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His Other Life

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The story of a couple with seemingly perfect lives…and the secrets they hide behind closed doors.

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jo Jo Moyes.

He was hiding a terrible secret . . .

Grace’s new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming – almost too good to be true . . .

So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace’s life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions.

As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies – and starts to learn that Adam wasn’t so perfect after all.

What shameful secrets was her husband hiding? Is Grace in danger? And can she survive the truth? However terrible it may be . . .

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2015

42 people are currently reading
492 people want to read

About the author

Beth Thomas

131 books20 followers

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5 stars
155 (16%)
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243 (25%)
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316 (33%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
Profile Image for Maxine (Booklover Catlady).
1,436 reviews1,430 followers
April 6, 2015
This won't be one of my longer, more detailed reviews sadly. This book was such a let down for me. I had kind of guessed it was a chick-lit style book being compared to Jo-Jo Moyes (nothing like) but I like my chick-lit to really hold my interest and not be like an insipid weak cup of tea.

This wasn't my cup of tea at all....in fact I was bored for most of it. That's about as honest as I can get. I knew from the start when I got that uh-oh, I don't feel like picking up my Kindle feeling that things may go wrong between me and this book and they did.

The synopsis made it sound so interesting:

The story of a couple with seemingly perfect lives…and the secrets they hide behind closed doors.

He was hiding a terrible secret . . .

Grace’s new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming – almost too good to be true . . .

So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace’s life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions.

As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies – and starts to learn that Adam wasn’t so perfect after all.


But I found the characters lacked depth, and the plot to be too slow for my liking. I have loved a lot of great chick-lit books no matter what the theme. I give this one 2.5 stars. I know it has five star reviews also so I honestly would recommend you make your own mind up on this one. I hate rating so low, but it was just very okay. Just okay.

Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lisa.
750 reviews168 followers
April 2, 2015
This started off well. The relationship between the couple was very engaging. But just a bit of the way into the story, one of the characters disappears and takes all that amusing banter with him. I just couldn't get very excited about anything after that. I wanted to like this because it was so fun at first, but it never picked up steam for me after that first bit. Just okay. 2.45 stars.
Profile Image for Megan.
470 reviews184 followers
March 19, 2015
I must say I was really intrigued by His Other Life straight away, not only is the cover completely eye-catching but the description was fascinating and I instantly wanted to know more.



Grace’s new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming – almost too good to be true . . . So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace’s life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions. As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies – and starts to learn that Adam wasn’t so perfect after all. What shameful secrets was her husband hiding? Is Grace in danger? And can she survive the truth? However terrible it may be . . .



From the very beginning I found myself hooked to Beth’s writing and the story – I was captivated and fascinated by what I was reading in equal measures, and I always wanted to know more about Adam…just who is he? Where has he disappeared to and why? What really happened?



I liked Grace straight away, I really warmed to her character and I particularly felt for her with everything she was going through and the sudden disappearance of her husband Adam. I just wanted to reach out and give her a huge hug, she is truly devastated by what has happened and I spent the book very much backing her and rooting for her as she tried to discover the truth about Adam. Like Grace I was absolutely desperate to find out what had happened, and I raced through the story on Grace’s journey.



Beth Thomas is a great storyteller, she unravelled details over time and I had no idea which way the storyline would go, so I thoroughly enjoyed all the revelations and putting the pieces together along with Grace. His Other Life is a compelling and intriguing story that will have your attention throughout.
Profile Image for Shasni Bala.
37 reviews11 followers
September 21, 2017
This is a chick lit genre but there's a splash of mystery to it. The idea of this book is good. This book started off very well which was what made me hooked at the first place. But then I was really disappointed! Half way through this book you just don't get a clue of Grace's husband disappearance but rather unnecessary braggy context. In addition to that, I do not find the climax was strong enough as the title may suggest which of course left very disappointed. I was probably expecting more out of this book. I'm not sure if I will recommend this book but everyone has different opinion, so you might enjoy it and have a different point of view.
Profile Image for Laura.
358 reviews105 followers
March 2, 2015
His Other Life started off really well - I was hooked. However throughout the novel I wasn't sure what genre I was reading. At times it felt like a crime novel but then it would almost slot into the chick-lit genre and it made for a little bit of a tricky read. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be on edge all the time or whether it was ok to find certain things funny or accept the changing relationships between the characters. The cover didn't really help with matters either as it looked quite tame and almost magical when in fact the narrative wasn't like that at all!
The novel was incredibly well written - I love the narrative voice and the style of writing but for me, it just fell a little flat towards the end. Maybe because I'm used to reading a lot of crime novels where there are big reveals and huge twists in the plot I was expecting something similar from this one.
I had worked out most of what had happened before the end of the book which was a little anticlimactic but I think it could be the fault of me, as a reader, for not connecting with it completely.
The pace of this novel is superb though, I was constantly wanting to read a little bit more and found it hard to put down.
Profile Image for Bookread2day.
2,573 reviews63 followers
July 21, 2019


