I couldn’t get through this one. It took a long time to build the story and my patience ran out. The characters were unlike able and untrustworthy and didn’t hook me enough to care what happened.

I think this book will be a great thriller for many, I am not the reader for this story and was not hooked by the characters enough to want to know what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

My mom taught me, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.". Unfortunately I can't say much except this was BAD.

I didn't enjoy the Prologue & set my kindle day. I picked up the following day and read the book. I don't want to give any spoilers. I suspected a few things earlier on and towards the end, I just kept thinking, "What am I reading?"

The book is all over the place. Initially it seems like a book about cheating & marital issues. Then it turns into an event that happened 17 years earlier in college.

The book abrupts ends with a prologue to the next book, The Son. No thanks. I'm done.

Seventeen years ago while attending school, Hannah shared a house with Rachel, Matt and Alison. One night at a party Hannah is attacked and is so traumatized that she leaves school. Now she has decided to face her past and confront whom she believes attacked her.
Jealousy, lies and secrets along with twists make it hard to tell who is telling the truth, if anyone is. In my opinion, the terror and a tension filled ending helped to give this book 3.5 stars Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC. The Broken Marriage by Elena Wilkes is a thriller involving three friends who met in college, two of which are married now. The marriage seems perfect from the outside but it's falling apart and their friend, Hannah, shows up at their front door and their lives start to unravel as the past reveals itself. I found the premise of this book really interesting and it pulled me in right away. Around 1/3 of the way through it started to get slow and it really started to feel like stories from college rather than building to a twisty thriller. I also believe the writing was quite simple and at times was frustrated with the conversations between the characters. They seemed to talk for a long time without ever saying anything.

I could not get into this one. It was a little confusing sometimes distinguishing which character was talking. I really wanted to like it and did enjoy parts of it but unfortunately could not finish it.

This book was a bit of a slow burn at first, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Until the end where I felt everything happened at once and too quickly. None of the characters were likable to me, which always makes it harder reading a story. Overall I thought this was a decent psychological thriller. 3/5 ⭐️

thank you net galley for the advanced readers copy!

Lies upon lies!

Intriguing physiological thriller sees Hannah revisit the traumas of her past. She finds her former college roommates Matt and Rachel, married, living an idyllic life. As the cracks in the facade of their perfection begin to expose themselves, they have to wonder why Hannah has appeared out of the blue, and what she wants. But we learn she’s not the only one with secrets. Lots of twists in the story with a surprise ending.

I found some of the characters a little tough to follow, along with some interactions. I also feel the story ended slightly abruptly, thus 4/5. Thanks to NetGalley, Elena Wilkes and Storm Publishing for the arc.

I really enjoyed this. Mind bending is a word i would use. I had absolutely no idea who was telling the truth. So much gaslighting between the characters I even felt as the reader i was being gaslighted myself. Just couldnt tell what way the story was heading.

Not sure by the end I actually empathised with any of the characters they were all so messed up!

Elena Wilkes has written an excellent psychological thriller. You know when a book gets inside your head and under your skin its a good one. Definitely an author I'll look out for more. Only downside I would have preferred a more conclusive ending but I always prefer things neatly rounded off.

Give this one a try !

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the Arc in return for my honest review.

This book isn’t about a marriage, but about a married couple and their relationships with friends from college 17 years ago. Hannah was one of those friends, but after a traumatic event, she disappears. 17 years later she shows up at Rachel and Matt’s door- and secrets and lies start to unravel.

I liked the premise of this book, and I read it quickly. However, I had difficulty liking any character. And the conversations seemed a little juvenile at times. I found that as things happened, I wasn’t really rooting for any of them. It is definitely a psychological thriller. I will say there are triggers of rape and possible loss of child.

I also felt there were a few things that seemed unresolved. And the ending- well I felt it is following the trend that seems to be the thing now! So the “twists” and shocks were minimal.

I did feel the pacing was good, and I think people who like Freida McFaddon would enjoy this!

This book was not what I expected it to be. I really thought it was going to be about friends but one is a cheater. Well you can say it is true to some point. Hannah, Rachael and Allison were three friends who shared a home along with Matt as thery were young and exploring the outside world. Rachael was the out going one who everyone wanted to be friends with, Allison seemed to tag along as Rachael's good friend and then there is Hannah a lost soul among the three who is so fixated with being Rachel's friend needing to be wanted in a nut shell she wanted a family. Matt is the token male who is a nerd and is attached to Rachael in some ways. Until one horrible night where Hannah's life changes forever.

