I am on the fence about this one. I did like the premise, and I loved the short chapters, which helped with the pacing. However, it was a bit difficult to connect with any of the characters, as there were a number of them. Some plot points felt a bit too drawn out, and some of the twists were predictable. The mystery is not super convoluted, as is sometimes the case. The writing was solid. If you enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers or a quick read, you may want to give this one a try.

Jude is a newcomer to her neighbourhood and keen to find her place within its social circle. When she gets the opportunity to meet a group of school mothers after hours, she discovers she may have bitten of more than she can chew - because the alliances, enmities and secrets they have are both complex and plentiful.

And when Jude meets single father Will, the two tragedies in his personal life having rendered him somewhat suspicious to other members of the community, she is immediately attracted to him even though she realises that this will complicate things. But Jude has no idea just how complicated things are about to get..

You can always relay on CL Taylor to deliver absorbing and clever stories and this one is no exception. Peppered with ingenious twists, it will leave you guessing until the last page. Don't miss reading this book!

One dead wife is tragic two looks like murder !

A slow start but once it got going was a solid thriller read and I flew through it pretty quickly. Not a massive fan of the school mum type stories unless they really grab me and this one didn't as much as I had hoped but still a decent read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and C.L Taylor for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has it all. Mysterious death, missing wife, mean girl clique, blackmail, secrets, affairs. I loved having different points of view to get to know more characters. The twists and turns were shocking and the end had me reading as fast as I could to know the truth.

Jude has just recently moved into a small town post divorce, she can't warm to the mums who convene at the school gates gossipy judgement oozing out of them. She is however drawn to Will, one of the single dads at the gates and they get on, they have young daughters of the same age and there is no denying the attraction. When Jude finally goes to a group meet set up by the driving force that is Victoria, head mum she is pumped for info about her relationship with Will. In between the gossip and alcohol Jude also finds out why they hate Will so much. His first wife died and his girlfriend went missing, the group is worried for her whilst spilling some gossip and secrets of their own.

So the book goes between the key characters povs, Jude, Victoria, Victoria's ex Andy (who is a cop btw), Sorrell across X days. With a creepy eerie suspense building like what is Will's deal, the domestics between Victoria and Andy (they have kids so custody and all the jazz). Victoria is a total PTA mum but also in everybody's business, little miss popular, its a bit of a bitch and a control freak. The group is a very mixed dynamic, Jude is over their nonsense before even getting fully embroiled in it all but she needs info. What she does hear only makes her want to do some more digging, she has her own trauma from the past which pushes her on and her needs for answers.

Oooooh what a bitchy wee town, gossip, drama, secrets, suspense, thriller, trauma, like this has it all. I have been having some hard readers block but this pulls you in and lets you absorb all their drama/chaos/suspense so you can pause your own life for a bit. This is one of the reasons I love reading so when you can't it is super stressful, this book pulled me out of mine. Full absorption, some shady characters, skulduggery and who doesn't like scandal in a small town that isn't your own, 4.5/5. We are big fans of Taylor's work and yet to read one we didn't like, yet another fab read of dastardly deeds, dodgy biscuit people and a whole lot of drama and danger!

Loved this book! Couldn’t put it down at all! Lots of twists and turns! Highly recommend if you love the suspense

I love this author and this book didn't disappoint.
I couldn't put it down, it kept me engaged ans guessing.
I liked the story, the characters, and the dysfunction. I like how she writes and I always know im getting a good read!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK | Avon for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book had my attention just from the cover. Perfect domestic thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. Towards the end, I honestly had no idea who did it. The way the characters were weaved together was just to my liking. I honestly didn't like any of them which is probably the point.

Will has lost not one one but two partners and Jude is trying to figure out what is happening while dealing with all the mum drama, we see chaos. I did find it hard to follow the different POVs but once I got further into the story, it became easier to follow. Overall pretty solid book.

4 stars

It’s Always the Husband
by C.L. Taylor
Pub Date: Jun 05 2025

It's Always the Husband is a great domestic style psychological drama by author C.L. Taylor. A twisty thriller set in a town full of liars, cheats and drama!! Written in multiple points of view with a lot of plot twists that kept me flipping through the pages! A fast read that was hard to put down. I highly recommend this book!

