You have to be prepared in this read to not get too frustrated with the main character ( as I did from time to time ) because what looks like she isen’t doing turns out just as well as the story goes on ( makes sense honestly 😎 )

I did a lot of presuming in this book, took a side and resolutely stuck to it and the last say 5/6 chapters really unravelled my ideas of pretty much every character

As a Mother of the Bride Sylvia is obnoxious, she is fab to read but a walking disaster and a nightmare to all, which of course makes her brilliant for us, beware of Sylvia though as she has more to her than meets the eye…

A good read, red herrings a plenty and a resoundingly unexpected ending, all told a book enjoyed

Lizzie and Owen are engaged and are having trouble with accommodation until Lizzie's mom invites them over to stay. Strange things start happening when Lizzie's overbearing mother starts planning their wedding. Lizzie's mom has a history of being mentally unstable and Lizzie wants to pack up and leave, but how can she? With wanting to support her sister when her fiance died on their wedding day a year ago. Their father also being in a psychiatric institute needing her support. The author let's all the suspense build up and reveals everything at the end. Shocking, shocking end! You really have to read the book till the very end. Not what I expected. Shows you guilt is a terrible thing that can eat you alive.

Family drama and a dysfunctional familie…what do you want more?!
This book started out a bit slow but changed in a fast-paced story with some nice twist. I thought it was predictable, but if you are not reading lots and lots of Thrillers, this one might surprise you. I was a big fan of the epilogue and that doesn’t happen too often. I wasn’t too impressed with the FMC and thought she was very annoying, which took away a bit of the joy. The motivations of the other characters made me think and found myself more and more involved in the story, which was good. The time jumping could have been done better and was confusing at times. Overall I did enjoy the story, it was an easy read, but with some points that could been improved.
3.5 ⭐️rounded up

Genre: Thriller
Expected publication March 26, 2024

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Bookouture for this ARC.

Mother of the Bride was captivating from the very beginning. There are 2 sisters, Shelley and Lizzie. Shelley’s wedding was all ready to happen when all of a sudden her soon to be husband drops dead right before. What happened? Was it an accident? Lizzie’s planning her marriage a year later and there’s more drama with her! The ending was shocking - I was not expecting it at all! Mind blowing ending! I can’t wait to read more from Samantha Hayes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 26, 2023.

Lizzie is engaged to be married to Owen, they’ve recently returned from living in Dubai and find themselves having to stay with Lizzie’s mum., Sylvia. Sylvia is obsessed with every aspect of Lizzie’s wedding: planning and controlling everything. But when the big day comes, will Sylvia be ready to let Lizzie go? Especially after what happened at her sister’s wedding last year. A gripping thriller that’s well executed with an evolving fast paced plot line. plenty of twists will keep you entertained to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Another great book by Samantha Hayes!!!

Everytime I thought I had it figured out nope it went another way. Great twists and turns and just a great read!

Will read anything she writes! Put this on your TBR!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

What another great book Samantha Hayes has written, I was totally captivated.

Lizzie becomes engaged to her boyfriend Owen after only a short period of time knowing each other. Lizzie has always had a difficult relationship with her mother and slowly we are given pieces of information about her mothers personality and how it has affected the family. Lizzie's dad is in a care home being looked after due to a psychological issues and has not spoken in many months. Lizzie has a sister she is very close to but there are tragic circumstances surrounding her as her husband to be Rafe was murdered at their own wedding. Lizzie has long suspected that her mother may have had something to do with this, and as the book progresses she tries to find out if this suspected involvement could be true.

Against her better judgement Lizzie and Owen move into her mothers house after being unable to find a home of their own to purchase, soon issues arise that make Lizzie's life a living nightmare, just like episodes of her childhood. Owen tries to get Lizzie to give her mother some slack but her mother is completely overwhelming and domineering in wanting to take over the organisation of their wedding which is why Lizzie did not tell her mother of her engagement immediately after Owen proposed. Other events occur leaving the reader questioning what is really going on, was Lizzie's mum involved in the death of her sisters husband and is she really the monster they all believe she is?

This is a very well executed story and the characters are very well developed, there are times it was a bit predictable but that did not effect my enjoyment of the book. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own. Highly recommended.

A gripping tale of mystery. I thought things were going one way and then everything flipped--this happened a couple times. Great thriller.

