Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Lizzie and Owen are staying with Lizzie's friend while they try to find a place to live while also trying to plan their wedding. They end up going home to meet Lizzie's mom which will turn out to be a big mistake. Lizzie's mom immediately starts taking over the wedding planning and all Lizzie can do is go along with it to keep the piece. This is the part that I was not a fan of as these weak "walked all over" female characters that do not stand up for themselves absolutely drive me crazy. Lizzie starts to worry that her mother may be trying to harm Owen when strange things begin to happen and it reminds Lizzie of when her sister's husband to be tragically died on the day of their wedding....is history repeating itself? was Lizzie's mom involved with is death? I liked the story overall except the not standing up to the Mother of the Bride...Enjoy!!!

Lizzie is pregnant and getting married to Owen. She is thrilled with her life and ready to find a flat and start their lives together. When circumstances lead them to living with her mother for awhile, Lizzie doesn’t want Owen to know just how uncomfortable that makes her. She suspects her mother of many wrong doings and is worried for Owen’s safety. Can Owen and Lizzie start their happily ever after or will her mother rewrite that narrative?

I enjoyed the narrator of this book and the story was very twisty, even when I thought the twists were over!

I’ve always enjoyed this author and this book is no exception. You feel like you’re part of the story and no matter how many characters there may be in a book you feel like you’re a part of that world and invested in these characters as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I always enjoy books from Samantha Hayes, they are interesting, quick paced and easy to follow. This was very entertaining and every time I thought I knew the direction it was going, something happened that made me doubt my first thought. There were plenty of those twists and turns and I ended up not having guessed it right by the end. Overall this was a quick, entertaining read and I really enjoyed it!

The author has delivered a fast paced and deliciously wicked tale. The characters are well rounded and come across as believable, whether you love them or hate them. This is a taut, character-driven psychological thriller, filled with suspicion and tension.

A wonderfully crafted action-packed story with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. I found it well-paced, with well-developed characters and believable motivations, with an interesting plot and satisfying ending. The end had a satisfying, realistic conclusion; with enough justice for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

"Mother of the Bride" by Samantha Hayes is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The twists and turns in the plot were expertly executed, keeping me on the edge of my seat and eager to uncover the truth. Hayes masterfully weaves together a complex web of intrigue and suspense, leaving me guessing until the very end. The characters were well-developed, and their motivations kept me guessing. Overall, "Mother of the Bride" is a thrilling read that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

🎧MOTHER OF THE BRIDE by Samantha Hayes & read by Tamsin Kennard is a suspenseful read!

In short, a woman is about to be married. Her sister's fiance died on her wedding day a year ago...and she found her mother's corsage next to the body. Will a similar incident occur this time? Why is she so worried?

This story felt like a fun suspense that was narrated well. I thought it felt fairly predictable for a while, but then realized I was being led down the wrong path and thoroughly enjoyed letting the story unravel. I especially liked the very end.

Was this a spectacular thriller? Not so much for me, but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and I was entertained by the constant questioning of what was true. I am glad I listened to it and feel like it will be an enjoyable listen to soft suspense fans!

Thank you, @netgalley & @bookouture for sharing this entertaining read with me that came out March 26.

"Mother of the Bride" was an entertaining book, albeit with some flaws. While the storyline was moderately engaging, the main character, Lizzy, left much to be desired. Her lackluster personality and, oftentimes, nonsensical decisions made it difficult to connect with her. Despite being presented with obvious facts, Lizzy repeatedly ignored or excused them, which was quite bewildering.

Furthermore, the mother of the bride was portrayed as having a unique and quirky personality, which made her an interesting character. However, it was rather peculiar that she suddenly transformed into a lucid and normal individual towards the end of the book. Although the thrilling aspect of the story was well-executed, the character development could have been more consistent and believable.

Despite this, the story itself was decently crafted. However, what truly captured my attention was the novel's finale. The final twist was utterly unexpected, and it was the perfect way to conclude the story. I was left with a sense of awe and admiration for the author's clever storytelling.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for free.

I found this book slow to start with, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Some really good twists and turns! A nice easy listen. Would recommend.

I enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audio. It had good plot twists and the writing style made it easy to listen along to without getting lost. The characters were relatable and likable ( or not so likeable in some cases ). All and all it was a book that I would recommend to my bookish friends.

This book has some good family secrets, twists - if you are someone who enjoys it then this book is for you!

When Lizzie finds a hard evidence that her mother Sylvia could have murdered her sister Shelley's fiance she decides to hide it - but she just can't stand being around her mother. After moving away, she is now back and she has a fiance, she is very worried that history might repeat itself.
As Lizzie tries to keep her fiance Owen away from her mother, it just seem to be working in her favor - her mom has a way to manipulating herself into everything including arranging their wedding!
As story progresses, Lizzie finds herself face to face with unbelievable truths, some of them which she didn't even know was happening!

