The Marriage Lie: A Bestselling Psychological Thriller

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Thank you to Park Row for providing me with a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 12/28/21. The way Stella is treated and that she puts up with it just made me cross. You know there is a reason why, but even then I found it a bit unrealistic as it was not consistent with her general personality/character in other areas of the book to put up with this. We get an AFTER the scenes peek throughout the novel as the husband, Cam is interviewed by a news reporter. The crime is over and he is commenting on the various aspects. These chapters are interspersed as the kidnapping is unfolding.

Iris and Will have been married for seven years, and their marriage is as close to perfect as it can be. But on the morning Will leaves for a business trip to Florida, Iris's happy world comes to an abrupt halt. Another plane headed for Seattle has crashed into a field, killing everyone on board, and according to the airline, Will was one of the passengers. Then there was the tone of the writing. It felt very YA, which would be fine, but it didn’t fit the seriousness of the story. There were a lot of cringey conversations, and maybe they stood out to me because I struggle with this in my own writing. I also felt like certain characters were introduced for no apparent reason, which I found a little strange. Talk about Iris and Will's marriage as portrayed at the beginning of the book. In what way does it seem perfect, even enviable? I do believe that I have a new favourite Kimberly Belle book. I did not want to put My Darling Husband down, it was so good. I loved the multiple points of view that we get throughout the story, as well as the interview with Cam that takes part months after the event. We are drip fed just enough information to keep going, and to want more. This was certainly a just one more chapter read - can't recommend it more. This must be a manual of everything a good writer should avoid and never, ever do. How on earth was this compilation of misogyny, cliché, stereotypes, performative allyship (and at some points just frankly homophobia, like in the passage the author states that one thing you can count on with gay urban men is to have good drugs???? What?????), slut-shaming (a psychologist who works with teens slut shaming a student? Like...really?????), terrible police procedure, plot holes, far-fetched scenarios, inane characters, inconsistent scenarios, racism, and prob other disgusting things I'm forgetting ever got published???

A tense, suspense-filled read as Cam races against time to save his family. While Jade channels every bit of a protective mama bear to save her children. Belle, Kimberly (26 June 2018). Three Days Missing. Harlequin Enterprises, Limited. ISBN 9780778307716– via Google Books. I was hoping for a major twist at some point, and while that didn’t come to fruition, I have to say the intensity in the second half really increased, giving me feelings of dread and anxiety. I also found it to be thought-provoking and emotional at times. I thought this would be a good thriller but was very disappointed at the end. It started with an interesting and mysterious circumstance but it was just for a few chapters. As the story progressed I lost my interest and found it very hard not to DNF it. The blurb on this one sounded interesting, but I put off reading it...thinking it was a typical domestic thriller. Then I read “Dear Wife” and absolutely loved Belle’s writing, and an opportunity for a Buddy Read came up and I love those!

I’m deliberately omitting more details because you should read/hear them firsthand. Sebastian was chilling and I took his threats seriously, as did Jade, which made things more ominous given the two children involved. And speaking of the children…I came to adore Beatrix, the true hero of this story. I think you will, too. Thank goodness multiple narrators were used for the audio version as it was important to give the main characters their own distinctive styles and voices. It mattered and they were outstanding. There are twisty turns and bends throughout and the ending felt right, leaving some things to my own imagination. This turned out to be much more than I anticipated (a good thing) but I’m glad it’s over! Put on your adult pants because this is an uneasy ride. 4.5 starsOne of my favorite characters was Iris’s brother. He was so devoted and witty. Iris could be a little over-the-top at times. But hey...she unexpectedly lost her husband, then found out everything he told her was a lie! I think I’d be pretty angry and emotional, too.