Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. books for this ARC for review. It was a pretty good thriller with a twist where you can't really trust or like any of the characters. Annie has never been in love, until she meets Mark when their paths cross on their morning commute. Their love story is not typical, but it is a whirlwind and they end up quickly married, but are they happy? And what really happened to Mark's first wife? Did she really disappear or was it something more sinister?

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Stranger at the Wedding by A.E. Gauntlett
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 288 / Genre: Psychological Thriller
Audiobook Narrator: Sophie Rundle
Duration: 9 hours

Annie and Mark are getting married! This story opens on their wedding day and moves back and forth between before and after the wedding. The wedding where a stranger appears dredging up the past for both the bride and groom. Why? And what are they both hiding?

I enjoyed this thriller. There was always something that’s being kept from you. A lot of hinting and mysterious happenings. Characters that slowly tarnished before your eyes. And a sudden and fabulous twist!

The only thing I didn’t care for were the boring and unnecessary mythological tales in the chapters before each new Part started. I guess it’s foreshadowing but they seemed out of place and broke the flow of the story. Other than that though, I found this to be a really good thriller.

Sophie Rundle did a great job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @HenryHoltBook, and @MacmillanAudio for my gifted copies.

Short synopsis: At Annie and Mark’s wedding, a stranger shows up. Who is he and what really happened to Mark’s first wife.

My thoughts: While the premise wasn’t hugely unique, but a fun ride overall.
I did have a bit of a struggle with the multiple POV and time changes, but once I got the hang of it the I couldn’t help but be sucked into this story. I just had to know the secrets each character was hiding.

It’s really hard to root for characters when they are all completely unlikable, but I think in this instance that was the point.

Read if you love:
- Unlikable characters
- Wedding settings
- Missing people
- Multiple pov

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co.and NetGalley for the free e-copy/audiobook for review.

I must admit, this book threw a curveball I didn’t see coming.

The question posed in the title—“Who is the Stranger at the Wedding?”—kept me turning the pages. Even after the stranger's identity is revealed, the final twist is genuinely surprising.

As a domestic thriller, Gauntlett delves deeply into the characters' relationships. Annie carries a tragic past and a guilt that has haunted her throughout her life, alongside the dark secrets she keeps hidden. Meanwhile, Hope grapples with her fragile state, her strained marriage, and the heartbreak of being unable to conceive.

Despite its somber moments, the story remains entertaining, filled with twists and red herrings that build toward a satisfying ending.

The Stranger at the Wedding by A. E. Gauntlett is a well written debut thriller that is totally worth the read.
This is a wonderfully paced, nail-biting read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The plot was intriguing, and the writing made it impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Stranger At The Wedding by AE Gauntlet, When Annie sees a stranger at her wedding it’s not just the fact she doesn’t know him but the way he’s looking at her just gives her the creeps so later on when she learns he was asking one of her relatives questions about her and their past she is even more alarmed. Annie and Mark has had a whirlwind romance despite recently having his wife disappear and possibly commit suicide Mark is finally rebounding and getting back in the swing of things with unassuming Annie. Both have things in their past their trying to keep covered up but when the secrets start being uncovered it will be devastating for all of them. This is the book that definitely got me out of a reading slump. I listen/read books from the time I wake up until I go to sleep unless I am reviewing but recently I couldn’t find one I could really get into but OMG if this wasn’t that book. From the very beginning to the lock on the basement door I was paralyzed by the narrative and just wish I could read faster. I know I’m going to be sad this book is over and will probably think of many questions I have about the story afterwords but I digress this is definitely a great story and there’s no way someone can figure out the end because OMG I had multiple scenarios and none of them were what happened at the end. This was so good and a book I definitely recommend… Totally loved it! Not to mention her great intertwining of the great Greek myths were so expertly done so kudos to Miss Gauntlett what a great read! #NetGalley,#Henry Holt and Company, #AE gauntlet, #the stranger at the wedding,

DNF at 65%. I truly cannot tell you what I was reading. Everything felt so disjointed and I couldn’t take it anymore. I really had high hopes for this, but it was just too repetitive and went absolutely nowhere.

I've not read any of this author's work before but was very intrigued with this one. I'm very glad I decided to read it.

This is a very good and intense story. It's a bit of a love story and also a family story. With family drama and several deaths. Though none in great detail. In this book you meet Annie. Annie who has fallen deeply in love with Mark. Mark was married before and his wife Hope had gone missing presumed dead. That is the only part of this book that had me scratching my head. How Mark was able to remarry in about a year when his wife's body was not found. How can he do that? Do they not make you wait for a period before declaring a person truly deceased? But that is neither here or there with how the story moves forward.

I enjoyed reading this book. There are a few twists and turns. Annie has a few secrets. She is determined in what she wants and stops at nothing to get it. You learn about her and her sister's childhood. About them as young adults and interaction with their mother and dad. Their grandmother also. You get to know Annie quite well. But not completely. She's something else. Maybe a bit misunderstood. Perhaps underestimated.

Did Mark and Hope really have a great life. Were they honestly madly in love and trying hard to have a child. Or was that just what he wanted you to believe... Or was someone else pulling the strings. Did someone else do something and possibly put the blame on Mark. I have to admit that I didn't see it coming. I missed the twist completely.

While I was hoping for a few loose ends to be covered I did like the ending. I thought it was appropriate. Sometimes in life you get exactly what you deserve. In this case I believe someone did.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AEGauntlett, #HenryHolt&Company, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Four stars.

Reading Between the Wines book review #73/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Stranger at the Wedding
Author: A.E. Gauntlett
RELEASES August 13, 2024! Get your copy NOW!!!

