The One Day You Were My Husband: A Novel

by Rosie Walsh

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Ghosted and The Love of My Life comes an unmissable emotional an up-all-night, page-turning love story with a very dark secret at its heart.

Carrie and Johan marry on a beach in Thailand only months into their whirlwind romance. Carrie, a British surgical intern, knows she’s being impulsive but is too happy to care. Then, as the wedding festivities stretch into the night, a group of armed men suddenly swarm the beach, taking Johan away. She never sees him again.

Twelve years later, Carrie is living in the English countryside with her husband, Robin, and their six-year-old twins, running a holiday cottage rental. One night, she stumbles across an online post in which she discovers that Johan escaped from Thailand years ago and has been living in Stockholm ever since. As the memories of their passionate relationship flood her, she becomes obsessed with discovering exactly what happened on their wedding day.

But just when Carrie thinks she knows what she must do, a shocking twist explodes, tearing apart everything Carrie thought she knew. The One Day You Were My Husband asks readers what—and whom—they would give up to return to a first love, and to the people they once were.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Audiobook

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2026

About the author

Rosie Walsh has lived and travelled all over the world, working as a documentary producer and writer.

The Man Who Didn’t Call (UK) / Ghosted (US) is her first book under her own name, and was published around the world in 2018, going on to become an instant bestseller in several territories. It was a New York Times top five bestseller and topped the charts in Germany for several weeks.

Rosie lives in Bristol with her partner and son.

Prior to writing under her own name she wrote four romantic comedies under the pseudonym Lucy Robinson.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is good! What starts as a story tinged with a little love triangle, guilt, yearning, and ghosts-of-the-past intrigue quickly transforms into something far more layered. By the time I reached the final quarter — when the pacing skyrockets and a major twist practically slapped me across the face — I realized this wasn’t merely a heartbroken love story at all. It’s an intelligent, mind-bending thriller fused with a gripping character study, packed with jaw-dropping shocks and action-charged sequences. I wholeheartedly loved every moment.

The book opens with a stunning scene: a seaside wedding in Thailand. Carrie, in her mid-twenties, is about to marry Johan… until armed men storm the beach mid-ceremony and drag him away. From there, we leap forward twenty years to Carrie’s new life — now happily married to Robin, a philanthropy consultant, raising twins, and living in the quiet English countryside. After a complicated birth and caring for premature newborns, she stepped away from the demanding world of surgery. But now, with Robin suddenly out of work, Carrie decides to return to her medical career, accepting a spot with her former mentor in Stockholm.

What she doesn’t expect is the emotional ambush waiting for her: Johan — her first great love — is out of prison, freed earlier than expected after serving time for drug smuggling. From flashbacks, we learn Carrie once reached out to her estranged activist mother for help on the day he was arrested, but the verdict had already been sealed. So how did Johan walk free early? And why didn’t he ever contact her? The shock deepens when Carrie discovers he has built an entirely new life: a wife, a child, a world that doesn’t include her.

The guilt hits her hard. She wants closure so she can truly move forward — but as past and present collide, she realizes just how little she actually knows. The more secrets she uncovers, the more dangerous everything becomes… and Carrie may be in far deeper than she ever imagined.
I loved this book even more than the author’s previous two novels, which I also enjoyed. It carries a touch of The Last Thing He Told Me energy — quieter in the beginning, but absolutely relentless in the final act. The mystery is tightly executed, the character development is deeply satisfying, and the twist is worth every page. I’m obsessed. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for sharing this brilliant thriller’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that is out of the norm for me, really. First and foremost, I truly loved it. Please know that. This is a novel you need to take your time with, as it is a slow burn. The One Day You Were My Husband is a tale of a romance with a mystery infused.

Carrie and Johan marry on a beach in Thailand after falling in love for just a few months. That night at the reception, armed police officers whisk him away. Carrie has no idea what’s going on. Why is he being arrested?

