Debbie Howells has produced another psychological thriller that delivers.
The surprise element is good as are the twists and turns of the story.
The two unreliable narrators add doubt to the reader's reasoning and make the plot more unpredictable.
The Vow as a title is a misleading but good title as it can be taken a variety of ways.
Interesting the novel starts as one plot and unravels as another.
Clever writing, well portrayed characters makes this latest offering from the author a sure fire winner.

Wow what a story.When Amy's fiancee goes missing two weeks before their wedding she is desperate to find out what has happened to him, but things aren't quite as they seem when someone else reports him missing.As the police look into his disappearance secrets from the past come to light which makes for a great story with lots of twists and as things start to unravel it becomes clear there's lots more to discover before the truth is finally revealed.A real page turner thas has an unexpected outcome. I loved it.

The Vow is a weaving meandering story, not a “grab you by the throat” thriller, but a slow burner. Desperately sad at times - and with frustrating characters at times too - but over all a decent read. 3.5 stars.

Not the kind of book you may expect from its cover!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a twisty book! I could not put this down! I just needed to know what had happened to Amy's fiancé...where was he? what has happened to him? and 2 weeks before they were supposed to get married no less!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It kept me gripped until the very end. Incredibly suspenseful and fast paced. Would highly recommend if you love a psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

There is also a double meaning in the title of the book (I won't give anything away!) which is very clever.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a great thriller and with lots of twists it does keep you guessing until the end. Debbie Howells carefully adds more and more layers to the story till it all unravels to reveal the mystery. She does a good job making you question who to trust and the characters are fairly well developed. Would recommend for anyone who lkes psychological thrillers!

A decent thriller, full of intrigue and betrayal which held my attention throughout.

Amy is stopped on the street by a complete stranger who tells her that she is in danger, but she doesn’t believe them. She is happy, about to be married soon to the man she loves.
Her fiancé Matt calls telling her that he will be late home from work but doesn’t arrive. Amy reports him missing. Soon after, another woman reports her partner, someone meeting Matt’s description, missing and Amy comes under suspicion in his disappearance
The story begins in earnest as we find out that Matt has been living a double life and Amy’s present and past collide.
Definitely worth a read.

Have to admit, did find this book a bit of a struggle to get into & almost gave up, until I got to the bit that drew me in & made me want to discover the end result. It's definitely a tale of twists & turns that will keep you guessing right up to the very end

'Just as you untangle this compelling plot of love and betrayal, there's another twist. Sharply written with characters that keep you guessing until the very last page, had a lot of twits and turns.

While I found this an enjoyable and well-paced novel, it definitely requires the reader to frequently suspend their disbelief.

The story follows Amy, who is forced to call the police when her partner Matt doesn't come home one night just two weeks before their wedding. As the days tick by, an increasingly desperate Amy is forced to cancel the ceremony - and then another woman, Fiona, reports her partner missing. He is also called Matt, matches Amy's fiancee's description - and was supposed to be leaving his fiancee to move in with Fiona.

At first Amy refuses to believe both Matts are the same person, but Fiona has ample proof and photographic evidence of her relationship with Amy's fiancee. But where is Matt now...and why are the police suddenly looking more closely at Amy...?

It's an enjoyable read, and there were aspects I really liked, such as Amy's career as a herbalist, which was interesting and led to some nice character development. But then other things really bugged me - the gas-lighting is crudely done, with none of the subtlety that makes gas-lighting so insidious and so frightening, and Matt was practically a cartoon villain, with no real dimension or substance to his character at all, And while I liked some of the twists towards the end, the secret identities of the key players was a bit too convoluted and over-egged for my liking (practically everyone in the novel just changes their name and takes on a different identity at some point during the course of the novel).

A fun, light read with more than a few eye-rolls.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who provided me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book- I started thinking that Amy was a young woman, but was pleasantly surprised to find she was middle aged.There were a few twists and turns along the way.

I chose this book first and foremost for the cover. The striking red ground with a single tulip stem, blood dripping down its length. There was a mystery hiding inside and I had to get to it.

