mediocore at best, I found this very unthrilling for a thriller.. I liked the idea of the premise but it just wasn't well executed.

3⭐️

This felt more like a domestic suspense with a slow build, not a favourite sub genre for me, so that might be why this one didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. I loved the last couple of books, and look forward to the next one.

It’s based around a group of school moms. There are a lot of characters, I found it hard keeping track (despite making a list) or to become invested in them. I didn’t find any of them likeable.
There’s a couple of threads and several twists, but they didn’t grab me.
I seen other reviews describe the book as fast paced, but I found it slow.

I love authors C.L Taylors' novels, so was so happy to get the chance to read Its Always the Husband.

We meet main character Jude, she is single after a divorce and has moved to Lowbridge to start a fresh.

The story follows Jude as she does the "school run" and there she meets the very endearing Will when Jude's daughter makes friends with his child.

We then start to be introduced to the many rumours that the other school mums circulate about Will and his past wife. The characters are very well developed and once again author C.L. Taylor has written a very good novel.

Its Always the Husband is a very interested, fast-paced read that held my attention fully and I did not want to put this novel down.

Thanks to C.L. Taylor, Netgalley and the publishers Avon for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and C L Taylor for the chance of Arc reading this book. I highly recommend this psychological thriller it to any thriller fans!! It was so good, there was so many plot twists. Some of then was predictable but others have you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next (I'm looking at you cliffhanger ending 🖕) there's a few multiple pov but it was easy to follow.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this Ebook ARC in return for an honest review.


The school gates have never been so danger
Because whilst one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder…


This is my First time reading a book by C.L Taylor and can say I will be reading more of her books.

This was an easy read,with fast paced chapters and multiple POVs. I didn't want to put this down as I needed to know what was going to happen next, I couldn't guess any of the plot twists or even who done it.

Lots of intrigue and suspense in this book with totally unlikeable characters. It had plenty of twists and turns . Not the best I’ve read from this author but definitely worth a read

I found it really hard to connect to the characters, and it seemed to drag for a bit before I could get into the story. The twist at the end was not bad and elevated my overall rating of the book.

this book is suspenseful psychological thriller set in a small, tight-knit town where every secret is buried deep, and nothing is what it seems. Jude, newly divorced, moves to Lowbridge and finds herself entangled with Will, a widower with a mysterious and tragic past. As rumors swirl about the deaths of his wives, Jude becomes determined to uncover the truth. As she digs deeper, the darkness of Lowbridge threatens to engulf her, and she must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect Will—and herself—from the chilling whispers of a community ready to condemn. In a town where the past is never truly buried, will Jude uncover the truth or become its next victim?

Two dead wives... is it bad luck or murder? This the question in It's Always the Husband. This thriller follows a group of school mothers/spouses and a single dad with two deceased former spouses. This book was a bit slow to start, but I got into it quickly. I like that each chapter is told from a different person's point of view. It keeps the book moving. The last 25% of the book was extremely fast paced and a lot happened. I think a bit too much action was packed into the ending and I had to reread a couple parts because it moved so quickly. It was a fun domestic thriller that I would recommend to those who enjoy this genre.

Another fast paced, rollercoaster of a ride from this author. Do you ever really know who to trust? This book will have you taking a closer look at those you meet during the school run!

When Jude, who’s recently divorced, moves to Lowbridge, she is drawn, through her daughter’s school friendship, to single dad Will. But is everything as it seems? What really happened to his previous wives? As we meet more of the ‘school mums’ the story twists and turns with secrets and revelations right up until the very last sentence!

This author builds the suspense and suspicion, but how well do we really know any of these characters?? As we find out more, your interest will swap and change, never quite knowing if anyone is who they appear to be.

It’s well written and will be a favourite amongst CL Taylor fans and also great as a first find from this author.

Her earlier books have been a hit with people at my local book club, so I am sure they will love this one too.

4.5 stars

Really enjoyed this latest release from C L Taylor who never disappoints. The cast of characters is wide enough to give range but not be confusing. the pacing was just perfect and the ending? I love a late surprise.

Excellent book. C.L.Taylor never disappoints. In my opinion was not as good as her others but still kept you wondering.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Another cracker from CL Taylor. This time set at the school gates with a cast including the Alpha mum who seems to know everything about everyone and all of her hangers on plus those other mums on the periphery of the clique.

