Greg & Madeline are separating, and have decided that the best way to move forward is that their daughter should spend more time with the Madeline - but Greg is not ok with it, he is of the opinion that he has been a better partner than what Madeline says. He finds a lawyer who thinks he can help him get his daughter's custody and Madeline's lawyer thinks she has help her get daughter's custody.

I liked the character of Madeline and didn't feel a bit also for Greg - it felt like he was the most selfish human!

Gripping book by Ellie Monago, thanks to the author, Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook arc in exchange for honest review,

The narrator of this book did a very great job. Clear words , great pronunciation and very well read. The story is about a couple whose marriage has broken down and they are seeing full custody of the child. I enjoyed the book only draw back is I feel it went on for too long but great book at the end of the day

I found this to be a read which delivers exactly what it looks like it will - a twisty thriller which will engage you with the plot and the characters. Nothing groundbreaking but an enjoyable thriller none the less

Top quality pov story of what happens when one person calls time out on the marriage and the other doesn't want out . This listen documents what can really happen and its effects on the child when a custody battle appears.
The pov are compelling i listen on wanting to know what woukd happen to all sides. I love the way I was lead to believe certain things and then bang it was nonsense. I would have loved a chapter from the best friends pov. Thisxwas gripping. The narration was spot on . A thrilling short 5 star listen. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator. Look forward to more

This was such a captivating book. A story that really is the story of so many people that get divorced and how the child feels stuck in the middle. In this book, they figure out their wrongs and how to make the best life for their daughter but what a crazy journey to get there. I wouldn't really call this a thriller but it's a great work of fiction.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. Felt like I was stuck between two horrible characters constantly bickering and arguing. Neother had any redeeming qualities. Maybe that was the aim of the author but not my type of book

Divorce is never easy but when Madeline confronts Greg with a request for divorce, she’s sure it will be quick and easy. They can work out the financials and child custody by themselves, can’t they? No, they can’t. Madeline is very, very wrong and this divorce is anything but quick and easy. Both Madeline and Greg are stubborn and strong willed. Madeline has an ulterior motive for wanting the divorce and Greg will do whatever he can to drag it out. The longer negotiations continue, the angrier the couple become and the more stressful life becomes for their young daughter Lola. Tensions rise until a violent confrontation.

The Custody Battle is a fast, suspenseful read that you will find had to put down. While none of the characters are particularly likable, their situation is all too familiar. With Madeline and Greg as alternate narrators, you see how manipulative they both are. The surprise ending is totally unexpected! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Ellie Monago for this ARC.

Set in the middle of a custody battle, Greg and Madeline are fighting for the custody of their daughter Lola. It was supposed to be a smooth divorce, but sadly it’s never like that. It brings out the worst in both of them.

I enjoyed the book, it’s written well and it was an interesting subject. It gripped me from the start. Madeline is a great character, but has secrets. Greg is a lovely guy at the start, but turns very devious.

I listened to the audiobook and found both narrators very good, easy to understand and read the story very well.

A gripping book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Custody Battle' by Ellie Monago.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Elli Monago, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 21st February 2024.

This is the first book I have read by this author nut it most definitely wont be my last. It is the fuirst book written under the authos pen name pen name Ellie Monago.

This novel consists of 66 chapters and an epilogue and is set over 5 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.

I was absolutely absorbed throughout this page turner. It is filled with tension, suspense, lies and omg the ending!!! I DID NOT see coming!!! A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Ellie!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over and over!!! What an ending!!! One of the most gripping unputdownable nerve wracking domestic suspense books that I have EVER read!!! You lady have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books. I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time!!! The storyline is filled with drama, shocks, secrets, twists, suspense, tension, deceit and more. There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I'm not going to go too much into the storyline as I don't want to give anything away and everything you need to know is in the incredible synopsis. However I do want to say that I absolutely LOVE the fact that this book we get to see the story from Madeline and Greg's perspectives and that it is set over multiple timelines and 5 parts, each named according to what is going on in those chapters, for example two of the parts are called collateral and contempt which are intriguing in themselves! The storyline is about a divorce that should be simple but becomes anything but!! Madeline tells Greg that she wants a divorce and one that is simple and quick to keep it as painless as possible for their daughter Lola. Greg does not want a divorce but wants to fight for his marriage and his family. She says she does not love him but he wants to try to change that. It goes from a simple solution to sorting it out for themselves to an uphill battle of bitterness, stubbornness and filled with drama and tension. Who will win the battle for Lola? How will Lola cope with all this fighting? You will just have to grab a copy of this gripping drama today to find out for yourselves! I have never read a storyline like this one and considering I have read hundreds of books that is quite a feat so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Ellie on constructing a unique, intriguing and captivating page turner! Ellie's fantastic evocative writing skills and descriptions really draws the reader into the storyline putting them in the middle of the battle themselves with the characters, emotions and surroundings coming to life in front of their eyes! i am definitely looking forward to reading more books by this fantastic author!!

Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! Practically every chapter ended on a cliff hanger so no way could I put it down!! Absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!!

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

I was completely invested in both the storyline and the characters. Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and I felt differently about each of them. Ellie has managed to create several realistic, flawed, unlikeable and questionable characters that she brings to life with her creative and evocative writing skills and puts them into what should be an everyday storyline but makes the reader question everything and everyone they are seeing, reading and meeting throughout!! As with the storyline I won't go into any details about the characters as I don't want to run the risk of giving anything away and spoiling this incredible storyline for future readers. I will say that I did not have a clue who to trust and I never did work out who was up to what. Ellie has done an amazing job with the multiple protagonists and multiple timelines and weaves all the different timelines and characters stories together perfectly not causing any confusion into whose point of view I read from or what timeline the chapters were talking about. If you want to know more you will just have to click the link below to get a copy!! All in all a great mix of characters that worked well with this storyline and regardless of whether you love them or hate them they all played their parts perfectly along with Ellie's fantastic writing skills making each of them jump out of the pages coming to life in front of your eyes.

