Wow.  A real page turner.  The story plays out in alternating times lines.  I did not see the great twist at the end coming,,a big shocker. Only gave 4 stars because some of the things the main character was able to accomplish while healing from severe fractures was hard to believe.

Ella Sinclair keeps herself to herself. She blends in. Doesn’t want attention. Then one day she is knocked down by a car and wakes from a coma in hospital to be told that her husband has been visiting her daily. But Ella isn’t married. When her, “husband” appears Ella knows she’s in deep trouble. Ella’s life goes from bad to worse. Can anyone get her out of this nightmare?

A well written and gripping book worth a great ending.

Book Review - ‘The Liar’s Wife’ by Samantha Hayes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture and Samantha Hayes for the chance to read and review this book.

Ella Sinclair is a loner who enjoys the routine of her life: Work, home, sleep.  Work, home, sleep.  She doesn’t date, doesn’t really socialise and prefers to live that way because of a dark secret from many years ago.  While cycling home from work on a rainy night, she is hit by a van and wakes up in hospital.  She has suffered serious injury but is reassured by the nurse that her husband has barely left her side the whole time.  There is just one problem; she has never been married.  Instantly recognising her ‘husband’ Jacob as someone from her past that she hoped she’d never see again, Ella knows she must do as he says and go along with the charade or risk devastating consequences. These opening chapters were riveting and full of terror and disbelief as you fear for Ella having to go home with this sinister character, knowing the hell that no doubt awaits her and hoping she manages to escape his clutches before she suffers too greatly.  As she is made a prisoner in his home and becomes increasingly reliant on him not only physically but practically and financially, her chances of freedom seem totally hopeless.  

Wow! This was one of the most intense, addictive and harrowing psychological thrillers I’ve read not just this year but in a long time. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours, something I've not done in quite a while, but it was just impossible for me to put it down. The suspense, foreboding, dread, desperation and sheer helplessness are all there on every page and create an atmosphere that has your heart pounding. Each time you think Ella is going to either save herself or be rescued everything falls apart and she’s back to having no way out.  I honestly had many moments in this story where I doubted a good ending for her but I needed to get to the end and find out.

Our villain, Jacob, is honestly the most malevolent and vile example of a husband I’ve read.  He is a sociopath who has planned his imprisonment of Ella to the last detail, making her chances of escape all the more hopeless by the minute. The level of delusion he has and the extremes he goes to in his quest to have this life he’s built for them in his head is astounding and frightening.  He is well written and very believable. 

As a survivor of abuse I could see myself in the situations Ella was in and believe that she was too scared to not go with him or ask for help and that others fell for his charms and believed him to be the dutiful and doting husband.  The author has completely captured the dark truths of an abusive relationship and controlling partner. Thankfully security systems weren’t really available to most people back when I was in that kind of relationship as having that made him omnipotent and she was without a moment really alone. I thought the author used a fantastic analogy about why people don’t leave abusive relationships and there were many quotes that struck a chord with me on a deep and personal level.

The ending of the book was jaw-dropping.  I never saw it coming and still can’t believe what I read.  A few books I have read this year have had endings that I say I didn’t expect but this one was on a whole other level.  I am still blown away by it and love that the author wrote the book so incredibly well that it surprises you in such a huge way.  I was already a fan of Samantha Hayes after reading her book The Reunion in the summer but this has put her on my list of must-read authors. If you love psychological thrillers and gripping stories then this book is for you. Just make sure you’ve got a clear schedule as you'll not want to put it down.

I’ll finish this review with what is my favourite quote from this book, a line that sums up abusive relationships perfectly: "Freeing herself is going to take something way more complicated that simply escaping”.

