I genuinely enjoyed The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden. It had these perfectly flawed characters who just could not seem to make good decisions, and the protagonist's struggles and joys as a mother and wife are all too familiar. I related to a lot of what she was going through, trying to figure out her identity after becoming a parent. It touches on sexism, infidelity, dreams deferred, and relational identities while grappling with a desire to be accepted and independent. There's also a little hint of mysticism, which was a pretty cool little twist. I really loved listening to this novel, and the narration was excellent!

An interesting debut about an Irish stay at home mom and her increasing unhappiness as her workaholic playwright husband is never home, continues to neglect their daughter and her loneliness and yearning about her prior career as a concert pianist. Enter an enigmatic therapist who gives increasingly bizarre advice and turns out to not be a therapist after all. What were her motives and were they well-intentioned or nefarious? This was twisty and thought-provoking but ultimately didn't quite hit the mark for me. I still enjoyed it and thought the audiobook version was good, especially the Irish accents of narrator, Flora Montgomery. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Recommended for fans of books about motherhood and the challenges of balance marriage, career and life satisfaction with raising children.

These people are awful, but Eliza is hilarious. Therapist is hilarious, I’m such a bad ass at the same time, I really enjoyed this audio….

This book was an absolute blast to listen to, the narrator was great and the pace was perfect. If you enjoy slightly screwy dysfunctional fiction this book is for you. I never knew exactly where the story was going next and it surprised me time and again, which I really enjoyed. Eliza is in need of help with her marriage. Her husband is an arrogant narcissist who has yet again broken his promise to make more time for his family after a big move to Dublin. Eliza visits a therapist to see if her marriage can be saved and is rather shocked at the therapists 'style' of therapy. Not what she was expecting. From there things progress in a darkly humorous way that I found totally captivating. I enjoyed all the characters, they were just plain fun, even the nasty ones. Highly recommended for something a little bit different. 5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for a chance to read/listen to an ARC version of this book.

If you're craving a debut that crackles with dysfunction, dark humor, and twisted therapy sessions, The Marriage Vendetta delivers with unrelenting bite. Caroline Madden paints domestic life not in pastel shades of harmony, but in high-contrast tones of betrayal, manipulation, and feminist vengeance.
No one’s wearing a halo here—and that’s precisely the appeal. Eliza is messy, vindictive, and occasionally delusional. Richard is charming in all the worst ways. Ms. Early? Think chaos wrapped in clinical jargon. Even Mara, Eliza's daughter, feels too precocious for comfort at times. Yet Madden writes them with such emotional precision that you find yourself caring—if not rooting—for these deeply flawed souls. It's uncomfortable and real, like overhearing a family fight on public transit.
Just when you think Madden has tied it all up in a bow, she rips the ribbon out of your hands and throws a final curveball. Some answers arrive slowly, through layers of therapy sessions and unraveling secrets. But two critical revelations—emotional detonations, really—are withheld until the last page, ensuring that you’re not just reading but devouring.
This isn’t just a story.
It’s a dare.
A dare to sit with your discomfort, question the lines between healing and harm, and wonder how far is too far when reclaiming your life.

I'm rounding this one up to 5 stars! It is a fun one! It gives Finlay Donavan vibes. The narration is great and I would recommend that to anyone who likes audio books!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

.5 stars, rounding to 3.
Eliza is over it. She is done with her current lifestyle. This stay at home spouse is at the end of her rope. Her husband, Richard, is so gross. One of those men who seems to have a never ending array of women in and out of his life despite the fact that he is married.
When Eliza sees a photo of Richard with another woman, she hits the roof, but instead of doing something stupid, she enlists the help of a therapist. I am using the word "therapist" very lightly. This therapist starts the wild ride Eliza goes on that may or may not involve committing crime.
I have a hard time giving too many details with this book because I did struggle with it overall because the plot felt a bit disjointed. I think the pacing would have been okay for me if the plot had not been so scattered. I do love a good revenge plot, but this was hard to follow.
The characters were interesting, not entirely well-developed, but I don't think that was the point of this book.
It was a wild ride of therapy using some really interesting coping strategies - if you can even consider it that.
I think if the plot had a bit more structure, I could have enjoyed it more.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

This was such a fun read! It hit the notes I needed it to—as a woman, mother...and somebody's ex wife. If you've every been any of these things or plan to be...or just want a good read that puts you squarely in the main character's head, The Marriage Vendetta needs to be added to your TBR piles. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for sending me an advanced audio copy.

This was a fun story to follow. We follow Eliza who is trying to figure out how to not hate her husband anymore. Funny story is she goes through these extreme measures simply because her stranger therapist tells her to. Because that’s crazy…right?

You get a ton of twists, new relationships, and funny/ironic moments. I enjoyed this book!

The Marriage Vendetta is a dark, twisty domestic thriller that kicks off with Eliza, who’s uprooted her life for her husband’s career in Dublin. She's lonely, resentful, and surrounded by school moms who treat her like yesterday’s lunch. Then she gets an anonymous photo hinting at her husband’s infidelity... and a mysterious therapist just happens to pop up right on cue.