A must buy must read. I loved reading His Other Life by Beth Thomas. I just could not put this novel down. What it is very clear to me is that Beth Thomas writes with great focus and with excellent plot ideas.

Grace's life is just like any other woman's she is married to a good looking charming man who she loves very much with all of her heart. Adam and Grace have been married for just one year. But what is extraordinary is that Grace has no details of Adams past life.

One evening while Adam out getting a curry for them he disappears. There is simmering of tension surrounding Adam's disappearance. The police find it hard to track down where Adam has disappeared to.

Adams parents think something nasty has happened to him and that he is dead somewhere but just not been found. Grace doesn't seem to think her husband is dead. His Other Life wraps us so thoroughly through both of Grace's and Adam's life to the extent of Grace finding out through a safe of secrets there is horror and total betrayal in store for her about Adams past life.
Was marrying Adam the biggest mistake Grace has made?

His Other Life is not to be missed it is cleverly plotted. A suspense-filled woman's fiction page-turner. If you loved the Husband's Secret you will love reading His Other Life.
Profile Image for Ali Bookworm.
677 reviews41 followers
April 25, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It did ring very true in parts as I did have a boyfriend who disappeared and turned up again. Also anybody who knows what its like having a secrative partner who cannot leave their phone alone will also understand Grace's plight. An enjoyable story and just proves you cant always know a person 100 prr cent and not everyone is what they seem.
Profile Image for Book-shelf Shelf.
473 reviews35 followers
March 24, 2015
I thought this was going to be one where the bloke has another life with a different family etc, but how wrong was i? Adam disappears leaving Grace confused about a lot and needing answers. What follows is a story of eye opening journey which Grace has to travel to get the answers she needs. The book is funny and brilliant entertainment as well as a mystery which last until the final page.
Profile Image for Annie Mondesir.
Author 1 book116 followers
March 11, 2015
After finishing this fabulously told tale, I had to “google” Beth Thomas. I wanted to see how many books she had written, that I had missed. One thing I found hysterical in this story, was that her main character; Gracie, often goes to “google” any answers she is seeking….even to find out if her relationship with her landlord, Adam was not deemed appropriate. After all, she married him…but, it was made me giggle at the things she would google, as if it were the Ann Landers of our times for her.
Beth Thomas is indeed a gifted writer and kept me interested the entire time I read this story. It was chuck full of humor, mystery and total intrigue. I read this in just two sittings, and only because I had something I had to tend to…the kind of book, that you look forward to getting back to. Mostly, because I could not figure it out, there was nothing that set you up to know the ending…that was fantastic, and not often the case.
Almost anything I write would be a spoiler, so I would like to state this: Gracie and Adam are married for one year. He disappears. Gracie learns that she did not know the man she married in the first place; yet, she did not ask much before getting married in the first place. I can summarize this story with a quote from the book, “The absence of any information about him (Adam) has become like a third person in our marriage”
And, I need to give props for her obsession with Adam’s cell phone….I was laughing out loud at how much she wanted to find out what was on that phone!! If you were ever tempted to look at your significant others cell phone, you will know exactly why I was laughing.
This story will keep you guessing, at the edge of your seat…Marvelous Story!!
Profile Image for Kelly.
193 reviews5 followers
April 13, 2015
Well where do I start? It was dull. Boring, didn't do anything for me at all. I found it hard to pick my kindle up just to trudge through this book.

