Prologue starts off intense, making you want to keep reading. But then it repeats a lot between the characters, not adding much more to the plot and becoming slow. Clever twists towards the end and leaves a bit of a cliffhanger with potential to continue to story or leave us all wondering.

I definitely didn't see the twist coming, and after a light reread, I still couldn't see the twist coming. I felt there wasn't enough foreshadowing for the final reveal, and that made it fall a little flat for me. I did really enjoy the epilogue though. That particular ending was certainly deserved.

“We're laughing as I push open the heavy farmhouse door and see the foot lying on the rug.” Wow! That’s a great opening sentence. It immediately hooked me. Hannah and Jake are counting down the days until their wedding. A romantic getaway to the south of France is something they both need before their big day. Unfortunately a dead body gets in the way of their idyllic trip. Making matters worse, it appears the soon to be newlyweds are being framed for the murder. This thriller is the perfect read during wedding season. It’s original, addictive and full of shocking twists and turns. The final twists were clever and very unpredictable. I was enthralled from start to finish. I highly recommend this twisted intriguing tale. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy.

For Better, For Worse is a well written, suspenseful, psychological thriller with many twists and turns. Although some of them were predictable, many were not, including the ending. I was gripped from the first chapter, and was unable to put the book down. A real page turner!

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release: May 20, 2025
Author: Lauren North
Publisher: Bookouture

Rating: 3.5 ★ 

This one kicks off with a bang—literally. Right from the first few pages, there’s a confrontation, a death, and a very questionable decision that sets the tone for everything that follows. I was hooked.

Jake and Hannah head to France for a quiet pre-wedding getaway, but things go sideways fast. A family friend confronts them in public, tensions explode, and when they return to the house, he’s dead—right there in the hallway. What do they do? They hide the body. And that’s just the beginning.

The story unfolds in a countdown format leading up to the wedding, and I liked that structure—it added a layer of urgency. The chapters alternate between Jake and Hannah’s perspectives, and while I didn’t always find them totally likeable, their panic and confusion felt real. Add in Jake’s obsessive ex and the mystery of whether someone is setting them up, and there’s plenty of drama.

For me, the pacing dragged a bit in the middle, but just when I started to feel like it was all wrapping up a little too neatly… BAM. Twist. Then another. And another. Lauren North definitely saves the biggest punches for the end. By the epilogue, I was totally floored. Dark, twisty, and satisfying.

That said, I don’t think it’s the strongest thriller I’ve ever read—it took a little too long to really heat up—but the ending more than made up for it. If you’re into domestic thrillers with plenty of secrets, lies, and that one big “wait, WHAT?!” moment, this one’s worth the read.

Jake and Hannah thought a romantic trip to the south of France would be the perfect escape from the stress of wedding planning. But their peaceful getaway quickly spirals into a nightmare when they return to the villa and find a man’s body on the antique rug—someone Jake had argued with publicly just that morning.

The evidence is chilling. Footprints that match Jake’s shoes. A knife from the kitchen, used at breakfast, now covered in blood and Hannah’s fingerprints. It’s clear—they’ve been set up. But by who? And why?

Now they face an unthinkable decision: report the murder and risk losing everything, or cover it up and hope the truth never comes out. As fear and suspicion set in, Hannah begins to wonder—how well does she really know the man she’s about to marry?

Favorite Quote:
"love is easy when it's convenient, but when it's tested, that's when you see what you're really made of."

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
Jake and his fiancée Hannah had planned a romantic escape to the south of France—a chance to unwind after the chaos of wedding planning. Sun, wine, and quiet days together. But everything changes the moment they step back into their villa.
On the antique rug lies a man’s body—the very man Jake was seen arguing with that morning in the town square. Hannah stands frozen. Footprints matching Jake’s trainers lead to the scene. A kitchen knife, the one she used at breakfast, is on the floor—stained and covered in her fingerprints.
Her vision spins as her knees give out. Jake catches her, silent. Is someone trying to frame them? If so, they’ve done it perfectly. Now they’re faced with an impossible decision: call the police and risk their lives being torn apart, or cover it up and pray it stays hidden.
And as she looks at Jake—tense, pale, and sweating—an uneasy thought takes hold: what if he’s not telling her everything?

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
This book had me hooked from the start. It’s super fast-paced and full of twists—just when I thought I had things figured out, another curveball would hit. And the twists don’t stop… they just keep coming right up to the very last page.
I loved how cleverly it was written The paranoia, the secrets, the tension between the couple and everyone around was so intense and gripping.
If you’re into psychological thrillers that mess with your head and keep you guessing the whole way through, this one’s a must. Great characters, amazing setting, and non-stop suspense. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank You @Netgalley and @Bookouture for allowing me to review this book.

