In the realm of psychological thrillers, few novels manage to intertwine complexity, emotion, and suspense as seamlessly as The Vow. The narrative unfolds through multiple viewpoints, each character's perspective adding depth and nuance to the unfolding mystery. Stefanie London masterfully navigates between two distinct timeframes, creating a tapestry of events that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Her skillful manipulation of time and perspective ensures that the story remains unpredictable, with each chapter revealing new layers and twists.

What truly sets The Vow apart is its ability to defy expectations. The ending is both surprising and satisfying, a rare feat in a genre often dominated by formulaic conclusions. The characters are richly developed, their motivations and actions driving the plot in ways that feel both organic and compelling.

For fans of gripping, intelligent thrillers, I highly recommend The Vow, which stands apart as one of the best I've read this year! London’s writing is a testament to the power of storytelling and the art of suspense. For those who appreciate intricate plots, well-drawn characters, and an ending that leaves a lasting impression, I highly recommended this novel! Prepare to be utterly absorbed and unable to put this book down!

3 friends Ellie, Sofia and Rose make a secret vow in school years ago never to speak of a particular incident that occured. Now 12 years later, and the 3 friends are all reunited for Ellie's Destination wedding at an isolated Lighthouse.

But things soon start to go wrong. Someone is desperately trying to sabotage each of the women's personal lives and also the wedding. Someone is out to make them pay for what happened all those years ago.

This was a great summer thriller, with an interesting plot. The story was told in dual timelines and alternating perspectives of the 3 women. It had good pacing and good character development. I was invested in all 3 characters stories and I liked the fact that they were equally interesting - I couldn't pick a favourite - they all had their issues and demons they were dealing with.

I also loved the plot twists in the book - did not see them coming at all.

Rated 4 ⭐

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book for an honest review

Cape Turmoil- the name alone would seem to rule it out as a place for a wedding but it's what Ellie wants. And it turns out, probably wasn't the best choice. Ellie, Rose, and Sofia tell this twisty tale that moves between something that happened in 2013 that they agreed to keep secret (no spoilers) and the present when that secret is coming back to haunt them. This has all the crazy twisty vibes you want in a popcorn thriller. The three women are well written, the plot nicely paced, and the writing will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read for travel or the beach.

This unfortunately didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t get into it at all. I couldn’t get on with the characters and felt the book dragged on a bit.

A destination wedding for a friend sees a vow that a group of friends made about their past be revealed, making the friends question each other's loyalty.

Well well well, look what we have here. A thriller scenario that is not unique but delivered by knocking it right out of the park! With so many twists and red herrings, I found myself shaking my head in awe at the way the author crafted this clever story. The characters were easy to keep track of and I loved the ending too.

Book Review

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Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooksuk for this early release, due to be published June 19th!

Told from the point of view of three characters, Sofia, Rose, and Ellie, this was definitely a page turner. Three friends that did the unthinkable in high school and now it could have possibly come back years later to haunt them… or did it?

I enjoyed the past and present telling of the story, as well the changing of the characters. It was not difficult to follow at all. I do wish the relationships between the main characters and their significant others were more developed, but it wasn’t a make or break for me.

As Ellie arrives for her small, intimate wedding, with best friends Rose and Sofia, strange messages, threatening emails, and ominous occurrences start happening. Who is responsible? Will there be any vows?

I would definitely read this author again!

#thevow

A really exciting read.. Three friends Sofia, Ellie and Rose made a vow never to talk about something that happened when they were at school but when Ellie who is a famous actress is getting married Sofia who is a famous wedding planner is doing the wedding but as soon as they arrive at the private location strange thing's start to happen and they suspect someone has found out about their secret. It's a gripping story a real page Turner with plenty of twists that I didn't expect and it has some real wow moments, a must read.

I finished this book in one sitting, it was a very entertaining and gripping page turner! There is so many twists and turns, you didn't know what to expect next! I really enjoyed this one, hope for more by this author!

