This was a great storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the twists toward the end. I thought I had it figured out, but I didn't. It was an extremely slow burn for me, and it took me 11 days to get through is between work and parenting. I did however appreciate the shorter chapters. I was sucked in within the last 5-6 chapters. I just wish I could've been more sucked in earlier in the story. Overall I liked it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!!

Well written, as always, this story is full of secrets, lies and self-preservation.
The characters are interesting, well developed and richly drawn in this intriguing novel.
Lizzie and Owen are engaged after a whirlwind relationship in Dubai. Unforeseen circumstances lead them to stay with Lizzie’s mum for a short break. Lizzie has trust issues with her mum which stem back to her younger self.
Even though the plot is a little implausible, it’s so well written and well executed that it gripped me and I needed to know what was happening.
Extremely entertaining writing it kept me hooked and turning pages way past bedtime.
Overall this was well written and totally immersive and at times totally intriguing.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Mother of the Bride by S. Hayes,published by Bookouture is a gripping thriller, that left me in nailbiting suspense, unable to put the book down.
Owen and Lizzie are about to be married when her mother objects. And so it all begins. A full length novel with a lot going on, sometimes a bit confusing-
Complex, complicated full of unexpected twists and turns that had me guessing til the last page.

THE QUEEN OF TWISTS IS BACK! with an unforgettable read full of twists that left me shocked. I raced through this book in one sitting. Excellent plot line and delivery. I may have whiplash from the never-ending twists and turns. Read this in one day.

From the prologue this one has me hooked! Imagine your getting married and your mom says no when asked to speak now or forever hold your peace. I had to keep reading one chapter before bed turned into several hours of not sleeping

This book had me captivated 🫣 I couldn’t stop! Every chapter ends with a hit where you just have to keep reading.

I don’t know who I disliked more the mother or Owen because the mother was so overbearing and Owen was just lies after lies!

The ending was so action packed and I wasn’t expecting that to be the person who killed Rafe

I really do love me some thriller- mystery- domestic thriller - family drama thriller


Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for the arc

Thanks to Netgalley et all for the chance to read this book, I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me. it was a little bit too predictable and the central character Lizzie wasn't likeable. I found the timeline confusing as it kept jumping from the past to the present without any obvious separation. Lizzie was a weak character and the ending was a bit predicable. .

#MotherOfTheBride #NetGalley
Ok read.
Lizzie and Owen are recently engaged and find them selves homeless so they end up staying with Lizzie’s mother. Who is controlling, to say the least and Lizzie’s childhood wasn’t great due to this. Her father and sister are close by but not living at their home. Lizzie’s sister’s fiancé was murdered at her wedding a year ago, so things are intense especially since Lizzie found the body and with that she found evidence that pointed to her mother being the culprit. When strange things start to happen Lizzie wonders if her future husband is going to be safe.
About 35% of the book was over and nothing happened. This is it's main negative point. Although the ending was good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

Samantha Hayes is an author than will give you a damm good read. I have read nearly all her books and she never fails to disappoint.

Lizzie is back from Dubai. With her she has brought her new fiancé Owen. Other than having their own place to live, life is good. She’s engaged and there’s a baby on the way. After last year when her future brother in law died on his wedding day Lizzie does not want her mother to met Owen.
However, after a visit home Lizzie is put in a situation of staying with her mother. But Lizzie is scared of her mother. She believes she is capable of murder. From the day the couple arrive strange things start to happen. Whilst her mother is rapidly arranging her wedding. But will Lizzie ever make it to the alter and is she right to be scared.
A riveting read that will keep you turning the pages.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see a DRC

ARC Review for Mother of The Bride by Samantha Hayes
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My rating: 3.5🌟
Read if you like: psycho thriller, dysfunctional family dynamics
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Expected Publication Date: March 6, 2024
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Synopsis: We follow the story of Lizzie, who has returned from the hometown she had ran away because of her mother and the secrets that she has kept. Now she is getting married and is anxious and worried if story starts to repeat itself-- How Lizzie's sister's fiance died on their wedding day, and their mother's wedding corsage next to his body. To what extent does a mother's love go?
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Mother of The Bride was a good psycho thriller read. I would recommend this for anyone who is just starting out in the genre.
The novel started out slower than I would have liked but the pace picked up at 40% of the book. After hitting the 40% mark, I could not stop turning the pages.

