I started My Sister's Husband with high hopes of a good psychological thriller.  Or at the very least, a decent mystery.  For me, this book was mislabeled.  I more felt I was reading a soap opera.  Two sets of sisters, two generations, same mistakes.  I have 4 sisters.  Maybe we are weird.  None of this would have ever happened to us.  I even live in a small California town.  

When I realized this was not what I thought it would be, I tried to immerse myself in the story.  I don't know this author, but I can pretty safely assume they do not live in California.  I don't think it is necessary to live in a place to write about it, but it was distracting how many times I was unable to get into the story by the descriptions and word choices in this book.

To the story...it was OK.  Sisters who compete for almost literally everything.  People who think leaving town solves problems.  Small town with apparently very few eligible men.  We are so rural I don't get mail delivery and I could find more people to date than someone close to one of my sisters and I would definitely know if one of them had been involved or wished to be (One characters point out how obvious the crush was to everyone . Almost everyone.)

This one just wasn't for me.

My Sister's Husband by Nicola Marsh is a solid mystery that is full of secrets, lies, and intrigue, although I must admit that it did not grip me in the way that the author's previous novels have done.  I did not feel as invested in the story as I would have hoped.

Brooke has returned home for the wedding of her sister Freya.  Thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with her niece, Hope, from whom she has been estranged, Brooke is wary of how her sister will react to her return.  When she meets Freya's fiance, Riker, the past that she has spent years running from will come rushing back like a freight train.

Told in dual timelines of 'then' and 'now', I had a difficult time in keeping the events, and even the characters, straight in my mind and, for me, the narrative suffered for it.  Nonetheless, this is a compelling read and I will look forward to reading whatever comes next from Ms Marsh.  

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Nicola Marsh is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, she has the ability to write deep emotional prose wrapped up with killer psychological drama.  This novel focuses on two sets of sisters separated by generations in a family of dire secrets.   We learn of both deceptive families in dual timelines as we watch both make similar errors in judgement and temperament.  There are many novels full stories of battling sisters but this one tops them all!  The stakes kept uppping, and I kept gasping!  Wonderful read, can’t wait for the next one.

Wow! What a twisted book! This certainly was a page turner, I couldn’t put it down. I thought I pretty much had it figured out but it still surprised me!  I will definitely be watching for more books by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Nicola Marsh has made me her fan for life. I absolutely loved this story about families, secrets and human weaknesses. 

The story spans two generations, Alice and Donna of the older generation and Lizzy, Brook and Freya of the younger generation. All of them are bound by stories and decisions that have been taken by Alice and Donna. 
The sisters in each generation seem so much alike and yet are very different. 
I am not going to write a synopsis over here because I will not be able to do justice to the story. The plot is very intricately woven. It has been narrated in various POVs and the story perfectly moves between the past and the present and between various characters. I found this type of narration adds justice to the intricate plot and the various characters in the story. 
Every character has been thoughtfully written and even though at the beginning I started off favouring one sister over the other, by the end I just loved the story and didn't want to be in judgement of which character was good or not so good. 

This story is a contemporary fiction but it has thee pace and feels of a mystery. It was almost akin to peeling the layers of an onion. The story just kept me hooked on to it by its many twists and turns that were very rightly placed and not overdone. 

I would highly recommend this book to all those who want to read stories of family secrets and mysteries, to all those who want to feel the rush which we get when we cannot put a book down and the story becomes a one point focus. 
I thank Bookouture, Netgalley and the author approving my request to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are entirely mine.

WOW!  Another great suspense by Nicola Marsh.  I couldn't put it down once I started.
This book alternates between "Then" and "Now", telling the story of two sets of sisters.  Alice and Diana, and now their girls Lizzie, Brooke, and Freya.  Both Alice and then Freya are jealous, uncontrollably so, of their sister wanting to be like  her and have whatever she has.  Their desire to be like Diane and then Brooke lead to many sinister thoughts, actions and years and years of secrets.  When the secrets start unravelling, I couldn't have predicted all that was revealed.
Great book, couldn't put it down.  
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

This was one amazing page-turner, full of secrets, secrets, and more secrets.  I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.  This is the story of two sets of sisters.  The first set is Alice and Diana and the second set is Brooke and Freya, the daughters of Diana.  In each set of sisters, one wants what the other has.  How far will they go to get what they want?  I’m not going to leave any spoilers because I highly recommend reading this fantastic book for yourself, but I will say, you will be surprised by some of the secrets that are revealed.  I will say that I didn’t really care for the ending.  I know this was a longer book, but I still felt like there needed to be more, lol.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Oh my WOW I loved this book! I loved the multiple narratives and nonlinear timelines that told a bit at a time from the very beginning rather than hiding everything throughout and then dumping the whole truth at the end. I was able to work out pretty much everything but I didn’t even care because I loved the writing so much and it kept me totally gripped throughout. I just had to confirm my suspicions and learn a new detail here and there. There is such a fine line between good/bad when jealousy is involved. I’m definitely giving this book 5 stars and I highly recommend it for domestic thriller lovers! 