For Better, for Worse, FOR MURDER!!!!

This story starts out with a BANG!

As the countdown to their wedding begins there are many secrets held by both Jake and Hannah.

A fight, a death and a cover up all in the first few paragraphs. Someone knows what happened but who? Jake had a public fight with the man who was murdered, but is he being framed?

Doubt and trust are now in question!!! The past does not always stay in the past!

Wow! My mind is truly blown!

Two weeks before their wedding, Jake and Hannah escape to Hannah's family holiday home in France. While shopping in the village, a man whom Hannah loves like an uncle, argues with her about the upcoming nuptials and pushes Jake into losing his temper and shoving him, drawing all the attention of the locals. On return to their home, the pair discover the same man lying on their hallway, in a pool of blood. That was me hooked! And then they hid the body!

As Jake and Hannah tell the story in alternating chapters, leading up to their wedding day, I really felt for them; they were so torn, panicked and stressed. Add to the mix, Jake's obsessive ex who wouldn't leave them alone and there was plenty of action. As the reveal came, I was thinking how I'd enjoyed the book, it was all wrapping up nicely, but it didn't completely blow me away... until... I genuinely thought that was it, and then in true Lauren North style, twist after twist hit at full force and I was literally dumbfounded. There was so much more to the story than I had ever expected and the plot was insanely good! So then, that was it. I had loved it. But no, now comes the epilogue, we're not finished! Oh, revenge is so sweet! A fabulous, fabulous read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Lauren North and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book had so many twists I almost felt dizzy reading it. No sooner had I recovered from one shock than along came another to knock me off my feet. I don't think I have been so gripped by a story in quite a while. This is a 5 star read from the very first page to the breathtaking conclusion. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller you will adore this one. Just be careful, don't start this book unless you have several hours to spare because you won't be able to put it down again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

For Better, For Worse by Laura North, when the book starts Jake and Hannah are arriving in France at her family’s villa she needs a break from London especially after his ex-girlfriend fled from Ohio to Britain and trash their loft. it’s not until they visit the French little village when they meet Hannah‘s neighbor John and it seems he and she are in a heated discussion when Jake walks up and she introduces them this immediately turns John’s fury onto Jake and after an unfortunate incident they go home and try to forget about it only to go for an outing the next day and arrive home finding John dead on the living room floor of the villa. Hannah‘s family is well to do and Jake is on the verge of selling a very useful financial software it will make lots of money. So when someone emails them a video of them burying John’s body and continues to send threatening notes the more pressure Jake feels but when everything is said and done it seems someone has been lying but who and why. Jake’s girlfriend tried to warn Hannah but is Jake the bad guy, is Hannah or someone else stalking the couple for their own ends? This is a very twisty book and although the ending was clever it wasn’t my favorite by this author. I still enjoyed it and totally recommended because more than once as the story went along I couldn’t figure out who was guilty nor why.#NetGalley,#Bookoutrs, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyReview, #LauraNorth, #ForBetterForWorse,

Title: For Better, For Worse
Author: Lauren North
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
My Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 310


Hannah and Jake decide two weeks before their big day to go on a pre-wedding romantic trip to the south of France to Hannah’s parents’ beautiful resorted farmhouse holiday home to help relieve the stress of their up-coming wedding and enjoy some sun-soaked days. When they arrive Jake is very surprised that the farmhouse is nothing g like a farmhouse in the states but looks like a mansion that included a sauna as well as a gym. As they take walk in the village a local man Claude Dabas a longtime friend of the family and someone Hannah has known all her life. After chatting with Hannah in French he then turns to Jake and shouts for him to call off this ridiculous wedding. He believes Jake is marrying Hannah for her money. He states “Julia and Marcus are very close friends and this American boy is breaking their hearts.
Hannah later tells Jake that her mom and Dad have always insisted she call them Julia and Marcus. They don’t want her to marry as they see her as a little child who needs protected. They refused to meet Jake.
Needless to say, Jake is sorry to hear this yet Hannah wants to make the best of their 3-day stay. Trying to forget everything the couple goes for a walk exploring the Southern France countryside.
But when they return to the farmhouse there is a foot on the beautiful antique rug. The foot and body belong to Claude the man everyone saw Jake arguing with in the town square this morning…
I read a lot of thriller and love to try to figure them out. I especially when I am thrown with sharp twists. This didn’t have that for me – it was a bit slow and I just kind of went along for the ride.
The reveal was a surprise –
In the about the author it states Ms. North likes to make readers wonder about what is the worst thing that could happen and it seems she did accomplished that!