The writing was great -- albeit that I wished during a few flashbacks woven into the chapters, it should have been italicized to emphasize rather than it blending with the present. I also wished there was a better emphasis on the past, so Lizzie's suspiscions would hold more gravity. There were also a few repetitions of events in the first half of the book -- almost felt like FMC is defensive or the author just wanted us to remember these key things.

I appreciate how literally each chapter is wrapped up thrillingly, making the readers excited to read what is next. I caught the twist at the end, must be because I am an inherently skeptical person. However, the twist will come as a pleasant surprise to the readers.

Overall, I recommend psycho thriller readers to pick up this book as it releases. If you liked Freida McFadden books, you will definitely like this.

Thank you, Bookotures, NetGalley and Samantha Hayes for the advanced copy. I leave my review voluntarily.

I was immediately intrigued by the title and cover of this book, the crazy mother-in-law trope has been done to death but I wanted to see the crazy mother of the bride!

Lizzie and Owen get engaged quickly after a whirlwind romance while abroad. Faced with nowhere to live, they end up staying with Lizzie’s mom, who is an absolute terror and takes control of their wedding, and wedding planning. She has always said no man will ever be good enough for her daughters, but is Owen?

Let me say. I did guess the twist in this book very early on (probably because I’ve read too many thrillers), but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. I finished this book quickly and enjoyed the writing style. My only complaint with this book is that Lizzie was an extremely frustrating main character for me, and I just did not understand her choices, and she seemed kind of unrealistic.

The other characters were well executed, and this was a fun, easy read!

4/5⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

What can I say about this book but OMG. This book keeps you on your toes through the whole book. I felt like there were so many twists and turns I did not see coming. When I got to the end my mouth was hanging open. This is a must read.

Thank you Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

Although I don't read a lot of suspense novels, I love the genre and was delighted when I received a copy of Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayas. As this was a thriller, I was very excited to try to deduce all the twists when I started reading. Unreliable narrator? A few red herrings along the way?

It took about 30% of the book for me to become interested in the plot; I kept dropping and picking it back up. I think that this was because of the slow-burn. Thankfully after that, it started to pick up around half way through and I eagerly finished it off. There was one part where I wanted to scream at Elizabeth, the main character, for not seeing the red flags. But she was mostly in an inescapable situation, so it was understandable.

Did I manage to predict the twists? Partially, but the full revelation really shocked me. It all comes together at the end. Brilliant twist, well written and quite immersive once you got into it. I gave it a 3.25, because although I loved the ending, it took me so long to get into the book.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Samantha Hayas and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I received this book as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley
I was quickly drawn into this one
It is a fast moving plot and one that although I guessed what was going on I was so invested that I couldn’t put it down
I was so involved in the characters and whether I liked them or not that I was really taken by surprise with the twists at the end
I always enjoy the way this author weaves a story and for the way it is written.
Will definitely recommend

This book was another hit from the author. A good mystery that kept the reader turning the pages. Included were a few twists at the end. This is a book which I would recommend to those who enjoy a good mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutre for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes due to be published March 26, 2024.
Lizzie is getting married to her sweet fiancé, Owen, and would be ecstatic were it not for the a few facts – her sister, Shelley’s fiancé, Rafe, died on her wedding day a year ago; her mother is horribly overbearing and controlling, and Lizzie is also a little afraid there might be a repeat for Owen on HER wedding day.
The story had me hooked as I had to find out what was going to happen to Lizzie and Owen, if anything. The only thing I thought a little unbelievable was that as evil as Lizzie’s mother was it seemed improbable, she and Owen would choose to stay in the house with her, but it was her “mum”.
I loved this book – it had lots of unexpected twists and turns – and especially the surprise ending – I didn’t see it coming!
I didn’t realize how many books Samantha Hayes has written – this was my first by her, but it will certainly not be my last!
#NetGalley #SamanthaHayes #Bookoutre #MotherOfTheBride

