I could not stop with this book! I was hooked. I only thought my family was dysfunctional haha I wanted to scream at times, these characters were getting me so worked up. I was able to figure out one of the big twists but it didn’t make it any less exciting! I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook!

There are meddling mothers and then there’s this mother of the bride….if you like family secrets then this is the book for you! LOVED IT!!

Amazing book with lots of twists and turns the narrator in the audiobook built great suspense and made it enjoyable to listen to as a physical copy reader it was a lovely break.

The characters were built well and I certainly became attached and found I was left wanting to know more often.

Domestic thriller with triggers. If you have experience with this kind of family dysfunction it can be triggering. At bit long on the family tense and less in twists and one at end that felt out of place and lack of follow through on emotional fall out. The twists were good In themselves but also a bit elaborate in execution/premise.

Thanks NetGalley for the read!!!

Oh Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy. This woman drove me to drink on more than one occasion. I mean, how much misery can one person allow another to inflict on them and just keep taking it, for years?

Sylvia, mother to Lizzy and Shelley, is dreadful, and by the end of it, I realised that not only was she dreadful, but a little unhinged. The dad (I forget his name now) isn't much better - allowing his girls to suffer such abuse for so many years and do nothing other than take them for the occasional camping trip. And then running to hide in a 'safe place'. No more about that or I will give it away.

After Minnie the cat, Shelley and Jarrod are my favourite characters. Especially Jarrod, I do wish we'd seen a little more of him. Don't let my negativity about Sylvia put you off, they may be vile, but these are the characters who we love in our books (from a safe distance). All in all, it ticked along nicely and was a quick and relatively pleasant read.

I saw the first twist coming a mile away, the second not so much. It was, as always, brought enchantingly to life by Tamsin, who is one of my favourite narrators.

3 and a half stars. Rounded up to 4 because nothing bad happens to Minnie!

I read this book in audio format and have to give major kudos to the narrator who did a fantastic job. The story suffers a bit in the beginning from the constant repetition but she does such a fantastic job keeping the reader engaged.

The story follows newly engaged and pregnant Lizzy who, with her fiancé in tow, are forced to move in with her mother while they plan their wedding. Lizzy struggles with the fiasco of her sister’s wedding from the past along with dealing with her nightmare of a mother. Things keep happening that leave her wondering if her mother is worse than she thought possible.

It’s a decent thriller that unfortunately felt too predictable. I guessed about 40% in what the big reveal would be since it’s just so glaringly obvious. I had a hard time believing how oblivious Lizzy was being at times. The photos, the phone call with her best friend. It was frustrating dealing with a dense main character who didn’t really have any backbone. The only thing that kind of threw me off was the epilogue but it didn’t feel like a big gotcha moment for me so it felt anticlimactic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Lizzie and Owen are staying with Lizzie's friend while they try to find a place to live while also trying to plan their wedding. They end up going home to meet Lizzie's mom which will turn out to be a big mistake. Lizzie's mom immediately starts taking over the wedding planning and all Lizzie can do is go along with it to keep the piece. This is the part that I was not a fan of as these weak "walked all over" female characters that do not stand up for themselves absolutely drive me crazy. Lizzie starts to worry that her mother may be trying to harm Owen when strange things begin to happen and it reminds Lizzie of when her sister's husband to be tragically died on the day of their wedding....is history repeating itself? was Lizzie's mom involved with is death? I liked the story overall except the not standing up to the Mother of the Bride...Enjoy!!!

Lizzie is pregnant and getting married to Owen. She is thrilled with her life and ready to find a flat and start their lives together. When circumstances lead them to living with her mother for awhile, Lizzie doesn’t want Owen to know just how uncomfortable that makes her. She suspects her mother of many wrong doings and is worried for Owen’s safety. Can Owen and Lizzie start their happily ever after or will her mother rewrite that narrative?

I enjoyed the narrator of this book and the story was very twisty, even when I thought the twists were over!

I’ve always enjoyed this author and this book is no exception. You feel like you’re part of the story and no matter how many characters there may be in a book you feel like you’re a part of that world and invested in these characters as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I always enjoy books from Samantha Hayes, they are interesting, quick paced and easy to follow. This was very entertaining and every time I thought I knew the direction it was going, something happened that made me doubt my first thought. There were plenty of those twists and turns and I ended up not having guessed it right by the end. Overall this was a quick, entertaining read and I really enjoyed it!

