This is such an eerie read. Abigail is engaged to Bruce but isn't 100% convinced that she's doing the right thing by marrying him. While celebrating her impending nuptials with her girlfriends at her bachelorette party she meets and confides in another man Scottie. They become somewhat over friendly and they have a one night stand. Three weeks later she marries Bruce and he whisks her away on a surprise honeymoon where her one night stand from the bachelorette party appears once again. What are the chances!!!. This is an entertaining read. It's an easy one, there are a few twists and turns, but nothing too complicated. I enjoyed it though and will definitely read more of Swanson's in the future!!

Peter Swanson’s books are the real deal, he always gets me hooked from the first page. He is indeed a really good writer of memorable psychological thrillers.

In his latest novel Abigail, a woman who tries to make ends meet - while working two jobs in NY is about to get married to the enormously wealthy Silicon Valley tech millionaire Bruce.
Bruce is kind of charmingly-shy, but also very thoughtful and he basically puts his fiancée on a pedestal. He grants her every wish, even the things she does not expect from him, he is willingly to do just to make her happy such as paying her parents debts.

A few weeks before the wedding, Abigail and her bridesmaids celebrate her bachelorette party in California, after a few drinks with the girls Abigail gets to know a mysterious stranger and one thing leads to the other.

“The last fling before the ring.” Right?

Back in NY she decides not to tell her fiancée about her infidelity, because it would never happen again. After the wedding, they go to their honeymoon at Heart Pond Island – a luxurious retreat for the super-rich. At first Abigail is absolutely happy about the intimate togetherness with her husband, but then it’s seems like a shadow from her past is trying to turn her perfect honeymoon into a vivid nightmare.

“Every vow you break” is enthralling, highly-intricate and cleverly plotted. I was intrigued by the stunning narration, this is the kind of book you can hardly put down. Abigail was such a great character with depths and wits. I was rooting for her throughout the whole book, she may have done some mistakes, but who hasn’t. The story is remarkably fast-paced and at the end my heart was throbbing so fast I couldn’t make it stop. I will definitely pick up his upcoming books, due to the fact that Swanson never disappoints.

Thank you NetGalley / Faber & Faber for providing me with this free e-arc in return for a honest review.

I like Peter Swanson books - in a way they're quiet formulaic, they have an engaging female protagonists in fantastc east coast settings and the formula is no bad thing - it's a pacey book that does keep you gripped!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of Peter Swansons books so jumped on the chance to read his latest.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and was gripped although I did guess where the plot was going so wasn’t taken by surprise - this isn’t a bad thing as I still enjoyed the revealing of it. The ending wasn’t mind blowing but overall a good fact paced thriller.

Woah. What a rollercoaster ride this was!
The first half of the book made me very uncomfortable, it made for extremely unsettling reading.
When I got to the half way point of the book, I read the second half in one sitting. I honestly did not know which characters, if any, I could trust. I love that in a thriller.
The pace of the book was fantastic, particularly in the second half. The first half was full of intrigue that made me keep reading too!
I have been a fan of Swanson after reading Before She Knew Him and Eight Perfect Murders, and loving both. I still have A Kind Worth Killing to read, and I've heard it's his best, so I need to dig it out from my TBR pile!
A fantastic read.

Could not put this book down
Was so glad I wasn't at work the next day
sat and read it in one go - I haven't done that in ages
Full of twists, turns and suspense - I was holding my breath in some parts and wanted to close my eyes in others
Felt that I was there

Highly recommend - just be prepared for a nail biting rollercoaster ride

Loved it .........

Abigail is engaged to Bruce, who is a tech start-up billionaire. Until she met Bruce, her life was mediocre. They have a whirlwind romance and, everything changes in her life. One week before the wedding, she goes for a bachelorette party in California with her girlfriends. But in a weak moment, she gives in to the temptation of sleeping with a stranger.

The next day she realizes her mistake and starts preparing for the wedding in full swing. Scottie is has found her in New York. He sends her a heartfelt email a few days before her wedding. With fear in her heart, Abigail gets married and goes with Bruce for her honeymoon. They go to a remote camping island off the coast of Maine. Along with them arrives at the stalker.

Abigail is on the edge when she sees Scottie, and to top it, she doesn’t even feel comfortable on the island with the employees hovering over the guests. She is moving from a bad situation to a worse one.

