The Honeymoon
Shalini Boland

Read and Reviewed: March 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one.
Shalini Boland is one of my go to authors for sure - she never disappoints and this one was no different. I've read all her books and have loved them all.

The Honeymoon is a captivating mystery from start to finish that keeps you hooked throughout.

Stella and Austin are newlyweds off to Italy on their honeymoon. Back at the hotel after dinner on their first night, Austin claims he left his credit card at the restaurant they dined at and leaves Stella at the hotel to go and get it. He doesn't return. He just disappears completely and the plot follows the mystery of his disappearance from there.

Told from Stellas POV in a dual timeline -
Both NOW and THEN. I really love dual timelines in books! This one was so well crafted and there were a number of intriguing suspects which all added to the mystery.

This was a fast paced, quick and easy read (less than 300 pages long) with short chapters and I flew through it in a matter of hours.

In typical Shalini style, there were plenty of twists and turns throughout and the ending was brilliant ... I did not see that coming.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the ARC and the chance to read and review this fantastic book.

It did not disappoint.
Defo recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Enjoyed this book a lot. It's tense and gripping, with some good twists at the end. It's probably not the best book by the author that I've read but I have high standards there. Still a very good read.

The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland is a captivating mystery that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The twists in the story are unexpected. With a number of intriguing suspects, the suspense builds around the disappearance of one honeymooner on the very first day of their trip. The characters are well-crafted, adding depth and interest to the plot. This was the first book by Boland I’ve read, and I’m definitely looking forward to exploring more of her work.

I enjoy Shalini Boland’s books and this one certainly did not disappoint. We meet up with Stella who is on honeymoon in Venice with her new husband Austin. On the first night he has to leave the hotel to retrieve his credit card he left in the restaurant that evening but to Stella’s dismay he never returns. She informs the police and decides to go out herself to try and find him but soon thinks that she is being followed. Stella soon questions everything she knows about Austin especially when she discovers that he has a vengeful work partner and an obsessive ex girlfriend. The book is told in two story lines, the months before the wedding and after. This was another brilliant read from Shalini which kept me guessing with all the twists and turns. I look forward to her next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was my first Shalini Boland read. It was a quick read about how her and her husband go on their honeymoon and her husband disappears. The suspense and twists kept me turning the page

Thank you to NetGalley and Shalini Boland for an eARC for an honest review of the book.

This is a good read
Love Shalini’s books and this one didn’t disappoint
Once you start this book you won’t want to put it down
Thanks NetGalley

Thank you for the ARC.
This was a quick read as I couldn't put it down - hooked from the start.
For me it wasn't the best book by this author - there have been far better.
More please

It was the perfect romantic honeymoon. Until her husband disappeared.

It was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. But for newlywed Stella, the dream honeymoon has turned into a nightmare overnight. Her perfect husband, Austin, has vanished without a trace.

Alone in Venice, Stella frantically searches for him. But as fear turns into confusion, she finds herself questioning everything she knows about the man she married. Has Austin really abandoned her, or has someone from his past finally caught up with him—the business partner he threatened to sue? The obsessive ex-girlfriend who refuses to let go? When Stella becomes convinced someone is following her, panic sets in.

As hours turn into days and clues start to unravel dark secrets, a terrified Stella can’t help but ask herself: is her husband who she thought he was at all?

Holy plot twists. Did not see that ending coming at all. I was hooked on Stella's story from the start. Cannot wait to read more from the author. Will recommend to others.

Everything seems to be romantic and perfect just before the honeymoon, then the story picks up and it becomes an intense psychological thriller. Definitely recommend.

This was such a great read! I liked how the story was told in then/now timelines, and how it all came together in the end. The chapters were short, the story was fast-paced, and that twisted ending was fantastic!! I thought I had some of the twists figured out, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was way off. Definitely recommend picking this one up if you get the chance.

The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland hooked me in from the first few pages, could not put it down. The twists and turns throughout made for a great read and the ending…… well I never saw that coming.

After four years of dating, Stella has married the love of her life, Austin. He’s rich, gorgeous, successful, classy and head-over-heels in love with her. But when he leaves their honeymoon bed in the middle of the night in Venice, it starts a nightmare Stella could never imagine.

While the book drags in some places, the ending is a speeding, twisty freight train that makes the whole ride worthwhile. Fans of thrillers will love this one. It’s an easy read with straightforward characters although of course not everyone is who them seem.