Overall this was a 4/5 stars for me - filled with tension, this was a one sitting listen for me!

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, Samantha Hayes for this book in exchange for honest review.

Amazon no. 1 bestselling author, Samantha Hayes, has weaved an addictive psychological thriller, ending with some twists I didn’t see coming. I had an idea of one plot line, but in a book filled with characters that seemed dark, I didn’t expect just how it all turned out. This is a great one!

As always, Tamsin Kennard, one of my favorite narrators, was fantastic!

Thank you, Samantha Hayes, Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, & netgalley for my audiobook! All opinions are my own.

This book was a slow start and I never felt fully invested. The characters were very one dimensional and I struggled to relate to them. There were some twist and it did get more interested around the half way point.

3.75 stars

Dark, twisty, and intriguing are all terms I could use to describe this book. It was fun, quick, and interesting, and I found myself pulled in right from the beginning. Although I didn’t figure out exactly what was coming at the end, I did have some theories that proved to be reasonably accurate, and I enjoyed the guessing and sense of foreboding that were woven throughout the whole thing. This was a fun, easy read.

Despite not completing this audiobook before its removal from my NetGalley app, I found it to be an outstanding psychological thriller that grips you from the start. I plan on purchasing it on Audible to uncover the thrilling conclusion. I'm eager to discover if the same fate befell the sister in the story.

I absolutely loved this book!! The narrator was amazing, making it so easy and fun to listen to. There was an amazing twist that was absolutely unexpected, leaving this as one of my new favorite books. I found it hard to put down because I kept wanting to know what was coming next. I would absolutely recommend this book, 10/10!!!

Thank you NetGallery for an advance copy. I love getting to enjoy the books before they hit the shelves.
I love wedding stories, good weddings, bad weddings, happy and sad weddings, disastrous weddings now I should be hooked! This book had potential to be a bit of all of that. Although I felt that characters to be under developed in the story. The author tried hard to introduce too many characters and situations that became irrelevant which in turn lost a bit of my interest.
I started reading the book and switched midway to audio and enjoyed it much better. So I definitely suggest that you try it on audiobook
The book did become pretty predictable for me. I was sure I knew who was who at the end and what everyone was capable of too! I don’t think I have ever figured out a thriller before it ended. An enjoyable thriller for a wedding junkie absolutely! Enjoy it!

🎧 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧

Mother of the Bride - Samantha Hayes

I'm a really big fan of Samantha Hayes and have read a lot of her books so I was excited when I saw this on @netgalley Thank you to the publishers and @netgalley for the early advanced copy.

This is one wedding you don't want to be a part of! This had me hooked right from the prologue when one of the guests declares Owen and Liv shouldn't get married. We have a long wait to find out why this is as the book then takes us back to events in the lead up to the wedding.

The main character Liv frustrated me quite a lot in this book in her decision making but all becomes clear as the book progresses. There are a lot of red herrings in the book which adds to the tension. Liv's mother is an absolute nightmare. She is interfering, controlling and has a lot to answer for. But is it a case of simply just wanting the best for her daughter?

I enjoyed this book and the twists and turns as they unfolded. I'm really enjoying audiobooks whilst I was work away.

#motherofthebride #thriller #gripping #redherrings #wedding #lies #twistsandturns

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me the audio early for an honest review.
The narrator Tamsin Kennard did a smashing job at keeping my interest with each character.
So isn't it always exciting to get married...well for most unless your sisters last fiance was found murdered on their wedding day and your mother's corsage was found next to his body!
There were lots of twists and turns which kept me interested. The book was a tad slow at the start but the end certainly made up for it. I would definitely recommend this, whether it be in book format or audio!
This was my first book of Samantha Hayes work, I kook forward to hearing more of her work, this was a strong 4 star read!

Mother of the Bride was a solid four star, gripping and engaging listen!

Lizzy and Owen are engaged and must temporarily move in with Lizzy’s mother, Sylvia. While Lizzy is less than thrilled about this, Owen is convinced Sylvia can’t be as bad as Lizzy has made her out to be. Being the charmer he is, Owen finds Sylvia endearing and brushes off Lizzy’s concerns.

Shelley is Lizzy’s sister and lost her husband Rafe….on her wedding day. As Lizzy’s wedding plans are more or less taken over by her mother, she can’t help but be on edge with her mother’s meddling. Lizzy feels bad about planning her wedding around Shelley because of her recent wedding tragedy but Shelley is supportive.

Additional plot points include Lizzy and Shelley’s father being in a care home wherein he shares he put himself there because he needed a break from Sylvia. With so much going on, Lizzy finds a friend and confidant in an old male friend.

As the wedding day approaches tensions rise and I couldn’t listen fast enough to see how it would all play out! The ending was wild and crazy!

The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and kept me listening one chapter after another.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to this! It was released March 26th so go check it out now!