Cover Image: The Vow

The Vow

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Member Reviews

I absolutely loved this book. This is from an author I'm not familiar with, but I will definitely be looking out for her next book. Full of mystery and suspense, this book kept me hooked right from the start and to be honest, I was disappointed when I finished the book, as I wanted to keep on reading it! If you're looking for a new psychological thriller to read, then this is your next book.
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This is one of those books that I almost gave up on - although I am glad I didn’t. The second half of the book was definitely a lot better than the first. I also didn’t really feel like I got to know any of the characters the way I normally do with books and that meant I felt indifferent towards each of them. 

Amy is a herbalist and lives with her fiancé Matt in the outskirts of Brighton. She has a daughter, Jess, who is at University in Falmouth and is happy. One day Amy gets a call from her fiancé to say he will be late home as he has to entertain a client. However, he later fails to return  home and eventually Amy reports him missing to the police. Unbeknown to her, another woman has reported her partner missing and his description matches that of Matt. Told from the viewpoint of Amy, Fiona and Jess whilst peppered with someone’s memories of the Summer of 1996 - the story unfolds. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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This was my first time reading a book by Debbie Howells and I really enjoyed it. I liked the first person perspective from three different characters. Everyone was a suspect from the very beginning right through to the end! I loved the ending. Great writing and a great book! I will definitely recommend it!  

Big thanks to Avon UK and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in advance!
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An exceedingly enjoyable read.You knew from the start of the novel that there were unanswered questions in the text.What started out as a gentle, happy and story about a forthcoming wedding being planned for, turns out to become a mystery of a groom’s disappearance days before the actual nuptials were supposed to take place. His disappearance under unusual circumstances then leads to a cascade of occurrences which bring the meaning of love into question.It also leads to huge doubts about how well you know about someone’s past when you have not known them for very long.
The main character is Amy a middle aged woman looking  to get her herbal business up and running. She lives at an old cottage outside Brighton with her teenage daughter Jess.This home has an amazing garden which grows many of the herbs and flowers needed for her to tailor make remedies bespoke for a local clientele. She meets a man called Matt at a friend’s party and becomes besotted with him.They make plans to marry after he moves into her cottage and her daughter has moved away to University. Things begin to unravel when he doesn’t return home after a dinner with a client. Amy does not seem to be able to contact home by any means and she eventually is persuaded that she must report his disappearance to local Police.Once this is done nothing else in her life will remain the same and things in her past begin to resurface.There are more questions than answers when the Police investigations involves another woman who has also reported Matt as a missing person.
You are well lead to page turn as the story unfolds because you can see that things are definitely not what they seem.
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History spins a web into the present. A teenager dies after drinking a potion prepared by her sister and her friend. In the present Amy is due to be married to her fiance when he doesn't return home. She reports him missing to the police but a few days later another woman reports the same man as missing and claims he is her boyfriend. An enjoyable story with a twist in the tale.
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A past buried in lies,an uneasy and deadly alliance,murder,family secrets this book has it all and I loved every page of it.
As you read each chapter an insidious sense if unease grows,for one person the secrets they kept are now tightening around them.
An absolutely gripping book,I could not put it down.
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This book is an ok read. I liked how it showed the different characters version of events and jumps between them but unfortunately I figured out the twists long before they happened. If you want an easy read then I'd give this book a go.
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I knew I would enjoy this book, as I loved the cover and the strap lines so it immediately jumped to the top of my TBR pile and thankfully I wasn’t disappointed.  This is a really enjoyable and fast paced read, it is really cleverly written and keeps you interested right to the end.  

Amy is due to get married in two weeks time but suddenly her fiancé Matt disappears and she  is forced to call the wedding off.  

Not far away another woman called Fiona reports her boyfriend as missing, he was going to leave his fiancé for her.   The man who has gone missing meets the same description as Matt.   

Amy doesn’t want to believe that Matt has been living a second life but as the police investigation moves forward Amy is forced to face the truth.
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“The Vow” has such an interesting description that I couldn’t wait to dive right in to it.  I found it so confusing at points that I almost didn’t want to finish it. I felt some of the characters lacked development and it made it difficult to figure out how they were involved.  The ending was very rushed after parts of the story seemed to drag on.  Overall, a great plot, but wasn’t for me.
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What can I say except...wow.  A fresh, different take on the domestic thriller!  Amy, a quiet herbalist, is devastated when her fiance disappears only weeks before the wedding.  She is further devastated when she finds out through the police that her near-husband was living a second life behind her back.  And the other woman is a successful, attractive lawyer.  Did either woman have something to do with their lover's disappearance?  Do they know each other?  Did they know of each other?  If they did...for how long?  