The story has two timelines, one with the start of their romance, and twelve years later. Through the entire book, we are trying to figure out what happened to Johan. I needed to know why everything happened the way it did. The less you know here, the better.

Walsh’s writing is magnificent! She is definitely skilled at her craft! I don’t even read romance and I fell in love with this story. That should tell you something. There is a HUGE twist revealed that had me literally screaming! 😱

I loved the time I spent with the novel and recommend you giving it a read. Add it to your TBR!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date - 5/19/26

Massive thanks to Viking Books/ Pamela Dorman Books for my beautiful gifted copy!

[Liana Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/4!


A love story with a dark secret that began in the heart of Thailand.. but the husband disappears!

FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!!



Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking Penguin Publisher and the author, Rosie Walsh for this early eARC!

Publication date: May 19, 2026

[L A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so excited to read this after The Love of my Life! Thank you NetGalley and Viking Penguin ❤️❤️ Rosie Walsh ❤️❤️

"2010. Carrie and Johan, madly in love, marry on the beach in Thailand, five months into their whirlwind romance. Carrie, a British surgical intern, knows she’s being uncharacteristically impulsive but is too happy to care. But as the wedding festivities stretch into the night, armed men swarm the beach and arrest Johan for crimes unknown. In police custody, Johan refuses to see or speak to Carrie. She never sees him again."
2022. Carrie has a husband Robin and 6 year old twins. She gave up her physician position to be a stay-at-home mom. One of her colleagues has convinced her to come back to Stockholm and her job. Her and Robin have property they rent under the Roof website. When she is exploring places to stay in Stockholm, she sees a property listed in Johan's name. He is out of prison and has been out for years. He has a new wife and stepson. Curious to find him and what actually happened, she confronts him.
Without giving anything else away, just know there are some shocking twists. So many secrets that people she trusted kept from her. You will find out the reason he was arrested and the people behind it. Shocking!! This is a love story that never died. I loved this book so much and the characters are well portrayed.

[emilybookedup · Rating 4 out of 5]

thinking this is 3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR! overall, i enjoyed it but felt like there was a bit too much going on/too much jumping around to really get settled in the story.

if you like THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave, you’d like this!

this isn’t really a thriller or a romance but has both as well as a ton of family drama. if you like multi genre books like me, this could be something you enjoy!

the premise + first chapter hooked me—a couple gets married on a beach in Thailand and an hour later, her brand new husband is arrested off the beach and she has no reason why.

this was fun and i never knew where it was going to go. i was really interested to figure out what happened and what her husband did. a double life? an act of betrayal? caught up in something horrible? was he set up?

but to that point the execution was what didn’t fully work for me. it had SO much going on… with the parent drama, the sibling drama, the arrest, the surgery/job plot, the husband drama, the different countries… i felt like we coulda cut a bit of that out to make it streamlined, but at the same point it allowed for a LOT of drama and friction in the story. just too much for my taste.

i liked the main character and how she was older and more mature and determined to reclaim her life. poor girl was wrapped into so much drama and had so many people make decisions on her behalf and going through all of that would be unimaginable.

also the ending twist… i wanted to be wow’d and shocked but it just felt like a convenient plot device. i’m not saying more as it’ll spoil the entire thing but idk!!! it was too convenient for me!

thanks to Viking for the gifted early copy. i actually think this would be a very fun book club read bc there is so much to chat about and now i’m wishing i could discuss w friends!

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of author, Rosie Walsh for years. Walsh is gifted with an intelligent, witty, fast-paced writing style that grips the reader from the very first page and leaves you sighing with satisfaction or gasping with shock, depending on the genre.



What a cast of characters! I absolutely bought pint-sized Carrie Cole as a surgeon in training. Carrie's fierce championing of her patients and her undeniable dedication to her vocation won me over in the very first chapter.



All hell breaks lose when Johan Kullberg, the great love of her life, is arrested on their wedding day during the post-ceremony festivies under the Thailand stars.



