This is my first Cathy Lamb novel and I loved it!!!!!!!!! I usually love thrillers and this was a nice slow paced change from chasing murderers and trying to figure out who killed who lol. This story has such a human touch to the writing that you feel like you really know these characters and their lives. The writing has such a real feeling to it. Like these characters are some one you really know. Natalie has the perfect life, perfect husband, perfect husband, and support system. Life is great until one day she is in a car accident and falls into a coma. While in said coma she feels that things are off with her husband like he's keeping secrets from her. When she wakes up and recovers it is up to her to figure out what in hades is going on. Why is he lying to her about so many things in their life?? Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the chance to sink into my first of Cathy Lambs books. This will definitely not be my last by her. Have to read them all now!!!!!

Wow! What a page turner! I loved being inside Natalie’s head and wanting her to communicate but she couldn’t. I love when she went into rehab, where we met all kinds of people. Meanwhile, I’m still wondering if she or I can trust Zack! This was a fabulous read and I highly recommend it!

The Man She Marriet by Cathy Lamb is another in her wonderful line of stories. Natalie lies in a coma after a car accident, he hears her husband, Zack, but cannot communitcate. What she hears lets her know he is hiding something. After she wakes and is in rehab she tries to figure out Zack's past from the bits she can retain. I love this book, it's a gentle tale, the power of love and friendship. Absolutely recommend. Thank you #netgalley #kensingtonpublishing and #cathy lamb

What if your husband told you his name wasn’t really his name? That’s pretty much how this book started out but as soon as he told her that and then told her they needed to leave, she refused and left for work and then was in an accident. From there she’s in an accident and the first part of the book is her in a come where she’s conscious but only in the coma. No one around her knows she can hear everything going on.

I
The plot was a really good plot, but I felt the story could have told better. The biggest problem for me was all the back in time parts about grandma Dixie, Justine, and Chick. It served no purpose and it slowed the book down.

You don’t find out who Zach is until the end of the book and that would usually be fine, but with a vast majority of the book being about her upbringing and then about frog lady, soldier, and architect, it just didn’t come through as well as it could.

What I did like about this book was how detailed the author is in showing what it’s like to recover from a traumatic brain injury.

I love a good drama and a psychological thriller because you get lost in them and they are page turners.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Cathy Lamb is one of my top favorite authors and I love her books. The Man She Married is yet another novel of hers that I can now add to that list! It was an easy read but so compelling and emotional. I was very intrigued to find out why Natalie and Zack were targets and I was also absorbed in reading about the lives of all of the characters and their relationships. I felt so bad for Natalie and can’t imagine what she was going through, not only while in the coma, but during the aftermath as well. The love shown to her by her adoring husband, family, and friends definitely kept her motivated and positive. I absolutely love this book!

Natalie, 35 year old accountant in Portland, learns that her husband has lied about his identity and past on the morning she gets into a horrific car crash. She loses all memory of that morning except in nightmares where the man who hit her continues to attempt to murder her. The rest of the novel follows Natalie's recovery, her relationships with friends and family, and the secrets that everyone hides.

I wanted to like this story. I thought it had great potential. Unfortunately, many things in this book just did not work for me. Natalie goes from a professional, adult woman to a traumatic head injury survivor who thinks and talks like a 12 year old. Her husband is obviously lying to her and she knows it, but she just keeps asking herself over and over "Why is he lying? What isn't he telling me?" instead of actually confronting the man, brain injury or no. The other patients who are in the brain trauma rehab center are depicted more as psychiatric patients with the mental capacity of toddlers than brain trauma patients. Zack, her husband, is so one dimensional I wanted to skip over the parts of the book he appeared in. Her father was one of the only redeeming characters. I kept thinking to myself, I just want this book to be over.

I have read many other Cathy Lamb books. I actually normally enjoy her work very much. Everyone can have a miss now and again, and this, unfortunately, was a huge miss for me.
**Thank you netgalley for providing me and ARC of this book***

Natalie and Zack have been married for five years. One morning Zack tells Natalie that he is really Devon Walton and that he's wanted for murder. He then tries to rush them out of the house after receiving an alarming phone call. They leave; yet Natalie is so angry (and confused) with Zack, she heads to work instead of "running away" with her husband. On the way to work, Natalie's vehicle is crashed into by a van - placing Natalie into a "locked-in" coma.

Since Natalie can only hear what is going on around her, she knows who visits, how they feel and can tell the visitors' state of mind through their voice patterns. Yes, Natalie has forgotten all that has happened since going to bed the previous evening. Her husband visits daily - she knows he loves her and doesn't want her to die but she feels some sort of fear in his voice. Her dad is a daily visitor, also - he exhibits love for Natalie, as well. Natalie also has constant visits from her friends Chick and Justine.

Natalie receives a messed up Barbie doll brought in to her by someone not yet identified and also a package with a decapitated bird during her hospital stay.

Natalie does come out of her coma but is in poor physical and mental shape. She needs rehabilitation for a long time and makes friends during that time. However slow her progress is, she finally is discharged but unable to do the work as a CPA for her own company. And that is not all Natalie has lost. Not by a longshot! Additionally, Natalie begins to remember, yet slowly, more and more of the morning of the accident until one day she remembers the entire morning.

THEN to her husband; "Why did you lie about your name and life?"
" Why did you kill a man?

And this is where the truth begins to evolve. And does it ever!!!

Must read!

Many Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an interesting read!

