Mark meets Alice at a party, and she seems like the perfect woman - the only one who can understand him, have a child with him and have a better life.
But Mark is married to Cecilia, who seems to be really distant off late - she doesn't seem to be interested in anything at all.
With a full time job, Mark seems to start getting distracted with Alice, and then when they start meeting each other and realize that they love each other they come up with a plan for the future, but this plan doesn't involve including Cecilia in their future - at the same time Mark knows that Cecilia might blurt out a dark hidden secret from his past.

This was a good 3 star read for me, thanks to Netgalley, EliotStevens & Inkubator books for adding this in the read now section - this was a fast read!

The Woman on the Bench follows a couple who after a devastating miscarriage are more roommates than a couple. How can Mark and Cecilia get past this and get back the relationship they once had? All of a sudden another woman named Alice shows up and Mark falls for her hard. But is Alice who she wants us to believe she is? This book will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next!

4 stars. I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and interesting and kept me engaged. Would recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley for the priviledge of accessing this book prior to publishing!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

Enjoyed reading every part of this book. Highly recommended.

At last, Mark has found the perfect woman. There’s just one small problem – his wife.
Married couple Mark and Cecilia seem to have it all – looks, wealth, love. But behind closed doors, things are very different – they live in silent resentment, their marriage broken by the shattering loss of the child they so desperately wanted.
Enter Alice – Mark’s idea of the perfect woman. She appears from nowhere and offers Mark the chance of a new life filled with love, passion, and – finally – the joys of parenthood. Everything he’s ever dreamed of.
But there’s a catch.
Mark can’t leave Cecilia because she knows a dark secret from his past that would ruin him if it was revealed. And he’s sure she'd be more than happy to use it against him if he betrayed her.
Mark’s future with Alice seems doomed. Until one night, in a secluded cottage on the Dorset coast, they hatch an unspeakable plan that might bring devastating ruin, or life-long happiness…
But who is Alice, really? And can love ever begin with murder?

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.

If you’re looking for a milder thriller this one might be for you!

There was a pretty slow build up and it took the first 1/3 of the book to get going. Once it did I found it much more entertaining, albeit predictable. Ultimately, it was good, but also somewhat forgettable.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the complimentary ebook!

Pub Date: 8/28/22 Available Now!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A solid read. Some characters aren't as likable as others, but it kept me turning the pages. Although I was able to see the end coming, it was worth continuing to read to see how it would unravel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a brilliant debut. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. Suspenseful, intriguing, exciting and addictive. A great read.

The woman on the bench is a very intereseting read

I enjoyed reading about the characters and the story was well plotted out

I enjoyed The Woman on the Bench. It ended quite differently than I’d thought it would but in a novel full of twists & turns, that’s a good thing.

After suffering a miscarriage, Mark and Cecelia hit a very rough spot in their marriage to the point of becoming more like roommates than a married couple. One night while at a party, Mark sneaks outside for a smoke and happens to meet a beautiful and enigmatic woman named Alice. She is everything he’s ever wanted in a woman and he proceeds to fall head over heels for her. Unfortunately, Mark harbors a secret that keeps him bound to his wife.

While I liked the premise of the story, I can honestly say I didn’t care for any of the characters except for maybe Ed. Mark was the worst of them. He’s someone who portrays himself as a good guy even though he is absolutely a despicable human being. The build up was a little slow for my taste and took me a little bit to get into it, but about half way through, the story picks up pace as things start to fall into place.

Where I struggled was that many of Mark’s actions did not feel believable and required me to suspend belief quite a bit. I found it hard to picture someone so willing put his job on the line along with many of his other actions based on his brief encounters with Alice. Although I had an idea where the story was going, it was still fun to see it all unfold in the end. <b>The Woman on the Bench</b> is a very good debut, and I would definitely read another book by this author. 3.5 stars.

Although it was kind of predicable I did enjoy the character's. Will want to keep and eye out for his next book.
Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy

For a debut, I think The Woman On The Bench has reached my expectation. The authors create a suspenseful atmosphere right from the start, not just thematically, but on the sentence level as well.

Mark Hamilton is portrayed as vulnerable to beauty and flattery. A dark secret he kept from his wife, Cecilia might not be forgiven. But when a young beautiful woman who he accidentally met at the party sat on the bench, he fall in love at the first sight. Alice, her name. I thought Alice was his imagination but Alice is more than bright and mysterious he ever met. He spilled everything about his unhappy marriage and other secrets. Instead of how little he knows about Alice, they planned out a murder to ruin his wife. The ending might surprise you. Haha.

