Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I was really excited to read this book, it sounded so interesting, but it turned out to be a disappointment to me. I was not a fan of this book, it felt like it was too long and I figured out one of the plot twists early on. I kept reading expecting more plot twists and for it get better. This book was 58 chapters, I would say maybe this book could have been a few chapters shorter. For me, it dragged and I found myself skimming over some chapters and guess what, I didn't miss much. Now the ending was the best part of the book, I'm talking about the Epilogue.

The main character, Elizabeth aka Lizzie was beyond annoying in my opinion. She came across clueless and spoiled. She kept whining that her and Owen didn't have money but I didn't see her looking for a job to make their situation better. There were so many times I wanted to quit the book just because I couldn't handle her anymore. I was hoping she would wake up and grow up.

I really didn't want to post a negative review, but I also wanted to be honest. This book just wasn't for me.

“Mother of the Bride” is a family thriller by Samantha Hayes. In this book, we have a mother who is obsessed with planning her daughter’s wedding … but it’s a bit darker than just that. There’s also the sister’s tale of woe about losing her fiancé on the day of their wedding the previous year … and was that a case of a heart ailment, a murder, or something else? This book is, mostly, told from the point of view of our heroine, who seems to trust everyone but her mother (which I found a little odd, but I rolled with it). I read this book like it was candy or chips - couldn’t stop reading because it was addictive. If you’ve read Ms. Hayes’s previous books, you know there’s going to be a twist and can quickly figure out who done-it. That’s not to say that that lessens the enjoyment of the book! I had a few issues with this book - great idea and pretty good execution, but sometimes the storyline seemed a bit slow or went off into a tangent that I didn’t understand (why the pages regarding the grandmother?). A quick good read … and a book that I’d recommend.

"Mother of the Bride" is a book about 2 sisters, their mother and father and how domes things are never quite like they seem... One of the sisters, the main character in the story, believes her mother is unstable and unpredictable and she fears for herself and her fiancé when they need to move home to her mother, however all is not as it seems as it turns out in the end...
The story is well written and kept me gripped and turning pages from the first chapter. It's full of twists and emotions and gasping moments throughout!

A psychological thriller with some huge twists which will keep you guessing all the way through. Not always entirely believable characters and story.

It's that kind of thriller where the characters can be frustrating, yet the overall experience is enjoyable. I rooted for Lizzie throughout and couldn't stand her mom. These mixed emotions kept me invested and contributed to the thrilling ending.

Lizzie and Owen are engaged and expecting a baby when their finances and the London real estate market force them to temporarily move in with Lizzie’s devious and unstable mother. Lizzie’s mom goes full-on momzilla planning the wedding, and as the big day gets closer, things are feeling more and more sinister. After all, there’s already been one family wedding ruined when the groom wound up dead, something Lizzie is pretty sure her mother had something to do with. Will history repeat itself?

We know from the prologue that there will be drama at the altar on Lizzie and Owen’s wedding day, but we don’t know exactly who will figure in and how they’ll get to that point. With its Mommie Dearest vibe, this thriller is perfect for fans of dysfunctional families and will keep you guessing about the characters’ motivations the entire time. It’s pretty twisty, and although I figured out some of the plot points (occupational hazard of a thriller lover who loves to guess what will happen!), the epilogue knocked me for a loop!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date 26th March. I love all of Samantha Hayes books and this one was no different! There were many gasping out loud moments I had so many questions whilst reading this book one of them was ‘why was Elizabeth’s mother so strange?’

This book was a very easy read I was dying to know what would happen next it was very twisty and impossible to put down! My favourite character was Elizabeth’s mother as I would always wonder what she would do next!

Wow, I didn’t expect the plot twist and I didn’t think things would unfold the way they did! I’d highly recommend everyone to read this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

Wow what a roller coaster of a ride. A dysfunctional family with a mother in law at the helm. Just goes to show you why you should be wary of some mother in laws. You will be turning pages late into the night.

