This just wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t feel a connection to the main character and I felt nothing exciting happened throughout the book. There was no real suspense or gripping moments. I did like the twist but I felt like it made no sense as the story was told from Stella’s point of view. I really liked the epilogue. That was a true OMG moment. Overall it was a fine read but nothing outstanding. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy!

The Honeymoon is one of those books that has you racing to the finish to find out what happened. I read it in less than one day as I couldn't put it down! If you've read a Shalini Boland book than you know what I'm talking about. Her books grab you and don't let go. Stella and Austin have been together for four years when they get married. They go to Venice for their honeymoon as Austin's parents own a travel company and give them the trip as their wedding gift. After having a wonderful dinner they go back to their honeymoon suite to consummate their marriage. Stella feels closer to Austin than she ever has and the night of making love was the best yet.

When Stella wakes up her back feels cold and Austin is not in bed with her. She's so tired and groggy, but she sees Austin dressed and getting ready to go out. Stella asks him to come back to bed, but he tells her the restaurant called and found his credit card on the table. He's going to walk back to the restaurant to get his card, find a store to buy a phone charger, and then he'll be back. Stella tells him to wait until the morning, but Austin is dressed and ready to go. He tells her to get some sleep and he'll be right back. Stella offers to go, but he can see how tired she is so he tells her to stay and rest.

Stella can't sleep once Austin is gone and waits for him to return. The problem is Austin doesn't come back. Stella doesn't know what to do when time goes by and he's still not back. Where could Austin be? Did something happen to him? Should she call the police? She goes down to the lobby and tells the people working the desk what has happened. They tell her to wait until morning as a lot of travelers go and get drinks before coming back. Stella is very worried and knows something must have happened to Austin. Stella can't sit still and decides to walk to the restaurant to see if Austin is still there. It's 1 a.m. but some restaurants are open late. When she gets there the restaurant is dark, but she knocks on the door and yells for them to let her in. The owner is in bed above the restaurant and comes down as he recognizes Stella from dinner. He tells Stella that Austin did come and get his credit card but has no idea where he went after that.

On her way back to the hotel after checking a store that sold phone chargers, Stella realizes that her life has taken a turn. What should've been the happiest time of her life has now become a nightmare! She calls the police and reports her husband as missing. She calls Austin's parents to let them know what's happened and they tell her they're going to fly in later that day. They're terrified that something has happened to their son. What happened to Austin? Will he be found? Did he run away to avoid business problems? Why would he leave Stella on their honeymoon? Stella feels like she's being followed as she searches for Austin. Is Stella in danger? Are Austin's business decisions coming back to haunt them? The Honeymoon is a fantastic thriller with several twists you won't see coming! I rate The Honeymoon 4 stars with a high recommendation. The Honeymoon is available on June 13 and should not be missed! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of The Honeymoon in exchange for a fair review. #TheHoneymoon

Holy Wow! The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland is amazeballs! I don’t know how she keeps getting better and better with each book. Stella and Austin just got married and are spending their honeymoon in Italy, how lucky right? But soon after their arrival Austin goes missing. This is when we get to know a few people that may have a grudge and want to get even with Austin. What a rollercoaster of a ride this was. I’m still trying to process what I just read. My head is spinning from the twists. I read it so fast that I may go back and start again just to savor it this time. A million thanks to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Ms Boland herself for this advanced copy. Mind blown….. mic drop!

Yet another thrilling and engaging story from Shalini Boland!

Stella is in Italy on her honeymoon with Austin when Austin disappears. It appears several people have ill will toward him including his business partner, Bart. Bart claims Austin has been stealing funds from their joint business account; something Austin adamantly denies leading to him to sue Bart.

Another person holding bad feelings toward Austin is his ex-girlfriend who is still furious and jealous that he’s moved on, going so far as showing up drunk to Stella and Austin’s engagement party.

Then there’s the mysterious Seraphina; a woman Austin was talking to through a dating app which is how he met Stella.

As the clock ticks down, questions swirl around Austin’s disappearance. Did he go on the run with some of the money from stole from his business with Bart? Did his ex-girlfriend follow him to Italy to show just how betrayed she felt? Or has he skipped out on his new bride to track down Seraphina?

Told in two lines, leading up the wedding and during the honeymoon, I was hooked and glued the whole time! This was a four star read for me meaning I absolutely believe thriller and Boland fans alike will be excited to check this out!

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!

Austin and Stella are blissfully happy on their honeymoon in Venice, until Austin realises he has left his credit card in the restaurant, nips back to get it and never returns.

An absolutely brilliant premise and it totally delivered. The plot is fast paced, detailed and very well thought out, with an absolute blinder of a twist that totally floored me! And then another one in the epilogue that I could never have expected.