That’s when things go off the rails—in the best way. Therapy turns into psychological warfare, the plot thickens faster than a pot of Irish stew, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out, Madden throws in another curveball.

The writing is sharp, the narrator nails the audiobook, and the vibe is part thriller, part chaotic girl’s-night-gone-wrong. Is the ending satisfying? Honestly, I’m still processing. But if you like your thrillers dark, clever, and just a little unhinged, this one delivers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 – Unconventional therapy has never been this much fun… or this dangerous.

What a wonderful cast of awful people!

I loved that it kept me guessing until the very end.
It's bleak, but really addictive. A great domestic thriller.

The narrator was great, and listening to the audiobook version really added to my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for this ARC!

The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden is an entertaining general fiction read. This story, I believe, could also be categorized in Bookclub Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and even Thriller (a light thriller).

This story follows a woman who is in need of rediscovering herself and how to address the red flags popping up in her marriage. She turns to an unorthodox therapist for guidance, and entertaining chaos ensues.

I really enjoyed this story, and definitely recommend it! It’s such an entertaining and propulsive read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was well done by a single narrator. I listened at 1.5x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.5-1.75x). The narrator did an incredible job depicting accents and secondary characters, and embodying the main character.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this advanced listeners copy.

This is an interesting story that goes about. What would you do in the worst circumstance of your married life we follow the main character who makes some questionable choices. However, I feel I would make the same choices as she discovers what is really going on. I went into this thinking it was going to be a thriller and it wasn’t. It was a little bit more than that. Still good no matter what with a little bit of fantasy.

This one was a little all over the place. The pace of the story was inconsistent, the storyline hard to follow, and I found the characters pretty irritating. The narrator was good and I finished the book because I wanted to see how it ended up, but then wished I hadn't taken the time.

This was a slow-burn thriller with quiet intensity that kept me intrigued. The pacing was measured and the suspense was subtle. And the twists more like soft turns than sharp curves, but left me wanting a bit more tension.

This might have been the calmest most thriller I have ever read lol. This book is the product of an emotionally mature FMC who thinks before she reacts, handles conflict with depth, and isn’t ruled by impulsive decisions.

While it didn’t blow me away, it was a nice change of pace from the usual high stakes, heart racing thrillers. A good pick if you're in the mood for something more subdued but still mysterious.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This one wasn’t for me. The story felt disjointed and overwhelming, especially in the final 25%. The pacing shifted so dramatically that it became hard to follow, and many of the twists felt excessive rather than impactful. It seemed like the book was aiming for shock value, but it didn’t land in a satisfying way for me.

I also struggled to connect with the main characters and found them very unalikeable. The one exception was Eliza’s daughter, who brought a needed warmth to the story. Also, the very ending and epilogue was weird.

That said, the audiobook narration was excellent and kept me engaged even when the plot didn’t. While this didn’t work for me personally, I can see how readers who enjoy messy drama and unpredictable twists might still find it entertaining.

📆 Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

I am torn with this one. The story itself was good; I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the way the story unfolded with its plot twists and turns was pleasurable. That being said (and without mentioning any spoilers), one of the character's story that unfolds at the end I did not like. I feel like that part could've been more realistic. Other than that, I enjoyed this book. The narrator had a very soothing voice and brought out the characters' emotions and personalities well.
#NetGalley #TheMarriageVendetta #CarolineMadden

This was twisted. I wasn't sure how it would play out but I ended up enjoying it. The only issue I had is that I didn't find it "darkly funny"; I just found it dark.

This is the story that so many need to read and understand. Eliza was a childhood prodigy pianist, although it made her childhood stressful. Richard, and their daughter, Mara. Richard who was studying to become a lawyer but set everything aside to assist Eliza or at least that is the story he tells. She hasn't played the piano for years, as she now dedicates her life to her husband trying to express her gratitude and improve their marriage. Richard is a playwright who is offered a prestigious job in Dublin, uprooting his family from England away from any friends and family Eliza might have had. Eliza plays the role of a supportive wife, even though she is seething with resentment, so when she receives a suggestive photo of Richard with another woman, she turns to a mysterious marriage therapist, Ellen Early, for help. Some of the mysterious "solutions" provided by this therapist will have many shaking their heads but how many times is it easier to look from the outside in rather than the inside of a situation. You can give everything but it will never be enough fo rthe wrong person. Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
3.5 ⭐️ while I enjoyed the overall story in this marriage gone wrong storyline, it was just a bit odd how it all played out.

Eliza Sheridan is at her wits' end with her husband, Richard. Not only did he uproot her and their daughter Mara's lives for his career, but he also hasn’t honored the one thing he promised before moving to that he’d make more time for his wife and daughter.

So when Eliza receives an anonymous photo of Richard with another woman, she's just about ready to file for divorce. As a last resort, she pays a visit to a marriage therapist, Ms. Early, who Eliza quickly learns is a bit…alternative in her approach. As their sessions unfold, Ms. Early spurs her on to commit a series of vengeful acts against Richard—each more bizarre than the last—all in the name of “re-training” her husband. But when therapy takes a risky turn, suspicions grow and alliances shift... How far is Eliza willing to go to save her marriage?