Ok, I can totally see why Peter Swanson is such a popular author. He has such a great style of writing and his stories keep a great pace.
I read the majority of this book in two days, and I am not a very fast reader.
We will be chatting about this book in April (date and time will be posted in my FB group!)

I have several questions to ask the members of my bookclub, so looking forward to it.
What I enjoyed about this thriller was the actual fear concept. I think things that strike a little closer to reality (as in this could happen to me!) scare me more than far fetched plot lines.
I also was a little surprised by the gore in this story! It is pretty graphic in some parts.

What I thought could have been a little better to push this book to a higher score--I did predict some of the smaller twists before they happened. I think a lot of people will have the same suspicions I did, but I have to appreciate how the author kept his characters true to their nature. I hate when a character does an total 180 in a thriller to give an unexpected twist.

I enjoyed this book and would categorize it as thriller popcorn--fast, addictive and something you can consume a lot of quickly.

It was easy to see the direction this story would take fairly early on - as well to question why on earth any reasonable woman would get herself in this kind of situation - but the details nonetheless kept me turning pages. In the end, I'd describe it as a case of bad love gone way, way worse.

Abigail Baskin is getting married to a good-looking, uber-rich guy named Bruce; she loves him, she thinks, but it's not what could be called a passionate, head-over-heels kind of love. So when her nearly beloved pays for a fancy-schmancy bachelorette party in Los Angeles, she gets tipsy and meets a guy who's determined to get her in the sack. Rationalizing that it's one last time in the frying pan before she hits the fire, she takes him up on the offer. For me, it's stop right there; if she's that tempted so close to her wedding day, she has no business marrying the rich guy (unless, of course, rich is the real point).

One vow she does make, however, is never to tell Bruce about her indiscretion (well, at least not before the wedding); given his family background, he'd never, ever forgive her. Besides, what are the chances that the one-night stand, whom she dubbed "Scottie," will ever be seen again? Ah, you guessed it: back in New York a few days before the wedding, she's stunned to see Scottie in her neighborhood. She's downright gobsmacked, then, when she gets an email from him claiming he wants to bed her one more time to prove their tryst was far more significant than she wants to believe it was.

Somehow, Abigail realizes that would be a mistake and conveys that to Scottie, although she seems to give it some consideration before she responds (second clue that she has no business marrying the rich guy). That's that, then, and the wedding goes on with a hitch (pun intended). For the honeymoon, rich guy Bruce sets up an escape to a remote private island on which he and some partners own and operate a luxury resort with virtually no outside access. And once again, that's that - until it isn't. Want to make another easy guess as to who shows up?

From that point on, it becomes a dangerous game of who do you trust (or more accurately, who do you distrust) the most. The situation soon escalates to life and death, with the big question who will survive. It's a not-so-merry chase to see who makes it to the finish line (I think I know who I was rooting for, although I'm not totally sure any of the characters was worth saving). At any rate, it's a fast-paced adventure that makes for good reading, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review from @NetGalley.

I read this book for a book club and I went into this not knowing anything about it but I think that's the best way to go into this. Abigail's a bit of a hot mess. She's got numerous failed relationships. Her parents' divorce left a lasting impact on her (understandably). I also loved Bruce and how he's a lot more calm/level-headed than Abigail. Abigail and Bruce meet when Abigail's drunk at a bachelorette party. I also loved all the food descriptions and I ended up snacking a lot while reading this book. I'd highly recommend it because it's an entertaining book. I ended up reading this as a study break.

I really enjoy Peter Swanson, and I have found several of his books incredible. "Every Vow You Break" is a fast paced, roller coaster, thriller. It shifts tone throughout and keeps you guessing. What I thought was going to happen was explored, but then twisted to another outcome.

SUMMARY
Abigail is a young woman getting married to socially awkward tech millionaire Bruce. On Abigail's bachelorette party weekend, she has a drunker one night stand with a man she names Scottie (as they don't share their real names with each other). Abigail chocks it up to a drunken mistake and tries to emphasize this to Scottie. Abigail does not share her indiscretion with Bruce, and she moves forward with her wedding. In the weeks leading up to her wedding, she swears she sees Scottie near her NYC apartment, and Abigail thinks she sees him at her wedding reception.

Bruce takes Abigail on honeymoon to a reclusive resort island off the coast of Maine that he co-owns that is known for being tech free (no cell service, no internet, no TV) as a place to fully unwind. While Abigail and Bruce are enjoying their first dinner at the resort, Abigail spots Scottie from across the room. Is it a pure coincidence that he is there? Why is he perusing her and how did he find out her every move?

From there, that's when the real twists and turns start happening!

POSITIVE OPINIONS
I really enjoy Peter Swanson, and I liked this one better than his last - "Eight Perfect Strangers." I thought Abigail was a great protagonist - strong, but flawed. I didn't guess the ending correctly, but I guessed elements from it correctly. Personally, I enjoy not being about to guess the ending correctly. Additionally, I liked the resort setting and felt it added great intrigue to the story.