Carrie goes from utter, blissed-out euphoria to abysmal heartbreak. Carrie uses all of her contacts and resources to try to get Johan released: this must be a tragic mistake!




In the end, Carrie is forced to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and move on. Shockingly, Johan Kullberg eventually pleads guilty and is destined to spend the rest of his life in a Thai prison. There is nothing her contacts can do for him, so Carrie must, somehow, move on with her life.....



Fast forward several years later: Carrie is married to a different man and is the mother of twins. Life couldn't be more hectic. She certainly didn't need the complication of hearing that Johan Kullberg had been granted a royal pardon and was living in Stockholm - where Carrie had just been offered a placement with one of the top surgeons in Europe.



There are so many colourful characters in this story: Carrie's half-Malaysian civil rights militant mother, her lovable but ailing British father, her yuppie sister, Maya, her former heart throb, Johan, and Carrie's current husband, Robin.



Robin is the perfect, supportive husband. He is Carrie's anchor after the roiling chaos of losing the love of her life, Johan.

But Carrie is right to feel adrift and confused when all of her assumptions about what had happened on her wedding day in Thailand are eventually cracked wide open. Was she being manipulated by the ones she loved all along? Who can she trust?



I'm rating this one all the stars, because I was downright entertained, right to the very last page, and that tragic love story between Johan and Carrie had me hoping - and reading furiously on with bated breath! - that there was SOME WAY TO FIGURE THE WHOLE SORRY MESS OUT!



Rosie Walsh ties up the entire plot beautifully. I was so very much satisfied: she more than fulfulled my expectations. Another winner, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading!!!



My thanks to the author, Rosie Walsh, her publishers. MacMillan/Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The One Day You Were My Husband, by Rosie Walsh, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In 2010 Carrie and Johan were married, but then Johan was arrested. In 2022, Carrie is married to Robin ad has twins. This was a wild roller coaster rider, who do you trust and believe.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outlier opinion ahead ⚠️

This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I could not wait to get my hands on it. It therefore pains me to say that I really struggled with the pacing and overall blueprint of this book and ended up feeling a little more meh about it than I had hoped.

Right off the bat, the plot line sounded made for me, especially given how much I adore literary fiction and literary suspense. However, the pacing felt uneven— the beginning was way too slow for me, even by literary suspense standards. But around the halfway point, my interest piqued slightly, culminating in a lot of interest around the 80% mark.

I also struggled a bit to connect to either of our MCs - Carrie and Johan - given the shifting timeline and the decisions Carrie makes in the present in the second half, keeping me very much at arm’s length. And Johan felt more two-dimensional until the final act, cementing for me a lack of a rooting interest. That said, the gritty, atmospheric quality did shine throughout the story. And I came away feeling as though this would make for a fantastic screen adaptation.

Although I did not love this book, there have been many friends who have absolutely raved about it. I would definitely give this one a try if it’s been on your radar, as it was mine, and hopefully, you will find yourself in the majority. I will definitely continue to read this author nonetheless.

🎧 While there was nothing technically wrong with the audiobook, there was something bugging me stylistically that I could not quite put my finger on, but that seemed to play up my issues with the story itself. The narrators also had a more monotone quality to their voices, which also amplified the same issues, particularly pacing.

Read if you like:
▪️literary fiction
▪️slow-burn romance
▪️family dramas
▪️dual timeline
▪️second chance at love

Thank you Viking Books and PRH Audio for the gifted copies.

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first.. he was sus from the beginning and girlllll you should've felt it!! And who is he, you ask? YOU NEED TO READ AND FIND OUT.

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh absolutely wrecked me for so many reasons. I know a lot of people loved her earlier work for the way she tackles complicated relationships, but this one felt even more nuanced, painful, and unforgettable to me. This is one of those books where you *cannot* skim. Every single detail matters, every conversation matters, every tiny emotional beat matters — and when everything finally starts clicking into place, you'll be sitting there a little sad - but hopeful too.

