Member Reviews

This novel is packed with unexpected twists, secrets, lies, and deception. At times, it was emotional and pulled at my heart strings. Andrew DeYoung accurately depicts the struggles of motherhood and marriage. How well do we ever really know our spouse? The novel starts with Regan, her point of view and struggles, then alternates to John's past and point of view. I thought this was a well written novel. The plot was fantastic, and the pacing was perfect.

Was this review helpful?

The Day He Never Came Home was solid, but not a wow for me. The premise—following the mystery of a missing person—was super intriguing, and there were some good moments of tension and suspense. The writing kept me engaged, but there were parts that dragged and some pacing issues that took me out of the story.

The characters didn’t fully click for me either, which made it harder to get invested in the outcome. That said, if you’re into slow-burn thrillers with twists and turns, it might still hit the spot for you.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this! Was definitely more of a domestic thriller. The writing style was quite enjoyable! 3 stars!! Will definitely read more from this author in the future!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Netgalley and Andrew DeYoung for the ARC!

When the FBI Shows up at Regan’s house looking for her husband, she is quite surprised. She knew he put in long hours as a financial advisor but she had no idea just what he had gotten himself mixed up in. As Regan uncover the truth, she is hesitant to tell the FBI everything she discovers. Told from dual points of view, I really liked how it was solely Regan’s perspective up til a point, then switched to her husband’s. I thought it worked well and kept the tension ramped up. All in all, a fast-paced thriller that was an enjoyable read!

Was this review helpful?

The suspense for me was good. The FMC or wife is a great character. Clearly the story was told from her point of view. The story was ok, but it didn’t have that actual psychological thriller behind it. I’m not sure how much of a thriller you can get out of money laundering, but that’s what the writer tried to portray for this book. For me the book was bad. The plot is not a good one for the genre selected. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this twisty domestic thriller very much. There were so many twists and turns that I truly didn't see coming, and it kept me guessing until the end.

The story is told in dual POV, and that worked very well. Learning about John's past was a great build-up to the mystery of his disappearance.

All of the characters were a bit unlikable, but I enjoy that with these types of books. This was an engaging story and a suspenseful read that I found quite entertaining. I'm definitely looking forward to more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much Poisoned Pen Press and @netgalley for the copy of this eARC!
 
The Day He Never Came Home by Andrew DeYoung.
 
I really enjoyed this Domestic thriller with a lot of twists and turns that you don’t see coming. It actually keeps you guessing until the end. It was such a good story that kept me turning the pages.
 
I loved the dual POV's. I really like that we got to learn about who the MMC is, the mystery regarding John and his background before he married and why he made some decision that led to his disappearing.
 
What if you had the best life you could think of, you are a stay-at-home mom and you have everything you wish for- but all is not what it seems. When Regan's husband disappears, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands in every situation she is put into. I love how Regan was a naïve wife in the beginning but then she remains one step ahead of the FBI and the criminal who is threatening her and her kids. Regan was a badass.
 
What a great book!!! I can't wait to read more books from Andrew DeYoung. This one kept me wanting more……

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @poisonedpenpress and @andrewdeyoung for the digital copy to review.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to think about this one, but my goodness once it started, I ended up finishing in one sitting, I was completely hooked. This was a crazy ride that starts off with a bang, as in FBI agents show up at Regan Peters’ home looking for her husband, whom she assumes is just carrying on a normal work life and she is none the wiser. She soon learns that he is not who she thought he was, and yet she does not tell the agents everything, so she is quickly involved in her husband’s crimes like it or not, and she is forced to reckon with his choices and make some of her own, right, wrong, or indifferent.

I ended up really loving this one, and I did kind of figure it out but not everything, and as I noted it was incredibly enjoyable the whole time. I thought Regan was making some reckless decisions, what with the FBI close by at all times, however she knew what she was doing better than me haha and this worked out as it should. I definitely recommend this, thought the audio was wonderful, only adding to the tension that was building throughout this story. I definitely recommend this one, it was a great thriller.

Was this review helpful?

I need to preface this review by saying that I love to go into books blind. I rarely look at actual reviews before purchasing my books, and I choose my ARCs without reading more than the blurb.*

That being said… let’s just say I think it’s going to knock your socks off. This book is an impressively written domestic thriller with plenty of twists and surprises. Once Regan figures out that her whole life is basically a lie, she gets down to business mama bear style. The last few lines of the book, where she’s updating her ledger, made me smile.

Was this review helpful?

This domestic thriller was a great read! I've enjoyed many in the genre, and this one was no exception. I appreciated seeing the story from Reagan's and John's viewpoints, particularly their early days. It shows how love can blind people to the truth.

Was this review helpful?

Okay, seriously.

I'm generally okay with unlikeable characters, but the ick in this one!

I hated Regan (and I'm sorry fellow reviewers, but she's not a badass. She's a bad person.) I hated John. He's a whiner. I hated the moon-eyed cop. I hated...well, everyone lol.

The plot is a bit convoluted and I found myself frustrated by the lack of logic at times.

Not for me. Sorry.

Was this review helpful?

Good read!! While this one was Not a favorite of mine but would absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers!!

Was this review helpful?

THE DAY HE NEVER CAME HOME by Andrew DeYoung left my head spinning.

