This book starts with a bang, we get into the story right from the start. I just couldn’t put this one down until I finished it!

Nothing is what is seems and the unraveling of the mystery is one big twisty spiral… I was suspecting everyone and I truly didn’t figure it out until the last couple chapters, the big reveal was beyond SHOCKING. This is my first book from Shari J. Ryan and honestly I love her writing style and how it makes everything so believable and true, I also liked how she tied up the story at the end and how every detail made sense. The dual timelines helps a lot to understand where the actions of the characters came from.

If you’re a thriller fan you ABSOLUTELY need to read this one, you won’t be disappointed trust me!!!

4.5 ★

Thank you Shari J. Ryan, Bookoutue & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

My Husband's Past
by Shari J. Ryan
Pub Date: Sep 23 2024

A great psychological thriller that pulls you in from the very first page until the cliffhanger ending! I'm hoping the author writes a sequel as I need more of this story! It is told in dual timelines with many twists and turns, suspense and mystery. This is definitely a book I highly recommend. This is my first book I've read by Author Shari J. Ryan and I plan on reading more after reading this 5 star book!

Synopsis: My best friend disappeared twenty years ago. I thought she was dead. But today I’ve received a message that makes my heart stop. It says it’s from Izzy. And she’s blaming my new husband for her disappearance.

Many, many thanks to #MyHusbandsPast #NetGalley. and #Bookouture for providing me with an E-ARC of this 5 star psychological thriller!

What starts as a quest for a woman to figure out if the emails from a long-lost friend are truly legit turns into one twisted tale. Shari Ryan once again had me on the edge of my seat as My Husband's Past unfolded, offering up subtle surprises and omg moments along the way. Jess Alder gained plenty of sympathy not only from me but those closest to her since her mother abandoned her when she was a child and was then left to fend for herself since her father worked long hours in order to take care of her. Now as a twice-married woman with two kids of her own, her seemingly settled life with husband Griffin begins to spiral out of control as those emails take over every waking moment and her determination to find out the truth of Izzy's disappearance brings up long-forgotten emotions and fears.

My amateur detective skills were no match for what unravels as Jess begins to feel as if she is being gaslighted by whoever could be sending these emails. Her eyes start to play tricks on her as well and her faith in the stalwart Griffin also begins to falter with each new email and subsequent texts, appear. Ryan and Jess had me convinced Griffin is the true bad guy here as his love for Izzy all those years ago may have prompted him to cause her to leave everything she knew and loved behind while a high school senior.

With a few well-timed chapters not in Jess's POV, the story truly takes a turn I did not see coming. Ryan kept me off the scent, so to speak, as Jess's daughter, in particular, seemed convinced that her mother was on the right track. However, when the proverbial smoking gun comes to light, all bets are off and in the last 25% or so, the true villain is unmasked and let's just say I was beyond shocked as the revelations keep coming.

The pace of the story is good and Ryan keeps the reader in the dark quite well. However, my one issue is how the book ended. Sure, we now know exactly what transpired 20+ years ago with Izzy's sudden departure but whether or not justice will be served is anyone's guess. Although I'm happy for those who deserved closure and somewhat saddened for those who the raw end of the stick, I still would have wanted a bit more to make sure the guilty party did not remain free. But with this open-ended conclusion, I guess for now I'll have to assume the best but perhaps expect the worst.

But either way, Shari J. Ryan created one heck of a wicked good thriller and I happily give My Husband's Past a solid 4 stars.

I gave this book a 4/5 ⭐️. This book was entertaining and thrilling! I couldn’t stop reading for the first 40% and then I felt like after, it started dragging on. I thought the plot twist was good and I was not expecting it! It was enjoyable book!

Jess, settled with a perfect family, is going about her usual business when she receives an e-mail from best friend, Izzy. However, Izzy disappeared 20 years ago and is telling Jess now that her husband was to blame. Jess starts to have doubts about her husband. Is he really someone to fear?

