Oh dear - where to start? A plot that conjures up remotely implausible - but presumably intended to be tantalisingly clever - 'clues'; a denouement that - almost literally - turns the stomach; writing that uses a 7lb lump hammer to drive in some novel (for which read 'contrived') descriptive text; or writing that drags out a thin plot over far too many pages? Sadly, for this reader, at least, it was all the above.

Jemma's love life is complicated. She had a relationship with Dan which ended when she was caught kissing his brother Jamie. The story unfolds part in flashbacks and part in present day. . Now some years on Jamie has at last proposed or at least was given an ultimatum by Jemma that it was marriage or the end of them. Jamie chooses marriage and they jet off to the Maldives for a spectacular honeymoon. Only it isn't, things go wrong very quickly, Jemma is not herself and clearly has regrets about the marriage, she confides in another honeymoon couple and they all have a disastrous dinner together when Jemma says some horrible things to Jamie partly due to the fact that she is so drunk. Shortly after this Jamie disappears, Jemma does not take it too seriously to begin with but soon it becomes clear that he really has vanished. The police arrive to question everyone and Jemma herself soon becomes a suspect. The book twists and turns to surprising, if not somewhat unbelievable, ending. This was an interesting and easy read - great to take on holiday when you can dip in and out of it without loosing track of the plot.

Jemma and her husband on their honeymoon and after an arguement, her husband disappears. The story then unravels the relationship between her and the inlaws. At times I did find it a little long but the end was totally unexpected!

5☆ Exciting Physiological Thriller

When I read the blurb for The Honeymoon I was excited. It doesn't give much away but enough to get your curiosity juices flowing.

So let me start by saying... this book will not let you down!
It has the right amount of twists, spine tingling moments and a great storyline.

This is my first book i have read by Tina Seskis but it most definitely won't be my last. Tina is creative and her dark addictive storyline leaves the imagination running wild with theories and conclusions!

It is written in four parts and mainly told by Jemma. The need to split the book into four parts works as it uncovers the back story along the way. Creating the perfect ambience of a disturbingly creative physiological thriller.

Briefly the story line is Jemma and her husband head off to the Maldives for their honeymoon. The perfect island for love, romance and relaxing.
Only Jemma's husband has gone missing with no note, no signs or evidence as to where he has disappeared too.
Why would your husband just suddenly disappear on he's honeymoon?
Who knows more than they are letting on?

We soon get to learn their history as a couple. But just when you think you may be getting closer to answers.... then your twisted in another direction.

Jemma isn't exactly the most likeable character. She comes across as selfish and spoilt.
Sorry for the brief overview I just really don't want to give anything away.... it's just too good!

It's full of suspense, twists, dark and intriguing characters you love and loathe, mystery, intrigue, very addictive, short sharp chapters, secrets and lies, obsession, resentment and jealousy.

With One shocker of an ending!

Be prepared for once you open the book there is no stopping... it's highly addictive and compelling. You have been warned!

If your looking for a physiological thriller that has the perfect mix of keeping you guessing and addicted then The Honeymoon is the book for you.

This is one of those books that hooks you from the start and you cannot put down until you have reached the end. This kept me guessing all the way through and has a great twist about halfway through. Highly recommended.

BRILLIANT! Oh and that ending, wow.. Make time for this book, you won't put it down.

Thank you Netgalley! I loved loved this book - as i have done with all Tina Seskis books.!
This story is based around Jemma - a girl who has always dreamed of going to the Maldives and gets to go on her honeymoon. However her husband has gone missing! The story flits between now and then - Jemma is currently desperately worried for her husband but initially believes he will just come back after a bad night. When it becomes clear he isnt, she begins to panic and asks the hotel and police to help the search. without giving anything away the past delves into Jemma and her husbands relationship a lot more and its clear it is not as great as you first think. What will happen - who will help her and will he be found alive or dead! That dear reader, you will need to find out for yourself!

I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story from the perspective of Jemma, and relays the story of her missing husband, who disappears on their luxury island honeymoon. The plot jumps from the present day to the start of her relationship with her husband and his family.
I was engaged from the start with this novel, and can't even comment on the characters, as to do so would spoil the plot! There were quite a few plot twists, and some were very unexpected indeed. I couldn't put it down. This would make a fantastic holiday read (unless you are in the Maldives on your honeymoon!). I am looking forward to reading more from this lady!

Well written book, with great characters. I was gripped from start to finish and found it to be a real page turner.

The setting of the story, the Maldives was sublime and the descriptions and the luxury setting of the hotel/island sounded absolutely dreamy, so much so that you want to be there.

I was slightly disappointed by the outcome at the end of the book, as of all the possible outcomes going through my head of what it could have been, what actually happened certainly wasn't one of them. I was shocked by the ending and have to be honest I wasn't a fan of the outcome, it spoiled it for me.