The day before he disappeared, John Peters gifted his wife Regan a lake house paid for in cash and in her name only. With dreams of lounging by the lake with their children Etta, four and 18 month old Philip, Regan is shocked to learn that the FBI is looking for John for developing a Ponzi scheme in his financial advisory profession. She also learns that he has been working with some very dangerous criminals. As agents Armstrong and Torres are pressing Regan for answers, she holds back the information about the lake house, believing it may be the only resource she has left for her children.

The twists and turns in this one were definitely fun. As Reagan learned about the past John never spoke of, she learned much about herself along the way, i.e. that she is much more capable than she believed herself to be. The writing was clear and concise which led to an enjoyable read. I could just imagine myself sitting on the patio with the breeze blowing off the lake. While this is my first Andrew DeYoung novel, it will not be my last, I look forward to seeing where he goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

The day he never came home had me on the edge of my seat through most of the book. It is filled with twists and moments that make you think, what would I do to protect my children. Loved it, and the morally grey characters you meet really stick with you. I have never read this author before but would be interested in reading more.

Was this review helpful?

When Regan Peters has a life others would die for. She has a very successful husband, healthy children and a big beautiful home. Soon this illusion of the perfect life comes crashing down when Regan finds out that her husband is a fraud, creating a Ponzi scheme that has funded the life they have. John, now on the run, has left Regan with the fall out of his actions. Can Regan find out who she truly married and where he is before the FBI?
Overall rating 3/4
This reminded me so much of The Things He Never Told Me. The first half of the book is from Regan’s POV which is bogged down with the “don’t ask dont tell”mentality of a woman who would rather not know the blatant truth staring her in the face. While the second half of the book is from John’s POV which does give me sympathy and more of an understanding to this character's development. However, I do feel that this was where the development of the plot halted with little to no action. I do like that DeYoung gave John more depth to which as the reader I gained more insight to his background.

*Thank you to Andrew DeYoung, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Day He Never Came Home is a great mystery\thriller. It keeps you on edge and it's a fantastic page turner.

Regan is married to John, a financial advisor who doesn't come home from work one day, leaving Regan alone with their two children and a ton of questions. John has always had a grey area when it came to how he earned his money and Regan has known this since their beginning.

When the police show up to ask Regan questions about her missing husband, she can't say she's surprised to learned he'd been involved in a Ponzi scheme and has embezzled a lot of people out of their money.

As Regan tries to uncover the truth, and find her missing husband, she learns the truth about John and just how deep of trouble he's in.
Solid 4 stars for a debut thriller! Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Press for the arc!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted eARC.

I requested this one on NetGalley off the recommendation of a thriller loving friend and it did not disappoint.

This one starts off quick with our MMC disappearing. Throughout the course of the novel we slowly uncover pieces of his life and questionable choices and learn how little or how much his wife really knew about his dealings.

This one wasn’t super fast paced and did drag a smidge at points but I still really enjoyed slowly finding out what the heck was going on! Thriller lovers will enjoy this one for sure.

🎧 For my Audiobook Lovers: I had a digital ARC of this one but opted to read it mostly via audiobook. Erin Moon did a great job narrating this one!

Was this review helpful?

I didn’t love this one. As the book went on I started to lose interest.

There are three parts. But you get the just of the story in part one. The book really didn’t need to be as long as it was. A lot of it was repetitive in part two. There weren’t any jaw dropping moments or a big twist. Everything you need to know happens at the beginning so I wasn’t a fan of that. Didn’t seem like much of a thriller. Too predictable and plain for me.


“When Regan Peters's husband, John, gifts her a lake house for her birthday, entirely paid for in cash, she is grateful for the gift and hopeful for their future together. That is until the FBI shows up on the doorstep looking for him, proving all she knows to be one big lie. Now Regan is forced to navigate the crumbling pieces of her life to do whatever it takes protect herself, her children, and their future…even if that means incriminating herself in the process.”



Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a DRC. The Day He Never Came Home is available now.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this one I felt it was fast paced and engaging with good gripping plot . Overall it was a good fast read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

Was this review helpful?

#TheDayHeNeverCameHome #NetGalley
Awesome.
Regan Peters knows her husband John wants to give her and their children a good life. The long hours he puts in as a financial advisor prove his dedication, and despite how mysterious he is about his past, that's been enough for her to get through the hard days. Until the FBI shows up at their door looking for John, and Regan learns that her husband has been running a Ponzi scheme, is mixed up with dangerous criminals, and has been living under an assumed identity all these years. Everything she thought she knew about her husband has been a lie. That includes the outrageous birthday present John gifted her the day before he disappeared—a lake house, bought with cash, and put in her name only. With her life falling apart, Regan must make a split-second decision: does she tell the FBI about the house? Or does she buy some time to forge her own path to saving herself? But one compromise inevitably leads to another, and one dangerous secret builds on the next. When her lies of omission to the FBI agents begin to raise questions, Regan becomes inextricably embroiled in John's crimes, the true extent of which are just beginning to be revealed. Now that her comfortable life is clearly over, Regan is learning she is capable of far more than she ever imagined. She will do anything to protect herself, her children, and their future. Anything.
The characters were so real that I woke up entire night to complete it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me an advance copy.

Was this review helpful?