What a great book this is. I loved it. So many twists that I hadn't  seen coming. Once you start this book you wont want to put it down until you have finished it . Don't take my word for it..........................read it !!

As my teenage son would say... meh!

I was so looking forward to this one. The synopsis had me hooked with its promises of twists and suspense but it just didn't tick the boxes and failed to deliver unfortunately. 

It just felt like a tame domestic thriller. Another story of boy meets girl, they marry and everything is not quite as it seems... blah blah. There are just so many of the same version if storyline out there!

Told through the female character Viviens POV, she lives her life shrouded in secrets. At times you'll feel sorry for her, at times you'll feel sorry for the husband Ashton but in all honesty I just wanted to kick them both!

Did I hate it? No
Did I enjoy it? No
Would I recommend it? No

Sorry but I just hate being drawn in with false promises.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

This was a great domestic drama/suspense book!  Really had me glued to the pages, and questioning my own husband and marriage. As it definitely was able to get in my head, with the amazingly developed characters and phenomenal writing!  Lots of great twists and turns, thrills, chills, and suspense!  Highly, highly recommend!

I liked this book, though it took me a while to read it. A marraige full of secrets a built on retribution was doomed to fail. I didnt really like any of the leading characters in the book, which is maybe why it took me so long to read,, however the book is good, the storyline is good and something about it drew me back again and again.

Great book. Lots of unexpected twists and turns.   This book had me guessing till the very end.  I highly recommend this twisty domestic thriller.  #netgalley   #goodreads

Don't you just love q book that has you hooked when you first pick it up  This books was creepy, atmospheric and edge of your seat. I really enjoyed reading this book. Fab

Ashton and Vivien have only been married for 6 months, and as far as anyone can see they are most certainly a perfect couple. However, when bruises begin to appear on Vivien's body her friends and therapist start to suspect that there is something else going on in their marriage. 
This book had me intrigued from the start. The storyline is full of suspense, drama and mystery that really has you perched on the edge of your seat and needing to read more!. I loved how this book stirred up my own suspicions from the off, yet kept me guessing what was the actual 'truth' to the very last page. 
When secrets start to come to light, and the tension builds as the plot develops, it is safe to say I could not put this book down.
The characters were fantastic and so well developed. Both Ashton and Vivien were realistic and believable as their story unfolded. Both of them were dangerous in their own way, alongside both arguably being victims too. Vivien is at times rather unlikeable as she is quite calculating in the decisions she makes, this did however add extra depth to the story and allowed you to understand her character more. I refuse to give away any spoilers, so I shall leave my review at that!

This book is an absolute page turner and had me well and truly hooked to the very last page.

Holy Mother of the Gods!!! Strap yourself in because this one is a helluva ride!! Twisty and turn-ey, with highs leading to stomach-turning lows and moments that will leave you gasping for air! Wow!

Vivien is married to Ashton. To look at, they’re a model couple with a picture perfect life. He’s a successful, well-respected neurosurgeon, she doesn’t need to work and dedicates as much time as she can to volunteering at Community Promise, a shelter that cares for those in need. But to the reader, it’s apparent almost immediately that something’s a bit ‘off’.

From the opening pages, where Vivien describes their magical, beautiful wedding held at Distant Island, Ashton’s family house, she hints that perhaps she shouldn’t have gone ahead with the marriage that seems to be so wonderful. But what on earth could be the problem? Is she just sad that her parents (dead years ago in a car accident) are not there to share her special day? Maybe Vivien is just upset that Ashton’s mom, Georgia-May needs close supervision due to her Alzheimers and is only able to be with them on the day for a short period of time, probably not even sure what event she’s attending? What could the problem be?

