I started reading this, and it wasn’t particularly gripping, but it made me want to keep reading and see what was going on, however towards the middle of the story I kind of drifted off and got a bit fed up as I felt nothing much was happening. I felt indifferent about this one, it had a good start and potential but I just couldn’t stay with it.

Thank you for letting me pre-read this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was an thrilling ride! It kept me on the edge of my seat and up all night reading! The twist was the best part. I didn't see it coming. I had an entirely different idea as to what I thought was going on. This is a must read and just jumped it's way up to my top read of 2022.

Not my favorite. I think there are too many great books out there to choose this one. I wanted to love it but found it hard to get into and didn’t really enjoy the rest.

I found this book very reminiscent of Gone Girl.

Whilst I can enjoy an unreliable narrator I cannot deal with a self pitying one, and this was quite a drag on my experience of this book.

Some very difficult issues are not dealt with with particular sensitivity and I think it may need another edit.

The Woman on the Bench is a twisty novel filled with surprises. Mark and Cecilia had suffered the unimaginable loss of their child before it was born. It has taken a toll on their marriage and when Mark meets Alice things get even worse for the couple.

I didn’t like Mark but I think that is the authors intention. Mark is not the good standard husband. Selfish with no concern of what comes out of his mouth.

The cover is what intrigued me to pick up the book. The beautiful colors and the importance the bench has in the book makes the cover. This is a great book if you like plenty of twists and turns.

*** 3.5 ⭐️ ***

I was feeling in the mood for a mystery/thriller, with hopefully a tight story and multiple twists and turns to keep my interest, so I picked this book. I may have been slightly misled by the synopsis, but I’m still trying to decide if it was a “my bad” situation or not.

This book is told in a 1st-person POV (Mark), and it’s a slow burn for sure; the first 2/3 of the story was the setup to the eventual climax. The last 1/4 of the story was the plan being laid out, then carried out, then twisted in the last chapter or so. The lead up was: Who Mark is, who are Mark’s friends, what does Mark do for a job, what is Mark’s relationship with his wife like… which is fine, I’m a big fan of laying groundwork, but this seemed to go on a bit too long for my tastes. Then, the setup - ok, I bit unbelievable at times, but I stayed with it. Then, the climax, saved it all for the very end, and yet I was still a little confused. The one chapter from an alternate POV (after the last official chapter) actually was the clincher for me, which tied everyone’s actions and the repercussions thereof together in a nice neat bow.

There’s a scene in When Harry Met Sally, where Harry says he’s just finishing a book (he just reads the first and last chapters of all books), and I feel like, if I read the first couple chapters and then the last couple of this book, I’d still have all the information necessary to know what the story was about.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A page turner. I absolutely did not see that ending coming! Each time I thought I had it figured out the story would take an unexpected turn

I couldn't put this book down! It is full of twists and turns and the words flow easily into this great story. Mark and Cecilia are a married a couple and they suffered a tragic loss of their unborn child. Grief and the loss is dealt with different by both and it seems they have grown apart as partners. When Mark meets Alice at a party, he feels seen and likes the attention. Things start happening and escalating more and more.
I can’t wait to see what this author writes next so I will be watching for it. Thanks to the publisher and of course Netgalley for this early release in exchange for my review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.


Great book ,,had me totally gripped . Highly recommended

Couldn't put it down!
This book was a rare gem. It was good from beginning to end. At the end of each chapter, I couldn't wait to read more. I often struggle at keeping focused when I'm reading. But, this book kept my attention and was a quick read. I loved it!

This is a hard one to review as I have mixed feelings about it. I was intrigued by the premise and began in eager but then the whole thing became a little boring with the narrator being a tad self-obsessed and justifying his adulterous intentions towards a relatively complete stranger. But the promise that was dangled of what was to come kept me ploughing through and I guess it was worth the wait...because that twist was delicious when it came. I knew one was coming but not how it would unfold. So it was a nice touch.

The story is told from a somewhat bored husband and self-obsessed narrator, Mark, who is married to the beautiful Cecilia. The couple have been married a number of years and saw themselves growing old together with the children they longed to have. But after a late-term miscarriage at six months gestation, they have been struggling to find common ground once again. Cecilia grows distant and keeps her husband at arms length whilst Mark wonders if they will ever regain the marriage they used to have.

Whilst at a party with friends, Mark sneaks outside for a secret cigarette. And it is there that he meets the beautiful and beguiling Alice. They exchange but a few words, share a cigarette before she disappears into the crowd. But Mark has felt an instant attraction. He wants her. He thinks about her constantly. He knows at once that he is in love. But all he knows about her is her name. Alice. And she consumes his every thought as he ponders how to find her again.

But Alice makes the first move by suggesting coffee together. The meeting is brief but shrouded in promise and innuendo. They continue to meet on a bench, leaving secret notes for one another as they plan a clandestine weekend together at his cottage on the Dorset coast. And from there...they hatch an even bigger plan...murder...

At first we feel sorry for Mark. Lonely in a seemingly loveless marriage that just hasn't picked up after the loss of their only child etcetra etcetra... But then find out a little more about him and even his narrative shows us what a selfish man he is who cheated on his pregnant wife and instead of working on getting back to where they had been, sees an opportunity to get his leg over again with a beguiling stranger as soon as it's offered to him. The man was thinking with his middle leg and not his brain. In his defence though, I found Cecilia to be something of a cold fish myself and I couldn't warm to her at all. But whether that was all part of the author's intention through Mark's narrative to see her through his eyes, I'm not sure. I just didn't like her. She appeared to have a look about her that I didn't trust.