#TheHoneymoon #NetGalley
Awesome.
It was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. But for newlywed Stella, the dream honeymoon has turned into a nightmare overnight. Her perfect husband, Austin, has vanished without a trace.
Alone in Venice, Stella frantically searches for him. But as fear turns into confusion, she finds herself questioning everything she knows about the man she married. Has Austin really abandoned her, or has someone from his past finally caught up with him—the business partner he threatened to sue? The obsessive ex-girlfriend who refuses to let go? When Stella becomes convinced someone is following her, panic sets in. As hours turn into days and clues start to unravel dark secrets, a terrified Stella can’t help but ask herself: is her husband who she thought he was at all?
Shalini never disappoints.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

Honeymoon Turns Mysterious..
The perfect honeymoon turns mysterious and quickly descends into terror as the newly betrothed bridegroom is nowhere to be found. As the search commences, the more frantic the new bride becomes - soon she begins to question everything that she knows and does not know about her new husband. Fast paced, twists aplenty with a snippy narrative and a well imagined backdrop.

THE HONEYMOON was another great Shalini Boland read, catapulting you directly into the story from the first page. It was a fast paced and twisty read with multiple timelines that were easy to follow. There was a brief lull in the middle but the ending made up for it and kept me guessing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review THE HONEYMOON.

This was my first Shalini Boland book and to me it didn’t disappoint. It was a quick page turner for me. It might have been repetitive that she was constantly trying to find her husband…but he’s missing! I can’t say this is the worst book I’ve read and I didn’t see the twist coming. Overall, I think it was a great book to read at the beach.

I can’t wait to read more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Shalini Boland for an eARC for an honest review of the book.

If you're looking for a quick entry to thrillers, this would be it. As someone who has read a lot of truly amazing thrillers with great twists, I left a bit disappointed. I know the name of the game is to go in with an open mind and ride the wave, but this one just made me roll my eyes several times. This isn't the first Boland novel that I have read, so I somewhat expected this, but I just wish that we had more to the plot than the main character constantly wondering where her missing husband was. It became very repetitive by the end. The best part of the book was the epilogue, which was a nice addition to the ending to tie it all together. While I did enjoy the twists, it just felt a bit flat and one note.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

The perfect honeymoon...until her husband disappeared...

Stella and Austin are newlyweds just arrived in Venice for the picture perfect honeymmon. After a sumptuous dinner, a little dessert and some rambunctious lov-making, Stella awakes to find Austin dressing in the dark. Upon enquiring he tells her the restaurant phoned - he left his crdit card there. And so he is just popping out to collect it and a few other things from a nearby supermarket. He kisses her goodbye and leaves their suite...and he never returns.

Frantic with worry, Stella alerts the hotel reception and retraces her steps back to the restaurant to enquire as to whether Austin made it there or not. The fact he had does little to ease her mind because where has he gone from there? And why did he not return?

As hours turn into days, Stella must inform her in-laws, Rob and Vicki, who jump on the first available flight out there to join her in her search for Austin, as the police continue their enquiries also.

But the longer Austin remains missing, the more Stella begins to question just how well she really knew the man she married. And has she just made a big mistake in doing so?

Told in the NOW and THEN present-and-past-format, this tale is a slow burn for Shalini (I'm used to her fast paced pageturners) and as the story unfolds, we begin to see that all is not as it seems.

While this was not one of her best, it was still a fairly quick read and I felt the final chapters and Epilogue were its saving grace as Shalini has always been the queen of the last minute twist...and she did not disappoint! She delivered not one but TWO shocking revelations that not even I saw coming. And it was these in the final few chapters and Epilogue that saved what was something of a pedestrian read. I know what Shalini is capable of and I can't wait to see what she delivers us next!

I would like to thank #ShaliniBoland, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #TheHoneymoon in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I usually love Shalini’s books, but this was too simple, repetitive and then unbelievable. In fact, the ending made me realise I’d wasted my time in reading the whole book. A couple are on their honeymoon, he disappears and she spends the rest of the book looking for him, which is a complete waste of time we find out by the end. Disappointing.

This fast paced novel by Shalini Boland is an exciting read that blends together romance and suspense. “The Honeymoon” is a tale of love, fear, and dark secrets that turn a honeymoon into a nightmare.

Newlyweds Stella and Austin are on their romantic honeymoon in the beautiful city of Venice. But their honeymoon quickly changes when Austin suddenly disappears.

Stella’s initial worry morphs into sheer panic, finding herself alone on foreign soil, she frantically searches for her missing husband. The fast pace is relentless and gripping and very twist and turn keeps the reader guessing. Seeds of doubt make Stella start to question everything she knows about Austin. She uncovers unsettling clues that suggest he may not be the man she thought he was and as the tension escalates Stella encounters potential suspects from Austin’s past. A vengeful business partner, a clinging ex-girlfriend, and mysterious figures who seem to be following her.

“The Honeymoon” is a very good read as I have come to expect from this author and would recommend it to readers who enjoy fast paced psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.