C L Taylor is one of my “ I can’t wait for her next book to come out” author.
I should have known better that this wasn’t going to be the usual “ the husband killed the wife “ type of read because this author isn’t as so obvious as this in her stories she makes the readers brain matter tick over constantly and in a good way.

So based around moms and dads at school gates, and gossipy people one woman fires up an affair with one of the dads but all the others are soon to inform her that his wife disappeared in suspicious circumstances police found no evidence it was him but that didn’t stop the rumours and accusations….so is SHE IN DANGER , or is this just unfounded gossip.


Knowing this author, it’s not going to be THAT simple to solve and it truly wasn’t. With friendships formed with women and who knows what and when throw in a potentially dead woman’s diary and you’re hooked until the last page, the last sentence the last page.

This is a book you read when all distraction fades into the background nothing will pull you away from reading this once you’ve stuck you’re nose into it I assure you, make sure this is on your wishlist to buy not long to wait Now

A really well written psychological thriller, with dual narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the many twists, turns and unreliable char ters.

It's Always the Husband by C.L. Taylor,

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked the premise and the tension between the characters kept me interested, but I found it hard to really connect with any of them. Some parts felt a little drawn out and I guessed a few of the twists before they happened. That said, the writing was solid and there were moments that genuinely pulled me in. Not my favorite, but not bad either-worth a read if you're into slow-burn psychological thrillers with messy relationships. I also really liked the chapters being short.
Thank you #NetGalley for this #ARC

There is nothing more dangerous than the gossip and rumours between a bunch of mums at the school gates and, new to the area, Jude wants to avoid that when she moves to the small town of Lowbridge but, when she is drawn to single dad Will, whose daughter Milly is best friend to her daughter Betsy, she soon discovers that is not going to happen because Will has a past that is the talk of the playground, one wife dead and his second one missing, the mums want to warn Jude to stay away from him, but they also want the truth and they are hoping she's going to find out what happened...

It's Always the Husband is the latest thriller by Taylor which is told from the perspectives of various characters and, as with all this authors books, it's a story that is compelling, suspenseful and intriguing. It has been a long time since I did the school run, but I still remember the cliques in the playground, those mums that ruled the roost and were always flanked by others desperate to be in with the 'in crowd' and the mums of Lowbridge are no different. Victoria is the one leading the pack here and the others hang off her every word, but they all have their troubles and many have secrets of their own, which eventually unravel and come to a head, with some distressing consequences for certain members of the group. This is a fast paced read with a seamless plot that kept me on the edge of my seat and second guessing throughout, culminating in an unexpected twist to the tale. Another great read from one of my go to authors whose stories never disappoint.

I'd like to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

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.