Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

3.5/5

I’ve become one of those NetGalley reviewers who eagerly scour for their favourite authors - and Hayes is undoubtedly one of those who goes straight to the top of the TBR list.

Psychological thriller with twisty turney moments and a narrative which keeps you turning the pages deep into the night. Highly recommended.

Mother of the Bride is a psychological thriller that will have you engrossed from the start.

It is a well written, well plotted story of secrets and lies, with a cast of well drawn characters who you will love to hate and enough twists to keep you guessing.

4 star rating.

I love that feeling of edginess I get when I’m reading a book, trying to guess at the outcome, while trying to figure things out as I go along … and getting it wrong every time! I kicked myself so many times during this one. I had this niggly feeling at the back of my head – a little voice trying to tell me something, but I ignored it. I actually wish that little voice had opened its mouth very loudly to the main character Lizzie!

Lizzie and Owen haven’t been together all that long in the grand scheme of things – only about six months. But they’re engaged to be married, a secret that for her own reasons, Lizzie would like to keep from her overbearing mother.

Because Lizzie is convinced that her mother has done something awful. She’s not just talking about all the horrible incidents that she remembers from when she and her sister were growing up, and the things that led to her beloved father suffering from a mental illness and having to spend time in a convalescent home. No … this is something else … something to do with the death of her sister’s fiancé on the day of their wedding a year ago.

Ok, so truth be told, initially I thought that instead of withholding information like she does, Lizzie probably should have just confronted her mom, or told the police, or her sister, or anyone, what she thought may have happened, but did she? No! But then I realized that her head must have been in such a state, who could blame her for not saying anything and then when she thought she should say something, she’d left it too late and she just worked herself into more of a state! I could understand exactly how she landed up in the situation she was in and I really felt for her.

Her mother is a complex character and Hayes developes her so well, really stringing the reader along so that we’re led to think exactly what she wants us to think of this character. The plot is altogether well-paced, although a little slow in parts, but not slow enough to put you off, or to make you forget anything. All the tension you’d associate with preparing for a wedding is right there, just throw some toxic characters into the mix and a whole load of dark, negative history, and it makes for page-turning reading!

I have quite a few authors that I like and find myself searching for any new books, Samantha Hayes is one of those authors.
Intriguing plausible storylines, that are not overly complex and yet manage to retain a twist in the tale end. Another great book by a great author!

I could not put this book down. Samantha Hayes done a tremendous job with keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book! I definitely did not see the ending coming either! One heck of a plot twist and Samantha done such a great job with delivering!!!!! 5 stars!!!!

Samantha Hayes’ “Mother of the Bride” is a well written and skilfully plotted psychological thriller. The novel focuses on Lizzie who is on the brink of her wedding day, but her happiness is overshadowed by the obsessive control of her mother. There is plenty of suspense as Lizzie’s mother fixates on every detail of the wedding, raising questions about her true intentions.

Just a year ago Lizzie’s sister’s fiancé was brutally murdered on his wedding day with Lizzie’s mothers corsage next to hie dead body. Ever since Lizzie has had suspicions whether her mother was somehow involved in the murder.

Owen, Lizzie’s fiancé, is warm and charming and offers assurance that everything is fine even though Lizzie’s mind is full of doubt and suspicion. His reassurances fail to stop her believing that something terrible might happen. As the wedding day approaches, the suspense reaches a fever pitch. Lizzie’s internal turmoil is bubbling over and there is an overload of tension in the air. So when the priest asks if anyone objects to the wedding Lizzie’s gaze shifts to her mother, whose icy stare sends shivers down the spine. The question of whether Lizzie and Owen’s lives are in danger looms large.

This was so nearly a perfect score from me and I was hooked from start to finish. Well paced. plenty of intrigue as well as well developed characters. The complex portrayal of Lizzie’s relationship with her mother adds a rich psychological depth to the story.

“Mother of the Bride” is a very enjoyable read and will be a hit with readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with good characters.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have read other books from this author that I liked more than this one. The main character irritated me so much, it seemed a bit slow. And so many things seemed to be repeated over and over. It was a nice read though, I liked the ending way better than the start of the book.

I was totally gripped when reading this book. I love how Samantha Hayes writes her thrillers. I definitely wasn't expecting that twist at the ending. It was a shocking surprise. This was a page turner and I definitely recommend!

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes had me reeled in from the very start, and I was kept guessing until the final shocking twist.