Ella keeps to herself, refusing to socialize with coworkers after the work day has ended. After leaving work one evening, Ella is involved in an accident and wakes up in the hospital struggling to remember what the nurse is telling her...that she is married to the man who has been at her beside since day one of being in the hospital. The books journeys through the past with twists and turns along the way in this psych thriller. She’s made to be kept in a home with doors locked, security cameras watching her every move and a baby that isn’t hers.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

4 stars! Wow I wasn’t expecting that! So many books today claim to be psychological thrillers and end up being cliche and dull. This book will not disappoint if you are looking for a true psychological thriller! I am hesitant to go into details about the story as I think it’s better to go in not knowing much but I will say, I didn’t see the ending coming. Very well written and I can’t wait to read more from this author. 

Thanks kindly to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a free copy of THE LIAR’S WIFE by Samantha Hayes in exchange for an honest review.  Ella is content with her life.  If she keeps her head down, does her job, and keeps her distance from her coworkers, she feels like she can maintain her perfect, quiet, single life.  However, Ella’s life and limbs are shattered when she’s struck by a vehicle and left unconscious on the roadside.  Ella wakes up from a medically induced coma and is told how lucky she is to have such a concerned  and loving husband.  When she sees who it is, she knows she’s doomed to return to an abusive relationship she thought long gone.  What can she do but play along?  Her abuser has a video that could put her in prison.  As Ella’s situation gets worse daily, will there be a time when prison is the better alternative?

This was a page-turner.  The author kept you guessing until the end about the true identity of the “husband.”  I recommend this to those who enjoy suspense and psychological thrillers.

#TheLiarsWife #NetGalley

Ella is the kind of person who keeps totally to herself at work and at home.   She rejects any and all invitations to socialize with coworkers.  She rides her bicycle to work and one day on the way home, she is hit by a hit and run van.  When she awakens in the hospital, the nurse informs her that her husband has been there daily.  The trouble is, Ella has never been married.   This is a fantastic read with lots of twists and turns and a totally surprising ending.  This riveting book kept me on the edge of my seat and was truly one of those hard to put down books.  I look forward to reading more of Samantha Hayes' books.  This is one of those books that deserve more than a 5 star rating.  Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Liar's Wife.  It kept my interest, a little far-fetched but the characters were interesting.  The ending did really shock me but it wasn't one of my favorite books.

Ella has kept a dark secret for most of her life. She feels guilty and will not let herself live a normal, sociable fun-loving life. She is almost a recluse, but did work for a living. It all went wrong when she fell in love with Zach when they were students at Durham University. His family were wealthy and lived in Adlington Manor in Oxfordshire. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she arrived as a guest of Zach’s, there to meet his parents for the first time. Although she had seen photographs of his home, it was magnificent and even more opulent than it looked in Zach’s camera images. Already there were even more guests than she’d thought there would be, almost all of them Zach’s Uni friends. She was most surprised to see her brother Harry and best friend Meggie, who had been staying there for a while before she arrived. She thought back to her unhappy life in their humble home where she and her twin brother Harry were often abused emotionally, sexually and physically. Oh how hard they had worked at school, longing for the time when they could break free. Things were on the up at last.

That visit which started with happiness and lots of fun, ended in disaster. Since then and her graduation she had changed completely. There were no more parties, no more clubbing, no more enjoying life as a young graduate should, and especially no more friendships or boyfriends. She would never again allow herself to get close to anyone. She worked with flair in her workplace but seldom went out and joined in. Then when she was cycling on her way home one night she suffered another disaster. She was involved in a hit and run accident and woke up in hospital. She had been placed in an induced coma, allowing her swollen brain to recover from the trauma. Her lovely nurse Sue told her that her husband had been so worried about her and that she was so lucky to have found someone who was so devoted to her. He couldn’t wait to take Ella to their new house when she was well enough. Only Ella knew that she was single. Then when her ‘husband’ Jacob walked into her hospital room she immediately recognised him. He knew her secret and she knew he could expose her. She quietly played her part, knowing that she must go along with what he said for her own good. But secretly she planned her escape, patiently waiting for the right time to break free. She had done it once already and now she had been forced to do it again.

