This book opens with the heroine making reckless decisions on the road, which nearly lost me right from the start. But as the story progressed, I came to appreciate her fighting spirit. I loved her attempt to get her lick back against her controlling husband. I love a main character who takes risks to change their circumstances, even when their efforts backfire.

I understand why some readers feel the book ends abruptly, but I grew to appreciate the unconventional conclusion. That said, I do wish it had a bit more excitement.

I’ve always found the American preoccupation with vomiting as a response to bad news or shocking events rather odd. Well, that trope has made its way across the pond. I’m not sure it added anything to the narrative.

I had originally intended to give this book three stars. But by the end, though, that rating felt too low. Four it is. Recommended.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

The Man She Married by Alison Stockham is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers questioning the boundaries of memory, trust, and identity. The story follows a woman who wakes up in a hospital, unable to remember the last five years of her life, including her marriage to Rob, the man by her side.

As she tries to piece together her forgotten past, she begins to feel a deep sense of unease. While Rob assures her that everything will be fine, something doesn't feel right. Her apartment seems foreign, Rob reacts strangely to her questions, and most alarmingly, none of her friends or family are in contact. With each passing day, she finds herself doubting both the man she’s married to and even her own memory.

Stockham skillfully builds tension as the protagonist’s world unravels, creating a chilling atmosphere where nothing can be trusted. The psychological depth and suspense make this book a compelling read that will keep you turning pages, wondering if the truth can ever be uncovered.

A taut, suspenseful exploration of memory and trust, The Man She Married is a must-read for fans of twisty thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end.

The Man She Married by Alison Stockham
How can you fight for a life you can't remember?
One moment, I was living my life and finding my way in the world. The next, I woke up in a hospital bed with years of my life missing.
The man by my side—Rob, my husband—looks familiar, but I can't remember marrying him. I can't recall our life together. The most haunting is that I can't remember anything about the last five years.
As I try to piece my life back together, I question everything—even my identity. Who is Rob, really? Can I trust him? More importantly, can I trust myself?
Another compelling thriller from Alison Stockham, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cuckoo Sister and The New Girl, so I was happy to accept when I was offered a place on the tour.
An intense story filled with lies, deceit and coercive behaviour is dealt with empathetically by the author.
The plot was intriguing and kept me glued to the very last page.
I am happy to recommend it.
I want to thank publishers Boldwood Books, author Alison Stockham and Rachel's Random Resources for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Amazing!!! This book had me on edge the whole time! I was terrified what was going to happen at the end….. I love when a book is so good I don’t want to put it down, but it makes it hard to go to work!!

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

How do you find yourself when you don't know who you are?
Beth's car was in a serious accident and she cannot remember anything , including details of her own life.
Why did she leave Australia, her family and friends? She has no memory of the past few years because of her injuries. What is her reality now? They told her she married, but she can't recognize him and has zero memories of their life together.
But she does have one thing going for her. Her husband lies and conceals, and gaslights her. Is he scheming or does he love and respect her? She cannot be sure of anything at all.
What happened to her, and how can she regain the memories from her life?
The story unfolds and I can't stop reading.
What is to become of her? Is she safe? Why did she crash the car? One thing is clear. She must find and regain herself first and uncover the truth as her body heals.
Lots of emotions are present for her, such as confusion, worry and, fear. Anticipation build as we wait for Beth to remember. There is no hurrying it. Just...remember, but do not overstress yourself.
A good, exciting read, and I would gladly read her future output.
What a ride!

If you’re looking for a gripping domestic thriller that’s fast paced and easy to read then this might be for you. The Man She Married is littered with twists and turns that had me second guessing everyone in the most addictive way.

I loved the concept as we walk straight into this with a completely unreliable narrator. Beth can’t trust herself, she doubts her own feelings, her own memories and so we are swept along into trying to decipher the mystery of Beth’s life with Beth herself. It will have you hooked from start to finish.