It promised so much - we'd find out about Adams life, as it was the major secret in this book. Where was Adam? Why had he disappeared? And what would Grace do to find him? Oh yes, she hit google...actually she googled everything. Well apart from the obvious thing that she really needed to google to start making headway.

Her best friends older brother, Matt, helps her on her search for Adam. He is a police officer. As she reveals to him about her breakthrough - why does he insist on going places with her, or helping her, why not inform his superiors? Why does he seem to forget he is a police officer?

I'd say for the first 75-80% of the book all we really hear about is Grace whining about Adam. Whine, whine, whine. It's all she does and I found her mundane.

Sorry,but I wouldn't recommend this.
Profile Image for Kim.
2,120 reviews64 followers
March 15, 2015
Kate and Adam have been married a year when a mystery call from someone called Leon is recorded on their answer phone. After deciding to go and fetch a curry, Adam just fails to come home. Initially worried she reports it to the police. They start an investigation and his car is found in another part of the country, without the curry.

Where is he, is he safe and was it the call from Leon that spooked him? The book follows her dealing with the aftermath of him disappearing and unravelling certain things about their relationship.

I loved the characters in the book- her friend worked in a fancy dress shop and that added some amusing anecdotes.

With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book to review.
Profile Image for ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up.
2,902 reviews439 followers
April 24, 2015

Oh, this wasn't what I was expecting AT ALL.

Going by the blurb it sounded exciting and a wife who was suddenly missing a husband, he had vanished and she wanted to find him.

Upon her search she comes upon secrets.....


That's what I was thinking I would be reading.

This plot was moving so slow I was kinda wanting to 'hurry it up' and I will admit to doing something that I NEVER do, and that's skim pages to see if it will pick up again. It didn't.

I was disappointed in this, I did stick to it until the end.

I just don't think it was my 'cuppa tea'


Thank you to HarperCollins UK, Avon for my copy via Net Galley
Profile Image for Megan Jones.
1,561 reviews25 followers
July 10, 2017
Grace's new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. When Adam suddenly disappears, Grace is heartbroken and bewildered. As she desperately tries to find Adam, Grace realises he was not the man she thought and his secrets come spilling out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found it devastating whilst still remaining hilarious. Thomas very quickly has Adam disappear and fills in his and Grace's backstory as the plot progresses, this is the best way of doing it and means we quickly get a thick atmosphere. The investigation that Grace undertakes is well written and Thomas does not drag anything out. Once the big reveal has happened it was easy to see what had happened to Adam. I was not disappointed as it was an exciting secret and meant big consequences for everyone involved.
Grace as a character was likeable but naive, as she recounts her relationship with Adam, I found some of the things she overlooked hard to believe. The light relief and hilarity comes in the form of Grace's friendship with her best friend, Ginge. They have a very close, caring relationship but are hilarious together as well. 
'His Other Life' is a highly entertaining read with a satisfying mystery at its heart. The novel is well written and Thomas captures the emotion and recovery of Grace well. 
Profile Image for Fabulous Book Fiend.
1,195 reviews173 followers
April 12, 2015
Review: this book was totally not what I was expecting. From the cover this looks like a kind of typical women's fiction novel but it is something so much darker and more mysterious than that with the wonderful romance of a women's fiction novel at its heart! The storyline overall was fast-paced, twisty and packs a real punch. There is a definite element of mystery there which normally I'm not a massive fan of but because I felt so invested in the characters, I really enjoyed! The ups and downs were really quite unexpected and the amount that happens over such a short time frame is seriously impressive!

The characters themselves are interesting. Grace, our lovely female protagonist is a naive kind of person with plenty of redeeming qualities but I did sometimes want to grab her and shake her for naivety and I did find it a little unbelievable that she really did know so little about the world. She seems to have buried her head in the sand for several years though because of the circumstances she is in and so she can definitely be forgiven that! I have to say, I loved Grace's best friend, Ginger. She was a real treat to read and so unpredictable, you never knew what she was going to say or do next.

Adam is definitely the villain of the story and I hated him from the word go,. He is someone that it is entertaining to hate through and I really wanted to shout at him as well as Grace for being so controlling and manipulative. Without all of that though, the story wouldn't have been what it is, it is very much a character driven novel!