NEGATIVE OPINIONS
I felt like this book was written too quickly and that parts weren't fully flushed out. The first part where Abigail is with Scottie felt too separated from the second part - the wedding/honeymoon. Parts were extremely unrealistic, and I thought Abigail's reaction to Scottie showing up everywhere following their liaison was too nonchalant. If I were in Abigail's position, I would have been freaking out if Scottie had followed me across the country and showed up at my wedding! Additionally, at the finale with Abigail and Jill - how did the guys think that would end afterwards? Would they go on with their relationships like normal? I couldn't figure out the end game of the aftermath, but that of course, changed paths once the 'event' took place (being vague to not spoil anything!).

Overall, another great thriller from Peter Swanson. I highly recommend this one, and plan on pushing it to my fellow thriller reads at my library and my friends.

This book made me uncomfortable and creeped out - but not in a good way.

Spoilers ahead.......

As the story unfolded, I thought it might turn out to be some kind of take off on the old short story The Most Dangerous Game (people being hunted like big game for sport). But it wasn’t exactly that. This was about a group of very rich men with fragile egos terrifying women and putting them on trial for their sexual histories. No thank you.

I felt like there was just this whole underlying sense of misogyny running throughout the book and maybe that was the author’s intent. But do we really need a story of men calling women sluts and whores and getting off on hunting a woman and putting her on trial? I just found it uncomfortable and exhausting. I really liked Swanson’s other books especially The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders. This one was just a total miss for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and William Morrow and Custom House for the advanced reader copy. This book publishes March 23rd.

3.5 Stars

I was intrigued from the start by the premise. Abigail Baskin seems to have found the perfect man in Bruce Lamb - he is kind and handsome and, oh yeah, a millionaire. But lingering doubts lead her to have a drunken one-night stand with Scottie, a stranger she meets at her bachelorette party. Abigail immediately regrets it and tries to put the incident behind her. She marries Bruce and takes off on her honeymoon to an off-the-grid island retreat, but just as she's starting to relax, Scottie shows up on the island insisting that they are meant to be together, and he won't take no for an answer.

I enjoyed the pacing and thought Swanson did a great job of creating a building sense of dread. While this didn't serve any particularly shocking twists, and (like many thrillers) the ending was a bit far-fetched, it was fun to be along for the ride. There were a few plot holes that kept me from being totally convinced, but I still thought it was an engaging, fast-paced read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @williammorrow for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book, but the whole story is so far-fetched. I really liked Abigail's character; her strength and perseverance really made for a nice ending. However, There are details in the story that didn't really jive well once everything is out in the open. The writing was good, though, and I'm glad I made it to the end.

This book was so good that I literally just stayed awake overnight to read it. I was kinda concerned about some of the decisions Abigail was making at first, but then it all comes together and starts to be much more believable. Speaking of Abigail FINALLY someone wrote about an intelligent heroine, one who actually thinks for herself and is able to figure it what is going on- and realize the danger she is in. So many times I feel an uncontrollable urge to shake these damsel-in-distress characters, so this was a welcome change. Even though I was able to work out what was going on during Abigail's honeymoon about halfway through this book, the revelation did not diminish any of the book's excitement. I've never read anything by this author before, but certainly will in the future.

I am a faithful follower of Peter Swanson as his books have put me in that category I call the "don't stop reading and take the book everywhere" shelf. However, this one, while it did entertain me also provided some epic eye rolling moments and even gave me (no Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew genes in this girl) the ability to figure it all out a quarter of the way through.

So, for me this one was disappointing. It just didn't have that "oh my god" factor I have come to expect in this author's thriller, or in other words the thrill went on vacation in this one.

That being said, I did read the story cover to cover as I wondered how our heroine could be so dumb. I mean one does fall in love at first sight, but really "Scottie" (the besotted one), besides being a stalker, fell for Abigail because she had the same eyes and voice as his deceased wife while Abigail fell into the sack with him a week before her upcoming nuptials! Oh please!!! There were numerous other things that powered my eye rolling moments but I will keep you in the dark as to what they were.

Abigail's intended is some sort of billionaire and he doesn't ask her to sign a prenuptial agreement (yea right?. Ok, I lied that was one eye rolling moment).....and he is part owner of an exclusive, hidden away island that the couple will honeymoon at.....and of course it has no internet. It's quite convenient for the dastardly doings about to occur on the island, and add to that, besides one female honeymooner and one female worker, Abigail is the only woman among the men. Me smells a setup!

At any rate, suffice to say, this story was tipping towards entertaining, but just lacked the pow zoom of Swanson's previous efforts. Does it deter me from reading his next books? Absolutely not! I will continue to hope that Swanson gets back his mojo that sent many of us into thriller nirvana.

Three stars for this one with a thanks to Sam Boush for acquiring it for me through NetGalley.

In the past, I have really enjoyed Peter Swanson's thrillers, but "Every Vow You Break" just didn't do it for me. It has an interesting premise, but I feel that the approach to the whole thing was just wrong. Also, I didn't need so many chapters/backstory about Abigail's previous "escapades." While this didn't work for me, I think that many will still enjoy it, and there is definitely the high-paced plot with twists and turns that many enjoy about Swanson's writing.