I will say though, I enjoyed the first half much more than the second and the ending just didn’t quite hit home for me. I kept expecting a final twist or reveal. I would have loved maybe a little epilogue at the end to show where things were in a couple of years’ time maybe, something along those lines could have easily pushed this closer towards being a 5 star review for me.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I devoured in an afternoon. While it wasn’t perfect, it was really good and I will absolutely be looking into what else Alison Stockham has to offer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

A fast paced read. A topic I have read about before but this was well done, twists and turns and kept me gripped.

I was screaming at the book in parts.

Great read

Wow, this book grabbed me right away and I read it in one sitting. A rollercoaster of a read, twisty.and addictive. I really felt for the main character and was screaming at her to get away from her controlling husband. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

As I started this book, the plot seemed really familiar. A woman wakes up from a coma, having lost multiple years of her life and completely confused at what waited for her. While this plot device isn't new, this book took me on a ride I was not expecting.

A tense thriller and a quick read.

The Man She Married was an intriguing read. At times, it was hard to get through especially when Beth would get reeled back in by Rob. The ending felt a little abrupt and was a little disappointing.

This was a fast-paced, gripping domestic thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. After an accident, Beth wakes up with no memory of the last five years, thinking she’s in Australia with her mom, only to discover she’s in England with a man claiming to be her husband. From the start, her instincts tell her something is wrong, and as she pieces her life back together, the tension and suspense intensify. Some of the twists are unpredictable but I enjoyed the story’s premise. While the abrupt ending left me craving more answers, the journey was thrilling and I’d still recommend it!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend it! At first it reminded me of another thriller that I had read before but it completely went in a different direction. Beth wakes up in a hospital after being in a car accident and does not remember her husband or the last five years of her life. It really kept me interested and it was very suspenseful! Thank you to the publisher for allowing me access to this book. I will definitely be looking for more by this author.

Imagine losing your memory. Not just the alcohol induced blackouts. The long term, lost years kind of memory loss.

I really feel for Beth. She’s lost five years of her life and she’s lost. I hate losing a night, let alone over 1500 of them plus the days! I was so anxious for her as she came to terms with the world she’s spent time in and can’t remember

Rob I didn’t trust. It wasn’t anything specific but he didn’t fill me with confidence that he had Beth’s best interests at heart. I could be wrong but I didn’t trust him.

I got only a third way through and I feared for Beth. What she had found out so far was so unnerving but I didn’t know whether it was her accident that had caused matters or something more untoward. I couldn’t shake the fear the further I got into the book but there was a niggle in the back of my head – she’s had a major head trauma. Was all this her mind playing tricks on me?!

Stockham has crafted a taut psych-thriller where I 99% believed my nervy main character but there was that 1% that undermined my belief. The twists just kept coming like a barrage of punches as I read with my fingers covering my mouth! A masterfully plotted and addictive read!

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This shocking psychological thriller follows Beth, who wakes up in a hospital bed, however she seems to have forgotten the last 5 years of her life.

Her husband Rob is at the hospital, but the problem is she doesn’t remember getting married or meeting Rob.

When she is back in her home with her husband, she tries to piece back the past five years, and see whether she can regain her memories, but not everything seems to fit what she would expect.

Will Beth’s memories return? Is her husband being truthful?

This thriller was an engrossing read, and I didn’t want to stop reading, it shocked me throughout as Beth uncovers more about the memories her mind had blocked out.

I couldn’t imagine being in Beth’s situation not remembering things that happened and having to live with a husband she knows nothing about.

It would be a scary and confusing situation, and I felt for her throughout the whole story.

Overall, a shocking psychological thriller where Beth tries to uncover the past 5 years of her life and find out her husband really is.

2.5 stars

The Man She Married started with an interesting premise! Beth wakes up in a hospital room following an accident and she can't remember the last 5 years. Seems like an interesting story.

The execution of the story fell flat and there were lots of loose ends left untied. The majority of the story was Beth wondering if her husband was who he said he was and then the story races to an implausible conclusion.

