This book had me turning pages quick! It was gripping and disturbing. The whole time I was left wondering, how can this woman not see what's going on in front of her. Domestic Thrillers are some of my favorites and this one didn't disappoint. I'm so glad I found this author last year!

This was pretty much a typical psychological thriller with an abundance of gaslighting and suspense. The mother doesn’t believe the daughter when she says that her future stepfather has bad intentions. There weren’t a whole lot of surprises in this but it was a decent read.

This is the second domestic thriller that I've read recently that was a) better than I expected and b) a little different than what you come to expect with domestic thrillers.

What I thought made The New Husband unique was that, other than maybe one thing, it didn't rely on twists and turns to move the story along. It was a slow burn, but constant revealed information and traits about the characters that made them fully formed, but also really gave a good understanding understanding of the characters themselves, how their situations came to be, and why they thought and acted the way they did. I feel like when things are written that way, you're kind of along for the ride with the characters.

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and D. J. Palmer for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't enjoy this book half as much as Saving Meghan. I found all the characters very frustrating. The storyline was a bit far fetched and the characters seemed to make terrible decisions which left me baffled. It did keep me reading until the end though.

Oh man this book. It was Misery mixed with all the murderous husband mystery books I have ever read. I kind of knew what was going to happen or what HAD happened pretty early on but this was still a very good read. This story shows the power of love and family is strong.

While this wasn't the most unique plot, and while it was pretty predictable, the book was well written and enjoyable. The end had me on edge and the suspense was well developed.

**Thank you Netgalley, DJ Palmer, and St. Martins Press for an advanced reader copy of this book.**

Nina is trying to put her life back together after her husband Glen goes missing. She finds out Glen was leading a double life and her trust of people is nonexistent. Along comes Simon, the perfect match...a widower himself, he inserts himself into Nina's life like a missing puzzle piece. But why can't Nina see what her friends see?

This thriller is so good! I loved seeing all of the relationships (mother/daughter, mother/son, lovers, friends, etc) in this book. The pace of the book was a bit slow, but I believe this was supposed to be build up. It lacked a little for me, but what it lacked in pace, it made up for with plot twists!

It was a quick read that had me on the edge of my seat!

Nina Garrity’s husband Glen disappeared without a trace. She has spent too long living in the past and decides she needs to get her life together. As she starts her new beginning (and much to her children’s dismay) she falls head over heels (albeit cautiously) with a local teacher the perfect and adoring Simon. Simon is the bee’s knees in Nina’s eyes. Her daughter, who happens to be one of his students sees right through him and wants him out of their lives. Her young son is happy go lucky and is happy to have another male figure around. Things start moving fast between them and I mean WAY too fast. The next thing I know this creepy crawler has moved into her home, bed, and life!
I quickly saw between the lines with Simon and was hoping that Nina would too. Of course, that didn’t happen until it was way too late. The story starts picking up steam towards the end when the big reveal was made. Can’t say I didn’t suspect it, but it fell a little flat for me. I felt there was more that could have been done with the plot. Nina was so naïve it was embarrassing. Her daughter was the smartest character in the book. Overall, I did enjoy the premise of the story and was happy that I was able to finally put Simon to rest. He was way too creepy even to me!

THE NEW HUSBAND - D.J. PALMER

VERY SUSPENSEFUL - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Nina has entered a new relationship only 1-1/2 years after the disappearance of her husband, despite everyone advising her to wait a while. Inevitably, she faces problems, especially a problem between her daughter and her new live-in boyfriend. On top of that, Nina also feels doubts about Simon and about herself.

Writing - 4.5 stars - I was caught up right away in the story. The characters are fascinating, and we get right into their heads since the story is told from the point of view of both Nina and her daughter Maggie, providing us with two different perspectives. Even though we know pretty much what's happening behind the scenes with Simon, the story is still very suspenseful as we wait with bated breath to see what he'll do next and how they'll react.

Characters - 4 stars - Nina is strong and intelligent, but she's also facing demons due to the way her marriage ended. While still reeling, she becomes involved with Simon who fills her needs, even before she realizes it. Simon, although perfect on the surface, is clearly the villain here. He's warm and loving on the outside, but it's clear that he's building walls around Nina and sneakily pulling her away from everyone but him. Maggie, as a typical young teenager, is annoying and frustrating, but she's the only one who sees Simon clearly.

Title - 4 stars - This doesn't provide much information about what to expect, but it begins to lead us in the right direction. It's all about a relationship and a new family.

Cover - 4.5 stars - A beautiful flower on a deep blue background--very attractive.