This book was a steady, enthralling read for me.  There are two layers to the story, both tragic and horrifying in their own right.  I truly didn't guess at the final twists until when they happened, and I was so sure that someone was involved that wasn't!  The ending was satisfying.  Overall, my first 5/5 read in quite awhile.
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This was a great read. Twisty and with great character development and a tense storyline. , I loved the healing herbal element to the story and jess’s Recognition of the gaslighting. There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing . A mist enjoyable read in the garden on a sunny lockdown afternoon
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Matt hasn’t be truthful with his fiancée and his sudden disappearance is about to completely fracture Amy’s seemingly perfect world.  The cracks were there lurking in the background and once they become truly visible to her, they will cascade into a tsunami of betrayal and misery.   Is someone trying to frame Amy and what secret is she protecting?  Is she guilty or innocent, the clues are stacking up and time is running out. 

A twisted and entertaining mystery of deceit with a dash of dastardly revenge peppered throughout.  

I wasn’t sure where the novel was going to take me at first and worried this was going to be a standard missing person story but I was pleased to see that it had some hidden depth with the psychological elements. This made the character of Amy much more interesting.  The ending became predictable but not in a negative way.   The startling cover perfectly matches the story and was what drew me to requesting a copy, I’m glad I did.
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Wow what a book. I literally couldn’t put it down. I love the way the author has written in the first person of Amy, Jess and Fiona. 

The relationship between Matt & Amy is unbelievable. I love how Jess is so feisty and isn’t going to sit back and let everything happen around her. 

I suspected a couple of characters but it turned out I was wrong which is awesome because lately some books I’ve read have been too predictable but this book was never that. The outcome is just what I wanted. 

I’d definitely recommend reading this. 

Thank you so much to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review.
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A great story with lots of twists that kept me guessing and second guessing to the very end. Very enjoyable!
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I will admit that I found this book quite confusing at times - often a problem with dual narrators. I would have liked to learn more about Matt in this book - his backstory seemed very rushed and would have been interesting to learn a bit more. 

The ending left me almost non-the-wiser as to who the actual wrong do-er was - which, when you think about it, is a really good technique! 

That said, I enjoyed this book and the premise was interesting however, I probably wouldn't recommend this book - just because I've read better in the genre and my friends are voracious readers with huge-TBR piles already!
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A good psychological thriller. When Amy’s fiancé disappear one night, her life starts to unravel. 
A good story with twists and turns in every chapter. I enjoyed reading this
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I really enjoyed this book it's definitely in the 'do not want to put down or end' category.
Reading is my favourite hobby,but being in lockdown and someone who is having to sheild and has literally only been as far as our front doorstep since 21/03/2020 and it's now 26/05/2020,having a good book to read is even more of a joy than usual.
This book kept me engrossed and my thoughts on who may or may not be involved changed continually,which is always a good thing as it helps keep my brain ticking over!
I would not say it's an original concept for a book,but the way it plays out is different.
I especially enjoyed how herbalism was used,I found that interesting and educational,which is always a plus for me when reading a book.
The characters were believable and apart from one or two, obvious ones likeable.
I will definitely recommend the book to family and friends and read other books written by this particular author,who I would like to take the opportunity to thank for helping me to pass some 'lockdown' time.
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Amy is a woman who is engaged and very soon to be married when her fiancé disappears. Soon, secrets come out and he may not be the man that she believed that he was. 
It was very intriguing, great story line, easy to read and suspenseful. I enjoyed it very much. 

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
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I thought this book had an interesting plot line and I honestly couldn’t figure out the ending but I found the slow parts hard to get through. I thought the ending was very anticlimactic, I was shocked who it was but it just ended.
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I really struggled with this book. I usually race through them but with this one, I found it a chore to pick up. 
A good book for me is not only about the plot and characters but it's important that the dialogue flows, and this didn't. The way Jess and Amy spoke irritated me and towards the end there was alot of repetition. 
This book reminded me of " The Perfect Couple " to begin with and the only redeeming feature about this plot was that it was better.  
I found Amy and Jess dislikable. It's hard to write this but I didnt enjoy it. 
Thankyou to netgalley for this arc in exchange for this review
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