Carly had thought they’d always live there. The beautiful Cornish cliffside house they’d taken on as a wreck, that Mark had obsessively re-designed and renovated – a project that had made him famous. It was where they’d raised their children, where they’d sat cosily on the sofa watching storms raging over the sea below. It was where they’d promised to keep each other’s secrets…

Until now. Because Mark has fallen in love. With someone he definitely shouldn’t have. Someone who isn’t Carly. And suddenly their family home doesn’t feel like so much of a safe haven.

This was an unputdownable book. What a whirlwind! When you need a good, heart pounding thriller to read in one sitting, this one is for you. Plenty of twists and turns in this one. Fully recommend!

A gorgeous, cliff-top, Cornish dream family home... what can go wrong? The Forever Home gripped me straight away and I was so invested in all of the characters - I wanted to be Carly's best friend, give Erin a bit of a shake, and even throw a punch or two Mark's way! Full of twists and turns, I was kept guessing until the very end.

This is a psychological thriller. Set in Cornwell. Carly and Mark Anderson appear to have everything they want. After 25 years of marriage, they have a beautiful house looking over the ocean, 2 grownup children and a successful TV presence. Suddenly all their hopes and dreams crumble. Carly finds herself in a position of not knowing who she can trust and fearful of losing her beloved family home.
This was about best friends, family relationships and TV personalities. It is full of twists and turns and leaves you wondering what will happen next.

Carly, 47, and Mark Anderson are having a party to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They have 2 children, Phoebe, 24, and Jake 18. They live in a magnificent home on a cliff in Cornwall with a perfect view of the sea. Carly grew up in this home and her mother left it to her when she passed away. She and Mark have transformed the place over the years and call it The Forever Home. Mark has a TV program of him renovating homes.

At the party, Carly overhears her friend, Lara, and Mark arguing. Turns out Mark has been having an affair with Lara’s daughter, Erin, 24, and she’s pregnant. Carly tells Mark to leave.

Several months have passed and Carly hires Ryan, a handyman to do some repairs on the house. He is a nice man and she enjoys having someone to talk to.

As time drags on and Mark comes up with more excuses for not having the money for the divorce as he takes money from their joint account leaving her with the house which she does not want to sell.

The characters of Mark and Erin make you want to go for their throats. What disgustingly selfish people. In addition, these two go to the press making Carly look like the “bad guy.” Carly is interested in keeping her children happy and away from the ugliness of the divorce. The cruelty of Mark and Erin are really shocking and some of the scary things Carly endured kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was perfect. Yes! The descriptions of the home are really nice which only makes me want even more to visit Cornwall.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As always Sue Watson provides a brilliant psychological thriller. I was so looking forward to this after her exceptional read ‘First Date’. Your thrown straight into the storyline and I was hooked from the beginning. The storyline is done in such a way your given little but you want so much more but you don’t get frustrated and you don’t mind working for it. I don’t know how Sue does it but she creates some incredible characters that you just detest and then ones you want to invite for tea. The pace is perfect with just giving you enough without dragging it out. This is only my second read by this author but think I’m going to have to make my way through the rest 😆. Definitely recommend…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 4th of June.

I really enjoy Sue Watson books, as they are guaranteed page turners and immensely enjoyable. In this latest we are shown around the stunning Forever Home which is situated on a cliff top in Cornwall, and the envy of many a local and tourist. I love this particular English county so the location was a definite hook for me. I thought the background stories of the family who live in The Forever Home were a bit different within a well-known format of grown children flown the nest, philandering husband, a troubled wife and enough secrets to make a colossal sandcastle on the beach below. Who or what will come along to wash the make believe castle away and what will be left in the wake of sea foam?
Carly is used to her husband's total commitment to his TV celebrity status as developer, designer, and fixer-upper of homes. She toes the press line of sustaining the famous Anderson family's perfect image, come what may, but whose lives are most at stake in doing so?
Threaded with tension, discordant rumblings and a trail of messages and 'gifts' which leave the reader wondering about what exactly each character is capable of, The Forever Home might seriously be in danger of becoming a Lost Home. Revelations are uncomfortable, and the pact Mark and Carly have together seems likely to unravel, with more exposure threatening the idyllic notion that The Forever Home houses a Forever Family.
Maybe the 'twist' is shocking, but I had a sense throughout the book that made me guess what might be coming, and therefore the genuine surprise element was lost to me, hence 4, not 5 star rating. I was also left feeling disappointed in Carly, something about her character just slightly missed the mark for me. I certainly wouldn't have liked to have her friends very much!
That said, I am so pleased to have read Watson's most recent book, can definitely recommend it to other readers, and wouldn't hesitate to be first in the queue for her next offering!

