i was right there in this book. as the location is where my family is visiting at the moment. it made it more real and more eerie. and when my family showed me pictures of their own location as was blurring lines deliciously ha ha.
this is another brilliant thriller though from Sue Watson. she managed to completely take you into her plot and atmosphere. like she is whispering in your ear how to feel and where to get suspicious and anxious.
the pace is quick and its a short enough read that you sweep through it with extra ease.
Sophie my dear, just stop though. stop and think. but i guess thats always easy from the outside looking in. and i did also on the flip side feel for her. her vulnerabilities were making her vulnerable. and its only the bad people that are to blame for taking that as an in. she was an intriguing character in herself. you were never quite sure...
Abby has me hooked. i wanted to know where her place in the story would be.
a thriller like this eis brilliant when the suspense is so fuelled by your emotions both in people and plot.
just who is innocent in this book. what about the wife? who is following who? who is keeping what from whom? is it all we think. nope. and you'll love it when you are surprised.
clever books make fab read.

Thank you to @tandemcollectiveuk for having me on this readalong.

From the beginning this book will grip you and you won't be able to put it down.

Sophie has come to Italy away from the UK to escape her past that we are not 100 % certainly of what has happened. She falls for a guy called Emilio who she falls for very quickly but things are not as simple as she thinks. He is married. her friend abbi is a little strange and warns her off Emilio but does she take any notice. A lot of spooky things then start happening to her and she thinks she is being followed and watched by someone in an apartment over the road. As time moves on are people who we really think they are. Where is Gina Emilios wife and why is sabrina her sister always around and who is out to ruin Sophie life???

I got half way though and could not put it down I felt nearly everyone was suspect and could not work out who to belive but I did not see the ending coming.

At the beginning, I struggled to connect with the story. I was annoyed and a tad bit angered at how main character Sophie was so blind to red flags, so easy to fall in love and how she quickly made decisions not in her best interest. Her character was portrayed as insecure, lonely, and emotionally dependent which made it hard for me to like her.

When Sophie meets Emilio, she immediately becomes smitten with him and their relationship progresses fast. I found the character development of Emilio was not very strong but I think this is to keep him mysterious. As a result, I didn’t get to know him very well and found his personality was dull. I really didn’t feel the spark between the two of them and it annoyed me when she ditched her only friend looking out for her over this new whirlwind relationship.

As the book progressed, I found myself becoming more invested. I couldn’t look away. The mystery element was gripping, and I was eager to see how everything would unfold. The plot kept me engaged and the author’s writing style made the journey worthwhile.

Another engrossing read by this author. I've read a few of her books and always enjoy her cast of characters. The setting for this one was great and the twisted storyline had me flipping the pages to find out what was going on.

His First Wife by Sue Watson was another excellent psychological thriller, from start to finish. I just love the way Sue writs and every book I have read by her has been a 5 ⭐️ review and this one was no different. His First Wife was full of twists and turns I found it hard to put it done and I ended up reading it till the very end! Superb read.

I highly recommend this latest book by Sue. A great holiday read. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Read.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and especially Thomas & Mercer for my ARC.

I did not enjoy this book and had to force myself to finish it. The story just felt forced and didn’t make sense to me.

His First Wife was a devilishly fun read! Sophie is in romantic Italy and falls for a married man. But soon learns that wife is missing. She may also have a stalker and best friends who aren't really friends at all - or is she over thinking everything? Great read. I was totally hooked and couldn't wait to see how Sophie's predicament would play out.

Alice Feeney at her best. Full of suspense, and a very twisty ending. I will highly recommend on the book selling floor.

His First Wife was my first book by Sue Watson, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. There was something about the story that kept me curious and engaged right from the start. I thought I had an idea of where it was heading, but the twists completely threw me off in the best way.

The characters were a big part of that unpredictability. They constantly kept me second guessing their intentions, and just when I thought I had someone figured out, things shifted. I love when a book can surprise me like that.

It’s one of those reads where you’re pulled into the drama and never quite sure who to trust.

I couldn’t put this down. This authors books just keep getting better and better. This was a tense and fast paced thriller that I couldn’t put down.

This is an intriguing psychological thriller Come murder mystery set in the beautiful backdrop of Sicily which .came to life through the authors descriptions.

This would make a good tv adaptation.

His First Wife by Sue Watson is another well-paced, well-written, quick and thrilling read.
This story is a twisty turny rollercoaster ride full of suspense. I raced through it and found it very hard to put down!
I love Sue’s style of writing, her stories always draw me in and have me hooked until the final page. This one is no exception.
The author again writes a good descriptive laden read, character rich, atmospheric and tense and will keep you guessing through to the end.
A fast-paced and suspenseful read this book was outstanding in it's writing style and characterization.
I’m all ready for her next title!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

So good so dark you will not want to put this down I love how the storyline came together it was so good omggg you have to read this book !!!!

