A gripping tale which fizzes to an unremarkable end.

Two weeks before their wedding, Amy's fiancé Matt disappears. Amy reports Matt to the police as a missing person. However, as the investigation gets underway, it becomes clear that Matt has been living a double life. As Amy's life starts to unravel, she becomes the focus of police enquiries.

Told from a number of different viewpoints, there is some repetition of events within the narrative. The pacing is good and there is palpable tension within the story. This tension is lost towards the end as it becomes obvious to the reader, if not to the police, what is actually happening.

As in many thrillers, the ending is rather rushed and implausible and a final section of explanation is rather unnecessary and jarring. A disappointing end to an otherwise exciting story.

The Vow had an interesting premise, but it got watered down by the end. It felt too similar to another book I recently read so this kind of destroyed my interest in this one. The plot wasn't that predictable as I thought it would be, but by the middle the characters felt a bit off and not like themselves. I still somewhat enjoyed this book, even though it didn't fully meet my expectations.

The Vow is a suspenseful read that follows Amy, engaged to Matt. When Matt disappears, we find out he's involved with another woman. Is she the reason for the disappearance? What's really going on?

Amy is convinced that she has found the love of her life and is looking forward to her wedding, Her world is suddenly turned upside down when her fiancé, Matt, disappears mysteriously with no trace. The investigation ultimately brings the police full circle when they suspect that Amy is involved in his disappearance.
Fiona also reports a man with the same description as Matt who was going to leave his fiancée to move in with her but he too has disappeared.

Matt is painted as a secretive and possibly manipulative character however it is clear from the start that both Amy and Fiona have a dark side which they are trying to hide.
I could empathise with both Amy and Fiona and I found Amy’s daughter, Jess, a nice addition to the story line.
 Full of suspense and tension, The Vow promises to be a hit for thrill seeking readers.

A promising and captivating plot line and the story held a lot of potential at the beginning however towards the end I felt like it did not really hold up well together and ended up weak.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for a honest review.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.  This is my own honest voluntary review.

This certainly kept me awake until the small hours.  Could not put this one down.  Kept me gripped to the end with a twist I did not see coming.  I highly recommend this.

Amy is planning her wedding to the charming Matt, but 2 weeks before the wedding the groom goes missing. Soon after Amy reports her fiancé missing another woman reports her boyfriend missing who turns out to be Matt. The other woman, Fiona, claims that Matt was planning to leave Amy for her the night he disappeared.
This book was incredible. I loved every bit of it. I couldn't put it down and it kept me guessing until the very last page. Full of suspense and interesting characters, I would highly recommend.

A really good psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. I like the story, characters and writing style. Usually I like to guess what is happening but I was so engrossed in this tale I didn’t look up for 3 hours!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, it was an enjoyable read but I did find it unbelievable in places. I liked the fact that the storyline was told from different characters points of view, and the not knowing of who was behind it all! My only criticism is that I found the police involvement to be really weak, unbelievable and unrealistic! And felt other members of the storyline did their job for them !!

For Amy, life was going well. Until it wasn't. The day her fiancé disappears, two weeks before their wedding, Amy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The police begin to question her, she finds out her fiancé had a double life, and secrets from the past threaten to boil to the surface. Amy and her daughter, Jess, are desperate to find out the truth behind Matt's deception. On the other side of town, Matt's secret lover is looking for the same answers.

I enjoyed this book, it was a twisty-turny suspenseful tale of guilt, obsession, deception, revenge, and betrayal. It gives the reader a look into what living with a narcissistic sociopath is really like for the victim, where they don't even realize the gaslighting that they've been experiencing until it's too late. I guessed the twist before the end, but the book was still enjoyable and suspenseful throughout. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Vow starts off well, with a snappy pace and enough intrigue and questions asked to leave the reader sifting its pages for more. I finished this in one day and can say it makes for very easy reading, but the further in I got the less convinced I was. There's a lot of dialogue and scenario that just doesn't sit right in terms of realism for me and so I struggled to maintain a belief in the story as it unfolded. Ultimately The Vow just felt too inconsistent and weak in its conclusion for me to leave with a lasting impression of it.

TW: domestic abuse

Oh dear, where do I even begin with this one? What started as an interesting premise quickly devolved into a mess. The major problem for me was with the writing style: it was extremely clunky, with lots of telling (and no showing), and highly repetitive. The author literally holds the reader’s hand throughout the book, as if we are incapable of determining things ourselves. The characters were also not well-developed and I didn’t like any of them. The plot was not unique and it was quite a predictable story. My biggest issue with this novel was that there was absolutely no point to it – and by the end, I simply didn’t care. I also had an issue with the way the author addressed domestic abuse; I don’t think it was done very well. All in all, I did not enjoy this book.

Very good thriller about how psychopaths work. When Amy’s partner goes missing, strange things start happening and all of a sudden she is charged with his murder. What on earth?

The author has pulled together a story which, in other hands, ought to be totally ludicrous. But Howells makes it work, and describes so well how otherwise strong, intelligent women can find themselves in an abusive relationship. 

I found the attitude of the investigating police officers to be inconsistent; one minute they’re understanding and supportive and the next minute, disbelieving and accusatory. It suited the story, but was hard to believe and I felt their attitudes were manipulated to move the story along.

A good debut that moved along at a steady pace and was believable, despite being far-fetched. But as they say, the truth is stranger than fiction. 4 stars.

This is a good book with plenty of twists and turns , the story is told by two separate woman, Amy and Fiona. Amy is weeks away from her wedding to Matt and life is good for her although it does touch on a secret from her past she has hidden from everyone around her. Fiona has also recently met, and fell in love with Matt, who assures her that he is about to leave Amy and be with her. 
When Matt goes missing the heat is on for the police to uncover the truth about what happened to Matt on that last night but they reveal , with the help of Amy's daughter, Jessica, more than they were expecting.
Full of secrets, lies and revenge.

Great book!  Couldn’t wait to read it, and it didn’t disappoint!  Grabbed my attention within the first two chapters, and then I didn’t want to put it down.  Excellent character development - I think that every reader will find a character to whom they relate.  I enjoy books where there is character development, and then also a surprise, and this book provided both!  Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Title: The Vow 
Author:  Debbie Howells
Rating: 5 stars

"The Vow" is best described as brilliant, fast-paced, satisfying and compelling. When I requested this title for approval, I get attracted by the cover and intrigued by the title and synopsis. It mentioned about a couple was about to get married and, the next day, the bridegroom went missing.

The story gets crazier from one to another chapter. I get glued to the story from the beginning. I get to learn about herbalist and the function of the planted herbs. Well-planned storyline. The smooth transition of each plot made an easy read. Well played characters. 

Highly recommended to those who love reading a psychological thriller. 

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley, Author(s) and Publisher(s) for the chance of having this ARC. Looking forward to reading more! All the best!

Bit similar to most other thrillers. Crime fiction was my favourite genre but i find myself guessing the twists and turns much sooner than when announced which then disappoints me that i beat the author again. Slow and didn't care for the protagonists at all.

The Vow had an interesting premise and it started off really well. I was intrigued and I was quite captivated when I started reading it. It was interesting, pacy and I was invested in the story. 
I thought this would be a game-changer and I couldn't stop turning the pages.
However, somewhere in the middle, it went wrong for me. The pace of the story went down and I started losing interest in the characters and the story. I was expecting more and it just did not live up to it. 

By no means is this a bad book. It's worth a read but did not work that well for me considering it started off with a bang.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very interesting page turner.  Great story line, great characters.  Kept me turning pages until the end.