I am normally not a huge fan of suspense novels, but I really enjoyed this one. It had the perfect amount of mystery that kept me at the edge of my seat. I became fascinated with the characters and was continually surprised. And the ending? Absolutely unexpected. Would definitely recommend this!

Cunning, deceiving, twisty, surprising, mind spinning and entertaining!
Newly weds Ashton and Vivien are perfect happy couple, a beautiful postcard image of Christmas Hallmark movies. They’re adorable !

What started out as a seemingly straightforward “who is telling the truth” psych thriller ended in a cacophony of revelations and…yes…”what the heck” moments. I found Vivien to be an unreliable narrator which added to the intrigue. The book seemed to be split in half, with a big reveal at the midpoint that explained the first part and set the stage for the second half. If you think you have everything figured out in this twisty psych thriller, you don’t. There are surprises right up until the last page (literally). A great read and highly recommended. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

A taut, compelling thriller that kept me turning the pages. Recommended! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

This book is filled with too many twists to count. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, anther unexpected twist would occur. Unreliable narrators run rampant in this tale of obsession, betrayal and suspicion. Who is the villain and who is the victim in this southern tale of long buried secrets and delusions of perfection. If you love one twist after another, then this is a must read. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

If you’re looking for another story about wedded bliss…this is not it. Picture perfect from the outside but appearances are deceiving. This is a story with lots of twists and turns, lies and betrayals.

Vivian, a woman obsessed with keeping up appearances is married to a charming, handsome surgeon who owns an island and a mansion. Soon, friends start to notice bruises on Vivian, even a black eye… but remember, nothing is as it seems though.

The story line really takes on a new angle when a 16 year old girl named Cady comes to Vivian’s work. Abandoned by her mum, Cady is strong willed and independent.

This book will take you on a ride. As the story unravelled, I became more and more engrossed. I couldn’t wait to turn the pages fast enough to see in which direction the author was going. And then…wow...what an ending!

This book ticks all the boxes. My only critique is that there was too much going on in this book that I felt like a few things went unanswered. Overall 4 stars for me.

My first book by the author and it was a worthwhile read. I enjoyed most of it and would read her again!

The Newlyweds puzzles me. Like, a lot.

I picked it on Netgalley, intrigued by the synopsis: a good old psychological drama, two newlyweds (hence the title) hiding things from each other; pretty straightforward yet interesting enough to make me anticipate some plot twists.

It delivered, in a way, but – puzzled, as I said. Stay with me for a moment here.

Cover: Pretty! I love the coloring and the silhouettes, it fits the theme quite well.

Yay!

- Ashton is an unusual character. He’s supposed to be the villain, and he fits the bill – rich neurosurgeon, mean to his wife, all polish and no substance. As the story progresses though, he proves to be less clear-cut. ⅔ of TN in, I started wondering if he was a regular person caught between his past mistakes and his new life. Spoiler alert: nope. Looking back, his development becomes pretty clear, and kudos to Arianne for avoiding the unidimensional bad character cliche.

- Vivien has her own agenda too. Much appreciated! She plays the abused wife well enough – it’s clear it’s a ploy, if you read between the lines – and what I mistook for a too quick pacing is a cool way to set things in motion.

- Style-wise, the pacing I’ve just mentioned fooled me. I’m a seasoned reader, it’s very hard to catch me by surprise when it comes of structure. Arianne did it. Good job!

Nay!

- The pov. First person just doesn’t work with this kind of plot, and it’s the main reason why I’m not sold on TN. Look, I’m sitting in the third limited pov camp and I will die here, but I can appreciate a good first person pov if done right. Here the 180 Vivien does around the middle of the book invalidates the first half and you have to start anew. But why? Written in third, it would have slayed the reader – in a good way.

- I love plot twists. I live for tropes inversion and the gasped ahhhhhhh of realization when Thing A turns out to be Thing Z. Cady? Unexpected and cool! The misdiagnosis of Georgia-May? Whoa! Lindy? Uh, a bit of a stretch, but okay, I guess. Lily? Nope. That’s where I draw the line. She popped up just like that, at the very end and I’m sorry, but I can’t buy it.