Its pretty hard to write any concluding remarks about the book without giving any spoilers. I really liked the ending and the loved the romance thread running through the novel the whole time so so much. Some of the twists and turns were slightly unbelievable but I really felt like I was going through this ordeal the whole time with Grace and so therefore I was truly invested in the story. Because of the fast-paced thriller aspect of this novel I found it really hard to put down and I think this would be a great introduction to the world of suspense or thriller novels for those among us who are usually women's fiction fans in the first instance!
Profile Image for Jody.
341 reviews115 followers
April 12, 2015
Review first posted on my blog: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...

Grace has been happily married to her husband Adam for one year and she still can’t quite believe she managed to get together with a guy like Adam. He's good-looking, charming, has a good job… What more could a girl wish for, right? But then Adam suddenly disappears from Grace's life when he is supposed to get some Indian takeaway, but never returns home. Grace is left behind heartbroken and doesn't know what to do, besides try and find Adam. What happened? Did someone do this to Adam or was it free will? The questions keep on coming, and Grace has no idea what to think or to believe. It doesn’t take long before she starts to realise Adam maybe wasn’t the perfect charming guy she thought he was, and that this is just beginning of all the secrets and lies.

Before I picked up ‘His Other Life’, I was already fascinated by the short description of the book and its alluring cover, but I was also a bit in doubt about what genre to expect exactly. While the cover has an almost magical touch to it, the plot also has elements of chick lit and crime, so I had no idea what to expect exactly. However, whatever genre the book fits into, Beth Thomas once again engaged me with her addictive, funny and comfortable-to-read writing style and I ended up really enjoying this read. She really has a great narrative voice and managed to hold my attention from the first chapter until the last.

The main protagonist Grace was really easy to like, even though she is incredibly naïve. Her character really develops throughout the novel, which is not that strange considering everything she goes through after her husband suddenly disappears. I also really liked the secondary characters, such as Grace’s best friend Ginger (who cracked me up) and Grace’s family. While I do think the cover and synopsis do not reflect the story inside of this novel 100%, Beth Thomas is a promising voice and I already can’t wait to read her next novel. Overall, ‘His Other Life’ is an addictive, captivating and entertaining mix of chick-lit, drama and crime, and a novel that is certainly worth picking up!
Profile Image for Lainy.
1,995 reviews72 followers
June 27, 2016
Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon

Blurb from Goodreads

He was hiding a terrible secret...

Grace’s new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming – almost too good to be true...

So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace’s life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions.

As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies – and starts to learn that Adam wasn't so perfect after all.

What shameful secrets was her husband hiding? Is Grace in danger? And can she survive the truth? However terrible it may be..




My Review

I loved the blurb for this, it sounded like a great mystery and martial secrets. Grace and Adam seem to have everything on the surface, beautiful, job security and everyone likes them. But Adam disappears after a strange call and Grace is left wondering where Adam has gone, is he safe and who is Leon?

The story starts off good and draws you in, I know I really wanted to know what happened to Adam and who was the mysterious Leon. However, as the story goes on, the police become involved and we start to see exactly what Grace and Adams relationship was like I got really frustrated. Grace's character is so naive, irritating and innocent for being a married woman although we find out as the tale goes on how young she is. Some of the way the characters converse with each other irritated me, the best friend Ginger is so inappropriate and annoying considering what Grace is going through.

I think the problem for me was a lot of the actions and narrative grated on me or I had to suspend belief because I couldn't imagine adults behaving like that or talking the way they did considering the circumstances. An example of this would be jocular chat between two characters calling each other dog breath and slug head. I am very much in the minority I think though as so many people seemed to have loved it so definitely give it a bash yourself, you may love it, 2/5 for me though.
Profile Image for Vicki_cosy.books.
190 reviews31 followers
April 9, 2015
I had no idea what to expect from this book before I started it. The cover screams chick lit while the blurb hints at something more sinister. After finishing it, I'd say it definitely edges on the side of chick lit. But good chick lit, with a fresh and original slant, a mystery to solve and laugh out loud humour by the bucketful.