Swanson can weave an intriguing story with a twist that the reader can never see it coming. His other works, The Kind Worth Killing or Eight Perfect Murders, are examples of such writing. Every Vow You Break creates a chilling and tense atmosphere.

Throughout the book, the readers will get hints which will create doubt in readers. But soon, they are proved wrong. Thus the reader will be of two minds while reading it. The book has very few lead characters, and most of them are not very likeable. But it’s the premise and the atmosphere that keeps the reader engrossed until the last page.

I set the book on Heart Pond Island off the coast of Maine. It has no internet or phone access. The guests in the resort have little modern technology, including electricity. However, they have sumptuous food. But the entire idea of the island is to reconnect with nature and get away from their screens.

It is a good book, but Swanson’s previous has set the bar too high. It might have fallen a little short of that, but it’s still a thriller that keeps the reader engaged.

If you haven’t read Peter Swanson’s book yet, pick up this chilling thriller to read.

My Rating for the book is 3.5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Faber & Faber, for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Abigail is engaged to Bruce, a sweet, stable man she met in a coffee shop in New York City, where they both live. However, Abigail has a drunken one night stand on her hen night with a guy who is the definition of Abigail's type. She regrets it immediately and is set on marrying Bruce and them growing old together. But then her one night stand appears in NYC.....and then in the grounds of her wedding venue......and then at the remote island Bruce has whisked her to for their honeymoon. He wants to speak to her, wants them to be together, and he's tracked her down to convince her he's right.... Abigail struggles with what to do, what to tell Bruce, but not only does she have that to deal with, she then sees the only other female guest in the middle of the night, confused and injured, who runs away when Abigail tries to talk to her...and no-one else believes what she saw....

Oooo, I LIKED this one! The narrative in it moves around little at the start to give us some background on Abigail's childhood, as well as her previous relationships, how she met Bruce and exactly what went down on that hen night, before moving to the wedding and the honeymoon. Straight from the off its clear that there's something not quite right about this honeymoon; the destination just seems so.....un-honeymoon like!

There are twists and turns along the way and, though I saw some of it coming, I thoroughly enjoyed the way the plot unfolded and the action really kept up in towards the end. I was hooked and completely desperate to know how it turned out. It definitely lives up to the "thriller" tag for me.

I've only read one Peter Swanson before, Rules for Perfect Murders (or Eight Perfect Murders to give it its alternative title) but I enjoyed this one more. I'll definitely check out more of his books after this and keep an eye out for future titles.

DNF at 5%

I really wanted to like this, or at the very least finish it, especially as I had been given a review copy, but for the life of me I just can't make myself read any further in this book. I'm not sure if it's because of a format issue (i.e. an early ebook copy with some line spacing issues and other format issues) or because I'm not getting on with the writing, but I suspect it's a combination of both.

This is my third book from Peter Swanson, and I think it will probably be my last. I find his dialogue especially to be stilted and unnatural, and I tend to feel removed from his stories and characters, due to a lack of decent atmosphere and character building. From what I can see from other reviews, several people seem to feel the same way.

I'm sure this will be a favourite for many people; unfortunately I am not one of those people

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Every Vow You Break but that has in no way influenced my review.

I LOVE Peter Swanson's novels. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! He's a favourite author of mine and picking up his latest release for the first time is one of the highlights of my year. His books are chock full of delicious suspense and always have a wicked twist in their tale. I heartily recommend ALL of his books - particularly The Kind Worth Killing and the absolutely stunning Rules for Perfect Murders which made it onto my 'best books EVER' list after being published last year.

Abigail Baskin is getting married! She's all loved up (sort of) and heading off to California for her hen party (Bachelorette party for any US readers!) with a group of friends to let her hair down and wave goodbye to singledom. Following a night of delicious food and good wine, Abigail starts to chat with Scottie, a good-looking and charming divorcee. One thing leads to another, the wine flows and they end up in bed together. Abigail realises her mistake and hurries home to husband-to-be, Bruce, wracked with guilt, determined to forget it ever happened and make their marriage work. Until she starts to see Scottie everywhere she turns; in New York, at her wedding and most shockingly of all, Scottie is a fellow guest at the exclusive resort Bruce has chosen as their honeymoon destination. Why is Scottie following Abigail? What's his agenda and will his presence on Heart Pond Island result in Abigail's perfect life crashing down around her...?