- I can’t buy the eighteen years of revenge (plus daughter) either without a solid reason. But Ashton got her pregnant and abandoned her, you say! Yes. But it’s not enough for her to keep going for that long, devoting her whole life (plus daughter 2x) to that. The actual execution notwithstanding, you want me to believe all that? Then show me Vivien’s compulsions, her obsessions, how her mental health deteriorates over time.

- After all is said and done, Vivien trusts Ashton enough to go shark diving. I mean, uh?

All in all, it’s 2/5 stars on GR, 5 stars on my blog.

What a great book this is. I loved it. So many twists that I hadn't seen coming. Once you start this book you wont want to put it down until you have finished it . Don't take my word for it..........................read it !!

As my teenage son would say... meh!

I was so looking forward to this one. The synopsis had me hooked with its promises of twists and suspense but it just didn't tick the boxes and failed to deliver unfortunately.

It just felt like a tame domestic thriller. Another story of boy meets girl, they marry and everything is not quite as it seems... blah blah. There are just so many of the same version if storyline out there!

Told through the female character Viviens POV, she lives her life shrouded in secrets. At times you'll feel sorry for her, at times you'll feel sorry for the husband Ashton but in all honesty I just wanted to kick them both!

Did I hate it? No
Did I enjoy it? No
Would I recommend it? No

Sorry but I just hate being drawn in with false promises.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

This was a great domestic drama/suspense book! Really had me glued to the pages, and questioning my own husband and marriage. As it definitely was able to get in my head, with the amazingly developed characters and phenomenal writing! Lots of great twists and turns, thrills, chills, and suspense! Highly, highly recommend!

I liked this book, though it took me a while to read it. A marraige full of secrets a built on retribution was doomed to fail. I didnt really like any of the leading characters in the book, which is maybe why it took me so long to read,, however the book is good, the storyline is good and something about it drew me back again and again.

Great book. Lots of unexpected twists and turns. This book had me guessing till the very end. I highly recommend this twisty domestic thriller. #netgalley #goodreads

Ashton and Vivien have only been married for 6 months, and as far as anyone can see they are most certainly a perfect couple. However, when bruises begin to appear on Vivien's body her friends and therapist start to suspect that there is something else going on in their marriage.
This book had me intrigued from the start. The storyline is full of suspense, drama and mystery that really has you perched on the edge of your seat and needing to read more!. I loved how this book stirred up my own suspicions from the off, yet kept me guessing what was the actual 'truth' to the very last page.
When secrets start to come to light, and the tension builds as the plot develops, it is safe to say I could not put this book down.
The characters were fantastic and so well developed. Both Ashton and Vivien were realistic and believable as their story unfolded. Both of them were dangerous in their own way, alongside both arguably being victims too. Vivien is at times rather unlikeable as she is quite calculating in the decisions she makes, this did however add extra depth to the story and allowed you to understand her character more. I refuse to give away any spoilers, so I shall leave my review at that!

This book is an absolute page turner and had me well and truly hooked to the very last page.

Holy Mother of the Gods!!! Strap yourself in because this one is a helluva ride!! Twisty and turn-ey, with highs leading to stomach-turning lows and moments that will leave you gasping for air! Wow!

Vivien is married to Ashton. To look at, they’re a model couple with a picture perfect life. He’s a successful, well-respected neurosurgeon, she doesn’t need to work and dedicates as much time as she can to volunteering at Community Promise, a shelter that cares for those in need. But to the reader, it’s apparent almost immediately that something’s a bit ‘off’.

