welcome. Just what happened at this retreat that has changed her husband, and why has he returned with so many secrets?

I enjoyed this pacey thriller, and was hooked from the very start by a narrative that successfully builds a palpable and steady tension throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This author is amazing. Stop what you’re doing and add his books to your TBR! This book was so hard to put down. Such a page turner for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. 3.5 ⭐️. This was a fast paced read that I overall enjoyed. Nothing special but I’d still recommend for an easy read with good twists.

This book was so well done with the change of the husband from the retreat and the main character slowly figuring out it’s not him

Brent and Mary have a bit of an off marriage. They are on the verge of separation and Brent decides to do something about his mental health. When he comes home after a month things get better but something is off. I started out figuring out the biggest twist and I thought that I had to be wrong but wasn't. It was a good story and everything but had moments that dragged a bit. There was sections that seemed rushed through but were kind of explained in the end. I would recommend this book. It wasn't that suspenseful but a good read.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I received an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the first ARCs I have ever received. I wanted to love it so bad, but I just couldn't. Mary was just to naive to believe it to be true. She was to forgiving and completely frustrating. I wanted to climb into my Kindle and give the woman a shake to wake her up.

The twist is pretty easy to guess and one that has been very overly done. However if you are looking for a quick easy read that does not require much thinking to figure out the twist I would recommend this one. Just be sure to check the trigger warnings as there are some topics that could be triggering.

For me this was a three star book. It wasn't awful but it certainly was not the best book I have read.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Author and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

Woman's husband goes to a month long in-patient retreat and comes back a changed man. But not all changes are good and the author had me turning the pages to get to the end of this thriller. Four stars!

Mary's husband is hours later returning from a thirty day wellness retreat but when he does arrive at theier house she can't believe the changes to his mood and appearance. He's cheerful, in far better shape than he was when he left, and can't keep his hands off of her. The changes are amazing, but they're not all for the better. I was getting definite Stepford vibes, but couldn't figure out what the author was up to. Brent refuses to talk about the retreat. An elderly neighbor pulls Mary aside and insist he's a different man altogether. I did figure out what was going on, but the author still had me holding my breath until the last page. Can't recommend this one enough if you're into domestic thrillers and it's on Kindle Unlimited!

This was a bit predictable, but it wasn’t bad! It started off slow but picked up towards the end. I was intrigued with the story so the slow pace didn’t bother me much.

The synopsis made me really want to read this but I could not get into it. Thanks NetGalley for my opportunity to read this

Mary's husband, Brent, returns from a month long wellness retreat. He seems like a brand new man - much calmer, optimistic, and no longer depressed. He has plans to start a new business. But it's not just that - Mary feels that Brent has changed in every little way. And Mary notices a man in an SUV following her. What actually happened on the wellness retreat? Mary starts digging and is shocked by the horrifying secrets.

This book is full of twists and turns. I genuinely enjoyed the plot. It kept me captivated the entire novel. This was my first read from Brian O'Rourke - it definitely will not be my last! The book is well-written and O'Rourke did a great job developing the characters. The ending was really well-done, which is often where many thrillers fall short. Not this one!

I recommend this book for any psychological thriller fans!

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

TERRIFIC THRILLER! YOU’LL LOVE (OR HATE) IT, IT’S THAT KIND OF BOOK YOU’LL THINK ABOUT FOR A LOT OF TIME, YOU WON’T BE SURE IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, BUT YOU SURELY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FORGET IT.

This was a decent psychological thriller. I can’t say I was blown away as some of the twists were predictable, but it was a quick read and kept me entertained. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and would try another book in the future. If you like family drama and domestic suspense, you will probably enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunities to read this book. I had high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis. It’s described as a psychological thriller and follows Mary and her husband Brent, who has just returned home after spending 30 days at a wellness retreat where he’d gone to get help after feeling hopeless and depressed. Brent returns a changed man in almost every way. Mentally and physically he’s stronger and better than ever. He doesn’t want to talk about what he did at the retreat or who he met. All Brent seems interested in is working on this mysterious new “business” he wants to start up. Brent spends long hours out at the gym working out (which he never us d to do) and at a cafe where he says he’s working on his new business plan. Everything seems focused on getting investors and raising capital, which may also involve using some of Mary’s large inheritance. The book is slow to get going and seems to be overly vague most of the way…some of that vagueness lends to the mystery and tension, but sometimes it’s too much. We don’t know much of anything about this business and the characters (especially Mary) are underdeveloped and come off one-dimensional. Mary is also sometimes a bit irritating with the at she handles situations with Brent. Sometimes coming off as overly sensitive and easily angered, to other times being an enabler and overindulging Brent and what appear to be his new “whims”. The book didn’t pick up until well into the last quarter of the book. At that point it was almost too late for me. There was a twist, but I saw part of it coming…the other part was unexpected at least. In the end, everything was wrapped up a bit too quickly. Overall, I’d give this 3.5 for the section where the mystery started to be revealed.