Grace is endearingly scatty, frustratingly so at times, but I warmed to her. I loved the chatty style Beth Thomas wrote this novel in and it's almost like a running commentary of Grace's thought process. The secondary characters are equally as fun to read and I enjoyed the few hours I spent in their company. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion!

The 'mystery' angle is interesting, especially given the popularity of psychological thrillers right now. If you're expecting this kind of book though, you may be disappointed. His Other Life refuses to take itself seriously. The search for Grace's missing husband verges on the ridiculous at times, and is definitely more parody than chilling' who dunnit'. That said, I was quite surprised at a more serious tone towards the end.

His Other Life isn't going to appeal to everyone. Personally, I liked it. It was fun, it made me smile and I enjoyed Beth Thomas's easy writing style. This book is perfect comfort reading, ideal for holidays and lazy weekends. If you love a romantic comedy with a bit of a different spin, then I think His Other Life would be a good bet.
Profile Image for Adele.
831 reviews
March 6, 2015
This was the first novel by Beth Thomas that I’ve read and can honestly say I loved it. Firstly, I loved the cover of the book. They say you should never judge a book by its cover but this cover looked so pretty but had an air of mystery about it.

The premise of the story is that Grace and Adam have been married just a year. Recently Grace has had an uneasy feeling about Adam and when she gets home and finds a message on the answer machine for Adam from someone she has never heard of she becomes intrigued. Adam returns home from work and Grace informs him of the message to which Adam replays it back. Adam carries on as normal and sets off to get their takeaway treat but he never returns. Hours later Grace gets worried and rings the Police. The story follows on with how Grace copes with her husband’s disappearance. Grace starts to learn about Adam, the real Adam, his life she didn’t know about.

Beth Thomas, the author, was very clever with this story. It could have gone a totally different route with a missing person as the main storyline but Beth has created some wonderful, warm, fun loving characters in this novel. There were some great crazy moments. I was chuckling many times and will never forget Elvis!

Brilliant story with laughs and loves from a great storyteller. A new author to add to my favourite’s list. A great 5/5* read.
Profile Image for Sarah.
2,978 reviews232 followers
April 1, 2015
Thank you to Harpercollins UK, Avon and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know if it's because I've read quite a lot of thrillers lately but unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong it is well written but the story just didn't grab me and I couldn't connect to any of the characters.

For me, because of the storyline, I would have liked the story to go at a faster pace but instead I found it seemed to drag on and personally couldn't wait to find out the reason for Adam's disappearance. Unfortunately the reasoning behind the disappearance didn't really blow me away and overall left me feeling rather disappointed.

I think if you like a thriller but at a slow pace then this is ideal for you. The growing friendship between Grace and Matt was nice to read and made the book more enjoyable. I just wish the twist towards the end could have had more oomph to it as i would have awarded it 4 stars instead of 3.
Profile Image for Janet.
145 reviews9 followers
September 13, 2015

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read anything by Beth Thomas before but will be buying another of her books....easy comfortable reading.

Grace, naive and complicit, married to perfect Adam. Is he just that little bit too perfect perhaps? When Adam suddenly disappears Grace comes into her own and transforms into a one woman detective agency. Determined to find out what happened to her husband is she prepared for the things she finds along the way?

The style of writing is so easy and relaxed with so many comedic inserts I was laughing while reading. It's so believable and I saw a lot of me within the book.
I'd say it's more about the transformation of Grace than the finding of her husband....
1,931 reviews32 followers
March 15, 2015
This book really drew me in. I love Beth's writing style, she has a way to make the characters really likeable. I loved the plot, where Grace's husband Adam goes missing and she and her friend Matt try to piece together what happened to him. I actually thought I knew what was going to happen early on but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The cover looks brilliant and enchanting and I couldn't wait to leap right in.
Profile Image for Laura Russo.
166 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2015
The book started out well and went quickly down hill. Absolutely no build. Way too much dialogue--which was soooo repetitious--and very little action. The characters were boring and unbelievable. No one could be as naive and ignorant as Grace. I believe the author was attempting to mimic Gone Girl and failed miserably.
Profile Image for Agi.
1,683 reviews105 followers
March 21, 2015
Last year I read Beth Thomas's debut novel "Carry You" and I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. So I really couldn't wait for a release of her second novel "His Other Life" - and when the cover was revealed I was super excited and actually almost hyperventilated, so beautiful it is! Nevertheless, don't be mistaken by this jacket - as much as it looks so fluffy and funny, it in fact represents one of the scenes from the book, which was not fluffy at all, to be honest. I don't what I was expecting from "His Other Life" but for sure not this what I've read, which of course doesn't mean that I didn't like the book - oh no, far away from not liking it, I really adored this story! It was so different to Beth's first book, and not so chick - litty, and it truly surprised me with how good it was. Although I haven't expected anything other from Beth Thomas!