Huge thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me the incredible privilege of reading this book in advance!

I liked this but didn't love it. I get that the whole point of the book was that Brooke and Freya's relationship had parallels with Alice and Diana, but as a result it felt kind of like reading the same story twice, which really threw the pacing off. 

I did like the character of Aunt Alice. I couldn't for the life of me understand some of her decisions but it made her interesting. The story was good but it was a bit predictable and I never found it very exciting.

I would recommend this if you fancy some easy-reading, soap opera style family drama.

Sisters and Secrets- that’s what this book is all about!

Brooke and Freya, who haven’t seen each other in ten years. When Brooke returns home for Freya’s wedding, all her hopes for happy family reunion vanish when she sees Freya’s fiance Riker. 

The plot unfolds the story of two sets of sisters in two different time periods who seem to lack the usual bonding that exist between sisters. The story shows how jealousy, selfishness coupled with inferiority complex tends to destroy any relationship formed, leading to multiple secrets.

The plot was so twisted. The narration as well as all the characters were well written. There were so many lies and secrets, that kept on getting revealed that I just gave up guessing who was hiding what. It’s amazing how the past and the present blended in all together to make for an engaging read. The ending was totally shocking and unexpected!

Overall, a good book. You will end up being surprised at the amount of secrets that exist in one family! 

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This book was fantastic ~ So many twists and turns! I thought I had it figured out and then boooom...something shocking would emerge! The author did a great job keeping me guessing. It was a great story with lots of surprises and me trying my best to figure it all out! The ending was wild. I completely loved this book and I finished it in one four hour reading marathon. If you love suspenseful books, you will love this!! Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book early ~ it was so good!!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3603819480

This book was good but a bit repetitive re the Sisters jealousy of each other and also at times confusing with the going to and from storylines ,the characters were well portrayed and the story kept me fairly interested,I enjoy this author and look forward to her next book

This book was a rollercoaster, and this family has more problems than an entire season of The Young and the Restless!! 

My Sister’s Husband is the tale of two sisters, Brooke and Freya, who haven’t seen each other in ten years. Brooke  left home with a mess of secrets, and she only comes back for Freya’s wedding. Also in the mix is their cousin, Lizzie, and their aunt, Alice, who raised all three girls on her own after Brooke and Freya’s parents died when they were very young. There’s also Freya’s fiance, Riker, who somehow knows Brooke, and Freya’s daughter, Hope...

...and you also get the family drama surrounding Alice, her sister Diana and Diana’s husband, Cam, in the past. 

Somehow, this all adds up to a big soup of drama and emotional overload for the entire novel. And somehow (even more shocking to me because writing it out seems like a LOT)—it works well. I have to admit, there were a lot of twists and turns and while some of them were predictable, some of them weren’t predictable at all. The only downside to all of the drama is that, while I couldn’t put my kindle down while I was reading this, I was also a little fatigued by the time I finished it. Probably the first time that fictional dramatics have literally exhausted me. 

Overall, though, it was a good read and fairly hard to put down, if only because I was scrambling to figure out who’d throttle whom first when all the secrets came out at last.

Care warnings: abuse, adoption, elder abuse, dementia, infidelity, scamming, suicide, self-harm, murder, depression

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! So many secrets that just kept piling up until a big finale at the end!

This story is told from a multitude of views. It opens with Brooke, the older sister, finally returning home after being gone for ten years. Brooke didn't plan on ever coming back, but her younger sister, Freya, sent her a wedding invite, and her cousin, Lizzie, emailed her about her Aunt Alice's declining health.

Brooke, Freya & Lizzie are all close in age. What should be a joyous occasion is marred by undercurrents and seething. Brooke recognizes her sister's husband-to-be, and soon after, gets another surprise.

The undercurrents and seething is something that is not new, and boiled between another two sisters, Alice and Diana. Two sisters, where one feels the old ball out, and holds a secret. 