This was my first Samantha Hayes book and it won’t be my last! I love when I discover a new author to be added to my TBR pile! A highly engrossing novel about a dysfunctional family which highlights you cannot run to escape your childhood! Lizzie is about to marry Owen and then her mother begins planning the festivities. A fast-paced read with a nice twist in the epilogue-highly recommend reading this one! Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: March 26, 2024

Wow, what an addictive read! I couldn't put it down!! Full of twists and turns and complete shocks, I absolutely loved it!

Found this to be an entertaining read. Despite it lagging towards the end of the story, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Having been a big fan for ages I'm happy to say this is another winner from Samantha Hayes.A 1st class domestic psychological thriller.I found myself wanting to tell the main character Lizzie to open her her eyes and see what's going on right under her nose.Even though I guessed where the story was going pretty early on it didn't deter from the enjoyment of the story.The reveal at the end of the story was a big WOW didn't expect that .moment.
Recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

A great read. Lots of plot lines going along, but not too overwhelming to follow. Clever ending as well.

I liked Mother of the Bride. It's one of those thrillers where the characters frustrate you but you still enjoy the book. I wanted more for Lizzie the entire book and loathed her mom. All these emotions made me invested with the book and added to the thrilling ending. I wanted to stay up and finish the book, which says a lot because I value my sleep. Thanks for the advance review copy.

This was my first experience with author Samantha Hayes but it certainly won't be my last! A year ago, Lizzie's sister's wedding ended in a horribly, tragic way. When Lizzie's mother catches wind of her engagement to Owen, she begins to take control over every detail of their upcoming nuptials. Is history about to repeat itself? How well do we really know our closest friends and family?

This was a fast-paced, twisty read that had me second-guessing many of the characters. While I predicted the major twist at the end, it was still an enjoyable ride. Towards the end, I was concerned readers would be left hanging on one open question, but the epilogue wrapped things up in a satisfying but surprising way that I didn’t see coming!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing the ARC. I can’t wait to discuss with others when Mother of the Bride is released on March 26.

I have enjoyed other books by Samatha Hayes and this one was no different, there were some predictable moments but overall I enjoyed the tense moments.

I appear to be in the minority of liking this Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes. I felt it was a bit predictable. It did have some good twists, and the ending was good, but overall, I feel like this type of story has been overdone.

Although this book was not my favorite read, I would check out more books by this author.

#MotheroftheBride #NetGalley @bookouture

Lizzie and her fiancee, Owen, have returned to the UK from Dubai.
Lizzie's mother is an overbearing, bossy, bullying woman, with obvious mental health issues.
Lizzie is convinced her mother is trying to kill Owen. But why?

I like Samantha Hayes books. They are always twisty and fast paced, and this one was no different.
Lizzie, in my opinion was far too trusting and gullible. The only person she didn't trust was her mother!

The book is addictive and just as I thought that I had worked out what was going on, I found that I was totally wrong.
The twist at the end was mindbending, I didn't see that twist coming!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Samantha Hayes, and Bookouture for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Mother of the Bride in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had a Mommie Dearest, murder mystery vibe. Elizabeth is afraid her mother will murder her soon to be husband because she believes she murdered her sister's fiance on their wedding day based on certain evidence she found that day. Elizabeth makes a lot of assumptions throughout the story and is pretty blind to a lot of things. I did not enjoy her has a first person narrator. The other characters were just okay.

There were also a lot of confusing moments where the past and present sort of intermingled with each other. Normally when this happens, the two will be separated by either page breaks or entire chapters so as to differentiate them clearly. Here, we would be reading about the present and then the next paragraph would start in the past, and then a few more would go by before we're automatically in the present again.

An interesting plot, but not a fantastic execution. A predictable outcome, which was kind of a letdown.

Publication date: March 26th, 2024
Page count: 347
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: small town

Elizabeth’s soon to be brother in law is found dead a year ago right before his wedding. She finds her mother’s bloody corsage by the body. Elizabeth has found her mother to be controlling and abusive- and there are many mysteries surrounding her past making Elizabeth to think her mom harms people. Elizabeth is afraid to get married to Owen because of this, but her mother is trying to speed up the wedding to occur in 2 weeks. Who can be trusted? This book kept me on the edge of my seat!

I really enjoyed this book- and plan to read more books from this author!


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.