The story follows Grace and Adam, a young couple that married a year ago. Grace thought that everything runs smoothly in her marriage but recently she finds herself not trusting her husband completely. One phone call to Adam from a stranger complicates things even more - he tries to shrug it off, saying it must have been a mistake, but after going for a takeaway, he never returns. Gracie informs the police, and soon his car is being found, in another part of the country, and without the takeaway - which to Grace means he has never planned on going and getting it at all! So did he leave out of his own free will? Grace is left alone with her thoughts and doubts. How is she going to cope with the sudden disappearance of her husband? What kind of secrets are going to see the light of the day? Was Adam the person she thought he is at all? Why has Adam gone so suddenly? Where did he go?

At the beginning I have thought, hell, Gracie, who are you and why are you doing what you're doing? Why are you spying on your husband, what is with your obsession with his mobile phone, why don't you just trust him? He's your husband, right? You've married him of your own free will, right? So what's the problem? Trying his locked bedside cabinet in case he left it open, waiting for him to leave the room to have a peek at his mobile, it looked like obsession. But gently Beth Thomas started to explain the whole relationship between those two and slowly I started to understand why Gracie was as she was.

As much as she annoyed me, I also liked Grace. She was naive, it's not a question, and she let other people, especially Adam, manipulate her, and this part of her I didn't like. Sometimes she also behaved like a spoiled child, as if she was a teenager, and this I also didn't enjoy. She was not good at making decisions, because making decisions means also facing the consequences, and so she happily let Adam to boss her around and dictate how she should lead her life, and she even allowed him to convince her to not to open any letters or look into his wardrobe! I mean, what? I can look in my husband's wardrobe as much as I like, thank you very much. But on the other hand, she made a great character, and I enjoyed reading about her. She exaggerated a lot but it only made her funnier and more likeable, although I really couldn't understand her fear of everything, writing the doomsday scenarios and seeing everything in black.
Her family is exceptionally likeable, and I totally adored how they were around each other, how they interacted with each other and just how familiar they were, and the mother's obsession and rivalry with the neighbours made me chuckle more than once, as I have this by myself: the neighbours on the left and those down right, if one family has something, the other has something better the next day, and I am always so enjoying the time race: who's going to decorate the garden for Easter or Christmas first and who's going to have more Easter - eggs or fairy lights on the trees, and it was the same with her parents, but it didn't make them unlikeable, oh no, it made them more normal and friendly. Grace's best friend Ginger was also brilliantly portrayed and I could really imagine having such a friend - there was nothing false or forced to this friendship and Ginger was always there for Grace, more even than Grace for her, and well, don't forget, Elvis lives! Ginge's brother Matt was a very unexpected, but very welcomed addition to the gang and I absolutely loved how his presence in the story impacted on plot and events. And Gracie's interactions with Matt were one of the greatest parts of the book, as those two just so went together, they teamed up so well together!

I don't know if it was intended, but I totally despised Adam and his family. They were all cold and it was just impossible to warm to them all. Well, Adam anyway, I really couldn't understand why Grace ended with him - the explanation that a guy like him would normally never pay attention to a girl like Grace was not a reason to marry him immediately, no? - I hated his attitude, he was a patronizing git and Grace was much better without him.