Having not read much about this book before starting it I was a bit disappointed as it felt like many other popular books at the moment- an isolated wedding celebration full of rich people with secrets. Fortunately Ms London managed to add some unexpected twists and turns and a good conclusion.
Thank you yo netgalley and Avon books for an advance copy of this book.

love this book so much. i enjoyed knowing who the characters were even when we switched point of view. not many can do this type of genre plot as well as Stefanie has.
you are left wondering what the girls did. why they vowed not to mention it. and just who is making all these cruel things happen? are they making sure the woman now, cant forget, wont forget. or is there something much worse to it all.
what we do know is as the woman come together they are all dealing with their own lives on top of this new risk it bring a tension throughout.
just when you get some delicious bits from one character you are pulled to the next. so you get re-excited each time.
i was left guessing and trying to figure out just what was going on. all the woman were complex characters so i thoroughly enjoyed reading all the in between bits not just the central plot.

fun and well-done thriller with generally good vibes and a good writing style. would recommend. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I read this in an afternoon it was really fast paced with so many rabbit holes which worked so well. i just had to keep reading one more chapter. the mum what can I say glad I don't know anyone like that.

overall the characters worked well and the past trauma was interwoven well with current story.

really entertaining

This is a fast paced book with lots of twists and turns, focusing on a group of female friends in their teenage years and in a dual timeline some years later. The idea of sisterhood and strong female bonds is at the heart of this thriller and the personalities of the women shine out in the text.

In the past the teenagers are nearing the end of school and one mistake leads them to cover up a huge event. Years later when one of them is getting married in an exclusive resort a series of events starts to unfurl which begins to taint all of their lives.

Well written and pacy with some good original ideas, this is a good psychological thriller with a decent twist at the end which I didn’t see coming until just prior to the reveal.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Vow offers intriguing suspense and emotional stakes, but some twists feel predictable. Still, an engaging and quick read for thriller fans.

An intense psychological thriller set in Australia. Three childhood friends reunite for the wedding of one of them at an elite destination. Each friend had secrets and grievances and I found it was too much. However it will appeal to readers who want an easy holiday novel

Three childhood best friends are being tormented by a secret that they share from 15 years ago. When one of the friends is about to tie the knot, they all head to a very secluded area to celebrate only to find out that they are definitely not alone. Someone knows about what they did in High School and is determined to make them pay for it.

I really enjoyed this nail-biting thriller. There were a few times where I really thought I knew what the outcome of this story would be, but I was most definitely wrong. It was very well written and an overall fantastic book.

Wow wow wow! This is the first book I read from the author, but definitely won’t be the last. I was engaged right from the start as the story had a strong theme of friendship with each character managing their own life and insecurities. I also liked the fact that the book is written from the point of view of the different main characters, it really helped me connect with them. Then the plot really picked up and the twists and turns just kept coming. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to read more from the author.
Thank you to the publishers Avon Books for an advanced copy of this ebook and giving me a chance to review it!

This is a mystery that is very different to what I expected.

There are multiple timelines, entertaining characters although I found the multiple going between them to be confusing and at times I thought I was with the wrong character.
The characters are complex and not always being honest to either themselves and to each other. The tension builds up at just the right pace but I must admit I did guess who the culprit was; but not why. That aspect of the story blew me away. There are another couple of twists that I didn’t see coming which did surprise me.

The Australian location makes this literally a hot summer read and thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for an ARC which I really enjoyed reviewing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This story just did NOT hit for me. I found the main characters unsympathetic and uninteresting, even annoying at times. The “suspense” was dragged out for so long, with repeated eye-roll-inducing hints to some horrible thing in their mutual past.

I genuinely would have quit reading at about 50% or less if this had been a library book instead of an ARC that I needed to review. I was just so godawful bored.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC of The Vow by Stefanie London.

The Vow follows three friends bound by a tragic secret from years ago. Ellie is set to be married and is an up and coming film star, Sofia runs a thriving wedding planning business and Rose has a successful marriage and child. Soon the lives of all three start to unravel when pursued by an unknown assailant with a vendetta. Everything comes to a head the night before Ellie is meant to be married and chaos ensues.

This book was a great thriller that kept me guessing til close to the end. It had good pacing, good character development and enough hints throughout to lead the reader to where they needed to go. The book had elements of the 'i know what you did last summer' vibe without being cliché and had great sisterhood bonds throughout.

The twists were believable and some I didn't see coming at all which is refreshing. I could feel like I was there and like I was invested in their stories which is always refreshing in thrillers which sometimes focus on the twists instead of the story.

I'll look out for others by the author (when I've finished my ever growing TBR!!!)