The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

‘I’m your husband, Chloe. We’re a partnership now and we do what’s best for us as a couple.’

Chloe finally feels like she’s got her life together. After a difficult childhood and losing both parents,  she worked hard for the life she loves in lively Brighton, helping people as a physiotherapist. And then she meets the perfect man.

It’s a whirlwind romance, but Dan is handsome, funny, and simply the kindest man she’s ever met. When she sees him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knows this will be for always.

As they sunbathe on their honeymoon island, laughing over drinks, planning  their future with their feet in the sand, Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever.

At first, Chloe couldn’t agree more. It’s tempting to imagine truly leaving her troubled past behind. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her…

Is he protecting her, as he claims? Or is it something more sinister? An utterly gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Clare Mackintosh, and The Wife Between Us.

Readers are loving The Honeymoon:
‘A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
 
‘I loved how many twists there were… It made it so exciting to read and the whole book I was dying to know what was going to happen next… And I could never have guessed… Such a rollercoaster ride!... Exciting and twisty.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A 5 star book for me! It had that ball of mixed feelings, adrenaline, twists!... I absolutely loved The Honeymoon and cannot recommend the book enough! Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘An enthralling read packed full of secrets and lies. It’s one of those books that draws you straight in from picking it up and making it very hard to put back down again. Will certainly keep you on your toes and have you on the edge of your seat.’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars

‘Kept me guessing the whole way through… I absolutely loved this book, it was a real page turner… Bursting with mystery and deeply buried secrets.’ Ramblings of a Book Addict
 
‘I absolutely 100% loved this book! A 5 star read… The Honeymoon had it all...twists, turns, a beautiful setting, characters we want to hate and ones we want to love, paranoia, and a sense of something bad about to happen… CRAZY AND TWISTED!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A twisty book, full of surprises… I couldn't put down even if I tried, I was reading practically open mouthed at the way the finale picked up pace (well what I thought was the finale!). And still the shocks kept on coming, all the way to the last page.’

‘A must-read gripping, twisty, addictive, brilliant read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I devoured this book in one night—it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! There were many unexpected twists, right up to the very end! Highly engaging book, I definitely recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Five big shiny well deserved stars!… A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘So many twists and turns; right when you think you know what is going on, the author throws another twist at you to prove how wrong you are. Wow the ending was amazing I never saw it coming and it hit you like a ton of bricks. I wish could read this story again for the first time just to get that huge shock. Great read ,I loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Well, you know that moment when you close a book and you just have to take a moment to sit and think over what you have just read…Yes, you say. Well this is just one of those books. Gripping, Scream at the pages and Intellectually satisfying is how I would instantly describe this book. I haven’t rated a book as 5 stars in a while, this just ticked all of my boxes, it was just that amazing. Here is a few reasons why;

Chloes character arc goes from needing to be wanted by anyone to a strong and powerful force.

We meet Chloe, a practising physiotherapist within the NHS, treating Dan’s mother, who has taken a fall and needs assistance in regaining her strength. Chloe is immediately taken with Dan’s looks, we have a narrative of her failed relationships, her failed relationship with her brother and sister and gran (reasons will be revealed) and she is carrying guilt and responsibility around with her like a ton weight around her neck. She is sucked into Dan’s charm and almost can’t believe her luck that we would be remotely interested in her. They have a very quick courtship that leads to marriage within the space of two months (I know right?!) The wedding arrangements are made and the rest is history or is it? Is it possible that Chloe’s married bliss could be now filled with seeds of doubt?

Dan is more than a bit bat-shit cray cray

Dan seems like the perfect gentleman. Dan wine and dines her every night. Dan wants to spend every minute with Chloe. (RED MASSIVE WARNING BELLS HERE, SURELY?) He cares for his mum, surely that says more about his character than the claxons that were going off in my head? Dan proposes so soon and the wedding is rushed along in a few months with only around 6 guests. They both head off on their honeymoon and things start to go wrong. He alters decisions without having a discussion first, he does some hugely irrational, counterproductive, dumb assery things. Halfway through the book, I just found myself shouting at Chloe for being so damn niave.

Secrets are kept between the two of them leading to a catalyst of it all exploding out. One particular moment being when Dan has nightmares that give Chloe more insight than Dan would either like or want. Chloe shows admirable loyalty to those she loves but there has to be a point where she figures out 2+2=4.

The writing is outstanding

The initial few pages of the book just completely grabbed me and I knew I had to keep reading. The subject matter was very intense but it evoked such emotion from me and that alone in my opinion made this book a success. The story flowed brilliantly, it didn’t feel stagnated or slow. It went along at the pace it was meant to. It had my heart in my mouth and I just had to keep reading to find out the outcome of the story.

Plot – Well Executed

The plot was a serious and intense and for some it could be a trigger when reading. The author handled it appropriately and made it very believable, but in a very fear inducing way. It left you thinking that this could easily happen to you or I. You knew as soon as Chloe arrived in Menorca with Dan that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing and there would be difficulties along the way, just how extreme these difficulties would be were a bit of a shock. The author executed the dialogue and the emotions so well that I could feel anger and fear on behalf of Chloe. The twists and turns weren’t confusing, you had those a-ha moments and just utter shock at some of the actions. The plot was intricate but easy to follow.

Overall, this was an amazing, fast -paced book to read. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting lost in Psychological Thrillers.