This started immediately with the action and I was interested in where the storyline was going almost straight away. I found the mystery element strong with plenty of twists and turns. The characters were written well, although I found I didn’t fully connect with them. I found the pacing dipped a bit when it got to the halfway point and some parts were quite far fetched. Saying that, this is an entertaining thriller and a quick, easy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the book #MyHusbandsPast by #ShariJRyan. This book has me turning all around and shocked. Such an amazing read! Jess just received an email from her best friend Izzy, who has been missing for 22 years. It states that Jess’s now husband, Griffin, was her stalker all those years ago and that she and her children beed to run and get away from him. Is Griffin really responsible for Izzy disappearing?

Yes another great read by Shari Ryan. Fantastic characters that kept me flipping pages long past my bedtime. This one hooked me early on and just never let go. Lots of secrets and lies, I had no clue who to trust. The reveals were chilling.
Thank you NetGalley, Shari Ryan and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My Husband's Past by Shari J. Ryan is a fast paced psychological thriller which will have your head spinning.
The storyline is well paced and the characters are fleshed out well.
If you want a book with excellent pacing, with more than one jaw-dropping twist thrown in, then look no further.
My Husband's Past is a riveting read that will keep you glued to the pages until the final chapter.

Wow, this book is one of those reads that just makes you feel super tense, and then ratchets it up to 11. The whole book was an amazingly tense thriller full of surprises and unexpected twists - I went back and forth so many times thinking I had everything figured out, until another twist came along, changing my mind….it was a great ride!

And once everything was revealed - wow! To say that I was speechless is is an understatement. There’s a lot of moving parts in this one, and the author really uses all of them to make the story more compelling and multi-layered than just a straightforward romance-gone-bad novel, which wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting.

The ending is a bit open-ended, which I normally don’t like, but in this case, it works, because this book really is all about questions and “what ifs?” The main questions are all answered, but there’s some suspense left hanging. It’s great for this particular book.

Basically, if you love domestic suspense and high intensity mysteries, this is a great book for you!

2.5 ⭐️ This review WILL contain spoilers.

Plot:
Jessica is spooked by an email that claims her missing best friend was being stalked by her new husband and that he had something to do with her disappearance, over twenty years ago. Jessica must unveil what her new husband is hiding and who is sending these mysterious emails.

Review:
What unfolds in this book, is a series of events that has the real potential to be a great story, however it does fall short in some very important areas. To make my review fair and constructive I’m going to start with the areas where I think the author missed the mark and then finalise with the areas in which I think the author got it right.

Where the author missed the mark:

1) The narrators are unreliable - This isn’t always a bad thing; I love an unreliable narrator if done correctly. However; this falls short. Quite early on, I found myself to frustrated with Jessica because it was extremely obvious she had something to hide. She constantly thought about going to the police or asking the right questions of Griffin but she always found a way to completely skate over logic and move onto the next bizarre choice she made. Her character was unlikeable and erratic from the get-go. I understand Jessica was quite deranged, but this was way too obvious.
2) Character choices - why did Jack just go along with a murder? Why did he choose to marry someone so unhinged? Why would he cheat on a clearly unstable woman? None of this makes any sense. Just like everything that Jessica did, their choices made no sense.
3) The pacing was off - the short chapters are clearly a stylistic reading tool and usually I’m here for it, as it makes books more digestible. However, they often felt unfinished, stopping randomly. Most of the chapters felt unfinished or like I was missing something. In fact the whole book often felt that way, I kept having to re-read chapters because I felt for sure I was missing important elements. I often wondered if there were paragraphs missing in the middle of chapters too because the writing was a little too sporadic for my liking.
4) The language - quite often I found myself reading certain lines and thinking the author was writing for a school assignment and they had to get specific language elements into the work. The use of this was a bit excessive and I felt took away from a great plot. I don’t need all the flowery description to connect with a story and the book’s characters.

What the author did well:

1) It was a mystery - I found myself desperate to know what exactly happened to Izzy and what the connection was between Griffin, Jessica and Izzy. I kept turning the pages to understand and that is always a plus.
2) The characters were quite well rounded - despite what I’ve mentioned above, for the most part the characters were well rounded and had some real depth to them. I wish at times some of the lesser characters had more time spent on them to fully flesh them out. In particular, Jack and Natalie.
3) The plot - what a great premise! The overall story, mystery and the then/now elements really worked. It added a sense of longing in me that kept me interested and wanting to know more.