This novel is really chilling and dark. Ella’s position becomes even worse when her husband takes her home, keeping her hidden and locked up in the house. He holds the master card and she is forced to sing to his tune. The action ramps up with her husband’s barrage of lies. He introduces a new ‘family member’ and they begin socialising with their neighbours. Still wheelchair bound and with a badly broken leg and wrist Ella must pull on all of her reserves to beat him at his own game. Time and time again he outwits her. She is weak and vulnerable. She is deeply unhappy. Will she ever get free?

With excellent storytelling and a host of believable and lovely characters, this novel is a real page-turner. There are frequent jaw-dropping twists and turns that will keep you reading on. Ella is a wonderful character and I felt so sorry for her. I really rooted for her and wanted her to free herself.. I loved her caring neighbours who tried to make friends but were constantly thwarted. Most of all I loved the ending which was totally unexpected and a real heart-stopper. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. It’s a top-notch read and it’s a 4.5* review from me. I’ve read all but the first of Samantha Hayes’ novels which is now out of print. I have never been disappointed and have always really enjoyed her impressive and talented writing.

The Liar's Wife is an excellent psychological thriller that skips along at a decent pace,Ella lives a hum drum life of work home sleep every day every month,but when she awakes in hospital after an accident when she was knocked off her bike she has a card from her husband but she's never been married !!! The story is told in flashbacks to ten years ago when she was at university and to her present day life.At uni she came out of her shell and led a party life style with best friend Meggie and her friends.until things took an unexpected turn,She now finds her self imprisoned in a relationship she can't escape all linked back to ten years ago,what follows is a well written,excellent thriller that had me gripped from page one and wondering who the mystery man who has appeared in her life really is ? Another superb 5 star read from Samantha Hayes

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I'm glad I kept going! This is 100% a psychological thriller, and the best kind, one with a twist !! I absolutely loved this book! If you are sensitive to subjects like domestic abuse, and rape, this book might not be for you. However, I found the subjects tackled were done very gracefully and didn't go into too many details. The psychological thrillers genre always fascinates me, the way the characters think and act, it's just so crazy! There is always room to surprise us as readers and this book did not disappoint. In terms of characters, I did feel for the main character Ella. Sometimes I wished she would have been stronger, but there were reasons behind her actions, and as the story progresses, we are slowly peeling back the layers of who Ella is and why she might not be acting the way we would want her to as readers.

Usually, the ending of a book is a major factor in my opinions on a book, and this one, according to me, was just perfect! I highly recommend this book.

Wow. Wow. Wow! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four well-deserved, shocking stars!

I have to tell you - my voting system is a little screwy. I don't make myself finish books. So one- and two-star books almost never happen; the lowest you'll see from me is usually a three. Three means "eh, okay." Four means really liked; five means I loved it. This does not stretch to love, but it was a quick, intriguing, "MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS" book. 

Ella has a routine. Sleep, work, home. No deviation. No exceptions...even when she wants them. So imagine her surprise when she wakes up from a bicycle accident with two casts and a wedding ring on. Then her husband comes in - and the bottom drops out of her world. Not only is this the person she least wanted to see, this is a person that was supposed to be dead. 

I was shocked, 100%, by the end of this book. Nothing was what I'd pegged it to be! But also, I didn't get all the answers I wanted either. I'd have expected this to be a debut novel, but Hayes has several books out already. So I'm not sure why the disconnect. But I do like the Epilogue, so points there. All in all, a hit that was just sliiightly off center - but it was still good.

This was a non stop thriller that I never saw coming.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy!!

I love the way the author writes - it's very easy to read, and takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.

Is she really that delusional that she doesn't remember getting married?  Is this really even her husband?
How did she go to a virtual recluse to this woman she woke up to?

It goes from the present to back in time - and really was a surprise at the end.

Really recommend!!

I did not like this book. Too many moments spent wondering why Ella just didn’t put on her big girl panties and leave. Plus, there’s the “Ewwwwww factor!”

