First I want to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this e-ARC.

I think I inhaled this book and somehow managed to finish it before the school run…. Which is fitting with the book 😂😂🙈. This was so fast paced that I just couldn’t put this down, I enjoyed the different povs. It definitely had me constantly guessing and theorising, it was great! I didn’t see the end coming either. I was shocked, sat there with my mouth wide open.

Loved it!

When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to the enigmatic Will, father of her young daughter's best friend. But Will's devastating past holds questions that nobody knows the answer to - and after to tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound what really happened to the women he loved. Because one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder....

The story is told from multiple points of view. It follows the relationships of Jude and Will and several of the other mum's and their husbands. There were quite a few characters to keep track of. Ir's filled with secrets, lies, twists and plenty of playground drama. I wasn't sure who I could trust. But after I finished the book, I was left wanting to know more.

Published 5th June 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #CLTaylor for my ARC of #ItsAlwaysTheHusband in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS
-Jude, freshly divorced, moves to the small town of Lowbridge with her daughter.
-She quickly gets involved with Will, a charming single dad with a very messy past. His first wife died. Then his second wife died. Everyone’s got questions, and the gossip mill is running wild.
-Jude wants answers, but the truth might be more dangerous than she expected.
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MY THOUGHTS
-The chapters are super short, which makes it easy to fly through.
-There are a lot of characters and POVs to keep track of. Some were more interesting than others.
-The pacing kept me entertained, but nothing really wowed me.
-I didn’t feel super connected to anyone, and I didn’t care much about what happened by the end.
-The mystery is fine. Not super twisty.
-If the group of moms called themselves “the mamas” one more time, I was going to lose it.
-It’s not bad. Just…meh. A decent distraction, but not something I’ll remember in a month.
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TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Fast-paced and easy to binge, but pretty forgettable. Good for a weekend read when you want something light and dramatic without needing to think too hard.
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Thanks: Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 6, 2025.

Rounded up from 3.5⭐️

This was a really intriguing read, right from the very beginning. The way the story unfolds is really gripping, especially in the first half. There's lots of little mysteries along the way that all ties together.

Really enjoyed the domestic thriller style and the school gate setting. The school mum clique was also interesting with lots of different secrets being spilled throughout the story.

It did keep me guessing and the plot twist at the end shocked me!!

I did find as there were so many characters and storylines, the second half felt a bit confusing at points. Some of the motives felt a little rushed at the end.

But it was still a fast paced and easy thriller to get stuck into!!

This is a masterclass in suspense and I just couldn't put it down once I'd started.

A group of toxic 'school gate mums' have lots of secrets that are hidden behind closed doors...

Mind-blowing twists left me speechless, and I was left guessing until the reveal. But, as always, there's one final twist, and I loved it!!!

Cally's storytelling is pure perfection - I'm obsessed!

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘It’s Always the Husband’ written by C L Taylor in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jude and her daughter Betsy are new to Lowbridge and she quickly forms a friendship with single dad Will while they’re waiting for their daughters at the school gates. Their warmth with each other is noticed by the other mums who warn her against getting too close to Will as he was a suspect after his first wife Ali accidently died at their house after which his girlfriend Robyn mysteriously disappeared. Jude likes Will and is determined to uncover the truth about him.

‘It’s Always the Husband’ isn’t what I’d call a thriller but more a domestic mystery where secrets and lies come to the fore. The plot through slow-paced at times keeps me involved as it tells of Jude’s intention to learn the truth about Will and joins the other mums led by Victoria who temporarily stops her backstabbing, and they work together to discover who’s the blackmailer. As the story progresses the tension gradually increases with plenty of drama and twists and turns until I reached the final pages taking place in a charity shop that made me stop and think that maybe it is always the husband!

This was definitely a tense and twisty read that intensifies as Jude begins to uncover the truth and discovers there are so many secrets all round her.