The story unfolds back and forth between the two sets of sisters where feelings of inadequacy come out as being moody and learned hidden secrets for which to lord over the other. One hidden secret brought to light will have devastating results.

Brooke is saddened to see her Aunt Alice, suffering, where she is kept locked up in her room. Freya, a nurse, has deemed it better to keep Alice at home and looked after. Brooke wants to be there to help with Alice, after all Alice was there for her to help and kept her secret. Alice has other secrets, that are password protected.

At first, reading about Alice, I was upset that she seemed unable to see what was in front of her. Then, it seemed as she got older, she had a more mature outlook and tried to guide the girls to be better siblings with one another. There were also times, that I felt she should've done more, but seeing herself in one sister, she played devil's advocate.

This book is filled with secrets, lies, plots, scandals, jealousy and murder. It leaves you wondering, who can be trusted? Fantastic read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Bookouture and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Twists and turns throughout, what a book.  I get a little perturbed with the selfish bickering that went the sisters and wanted to yell to grow up but kept on reading and so glad I did.
Frey’s is finally getting what she wanted and before her beautiful sister Brooke.  She has the daughter and is now getting married to the handsome creative Riker. Brooke comes back to the wedding and meets the niece she never knew she had and discovers her sister is marrying her one night stand. Also, her Aunt Alice, who raised the girls, is in early stages of early onset dementia and is being kept in a locked room for her safety. All Alice will really talk about is the secrets between the sisters and there are so many secrets.
This book will keep you turning pages to see where the next twist will be and does so till the very end.  Thank you NetGalley and Kindle edition for my advanced copy.
#Netgalley #kindleedition

Secrets are never a good thing, right? Well, maybe they are if they are part of a gripping and twisted book like My Sister’s Husband! Secrets upon secrets layered upon twisted paths created a read that was intriguing and captivating. Several times I thought I had everything figured out, only to discover another sharp turn or revealed secret that set me back again feeling somewhat lost and bewildered. This is the first book I have read by this talented author and I am eager to read another by her!

Actual rating 3.5 stars

Wow! Nicola Marsh’s latest psychological thriller My Sister’s Husband takes sibling rivalry to new heights. In a storyline that witnesses obsession transformed into evil wrongdoing, the dual timeline in this novel between then and now will aim to shock you, with one family’s history set to repeat itself. 

Brooke Stuart is finally returning to her childhood home in Martino Bay, after eleven years absence. Her reason? It’s younger sister Freya’s impending nuptials to fiancé Riker that will see Brooke reunited with her sister, her cousin Lizzie and her aunt Alice after such a long estrangement. The reasons for her lack of contact over the years are long buried but not forgotten. Dark secrets and tragedy lie here in Martino Bay, trapped forever in the hearts and mind of these three women. What forced Brooke to leave in such a hurry? Why is there bad blood between the sisters with cousin Lizzie continually acting as a peacemaker? Well, the truth is hidden in these pages in what promises to be a nail biting read. 

There are a few surprises in store for Brooke as she endeavours to instigate a truce between herself and Freya. Firstly, Aunt Alice’s deterioration in health is perhaps one of the biggest shocks, her aunt a shadow of her former self thanks to the early onset of dementia. Secondly is the existence of Hope, Freya’s daughter, her presence delightful but unexpected and lastly but by no means least, the man Freya is due to marry may not be the complete stranger Brooke is expecting to meet.

The storyline so far sounds promising and intriguing, although unoriginal. Sibling rivalry provides a wealth of avenues for the author to explore since most of us have probably experienced such feelings and emotions, albeit to a lesser extent than this family! The dual timeline allows the author to switch between past and present, satisfying the reader’s curiosity for explanations into long held jealousies, obsession, mistrust, hatred and the desire for revenge. It’s only by learning of Alice’s relationship with her elder sister Diana that you begin to understand the similarities between all the sisters lives. Who or what has come between them to warrant such feelings??  Living in Verdant, Nevada, Alice is just like Freya. Consumed with jealousy over Diana’s looks,school grades and popularity with the boys, Alice struggles to hide her rage at her perceived injustice of this situation. These feelings take on far greater meaning when the subject of Alice’s schoolgirl crush, fellow student Cam falls head over heels in love with Diana. Hatred and obsession outweigh any other feelings Alice may hold in regard to her sister who begins to stalk the pair, trying to infiltrate their social circle and get closer to Cam. When Diana goes off to college, leaving the door wide open for Alice to steal Cam from Diana’s affections, this unhappy and vengeful young girl is in heaven. However, as you would expect and hope (for the purpose of  a good read!)Alice’s story does not have a happy ending. Diana returns to the family home, eventually marrying Cam and bearing two daughters, Brooke and Freya. What happens thereafter is guaranteed to shock!!