Lizzie has found the love of her life in Owen and the two are expecting a child. They plan to marry, but the fly in the ointment of it all is Lizzie's mother, a controlling woman whose unpredictable moods have Lizzie constantly on edge, and she fears that Owen will be put off. As the wedding day nears, Lizzie's suspicions mount that her mother will do all that she can to prevent her daughter from achieving her happily ever after.

This one is a pulse-pounding ride from beginning to end. I had no idea where it was all going and continued to be shocked up to and including the very last page. In Mother of the Bride, Samantha Hayes has created an unforgettable villain. Brilliant.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Mother of the Bride By: Samantha Hayes and narrated by: Tamsin Kennard was excellent from start to finish ad I ended up listening to it all day.....I loved it!
The narrator Tamsin Kennard was superb and bought the audiobook alive.

Mother of the Bride will not disappoint its full of twists and turns, especially with so many secrets everyone os hiding from each other! that will just have you hooked. But, with secrets....they have a way of coming out and you don't want these to come out. They will have a way destroy relationships with people.

"I am so glad when I got married over 30 years ago.........my mother was not obsessed with every detail of my wedding, we did what we wanted to do"

I really felt for Lizzy; with her mum Sylvia who was so controlling everything at her daughters wedding from her dress, to her ring, and then her happiness.

I highly recommend this audiobook/book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook/book to review.

Im a fan of Samantha Hayes already, and this one certainly didnt disappoint. It was fast paced and the ending was just wow ! It was what made the book for me. Family dramas is one of my favourite go to reads. Loved it.

Really loved the book, after the middle of the story I guessed part of the ending but the ending still had a big surprise that you can't guess. Really good plot, all the characters have a twist the story keeps your interest all the way. Definitely recommend it. I'm a fun of Samantha Hayes😊

I enjoyed this book as it is written by one of my favourite authors. I wouldn't say it was the best one but it was an easy read. I particularly enjoy reading about mother/daughter relationships and this was the threat most of the way through. It didn't feel like it was bulked out with irrelevance just to fill the book. I would certainly recommend even if I did guess the ending.

This was a bit of a slow pace for most of the first half but it began to pick up in the last few chapters.
Lizzie was irritating from the start, the way she let her controlling mother dictate her life and wedding and the way she wouldn’t tell her fiancé the full story about her mother.

I guessed a lot of things and peoples true intentions. Wasn’t really a surprise, but the ending was twisty. I had guessed this person was responsible in some way, just not the way it happened.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The blurb for "Mother of the Bride" sent shivers down my spine, and I was eager to start reading. It did not let me down. I was captivated from start to finish, with each twist casting doubt on my assumptions. "Mother of the Bride" was a fantastic read, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having grown up with a mother that also had "brain bad" days, I did find this story intriguing. It was enjoyable to read, though at some points predictable. I did not see the end coming though!

Hayes made a phenomenal job with the characters development in this book. The way she released the details about each one and the way the plot was developing giving us just enough to try and guess what was coming next was fantastic.

I felt completely captivated by this book and I felt like it was very well written and quite suspensefull. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen, and the big reveal at the end? I’m just going to say Wow! I certainly didn’t saw it coming.

Overall, this was an amazing thriller, and I would recommend it to those, like me, that enjoys a bit of family drama in their thrillers. This one was quite a dysfunctional family.

Thank you, Bookouture & NetGalley, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

Samantha Hayes always takes a normal situation which she then turns into an enthralling, twisted, psychological thriller. This one is set around a wedding, but it is the bride's mother who is the bridezilla!!

A lot of planning must have gone into creating this story to make it flow so effortlessly. Every secret, big or small that emerged just raised more questions. I never really knew who was really telling the truth or if it was a "red herring". I read in awe, Elizabeth's dad's story, this is truly something that never entered my head!! I just love a big reveal that I never, ever, saw coming!!

This is a brilliant book which will keep you guessing all the way through!

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes

Oh wow! The ending was a serious twist.

Lizzie and her fiancé Owen are getting marry. Lizzie and her sister Shelly are not close to their mother Sylvia, but due to financial problem, Lizzie and Owen move back to stay with Sylvia. Shelly’s husband passed away in an accident and Lizzie somehow believes her mother has involved in it.

Now Lizzie thinks her husband Owen might in danger too.

I love the story plot. The story plot is building up quickly. The twists are unexpected!

Many thanks to NetGalley, bookouture audio and the author for my copy.

Pub date: March 26, 2024