A new single mum Jude who gets involved with a widowed dad at the school whose first wife died under slightly mysterious circumstances and now his second wife has mysteriously gone missing. You can imagine all the school gossip associated with this!

There is a large cast of characters to get to grips with but you manage to get to know them all quite quickly but everything is not as it first seems as there are various subplots there to get you to change your mind as to who is telling the truth. The ending was very clever and it leaves you questioning certain things. I feel there is a chance that this book would lend itself to a sequel. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Good easy read. The school gate mothers. A good twist and I never expected the murderer until near the end. Therefore kept me paging turning. The diary was a good twist as well.

Release: June 5, 2025
Author: CL Taylor
Publisher: Avon Books

Rating: 3.75 ★ 

When newly divorced Jude moves to the quiet town of Lowbridge, she quickly connects with Will, a widower whose daughter is friends with her own. But Will’s past is surrounded by tragedy — two women he loved died under mysterious circumstances, and the town is full of rumors that he may be to blame. Determined not to let gossip destroy an innocent man, especially with her own father’s death weighing on her, Jude starts digging for the truth. But in a place like Lowbridge, where secrets are everywhere, uncovering the truth might be more dangerous than she ever imagined.

I was excited to dive into its always the husband, and overall, it delivered a twisty, fast-paced mystery that kept me turning the pages. The story is told through short chapters and multiple POVs, which kept the energy up but also made it a little tricky to keep track of everyone. At times, there were so many characters that by the end, I found myself forgetting who a few people even were — I probably should’ve taken notes!

The plot itself had a good mix of twists — some I saw coming, others completely surprised me — and the small-town setting with all its gossip and secrets really pulled me in. Jude’s relationship with Will added a lot of tension, especially with the rumors surrounding him, and I liked the way the story explored trust and paranoia among the group of school moms.

While it did take a little while for me to fully get into it (mainly because of all the POV shifts), once things clicked into place, I was hooked. I do wish the character development had gone a bit deeper, and there were a couple of slow patches and minor inconsistencies, but overall it was an entertaining and easy read.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery full of secrets, lies, and a few genuinely shocking twists, this is a solid pick — especially if you’re already a fan of C.L. Taylor.


Favorite Quote:
"it's always the husband. You can always count on the husband being the one with something to hide."

This was a brilliant book!
As soon as I saw it listed I was hoping I would be accepted! Thank you for the ARC copy of this I really appreciate it!

I was excited yo pick this up and start reading.

It had short chapters which were told in many POV’s. I found the storyline good and there were plot twists throughout the book, some unexpected and some expected.

My only problem was that there too many characters for me, so much so that when the ending came, I’d forgotten who the person was!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I should have taken notes because there were so many characters, I could only keep the main people straight. By the time I got to the end I was searching the electronic document to see if I’d heard of someone before.

Jude is divorced when she arrives in the small town of Lowbridge and meets the handsome single father Will at the school gates. Both his wife and last girlfriend are dead, but Jude ignores the gossip, of which there is a lot, and not just about Will.

When two of the moms are blackmailed and a soon-to-be-ex-husband ends up dead, the moms get together to root out the mysterious blackmailer, except no one trusts anyone, which makes sticking to plans challenging.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES JUNE 5, 2025.

This is an exceptional thriller set around the families, well really the mums and dads, at the school drop off and pick up. At the heart of every school there are the in-crowd mums, who gather together at the gates and gossip about those outside the inner circle. When one of the dads is welcoming to a new mum, the inner circle bitchily let her know he has lost a wife and girlfriend in suspicious circumstances.

Very well written and so relatable to those who have been around the tension of the relationships formed at the school gates. The group excluding those they wish to and even sometimes someone of their own number. They all appear to have secrets and they may be leading to disastrous consequences.

Loved the characters and the storylines. I tried and failed to work out the identity of the blackmailer, the thief and the person responsible for the deaths.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a lot of books by C.L Taylor so she is a go to author for me. However, I was not drawn into this book like I usually am. This one let me down a little. As much as there was alot happening - especially towards the end, and many twists and turns it also felt slow and kind of dragged a bit. I did feel like there was a couple of plot inconsistencies too which let me down. Overall, the story is a decent story if you want something easy to read.