This is another terrific thriller from Swanson. What starts as a story about a bride-to-be who has drunken sex with a stranger on her bachelorette weekend and is tormented by guilt soon turns into a terrifying tale. During their honeymoon on a creepy, isolated island, Abby discovers that disappointing Bruce, her "perfect" new husband, is the least of her worries. This is truly a book in which no one except the lead character is what he or she seems. Swanson has created a thriller that is unlike anything else out there and continues surprising the reader until the end.

Wow. This book escalated quickly. It kept me guessing until the end - I didn't know who to trust. I'm glad it had a satisfying ending. A few thrillers I've read lately did not end well for those in the right.

I usually love Peter Swanson’s work and this one was no different. I’ve never seen this story done before so it was refreshing. Throughout the book I could never tell who to trust!

I enjoyed this story, as I have all of Peter Swansons other stories. Very creepy, but I felt myself wanting to scream at Abigail....she should have known better. After a one night stand during her bachelorette weekend, she finds herself in a stalking situation. But is it more than that?

Every Vow You Break
A Novel
by Peter Swanson
William Morrow and Custom House
You Are Auto-Approved
William Morrow
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 23 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 18 May 2021

This book fell flat for me. I really tried to like it and get into the story but too much was unbelievable.
Hopefully, this book will not feel that way to you. Just not a good fit for me.
Thanks to William Morrow and Custom House as well as NetGalley for the ARC.

2star

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for this free ARC.

I wanted to like this book so much. From what I've heard, Peter is a master of mysteries. This book was not. There were no likable characters and the ending just fell flat. This was my first book of his so I'm going have to read Eight Perfect Murders to get this icky taste out of my mouth.

There is a reason that Peter Swanson is a must read thriller author for me, and EVERY VOW YOU BREAK merely solidifies that belief. Like most Swanson books, we have a protagonist who has made dubious choices, though to be fair to Abigail she is probably one of the least morally ambiguous main characters we've gotten from him. What seems to be a fairly straight forward thriller about a woman being stalked by a regrettable one night stand turns into something a bit more malevolent, and Swanson has so many tricks up his sleeves that the surprises just kept on coming. While I was able to pick up on some things here and there, overall I was left guessing and surprised, and questioning what was real and what wasn't. I also really liked the various references to horror movies and lore, as Abigail is a fan and Swanson definitely calls back to a few of my favorites. I also liked that the big twist that we know Swanson has planned wasn't as familiar this time around, which just made this feel all the more original and surprising. And finally, ya gotta love a thriller that acknowledges how misogyny can lead to a lo of very bad things. Swanson does that in a lot of different ways in this book, and I appreciated that.

EVERY VOW YOU BREAK is a fast and entertaining thriller. Seriously, if you haven't checked Swanson out yet, do it.

Well this was definitely not what I thought it would be when I started the book. Abigail Baskin never though she would fall in love with a millionaire then she met Bruce Lamb who was a good guy, stable and level headed a refreshing change from her previous volatile relationships. After a whirlwind romance they are going to get married but 3 weeks before the wedding at her bachelorette weekend Abigail while drunk has a one-night stand with a hot guy but they don’t exchange real names. She puts it out of her mind as a drunken mistake and doesn’t tell Bruce anything and they get married the next week. While they are on their honeymoon on a remote island resort which has no Wi-Fi and no cell service so you can disconnect from technology and commune with nature, Abigail runs across “Scottie” the one-night stand who tells her that night was something special and that they are meant to be together and he tracked her down to prove it. Now she has to figure out what to do and how to tell Bruce without ruining their honeymoon and marriage but strange things start to happen and when she sees another newlywed she met running through the forest with blood on her who disappears and nobody at the resort believes anything is happening not even her perfect husband. Oh man this was so good and it definitely veered off course to a direction I didn’t think it would go and man Abigail had to deal with some crazy stuff. A really great read though with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
Thanks to William Morrow and Custom House and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Toxic masculinity ruins the party again.

That’s all I could think the further and further that I got in to “Every Vow You Break.”

Peter Swanson has been a must read for me the last few years. While I didn’t love “8 Perfect Murders”, plenty of others did. This book was more of what I like about Swanson. It was a gripping, fast read with a great conclusion. While I didn’t always like Abigail, by the end of the novel, I certainly respected the hell out of her.

I’ll be suggesting this book. It’s a nasty story (that’s a compliment) that upends the domestic thriller genre. Can’t wait to see what Peter Swanson writes next.

Advanced Copy received from publisher/netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Peter Swanson has a gift for writing fast paced, can't fully guess where they're going thrillers, and this was no exception. This; however, was not my favorite of his as it was a bit too all over the place for it to be fully believable. Every Vow You Break had a stellar set up and built on the characters so we discovered just as much as we needed to going in. The story did start to loose me a bit in the middle, but I always enjoy thrillers when I can't quite tell the good guys and the bad guys and where the ending will take everyone. The ending felt impractical and unbelievable and brought my ranking down. I'd recommend lovers of the genre lookin for a quick read in the category, readers looking for something kind of the same but also very different in the genere, and fans of Swanson read this one.