Over the next few months as Vivien starts to immerse herself in her new life, she gets to know Ashton’s circle of friends, particularly Lindy, wife of his best friend Richard. Lindy becomes her confidante, and when she starts noticing bruises on Vivien’s arms she becomes concerned. Vivien tries to brush off Lindy’s questions and makes the usual excuses, telling her there’s really nothing to worry about. However, when Vivien shows up with a very obvious black eye, Lindy starts insisting that she consult with a divorce lawyer and says that she’ll help her with whatever she needs to ensure that she walks away from her marriage well taken care of, financially speaking! She’s frustrated when Vivien still seems reluctant to leave Ashton though – why on earth would you want to stay with someone who uses you as a punching bag!

Then Vivien decides that she needs to help out 17-year-old Cady, one of the teens from Community Promise who has nowhere to live. Knowing that Ashton has expressly forbidden it, she moves Cady into the cottage at Distant Island, and that’s when things start to go well and truly pear-shaped!

As the story unravelled and I became more and more absorbed, I couldn’t wait to see where the author was leading me, and when the reveal came I was so shocked, I had to go back and read it a few times just to check myself!! It was a real blinder! Well played Arianne Richmonde, well played!

This is a 5 star domestic noir thriller, filled with tension, mistrust, secrets and lies. It ticks all the boxes for that perfect edge-of-your-seat page-turner that will keep you reading late into the night!

Vivien and Ashton have been married just 6 months. The perfect wedding and the perfect couple. But Vivien's friends and therapist soon suspect that there are secrets in the marriage when bruises start to appear on Vivien...
The Newlyweds is an intriguing book with a mystery at its heart. From the start, I had suspicions that we were being presented a skewed version of events. Secrets and mysterious happenings were rife, including the discovery that Ashton had a sister and the unexplained unlocking of doors. This increases the anticipation and tension for the reader as they await further plot developments.
There is a huge revelation just after halfway through the book that turns our perception of the characters and events on its head. There were further twists, even including the final chapter. It was necessary to suspend my disbelief a little especially in the final quarter but it was a fun read.
Vivien and Ashton are both intense characters, victims yet dangerous. Revenge and control are key to uncovering the truth. Although we are privy to Vivien's perspective, her choices are not always likeable, and indeed her character overall is calculating. However, it is Vivien's first person narrative used throughout so we are led to feel more strongly towards her and gain a good understanding of her thought processes and actions.
The Newlyweds was an enjoyable book but very difficult to review without giving away major spoilers!

This is a very good psychological thriller that kept me gripped throughout, particularly after the shocking revelation half way through, and the twists and turns that kept coming right up until the end. 
Thank you Netgalley and Bookcouture for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Being a lover of a domestic thriller - I was really looking forward to this! Didn’t really tick many of my boxes to be fair - an average read about husband and wife and nothing being as it seems! Many more exciting novels of this genre, but I certainly didn’t hate it.

This is one of those books that sounded so intriguing in the synopsis, but the actual story failed to deliver. What should have been suspenseful and twisty came across as cliched and boring.

The first line of the synopsis mentions two sides to the story, so I was expecting Ashton’s POV at some point, but the story stayed in Vivien’s 1st person POV the whole time (though we do get a couple monologues from him in the final chapters). I think that even without the synopsis basically giving the whole plot away, I would’ve known very early on that Vivien is not what she appears to be. It made the first half of the book seem unbearably long. And the “big reveal” employed one of my least favorite narrative clichés – Vivien relays her whole backstory and scheme in a third person story that even begins with “once upon a time.” My eyes rolled so hard. Everything that happened after that was predictable and I’ll admit that I skimmed large parts of it just to make it to the end.

Overall, The Newlyweds was not for me. I was hoping for some fun cat-and-mouse type of suspense, but it all played out like a predictable Lifetime movie.

Another story about girl weds boy and wedded bliss it aint.    It all looks picture perfect from the outside but don't believe what you see is what is told in this story.   Ashton and Vivien are perfect to anyone watching initially but then signs of trouble start to emerge.  Are things really as picture perfect as they seem.  You will need to read to know for sure but it sure is an interesting ride along the way.  Although this story has been done a bunch this was still a nice different take on how things can go oh so wrong and how one should never judge a book by ints cover or a a marriage by just what you see on the surface!