My personal rating : 5 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing an earc.

📚

#donereading #TheWomanOnTheBench by #EliotStevens #igreads #bookstagram #goodreads #emabaca #malaysiamembaca

Today, is my spot on Zooloos book tours for The Woman On The Bench by Eliot Stevens. I read this psychological thriller as an ebook for this tour and I’m so glad that I took part on this tour as I really enjoyed this novel. I loved all the plot twists in this suspenseful and thrilling story. This novel is full of twists and turns and so many lies. It follows a story about a couple who lead a seemingly normal, quiet life, but after a closer inspection it is anything but. This novel follows their relationship and those of their friends. It is an exciting story, and once I started reading this thriller, I didn’t want to put this novel down. I wanted to find out what happened at the end. It was a “I didn’t expect that” moment.
I really liked discovering an author who is new to me and whose writing style I like. I also liked the character development in this thriller; nothing was as it seemed and no character was as I expected them to be. I was fascinated by the story. What an intriguing story. Thrillers, crime novels and psychological thrillers are my favourite genres to read, and I really enjoyed reading this one. I love reading novels where the ending isn’t what I expect.
I’m giving this thrilling, fascinating and unexpected psychological thriller 4 stars as I really liked reading it. It is the first novel by Eliot Stevens that I’ve read but I’m hoping to read more in the future.

The Woman on the Bench is a spellbinding debut from a new author in psychological thriller books.
Mark and Celia seem to have it all. Good jobs, money, good lucks and love. But behind closed doors is a fractured marriage after the loss of the one thing they both long for - a baby. There's more that meets the eye with this couple and secrets are lurking in corners and some secrets could turn each of the spouses lives upside down and ruin them forever.
Mark meets the woman of his dreams the mysterious, beautiful and alluring Alice. They meet on a bench and begin leaving notes for each other taped underneath the bench and Mark becomes addicted and obsessed with this woman and he longs for. But to be with Alice Mark needs to divorce Celia. And Celia knows a secret in Marks past that could ruin him forever. Mark ends up with one solution - he must get rid of Celia!
What an amazingly twisty-turney read this was. Nothing is as it seems and you're in for some shocking reveals and surprises!

A good premise but I found it took too long to get going. I was not too keen on any of the characters and guessed the ending half way through the book. I would probably tell a friend to read it but only if they were looking for something to fill an hour or so.
Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator for allowing me to give my unbiased opinion.

A well written, fast paced thriller. This book had me guessing a different outcome every few chapters. The characters were easy to form opinions about and often I was surprised at how my opinions changed throughout the book. For me it was a book I was unable to put down. I’m looking forward to anything else from the same author and this book will be one that I recommend to friends. Well written.

I love this book soo much it has all the ups and downs in relationship the protagonist is facing a love triangle and also illusions while it keeped me hooked if the girl is really an illusion or does exist he was really invested with her i really liked the plot of the book over all its a 5 star book for me love itt and will recommend to others as well to read it ❤️ thank you soo much to the author who accepted me on netgalley so i can read this awesome book!!

What a fast paced, white knuckle ride this book was! Some dark themes and true tragedy underpin the plot and the author makes it so, so credible. Is Mark a reliable narrator? Maybe not, but his perspective is truly gripping.

''Married couple Mark and Cecilia seem to have it all – looks, wealth, love. But behind closed doors, things are very different – they live in silent resentment, their marriage broken by the shattering loss of the child they so desperately wanted. Enter Alice – Mark’s idea of the perfect woman. She appears from nowhere and offers Mark the chance of a new life filled with love, passion, and – finally – the joys of parenthood. Everything he’s ever dreamed of. But there’s a catch. Mark can’t leave Cecilia because she knows a dark secret from his past that would ruin him if it was revealed. And he’s sure she'd be more than happy to use it against him if he betrayed her.''

Wow what a great book! It's definitely a a good and gripping mystery book with a twist in the end that its jaw dropping! I couldn't put this book down at all, that's how thrilling it is! The story is so well written, fast pacing and nerve wrecking. It has twists and surprises and suspense and cheating and love and heart breaking and work mess and weird situations and it's just great.

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #nethalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC. This did not impact my review.