Another book that had me hooked from the beginning! Multiple POVs, fast paced and so many different things going on you haven’t a clue who’s done what! The main mystery in this book is Will’s partner Robyn’s disappearance and the clique of school mums all believe he killed her…all because his first wife died! The clique of school mums are the FMC Jude worst nightmare but after becoming friends with Will, she wants to find out what’s happened to Robyn. So many secrets come out throughout this book and the character development is so important! The ending was excellent and it kinda gave me shivers! Another excellent book by this author that I would recommend!

A nicely twisty tale. Jude is new to town and she's feeling pushed aside by the clique at her daughter's school. So if the moms won't be nice, why not befriend Will? Well, because people suspect that Will did something to not one but two wives, Jude can't see that so she sets out to find the truth which turns out to be more complicated than expected. I liked that this was told by three different POVs as it rounded out what might. otherwise be a humdrum plot that might remind you of a real life case in the news. Taylor is good at keeping you guessing and reading. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

Loved this twisty, stalking revenge thriller. CL Taylor knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book has everything I love in a mystery, a dysfunctional family dynamic and a town full of secrets and suspicion. There were so many plot twists in this book and they were relentless - I honestly felt on edge for the majority of the narrative and knew there would be something lurking around every corner. I did find that I didn't particularly warm to the characterisation and I just wished I could've known them a little bit better, if that makes any sense. I felt as though I still got a lot from the narrative but it didn't necessarily make me feel as deeply as I normally like to feel!

A good thriller from CL Taylor. We begin by meeting Jude who has recently moved to a new area and is feeling a bit left out of the ‘mum’ clique at her daughter’s new school. She does make a friend with one of the dads thought unbeknownst to her that the rest of the school mums thinks he killed his last two partners. With Jude falling for him she starts digging to try and probe his innocence but what she finds lands her in the middle of danger. Page turner, good characters and nice plot.
I will be recommending

This was a gripping and twisty thriller that kept me guessing until the very last page.
The story follows Jude, a recently divorced mom who moves to Lowbridge and finds herself drawn to single dad Will, who also happens to have a very dark past. With one dead wife and one missing girlfriend, the town is full of whispers and suspicions.
I really enjoyed the multiple points of view; it added layers of mystery and made me second guess everything. The school mums were an interesting mix of characters, especially the controlling Victoria, who was fun to hate. Secrets, lies, and hidden agendas made every chapter feel tense and unpredictable.
I couldn’t stop turning the pages, and just when I thought I had it figured out, the ending completely surprised me. If you like small town drama, mystery, and suspense with lots of twists, this is a much read story.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Another fantastic book by C.L. Taylor!

I thoroughly enjoyed this unputdownable thriller, with it's many characters, twists and turns. As a fellow school mum, I was engrossed in the storyline, determined to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Well written, brilliant characters and a riveting plot makes this a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fab twisted tale, hard to know who to believe and who to trust.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is the first C.L. Taylor I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last!

I raced through this thriller, and was kept guessing right to the very last word.

I enjoyed the host of characters - it’s easy in a novel that switches viewpoints to be bored by certain threads or stories but this wasn’t the case here. Each character’s own story was intertwined with the others so they were always kept interesting, and the little cliffhangers and red herrings throughout were scattered through expertly.

Only dropped one star as - for me - some moments felt a little bit “scooby doo” in the reveals. But other than that a fun, thrilling read.

It’s Always the Husband by C.L. Taylor is set in Lowbridge, a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business. Jude and her daughter, Millie, moved to Lowbridge to start a new life after her divorce. Jude is attracted to Will, the father of Milly’s best friend, Betsy. Jude soon realises that Will is at the centre of the town gossip as a suspect. He has had two wives. The first one, Allison, died accidentally, and the second one, Robyn, is missing and presumed dead.
Before long, Jude and Will become the subject of discussion among the mums at the school gate. The narrative is presented from multiple points of view and in brief chapters. Various characters have their reasons for distrusting Will, but Jude remains resolute in her determination to prove them wrong.
The author's skill in intertwining various characters enhances the suspense and mystery, enriched with well-placed red herrings. This creates an engaging narrative that makes it difficult to put the book down. The book is undeniably compelling, with numerous intricate plots and unexpected twists. The surprise at the end!
I highly recommend this book.