Overall - 4 stars - This was very suspenseful despite the fact that I pretty much knew what was happening and what to expect. Nina is an appealing character, and it was sad to watch her fall into all of Simon's traps. But there was a glimmer of hope throughout as Nina shared her doubts and Maggie continued to try to warn her. I was totally compelled to keep turning the pages to see how things would end. There was a big twist in the middle of the book that totally surprised me and took the book in a different direction from what I had expected. The ending was very satisfying, and I found it to be interesting throughout. I will definitely look for more from this new-to-me author.

Simon Fitch is the kind of man that you really love to hate! If after you have read this book you don’t feel that way you are a very remarkable person LOL!

When I sit back to read a thriller, I want to read one that will keep me up late into the night. One that has all the twists, turns and edge of your seat moments. DJ Palmer's THE NEW HUSBAND has that and so much more! Loved every second of this amazing pyschological thriller, and can't sing it's praises loud enough! Palmer is a favorite author of mine and I can't wait for more!

This is a great domestic thriller and kept me intrigued the whole way through. It's also the first book I've read by this author but definitely won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

I really hate to write one- or two-star reviews. I know how much time and effort and soul goes into writing a story and I don't like to be the one to say "meh" upon publication. But, oof, I did not enjoy this book. BTW, this review does contain spoilers, so read at your own risk!

The main issue I had was simply: nothing that happened surprised me. It's not a good sign when a "thriller" novel has zero thrills because every plot twist is plain as day.

I mean, right off the bat, it was painfully obvious that Simon was not a good guy. It's practically forced into our faces at every turn that he's creepy, manipulative, and controlling. Yet we're supposed to...write it off? BTW, I am not taking issue with the fact that Nina doesn't seem to pick up on the things that seem "off" about her new husband. I know some other reviewers have remarked that it's unrealistic to think she would accept Simon's behavior but I think it's important to remember that when you're in this type of relationship, it can be very difficult to maintain your sense of "normal" or see the red flags objectively. So, I don't think it was super unrealistic for Nina to accept Simon's behavior--but for us, the readers, any suspense or wondering "is he or isn't he" went completely out the window from the very beginning, because it was so obvious that Simon had bad intentions.

I also just felt like the writing was super clunky. Lots of telling vs. showing, lots of unnecessarily dramatic cliffhangers to end chapters...it felt like a TV movie that desperately wants you to feel enthralled, but really, it was super easy to put this book down and walk away.

Last but not least, I didn't care about the characters. At all. Maggie's main personality trait seemed to be brattiness. The rest of the characters weren't much better; they just never grew in any way that let me connect to them.

I DNF'd this book partway through and skimmed the rest just to see if the storyline ever got better, but...it didn't. It certainly isn't the worst book I've read in the genre, but unfortunately this isn't a book I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good suspense read.

THE NEW HUSBAND is the type of domestic thriller that checks all the boxes. There are secrets, obsession, and twists. What more can you want?

This is one of those strange books that I read, reviewed and the review disappeared so I read it again and, hopefully, this time around the review will "stick."

I really like Palmer's domestic thrillers. They are well written, the women are stronger than you generally find in these types of books and the kids aren't too annoying. That is certainly the case with The New Husband. In fact, if you didn't know you were reading a domestic thriller, you would think you were reading a book about second chances until about mid-way through when you start getting the hibbie-jibbies because things just don't add up or feel right. Then you have to hurry to the end to find out why and, wow, that was a surprise.

I realize I'm late to game with this one since it was published in 2020, but if you have not read The New Husband then you should definitely check it out. It's a good read!

The New Husband is a twisted thriller. I was drawn into the story right away although I will admit the first half of the book was a little slow, but keeps you reading because you have to know what happens. Nothing is as it seems and what this family goes through is unimaginable. The ending keeps you on the edge of seat turning the pages as fast you as can. My first read by this author and I'll definitely be reading more.

This book was absolutely CRAZY! To read about a woman who thought she found love again to the craziness that the same man put her family through. Her daughter had him figured out from the start and knew something was off about him. Overall a great, fast read.

This book had me thinking ‘wtf is going on?!’ almost the entire time I was reading it! There were a few things I figured out but it’s such a twisty tale. I wish there would have been more information on WHY he acted the way he did! But I’m glad there was a happy ending.

This book had an interesting premise and was suspenseful. The characters were easy to like and feel for. Story kept me engaged and was easy to read. I didn't want to put it down. I'd definitely recommend.

This was an interesting read for me. I both liked it and disliked it. I liked how fast the story moved and the twists and turns. Even though at times I really had to suspend disbelief to buy into the plot.
I think my main problem was there were no likable characters. If I cannot get onboard with atleast one person in the book it’s hard to get completely invested. It bothered me how Nina repeatedly neglected Maggie for Simon. That kind of thing really gets under my skin as a mother.