And Alice. How could Mark just throw everything away for a stranger he only just met, knew nothing about, not even her phone number? For what? A quick roll in the hay? And decides he wants forever to be with her? Love and lust, two different things, Mark. So when he is completely blindsided it's hard to feel sorry for him, really it is. But oddly enough, I do. Despite the fact he has been so smug about himself and his affair thus far.

THE WOMAN ON THE BENCH is a relatively satisfying thriller for a debut, despite a somewhat slow start that has Mark justifying his adulterous intentions from start to finish. It is one of those stories where one has to suspend belief a little as it was a tad far fetched, particularly as the story was told solely from Mark's narrative that the other characters weren't really developed enough to be believable. Maybe if it had unfolded through the three different perspectives of Mark, Cecilia and Alice...and maybe even one of his friends, Clyde maybe? It is a little trickier to do that without giving too much away but it does enable the characters to be better fleshed out and for the reader to get a proper grasp on them. And then when the final reveal does come, it would have an even greater impact.

Having said that, it was still a good read for a debut. The best part for me was the ending. I thought I could see where it was going but even I was taken by surprise for the most part. I knew something was going to happen...just not what.

I would like to thank #EliotStevens, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheWomanOnTheBench in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I so enjoyed this read! It was written from a man's perspective and took you right into his inner thoughts. After his wife's miscarriage, the marriage has not been the same. They are disconnected and just floating along. So cliche, but he meets a new woman who makes him feel alive again. You will not believe what he is willing to do to be with her. This was quick paced and I loved it all!

I started this book without any expectations. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy to read. I first have to start off by saying I didn’t like the main character that much but I also kind of felt sorry for him so I just went along with it. Also I couldn’t really see where the story was going at first because the first 3/4 of the book were quite a slow pace and a little bit on the dull side. But it will all come together in the end of the book and the ending was very twisted and brilliant.

I enjoyed this story and the characters. I definitely did not expect the twist at the end! Definitely worth the read and will keep you on your toes.

Mark and Cecelia used to be happily married couple until a miscarriage at 6 months along devastates them. The once romantic couple can hardly even speak to one another never mind sleeping together. The loss of their once vibrant sex life has caused Mark concern and he's hoping it's just a matter of time for Cecelia to get through her grief and then they'll be back on track and hopefully she'll be willing to try for another child again. A family is what Mark wants more than anything.

"We've become a mystery to one another. Two books written in different tongues, covers shut, gathering dust in a forgotten place."

One night at a party Mark sneaks away to have cigarette behind Cecelia's back. Oh, how she would be furious with him. While there he meets another woman also smoking a cigarette. Alice. She's beautiful and bewitching and Mark can hardly believe it when she begins flirting with him. After parting ways Mark realizes he'll likely never see her again but that doesn't stop him from thinking about her.

At work again on Monday morning he receives a note from his secretary and he opens it to discover that Alice has tracked him down and would like to meet him for a coffee at a bench in the park.

It's just an innocent coffee. He isn't a cheater. These are the things he tries to convince himself of, that is, until Alice mentions she will happily have an affair with him if he wants to. How can he say no? He hasn't had this much excitement in his life in months.

"Alice, the beautiful temptress. The innocent distraction."

Oh, Mark, you are going to REGRET this decision.

You never know what you're going to get when you download a debut but, in this case, it worked out in my favor. Mark is a main character that is totally despicable but yet you can't help but be invested in his life, his poor decisions, and his snarky attitude to all of those around him. He was entertaining for sure. I felt terribly for Cecelia for being married to such a jerk. Alice, I often wondered, why oh why are you getting involved with this man? That answer will be revealed in the end and what a revelation it is. This book was a page-turner for me, slightly predictable, but still loads of fun in the *I'm glad this isn't my life* kind of way! 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review.

Other reviewers have summarised the plot and premise as well as I could, so I will concentrate on my thoughts about it.

For a first book this was well accomplished and well written. Like others I found the protagonist dreadfully egotistical and unlikable. I think the writer's intention had been for the reader to have a rapport with him as a 'good bloke', struggling with difficult circumstances and holding it together well until tempted by fate, with the reader's perception slowly shifting as events unfold. However for my I was fairly irritated with him from the outset and this meant that the slow burn of the plot for the first 60% or so of the book made it a bit of a slog.

Setting aside the plot holes- I'm happy to suspend belief in the aim of a decent narrative- the ending was not as well hidden as it may have been, and did really tip over into being too far fetched to maintain credibility.

The wife came across as very thinly written, she wasn't portrayed as anything other than a one-dimensional character and so the plot turn just didn't have enough to latch onto for me.

Having said all that, there were some excellent turns of phrase, and the writer clearly has talent. The main character was well portrayed and I felt that the writer had a clear idea of who he was and how he moved and felt, and this came across well. With a bit of plot tweaking, developing the wife into a real person and thinking about rebalancing the speed this would be a cracking read.

I'd certainly read his second book.

not all is what things seem. I was hooked and drawn to this story and couldn't put it down. Trying to figure out where this story was going. REad it.

Wow, thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this brilliant unputdownable book!

A very clever plot, and a great ending!

Good debut suspense novel that kept me interested throughout. Well written, good character development and lots of twists and turns throughout. Thanks NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the advance copy.

I feel in this book, the main character talks to himself too much. He asked himself questions, and answers himself he is constantly doubting himself questioning himself. There are a few other characters in the book who are described very well. But I did not enjoy it so much only because it was mostly the one character talking to himself.