This book had all the makings of a great psychological thriller however the story seemed to go on forever. I understand the author had to establish Diana's fragile state but there seemed to be some chapters that were not necessary. I would have liked more character development on Pam and her relationship with Paul...which is not revealed till the very end. This book is the definition of gaslighting your spouse. The ending seemed rushed but satisfying and the epilogue would make a better part two on this story.

Diane is a stay at home housewife, looking after husband Paul and their three year old daughter Emma. They married after a whirlwind romance. Diane has recently had a mental breakdown and even now she is back at home she is still having trouble remembering events that happened to cause this. When Paul decides that Emma should go to a nursery, Diane becomes a part time volunteer at a charity shop and there sees a mysterious woman, who triggers something in her memory. Who is this woman? Why does she keep disappearing and reappearing? Are her family in danger? Why does she keep hearing a child cry? Is she heading for another breakdown? This is a slow building and creepy book that you have to keep reading and will leave you breathless with a totally unexpected ending. A highly recommeded read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book
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First, bravo to Valerie Keogh! Second a very enthusiastic thank you to Bookoutre and Netgalley for my ARC.

Diane has been told she’s had a rough go of things. She has only recently returned from a psychiatric facility for reasons unknown to her. Her husband and Doctors agreed it would be better if her memories came back on their own.

What Diane does know is that after a whirlwind courtship and marriage followed by a pregnancy shortly thereafter, is that she loves and adores her husband Paul and lovely 3 year old daughter Emma.

Things at home however soon begin to feel too close. Trapped. Foreboding. Has Paul always been such a control freak? Cue mysterious happenings, a women she always sees but then disappears. Really strange events that have Diane thinking she’s losing her grip on reality again.

But slowly, Diane is starting to catch on that all is not what it seems. We watch her journey as she goes from compliant to determined to figure out what is happening in her life that has her doubting her own sanity. Trusting in herself she begins to try and piece together the missing puzzle pieces even though some would prefer her to continue down the path to insanity.

Watch your back Paul. Diane has not lost the plot. I’ve never cheered at a book before but I did with this one.

A book that will keep you up well past bedtime. That’s the best kind of book!

This is the story of housewife and mum, Diane. Married to Paul and mum to 3 year old Emma, the book begins with how she met Paul, moved from Bristol to London and married him. Married life for them was spontaneous and romantic, although Paul was already showing signs that he was more dominant than Diane. A few years later, things are different. Diane has had a breakdown and is still suffering from memory loss relating to the breakdown. Her relationship with Paul is strained, and she feels there are things about her past, and more specifically her breakdown, that Paul isn’t sharing with her. When Diane keeps seeing a woman everywhere she goes, watching her, she can’t work out if this woman is real or if she is hallucinating and on the verge of another breakdown….

I enjoyed this book although it did take a few chapters before I really got into the story. When I got to this point, my interest was caught and I couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it. Diane and Paul have a really strange relationship. Obviously all the romance that was there has now gone, although Diane does wistfully think of previous times. You don’t get to find out why their relationship has got to this point until much later in the book though. Paul appears to be a very controlling husband, liking things done in his own very precise way and Diane is the doting housewife who happily obliges for fear of antagonising Paul. I hated the way Paul treated Diane but I equally hated the way Diane felt it her wifely duty to do all these things! I’m all for order and routine, but you could honestly set your clock to the routines that Paul and Diane had going on!!

As the story moves on you realise that something has happened in Diane’s past, but you don’t find out what until much later. Diana obviously has a mental health condition, causing her previous breakdown, and she begins showing signs that she is perhaps on the verge of another one. She’s a very difficult character to like as she really doesn’t help herself with some of things she does, particularly with regards to her daughter’s nursery! I did though feel for her towards the end and had my fingers crossed that things turned around for her and her memory eventually returned to fill in some of the blanks she had.

The book kept me interested after the initial slow start and there was plenty of tension to make me wonder where the story was going to end up going! The ending, I felt, was great and I thought it rounded off Diane’s story perfectly. There were a couple of things which I didn’t feel was very well explained with some of the other characters, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable psychological thriller, with some great twists and red-herrings along the way. I finished it in just over a day and couldn’t put it down in order to get to the end to find out what was going on. It was great to see the issue of mental health problems covered well as these aren’t easy topics to write about, but I felt the author did this with a lot of sensitivity. The author’s writing was also fantastic in building up the feelings of panic and distrust throughout the book and I would definitely recommended reading it! A story full of unease, mistrust, lies and betrayal – what more could you want!!