I think I preferred Alice’s backstory to Brooke and Freya’s which unfortunately for this family  does replicate Alice and Diana’s sibling rivalry. With the return of Brooke to the family home I didn’t feel as if enough was happening to keep me fully engaged and invested in the outcome. The surprise shocks and twists that occur in the present day are to my mind glaringly obvious which did ruin my enjoyment of what I’d hoped would be a rollercoaster of a storyline. I did however question Riker’s role and severe lack of any real romance between him and Freya which definitely set alarm bells ringing! Admittedly my comments may sound like harsh criticism and I do wonder if, when you read as many psychological thrillers as I do you become too familiar with certain scenarios and the methods used by authors to distract and misdirect. As always, the key to unlocking some very ugly and disturbing truths lies in the present,with the author choosing Brooke as the woman tasked with this onerous job. Both sisters have secrets they wish to keep hidden so it’s a race against time as to whose life will unravel the fastest and exactly how far reaching the consequences of these truths will be.

I have to say that although liking characters  it’s not a prerequisite to  enjoying and engaging with a storyline, for some unknown reason I just couldn’t find many redeeming qualities in these women to care enough about their futures. It’s hard to imagine meeting such a dysfunctional family like the Stuarts where sibling rivalry takes precedence. Quite frankly I thought they were all welcome to each other!! 
I did however like the final couple of twists which I didn’t anticipate so it’s not all negative. The fact the author has created characters with some evil, deplorable traits takes some imagination and left me thankful that any sibling rivalry I’ve experienced would never reach that level!!  Overall I think My Sister’s Husband is  an average read with a storyline that promised so much but in the end failed to deliver. The nail biting, edge of your seat feelings just weren’t there for me.  My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book, desperate not to put it down, but to keep reading right to the end. Sadly, life didn’t allow that, as is so often the case.
This is a story of sisters and jealousy that passes from one generation to the next. Of secrets, lies and a little bit of crazy thrown in for good luck.

Brooke hasn’t been home for eleven years, having fled her home town, after one bad choice shattered her world and left her broken. Ever since she has roamed from place to place alone, and riddled with guilt, for the part she played in the death of someone she loved. 

Meanwhile her younger sister Freya struggles with grief of her own and the pain of having been abandoned by her older sister. And despite her aunt and cousin Lizzies support, and having a job she loves, a daughter who she adores and being newly engage, she still can’t quite shake the jealousy and animosity she has always harbored for her all to perfect sister. 

Raised by their aunt April, Brooke and Freya always felt loved, cherished and incredibly lucky. 

But when Brooke’s family finally call her home, all these years later, Brooke is determined to try and face up to the past she has fled from for so long. 
Only to find that the past isn’t finished with her yet, and that even the aunt she adored, isn’t as wonderful as she’s always believed. 

Full of surprising twists, and slow tantalizing snippets of revelation this book sucks you in and keeps you guessing to the very end. It is a brilliant read and a must for all lovers of thrillers, family rivalry and secrets and enticing suspense. 

I would definitely be interested in reading more by this author in the future and am incredibly grateful to NetGalley, the authors and her publisher for allowing me to read this amazing book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!  This family is a train wreck!   How many secrets can one family endure??   ALOT if you're this family!   This had me engrossed from the beginning and I loved all of it.   2 sets of sisters, 2 story lines, both in the present and in the past and it all blends together.  Very well written.   Highly recommend!

I’m not sure how many secrets one family can have but if it is this family;  then it’s a lot. The story is about two different sets of sisters, in two different time periods. Diane and Alice are sisters, Alice has always been jealous of Diane and is willing to do whatever to be like her. Fast forward 30 years or so to sisters Brooke and Freya. History seems to be repeating itself.  When a tragic event occurs in Brooke’s life she feels she has no alternative but to leave town and her family behind. Freya is glad to finally see her rival leave. 

When Freya sends out wedding invitations and includes Brooke, she decides it is time to stop running from her problems and comes home. But as family secrets come to light, maybe Brooke should never have left. 

This is a hard to put down mystery/suspense novel with so many twists and turns. Most of them I saw coming but at the end; never saw that one on the horizon. This family is a train wreck, that you just can’t stop reading about. 

Thanks to both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.