This is a fantastic slow burn suspense novel which I found very readable. Swanson takes time and care to paint a picture of Abigail and Bruce's lives together. You get to know Abigail particularly well and what makes her tick, before the author blows the couple's worlds apart. When the bomb is dropped, OMG, it's a big un! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough - I had to find out how things were going to end. I was gripped and loving every second of my reading experience.

I grew to like Abigail over the course of the novel. I will admit I wasn't an instant fan but my judgement was based more on her indiscretion and my own personal feelings about cheating on a partner. I was hoping she would get her comeuppance. However, I quickly changed my mind as the story progressed. Oh boy, did I change my mind!!

I did have one tiny niggle about this book and you're probably going to think I'm crazy! The use of the word 'pond'. To me, as a Brit, a pond is a small, stagnant body of water. Probably infested with frogs, algae and water slugs (are they a thing?). In Every Vow You Break, characters are swimming and sailing on the pond which seemed to me to be vast. Isn't that a lake? Perhaps it's a UK vs US thing. Anyway, my point is, the use of the word jarred me a little every time it was used as what I pictured in my own mind didn't seem to match with what the book was telling me. Maybe I'm just odd.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Every Vow You Break is a great addition to Swanson's back catalogue. The author remains one of my absolute favourites and I'm already looking forward to his next book. Every Vow You Break has a very interesting twist which drew me in to the story. At times I was on the edge of my seat, at other times I was furious with the characters. My blood was boiling. All in all, another brilliant reading experience from the master of suspense. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Every Vow You Break. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The latest novel from Peter Swanson is like an episode of Love Island gone horribly wrong, and is certainly not one of his best novels. I’ve read all of Peter Swanson’s previous books, which tend to keep me hooked to the very end. The Kind Worth Killing was a humdinger of a suspense filled read! Unfortunately in his latest release, there were too many red flags and I had a good idea where the plot was going from an early stage.

Abigail and her millionaire husband Bruce Lamb spend their honeymoon on the luxury remote Heart Pond Island, where no forms of technology are allowed. Before her wedding, Abigail had a drunken one night stand with a man called Scottie. She decides not to tell her fiancé, which never bodes well. Pretty soon into her honeymoon, Abigail starts to get a bad feeling about the island and wonders why there are only 2 female guests. She finds the constant presence of the island staff oppressing and unsettling. To cap it all off, she then spots Scottie, who is also a guest on the island. Surely this could not be a co-incidence (No, of course not!!)

In previous Swanson novels, the reader was always gripped by suspense – whereas in this novel it was more of a case of “get on with it”! I won’t spoil the plot by saying much more. Suffice to say, I kept waiting for a big twist but unfortunately there wasn’t one. 3 stars from me, which is being generous, as I enjoyed Swanson’s previous novels so much. Thanks to @netgalley and @faberbooks for this ebook in return for my honest review.

The premise of this book sounded incredibly intriguing, and I had read and enjoyed Peter Swanson’s previous book so I was very excited to give this one a go.

Whatever I had expected when I started this book, this was not it. This book was wild, and from about half way through the book I found myself hooked, not wanting to put it down so that I could find out what happened. I never would have predicted the directions that it took when I began the first chapter and I enjoyed these surprise elements that worked well for the characters and their motives. Often twists such as this one come from absolutely nowhere leaving the reader feeling confused but I didn’t find this to be the case here.

The isolated element worked so well. An island resort which focuses on an escape from reality and technology, meaning no way to contact anybody off the island and no way to escape. A dangerous situation that there is no way out of.

My main issue with this book, however, was the pacing. It took almost 100 pages for the story to feel like it was finally starting, and for Abigail and Bruce to finally make it on their honeymoon. Whilst I understand it was important to develop their relationship and the events leading up to the wedding I just think this could have been much shorter, giving us more time on the island. I really didn’t enjoy the interrogation and detail of Abigail’s sex life in the first few chapters, although in hind-sight I can kind of understand why this was included, it just felt unnecessary.