Carly and Mark are the golden couple. 25 years of married life and they couldnt ask for more. But on the night of their celebration, Carly's world comes crashing down. Mark is going to leave her.
Mark has a successful TV show which he created with Carly's help while restoring the home she inherited from her mom. As Mark's career scales new heights, his married life takes a toll. He has too many secrets and keeps a different public persona.
Carly has been a perfect wife and mother to her two kids, but she has a secret that Mark is now using against her. As she fights to keep what's rightfully her, someone is threatening her. As the lies and betrayals unfold, things get a bit complicated and Carly is in a fix whom to trust.

The story had a slow pickup for me and then I just couldn't wait to finish it. Interesting mix of characters and the suspense was kept all through.
I didnt like Mark one bit and there were times I wanted to whack him.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture & Sue Watson for the ARC

First Date was the first book I read by Sue Watson and after The Forever Home I have definitely added her to my "top authors to read" list!

The Forever Home delves into a scenario that is all too real - the façade of a "happy marriage" that is the outward facing story behind Carly and Mark's beautiful home renovation on the cliff. And as we all know (or should), no one's life is that perfect. Watson does an awesome job of revealing the cracks in the marriage after Mark leaves her for the latest woman in his chain of serial philandering. She perfectly describes the sense of loss that comes from believing that your plans for the future will survive, if only you just "act the part". It doesn't help that the press comes into play, supported by an aggressive PR version of the breakup. But Carly's kids rally around her and as she develops a love interest of her own, she realizes how much better off she is now.

If only she wasn't being threatened.

You can almost feel the thunder and see the lightning strikes out over the sea, as someone tries to undermine Carly's sense of security. I was reeled into the plot trying to guess who to trust and praying Carly would keep her wits about her as she fought to hold onto her family home. I couldn't wait to see what happened and that's one book hangover I don't regret!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader's copy for review.

Finished reading this brilliant psychological thriller with an ending that will make you believe in the existence of Karma.

The story follows Carly and Mark who seem to have the seemingly perfect marriage to the outside world but once Carly starts to narrate her story we see that this picture-perfect couple's relationship isn't what it seems to be and a lot has been going on behind closed doors. The cracks in their 25 years of marriage can't be mended anymore as Mark has fallen in love with someone he shouldn't have and from there everything comes crashing down.

Lies begin to unfold and so the game of cat and mouse begins because now someone wants everything Carly owns including the home she loves so dearly and won't give up at any cost.

What follows is a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns, jealousy, ugly fights, revenge, manipulation, shocking revelations and a whole lot of drama. Some of the characters were likeable, especially our protagonist Carly, some were highly unlikeable and the motives of some were unclear.
However, the story wrapped up perfectly. The ending was brilliant and though I could sense something coming up, the final twist still shocked me. In the end, everyone got what they deserved.
4 stars for this entertaining thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes:

I knew then, as he stood there weak and pitiful, that however deep I dug, I couldn’t find any more love for this man. Like a thief, he’d been stealing it from me for years, piece by piece, crumb by crumb, and now all that was left was a residue of hurt, a tidal wave of anger, and all the wasted years. I was finally done with him.

For God’s sake, isn’t it bad enough that they make me sound like the woman scorned, bloodied by betrayal, reeking of bitterness – do they really have to keep adding two years to my age?

