This was a dramatic thriller that touched on some emotional subjects but managed to keep suspense while still relaying the important messages.

Well this one was a great read!!!!

It does have DV in there and maybe triggering for some. I have DV in my background and it was very relatable and helpful. I found it encouraging at the same time.

I did not want to put this book down and just kept reading until there was no more.

Freya is trapped in an abusive marriage. One day her husband Liam takes it one step too far and leaves her with more severe injuries than ever.
This is the final push Freya needed to realise that she has to get away or she’ll end up dead - even though she has nearly no hope to actually make it, she knows she has to at least try.

The story really unfolds when she actually made it out and gets help from her supportive sister and brother-in-law. But running away wasn’t the hardest part, the hardest part is yet to come.
She’s not only left with physical trauma that needs to heal but also psychological, leaving her with severe PTSD. Still she tries her best to rebuild her life.

But will Liam accept her decision and leave her alone? Is his obsession really this bad or is Freya’s mind playing tricks on her? Is she imagining things or is there something going on with her new neighbours?

All in all I didn’t think of it much of a thriller per se but neither the less it had me tense and captivated all along.
Mostly because I got so emotionally invested in the wellbeing of our protagonist Freya and I desperately wanted her life to finally turn around.
For me personally there could have been added a little more of a scary or even horrifying atmosphere to give it the full 5 stars.

There are some important messages in this book about surviving domestic violence and the strength needed to escape these situation and it is also important that these triggers are highlighted before reading.

The story line was easy to follow, but at times predictable. However overall this was a good book and dealt with the topic of DV very well. It is definitely a book I would recommend and I would give it a 3.5 star rating

This is a story too close to home for so many women and men in this world.
A story of awful mental and physical abuse that no should ever have to deal with.

It’s also a story of triumph and what it means to live on to find yourself and the inner piece you once had.

A good story that makes you think about what others in these situations deal with.

Liam has beaten on Freya. This isn't the first time. She was able to get herself to the hospital after he disappeared
Freya finally finds the courage to escape to London where her sister lives. Her sister helps set her up with a flat of her own.
Freya meets her neighbors Ava and Elliot. Elliot appears to be much like Liam was. Should she help Ava or mind her own business
Liam does find Freya in London. But suddenly he's nice, that can't be right
He must have something up his sleeve
Will Freya fall for it and go back to the clutches of Liams hands or will she learn to move on with her life and start something new with someone else
But will Liam allow her to do that

This book is a story of surviving domestic violence and the strength it takes to escape a toxic situation and stay free. This is surely an experience had by tons of women everywhere, and some men too, and it’s disheartening and sad to read about. The author did a great job getting that point across and making the antagonist a hate-able character.

The bones of this story were solid, but I honestly thought it was super predictable. Might have read too many thrillers at this point because the twist I thought was coming never did, instead replaced by what I felt was a telegraphed set of events. This is my personal preference but I also don’t enjoy books that happen in an almost 100% sequential “and then this happened” format.

The writing was good but was overshadowed by the overall predictability of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Inkubator, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If I Can’t Have You is about a woman, Freya, leaving a toxic marriage. Her husband, Liam, is abusive, violent and manipulative. The book opens with Freya badly injured and in the hospital. The stage is set as Freya goes on to describe her terror and hopelessness in the face of Liam’s angry violence. But she manages to walk away, both from her marital home and her aggressive husband. The story is about how Freya copes once she takes the brave step of leaving Liam.

Freya’s fear, the descriptions of the abuse she suffered, her feeling that she is constantly being watched and the fact that she has a hard time feeling safe all pulled me in till I felt as terrified as Freya. The state of mind of someone who has just come out of a traumatic relationship, how they have a hard time trusting anyone or even their instincts, and how they are just waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop is portrayed brilliantly in this book.

The twists in the book are all predictable. While the terror-filled vibe of the book is exceptional, the twists could have been better. The idea is good, but I think the execution doesn’t work out how it is meant to. The sense of, “Woah! I did not see that coming” is missing, which is down to all the unrequired foreshadowing that is done.

The climax brings to a head everything that the book is building up to and is as scary as it should be. But the end, while satisfying in a certain sense, felt too neat. A lingering sense of unease that I expected at the end was missing.

