Lizzy lives a very traumatic life. Both of her parents suffer from mental health disorders. Her mother was abusive and her father is currently under psychiatric care. Her previous relationship left her broke and in debt and she is struggling to find work. She recently got engaged and found out she is pregnant. She and her fiancé are bouncing around living arrangements and end up in her home town, living with her mother. Lizzy’s sister was set to be married the year prior and her soon-to-be husband was found dead on their wedding day. Lizzy worries that her fiancé will have a similar fate.
I have conflicting feelings toward this book. It really pulled me in and I finished it in one day; however, I found it to be very predictable and somewhat unbelievable. I was waiting for the twist to show me I was wrong, but unfortunately that didn’t come. As a redeeming quality, the epilogue of this book added a new element that I did not see coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Book Review: Mother of the Bride
Stars: 4 X 5
Author: Samantha Hayes @samanthahayes.author
Publisher: Bookouture Audio. @bookouture
Thank you @netgalley for this Audio ARC

Owen and Lizzie are moving back from Dubai to London. They are engaged and they have just found out Lizzie is pregnant. They have worn out their welcome at Lizzie’s friend Pete’s apartment. They have been trying to find a place but they keep missing out. Lizze and Owen end up moving in with her mother. Lizzie and her mother do not get along. Lizzie thinks her mother may have been involved in a killing. She also thinks her mother is the reason her father is in a “psych” ward.

The book was rather long but it takes a while to get the story told and the plot set. After a while the reader is so invested in the story that it goes by fast. The ending is unbelievable and I had not seen it coming at all. I was at work and just yelled when all the chaos started. It was fantastic. I also have to admit the epilogue was a huge surprise too.

This book was not on my radar and I just picked it because I wanted and audio book to listen to on my commute to and from work. This was such pleasant surprise and I so enjoyed it!

A meddling mother makes for a convenient villain in this latest title from Samantha Hayes. Elizabeth (Lizzie) struggles with holding onto the reins for the planning of her wedding once her mother Sylvia gets wind of the upcoming nuptials. Don't even think about letting Sylvia know there is more to the story. With three boys I have never been the "mother of the bride." Hopefully someday I will be grandmother of the bride and get to enjoy all the festivities. Also glad I was not a guest at this particular wedding. Samantha Hayes has many surprises in store for the reader in this title. I will avoid giving too much info so you all can jump in and enjoy. Tamsin Kinnard does an excellent job providing the narration for the audio book.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I would give this book 2 stars, but there ended up being a twist that I wasn't expecting.
Most of this story was predictable and I got so frustrated with the main character, in the same way that you get frustrated in horror movies because people are acting irrational. So much could have been solved or prevented if she has just had 3 conversations and hadn't "been afraid to learn the truth".
Also, the amount of times we were reminded of what she "found next to the body" and "the horrible thing that happened last year" really took me out of the story..
I read a lot of mystery/thrillers, so just be because I figure out the ending early doesn't necessarily mean anything, but this book felt very heavy handed with trying to misdirect and purposely not having the characters think anything through...
I listened to the audiobook though and the reader was really good!

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. Releasing 26 March 2024.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) has come back from six months in Dubai with Owen, her fiancé. She has been trying to get away from her very possessive mother, Sylvia. Due to various life challenges, they are forced to move in with Sylvia for a while.

The previous year on her elder sister’s wedding day, Lizzie found the groom dead – with their mother’s wedding corsage lying next to the body! Lizzie hid it wanting to confront her mother at some stage but never did so.

Lizzie has always wondered whether her mother had anything to do with the death. It was said to be a heart attack but Lizzie has her doubts. Lizzie doesn’t want Sylvia to have anything to do with their wedding but Sylvia is insistent and is a total nightmare as a momzilla.

There is also a mystery which we come to hear about from years previously and somehow, it’s all intertwined. Each chapter leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting you to just listen to one more chapter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes

Oh wow! The ending was a serious twist.

Lizzie and her fiancé Owen are getting marry. Lizzie and her sister Shelly are not close to their mother Sylvia, but due to financial problem, Lizzie and Owen move back to stay with Sylvia. Shelly’s husband passed away in an accident and Lizzie somehow believes her mother has involved in it.