My Review:

This was a busy, tense, and compelling tale of family drama and suspense that was shrewdly plotted and fiendishly paced to keep me on edge. It was slippery, full of secrets, and constantly shifting with taunts and snippets of reveals and revelations. No one was as their persona seemed and few were trustworthy or even likable, and even those that were had seemed questionable. The little pea in my brain was bouncing and skidding while attempting to keep up and formulate new theories only to swiftly abandon them a few chapters later. It was cleverly contrived but I was frequently annoyed with the main character of Carly and had to wonder how she could be so naïve and trusting. But the ending was brilliant and the biggest twist of all and left me with a satisfied smirk on my face.

Read in a day and absolutely gripping! This pretty much sums up Sue Watson's books. Each and everyone is a gripping thriller that will have you hooked from start to finish. Sue creates characters that are realistic and human. Her thrillers are always tipped into being 'believeable' and that's what makes them extra special and well written. Sue doesn't write unrealistic twists and storylines - and so here's your warning that you'll be double checking the doors are locked and the window shut at night when you start reading this!

Sue has also captured the beauty of Cornwall as well as the desolate aspects of some of the more remote areas. Throw in those compelling characters and a twisted and dark storyline and you have all the ingredients for a perfect book. You can absolutely know that if you choose a Sue Watson Thriller you are not going to be disappointed!

I loved Sue's previous book and jumped on this as soon as I saw it on Netgalley.

On showbiz couple, Carly and Mark's 25th wedding anniversary, a bombshell is dropped that forges a path ahead in which life together as they knew it, changes forever. Someone is leaving nasty notes for Carly in the wake of her marriage breakdown.

This is a good domestic thriller, however, I found it to be very slow moving and a little boring at the start. It soon picked up though and I did enjoy it.

Another cracker from Sue Watson. Loved it! Will definitely be reading the rest of her books as shes now on my radar. Gripping read

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Sue Watson, the author of "First Date" and "Our Little Lies," which I have previously reviewed, induces a "happily" married couple in her latest novel, The Forever Home.

Carly and Mark have the perfect family. The perfect marriage. The perfect house. She is a stay-at-home mom who helped her husband become the television DYI celebrity that he is today. After 25 years of marriage, everything is perfect, or so Carly thought. Mark fell in love with someone. Someone that is not Carly. After this revelation, the cracks in their marriage and house begin to show. Carly is determined to stay in the house she grew up in. Someone is determined that she does not. Or is someone? Is Carly imagining it? Is someone trying to force her out of her forever home?

Sue Watson offers a quick page-turner that shows everything is not always as it seems. She builds Carly's world well and invokes a range of emotions - happiness, sadness, anger, etc. She delves into marriage, family, and friendship and how people interact during family events. Watson is clever at character development and forcing her characters out of the cozy comfort zones.

Wason's books just keep getting better and better.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.

I am a big fan of Sure Watson's. Her last book was a five star read for me, so it pains me to say I struggled with this one.

First, I didn't love the title or the cover. I read this one exclusively because it was this author, but wouldn't have picked it up off the shelf in a book store if I wasn't familiar with the author.

Next, I could not finish the digital book copy. I tried several times and couldn't get past the first 10%. I had a similarly difficult time getting into the last book by this author, so I tried to push through it, but ultimately ended up waiting until release day and buying an audiobook copy. The audiobook was much better, the narrator did a good job with it, but again, I found that it continued to be an extremely slow burn. 60% of the way through the book I still found myself pretty uninterested. Still, I wanted to like it and I knew there would be a twist so I kept going.

Part of what was a little frustrating about this book was that all the characters had a HUGE problem with the Dad's involvement with a much younger woman, but NONE of them had a problem with their mom's involvement with a much younger man. I realize the age difference between Mark & Erin is more extreme, but the difference between Carly and Ryan isn't a small one, either. I was also confused about Ryan's intentions, everyone seemed to be suspicious of him but without a reason outside of his age, and yet when they discovered he had moved in with their mom in a matter of weeks no one batted an eye. It was just a little all over the place.

In the end, I really liked the twist but it wasn't the huge surprise I thought it would be and it didn't seem like it was enough of an explosive end to warrant the extremely slow burn of the rest of the book. That being said, I do look forward to more from Sue Watson, I still think she's a great writer, this idea just didn't do it for me.