As a thriller I just didn't find it thrilling and certainly not twisty. I also found the dialogue annoying. Beth has a friend who calls her babe over and over. I wondered if that was a cultural thing or a word used more often where the book was set but it grated on me every time I read it.

Overall, I know there will be many people who enjoy this story. If you are a fan of thrillers this may be worth trying for yourself to see if you feel the same way I did at the end or if it is a more satisfying read for you.

The Man She Married by Alison Stockham was another excellent book from start to finish, especially as it was full of twists and turns with a great storyline that will have you gripped. This was a book once I started I had to sit there and finish it to find out what happens to Beth.
When Beth finally wakes up she does not know where she is, all she can tell is that she is in hospital but what hospital? She has been in a horrible car accident. Her doctor is explaining to Beth what has happened to her but she appears to be suffering from retrograde amnesia due. In Beth's mind she believes it's the year 2019 and she's 24 years old, Loving life and working at a local cafe in Australia, and still living with her parents. Her world comes crashing down all around her and is shocked when she's told it's actually 2024. . . . . . .she is living in England and married to Rob who has been sitting next to her bedside waiting for Beth to wake up.

When Rob finally can take her home, But, as she recovers Beth does not recognise anything around her, nothing makes sense… and nothing is adding up.

Beth asks Rob questions about her and them, which makes Rob angry. She brushes his behaviour off as wanting to take care of her, and he reminds her she needs to rest and that she needs time to allow the memories to come back to her naturally and she can not rush these memories to come back!

Beth continues to search for answers and discovers that her closet etc doesn't doesn't contain any of her clothes, well the clothes that are there she would never wear!!!! Her Social Media is extremely sparse social media and shows pictures of things she'd never do, and let alone post.

Who is this person - this person can not be Beth?

But, Who is Rob? is he really Beth's Husband?

This book was excellent and I highly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! From the start, it’s clear that secrets are being kept from Beth, but the reader is just as much in the dark. As the story unfolds, we get to piece things together alongside Beth, adding to the suspense and intrigue.

What makes this story especially fascinating is that Beth’s memories and emotions are unreliable—she can’t even trust herself. The reader joins her in trying to untangle what’s real and what’s a lie. Her struggle to figure out who she can truly trust is central to the story, especially since she has no memory of those around her.

The fast-paced plot kept me hooked, and uncovering Beth’s family secrets along with her was captivating. While I could predict a few of the twists, the journey to those revelations was highly enjoyable.

The characters were compelling, though I felt Beth made some decisions that could have been resolved more easily—yet her mental state often clouded her logic, which made sense for the story. I highly recommend this book to thriller fans.

What a horrible thing to wake up and not remember the last few years of your life.
Beth is in for many surprises and as I read a cold finger of fear zipped up and down my spine.
Rob is creepy and very questionable.
But when Beth learns even more about her past my jaw dropped.
Full of twists and turns that broadsided me this novel may make you paranoid!

After a terrible accident, Beth wakes up in Cambridge. It is 2024, but the last she can remember is 2019, when she was still living in Australia, was single and ready to travel the world. Now, it looks that she has a husband, she has no idea who he is.
The Man She Married by Alison Stockham, an author I had the chance to review before, has a haunting premise. What happens when one´s lost his or her memory. Only the idea of it makes me shivering. But in Beth´s case, the main character of the book, it may have to do to more than an accident, as the so-called husband Rob, that she cannot remember at all, may be a bizarre and maybe dangerous too presence into her life.

I was fascinated by everything related to the memory loss and the eventual recovery, and the twists of the story amplified already the tensions following the search for the truth. From the intempestive beginning, we know that something is brewing, but as we are approaching the end, there are more questions than answers.

Nothing is accidental in the story, and from the very beginning the reader feels challenged to make presumptions. Both physical and emotional details, particularly at the beginning of the book, do create an ambiance of confusion and expectations, that we are unsure where it will actually lead to.

The Man She Married is a dark journey alongside the pathways of memory and manipulations. It may warn us to be careful who we trust and why is important to trust oneself´s intuition when everyone tried to convince you the opposite. In any case, it is a book to remember.