Seventeen years later Hannah cannot live with the hurt of that dreadful night she must tell Rachel the truth but can she. She and Matt hook up one night and realizes that Matt isn't who everyone thinks he is. She must tell Rachael, but confronting Rachel will bring back the memory of that horrible night. Will Rachael still be the friend Hannah always wanted.? Will Hannah's secrets come to haunt her and blow her relationships up? Can Hannah also put her past behind her when she confronts a man from her past, the man from that dreadful night?

As I stated The Broken Marriage was not what I expected. I did find it a little slow in the beginning and certain parts dragged on. Until we came towards the end. Did it totally surprise me, I truly did not expect it. I can say I couldn't wait to finish it. Did not see the ending coming.

If you want an eye opener of a book The Broken Marriage is for you. Ms. Wilkes wrote a suspenseful book about broken characters. Especially Hannah whom I did find a bit annoying, yet she wanted to set the record straight and wanted the family she never had. Yet would you really want the love of people who used you? Thank you Ms. Wilkes for a thriller, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. I look forward for more from Elena Wilkes.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of The Perfect Marriage by Elena Wilkes. This is a slow paced mystery that left me wanting more. Hannah, the main character returns to confront her former university roommates Rachel and Matt 17 years after mysteriously dropping out of university. Rachel and Matt who are now married also seem to have secrets. I think the problem with this book is that the characters were not very interesting.

Mmmm this was a strange book and at times I was a bit confused as to what was going on . There were a few twists and turns and an unexpected ending I wasn’t convinced made sense . Not sure if I’d recommend this book and can only give it 3 stars I’m afraid

#TheBrokenMarriage #NetGalley
Rachel and Matt have it all. They are the beautiful couple – from their tastefully renovated house to their highly successful careers. But beneath the happy façade lies a relationship strained by secrets and lies. While Rachel grows increasingly restless, Matt can’t stop thinking about Hannah, Rachel’s former best friend, who they haven’t seen for seventeen years… When Hannah suddenly arrives on their doorstep in the middle of a snowstorm, Rachel and Matt’s perfect marriage begins to crack dangerously. As tensions mount to a breaking point, Hannah reveals her own dark secret – one she's been afraid to face. But has Hannah brought that darkness with her? Has it followed her to this place of safety? Trapped together while the snow falls heavily outside, it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide… Just why has Hannah reappeared in Rachel and Matt’s lives now, and what isn’t she telling them? And how far will this perfect couple go to keep the growing web of lies from destroying them all?
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me an advance copy.

The Broken Marriage is an addictive thriller that'll keep you trying to figure out who is lying, who is telling the truth, and who is taking the back seat and manipulating all.

This story follows past college roommates Rachel, Hannah, Allison, and Matt. We delve into past events that lead us to an explosive ending seventeen years later.
I don't want to get into too much, it's better to go in blind and experience this intense story.

These characters are hard to like I think I hated all of them but they were still complex enough I wanted to know more about them. They are manipulative and cruel. Everyone is a bit crazy, and it was like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. I had to finish and I devoured it in one sitting.
You may think you'll be able to predict where the plot is going but trust me you won't, the twists and turns we're not what I was expecting and no one is as they seem.

I will say the last half lost me, it started to get confusing and into very unbelievable territory. It is fast-paced so with all the drama picking up I had a hard time following along. I did like reading from Hannah's perspective but I do wish we got to see Rachel and even Matt's POV.

Overall, very descriptive and entertaining thriller!

Thank you NetGalley, Elena Wilkes, and Storm Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a domestic thriller and this one did not disappoint. At times I was asking myself what on earth was going on so if that's your vibe witha thriller I highly suggest.

I didn't spend the night reading the book, but I spent an afternoon wildly reading the story to find out what would happen to these roommates as they lived together and as they reached adulthood. It is a very, very gripping psychological thriller.

Three and a half stars for me. The story really grabbed me from reading the blurb however it took a while to get going. A lot of the chapters are from Hannah's perspective, clearly a woman who has dealt with a lot of hardship in her childhood where Rachel and Matt who are just as interesting didn't seem to get as much air time. The premise is great and I really enjoyed the ending, it was well written. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

Rachel and Matt have the perfect marriage to the outside world but the cracks are starting to show. Rachel is getting restless and Matt keeps thinking about their old friend Hannah who they all shared a house with at university.
After not seeing Hannah for seventeen years she turns up one night in the middle of a snowstorm. Is Hannah hiding a secret that will affect them all from their past.
Total rating 3 1/2 stars

This was a refreshing tale of domesticicity at its most potent. Highly recommend! Thanks for the advanced readers copy!