Now Lizzie thinks her husband Owen might in danger too.

I love the story plot. The characters are very well presented by the narrator. The story plot is building up quickly. The twists are unexpected!

Many thanks to NetGalley, bookouture audio and the author for my copy.

Pub date: March 26, 2024

This book had me shook! I found the ending to be unexpected, in the best way possible! It was gripping and I could not stop listening to the audiobook.

Binged it in a day. It’s one of those listens that grabs you from the start. It delves straight into the story and moves at a steady pace throughout. The suspense factor is very much there and it has a lot going on. It’s a well developed storyline. I liked the characters mostly but really couldn’t stand Lizzie’s overbearing mother. There are many twists along the way and it all comes together in a way that really finished it off nicely. Well worth a listen…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #MotherOfTheBride

So good!!! First of all the narrator made this even better. It was great. There were plenty of times that I gasped and had to go back and register to make sure I was hearing it right. I really enjoyed.

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes is an entertaining story which I listened to about Lizzie, who is about to marry Owen and has also found out she is pregnant. They have come back from Dubai where they had both met, whilst working in that country and Owen’s contract had finished.
They returned to England and stayed with Lizzie’s friend Peter and then went to visit Lizzie’s mother. Neither Lizzie or her sister had ever been close to their mother and while Lizzie and Owen stay with the mother, she ends up arranging their wedding in a fortnight’s time. It is a psychological thriller and events escalate with the wedding day suddenly here.
Highly recommended

This was a pleasing domestic thriller with good character development. I enjoyed the narrator and found it easy to enjoy with her skill with multiple characters. There were some unexpected storylines but although I saw the first twist coming (too soon for my liking), I was surprised that there was yet a final unseen conclusion.
3.5 stars rounded to 4 because of that...
This was my first Hayes novel but I will definitely recommend this one and try more of her many offerings!

When Lizzie’s sister’s fiancé is found dead on his wedding day, Lizzie comes across his body and her mother’s corsage next to his body. Lizzie never had a great relationship with her mother and fled to work abroad after the wedding. While working abroad, she met her now fiancé Owen. Owen and Lizzie are between apartments and jobs and kicked out of Lizzie’s friends flat, so Lizzie has to accept her mother’s invitation for them to stay with her. When her mother finds out that they are engaged, she quickly decides to throw a wedding for them. Lizzie must stay alert to make sure what happened at the last wedding doesn’t happen again….

I loved the narrator of this audiobook and felt the story was engaging and entertaining, but I felt the twists were lacking. I saw where this story was going pretty quickly and didn’t feel surprised by any of the reveals. I couldn’t manage to believe that Lizzie was so distrusting of her mother yet completely trusting of everyone else around her. It was very frustrating to me as a reader. SPOILER’S AHEAD: At times I felt there was too much going on- specifically the subplot of the dad committing himself to get away from the mom. I don’t think that added anything to the story and it would have been exactly the same without it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC. I mostly enjoyed this book. It's a 3.5 star read for me but I would absolutely recommend to my friends who enjoy murder mysteries.

5 starts for the narrator. I loved her accent and she did a wonderful job keeping my attention and alternating from male and female POV. At times a female narrator is a little cringy with a male POV. I loved it.

Without giving away too much away. this book starts with the MFC, Lizzie at the alter with her fiance, Owen and the officiant is asking the bit about does anyone object etc. and someone says yes.

Backing up 3 months, MFC, Lizzie is visiting her family in her hometown after a vacation in Dubai where she met her now fiance, Owen and 6 months later she is pregnant. She hasn't been to her hometown since the tragedy of her sister, Shelley's wedding.. where her husband, Rafe, essentially dropped dead of a heart attack. But was it a heart attack? Lizzie and Owen are struggling financially and were kicked out of their apartment so they end up staying with LIzzie's mother.

Lizzies POV alters to the past where we are first introduced to Sylvia, her mentally unstable mother. It's evident that Lizzie had a traumatic past surrounding her mother and now she is forced to stay the house with her for an unknown amount of time. To keep it short, Lizzie is not too keen on staying there because she is suspicious that her mother had something to do with Rafe's death.

