The Stranger at the Wedding had all the things I love in my thrillers - unhinged characters, dual timelines, and multiple POVs. But this one fell short for me. While enjoyable, it started off slow. It was also difficult to keep up with which timeline or whose POV I was listening to due to no clear cut differentiation between the switches. While the plot lines fell a little flat for me, there were parts that I did enjoy. The ending shocked me and caught me completely off guard. Sophie Rundle did a good job bringing the story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from the title but it was an interesting suspense story. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job, but the story shifts narrators and timelines without any indication which made it very hard to follow the story. This wasn’t the narrator’s fault and I do think they brought the main character to life well. Before she saw Mark Annie didn’t believe in love at first sight. The story centers around Annie and Mark’s wedding but it goes before and after as well. A man no one recognizes does show up at the wedding (but this wasn’t exactly the lynch pin to the story I thought it was). There was one very small thing that surprised me as I read this one, but mostly I found the story to be predictable. The writing was ok, but the characters were all either flat or unlikeable so it was hard to get engaged in the story. Overall I gave this one 2.5 stars which I rounded up because it did reach an appropriate level of creepy. Some of the foreshadowing (which I thought was a little strong) was well and truly creepy.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for chance to listen to this audiobook.

I felt like I had absolutely no idea what was going on for 90% of this book and honestly, the characters were just so unlikable that if not for the really well done audio narration I would have DNFed this one. That said, the ending was a turning point and was better than I expected. Not my favorite but someone else would likely enjoy it.

For a psychological thriller, I wasn't overly intrigued by this one. I think for me - it was how it was laid out. It had a slower build up and I got lost on some occasions with the multiple timelines. It fell a little flat for me. I think it's still a solid story - just not a favorite for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Slow pace but stay with it. The end might just surprise you. I went in blind but was hooked quickly with its twist and turns. Give it a chance.

Thanks netgalley & Macmillan Audio

This one had me hooked! An absolute page turner (or binge listen in this case since I did the audiobook version 🎧).

Thriller/mystery taking you between two POVs of leading women of the story.

My mind was semi blown by this one, and I think you’re going to love it as much as I did!. This one is a total win in my book!

I listened to the audio version narrated by Sophie Rundle. I think the audio really suffered because there were not distinct voices for the different characters. It was very confusing. I would almost like to go back and read the e book to see if it is any clearer.

The story itself was a thriller. There were twists and turns that kept me going throughout. I really had no idea who had done what until the very end. It was also very hard to feel for any of the characters because it was hard to find any redeeming qualities in them. This story kept me listening through the struggles with the narration and the final jab was unexpected.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copy of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

This was a decent story, but it was not my favorite. Some good parts kept me engaged, but overall I had difficulty staying engaged. I had a hard time connecting. I also sometimes got confused about who was talking because of the switching of the different points of view. THe narrator was a good narrator.

This novel was approximately named in my opinion because “the stranger” was the central character in the story. This thriller was definitely different in writing style and format and I do appreciate this sort of creativity. The story is told from three POVs; Annie, the bride, Hope, the first wife and Cameron, the stranger and in back and forth timelines. I was engaged and interested in the story throughout the book but found the flow to be rough and distracting. The transitions between characters and timelines was confusing and it took a few sentences to figure out which character was speaking and whether the timeline was before or after the wedding. This made the book less enjoyable for me. I really never did understand the motives behind the crime.
I listened to the audio version of the book and I think this made the transitions even more difficult to follow. The narrator did a good job in spite of the author’s confusing writing style.

What you think you are getting from this book based on the title is not what you actually get. So forget the title and start thinking about the plot - Annie is marrying her love Mark, but the fact that Mark's first wife, Hope, disappeared is hanging over their heads. And then after the wedding, things between them start to become tense.

Told in alternating timelines of Annie's relationship with Mark and Hope's diary, you start to finally learn how these things are connected. The story with predictable, but still enjoyable. There's really not much to say about it. There is a proper amount of lead up, hints, and a big reveal that is meant to be intense. The audio narration is high quality, with enough difference between Annie's and Hope's perspectives that it is clear whose story you are in the middle of. I also did really enjoy the nods to Greek Mythology.

However, by the end I'm left with lingering questions and I still don't understand what happened to Jessica and the significance of that.

I liked this book. Definitely a good addition to the domestic noir genre. Good for fans of Girl on the Train or Behind Her Eyes. I sometimes got confused between the narratives of the "old" vs. "new" wife, but in general, I enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMiilan Audio for the AAC for my honest opinion.

Talk about time hoping, this book was a bit confusion to stay committed to the plot.
A glance meeting on the morning commute Annie meets Mark and are quickly engaged and married. At the wedding and reception and stranger shows his face claiming to be friend of Mark’’s father. Marks first wife went missing with no trace. You think Mark has a hidden agenda to the quick marriage to cover the real reason the first wife went missing. The stranger Cameron never gave up looking for Marks wife and it’s not the twist you think we need. The twist is predictable but leaves you with questions of Why!

I didn’t find either Mark or Annie to be enjoyable characters and feel both acted poorly in the grand scheme of things.

The narrator did a good job trying to distinguish each character and really giving them the best emotions possible.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Annie is standing at the alter when she looks out into the crowd and sees a man that she didn't invite. She shakes her head and marries Mark, even though he has been married before and his wife vanished without a trace.... This is a slow burn that I felt was just okay.

I enjoyed listening to an audiobook version of this book. The story had some twist and turns that I did not expect, and I always enjoy that. I would recommend reading/listening to this book if you like a good story with twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an early copy of this.

Decent quick thriller. I found it a little predictable but still enjoyed the ride. Narrator paced it well but was hoping for more considering the multiple POV

In The Stranger at the Wedding, the bride notices a stranger at her wedding and as his identity is revealed, things begin to unravel and the secrets start to come out. This book was a bit bonkers. It has many timelines bouncing around and multiple narrators. None of which are reliable. The details are slowly leaked out that the groom’s first wife left him and is nowhere to be found, the bride lost her sister tragically, a man was hired to look for the missing first wife, and the first wife’s story from her marriage. As little clues start to get dropped, things get nuts and the description psychological thriller becomes very appropriate. I did the audio thanks to @macmillan.audio and it was like watching a stressful movie that had me hooked.

The Stranger at the Wedding was unfortunately not very well fleshed out. For the most part, the characters were flat and unlikable. The plots predictable. I think there was supposed to be a "twist" (because all books seem to need them instead of working harder on the story) but it wasn't very twisty.

I enjoyed this one and it reminded me of The Silent Patient. I did think some areas of the book drug on but overall it was suspenseful and interesting. I wouldn’t say that I liked any characters and there were some points where it was all so confusing. Even the title is a bit confusing, it doesn’t really match too well with the content of the book. Overall, I thought it was an easy suspenseful read and would recommend to anyone looking for a quick one! 3.5/5

3 stars for me…this book was entertaining but fell flat for me. The multiple timelines were confusing and messy.

Genre: Thriller

Annie and Mark meet in a counseling session for survivors of trauma. They are both trying to hide things from their past while in a relationship with each other. Mark has been married before…she disappeared. At least that is what he says happened.
Annie never thought she would make it to her wedding day, but here she is. The best day of her life….or is it. While standing at the altar, she sees a stranger amongst the guests. Who is the stranger? What really happened to Mark’s first wife? Was their meeting by chance like she thought?

This book references mythology, which I really enjoyed. I found this to be a decent read. It definitely wasn’t one of my favorites and is unmemorable for me. But, I also wouldn’t discourage reading it.