Sipping thoughts: Oh my!! I was not expecting that to happen! I couldn’t wait to see why there was a stranger at the wedding and if he had ill will against Annie, Mark, or both. I would have never guessed what the stranger’s master plan was and why he was there. The last 20% of the book just blew my mind.

Cheers and thank you to @HenryHoltAndCompany and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheStrangerAtTheWedding.

#TheStrangerAtTheWedding #AEGauntlett #HenryHoltAndCompany #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Twisty and enticing. I had no idea what was really going on until the big reveal. And it will leave you shocked.
Annie is so excited to be marrying Mark. Surrounded by family and friends, it promises to be a beautiful day. However, as she stands at the alter, gazing adoringly into Mark's blue eyes, she notices that there is a person attending that was not invited. A person who will bring the whole love story crashing down.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this e-arc.*

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HenryHolt&Comany for the book #TheStrangerAtTheWedding by #AEGauntlett. Annie and Mark meet on a train and then again at a grieving group. Soon after they are married and should be happy. But something is not right. Is it something to do with a stranger that was at their wedding? Or could it have to do with Marks first wife? Something is definitely wrong.

DNF@ 32%

I normally don't mind when a story is told in a nonlinear fashion, but typically there's some kind of delineation the time has changed or even that the POV had changed. The characters didn't have distinct enough narration to be able to tell who's POV we actually were in each chapter until some small part of context is given. The characters felt bland and one dimensional and If ound that I didn't really care about what happened to any of them.

Alright this one started out so odd and confusing. I could not for the life of me figure out where this story was going or why any of these characters and storylines mattered. It honestly didn’t even start to get good until about 70% through the story, which is why I’m giving this 3 stars instead of 2 because the twists at the end actually ended up pretty good and freaking crazy! What a bunch of psychos! The few Greek myths/stories that were thrown in were pretty interesting but honestly they seemed sooo out of place until you find out what Annie’s job is, but even then it felt unnecessary. This story could have been so much better if it was set up better, the beginning and middle just wasn’t good or gave me any reason to pull me in, thankfully it did get better. I do want to say though the twists at the end do make it worth the read but I could have gone without the first half of the book and about 4 of the characters could have been removed.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for the earc. All opinions are my own.

I unfortunately found this title to be boring and the characters to be unlikeable. It seemed like too predictive of a thriller. I will not be leaving a review online for this title.

Cameron's arrival at her wedding means Annie has to come to terms with something-but what- about her husband Mark, whose wife Hope disappeared without a trace. This moves back and forth in time, starting with the wedding, and then to the courtship between the two after they met on a train. It's told in multiple POVs (except, oddly, Mark's) and you might find Cameron the most interesting. Annie is a professor of history and expert on mythology so know that there will be references to myths (which might distract if you spend time, as I did, looking up the bits to fully understand the relevance). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's sort of a slow burn but it's also an interesting one.

Arc Review
Publishing Date: 8/13/2024

The Plot-
Annie is standing at the alter when she looks to the crowd of people attending her wedding she notices a strange man, that she never invited and has no idea who he is. Annie’s paranoia seeps out and she begins the realize maybe her happy ending is not gonna go as planned.

My Thoughts-
This is a quick decent thriller. It kept me engaged enough for me to want to know how the story was going to end. Although the ending was predictable the very last piece of the puzzle did throw me for a loop.

The pacing was okay. Slow at the beginning but once it picked up it was an enjoyable ride. The writing is what really dragged this book. Told in multiple POVS and dual timelines, which I love in books, but for this one there was no separation. It was sometimes hard to tell who was telling the story.

I also hoped that the last piece of the puzzle was touched on more. Instead of just ending.

Overall- if you are looking for a quick thriller with unhinged characters this book is for you.

✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & Henry Holt Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨

The Stranger at the Wedding by A. E. Gauntlett
#sixtythirdbookof2024 #arc #thestrangeratthewedding

CW: death, murder

From NetGalley: Annie never much believed in love. That is, until meeting Mark. After crossing paths on morning commutes, they connect at a group counseling session for trauma survivors. Each recognizes something in the other, though both hide their own troubled pasts. It’s a whirlwind romance that propels Annie through their courtship, all the way to her wedding day—a day she couldn’t have predicted for herself once upon a time yet now feels surer about than anything in her life. But as Annie stands at the altar, casting her eyes over the rows of well-wishers, she spots a stranger in the crowd, and she soon learns that her new life isn’t going to be the happily ever after that she had planned. Who is the stranger at the wedding? What really happened to Mark’s first wife? And was Annie and Mark’s meeting as random as it first appeared, or is something more sinister at work?

My thoughts: This one fell a little flat for me. Not enough plot, too much introspection, and I didn’t feel like it all added up. I didn’t warm up to main character Annie, I didn’t see the appeal in Mark, and I didn’t care about their relationship. The last chapter is when all the action happens but by then I was bored. I want more plot in my books. This will work well for people who like character driven novels, and it’s an interesting story, but just not for me.

Thank you to @henryholtbooks and @netgalley for the advance copy. (pub date 8/13/24)

I'm afraid I'm going to join in with other reviewers here in the opinion that this one didn't quite work for me. I enjoyed the opening, and I think the author is excellent in terms of building suspense through their writing. However, the multiple POVs and time jumps were a bit off-putting, not in being difficult to follow but in terms of pulling me out of my engagement with the story. I think this aspect of the book would have been even more troubling on audio. All in all, I just wasn't finding myself motivated to return to the book and ended up DNFing it about halfway through. Even the promise of a good twist wasn't enough to keep me reading.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co as well as NetGalley for this eArc. Unfortunately, this story was a bit boring. The first few chapters started out fast, but I started to lose interest halfway through. However, I finished the novel in its entirety, but it never fully pulled me in.

I couldn't get through this one. It started out great then went downhill fast! I was too bored and didn't look forward to reading more so i gave up after 30%. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.