The author has delivered a fast paced and deliciously wicked tale. The characters are well rounded and come across as believable, whether you love them or hate them. This is a taut, character-driven psychological thriller, filled with suspicion and tension.

A wonderfully crafted action-packed story with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. I found it well-paced, with well-developed characters and believable motivations, with an interesting plot and satisfying ending. The end had a satisfying, realistic conclusion; with enough justice for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

"Mother of the Bride" by Samantha Hayes is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The twists and turns in the plot were expertly executed, keeping me on the edge of my seat and eager to uncover the truth. Hayes masterfully weaves together a complex web of intrigue and suspense, leaving me guessing until the very end. The characters were well-developed, and their motivations kept me guessing. Overall, "Mother of the Bride" is a thrilling read that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

🎧MOTHER OF THE BRIDE by Samantha Hayes & read by Tamsin Kennard is a suspenseful read!

In short, a woman is about to be married. Her sister's fiance died on her wedding day a year ago...and she found her mother's corsage next to the body. Will a similar incident occur this time? Why is she so worried?

This story felt like a fun suspense that was narrated well. I thought it felt fairly predictable for a while, but then realized I was being led down the wrong path and thoroughly enjoyed letting the story unravel. I especially liked the very end.

Was this a spectacular thriller? Not so much for me, but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and I was entertained by the constant questioning of what was true. I am glad I listened to it and feel like it will be an enjoyable listen to soft suspense fans!

Thank you, @netgalley & @bookouture for sharing this entertaining read with me that came out March 26.

"Mother of the Bride" was an entertaining book, albeit with some flaws. While the storyline was moderately engaging, the main character, Lizzy, left much to be desired. Her lackluster personality and, oftentimes, nonsensical decisions made it difficult to connect with her. Despite being presented with obvious facts, Lizzy repeatedly ignored or excused them, which was quite bewildering.

Furthermore, the mother of the bride was portrayed as having a unique and quirky personality, which made her an interesting character. However, it was rather peculiar that she suddenly transformed into a lucid and normal individual towards the end of the book. Although the thrilling aspect of the story was well-executed, the character development could have been more consistent and believable.

Despite this, the story itself was decently crafted. However, what truly captured my attention was the novel's finale. The final twist was utterly unexpected, and it was the perfect way to conclude the story. I was left with a sense of awe and admiration for the author's clever storytelling.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for free.

I found this book slow to start with, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Some really good twists and turns! A nice easy listen. Would recommend.

I enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audio. It had good plot twists and the writing style made it easy to listen along to without getting lost. The characters were relatable and likable ( or not so likeable in some cases ). All and all it was a book that I would recommend to my bookish friends.

This book has some good family secrets, twists - if you are someone who enjoys it then this book is for you!

When Lizzie finds a hard evidence that her mother Sylvia could have murdered her sister Shelley's fiance she decides to hide it - but she just can't stand being around her mother. After moving away, she is now back and she has a fiance, she is very worried that history might repeat itself.
As Lizzie tries to keep her fiance Owen away from her mother, it just seem to be working in her favor - her mom has a way to manipulating herself into everything including arranging their wedding!
As story progresses, Lizzie finds herself face to face with unbelievable truths, some of them which she didn't even know was happening!

Overall this was a 4/5 stars for me - filled with tension, this was a one sitting listen for me!

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, Samantha Hayes for this book in exchange for honest review.

Amazon no. 1 bestselling author, Samantha Hayes, has weaved an addictive psychological thriller, ending with some twists I didn’t see coming. I had an idea of one plot line, but in a book filled with characters that seemed dark, I didn’t expect just how it all turned out. This is a great one!

As always, Tamsin Kennard, one of my favorite narrators, was fantastic!

Thank you, Samantha Hayes, Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, & netgalley for my audiobook! All opinions are my own.

This book was a slow start and I never felt fully invested. The characters were very one dimensional and I struggled to relate to them. There were some twist and it did get more interested around the half way point.

3.75 stars

Dark, twisty, and intriguing are all terms I could use to describe this book. It was fun, quick, and interesting, and I found myself pulled in right from the beginning. Although I didn’t figure out exactly what was coming at the end, I did have some theories that proved to be reasonably accurate, and I enjoyed the guessing and sense of foreboding that were woven throughout the whole thing. This was a fun, easy read.