What hit me hardest about this story is that there really aren’t any villains. Nobody is out here twirling a mustache and intentionally ruining lives. It’s just people trying to make impossible choices, trying to protect the people they love, trying to survive situations they were never equipped to handle… and sometimes hurting others badly in the process. The emotional complexity of that made this story feel painfully real. There were also several themes and situations that I definitely wasn’t expecting, including topics that could absolutely be triggering for some readers — especially if you’ve ever had a parent who failed you while believing they had “good reasons” for doing so or experienced s3xual trauma. This book forces you to sit with the uncomfortable reality that someone can deeply hurt you without being entirely a bad person, and THAT'S what stayed with me long after I finished reading.

This was an easy five-star read for me, and I genuinely think this story has “future movie adaptation” written all over it!!!

HOUSEKEEPING:
* Spice: 🌶️/5 - There is a lot of yearning and some spice, but it's more romantic than spicy, if that makes sense?
* Reader Age Suggestions: adult
* Content Warnings: Conversations around SA, drugg trfficking and parental abandonment
* Kindle Unlimited: ❌
* Part of A Series: ❌ / Can it be read alone?: -

**Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books! I received this book for fr3e, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR🖤

Follow me on Instagram for honest reviews, bookish freebies & giveaways! 🖤

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was such an amazing story. I don't think I have been as immersed in a novel in such a long time.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Yes! This is even better than I hoped! Rosie Walsh’s latest about a woman whose husband vanishes on their wedding night is FRESH + UNPREDICTABLE with a full mix of genres and surprising twists. As the story unfolds, secrets from the past start coming out piece by piece, as does the tension of not knowing who can be trusted, or what really happened that night in Thailand. The book keeps dropping little clues and twists that make you rethink everything. You THINK you know what’s coming.. and then you absolutely don’t.. loved that. This is one I’ll be recommending to everyone. Pub. 5/19/26

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maven_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh is a deeply affectionate and mysterious love story about love lost and life rebuilt, following Carrie as she confronts the ghost of a husband she thought she had left behind forever.

From the moment I read about Carrie and Johan’s impulsive beach wedding in Thailand and the terrifying way it ends, I was pulled into the emotional weight of this book, a feeling that only grew as the story unfolded. Twelve years after that day, Carrie has carved out a loving life with her husband Robin and their young twins in the English countryside, yet one online discovery about Johan’s survival unearths a tide of longing, regret, and unanswered questions that shook me right in the chest. The way Walsh delicately balances the present with flashes of the past made Carrie’s emotional journey feel lived in and richly nuanced, not just a puzzle to be solved. Readers see her wrestle with loyalty, memory, and identity, not as abstract ideas but as forces shaping every choice she makes, and this honest portrayal of a woman caught between two worlds stayed with me long after I put the book down.

What struck me the most was how this story blends romantic intensity with thoughtful introspection: the pages teem with suspense, but at the heart is a very human exploration of how first love can linger, even when life seems settled. The characters felt wonderfully dimensional to me, especially Carrie, whose vulnerability and resilience made her easy to root for.

I also appreciated how Walsh treated the mystery with respect, never cheapening emotional stakes for shock value. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars, because while the pacing took a bit to fully grip me, the emotional payoff and thematic depth made it a resonant and compelling read that I found hard to forget.

[Lori Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The One Day You Were My Husband had me reading in my bed at 4:15 a.m. because you reach a point in the book where you just can't stop! This book did me in and I mean that in the best possible way! Rosie Walsh has a huge hit on her hands with this book because it's one of the very best I've read in a long time! In 2010 Carrie and Johan fall madly in love and after only 5 months decide to get married on a beach in Thailand. Carrie is training to be a surgeon and Johan makes a living scrub diving to bring up treasures from the ocean bottom. They are in Thailand when they quickly decide to marry as they met here for a vacation. They marry on the beach and wear things they find at the local shops, including rings. As they're celebrating their marriage, they are dancing on the beach late at night. All of a sudden there are flashing lights as men swarm them with guns and they're pointed at Johan! Johan is arrested and taken into police custody. Carrie has no idea what's happening or why and is overcome with emotion. Johan refuses to speak to Carrie and that's the last she sees of him before returning to England.