EXCERPT: She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. This wasn't possible. Opening them, she looked across the road, squinting to make out the details. It was her, the woman from the shop, staring directly at her; the same navy coat, the same sleek bob she had admired. It was definitely her.

Disbelief and a sudden choking fear made her jerk back, the mug falling from her hands, hot coffee spilling as it fell. Ignoring it, and swallowing the lump in her throat, she reached for the blind cord with shaking fingers and closed them with a snap. But she didn't move away. She was imagining it, she had to be. Holding her breath, she lifted one slat and peered through. She was still there.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: "There’s no place like home” – that’s what I tell myself as I pull another flawless meal from the oven. This perfect house on a quiet street was supposed to be my sanctuary, a place to recover. But everything changed the moment I saw that woman in the charity shop. She triggered something dark, buried deep within my memory…

Now I’ve started forgetting small things, like locking the front door.

And bigger things, like remembering to pick my little girl up from nursery.

I feel terrified every time I pass through a particular spot in our living room.

And sometimes, when I’m alone, I’m sure I can hear a baby crying…

I think the woman in the shop knows what happened to me. But if I can’t trust myself to believe she’s real, who will?

MY THOUGHTS: Another book that failed to live up to the hype of 'a completely addictive and gripping psychological thriller'.

The writing is not terrible, and the general idea is good, but it never quite all pulled together. In places it is a messy and frustrating read.

The characters are not well developed. A lot of chances to develop this into a deeper, more substantial story were missed. Implausible and improbable were two words that were constantly in my head as I read, and I did seriously consider, more than once, abandoning this read, hence the two star rating.

There are a lot more things I would like to say, but to do so would create spoilers for others.

A disappointing read.

Love the cover, though I cannot recall the main character (not even 24 hours since I finished reading The Housewife, and I can't remember the name of the main character!) sewing on buttons. . . and I do like the cover to be relevant.

It was not until I checked out the author's profile while writing this review that I realized that Valerie Keogh is quite a prolific author and that I have previously read two other books by her, and rated both two stars. Not an author I will be reading again.

😕😕

THE AUTHOR: Valerie Keogh is a qualified nurse with a BA in English and an MA in American Literature. She qualified as a nurse but nowadays writes full-time. She has written two different series.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Housewife by Valerie Keogh. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://wordpress.com/post/sandysbook...

This was a very compelling read that I enjoyed but the ending fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the writing style but not really the characters. The writing is what kept me going but I was a bit disappointed when all was revealed.

I have to say I struggled with this but I did finish it. The synopsis sounded great but I just didn’t like how the story unfolded.
Diane lives with her husband Paul and three year old daughter Emma. Diane is recovering from a breakdown which left her with memory loss. One day she sees a woman who triggers something and from there her mental health declines.
I didn’t find the main character very likeable and didn’t like the story or ending but I finished it. You just feel very sorry for Emma who has two very disturbed parents.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC.
#NetGalley #TheGousewife

This started well but then stalled big time. I liked the writing and premise. I did finish it, so there’s that anyway.

When one sentence gives away the plot way too early and basically ruins any further suspense I thought about pulling the plug. I didn’t, thinking there has to be more to this. Yeah, there isn’t. So from that point it is just reading about Diane drinking endless bottles of wine and popping pills while her asshat of a husband either ignores, berates or manipulates her.

I’m still not sure if the crying baby sounds were planted by Paul to push her over the edge or part of her memory starting to return (in her head). Also Paul grabs his stuff and says he will move out and then he is living in the house at the end?? And the epilogue was stupid. I would have preferred if she got him tossed in jail for embezzling vs that nonsense. And that embezzling thing come out of nowhere conveniently. Btw, where is Emma?!?

This just was predictable and then a bit too ridiculous. The whole book Diane tries to convince herself and us that she is sane and then she goes batshit crazy in the epilogue - just doesn’t make sense. I think I would have behind this more with a more sensible epilogue...