Decent weekend read thriller. Natalie is in an "accident" and realizes her husband might not be who he says. To me, there was a big plot issue/gap with the Milky Way Maverick Girls (Natalie and her two best friends from childhood). The stories that helped develop each character were great but the no spoilers issue made the book a little less enjoyable because I kept thinking about it.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. 3.5 stars.

I received an ARC copy from Netgalley. Cathy Lamb created an excellent cast of characters in The Man She Married. The story about Natalie and what happens during and after she’s in a coma is in depth, compelling and at times funny. Cathy Lamb balances the seriousness and suspense of the situation with humor while we the reader figure out the lies that swirl around her husband. What an enjoyable and fast read!

1st time reading this author & I was swept away with her writing. I could not put the book down. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel & certainly will read more of Cathy Lamb’s books. Kudos to her!

I read this book because it sounded like a fantastic story. I feel like something was lost in the delivery and it missed what could have been an amazing book.

Cathy Lamb writes the most incredible characters! Natalie is on her way and has a terrible car accident. She is in a coma. As her husband, her 2 best friends, and her parents visit, she can hear everything that is said. She is just trapped in her coma. Natalie knows her husband is hiding something from her and as Natalie is attacked in the hospital, she tries hard to remember the morning of the accident. Natalie awakens and is so determined to get her life back. Can Natalie and Zack save their marriage with all the secrets Zack is hiding? Can Natalie figure out what Zack is hiding and get her life back? I loved this book as it has mystery, true friendship, and such a loving bond with her dad. Natalie, Justine, and Chick have been friends since they were children. They call themselves the Moonshine and Milky Way Maverick Girls. I wish these girls were my friends! They have the very best fun and are always there for each other. This book with its amazing characters will stay with me forever. Cathy Lamb is a must read author for me. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation. All opinions are my own.

In June, I saw that Cathy Lamb had a new book coming in October
I was excited to be chosen to read an ARC in September.
I have read and loved all of her books

As you open this book, the first sentence is, "He had lied."
Husband of 5 years had lied, "I dragged in a breath. It was breathe or pass out
Because of the man I married."

Then an incident which forces her into a coma.
In a coma coffin - dead and not dead living in a body, body is not living.
She hears everything around her, but she is still unable to remember the
morning of the accident.

Now awake she needs to readjust to her life
changes arise, new problems arise.

This one kept me reading even as I worked, I had to carry it with me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of The Man She Married.

This is my first book by the author.

This was a little slow to start, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

I look forward to reading more by the author.

This book. Oh my gosh...it was rough. I NEVER decide half way through to stop reading a book but I just COULD NOT. I read to about 57% and then finally skipped ahead to the end for a spoiler. The first part of the book the main charcter is in a coma....that was painful. The same thing is basically said over and over with a lot of rambling. Then she goes into a rehab center and starts to get better. You read about her struggle and what her friends are doing everyday while she makes necklaces. Every other page you will be immersed in some old story from her childhood that really has no relevance or just a random story really haha. I would skip this one for sure.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I read this book in one sitting. Started at 9am and finished it around 3pm. I keep forgetting about Cathy Lamb's books.

I don't know if it's I'm a sucker for coma thrillers but this book was so well written. Pick it up!!!

Cathy Lamb is an author I consistently go back to because her books are so darn good. Her latest, The Man She Married, is no exception. Lamb baits the hook with tasty morsels of mystery, and expertly reels the reader in to the mystery that is Natalie and Zack’s marriage. The reader will fall in love with Lamb’s eccentric characters and be intrigued by a storyline that will leave them guessing. Lamb also delicately and accurately details the condition of traumatic brain injury like a pro! This book is not to be missed!

Another fantastic book by Cathy Lamb!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This author was so well recommended to me that I just HAD to see her writing style for myself. This book was wonderful! I was intrigued from the very beginning and hated every time I had to stop to do "household things". I would always pick it right back up after finishing. If you need a new author to try and you haven't come across Cathy Lamb before until now, please do so and you will NOT be disappointed!! Thank you for the chance to be able to read an advanced copy of this amazing book.

There is always something very special about Cathy Lamb's books, and her new book, The Man She Married, is no exception. Cathy has this amazing talent to write the most interesting characters you will ever read....they are loving, complicated, quirky, original, and, in this book, they are not at all what they seem to be on the outside. Cathy Lamb also has the ability to make me laugh out loud, so many times, with witty dialogue and situations that are funny.....even when the story is serious, even tragic, and tugging on your heartstrings. I'm going to share with you one of the funniest parts of the book...I could read it again and again, and laugh each time. While Natalie is trapped in a coma, one of her visitors is Rosie, the mother of her best friend. Here is Rosie's prayer for Natalie:
“I pray to the good Lord for you every day, Natalie,” Rosie says, a sob catching in her throat. “You are the daughter of my own sweet heart. I will pray for you right now, in fact, the Lord’s Prayer. Are you ready, dear? Our father who is an artist in heaven. Howell be thy name. His kingdom comes, his kingdom goes. On Earth you are to find your own heaven. Give us our daily bread and wine. Not too much wine. And lead us not in to temptation and deliver us from evil men. Amen.” She sighs. “Mary, mother of Jesus, get your feminist, woman-empowered self into this hospital and fix my Natalie, I’m tellin’ you. If you need help, grab Mother Teresa or grab a woman saint. Heck, grab all of the women saints, Mary, mother of Jesus, but do not grab my great-aunt Milly, as she was clearly the devil’s assistant here on Earth. Women unite! Thank you, Jesus.” * *