I enjoyed this read! Well written, and captured my attention. I loved the slow development of the story so you got every detail along the way. Beautifully done. Check mark from me about the thriller aspect of the book. There wasn’t just one moment that gave me the creeps, there was multiple scattered throughout the novel. Every time you thought the story was wrapping up, there was something new that happened that surprised you! Lots of twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I would recommend this read to others!

This is another superb, psychological thriller by this talented author.

The twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of Carly and Mark is being celebrated with lots of guests in the house they’ve become television stars in as they restored, re-designed and renovated it. It is their home where they’ve raised their two children but now their family is falling apart, crashing down as Mark is made to reveal his latest affair with someone who had been his daughter’s best friend. . . . .

As Carly’s world breaks into pieces, she’s determined to keep the home her mother gave her as a wedding present. However, it is a home filled with secrets, somewhere she should be safe but someone is determined is out to make sure all her hopes and dreams are scuppered forever. As the publicity which originally helped make Mark a household name and them both an iconic couple now turns on them and threats arrive, is there any way Carly can keep her home and stay safe?

This is an intriguing read with a fantastic final twist I really didn’t see coming. It is told from Carly’s perspective and has characters to empathise with and a couple of others you’ll definitely not like! You’re never quite certain who to believe, who is being honest and who has never truly been there for Carly. It is a fast paced, enthralling read with great characters, suspense, surprises and filled with family drama. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is one you really don’t want to miss!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Wow !! An absolutely addictive page-turner. A psychological thriller that will have you drawn in from the very first page.

Carly and Mark have the perfect life ........ happily married, two beautiful grownup children, a gorgeous cliff side house and a home renovating TV programme that looks set for the US ...... But not everything is as it seems.

Carly loves her house. The cliff side house was where she grew up and when her Mum became ill the house was given to Carly as a gift. Her and Mark have spent a lot of their time renovating the house and by filming the work they were discovered by a TV company and now have a successful TV program presented by Mark.

Everything seems perfect but there are plenty of secrets in their marriage and maybe they aren’t quite as happy as they seem !! When Mark is discovered having an affair their whole world starts to crumble but whilst Mark is worried about his TV career, Carly is worried about whether she will be able to keep her ‘forever home’. Surely Mark wouldn’t try and take her family home from her ........ would he ?

This is a great psychological thriller that drew me in right from the start. I absolutely loved Carly and was cheering her on from the sidelines !! If you love twisty psychological thrillers then this is definitely the book for you !! This one will keep you up to the early hours to finish it !!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author so was looking forward to reading this. The blurb made it sound like the sort of mystery / suspense / thriller I’d really enjoy. I was not disappointed. I got pulled deep into the book within the first few pages and I couldn’t stop reading it. I loved the dark secrets running through Mark and Carly’s marriage. I really sympathised with Carly unsure of who to trust when the floor is yanked from under her and her perfect life and marriage becomes unstable. This ticks all the boxes for a good thriller.

The opening of the book showcases all the elements of the good life: money, a beautiful home, domestic bliss, a long-standing marriage and a happy family.

However, we are not left waiting long before things start to unravel and disintegrate in front of our very eyes. The revelation of the unlikely and inappropriate affair was unexpected so early on, and I was hooked from this point onwards…

Then the creepy notes start, and I found myself unable to put the book down. I love it when a writer fully embraces the ‘psychological’ aspect of a thriller of this type, and she definitely does this here by giving us insight into Carly’s reactions and emotions.

I loved the extended metaphor used in relation to the ‘forever home’ and the way its imperfections come to the fore as the story progresses.

The story gets more complex and darker very quickly, and from this point on I found it completely unpredictable and I found myself unable to put it down. There are a number of twists and turns, which I have loved. This has been a rollercoaster I haven’t wanted to get off.

I sometimes struggle to connect with/form opinions on characters in these types of books but this has not been the case here. There are clearly some likeable and unlikeable characters.

Another fantastic book by a queen of psychological fiction, the wonderful Sue Watson.