At one point in the book, Abigail discusses how she should have seen the signs, but they were slow and she didn’t really appreciate what was going on until it was too late. However, from a reader’s perspective this was not the case at all, it felt as if everything had happened incredibly quickly and, if anything, would have benefitted from a more drawn out build up of tension before the truth was revealed. It just went from 0 to 100 incredibly quickly and didn’t really give me much of a chance to enjoy the build, particularly the moment when each character is telling a very different story and we’re unsure who to believe. It didn’t give us a chance to make up our minds before simply revealing the truth, which was a shame.

I just wanted a bit more from this book in general, it had so much potential and I felt like it just fell flat in certain areas.

I received a copy of this e-arc thanks to NetGalley and Faber Books.

Wow! What a book!

I was completely gripped from the beginning. It started off following a storyline which is rather creepy but part way through there’s a plot twist which completely changes the direction the story was going in. Completely unexpected!

I wouldn’t say it’s the best in its genre but it is decent. I’ll definitely be picking up more Peter Swanson books in the future.

This was a very entertaining read for me , just as i thought it was one thing , wham right in the middle it all changed . Abigail is due to marry Bruce , after a mistake on her batchelorette weekend she is dismayed to see her one night stand turn up in New York . She thinks she has a stalker and worries he is lurking at her weekend . When he turns up at her remote honeymoon destination alarms are really starting to ring . How wrong can she be , no spoilers but a great fast paced and exciting in part rip roaring read . Great Fun

Every Vow You Break is the latest standalone psychological thriller from Peter Swanson; it revolves around a bride's dream honeymoon suddenly becoming a nightmare and descending into chaos when a man with whom she's had a regrettable one-night stand shows up. Abigail Baskin, an editor for a New York indie poetry publisher, never thought she'd be destined to marry a Silicon Valley newly-minted tech billionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. She might not be head over heels in love with him but he's a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind and he represents a refreshing solidity from her past difficult relationships and the somewhat chaotic upbringing she had with her boho artsy parents. But right before the wedding, while Abigail is enjoying her hen do, she has a drunken one-night stand with a hunky Californian guy she knows only as Scottie. She had downed a few too many pinot noirs at a ritzy Napa Valley winery leading her to seemingly drop both her inhibitions and her morals. She puts the incident, and the sexy guy who wouldn't give her his real name, out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. But when she gets back to New York, she is chilled and deeply unsettled to see the mysterious Scottie at a coffee shop near her office. Why has he followed her across the country? How did he know where she worked? He later emails her (how did he get her email address?) to say he thinks they had a deep connection and pleads with her to put a stop to the upcoming nuptials. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special.

Something real--and that he had tracked her down to prove it turning her future life and happiness upside down. She brushes Scottie off and gets married to Bruce, but on their idyllic honeymoon at a posh eco-hotel on a remote Maine island, cut off from the rest of the world, she discovers one of the other guests is... the obsessive Scottie. And then things start to get very dark. Does she tell Bruce and possibly ruin their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss, including her perfect new husband; a deadly series of events that will put her life in danger has now been set in motion. This is a riveting and compulsive thriller that is full of tension, nail-biting moments and a whole lot of drama, and not only is it both endlessly twisty and darkly twisted but it is also written solely from Abigail’s perspective allowing you to become immersed in the scintillating plot action from the very first page. Scottie is clearly infatuated with Abigail after only a single night together. With an enticing blend of layers and clever twists in which buried secrets come back with a vengeance, this could be considered a locked room mystery as the creepiness of being stranded on a remote island, without phones or internet, considering how far some might go to punish those who break sacred promises, comes into play. A chilling, suspenseful and thoroughly entertaining, page-turning thriller where nothing and no one is quite what they seem. Highly recommended.

Peter Swanson writes some incredible books, The Kind Worth Killing being one of my favourite to recommend to people. Although I was excited by the premise, unfortunately Every Vow You Break didn't live up to my expectations. Abigail is certainly an interesting character but it's hard at times having sympathy for her when she jumps into a marriage with someone a) she barely knows and b) someone she's already cheated on. That said, I was really rooting for her towards the end of the book and this was definitely the best and most thrilling part of the story for me personally. I enjoyed the main setting of the book and the odd happenings on the island that raised suspicion but ultimately, I felt like the 'whys' (without wanting to give anything away) needing more fleshing out and explanation, perhaps through the POV of another character or even just flashbacks. There was a lot more that could of been done here that simply wasn't.

