I have read a lot of C.L. Taylor’s previous novels: The Fear, Sleep, Every Move You Make, Her Last Holiday and Strangers. They have all also been 4 and 5-star reviews from me too, so no pressure for her latest novel: It’s Always the Husband.

Jude is trying to make friends with Will, the eligible bachelor on the school run, however she learns that his wife died in mysterious circumstances and his latest girlfriend recently went missing. Is it always the husband that’s responsible? Or is something bigger going on in the town of Lowbridge?

You can always expect a twisty read from C.L. Taylor and this one certainly delivers. The story is told is short chapters from multiple perspectives which keeps it fresh and interesting. This is my third read this year where a diary features, and it suffered from the same plot holes as some of those other reads have done. The main character would just keep putting it down, and even ended up losing it instead of just staying awake and reading it cover to cover like I think any sane person would do!

I did feel that the pace slipped a little in the middle and I kept putting it down and not wanting to fully pick it back up again which was a shame. There’s a lot of characters to initially get to know, but these do all have their distinct voices which helped you to know who was who. I had initially thought this would be a 3-star read, but the twisty ending was so great that it bumped it back up to 4 stars for me.

Overall, It’s Always the Husband is another strong read from C.L. Taylor – just slightly let down by a dragging pace in the middle. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not really sure about this book but for me, personally, it wasn't an edge of seat thriller read although it was well written it just didn't 'grab' me'.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.

I am a long time fan of CL Taylor, her books are always so entertaining and addictive. I was thrilled to get an early copy of It’s Always the Husband to read, and once I picked it up I couldn’t stop reading it. Whilst it is a dark mystery, it is so much fun to read. There are lots of interesting charcoal, not all of them are easy to like but that just adds to the enjoyment in this twisty thriller.

I love a book with short chapters and multiple points of view to help tell the story. If you have kids you will know the joys of the school run and the dreaded school mums… you are either in with the cool mums or not. Jude is new to the small town of Lowbridge and has formed a friendship with the single dad at the gates, Will. The mums are quick to point out that he has one dead wife and a missing girlfriend, and that she should stay away. But Jude can’t see him being a killer and set out to find out the truth.

This a town full of liars, cheats and drama!! So good.

Thanks so much to Avon Books UK for my copy of this book. Publishes on June 5th.

This was a great mystery thriller, with lots of suspicious characters and plot twists. It constantly had me guessing and I never had an answer!

That being said, I found that I didn't connect with the characters very well and felt there could have been more depth to them. I was also slightly disappointed by the ending and found myself losing interest as the twist was revealed, which is the opposite of how you should feel!

Overall I think this is a pretty average mystery thriller, great in parts and very suspenseful and tense, but slightly lacking in other parts.

4⭐️

An edge-of-your-seat page turner with short chapters! If you’re interested in domestic thrillers, this one’s for you. Told from different POVs, it is suspenseful up until the ending when everything is tied together neatly. I thought the ending was fantastic!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I always look forward to a new novel by CL Taylor so was thrilled to be approved to read this! Jude is new to the area, newly single and is adapting to the school run when she meets Will - a single dad. She is attracted to him but senses tension between him and the school mums. We soon find out that his first wife died in a strange accident and his second wife has gone missing! Throughout the novel I was sure Will had something to do with what happened to his wives, and then sure he didn't! It kept me on my toes all the way though - there are so many moments where I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happened next. And the ending is perfection, it gave me proper goosebumps! I definitely recommend this one!

C. L. Taylor has done it again and written a spectacular novel, where I had no idea what to believe and was astounded by the ending.

What I know for sure is I don't want to live in Lowbridge, nor be one of the playground mums there, as their friendship group appears to be rather toxic.

And what an apt title this book is, for there are definitely some iffy husbands in this, but then again are their wives any better!

There is a mystery at the heart of this book, about what really happened to Robyn. Did Will murder her, did she run off, or is there another explanation for her disappearance.

And Jude who is new to town, but may have already slept with Will, who is determined to find out the truth to clear his name.

This was incredibly readable, rather addictive and I couldn't' put it down. I had to know who it would turn out. Utterly brilliant as I have come to expect from this author.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Following her divorce Jude has moved, with her children, to the town of Lowbridge. Doing the school run she meets single father Will after their daughters become friends. However, the Lowbridge mother’s mafia soon make sure she is aware that his wife died and his later partner disappeared and they believe he murdered them both. Nice short chapters and told from multiple POV’s it did take me a while to get my head around all the characters and who was married to who, but it soon fell into place and I wizzed through the book in an afternoon.

Briefly, Jude is determined to get to the bottom of the rumours about Will’s past, not least of all because she is increasingly attracted to him. She hopes that an invite to the home of Victoria, Queen Bee of the clique of school gate mothers, will help but it’s soon clear that her invite was to grill her rather than the other way around. And whilst she continues her investigation there is a shocking death that opens a whole can of worms…

There are so many twists and turns in this, as most of the characters seem to have some sort of secret they are hiding. I kept thinking I had worked out what was going on just to be proved wrong on every occasion! A domestic thriller with murder, affairs and blackmail just a taste of the darker events of the town. Ok so there are a lot of things going on amongst a relatively small community but hey it’s fiction so why not. I really enjoyed it and as for that ending!

P S. I’m still giggling over this, “I swear if she was any stupider, she’d need watering once a day”, despite having heard it before.

I’ve read a lot of C L Taylors books and was looking forward to this one. It didn’t disappoint. A good plot that kept me engaged and turning the pages.

This book was definitely a “meh” read for me. It wasn’t one that I’d recommend to anyone, but I did enjoy it. The premise was good—you know the cliques at school from spending time picking up and dropping off kids, right? The drama is definitely present in this book if you enjoy it. It’s about a queen and her flock of followers. I will say that some of the twists were good and you didn’t see them coming. Overall, I’d rate it about 2.5 stars, but I’ll round it up to 3.

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