The book is told in two timelines and now we fast forward to 2022. Carrie has married Robin and has twin 6 year old children, a boy and a girl. The kids were born 3 months early and they were in the hospital for months. Carrie was with them in hospital the entire time. It took a long time for her body to recover and for the kids to get strong enough to leave the NICU. Carrie gave up her career to focus on the children and their health needs. As Carrie is researching what it would take to start surgical training again, she comes across an online post that tells her Johan is out of prison and has been for years! How could this be? Why wouldn't Johan have contacted Carrie? Carrie was told he'd be in prison for 25 years or longer. All of these years and she feels the need to know what happened. She can't believe Johan did anything against the law knowingly. Why did no one let her know he was out? Carrie only has one choice and it's to go find out for herself. What will Carrie find out? Will she find Johan? Will he tell her what really happened and how he got out? This book is one I couldn't put down and was thinking about when I wasn't reading it! I rate The One Day You Were My Husband 5+ stars with my very highest recommendation! Get this book and devour it. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Viking for an advanced copy of The One Day You Were My Husband in exchange for a fair review.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

For readers who LOVED The Last Thing He Told Me.

I tried Walsh's first book, The Love of My Life, which was a GMA book club pick, but didn't really love it. The premise of The One Day You Were My Husband was intriguing to me, so I decided to try it.

I'm not even sure what to call this book. Literary romantic suspense? It has a slow pace with a lot of backstory on the characters. The premise is that Carrie, a British surgeon, has a whirlwind romance with Johan, a Swedish guy and they marry in Thailand (not 100% sure if the marriage was legal, but that is FAR from their worst problem. Immediately after the wedding, he is captured by Thai police and put in prison.)

The most aggravating part of the book for me is how much the main character is kept in the dark about this. I'll put spoilers under protection, but basically Johan tells her he's guilty and to get on with her life, so she does. She remarries and has premature twins with Robin, a guy she met at a benefit in the UK. Then one day on the internet, she spots Johan. He's alive, out of prison, and back in Sweden.

Blah blah, Carrie spirals. We learn that her mother, who is a (half?) Malaysian activist, uses all her contacts to try to help Johan, but is eventually told that he was involved with a dangerous international drug gang and will be worse off if they try to intervene. Everyone begs Carrie to forget him, so she does. She remarries, has the twins, quits her job to take care of the twins. Then she ends up in Sweden with Johan, who tells her that he was carrying pills into Thailand for her mother, who was using them to help treat women, and that he also brought in some Adderall for a colleague. She's furious at her mother, who abandoned her as a child. THEN at the very end we learn that that colleague Johan was carrying the pills for was ... Robin. Carrie's husband. Robin then kidnaps the twins. Someone (I think Robin or his well-connected shady boss) was able to get Johan a pardon and get him out of prison. But Carrie's mother told Johan to stay away from Carrie, even though they were soulmates, etc. Just go with it. Then at the end Carrie and Robin are (remotely) co-parenting and she's living in Sweden with Johan. WHAT.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Chrissie Whitley]

March 2026, DNF at 15%. The One Day You Were My Husband surprised me a bit, especially since I really liked Ghosted several years ago. That one balanced mystery, romance, and character work in a way that felt layered and satisfying. This, however, leans much more heavily into standard thriller territory — and not in a way that worked for me.

The reliance on present tense felt like a crutch to maintain momentum, and while the prologue caught my attention, it didn’t take long for the story to settle into a rhythm of familiar tropes, questionable choices, and moments I felt like I had to overlook rather than buy into. By the time I hit 15%, it felt like I was tolerating the story more than engaging with it, and I ultimately tapped out.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

People really love this book. I was really kind of tepid on this one.