Silvy absolutely has villan vibes and the author did a fantastic job of creeping me out with her actions! I especially loved when she was waving around the kitchen knife singing along to a morbid song about death and staring right at Owen. CREEPY. Needless to say, Lizzie thinks that Owen is in danger and her mother is trying to kill him like she killed Rafe.

The ending was PHENOMENAL. The reviews that say things were predictable... not a chance. My mouth just fell open because I could not have dreamt that ending in a million years. It's really really good.

Why not 4 stars? At times I was confused with the time jumps.. It also wasn't super realistic.. Lizzie was super concerned that her fiance was in danger but she kept galavanting around with her old high school mates and leaving him alone in the house with her mother or letting her mother drive him to and from the airport. Also, the big reveal at the end.. while I kind of expected THIS ONE PART - or something to the nature of it.. this person had too many interactions with too many people for the "reveal" to be something that happens in real life. Also, I think the book could have been shorter if Lizzie's internal thoughts weren't so repetitive.

Overall I'm glad that I read this one and I think it will be a great success for the author. :)

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Mother Of The Bride
Samantha Hayes

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved this super twisty and complex psychological thriller which had me racing through the pages and making theories throughout.

When Lizzy and Owen get engaged, they head back to share the good news with her parents, but Lizzy is nervous - about going back there and of seeing her mother - something isn't right.
Lizzy's mum is over the moon and insists on the couple staying with her while she pays and arranges the wedding of their dreams - but will things go to plan?...

I was a little unsure about Lizzy as a character. Obviously there were some secrets to come out, so many hints about things that the mother was suspected of - but she really did seem a little too paranoid at times.
It felt as though she was an unreliable narrator at lots of points throughout the story.

Owen seemed like such a lovely guy - but there was just something - maybe it was due to knowing the genre - but I felt a little dubious about him.

This was full of clues along the way and I feel as though it was sometimes a little obvious what was to come. But I really enjoyed making my theories and assumptions and seeing if I was correct.

There were lots of little side storylines which wove together nicely and it was great watching them all come together towards the ending.

This was a fast paced read which had lots of twists throughout - some I spotted way before the reveal, but others came as a nice surprise.

I loved the narration (having listened to a few audio books by Tamsin now) - they do a great job of holding the suspense and portraying the different personalities of the characters.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes kept me engaged until the end, even though I was all but certain I knew what was happening much, much too soon (suspicious at 5%, knew all twists by 30%). I still enjoyed it, although I did find myself wanting to insult a character for being ... not smart.

Tamsin Kennard is in my top 10 of narrators. I love her voice and how she embodies the characters she reads for. I believe they truly don't see/know what I do 🤣🤷🏽‍♀️

I rate it 3.5 stars. Since it kept me engaged even though I knew every twist, I rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

I listened to this book on audio through NetGalley.

Pros:

Multiple deaths, endless lies and mysteries to untangle. This is a single point of view book that will entertain those who like family dramas and thrillers.

Cons:

I struggled with the paranoia the main character had despite it being justified. Every single person in this building ok is constantly lying. It’s a lot to try to dig through and makes it difficult to truly feel bad for any of them.

This was a great thriller read. I liked the audiobook narration & the premise was quite interesting. I didn’t see the end twist coming. There was sort of two ending twists which was a fun way to end!

This was my first book by the author and I really enjoyed listening to this one. The plot was well written and the pace was good but the main character annoyed me at times but I loved the crazy mother and the twists in this. I'm looking forward to reading more from the author in the future. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a chance to read and review this book.

The beginning got me hooked but the narrator wasn’t the best. This was a really fun thriller though! I loved the crazy mother and what she’s been doing throughout and the twists honestly had me guessing. This was entertaining from beginning to end, I really enjoyed the different plots we follow regarding Liz’s sister the year before with her wedding and also the current time with Liz’s and Owen’s wedding, and other stuff as well. I couldn’t stand Liz’s mother and how she acted throughout but very dramatic and crying wolf for sure but this was awesome! Such a fast listen/read. The ending was great also, highly recommend

This was my first book by Samantha Hayes and I really enjoyed it. It moved at a pace that kept me engaged. She did a good job of weaving the story. It kept me guessing throughout. I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. I'm not quite sure what I would have preferred...but it just didn't quite have the bang I thought it would. Overall, good book! I will definitely be reading more Samantha Hayes.