Reviews

Never Trust the Husband by Jessica Payne

nzlisam's review

DNF @ 10% - No Rating. 

I’ve officially hit a reading rough patch – two dnf’s in a row. I knew I was in trouble when this was the opening paragraph; 

‘The sky is the darkest I’ve ever seen it. Darker than it is in the city, darker than any destination I’ve visited on vacation.’ 

And apparently the narrator of this chapter would usually be scared of such darkness in any other situation except in this instance she finds it romantic. She then leaves her tent to climb to the top of a cliff to take the perfect shot with her camera even though it’s pitch black?? Also, she doesn’t really trust anyone she’s camping with so naturally she’s pushed off the cliff. And that’s the prologue over. 

Never Trust the Husband has a 4.18 average rating on Goodreads, so other readers have enjoyed it, but I can’t get my head around the way it’s written, and with so many books on my tbr I’m moving on. 

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture, and Jessica Payne for the e-ARC. 

gammys_reads's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

HOLY CRAP!!! This book is INCREDIBLE!! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

JESSICA PAYNE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! What a totally gripping and emotionally twisted psychological suspense thriller that kept me guessing until the very end!! The eerie atmosphere, suspense, mystery, tension, dual perspectives, love, friendships, jealously, secrets, lies, deceit, betrayals, revenge, red herrings, unexpected twist and turns and a chilling and shocking 😮 ending is what makes this a FABULOUS thriller! Everything I was hoping for and MORE!! I absolutely loved it so much and my first thriller to go on my favorites list for 2024!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Madeline is pushed off a cliff just days after marrying the love of her life, Benjamin. OH WAIT! Did I mention, that this happened while on her hiking honeymoon with all their closest friends!?! Now three years later, her best friend and husband are engaged! Rebecca, someone from Madeline's past, is investigating her murder. She is convinced that Benjamin or Gywn (the best friend) was responsible for her death. But who would want Madeline killed? What secrets were they hiding? Promising to figure out the truth, Rebecca has decided that since Madeline didn't get her happy ending they won't either. However, you know that old saying, NEVER TRUST THE HUSBAND!!!

I was completely captivated from start to finish!! If you are looking for an addictive and unputdownable psychological suspenseful thriller then this is the book for you! I highly recommend and it deserves all the stars!! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

lindsays_literazzi's review

mysterious fast-paced

3.0

betterdyzze's review

5.0

Wow, wow, wow! This book was phenomenal!

Madeline dies, and her husband ends up with her best friend. Rebecca wants to figure out what happened to Madeline and starts digging for information to determine who killed her... This story was riveting from the beginning; so riveting in fact that I read in just a handful of hours because I could not put it down! As a Washingtonian myself, I appreciated the settings and knew exactly what Jessica Payne was describing throughout this book.

Just when you think you have it figured out, a twist slams you and sends you reeling. I will definitely be checking out other work by Jessica Payne. Well done on Never Trust the Husband!

fefe__b's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

nicolelee9's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

shelleys_book_nook's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

 No. Just no. This book was terrible and it's because of books like this that I don't read as many thrillers as I used to. I was really hoping for a winner but boy was I disappointed. This book has so many four and five-star reviews and a 4.21 Goodreads rating at the time of my writing this, I just don't get it and I am upset. I am more shocked and surprised by the high rating than by anything in the book.

I don't ask a lot from my thrillers, a good pace and a nice surprise or two is all. BUT when your front cover and Amazon title state "A totally gripping psychological thriller packed with twists" you better damn well deliver. Never Trust The Husband does not. It was repetitive...the same thing happens over and over again ad nauseam and too many things were simply unbelievable, like someone faking being a nurse and the RN's identity she stole just happened to have worked with the same charge nurse she is currently working under. Really? And plastic surgery to change the shape of her face so much that her closest loved ones don't know who she is (it's been three years not thirty) and then Gwyn just meeting her and letting a stranger have free rein to look through her house alone? Also, I figured out the big reveal almost right away and it was such a letdown. Boo! Hiss! Boo!

It took me forever to get through this book because I dreaded picking it up, I was going to DNF but kept hoping something thrilling would happen because of the high rating and it never did, it was just dumb. I don't claim to be very smart but it makes me angry when I feel my intelligence is being insulted and that's what the author did. I wish I could give negative stars but for now, we will go with zero. 

shauntelle_reads's review against another edition

4.0

What a crazy ride! The whole time I was teeing to figure out Rebecca’s tie to the other characters in the book. I never would’ve guessed! Most of the book was a slow burn, but a well crafted slow burn. The last 20% or so put its foot on the gas and didn’t let up! The ending was unexpected and full of twists. 

Sadly what I didn’t enjoy was the narrator. The dragging of the narrator’s voice worked my last nerve. 

Overall a good book.

sucharita's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

noladawnreads's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

NEVER TRUST THE HUSBAND
Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Pᴀʏɴᴇ
Mᴀʀᴄʜ 5, 2024


Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs:
Look, if Jessica Payne writes it… I’m gonna read it. And she DID. NOT.  DISAPPOINT. yet again. In Jessica’s signature style there are twists on twists and red herrings evvvverywhere. And that’s why we love her. 
This is told in two POVs, Madeline in the past in the time leading up to her disappearance/declared death off a cliff on her honeymoon and Rebecca in current time seeking to avenge said death. There’s jealousy, betrayal, revenge, stalking, lies… all the fun stuff. 

If you loved Robyn Harding’s Drowning Woman, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time, or Tarryn Fisher’s The Wives - you’ll love this one. 

Thank you @bookouture and @jessicapayne.writer for including me on this tour and for the early review copy. 
These thoughts are my own.