Synopsis: Welcome to Lowbridge. Where secrets hide behind every door…But Will's past is shrouded in tragedy, with questions that no one knows the answer to – and after two tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound about what really happened to the women he loved. Because whilst one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder…

Many thanks to #AvonBooks #NetGalley #CLTaylor for providing me an E-ARC of this 5 star read!

When Jude moves to a new town, she is immediately drawn to Will, the father of her daughter’s best friend. The mum clique at the school gates are desperate to find out the nature of their relationship not least because rumours are still circulating about what involvement Will had in the deaths of his previous two partners… With Jude becoming desperate to know the truth and with the lives of all the other mums seemingly in turmoil, what hidden secrets are about to be uncovered?

It’s often said that you never know what goes on behind closed doors and C. L. Taylor definitely shows this in her latest novel, It’s Always the Husband. The school gate is the ideal place to meet a variety of characters, each one with their own troubles and secrets, ones that they would prefer to keep to themselves. When someone seems to know exactly what some of the mums are trying so hard to hide, what will they do to stop everything from being revealed?

It’s Always the Husband is told from the perspective of many of the characters and while I did, initially, find it difficult to remember each of them, as the book progressed and we began to dig deeper into their back stories, it became much easier to follow.

The book is full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing as to what has actually happened. This was probably what I enjoyed most about this book as we, along with the characters, were kept in the dark for much of it before being hit with the true extent of what has been going on in the private lives of this group of friends.

C. L. Taylor has become one of my ‘must read’ authors and I’m looking forward to the next book already.

Another original read by the Queen of the psychological thriller. I disliked all the characters, which is what the author wanted I suspect. It was a good read and perfect for fans of Shari Lapena and Claire Douglas

C.L. Taylor delivers a sharp, twist-filled psychological thriller in It’s Always the Husband, a story that thrives on unpredictability and expertly managed suspense. The narrative is cleverly constructed, drawing readers into a web of deception, shifting alliances, and emotional intensity. Just when the plot seems to settle, Taylor pulls the rug out with revelations that are as shocking as they are satisfying. The story’s chaotic, high-stakes energy keeps you constantly questioning what’s real and who can be trusted. For readers who enjoy psychological suspense with a flair for the unexpected, this novel offers a thoroughly compelling and unpredictable ride.

I have read Her Last Holiday, The Guilty Couple, and Every Move You Make by this author, and they were okay reads. I actually liked Every Move You Make a little more than the others. I wish I could say the same for It’s Always the Husband. As with two of the previous books, I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I wish there were more unique plots in thrillers these days. This one was about a single mom who meets a single dad whose two wives have died.

The character development in this book is practically non-existent. I never knew who I was reading about because they were so interchangeable. Reading it was a chore, and I didn't feel invested at all. The story itself was so very unbelievable that it was hard to enjoy. It just seemed to go on and on and on. At one point, I just said to myself, no more of this author for me. It's listed as "It’s Always the Husband: The brand new nail-shredding psychological thriller for 2025 from the million copy and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Guilty Couple". I am learning that if you have to describe your books this way, you're probably lying. Publishers, please stop putting these promises in the titles of your books; we readers hate it.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜.
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫...

I have read only one other book by C L Taylor and this was just as entertaining as that one.

The book starts off with a bang and keeps getting convulated with short chapters, multiple perspectives and lots of interesting characters. I loved the small town vibes with gossipy mums who can be extremely toxic. There is plenty of drama with everyone knowing everything about each other and rumours and secrets are rife. I thought I had it figured out but I was so wrong.

While the plot is not really original, it is still a solid domestic thriller with intrigue and an unexpected twist to the tale.

Thank you @avionbooksuk @cltaylor and @netgalley for a digital ARC to read and review.

‘It’s Always The Husband’ by C. L. Taylor is a domestic thriller that explores potentially deadly consequences of school run interactions. Main character Jude moves to Lowbridge and soon learns two things: 1) “the mamas”, led by perky Victoria, love nothing more than to gossip, and 2) the man she’s struck up a flirtation with is suspected of murdering two wives! Caught in a swirling mess of secrets, lies and rumours, how can Jude know who to trust?