Peter Swanson writes intriguing books that don't always go where you were expecting, and boy is this one of them.
At the beginning of the book you have absolutely no hint of what happens later on. You couldn't even hazard a guess, You may think you have some suspicions but I defy anyone to guess it all.
The beginning setting the scene with some elements of flashbacks is eminently readable and you start to get a real feel for the characters of Abigail and Bruce.
After the wedding though things begin to get dark and uneasy for Abigail. If this was a film then you would be on the edge of your seat holding a cushion ready to hide behind. I read the last third of the book at a rush, wanting to know what was going to happen next and was mentally looking over my shoulder all that time. The pace and delivery at the end was spot on and the twists kept coming.
I loved that the epilogue didn't draw things out endlessly like some books do but all ends were tied.

REALLY GREAT THRILLER! Peter Swainson keeps knocking it out of the park. His thrillers never feel repetitive either; the twists are so unique.

Peter Swanson does it again. Every Vow You Break is as good or even better as Rules for Perfect Murder.

The premise is amazing and, even thought it hit a bit closer to home (due to a current crime in the UK), it was addictive and I really couldn’t stop reading until I found what would happen.

The characters are really interesting and complex and I really enjoyed getting to know all the layers that involved Abigail and her story.

The setting was idyllic which made the story even more interesting in my opinion.

The plot has plenty of twists and even though there were parts that felt a bit unrealistic I still really enjoyed the book.

Overall, another fantastic read thanks to the talented Peter Swanson! I look forward to reading more of his precious books as well as any future books he has in store for us!

Peter Swanson is one of those writers whose books I read without even glancing at the synopsis, I’ve read all of his books barring one (my TBR pile is HUGE) and so I was excited to read his latest, Every Vow You Break. It’s about Abigail who was brought up by parents who ran the local theatre in her hometown, dedicating their whole lives to plays and to the actors who starred in them. They invested everything they had in them both emotionally and financially and she spent her formative years in the theatre world. She now works for a small publisher in New York and has had some long term relationships which haven’t worked out, but when she meets Bruce, a Silicone Valley billionaire, they fall head over heels in love with one another and a whirlwind romance ensues. They get engaged, the wedding is around the corner and he pays for her and her friends to visit an exclusive resort in California for her bachelorette weekend. She has some small doubts about the marriage which she is trying to ignore but they are thrown into the spotlight when she meets a man whilst in California. They click, talking late into the night and she ends up sleeping with him. They don’t reveal their real names, he calls her Madeleine and she calls him Scottie and when she returns to New York and to Bruce, she decides to forget that her one night stand ever happened and ploughs on with the wedding plans.

That is until shortly before the wedding when she is walking to work one day and she spots Scottie in a coffee shop near her apartment. She is rattled and takes a different route home to avoid bumping into him. Later, she receives an e-mail from him and is freaked out by not only the contents – he is in love with her and wants her to call off her wedding – but by the fact he has discovered her real name and it is clear that him being in that coffee shop wasn’t just a weird coincidence. And so begins a game of cat and mouse. Bruce has arranged the honeymoon and takes Abigail to an island where they can get off the grid entirely and have their every whim catered to. It is sumptuous and extravagant with world class food and is a beautiful place to be with the man she loves. Except, Scottie is there too. Awkward.

It’s a great premise and a great hook and I was pretty invested for the first half of the novel or so. Swanson writes messy, complicated characters and Abigail is certainly that. He introduces her background, gives us context and allows us to understand her, and then pulls the rug out from under us. He is the master of this, nothing is ever quite as it seems with a Swanson book and this is no different, except, this time, it veered on the silly. There are moments of the usual Swanson brilliance, great plotting and twists you don’t see coming but I found the denouement w unrealistic. I am so disappointed to be writing this as I am such a huge fan and maybe it is just me but I was left pretty underwhelmed and feeling a little cheated.

As I say, the first half, maybe two-thirds of the book are pretty solid but the ending just wasn’t for me. The thing is, I was reading Every Vow You Break whilst women in the UK were grieving the death of a woman who was kidnapped and murdered by a police officer. It felt upsetting to be reading a book about a woman being threatened by a man when my social media and the news was full of this happening in real life. This has probably had a huge effect on how I perceived the book, and perhaps in different times I may have enjoyed it a little more.

If you haven’t read a Peter Swanson book, please do, they are exceptional thrillers and masterfully plotted, it’s just this one fell a little flat for me in the end.