I do think the plot is unusual and I found myself curious at first. Unfortunately, that curiosity began to wane and my frustration with the characters began to grow.

Ultimately, the only characters I felt anything for were the main character's two young children. Everyone else just read as...non-entities.

I didn't hate the book. I had enough curiosity to finish the book, however I found myself rather bored with how everything works out.

I think that this one just wasn't really for me.

* ARC via Publisher

[Christina C · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was decent! Some parts, more than others…some parts took a while to get into, but the ending was good. The main character I couldn’t connect with, but other than that it is a story about heartbreak and finally getting answers to questions you need to move forward.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked me from the start and didn't let go!! This latest from the best selling author of The love of my life is easily my newest fav from her! I was captivated, enthralled and couldn't put the dual timeline love story down. I can't recommend this enough! It was good on audio, had lots of depth, angst and twists and I had to race to see how things worked out. 10/10 recommend, especially for fans of authors like Laura Dave. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!

[Lee Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Love of My Life in 2022, I knew this one would be at the top of my list. The One Day You Were My Husband is the perfect balance of romance, mystery and part thriller. The story opens taking you back to the past as you meet Carrie Cole on her wedding day in Thailand about to marry Joann Kullberg. Carrie is a surgical intern surviving long shifts when she meets Joann and they are swept into a whirlwind romance. They have only been together a few months when they impulsively decide to marry. After they are married and begin to celebrate, a group of armed men storm in and drag Joann away. Carrie is beside herself. He is taken to prison and Carrie is left with questions, but is forced to leave Joann and their past behind her. Fast forward twelve years later, Carrie has gotten her life back together. She has worked hard to put Joann and the questions that surround his incarceration behind her. She is now married to Robin, a philanthropy consultant, raising twin girls on the English Moors. After a difficult difficult premature birth she took a step back from surgery. Robin is out of work, so she has decided to return to surgery and needs to travel to Stockholm where her former mentor has offered her a spot. Carrie and Robin have a rental property and as she is on the Roof website one night she stumbles across a listing only to discover Joann is out of prison and living in Stockholm. Of course she deep dives head first into Joann and his early release and what has taken place in his life since. Carrie needs answers and as the truth slowly comes out, nothing in the past or present is what she thought.
I highly recommend this book as it has a little something for everyone. Rosie Walsh is an instant read for me and I look forward to her next novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Pub Date: May 19, 2026 - Add this to your list.

[Jeanniehay64 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read ! This book was full of twists and the perfect mix of thriller and love story combined.

The characters were well written, I felt like I knew them, The plot was brilliant. How our past can shape our future so well explored, also how unexplained events can never really be forgotten until we find out the answers,

Motherhood, career , love, control and trust are all tied up in this page turning book. I highly recommend it .

[Nicole Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down, the best ARC I’ve ever received in a giveaway so far! I enjoyed reading Carrie and Johan’s story. I loved not knowing what was going to happen next and the few jaw dropping surprises in the book. I was intrigued from start to finish and could not put it down. I love Rosie Walsh’s writing specifically when she describes how the FMC is feeling. I loved not knowing that there was a shocking twist and I appreciate how it ended. So lucky to have experienced this read!

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this was so good, I was completely swept away.

Carrie and Johan meet, and the connection between them is instant, magnetic, impossible to resist. What follows is a whirlwind romance with that rare feeling of being truly seen by another person. They run off to Thailand together, marry on the beach, and then, in a single devastating moment, Johan is taken by militia.

Carrie does her best to move forward. She builds a life, marries again, has twins… but that brief, brilliant chapter of her past never stops haunting her. It’s a wound full of unanswered questions, and the ache of what might have been.

The One Day You Were My Husband is a heartbreaking blend of romance, mystery, betrayal, and gasp worthy twists. I was on the edge of my seat as Carrie’s story unfolded through Rosie Walsh’s gorgeous, lyrical prose. The ending is messy in the most human way, exactly what I hoped for, and wholly earned by the characters.

A stunning, emotional read that lingers long after the final page.