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

It seems like most psychological thrillers I read are written by authors from the UK. This isn't a bad thing, but it does require learning new words. I found myself using Wikipedia to figure out what a "boot" was in a car (a trunk!). This book didn't pull me in immediately, but after a few pages I managed to get interested.
It all starts off with Diane, a seemingly happy and perfect housewife. She met the man of her dreams and married him within months of meeting him. If it were me, red flags would've gone off in my head immediately. Her husband makes good money, which allows for a beautiful home and for Diane to be a stay at home mother. Diane did have some sort of a mental breakdown in the passed months and her husband seems to be super concerned about little things being "too much" for her, like volunteering at a donation clothing shop. MORE red flags.....it turns out, Diane had a mental breakdown for a reason. Read the book to find out what happened!

Diane and Paul are married, live in a lovely home in London and have a 3-year-old daughter named Emma. All should be wonderful in their world, but alas, things are not what they seem. Diane is recently returned from a short stay in a psychiatric center after having a breakdown. She can't remember what put her in the place and her husband says that the doctors want Diane's memories to return at her own pace. Diane tries to get back into her role as wife and mother but strange things start happening. She sees a woman hovering nearby and believes that she is being stalked. She drinks a lot, forgets things, and can't sleep so she's exhausted all the time. She hears the sound of a baby crying. Her one-loved lounge is a room that now fills her with fear. Diane is a freaking mess but somehow she knows that her husband is behind all of this and wonders, to what end? NO SPOILERS.

You've read this book before and there are no surprises here. It's typical psychological fiction -- the kind where you want to shake the main character and scoff at the unrealistic situations that keep occurring. I didn't like Diane nor any of the other one-dimensional characters in the book. This one just didn't do it for me though I was able to get through it quickly. Lots of repetition and the incessant mental angsting that I find hard to swallow. I may be reaching my last straw with domestic and psychological fiction so perhaps it's just me feeling like there's nothing new in this sub genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

The Housewife was an addictive, gripping story from the very beginning. What better than a main character, Diane, who is unpredictable and unreliable. Diane has a spotty memory, and forgets things on a daily basis, and this only added to the thrill and excitement of the book. I found myself turning the pages to see what would happen next. I was unable to put this book down and I devoured it.

Diane had a previous breakdown of which she has no memory of. She was seeing a therapist and herself and her husband hope that she is on the road to recovery. Diane and her husband believe that slowly bits and pieces of her memory will start to come back to her and she will be able to get her memory back. However, things happen that make Diane paranoid, fearful and she believes she is beginning to lose her mind.

Will Diane recover her memory? What exactly happened for her to lose her memory? Why did she have a breakdown?

A great psychological thriller that is sure to be a hit with book lovers.

Diane is living a great life - great husband, Paul and wonderful daughter, Emma. She is recovering from a nervous breakdown which had her hospitalized for a time and caused her to have some memory loss. Her doctor's tell her she'll recover her memory in time. She decides to volunteer at a local charity shop and one day encounters a strange woman that disturbs her. She then begins to have anxiety attacks and even hears a baby crying somewhere in her house. What has she forgotten? And will it destroy her if she remembers?
This was a great thriller that started with a bang and ended with an awesome twist! I really enjoyed reading it!
Thank you to Valerie Keogh, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this great book!

Oooh this was a good one. Plenty of secrets, twists and turns. I really felt sorry for Diane throughout, she obviously had a hidden past she couldnt uncover and felt unloved. She is a strong, determined character. Emma is a little cutie! Anne is a great friend to have, I loved her character!

Towards the end it starts to heat up and wow! A jaw dropping, shocking, unexpected outcome. Us mothers would do anything for our children and she did just that. Towards the end the story highlights an issue that is still evident and still happens to this day which is heart breaking and real.

Brilliantly written. Easy to read. Short chapters. Fast paced. I needed to find out answers for poor Diane. A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend.

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I was interested in the premise of this book and it was paced very well but the characters were not likeable , not just unreliable (which is fine, I love unreliable narrators). I love the topic of mental health but 3 weeks in treatment does not cure someone of their ailments especially with blackouts and a traumatic event.