This books synopsis drew me in, it promised to be a twisty, suspenseful read. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver; there was suspense built but the reveals didn't work. I just felt the story went from far fetched to unbelievable. I do understand this is an ARC but there were two big errors in this copy, this included a characters name changing part way through and also a reverse call error. Hopefully these will be fixed prior to publication.

Well, this book started off as a bit of a conundrum. It seems that all is not right in Vivien and Ashton’s marriage. She tries very hard to please him, and he seems to love her, but she appears with random bruises and I thought perhaps this might be a tale of domestic violence, or coercive control. Then suddenly, bam! along comes the twist, and I would never have guessed or seen it coming. It’s a brilliant and clever plot twist.

It’s such a page-turner, I just kept reading late into the night as the pace ramped up and the tension became unbearable.

I guarantee that you will suspect none of what happens, it’s so twisty and clever. Make sure you cancel everything if you’re reading this book, you will not want to put it down!

The ending builds up to a very dramatic climax. It’s an absolute rollercoaster ride of a book, highly recommended for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. I'm so glad I didn't have to spend money to be disappointed. Just wasted my time. With false rape accusations, schizophrenia, murder, and sharks this is something to hate-read if you still watch Riverdale.

This book is SO good! The Newlyweds has so many twists and turns that my head was spinning by the time I finished it, and wow, what an ending! The second-to-last chapter gave me serious anxiety, and I doubt I'll ever forget it. This book wasn't what I expected, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Newlyweds and for introducing me to an author I definitely want to read more of. : )

The Newlyweds by Arianne Richmonde is a demonically twisted tale of domestic suspense!  It all starts off benignly enough although one gets the sense something is off.  As the story progresses more twisty layers are revealed.  The ending is a real shocker!

I really enjoyed Arianne Richmonde’s last thriller, THE WIFE’S HOUSE. Unfortunately, her latest, THE NEWLYWEDS, was not as enjoyable for me. This book is definitely more domestic than thriller.

Richmond is a lovely writer with a better command of language than many of her thriller contemporaries. However, I just couldn’t get engaged in the setup of this book, which features a woman bent on being a perfect housewife, cook, and domestic goddess to her high society surgeon husband, who may have a dark side. Then she begins getting mysterious messages.

With a setup this focused on traditional gender roles and norms, I need a trace of evil, cunning, or SOMETHING interesting from one of the characters (preferably the wife) to keep me interested. Unfortunately that didn’t surface early enough here, and I spent a longer amount of time than I would have liked reading about a housewife who frets over making the perfect meals and home for her husband. I found it hard to care about the nose job she had in her twenties or her mounting feelings of insecurity. She lacked the two scoops of unusual and crazy that were so endearingly featured in the heroine of this author’s previous book.

I really appreciated the point the author was trying to get across here, but the story overall was too slow-moving and cliched to really hold my interest. When the action finally  came, it did not really satisfy. Since I did love this author’s last book I’ll definitely continue to read her new books, but this one was a miss for me.

Thanks to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Holy cow! This was not the read I was expecting at all. It starts off perfectly nice at the wedding of Ashton and Vivien. He’s a prominent neurosurgeon from the South and she is a self professed Yankee trying to fit in but not quite knowing the society rules.

However over the course of their marriage things aren’t as blissful as they seem. With her friend Lindy noticing what looks like pinch marks could the perfect Ashton not be quite so perfect after all. This is where I thought I knew how the story was going to go. This is not your typical domestic thriller though so be prepared for some shockers.

Told only from Vivien’s perspective I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t being played for a fool. With very few characters I soon jumped to a certain conclusion only to be proven completely wrong. So I shifted tactics and carried on reading, however this author wasn’t just leading me down the garden path she was bringing a picnic and expecting me to stay for the day.

Something mentioned fairly early didn’t quite resonate with me and I had a sneaking suspicion it would come to fruition at some point. So look for clues as they are there if you pay attention.

This tale of secrets and revenge will sink its teeth in and not let go until that outrageously perfect last sentence.