Still, Freya’s story completely engrossed me. It was tough to switch off my Kindle because I wanted to know what would happen next. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Wow what a tense and utterly gripping read, Freya has escaped her abusive husband, Liam and has moved to a city to build a new life for herself.

All the way through this book I was rooting for Freya and really hoping she could escape Liam, this was definitely an unputdownable read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very captivating from the very beginning and very easy to follow.
I was rooting for the main character and hoping she would be able to get out of this extremely toxic relationship.

Trigger warning: this book went very into detail about domestic abuse.

I loved this book. It was tense and gripping from the start. Great character description including how evil Liam was !! The book ended with a satisfactory conclusion. G,M,Lawrence is a new author for me but one I will look out for. Highly recommended !
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

Freya is married to Liam. She is a horribly abused wife, controlled by her Police Officer husband who has an extremely cruel streak.
Then comes the beating that is so severe that she packs a bag and leaves.
Her journey to freedom is not an easy one, she is deathly afraid of leaving her tiny flat and feels as though she is being watched constantly.
Her neighbour is also an abused spouse, and when Freya calls the police, Liam finds her.

A very close family member was an abused wife. She took it for 25 years before she lost her life. So this book was horribly close to home.
There were parts that made my heart pound uncomfortably fast. I cried for this poor woman, but I honestly don't know why she didn't bloody poison this man's food or beat him with a baseball bat when he was asleep!
I could not fathom out why she felt so tender towards him, and almost accepted him back into her life!!

Freya ended up being a strong woman who stood up to a person who cannot be called a 'man'. He was a cowardly bully who loved to control what he deemed to be his possession. Not his wife. His possession.

There is a lot of violence in this book, but gender based violence cannot be airbrushed. The hard, uncomfortable truth has to be put out there blatantly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator books for the opportunity to read this book.

This was such a good wee domestic thriller. It didn't reinvent the wheel or anything ut it was well written, well paced and plotted out. It delt with domestic abuse and the aftermath realistically and sensitively and dear god, I couldnt have disliked a character more than I disliked Liam! Really enjoyable

The writing style and storytelling in this book are amazing! I enjoyed reading it and it keeps you hooked from the start. It just feels like a story you've already heard of a few times. Doesn't really bother me but I love new things.

absolutely loved this book and could not put it down - i read it entirely in one sitting and was hooked from the very first page!

this was such a great thriller and although some parts i ended up guessing, there were some that caught me off guard too. i was definitely on the edge of my seat for the majority of this book. it was a quick and easy read as well.

this book is heavily focused around domestic abuse, so definitely proceed with caution.

Freya escapes her abusive husband. She flees to her sister’s house, who helps her start a new life. She is soon found by her husband, Liam. He acts like he has changed for the better but has he really?! This book reminds me of Freida McFadden books. Very well written.

If I Can't Have You
by G.M. Lawrence
I was in between on how to rate this one. It does explain why some women cannot JUST leave. I could not see it as a chilling psychological thriller, more a domestic book. I did read it and liked it.

Hooked from the first chapter!

I really really enjoyed 'If I Can't Have You' and found myself almost finishing it in a day. The main characters are loveable with Liam being absolutely detestable, which only increased as I further read the book. I didn't know I could have so much hatred for a book character.
With Liam's charming yet abusive behaviour I had no idea which male characters to trust, definitely bringing up some powerful emotions and giving me a lot to think about.

This was a great first book to start off 2024!

Thank you to G.M. Lawrence and her publishers for the ARC!

G.M. Lawrence has captured the tension and heartbreak that accompanies spousal violence in this domestic thriller. My heart went out to Freya and I wish I could have destroyed Liam early on (not a spoiler given book description).

Well written and well paced, I enjoyed this book but anticipated how it might play out which may be as a result of reading oodles of thrillers. I liked the development of the character of Ava, and she helped greatly with the plot. At the end of the day I just wish it was a little more unique in story.

Thank you again for the ARC, Inkubator and NetGalley, it is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.

GM Lawrence had me hook. I never experienced domestic violence. This book makes you feel what she felt. She was scared to leave but she got the courage to get her life together and leave. I never thought I'd like a book like this. . I hope that there will be a part 2 to go in to more about her life after the things she went through.. This truly was a great read and opened my eyes to understanding that it's not always easy to leave a bad relationship.