I voluntarily read a copy courtesy of the publisher. These are my thoughts and opinions.

[Molly]

I might need to preorder this! I love Rosie Walsh. I found her last year.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

I love when a story digs into the “what ifs” of past relationships, and a reconnection with someone from your past can go in so many directions, so I was naturally drawn to this one.

The One Day You Were My Husband is exactly the kind of emotional, slightly twisty relationship drama I like to get lost in—where the lines between like, regret, and what-might-have-been all blur together. The premise hooked me right away: two people connected by this intense, unfinished history suddenly thrown back into each other’s orbit, and all the old feelings come rushing up in ways they’re definitely not prepared for. This story has a good blend of romance, heartbreak, and just enough suspense to keep you turning pages, wondering what actually happened all those years ago and what’s still being kept quiet.

I really enjoyed the emotional layers Rosie Walsh incorporated. It’s not just a second-chance love story; it digs into timing, choices, and how one moment can alter the entire course of your life. The characters feel messy in a real, relatable way, and even the quieter moments have this underlying tension that pulls you through.

But I will say, there were a few things that didn’t resonate the way I wanted. Some parts moved a little slow and I found myself wanting the momentum to pick up sooner. A few of the characters’ decisions felt a bit repetitive, circling the same conflicts without much movement. And while the emotional tension is strong, some reveals didn’t hit with the impact I hoped for. But nonetheless, I enjoyed this engaging mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for an advance copy in exchange for my feedback.

[MrsHarvieReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh is a slow burn mystery with a side of medical drama. The carefully paced plot, told in past and present timelines, features Carrie, a trained British surgeon, who quickly falls in love with Johan, a handsome stranger, and spontaneously marries him on a trip to Thailand. On their wedding day, he is taken forcefully by police and never heard from again. She spends the next dozen years recovering from that trauma and building a life with her husband Robin and raising their premature twins. One day she discovers that Johan is alive in Sweden, and she attempts to piece together what happened in Thailand and why.

It took some time for the story to hold my attention. I found the pacing a bit uneven and I struggled to connect with the characters. Carrie was often the victim and all of the side characters seemed to have something to hide. I do enjoy medical dramas, however, and particularly enjoyed going behind the scenes with her trauma and surgery rotations. The final reveal was a surprise to me but it felt somewhat underwhelming. Ultimately, this slow burn domestic mystery didn't quite hit the mark for me 2.75/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books, Pamela Dorman books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own

[LindaPf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading (and crying) when I read Rosie Walsh’s “The Love of My Life.” The author’s newest, “The One Day You Were My Husband” takes on those overarching themes again: true love and the sudden loss of it, hidden secrets ready to ruin lives, and can you ever leave the past behind?

I’m pretty sure that if you loved Laura Dave’s “The Last Thing He Told Me” then you’ll be equally mesmerized by Walsh’s latest.

In this domestic suspense story, an impromptu beach wedding in Thailand ends as the groom gets thrown into a van by armed men. So what happens to the abandoned bride? Carrie Cole, a British surgical resident, is left adrift as she learns her new Swedish husband, a diving instructor she has only known for a few months, Johan, has been arrested for smuggling/distributing drugs in a very non-tolerant country. She’s had a very complicated relationship with her estranged mother, an international women’s activist, but she finally calls her for help and surprisingly, her mother immediately comes to Thailand. And although her mom has deep influential contacts, Johan pleads guilty and is sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Carrie returns to England and to her surgical training (a job she knows she was always meant to have). Eventually, at a charity gala, she meets, falls in love with, and marries Robin, a financial consultant, with whom she is totally honest with regarding Johan. Carrie and Robin eventually become parents, but the twins’ birth disrupts her life again — the babies are ultra premature and sickly; she quits being a doctor and chooses childcare over a career.