Highly recommended!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Shalini Boland and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Stella is married to the love of her life, Austin and they are celebrating the first night of their honeymoon in a lavish hotel in Venice. They return from their meal at a local restaurant when Austin gets a call to say he's left his credit card behind and he insists that she stays in the hotel while he goes back to get it, but he doesn't return. Stella spends the following days searching for him but when she has no luck tracing him she decides to contact the police and then his parents. As events begin to unfold she learns things about her husband that make her question who she married, what or who has made him disappear, and who is the man she's convinced is following her?

This latest thriller by Boland sets off on its rollercoaster journey from the very first page, switching so fast between Now and Then that there was no time to shout stop I want to get off, although it was more a case of scream if you want to go faster, because this ride was certainly not slowing down for anyone. Alternating between the months leading up to the wedding and the days that followed, this fast paced, intriguing read kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, with twists that just kept on coming right up until Boland smashed it out of the park with the jaw dropping ending that I definitely didn't see coming. Another JUST WOW story from an author that never disappoints. I loved it!

I'd like to thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Shalini Boland. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Stella's dream honeymoon in Venice with her husband, Austin, has turned into a nightmare when he doesn't return back to their hotel room their first night there. Desperate, she searches the city, eventually going to the police and calling his parents who rush to help. But is Austin who she thinks he is? And is someone following her?

Always enjoy curling up with a new book from this author, and this one didn't disappoint. Told in "then" and "now" chapters, we learn about Stella and Austin's relationship leading up to their wedding, as well as Stella's frantic search to find him. I raced through this one and was shocked at the ending! Pack this one along on your vacation - you won't be disappointed!

I loved this outstanding thriller about a woman whose husband disappears the first night of their honeymoon in Italy. I've said this before, but with the number of thrillers I read, I love it when an ending surprises me, and this one has more than one shocker. I really didn’t see the ending coming! Stella is a dance instructor who marries wealthy business-owner Austin Lewis. Their Venice honeymoon gets off to a wonderful start, but Stella becomes frantic when Austin goes back to the restaurant where they had dinner to get his forgotten credit card and doesn't return.

The story has two timelines, the present honeymoon trip and the aftermath of Austin's disappearance and the past beginning with their engagement. Sometimes the telling of the past events interrupts the building suspense in the current timeline, but it makes sense that the story is told this way. The search for Austin and what really happened to him kept me fully engaged. I really enjoyed Stella's parents in both timelines and could really relate to their love for their daughter. It is definitely a page-turner, and the surprising plot-twists make it a book I highly recommend. (4.5 stars)

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

A new bride on her honeymoon wakes to find her husband missing and discovers many secrets in her quest to find him. This one sounded like a perfect summer read but the characters were one dimensional and prevented me from becoming invested in the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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? This was a good but not great thriller. It felt like a familiar plot that’s maybe been overdone a bit. I was hoping for a different spin but it was fairly predictable. Having said this it was well written and had believable characters and dialog.

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Honeymoon’ written by Shalini Boland in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Stella and Austin marry after being together for four years and are looking forward to their flight to Venice where they’re spending their honeymoon. But what should have been a romantic break turns into a nightmare when Austin leaves the hotel late at night and doesn’t return. Stella thinks she’s being followed and is convinced that the man following her is also involved in Austin’s disappearance.

I always enjoy reading novels by Shalini Boland who’s one of my favourite authors and ‘The Honeymoon’ is no exception. It has a straightforward but ingenious plot that’s partly based in my home town and includes an ample supply of drama, suspense and twists and turns. But just as I think the story is coming to a timely end there’s a firecracker of a final twist leading to the conclusion and an epilogue that’s both shocking and unexpected. I love this thriller that I’ve devoured in less than a day and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it.

This was so cleverly written. The plot that introduces a newly wed couple that are so in love spending their honeymoon in Italy and then wham....., everything changes. The way the story unfolds with all the possible directions it could take and then the ending was completely unexpected.
Another great book from Shalini Boland.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Netgalley and Shalini Boland for an ARC in return for an honest review.

It was supposed to be the happiest times of their lives. But for newly-wed Stella, the dream honeymoon has turned into a nightmare overnight. Her perfect husband, Austin, has vanished without 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 she was at all.

Stella and Austin were in Venice for their honeymoon. Austin wakes in the middle of the night remembering that he had left his credit card in the restaurant where they had dined. Not wanting to wait until morning to get his credit card, he returns to the restaurant. And that's the last time Stella sees her new husband, he's vanished into thin air. Stella searches for Austin, but he just seems to have disappeared.