I really wanted to like this one, but ended up dropping it at about 43%. The pacing was quick and appropriate for a thriller, but some areas felt too choppy for me, especially with the alternating time periods - some parts of the story felt a bit confusing due to that. I also couldn't bring myself to connect with the characters as they seemed a bit undeveloped. I did want to see what the twist was that everyone was talking about, but had a hard time sticking it out. I can understand why people enjoy this one, but it just wasn't for me. That being said, thank you so much for the ARC and the opportunity to review!

This really gripped me and I devoured it in record time! I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I’ll definitely be downloading her back list.

A very clever storyline with lots of twists and turns. It centres around Lizzie, her fiancé (Owen), her sister (Shelley), and her parents. Lizzie’s mum was a bit of a nightmare, very controlling of the two sisters and they often had to tread on eggshells (and still do). A year ago, Shelley’s fiancé died on their wedding day and Lizzie found their mum’s corsage beside his body. She took it, hid it away, and didn’t tell anyone, but now that her own wedding day is getting closer, should she be watching her mum in case she does anything to Owen?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Profanity (1-10) - 1
Spice (1-10) - 0
Paranormal (1-10) - 0

Mother of the Bride

Good read! It is engaging from the start and keeps you reading to the end. At first it seems like it is going to be about a narcissistic mother trying to control her daughter’s life. As a professional in mental health, I hesitated to ask for this ARC because that is so theme is so overplayed in society today. It is discussed by too many people who are not qualified to discuss the topic.
Anywho…I did get it, and in the end it was not I expected at all. It is well written and has good character development. In fact, some of the characters are so interesting, I would like more of their backstories.
As promised in the promo which mentioned other authors, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers or just thrillers in general, this one is a good read.

Mother of the bride was a fantastic read I was so invested in the story I stayed up late into the night to finish could not put it down.

Lizzie and Owen are recently engaged and find them selves homeless so they end up staying with Lizzie’s mother. Who is controlling, to say the least and Lizzie’s childhood wasn’t great due to this. Her father and sister are close by but not living at their home. Lizzie’s sister’s fiancé was murdered at her wedding a year ago, so things are intense especially since Lizzie found the body and with that she found evidence that pointed to her mother being the culprit. When strange things start to happen Lizzie wonders if her future husband is going to be safe.

This was another excellent read from this author. It had a bit of everything suspense, mystery etc. it will have you gasping at the twists and turns. Fantastic read which I will be recommending to everyone. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Lizbeth’s mother is obsessed with controlling the lives of her daughters Lizbeth and Shelley. When Lizbeth returns to her mother’s home to introduce her to her fiancé Owen, her mother is clearly not happy about Lisbeth’s plans to marry. Nevertheless, she becomes obsessed about planning their entire wedding.
Lizbeth is fearful of her mother’s involvement in their wedding. The year before, her sister Shelley’s fiancé was found murdered on the morning of their wedding. Her mother’s corsage was found next to his body. The case remained unsolved but doubt about her mother’s involvement remained in the air.
There were several small accidents in Lizbeth’s mother’s house involving Owen that Lizbeth believed were caused by her mother. This increased her fear for his safety. If her mother was involved in the murder of Shelley’s fiancé was she trying to get rid of Owen too?
On the morning of the wedding, as Lizbeth begins her walk down the aisle, she anxiously looks ahead to see Owen. All she sees is the best man. Owen is nowhere in sight.
A mind blowing, jaw-dropping thriller full of twists and turns that will keep you up all night until you finish the book.