Overall this wasn’t a bad book. I actually quite liked giving a new style a chance and I’d certainly pick up another book by this author to compare notes, this just needed a bit more refining for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published 24th September 2024.

A truly addictive read that you’re not gonna want to put down! Jess is happily remarried to Griffin, a caring & loving man who’s given her a second chance at love when she starts to receive emails from her best-friend Izzy. The only thing is Izzy disappeared 20 years ago and has been presumed dead.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Secrets that were never to be revealed…events that should’ve never happened. This was one of those edge of your seat thrillers! I loved the pacing of this book. The story drew you in from the first page!

Shari J. Ryan’s My Husband’s Past is a gripping exploration of love, secrets, and the shadows that can haunt even the closest relationships. From the first page, Ryan pulls readers into a world where the past and present collide, creating a tension that’s both intriguing and emotionally charged.

I enjoyed this book. The first few paragraphs were gripping and made me want to continue reading. It had a few interesting twists and turns I was not expecting. The ending left me wanting more. I would definitely read more from this author

This book gripped me from the very first page and I found it hard to put down.
Every time I thought I learned something new, something else happened and my thoughts changed.
A fast paced psychological thriller with an interesting storyline and good characters.
This author has written a lot of excellent historical fiction books set around the Second World war which I have loved. This change of genre from her for me was also really enjoyable. But for me the ending left me thinking ‘What?” and because of this I dropped my rating down by a star *** No spoiler alerts**

My Husband's Past by Shari J. Ryan is an exciting thriller with a couple of awesome plot twists!

You think you know your best friend, but do you?

You think you know your husband, but do you?

You think you know your wife, but do you?

Lies. Deceit. Betrayal. Stalking. Murder. This book is a perfect mix of ingredients for a thriller!

20 years ago, Jessica's best friend, Izzy, tragically went missing during a senior bonfire night. Jessica is convinced Izzy's disappearance has something to do with a mystery boyfriend that no one has met yet. 20 years later, out of the blue, Jessica receives an email from Izzy's email address claiming that she's alive and that Jessica is incredibly close to the person that ruined her life all those years ago. So close, in fact, it's her husband. Jessica's life begins to spiral as she questions everything - what REALLY happened during that bonfire? Who did she marry? Is she and her children safe?

Shari J. Ryan takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions. One minute, I think I knew who did it and the next, I was fully convinced someone else did it - and I love that Shari J. Ryan was able to create that level of suspense!

Wow!! What a book. I was not expecting the twist, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!! This is a 4.5 rating for me only because I felt like the ending was very abrupt and left a lot of questions as to where the characters ended up. It definitely left it open to interpretation, as well as the opportunity should the author want to write bonus material or even a second book or novella. But because of that abruptness in the ending, I would not quite rate it a 5. This book reminded me a lot of Freida McFadden's books, where you can never guess the ending or the culprit. I thought it was a riveting story that kept me curious throughout the whole book. By the end, I didn't trust anyone!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries and the unexpected! I would definitely read another book by this author, as this is the first one I've read of hers. Very enjoyable.

Wowzers! This is one wild ride of a read. There is a massive twist you won't see coming and that ending! Oh my! Completely propulsive and very well done!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I’ve never read anything by this author before. I really enjoyed this one a lot. I highly recommend it.

This book had me up until 3:15 am. I was hooked from the first email Jess received. I was left guessing who was truly behind it all. Jack? Griffin? Natalie? Jess' employees? I even suspected Jess' daughter. Then just when I thought I knew....I surely did not!

I never saw Jess' confession coming or Jack's involvement. Honestly my heart broke for both Jack and Griffin. Both men wanting to be loved and deserving it while both being stuck in loveless marriages with this woman. Also, those poor kids being so scared of Griffin, when he was indeed innocent behind it all. I was so sad for them.

I really wish there was more from Hannah's point of view and her getting the payback for her sister and Griffin. I haven't been this bamboozled by a plot in a long time and I enjoyed every moment of it. I will shout it from the rooftops this is a solid 4.5 ⭐️