I love a good Shalini Boland book, and I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric read. This is mainly a character driven story, told mainly from Stella's perspective. It's a bit of a slow burn, but when a story is so well-written, the pace doesn't really matter. Both the ending and the epilogue came as a surprise and left my jaw dropping. It's told in the then - When Austin and Stella were arranging their wedding, and now - when they were on their honeymoon. This is an easy book to read.

Published 13th June

I would like to thank #NetGaalley #Thomas&Mercer and the author #ShaliniBoland for my ARC of #TheHoneymoon in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in two times, before the engagement and wedding and now on the honeymoon of Stella and Austin. Shalini writes great books and every one is totally different and always page turning with lots of twists and turns. This latest one is just as exciting making you think you’ve solved it only to read the next chapter and realise you definitely haven’t. Stella can’t believe her new husband has disappeared on their honeymoon. With the help of Austin’s parents and the local police will Austin be found. Definitely a five star read.

I was hooked on "The Honeymoon" by Shalini Boland from the very first page. I ended up devouring 25% of it in one go until 2:30 in the morning because I simply couldn't put it down. Boland has a knack for crafting gripping narratives, and this one was no exception.
The story starts with an intriguing premise and immediately draws you in. The characters are well-developed, and the suspense builds steadily, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Stella's journey through Venice is beautifully described, and Boland does a fantastic job of making you feel as if you're right there with her, wandering the charming yet eerie streets.
However, I did find that the pace slowed a bit in the middle. Stella's repeated wanderings through Venice began to feel somewhat repetitive, which slightly dampened the initial thrill. Despite this minor lull, the narrative picked up again towards the end.
The final twists were brilliantly executed. I hadn't guessed a single one, which made the climax all the more satisfying. The epilogue was a delightful bonus, tying up loose ends and providing a satisfying conclusion to Stella's story.
Overall, "The Honeymoon" is a thoroughly enjoyable read. It has slower moments, but the engaging plot and unexpected ending make it well worth your time. Shalini Boland has delivered yet another captivating thriller that fans of the genre will surely appreciate.

Wow what did I just read! Another five star read from this oh so talented writer who never disappoints.
Told over two timelines the story of Austin and Stella before their wedding and their honeymoon in Venice.
A brilliantly a tense tale of mistrust.
A true rollercoaster atmospheric read, with so many twists, but none as excellent as the ending.

Holy moly! What a crazy, messed-up story, but I really enjoyed it! The Honeymoon is a super quick read. A romantic honeymoon in Venice turns into a nightmare when the husband, Austin, disappears. Stella, his new wife, is frantic and desperate to find him. However, throughout her search, she discovers confusing things she didn't know about Austin. The chapters switch back and forth between NOW (the honeymoon) and THEN (one year ago, right after the engagement, up until the present). The story goes at a good pace and kept me turning the pages as there were continuously new twists and revelations. And just when you think you know everything, there's another shocking surprise at the end. What a great book! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC.

Shalini Boland sure knows how to write a good story! THE HONEYMOON kept me entertained from start to finish. I was eagerly waiting to find out what happened to Austin, how could he just disappear on his honeymoon? Well, I thought I had it figured out and was not expecting more. However, when I got to the very end, there was a huge twist. I'm a huge fan of surprises, so this one was a winner for me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared on Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to pub date.

Stella and Austin are on their honeymoon in Venice, a dream trip paid for by Austin’s parents as a wedding present. One night Stella awakes to find Austin dressing and on his way, out to buy a phone charger and collect his credit card that he mistakenly left at a restaurant. That’s the last that Stella sees of her new husband.

The next day, Stella reports her husbands’ disappearance to the local police and as days go by, she spends her time searching for him. Stella feels that she is slowly going crazy looking for Austin and thinks she is being followed, but isn’t sure if this is just a figment of her imagination brought on by the stress and anguish, she is feeling due to her husband’s disappearance.

Finally, Stella resigns herself to the fact that she needs to make Austin's’ parents aware of his disappearance. It’s a decision she has put off for as long as possible, knowing that as Austin is an only child, his parents will be grief-struck. The plot intensifies as we learn more about the main characters and snippets of their back story. The story seamlessly moves between the then and now, all told from Stella’s perspective. It culminates with a terrific twist that I didn’t see coming.

I have no doubt that when I pick up any Shalini Boland book it will be gripping from the start and I will thoroughly enjoy it. All of her books include plenty of unforeseen twists along the way. This is another fine example of why I love her books and Shalini is in my top five go-to authors.

The perfect honeymoon in Venice turns sour when Stella's husband Austin disappears. Where is he?
Shalini Boland's books are always great popcorn thrillers. This was a short read, at just over 250 pages but it sure did pack a punch. I should have seen the twist that came at the end but had no idea and was left stunned.