Overall an absolutely thrilling and unputdownable addictive domestic suspense!!

356 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I randomly requested this audio book purely on title and cover and I did enjoy it and the narrator did a good job but I won't really class it as a thriller as such more of a drama and it portrayed the emotions of a couple/family going through a divorce extremely well. I would definitely listen/read more work from the author. Thank you to bookouture and netgalley for this audio arc.

The Custody Battle, written by Ellie Monago is a domestic thriller about husband and wife Madeline and Greg who are going through a divorce and struggling with the custody battle of their daughter Lola. Each parent thinks they know what is best for their daughter, and that is their self. But each parent is struggling in different ways to be a good person and parent.

I enjoyed this book, but did have trouble liking the two main characters. The book kept me guessing, and I was not at all expecting the ending! I would recommend this book to fans of family fiction and domestic thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and to the author and publisher of this book for an ALC in exchange for this review.

In this book, we follow the story of Greg and Madaline as they navigate through a divorce, and their struggles to protect their little girl, Lola, from the fallout. The book is narrated in a dual point of view between these two characters, which I found particularly fascinating. While reading the book, I could see the manipulation and hurt that Greg is going through, and I empathized with him more than with Madaline. On the other hand, Madaline's character is not particularly likable, and it's challenging to support her actions throughout the book.

What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it provided a deep insight into the feelings and emotions of both parties in a divorce. This gave me a better understanding of how a family dispute can escalate and the potential consequences it can have on all the family members.

Despite being marketed as a thriller, I didn't feel any of the thriller aspects until the end of the narrative, where I found a surprising twist. Instead, the book felt more like a domestic suspense novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, I found the book engaging and thought-provoking, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful read.

The Custody Battle had be hooked from the beginning. While Madeline thinks she and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Greg, are both committed to a quick and painless divorce for the sake of their daughter, Lola, Greg has other ideas. When the respectful way of handling this situation quickly crumbles, I found myself needing to know what terrible thing would happen next.

Ellie Monago's work is full of suspense. I had to figure out how this relationship would unfold.

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A contentious divorce battle starts out amicable and quickly takes drastic turns in this gripping #domesticsuspense novel. Monago crafts the ultimate dark #psychologicalthriller novel in #TheCustodyBattle!

Narration is done well by
Sarah Borgesuk & Davis Brooks.

Thank you, Ellie Monago, Bookouture, Bookouture audio & netgalley for my audiobook! All opinions are my own.

This book was gripping, to say the least. It created a series of emotions with an unpredictable ending.
I have a new outlook on divorce, lawyers, therapists, and custody issues.

Thank you to Boukoutre Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. #TheCustodyBattle #NetGalley

Coming from a child of divorced parents I was waiting for a bit of a more thrill/suspense moment but there wasn't. The plot showed the typical parent child custody battle even though they were both in their heads about a lot. I see it as more of a drama book which is my cup of tea if it was in another genre.

I heard this story through an audiobook format and the narrators did amazing! They had me listening to the audiobook like if I was a therapist/attorney doing a consultation or something. They did amazing and it was at the perfect pace. I truly enjoyed this audiobook due to the narrators as they made it sound interesting.

The book could've been better if there was more of a suspenseful moment but unfortunately, there wasn't.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was gripping, fast paced, intense read. I felt ALL the things. I am torn between being team wife or the husband. I feel so bad for Greg. He is so desperate to get his wife back while she is dead set on leaving him while they also are struggling with what is best for their child. I feel like the author did such a great job with making you feel the emotions and feelings of both characters. Yikes! I have not read this author before and I definitely will pick up more by her. I love fast paced domestic thriller reads. This book was great. The narrators did a great job on the audiobook. I prefer dual narration when we get alternating POVs so this was enjoyable.

For some reason this is not posting to goodreads due to not being able to find the book but I will post on their separately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very interesting and it took awhile for the murder to happen which I enjoyed the build up. I went back and forth throughout the book on whether I stood with Greg or Madeline in the divorce. This was so well put together and the build up was so good and I did not anticipate who was behind all of the manipulation.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Both main characters were extremely unlikable in my opinion but I do believe that was the authors objective. I was blindsided by both of them that I didn’t see the twist. Both parents do not deserve custody of their daughter. It’s so sad that this is a common occurrence in real life families. Nasty custody battles not only break up marriages but leave the child with trauma. I was drawn to the story from the beginning but I just felt like something was missing in there plot for me.

I could not stop listening to this audiobook!

Marilyn want to divorce her husband Greg. She proposes a very amicable and clean divorce, yet Greg wants to fight for his marriage. He refuses to let go easily. Things started out very friendly, but soon take a turn for the worse. The supposedly amicable divorce soon becomes full of tension and DRAMA! The tension and drama starts at the beginning and builds and builds and builds.

The ugly shows in both of the main characters in no time, and they were characters I loved to hate! Their dislikable factor made the plot that much better. There were dual timelines narrated by Marilyn and Greg, and I enjoyed them both. I found myself dying to know what going to happen. The writing was very descriptive without being boring, and the character development was on point. There were many real life components to this book which made the plot seem real.

The narrators, Davis Brooks and Sarah Borges, were phenomenal and helped to build the suspense the entire way through this story.

This was such a great popcorn thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.