From the opening pages, where Vivien describes their magical, beautiful wedding held at Distant Island, Ashton’s family house, she hints that perhaps she shouldn’t have gone ahead with the marriage that seems to be so wonderful. But what on earth could be the problem? Is she just sad that her parents (dead years ago in a car accident) are not there to share her special day? Maybe Vivien is just upset that Ashton’s mom, Georgia-May needs close supervision due to her Alzheimers and is only able to be with them on the day for a short period of time, probably not even sure what event she’s attending? What could the problem be?

Over the next few months as Vivien starts to immerse herself in her new life, she gets to know Ashton’s circle of friends, particularly Lindy, wife of his best friend Richard. Lindy becomes her confidante, and when she starts noticing bruises on Vivien’s arms she becomes concerned. Vivien tries to brush off Lindy’s questions and makes the usual excuses, telling her there’s really nothing to worry about. However, when Vivien shows up with a very obvious black eye, Lindy starts insisting that she consult with a divorce lawyer and says that she’ll help her with whatever she needs to ensure that she walks away from her marriage well taken care of, financially speaking! She’s frustrated when Vivien still seems reluctant to leave Ashton though – why on earth would you want to stay with someone who uses you as a punching bag!

Then Vivien decides that she needs to help out 17-year-old Cady, one of the teens from Community Promise who has nowhere to live. Knowing that Ashton has expressly forbidden it, she moves Cady into the cottage at Distant Island, and that’s when things start to go well and truly pear-shaped!

As the story unravelled and I became more and more absorbed, I couldn’t wait to see where the author was leading me, and when the reveal came I was so shocked, I had to go back and read it a few times just to check myself!! It was a real blinder! Well played Arianne Richmonde, well played!

This is a 5 star domestic noir thriller, filled with tension, mistrust, secrets and lies. It ticks all the boxes for that perfect edge-of-your-seat page-turner that will keep you reading late into the night!

Vivien and Ashton have been married just 6 months. The perfect wedding and the perfect couple. But Vivien's friends and therapist soon suspect that there are secrets in the marriage when bruises start to appear on Vivien...
The Newlyweds is an intriguing book with a mystery at its heart. From the start, I had suspicions that we were being presented a skewed version of events. Secrets and mysterious happenings were rife, including the discovery that Ashton had a sister and the unexplained unlocking of doors. This increases the anticipation and tension for the reader as they await further plot developments.
There is a huge revelation just after halfway through the book that turns our perception of the characters and events on its head. There were further twists, even including the final chapter. It was necessary to suspend my disbelief a little especially in the final quarter but it was a fun read.
Vivien and Ashton are both intense characters, victims yet dangerous. Revenge and control are key to uncovering the truth. Although we are privy to Vivien's perspective, her choices are not always likeable, and indeed her character overall is calculating. However, it is Vivien's first person narrative used throughout so we are led to feel more strongly towards her and gain a good understanding of her thought processes and actions.
The Newlyweds was an enjoyable book but very difficult to review without giving away major spoilers!

This is a very good psychological thriller that kept me gripped throughout, particularly after the shocking revelation half way through, and the twists and turns that kept coming right up until the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookcouture for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Being a lover of a domestic thriller - I was really looking forward to this! Didn’t really tick many of my boxes to be fair - an average read about husband and wife and nothing being as it seems! Many more exciting novels of this genre, but I certainly didn’t hate it.

Another story about girl weds boy and wedded bliss it aint. It all looks picture perfect from the outside but don't believe what you see is what is told in this story. Ashton and Vivien are perfect to anyone watching initially but then signs of trouble start to emerge. Are things really as picture perfect as they seem. You will need to read to know for sure but it sure is an interesting ride along the way. Although this story has been done a bunch this was still a nice different take on how things can go oh so wrong and how one should never judge a book by ints cover or a a marriage by just what you see on the surface!

This books synopsis drew me in, it promised to be a twisty, suspenseful read. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver; there was suspense built but the reveals didn't work. I just felt the story went from far fetched to unbelievable. I do understand this is an ARC but there were two big errors in this copy, this included a characters name changing part way through and also a reverse call error. Hopefully these will be fixed prior to publication.