I was not a fan of her husband either as their interactions were quite sparse and added little to the story.

It’s a quick read but not a pulse pounding thriller. I would have trouble recommending this to others.

Diane and Paul Andrews had first met at a cafe near where she worked in Bristol and he worked and lived in London. Soon, they were spending weekends together and they quickly got married. They moved into Paul’s beautiful home in London. Diane got another job, but soon found she was pregnant. She couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed as life has changed so quickly. Now, they have Emma, age 3, and Paul has decided to enroll her at a local nursery.

Diane had been in a clinic for several weeks for a breakdown she suffered and now she cannot remember a large time period of the last year. The doctors want her to remember things on her own at her own pace. To help herself, she volunteers to work 3 days a week at a charity shop. But when an encounter with a strange woman upsets her, making her think that the woman is stalking her, things start to send her down a rabbit hole again. Before long, she starts hearing a baby cry in the house and she thinks she may be having another breakdown.

Wow! This is a really good story that pulled me right into the plot. I wondered about Diane’s sanity but admired her incredible love for her daughter, Emma. What is happening to this poor woman?

I cannot give any more information out about this book but just know the ending will smack you upside the head. It did me. Well done! Don’t miss reading this book. It’s fabulous.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed the Housewife, i wouldn't say it was a gripping book but it kept me entertained and was intrigued throughout to find out who the "stalker" was and didn't see it coming. All in all an enjoyable book and would be interested to read more the author.

Diane had a ‘ bit of a breakdown ‘ and had been admitted to a clinic for a few weeks until she felt better. But, she has lost months of memories and no one will tell her what happened leading up to her breakdown.

Her husband Paul, barely speaks to her and spends most evening in his office working, he keeps the door locked when he’s not in there. How much does his behaviour affect Emma’s state of mind?

Daughter, Emma, is a beautiful, happy child and is their world with both parents absolutely doting on her.

Paul persuades Diane that Emma is ready for nursery, to socialise with other children and while Emma agrees, she has doubts and her anxiety builds. To pass the time, Emma volunteers at a local charity shop and makes a friend in Anne, but her time there is short after a women approached her and then just ran away causing Emma to panic and get herself in a fluster.

As a result she doesn’t go back, but the same women keeps popping up everywhere but no one else seems to see her. She finally confides in Anne about her fears and even mentions the babies cries she hears during the nights. Poor Emma is drinking more and more to try to calm herself but she has now developed an irrational fear of her lounge.....is she heading for another breakdown?

I can’t and won’t say anymore because I would hate to spoil this marvellously tense tale. Valerie Keogh’s creative writing builds the tension so well, a cliche I know, but I really couldn’t put this down, great characters that I had real sympathy for and I could feel the panic building in this brilliant, believable psychological thriller.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

Overall this is a good read. I felt empathy for what had happened to Diane but I found her hard to like as a character. I feel that the characters lacked depth. The plot idea was really good and what happened to Diane was heartbreaking. I just feel that there was something missing.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Diane is a twenty something working woman in Bristol, who meets Paul Andrews, an accountant and within two months of courtship they get married and move to his London home. Four years later, they have one daughter, Emma, who is almost three. The story begins with Diane having returned from a clinic after going through a nervous breakdown. She doesn't remember what happened that led to it and her relationship with Paul is strained though he is seemingly happy with Emma. She decides to go for volunteer work as Emma begins nursery and also because she is not ready for a full time job yet. But strange things begin to happen once she joins work. A woman who she suddenly meets at work begins to stalk her but she's not sure if it's real or hallucinations which leads to a chain of events as she starts lying more, begins to hear a baby crying and drink, basically go completely bonkers. But through sheer determination and love for her daughter she tries to reach the bottom of everything that's going on and she knows sooner or later she will have to face what her memory is trying to block from her.

I found the beginning to be pretty slow and it took me a couple of chapters to really hook in. This is my second book by this author following 'secrets between us'. There's definitely tons of improvement in this one and it pays off but again the characters were just annoying. For the longest time I couldn't connect with Diane. It was only in the last few chapters I began to root for her. The supporting characters Anne, Paul and few other characters make their mark but nothing significant. In the end what I really liked about the book was that it kept me hooked for a straight four hours.