But as the kids get older and better, she wants to retrain again as a surgeon and agrees to shadow a respected former mentor in Stockholm. As her mind returns to Sweden, she’s shocked to accidentally find out that Johan is long out of prison, is now a successful architect and is married with a son. The man who was supposedly so in love with her had never contacted her after his prison nightmare ended. Why?

I know this novel doesn’t initially seem like the domestic thriller it turns into, and it’s more like a long contemplation on lost love, starting over, and ignoring the lure to revisit the past. Carrie has never been the most confident person; she always believes catastrophe is near and then allows someone else to guide her worst case mental scenarios back to normalcy. Her resolve to totally erase Johan from her life begins to weaken once she’s back in Sweden.

I became as totally enraptured as Carrie in learning the truth of the past but there’s one final twist that just flabbergasted me. I had to rethink where I thought the story was going. There’s no straightforward villain and no neat way to wrap everything up. There is a lot of misguided love. Carrie’s life will always be messy since that day on the beach. 4.5 stars

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): MAYBE? Carrie’s eyes were the same color as his childhood cat’s.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO We do get to travel between snowy Sweden and tropical Thailand.

Thank you to Pamela Dorman/Penguin Viking and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

[Corinne Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrie, an aspiring surgeon, crosses paths with Johan, and their love affair is one for the ages. Six months into their relationship, they are on a trip to Thailand and they get married. And all hell breaks loose on their wedding night when the local authorities crash the party and arrest Johan. Carrie is left baffled by what is taking place. Over the ensuing days, she becomes frustrated when she isn’t able to find out what is going on. Even after she finally is able to speak to Johan, he just tells her to go back home and just forget about him. Fast forward to a dozen years later, when Carrie is remarried with 6 year old twins and a Google search reveals that Johan has been released from Thailand. Carrie cannot stop herself from thinking about him and wanting answers for what happened all those years ago. This persistence opens up a can of worms where all of a sudden she finds out things she was not prepared for. The mystery was perfectly executed, and I was highly entertained with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley & Pamela Dorman Books for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Catbytheseareads ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG this book a super slow burn. A twisty end that has you guessing and wrong all the time with how and whats. I admit to starting and stopping this book mainly because at times I either needed more or I needed a break from the side characters confusing names? I'm not sure what else it was.
The location takes place between England, Thailand and Sweden.
Carrie Cole is an aspiring young surgeon in training until she meets Johan and begins a quick whirlwind love affair where they meet, move in and marry with in a few months time. The night of their wedding he is taking to jail in Thailand. Carrie and her Mom do everything to get him out of prison to no avail.
Skip ahead 12 years later Carrie is married and has twins. She has to stop being a surgeon due to the twins and now she sees Johan was pardoned and released 6 years ago.

[Kari Ann Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ONE DAY YOU WERE MY HUSBAND was fresh, unexpected and a wholly satisfying reading experience. The story is a slow-burning, emotionally charged mystery/suspense/domestic drama that simmers with delectable twists and endearing love.

While it's not an off-the-rails paced narrative, the multiple timeframes created a steady pace. It had me turning the pages and guessing (and then re-guessing) until the very end. I found myself alternating between print and audio because once I got to a certain spot I couldn't put it down.

[Angela | nerdslovebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I'd give this book 4 stars, the surprises kept on coming. I enjoyed that this book was a good mix between romance and mystery with a sprinkle of family drama. I wasn't sure what direction the story was going to go given Carrie's past relationship with Johan and her current marriage to Robin, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of happenings along the way. I found Carrie to be an interesting character, super accomplished, smart, and career driven woman, who falls head over heels in love with Johan and lost herself and then finds herself along the way. I enjoyed Carrie's family dynamic a whole lot, her relationship with Maya, her mother, and her father were all so unique and special in their own way. The downside to this book, at least for me, was the logistics of everything, the different countries and the laws and customs were hard to keep up with at times.

*First love/love triangle?
*Family
*Mystery
*Carrie's POV - 1st person
*Dual timeline

Format: ebook

Thank you NetGalley, Rosie Walsh, and Viking Penguin for the ARC.