About the author: Lauren North writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation’.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 20, 2025.

Jake and Hannah are getting married after a whirlwind romance, but a trip to France a couple of weeks before the wedding goes deadly wrong. An average thriller, although did enjoy the twist. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre for ARC.

An emotive book that was full of suspense and built up tension all the way through the book. The characters were really well developed and the twists in the book made me unsure of what to think and who to believe.

Jake and Hannah have decided to marry after a year of knowing each other when they head to the south of France for holiday. The farmhouse has been in her family for a number of years and they head back to it after a long day in the town. All is not well in the small house when they return, in fact, a friend of her parents who had been arguing with Jake lies dead on the floor. The couple rushes to cover it up, but ultimately wonder, who is doing this and why?

I found For Better For Worse to be completely average as thrillers go.

Told as a countdown of days until the wedding, the story attempts to build up the suspense, and it succeeds w few times but all in all the effort fell flat. I found the book rather slow until about the 75% mark which, in my opinion, is much too far into the book. There is an ex girlfriend that seems to do outrageous things added to the mix pretty early on, and more and more evidence seems to stack up showing the couple's guilty behavior but it is ultimately not enough to save the story. Overall, the plot twists and turns were a let down which is why I am rating this 2.75 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

A gripping and emotional thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. Lauren North does a great job building suspense while weaving in the complexities of grief and trust. A few plot points felt a bit predictable, but overall, a compelling read with strong characters and a satisfying twist.

Written from central characters Hannah and Jake's viewpoints, their story covers the count down to their forthcoming wedding. Escaping for a short break in Hannah's parents' house in France, keen to get away from the stresses of wedding planning, they discover a body on the premises. From that moment , the decisions they make will have an impact on their lives.


This is a tangled tale where everything you thought you knew is turned on its head. Cleverly written, there are many twists, and just when you think it's all over, there is a final one that ensures closure. I didn't particularly like Hannah or Jake. It's clear they are in love, but both are hiding secrets from each other. Secrets which gradually come to the surface as the wedding day approaches. This was an entertaining read that certainly kept me turning pages and curious to see how things would end. Recommended.

I have no idea how Lauren North manages to blow my mind with pretty much every book she writes, but she has definitely done it again with this one.

I was never completely confident in any theory I had, and no way would I have ever seen the finale outcome coming. It's utterly brilliant!

After a lovely day out in France, Jake and Hannah return to the farmhouse and discover a dead body, with a knife that Hannah has definitely touched, and what appear to be footprints made from Jake's shoes. And the decisions they make in that moment, are what set up the rest of the book fabulously.

And both of them have been together the whole time. This comes on the back of their apartment in London having had a break in, from one of Jake's exes.

There seemed to be secrets galore between this couple that are getting married in two weeks time, and I was constantly kept on my toes.

I loved the quick pace of this story, and couldn't get enough of it, turning the pages like a madwoman!

Definitely had me gripped and I loved seeing how it would all resolve.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I've loved all the Lauren North books I've read, and this was no exception. A gripping psychological thriller and a real page turner.

This was my first Lauren North book, and definitely will not be my last. I was truly gripped throughout the story and invested in finding out who the "culprit" was, but alas, I had no idea lol (which makes for the best thrillers). Our main couple both had skeletons in their closet and we see more and more about each of them revealed throughout like little breadcrumbs.
The ending was definitely kind of off the wall, but I was satisfied with how it turned out and felt like it was worth the read. Solid tension, surprising twists, and solid imagery made this a thriller I would recommend!

I was super excited to read For Better, For Worse and I absolutely loved it. It had me gripped from the very start. I knew from the start I wouldn’t know who to believe and I wasn’t wrong. Lauren North is once again the queen of unreliable narrator’s and in this we had two, or did we?

Hannah and Jake are set to get married in a few weeks when Jake’s ex breaks into their home and Hannah insists they go away for a last minute break when disaster strikes and their lives won’t be the same again.

This is a fast paced thriller and I was left unsure of who was telling the truth. Once we got to the first big twist, that was it they came thick and fast. Once I thought I had it worked out another twist came barging in, right up until the very last page.

This book is so cleverly written and I believed absolutely everything I was reading. This will be the book of Spring, if not the Summer. This is a full on proper 5 star read that is an absolute must read. Don’t let it sit in your tbr or wish list - buy it and read it!