Loved this thriller! Great plot twists, constant motion to keep you engaged and wanting to read on. Slightly predictable but still loved it

Sue Watson has written an
intriguing story, with mystery, romance and murder all rolled into one book.
On the isle of Sicily we meet Sophie, an art teacher. As a recent widow, she’s searching for a new life in a new country.
Despite a late night, mysterious encounter with a “ fortune teller”, warning her of a future death, she finds herself attracted to a handsome Italian man,
Emilio. He’s an accomplished volcano expert, and professor. They start to date, but Sophie suspects he has many secrets.
Thus, as the story unfolds we find a mixture of love, death and betrayals.

I enjoyed this book, and appreciated the descriptions of Sicily quite vivid.
Thank you to NetGalley, and Amazon publishing for the opportunity
to read and review this book.
4 stars

Sophie has moved from the UK to the Sicilian town of Taormina to escape the demons of her past. She meets dashing professor, Emilio Ferrante, at the university where she works and there is an instant attraction between them. They begin seeing each other, despite her friend and neighbour, Abbi warning her that he's trouble, even when she tells her that he's married it doesn't stop her, he makes her feel safe especially when she believes that someone is watching her. As times passes though and she begins to hear things about Emilio's past she begins to doubt him, then she finds out his wife Gina is missing and she begins to wonder if she should have taken note of the red flags after all.

His First Wife is the latest thriller by Watson, set in the beautiful surroundings of Sicily, told from the perspective of Sophie who, despite being a woman in her thirties was incredibly naive and this made her quite a frustrating character to deal with most of the time. The story starts off slow, introducing all the characters but soon picks up speed once all the pieces of the jigsaw begin to fall into place and the secrets, like Etna, threaten to erupt. This is a compelling read with some very unexpected twists along the way, which kept me turning the pages to see what would happen, desperate to know the secret that Sophie was reluctant to reveal. Once again this author creates a novel filled with intrigue and suspense that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing | Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Sue Watson. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Sophie fled to Sicily for an escape, wanting nothing more than a fresh start. But then she meets Emilio, a professor working at the university where she has a summer job. He seems perfect - too perfect? What happened to his first wife, and is someone stalking her? Just what has she gotten herself into?

I'm a big fan of Sue Watson's books. She always comes up with a unique thriller that keeps me turning the pages, and I never quite figure things out completely. This one had lots of interesting, though not always likable, characters, including her stalkerish friend/neighbor. Everyone has secrets and you'll be wondering who you can trust until the last page. The volcano storyline was apt, because you didn't know what was going to happen next!

She disappeared. Are you next?

When Sophie travels to Sicily to teach at the university for the summer, she definitely didn't have "fall in love" on her bingo board. But then she met Emilio, a professor at the university, he is kind, intelligent, funny as hell, and easy on the eyes. He could be perfect... except for the disappearance of his first wife. As she discovers more about Emilio's wife, Sophie starts to question if she is losing her mind. Is someone following her, watching from the shadows? Is she just being paranoid or is her loved up summer in Sicily turning into a nightmare?

I'm conflicted with this one y'all. Usually Sue Watson is an auto read author of mine, but this just didn't feel like a typical Watson thriller. I feel like this is definitely more of an escapist popcorn thriller, which isn't bad, just not what I have come to expect and grown to love. The characters were not all that likable, Sophie.. girl, sheesh 🙄 The one standout in my opinion is the atmospheric setting of Sicily! I loved the beautiful descriptions and could feel myself pulled a bit into the story with those details alone. While this one wasn't my cup of tea I definitely recommend trying it out!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sue Watson, and Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing for this ARC!! Publication date is June 13th 2025.

Another great psychological thriller from Sue Watson, I’m never disappointed by her books.

Love the setting of Sicily for this one and it gave perfect summer reading vibes.

It’s love (or lust) at first sight for Sophie when she sees Emilio, a handsome professor at work. He feels the same and they are soon dating much to the annoyance of Sophie’s friend, Abbi.
Then, Sophie finds out her new boyfriend is married and his wife is missing. Is Emilio involved in her disappearance and is Sophie putting herself into danger by agreeing to move away with him.

I raced through this book to find out what had happened to Emilio’s wife and was totally surprised by the ending. Great characters and great story.

As usual Sue Watson delivers many twists and turns and I'm put on a rollercoaster of a thrill . Love her books including this one. A definite recommend

Thank you publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and haven't been influenced by anyone else

Sophie is single and living in Sicily and the last thing she is expecting is to find love. It is then she sees Emilio who she quickly falls for. Only there seems to be strange circumstances surrounding his first and Sophie doesn’t know what to believe.

I have read a few books by this author and enjoyed them so was excited to read this one. I wasn’t sure about the writing style at first but it ended up being strangely addictive and I found I was invested in seeing what would happen next. I enjoyed the uneasy, eerie atmosphere and the Sicilian setting. There was a sense of mystery running throughout the story.

The characters were intriguing, although many were unlikeable and hugely frustrating. The story has quite a few twists and turns, although I did predict the main twist. This was a fun, entertaining thriller overall and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.