Two weeks before her wedding, a stranger stops Amy in the street and warns her she’s in danger. That night, Matt, her fiancé, doesn’t come home. Desperate, Amy calls the police – but when Matt fails to emerge, she’s forced to call off her wedding day.

Then, another man is reported missing by a woman called Fiona – a man meeting Matt’s description, who was about to leave his fiancée for her. He was supposed to be moving in with her – but instead, he’s vanished.

Amy refuses to believe Fiona’s lover can be her Matt – but photos prove otherwise, and it soon becomes clear that Matt has been leading a double life. As the police dig deeper, two conflicting, yet equally plausible stories emerge from two women who allegedly have never met.

Everything was perfect. And then her fiancé disappeared. The wedding day never happened. But the funeral might.

I was hooked from the beginning. Events in Amy’s life unfolding on the one hand and police unearthing clues on the other reveal two very different stories. It makes you wonder what sinister game is underway.

There are quite a few characters who appear with a cloud of suspicion but it is impossible to predict the crime or its perpetrator. The flashbacks add to the mystery, to the point that I was clenching my fists in agonising impatience.

If you’re into mean, gruesome, spine-chilling psychological thrillers, this is one you should mark on your TBR. I read it in a single sitting and let out a breath only when I turned over the last page.

This ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins UK.

This is a really good thriller. There are plenty of twists and shocks and red herrings and great characters. I was riveted from the start.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I received an Arc from @harpercollinsUK of the Vow. I wasn't sure what to expect as I am normally very rigid with my authors, I normally struggle to read new authors. Very glad I moved on from this. The book is very well written, telling a story from 4 people's perspectives. Great story with believable characters. The author was not scared to look at and address emotional and physical abuse within a marriage. Very believable storyline. Great pace and conclusion. I do not add spoilers so do not include any details of the book in my reviews. Definetly will recommend and read Debbie's next book.

An excellent and intriguing book that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

This was a very slow read for me. I ended up skimming through a bit of it and then completely skipping to about midway and realising I didn't miss a single thing. I ended up DNF'ing around 60% because it was just a very dull read for me. I wish it was something I could have gotten into, because I read some of the reviews and it sounds like it was a twisted tale of so many things.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced read of this book. A very good, psychological thriller. I was doubting everybody! Plenty of twists and turns. I did guess the ending though. Would thoroughly recommend this book.

Two weeks until the wedding and the groom disappears and the other woman is discovered. Even with the discovery of the other woman, the groom is still missing and it becomes a back and forth of who to believe and who is guilty and exactly they're guilty of.

The main plot was interesting enough with the groom going missing and finding out that he was essentially gaslighting his fiance. However, it was all the other stuff that kind of threw me for a loop and made the story a lot less believable. The backstory regarding Kimberley and Charlie was kind of a bummer because it took the story in a direction I didn't want it to go. The stuff with the herbs was a huge leap because no sane police officer would put much stock into the meaning of plants in a garden.

Overall, the general plot was a good idea, but I wasn't crazy about the execution and I think the background/logic for the crime actually took away from the original good plot of the story (man dupes fiance two weeks before wedding and she finds out he's living a double life).

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this book. I did enjoy it and read through it quickly. I didn't like that the plot felt rush and I never fully got into it. I did like the premise and all of the twists and turns. I was hoping for more shocking moments but it was more of a drama.

I really enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading another book by this author. This is an author I had never read before, but I will look for other books she might write in the future.

thanks to Netgalley for the loan of this book.
Two weeks before her wedding, Amy is approached by a stranger warning her she is in danger. The same night her fiance, Matt doesnt come home. She reports him missing, but unbeknown to her another woman also reports him missing. As the story unfolds Amy discovers the identity of the other woman and realises she is someone from the past she'd rather forgot.
What secrets does this other woman hold? Why is she insisting that Matt was leaving Amy to be with her? And why has she suddenly re-appeared in Amy's life??

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and I liked the style of writing. That said, it didn't grip me and make me want to rush to finish it to discover the ending. I also didn't like the characters very much. I felt Amy was weak, Matt was twisted and the other woman psychotic. I didnt have any feelings for any of them really, which I feel is important when reading a book.

Overall, a decent read, maybe one to take on holiday to pass a few hours away.