4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mood: 🙉🙊😳😧😈👹🔪
I really enjoyed reading this book. The chapters are the perfect length, making the reading flow smoothly and keeping the interest at all times. The plot is fascinating, full of unexpected twists that manage to keep the reader hooked until the very last page. Towards the end, the surprises are especially entertaining, adding an exciting touch that masterfully closes the story.
A highly recommended read for those who enjoy thrillers full of suspense and mystery.
Thanks so much Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity!

Gripping from the very beginning, full of twists and turns and a splendid ending. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Hannah and Jake have gone for a long weekend away to a charming farmhouse in the South of France to take some time out from planning their wedding back in London. They go for a long walk and when they come back, they discover a body in the entrance way. What would you do? This is one dilemma that I'm happy I DON'T have to decide how to get out of this situation. Jake was seen arguing with the man, Hannah realises that the knife is one she had used that day and the footprints are from Jake's trainers, so all in all, they are implicated in the worse way possible. The plot was full of twists and turns with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure, and there were certain nail biting moments especially when you reach the end of the book.

Hannah and Jake are getting married in two weeks and with the wedding nerves and a recent break in at her flat, Hannah is desperate to have a few days away from all the stress, so they head to her parents farmhouse in southern France. After a day out they return to the house to find a dead body lying on the persian rug, even worse it's their neighbour, Claude who Jake was seen arguing with in the town square that very morning, There are footprints of blood made by Jake's trainers and the knife that Hannah used for breakfast lying next to him, but they know they're not responsible for this so someone must have set them up, but who and why and what should they do now...

For Better, For Worse is the latest thriller by North and I was hooked from the start. This is a fast paced, suspenseful and compelling read, with some great characters, that I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into. It's told in the present day, with some flashbacks to their pasts and it's quite evident that they both have some secrets that they don't want to be divulged, the events that follow spiral out of control until neither of them know what, or who, to believe. This book kept me second guessing throughout, when I thought that I had figured it out North came along and threw a curveball in that completely blindsided me and left me wondering where this was heading. The plot is well thought out with some great twists along the way and an explosive ending which completely floored me. Another fabulous read from one of my go to authors who never disappoints and, as always, I highly recommend her books.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Oh wow. What a corker of a story and a "what the!". Also what would you do? Surely the right thing...right? If you could home and find a dead body in your house and you knows its not you, you call the police...right. OK but this is the man your husband to be was seen arguing with....oh dear oh dear. Delicious twisty things occur. And choices are made. But whose done this? Who's doing this? And can they trust eachother?
This is such an original premise for a plot and leaves you with good mysterious thoughts around who done it and who's doing this. Oh and of course why!?

An absolutely brilliant and twisty thriller from the excellent Lauren North. A couple are preparing for their wedding and escape to France for a few days of peace and tranquillity, but when a dead body is found in their holiday home, life changes for ever. The tension is tangible, the revelations are breathtaking, and the plot twists myriad. A superb read!

Oh my this one started off with a bang and didn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening as the twists and turns came so often! Impossible to guess and very exciting! I didn’t know who to trust: Hannah and Jake On a romantic count down to their wedding…. Or is it??

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.