I have only recently discovered C.LTaylor and this is the 3rd book of hers I have read.
This book involves the lives of the "mamas" at the school gates, the Queen Bee that everyone panders to that leads the PTA and all her worshippers. The mamas are not as good friends as they think with many just looking for the gossip.
The plot certainly kept be intrigued and I thoroughy enjoyed reading it.
A must read!

Thank you to Netgalley, C.L.Taylor and Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Well, it's fair to say that CL Taylor has done it again. Created a story which is rich in intrigue and misdirection, with characters that I rarely (if ever) trusted, some I loved to hate, and which exposed the bias that is inherent in society, including all of us readers. Given the unique set of circumstances of this story, it is perhaps not all that unreasonable that many of the characters we meet have rushed to judgement, and condemnation, of single father, Will, but, much like Jude tries to, you'd think we readers especially would keep an open mind, wouldn't you?

Jude, recently divorced, has moved herself and her daughter, Betsy, to the town of Lowbridge to be nearer to her sister. There she has been systematically avoiding falling in with the 'school gate Mums' crowd, particularly their self-proclaimed queen bee, Victoria. Now, it is easy to see why that might be - let's just say that they are an eclectic and not always easy to like bunch - but Jude soon finds that she has good reason to get to known the mums better, that reason being mainly, Will. The more she learns about him, the more determined she is to prove that he is not all that the mum suspect him to be, little knowing that it's not actually a colony of bees she's moving in. It's really a hornet's nest and one of them is really angry. Murderously so as it happens.

The author has really captured that exaggerated School Mum vibe within the pages of this book, as well as a whole lot of 'keeping up with the Jones's' shenanigans. It is clear that none of the so called friendships that Jude bears witness too are of any great substance, and this just adds to the way in which suspicion and conflict build within the narrative, making the whole story about far more than the tragically echoing nature of Will's loss of not one, but two partners in recent years. That would be plenty to get tongues wagging, and it certainly captured my imagination, but it turns out there is far more going on in Lowbridge, and getting to the bottom of it might prove deadly.

There is a perfect blend of mystery and tension in the book, as well as a very varied cast of characters. In fact, you might call some of them misfits, with one at least being so vastly different to Victoria that you wonder just how they ended up in her sphere in the first place. Add in some interesting side stories which also prove to be quite detrimental to certain character's health and you have a story which can keep you guessing to the end. I liked the use of multiple perspectives, adding layers to the narrative and providing more insight than we'd have been able to glean via Jude alone. With the additional conflict that comes from people moving in and out of lives that are wholly mismatched for each other, and more secrets being kept than you could possibly imagine, and you have the dry tinder just waiting for that on incendiary spark. And boy does that spark come, but perhaps not in the way I was expecting.

With secrets and lies being the catch all for this particular group of 'friends', and twists coming right to the very end, this is another book I think fans of the author are just going to eat up. As the title suggests, when a woman is killed or goes missing, you always look to the home, or more specially, the husband or boyfriend first. In this case it's more a case of which husband, or even which home, as none of them are exactly squeaky clean. Like Desperate Housewives but with way more drama. Loved it.

Set in a small town called Lowbridge. The story centres around a group of clicky school mums and their lives. Jude has recently moved to the area and is instantly attracted to single dad, Will. However, Will’s first wife died and his girlfriend disappeared…..

The story is packed full of accusations, secrets and affairs… but is all as it seems?

I was instantly drawn into this story.

The story was told through multiple pov and I enjoyed the alternating pov as it added to the mystery and suspense of the story.

I loved seeing how the characters linked and I was really surprised to discover what was actually going on… also the last few pages really had me questioning what I thought I’d figured out!

Thank you so much to Avon books and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are my own.

This was the first book that I’ve read by this author and I’m keen to read more. I highly recommend Its Always The Husband 4.5⭐️