Ella's life is predictable, in fact, her personal mantra is – work, home, sleep. She likes her job but avoids all invitations to socialize with her co-workers outside the office. She is also quite adept at changing the subject if anyone asks her a personal question. 
One rainy night when she is bicycling home from work, she is hit by a van and seriously injured. As she begins to regain consciousness after being in a medically induced coma, she is stunned when her nurse praises her loving husband Jacob. You see, Ella doesn't just avoid making friends at work, she avoids any type of close relationship. She lives alone and has never been married, so who is this 'husband' and what could he possibly want from Ella?
When Jacob walks into the room, Ella cannot believe her eyes. Something terrible happened 10 years ago and if Ella doesn't play 'loving wife', Jacob has the power to expose her secret and ruin her life. Ella tells her story in the now and then and we also hear Liam's( a work colleague) perspective as he tries to figure out why the oh so dependable Ella has just seemingly disappeared. In the now, all Ella wants is to escape from Jacob, but her injuries limit her mobility and he has made her a prisoner in 'their house'. 
Trying to figure out what Ella had done as well as rooting for her to outwit Jacob kept me fully invested in this story. I knew whatever secrets the past held, it had to be something way more serious than let's say an unpaid library book fine. I had ideas on who Jacob was and what was really going on, and kudos to Samantha Hayes, I was wrong. A twist at the end really creeped me out( which is a good thing in a book) and indeed there was a lot going on in this story. I certainly couldn't imagine anything I could do that would lead to this kind of predicament(thank you past for not having any personal horrible secrets), but when all was revealed, I did say to myself, “ yep, that might have made me keep quiet too”.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it was very enjoyable. If the book description intrigues you, I would definitely read The Liar's Wife.
I received a DRC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

This is a great story with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Liane Moriarty. It's hard to say too much without giving anything away, but the main character is a strong woman and you know from the beginning that if there is a way out she's going to find it.

This was a nice quick weekend read for me it had everything mystery , thriller and psychological my kind of book if you’ve been following me! Ella is riding her bike home from work one evening it’s cold and wet and to make matters worse it’s pouring rain. Suddenly out of nowhere a van hits her. She wakes up woozy and in a ton of pain she has a broken arm and leg and she’s feeling ill. Still on pain medication she’s informed she just came out of a medical induced coma. The friendly nurse informs her that her husband has visited her every day and will be pleased that she’s awake. The only issue is that Ella has never been married! When Ella finally sees the man claiming to be her husband she’s to scared to inform anyone the truth. You see Ella has been hiding an awful secret. She did something terrible 10 years ago and if her secret is exposed her life will be over. So who is this man claiming to be her husband and how does he know about her secret and will she be able to escape him. This book goes back and forth from past and present leading up to Ella’s secret and how her “husband” falls into everything. Get ready for a wild ride this book will have you turning every page to figure the next crazy thing that will happen!

Oh my goodness! Absolutely chilling! My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to her...  

I really couldn’t put this down - I read it in a matter of hours it was that good! I needed to know what was going to go happen next. I was scared!

Disclaimer: I'm a true fan of story lines where there is an accident and the lead character falls into a coma and wakes up with no memory, and a whole new family.  This book, however, was not that!  In The Liar's Wife, Ella Sinclair is involved in a hit an run accident while riding home on her bike (with no helmet).  She does fall into a coma.  But she does not lose her memory; she does wake up to find out a man has been posing as her husband and he is no stranger to her. 

I struggled to see how she didn't tell someone, but we find out there's a secret from her past he threatens to expose.  The book dips into some fairly "suspension of disbelief" territory, then slows down a little in the middle as we get some background information and are presented with some misdirection. And then the last third of the book just takes off!  My heart was literally pounding and I had to stay up  to finish the book because I knew I would be trying to figure out the ending all night.  Which of course, I couldn't have done, because the ending is so twisty I never saw it coming!  I can't wait to read more by Samantha Hayes.  Samantha, I hope you have some more nightmares, and I mean that in the best possible way!