This novel added a layer of intrigue each time it switched perspective, planting many surprising twists. The multiple narrators also kept me guessing about which characters to like, humanising everyone even when I suspected them of heinous acts. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of one antagonist, whose motivations were incredibly revealing and relatable… a welcome reminder that everyone has their own battles.

I have to say that I didn’t find this book as addictive as the author’s previous few releases, but I’m still very glad I picked it up! Overall, it gets 3.5 stars from me.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Avon Books UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I would actually rate this 4.5 stars.

It's not my favourite CL Taylor book, but it is VERY good! It's really twisty and suspenseful. There is so much drama and tension and backstabbing.

A must-read for thriller fans!

It’s Always the Husband is everything I love in a psychological thriller - taut, atmospheric, and brimming with small-town secrets that refuse to stay buried. C.L. Taylor masterfully creates a claustrophobic, eerie sense of place in Lowbridge, a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, but no one truly knows the truth.

The story is told from 3 perspectives, providing different accounts and slowly revealing the cracks beneath the surface. Taylor’s characters are wonderfully layered - flawed, believable, and hiding pasts you cannot wait to unravel.

It’s Always the Husband is fast paced, with just the right amount of misdirection to keep you guessing. The story delicately touches on grief, guilt, and the dangers of small-town gossip, all while keeping you firmly on the edge of your seat.

If you love dark, twisty tales of obsession and betrayal, this is an absolute must-read. C.L. Taylor has outdone herself - It’s Always the Husband is one of my thriller highlights of the year!

Is it the truth or is it just the result of the dreaded gossip mill?

When Jude moves to a new town with her daughter Millie, she's immediately drawn to Will, her daughter's new best friend's dad. But there's something swirling around Will - his first wife died, and his second wife disappeared. Despite that, Jude finds herself quite invested in the charismatic Will, their daughters' friendship pushing those feelings even more.

But is it true? Is Jude lining herself up to be the third in what's gearing up to be a pattern? 1 dead wife is a tragedy. 1 dead wife and one missing wife is a coincidence. But 3? That's just plain murder,

C.L. Taylor delivers an exciting thriller with this concept. The characters were engaging and will some of them were insufferable, all of the characters were GOOD in this story. It was fast-paced, dark, and a lot of fun. I would definitely pick up the next book C.L. put out based off of how I could not put this book down.

Big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc!

“Because whilst one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder…”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to widower Will, the father of her young daughter’s best friend. But Will’s previous relationships ended in a dead wife and a missing girlfriend.

As whispers of murder surround Will, Jude becomes determined to uncover the truth – and with her own father’s tragic fate haunting her, she refuses to let another innocent man suffer.

Yet in Lowbridge the darkness runs deep, and nothing is as it seems. Can Jude protect Will from a community out for blood? Or will she become the next victim in this web of deceit?

This book is so much more than Jude and Will, it’s about other relationships throughout the town. Think Desperate Housewives meets your favorite detective show, with some reality tv drama. This book kept me turning the page, wondering where it was going next.

The story is told in multiple (4+) POVs along with a diary. When you think you know what’s going on, another person’s POV will make you question what you know.

Honestly, this was just a fun read and I truly didn’t know what would happen. And the twists at the end?! Whew!

Cally Taylor is certainly one of the mistresses of the psychological thriller. I was so excited to read this ARC as I knew I would be in for mystery, intrigue, and some amazing twists – and I wasn’t disappointed. As well as the thrills, Cally is able to create a very real portrait of the type of people you can meet at the school gates, and the little cliques that exist.

When Jude and her daughter moved to town, and her daughter Millie joins the local school, she meets the school mafia, headed by Victoria and her cronies. She also meets the handsome Will whose daughter becomes Millie’s best friend. However, when Jude finds out that Will’s wife died and his girlfriend disappeared the school mother’s start to cause Jude to wonder – after all one death is careless, but 2 missing partners.... What happened to Will’s previous partner? Is she dead or still alive? When Victoria’s PC ex-husband ends up dead, was it suicide or was it murder?

Cally Taylor crafts a fascinating story full of interesting and believable characters, and more than a few twists and turns. I loved it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7596672494
https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/its-always-husband-by-c.html