Super gripping psychological fiction from Samantha Hayes! I was struck initially by how unique this plot was. Lizzie is a woman who has had a tough childhood with a mother with poor mental health, and parents with a troubled relationship. A year ago Lizzie's sister Shelley was enjoying her wedding day, when he groom died under suspicious circumstances - Lizzie had reason to believe their mother was involved. A year later and it is Lizzie who is the bride to be, she is terrified that her mother will harm her fiancé, Owen, to stop the marriage from happening. Her mother's barbed comments about Owen do little to reassure Lizzie!

Such a fantastic story, told beautifully. While on some levels I could see where this was going, there were enough surprises thrown in there to make this a highly satisfying read. As such this is a novel I would highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I have read a few of this author and she doesn’t disappoint.
She gets you gripped from the first chapter. The characters are well rounded and there is always a sir of mystery snd an hidden depth to the plot. The twists hit never see coming - even at the end you can’t always guess how it’s going to unfold.

This was another classic suspense and psychological thriller by Samantha Hayes. Read very quickly to find out how it unfolds. An easy read and highly recommend!

I was lucky to read this book prior to the release date. I really enjoyed it. Mother of the bride was full of twists throughout the book. This mother is every bride’s nightmare. She completely takes over planning Lizzie’s wedding. Lizzie is terrified to have her fiancée to meet her mother because of things her mother did as Lizzie and her sister Shelley were growing up. Did her mother really do the new things Lizzie has learned from when Lizzie was younger? Will Lizzie be able to find the truth while she keeps who her mother truly is from her fiancée. Can she let the past go and accept the wedding her mother has planned for her. Or will her wedding end in the same tragedy that her sister’s did last year. This book keeps you guessing until the every end!

Lizzie and her fiancé, Owen, are forced to move in with Lizzie's overbearing mother after a series of unfortunate circumstances. But now the mother of the bride insists on taking on every detail for the wedding...
This is a psychological thriller, and although I was promised mind-blowing twists, said twists were all very predictable and tame (I went much much father in my mind trying to figure them out). There was too much foreshadowing and things that are almost said many times, and most of the characters were unlikable, which made for a frustrating read... yet it was hard.to put down.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A great author but not my favourite of hers. We follow Lizzie on the build up to her marriage to Owen. Her mother is a monster and Lizzie is terrified of what she’s capable of. I found it s little repetitive at times. But the twists were excellent

This book wasn't my favorite. I felt that it was pretty slow, up until the ending. The ending had some good twists though. While it wasn't really for me, overall it wasn't a bad book, and I do feel that others will enjoy it more than I did.

Mother of the Bride follows Lizzie on the weeks prior to her wedding day and her trying to figure out if her mother is a murderer or not.

Pros: I loved the Mommie Dearest, murder mystery vibe. I liked the twist from the prologue, as in when the author replayed that scene it was a different take then what I was expecting.

Cons: I found the writing a bit confusing at times, it seemed in between some chapters it got a bit blurry the timeline, with the jumping between past and present, it made me go back and make sure I did not skip pages by mistake. I felt the twists were a bit predictable, I did guess the ending quite a bit early, no I did not guess the epilogue twist but the other ones I did.

Overall, I liked this book as I thought it was an easy read, and I did enjoy the mother, Sylvia, character.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this Arc. The above review has my own thoughts.

Another brilliant book from this author, just my type from the beginning until the end, great characters (not all likeable) twisty and great storytelling all the way.

This is another of my top reads for 2024, a great ending with everything brought to a satisfactory conclusion, just perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another well written thriller from Samantha Hayes! Great characters including a psych mom that drove me nuts! Loved the story and was totally blown away by the ending . There were a few loose ends and they were neatly wrapped up in the end. I always enjoy books by this author. Great thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Hayes and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did enjoy it but….some parts I found boring and repetitive.
However the majority of the book I really enjoyed!

Following the fallout from her sisters wedding a year ago and the feeling that her mum was involved in Rafe's death, Lizzie is loathe to present her fiance Owen to her mum. Lizzie's mum is controlling, unpredictable and organised to the point of taking over everything. So begins the wedding pressures and dilemmas from The Mother of The Bride. No bridezilla, just mumzilla.
I found this a fast paced novel, Samantha Hayes has the ability to draw you into the storyline and keep you there, just one more chapter isn't going to be enough. I confess I did guess where the story was going in a few places but was still blindsided by the ending.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of Mother of the Bride. The cover is FANTASTIC!!!! It drew me right in, unfortunately the story wasn’t great, yes mom was whacked but I saw right through the plot immediately. It was very obvious what was going on, the only twist was the epilogue and that was some twist! That took me by surprise, I was very shocked.