Didn't particularly enjoy this book but kept going to find out what happened to the husband! When I did find out it was a bit of an unrealistic conclusion.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this story and was a great read for me apart from the ending which was unusual and abrupt

The atmosphere of the Maldives is so well described in this book. The humidity, the heat , the greenery, gives the impression of a lazy but secretive island where anything might happen.
Jemma's perfectly planned honeymoon begins well, but when her husband goes missing her new life is turned upside down.
The ending is not one that we expect, rather gruesome and shocking.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of this tautly written and atmospheric novel.

I love a good twist that I can't see coming, and this book certainly has a couple of them.

None of the characters in this book are perfect, which certainly adds to the book... The Armstrong brothers have a very difficult relationship, and Jemma herself seems quite flawed which only makes the narrative more interesting.

Jemma gets to go on honeymoon to a place she has dreamed of going for years. I guess sometimes you really shouldn't imagine something to be perfect.

I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I loved this book and I would give it 5 stars for the ending only.
From the beginning it made me feel tense and the tension built throughout the book . I loved how the author fed us snippets of events that hadn't yet happened.. However, at no point dI'd I even have an inkling as to the ending.. I actually felt a surge of adrenalin at the end of the book and in years to come when I think of the story , I will always remember the book!!

Jemma meets her boyfriend Dan through a blind date set up by her best friend. Several years later she finds herself on honeymoon on an idyllic Maldivian island. Then her husband disappears. The story slowly alternates from the start of the story to the honeymoon and gradually gets to the finale. There are very few truly shocking moments that make the reader want to turn the pages but the whole point is finding out what happens to the missing husband. So, I plodded on and it came to a logical conclusion with a decent twist and the one genuinely shocking moment but I feel the story could have had more drama and cliffhangers than it did.

This book started out really well. A closed group of people on a secluded island and the husband goes missing. Misery in paradise. Although I liked the twists and turns, I thought it was moving at a slow pace and the narrative was slow and repetitive. The book starts as a psychological thriller but after a few pages becomes a chick lit of sorts. The tension is missing. The whodunit part felt out of the blue. I couldn't quite see it linked into the plot. The murderer just wasn't that connected to the story or so involved as so go and murder the victim.

This starts as an almost traditional and well-worn story of a honeymoon couple on an exotic island where one goes missing.
So we think we know where the story is going. There are 2 scenarios: 1. He has deliberately left in the ‘missing drowned’ and walked away staged death; or 2. She has killed him and his body has got wasjhed away and may never be found – shark eaten etc ec.
Except. That as the story develops it seems that what we thought we first knew, was not correct at all. The various characters tell lies - sometimes of omission and sometimes deliberately.
And whilst I’m definitely not going give you a spoiler, I am going to say this, you will never, ever, guess what really happened!

I enjoyed this book with its twists and it certainly kept me guessing right to the end. I would recommend this to friends, but perhaps not anyone going to a tropical island for their honeymoon!

The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis

It took quite a while for Jemma to persuade her boyfriend that he should finally make a decision to commit to her – that they should tie the knot and begin a new life together, putting their past behind them. And now Jemma is in the Maldives, staying in a beautiful luxurious resort, with the sea just a few steps away, on the dream honeymoon that she has planned for years. If only the man she married just a week ago hadn’t vanished off the face of the earth a few days into their holiday, leaving her to walk alone the beaches and island trails for hour upon hour searching for him. The police are now involved and it seems like the whole island is looking for him, while, back at home, the media has already caught the scent of a story too good to miss – the honeymoon paradise that has become a hell.

And that is as much as you’re going to hear from me about the plot because The Honeymoon is one of those psychological thrillers that relies on you not knowing what to expect next to make you keep turning those pages. They certainly fly through the fingers. The Honeymoon is a very fast read. I just had to know what happened to Jemma’s husband. But what also pulled me in is its dream holiday setting. There is such a holiday mood to this novel, with its beaches, pools, swimming, bars as well as the rich and beautiful who flock to these islands for their honeymoons – possibly more than once. This luxury contrasts very well with the misery of Jemma’s situation which casts such a pall over the resort.

The novel moves between the present and the past, with a mix of present and past tense, first and third person narratives. While I did find this rather clunkily done at times, it definitely powers the mystery on as well as letting us find out more about Jemma – from her own point of view or from the perspective of others. I never warmed to her. She thrives in her role of Unreliable Narrator. I felt conditioned not to believe a word she says. And, as the story developed, she increasingly irritated me. Having said that, I didn’t like many of the other characters in this book either, although there were a couple I’d liked to have seen more of.

The Honeymoon is a book proud of its twists and one or two did catch me out, even though I was on heightened twist awareness alert. But they didn’t make me go WOW so much as groan. Overall, though, I think that The Honeymoon is a fast, light, rather pretty and, ultimately, daft psychological thriller that would do very well indeed for a quick beach read. It would certainly be an appropriate place in which to read it, just be sure to keep one eye on your holiday companion.