I really enjoyed this book. The author has a way of capturing my attention instantly. I had to keep reading just one more chapter. It was a hard one to put down. Highly recommend.

Many thanks for my gifted copy!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on August 13, 2024.

Thank you MacMillan and Henry Holt for early review copies of this slow burn suspense read. This is one book that I preferred to read, the non linear timeline was easier to engage with through the book, it worked better for me as I didn't have long chunks of time to get into the audio, which I think would have made that easier to get into. The narration and production for the audiobook were strong as always though and I valued the pacing and style of the audiobook. For listeners I do recommend getting into the style of the book and giving it time to unfold if you listen to it!

For the book, this is a wild slow burn, I wasn't sure at first what kind of themes would ultimately be present, I thought it might be more a standard rich bad people with secrets kind of story but once the pace gets going and things happen, it's kind of a twisty wild read. I ended up enjoying it a lot but I will admit I needed to stick with it for it to have a pay off... a little too slow burn at the start but the later part of the book was strong!

I loved hating Mark. He was super hateable. Otherwise I don't have a lot to share about this one. .I guess just be sure about people who you are marrying.

Sadly I wasn’t able to push through and DNF’d about half way through. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and the timeline was confusing.

3.5 ⭐️’s
Told in multiple points of view, this book was rather a slow one. It starts at Annie and Mark’s wedding, where Annie is unsettled by a stranger in the crowd that no one seems to know. The more she glimpses him, the more unsettled she becomes. We then are thrust back to Mark’s first wife, a wife that has gone missing with no trace. A marriage that had its issues (something the reader determines from Hope’s diary), leaving Mark as a person of interest in our minds. It hasn’t been that long since Hope disappeared, but when Annie meets Mark on a commuter train, she’s in love at first sight. Taking a bit to connect, they are soon in a whirlwind relationship and getting married, but where is Hope?? Mark and Annie have some bumps along the way, but seem to have weathered the storm, but when the stranger shows up at their home, Annie’s past secrets come to light. All is not what it seems and it’s a good twist…that is if you don’t see it coming. Interspersed stories of mythology made the story not flow as well as it could and frankly, I could have done without them. Overall it was on the slow side, disjointed and fairly predictable. As a dual read/listen, the book was voiced well and the narrator helped move the story along, but in the end it was just OK. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a thriller about a woman who is in a whirlwind romance and about to get married. When she sees a stranger in the crowd, she realizes that her new life might not be what she thinks.

I usually love wedding thrillers but I just couldn't get into this one. I felt like the writing was just too formal for me and it was really slowing the pacing down. I also felt like it was too slow paced in general. Nothing was really happening for the first half of the book and I was just bored at that point.

I hope others love this one but it wasn't for me.

Nope, not going to happen. So trite and boring...ND also disjointed.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This mystery keeps you guessing until the very end of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. I was constantly trying to figure out who it was but kept getting it wrong. I will definitely read more by this author in the future. Until next time Happy Reading!

I want to thank Henry Holt and Co. for this ARC via Netgalley.

This one was tough. The beginning of the book certainly held my attention, but then it was honestly boring for much of the rest. The nonlinear timeline was confusing because it wasn't noted throughout the book, and at a certain point I wasn't sure where we were in the timeline or whose POV we were reading. I think the writing just was not my cup of tea.

Rating: 3.5 stars!

Imma be honest.. I did not see that one coming. The story of Annie and Mark, how they fell in love despite that fact that his wife mysterious disappeared before was a hook for this book! The background investigation that is running simultaneously with the primary plot line is an interested addition. The flip in the chapters between past and current timelines gets a bit blurry at points which brought my overall feeling on the book down.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Be sure you know who you are marrying, or you’ll end up like these characters. Second guessing your choices and who you should actually trust.

3.25⭐️

This was a rough one to get through. I feel like you could take at least 25% of the book out, and it would be great. There are parts that are not needed, in my opinion. This story has multiple timelines and multiple POV's, which I like in a book. Despite there being a lot of over describing, the story is good. I don't think a chapter needs to be 40 minutes long. I would rather have 80 short chapters than 40 long chapters. But that's my opinion.
The writing does get boring at times. The story is based in the UK, and you can tell, or I can at least just by the phrasing of some sentences. I am glad I finished this one. I was so close to abandoning this book. It did take until about 60% to 70% before it really picked up for me. The audio is what got me through the last 20ish chapters. That twist was twisting for sure.
The audio is done well. However, I wish that when there were different POV's, there were different narrators. If there is a man's POV, then a man should be the narrator and vice versa. But that's for all audiobooks, in my opinion.


The Stranger At The Wedding will be available September 13, 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, as well as Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read and listen to this book ahead of its release.

"The Stranger at the Wedding" by A.E. Gauntlett is an intense psychological thriller that expertly weaves past and present, unraveling the seemingly perfect facade of a wedding. The story centers on Annie, who, after a whirlwind romance, marries Mark. However, on their wedding night, unsettling events begin to unfold.

Annie discovers that Mark has been hiding a dark secret. He is not who he claims to be, and his past is filled with deceit and dangerous obsessions. As the night progresses, the couple's relationship unravels, revealing Mark's manipulative and sinister nature. Annie is thrust into a nightmare as she realizes that there is more than one stranger at her wedding—unseen forces and hidden truths begin to surface, putting her life in danger.

The novel's strength lies in its character development and the atmospheric tension that Gauntlett masterfully creates. The shifting perspectives and timelines add layers of mystery and suspense, making the reader question who can be trusted. The climax is both shocking and satisfying, tying together the various threads of deceit, betrayal, and psychological manipulation.

Ultimately, "The Stranger at the Wedding" is a gripping exploration of how our pasts can shape our present and the devastating impact of secrets and lies. It’s a compelling read that will keep you guessing until the very end, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

I couldn’t get into this one, only made it about 25% of the way in before deciding to DNF. It sounded like something I could enjoy but it just never pulled me into the story or made me want to keep turning the pages. I wasn’t connecting to or becoming invested in the characters or the plot. I think maybe it needed a few more rounds of edits to really make it shine and draw readers in.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt publishing for the ARC of The Strabger at the Wedding by A.E. Guantlett.

Sadly, I did not finish this book. I kept trying to push through but at the halfway point I couldn’t keep reading. Initially the book was very captivating and had me wondering what the next step was going to be. After about the third or fourth chapter things started to get convoluted and I couldn’t really tell who was who, and if it was a present or past situation and the storyline kind of just seemed to fade. I generally try to finish reading books to be able to give an honest review however, this was just too painful to continue.

Pub Date: August 13, 2024
1/2 a star

3.5 stars. Although Mark and his wife were seemingly happily married, his wife mysteriously disappears without a trace. But, it’s been two long years, and now he is marrying Annie after a whirlwind romance. At their wedding, Annie notices a stranger watching her continuously. Who is the stranger? Why is this stranger at the wedding? What happened to Mark’s first wife? This is a well-plotted thriller and a good and quick read, one that is perfect for the beach or a summer vacation.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Annie is so happy to be marrying Mark. But, as she stands at the alter, she spots a stranger in the crowd. Who is he? What exactly happened to Mark’s first wife? This was a quick read thriller, and has a huge shocking twist at the end!

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I tried really hard to enjoy this ARC which I brought on vacation with me. I'm usually a quick reader, but I found it dull and boring. The book failed to hold my interest and I gave up halfway through after reading other reviews and seeing how many people found it to be so negative.