You know, I was so sure at around page 70 that I so know why Adam has disappeared and what's the problem with his mother, but reading farther and farther my smug face was slowly starting to have a look of disbelief and it turned out that my whole intricate plan of what happened and why, just collapsed. Beth Thomas has absolutely taken me by surprise, period. I didn't see this coming and believe me, as I'm reading so many books, it's not so easy to surprise me. Beth managed to do this perfectly. I think I can tell you what I was thinking is the case with Adam and his mother? I was namely sure that she's a schizophrenic, and Adam as well, hence her mood changes and Adam's disappearance and maybe living a second life. I also shortly thought that HE is Leon - so good was Beth in plotting and confusing me.

I only had some issues with Gracie and Adam's relationship and with Grace herself. I still don't know what brought those two together, how come did they end as wife and husband at all? Adam explained it more or less, but I really can't see any reason for Grace to marry him in the first place. She didn't know anything about him, and I mean ANYTHING, and yet she just went and married him. She let him patronise her and let him decide about everything in their life, and I just couldn't come to terms with it. I have also had some very teeny tiny problems with the police investigation as they didn't follow some obvious threads that even I would follow, but oh my gosh, for the sake of the story let's forget about those details and peanuts.

This book is brilliantly written, I couldn't put it down, so engrossed was I in the writing style and Beth telling the story. It is incredibly fast paced and the author is not afraid of complicating the lives of the characters. I was so curious how she's going to solve the problems, how she's going to explain the disappearance of Adam, and oh my, she has just exceeded all of my expectations. There was maybe a moment at the end of the book that I thought, come on Grace, you may be naive, but this all just doesn't add up and you clearly can't buy it? But well, it made me also feel a little unsure if it's not the truth. I have wondered together with Gracie, what happened with Adam, where he is and if he really leads a second secret life? As I kept reading, every theory that I had together with the man characters, just seemed to have been not what it seemed to be.

I was really debating for a long time with myself on how many stars rating should I settle, and I think that despite my initial issues with the characters and their decisions, this book is a wonderful, captivating read and it fully deserves a 5 stars rating.

It was an incredibly addictive read, compelling and it kept me on tenterhooks. "His Other Life" may be considered as a perfect mix of chick - lit, mystery and drama. I loved the way it developed and that Beth very skilfully intertwined seriousness of the moment with some humour, lighter scenes and witty one - liners. The dialogues sounded incredibly realistic, the characters were well established, and even if there were moments that I might have not agreed with their decisions or their attitude, I still found them likeable and believable, as well as the situations they were put into. There is also a very light romance - thread in the story, and I enjoyed this one immensely, and as much as I'd love to read more on this, I think the author has given us enough information on this, enough insight, and she focused - rightfully - on other issues, much more significant to the story. It is also so very cleverly written, and when you think that there is nothing more that could happen, the author drops a bomb or two, news or more, and it all throws you off the scent - you must just go with the flow and let Beth to take you on this wonderful rollercoaster of a book. "His Other Story" is a brilliant, captivating and intriguing story and I am already waiting for Beth Thomas's next book - can't wait to see what she's going to surprise us with next time.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.






Author 1 book4 followers
June 13, 2017
I read this book within days of when it was first published, and barely put it down from beginning to end!

The main character, Grace, is naive but loveable and within the first few pages I got really drawn in to her quest to find out what happened to her errant husband, Adam, who went out for takeaway one night then never returned... I soon felt like I was right there beside Grace on every step of her journey to discover the truth.

Beth Thomas really succeeds in keeping the tension and intrigue going throughout the story, making me speed through it barely stopping to eat or drink until I found out what REALLY happened. I will say no more to avoid dropping any spoilers! But this is a really fantastic book, perfect if you have a long journey or rainy weekend and want a story that will completely engross you and take you away from your daily reality... just don’t leave any pans boiling, forget to feed your pets/children, or neglect your personal hygiene as a result... this book is seriously addictive.

The ending itself was unexpected, I had spent the whole book trying to second-guess what was going on, but the truth took me very much by surprise. Nevertheless it was an uplifting ending and one I felt was deserved by all (again, I will say no more...)

I can’t wait to read more from Beth Thomas, I love her balance of intriguing storylines, relatable characters and a touch of romance to keep the reader interested. More please!
Profile Image for GenevieveNZ.
102 reviews
May 24, 2022
Beth Thomas' style of writing is quite refreshing, (I enjoyed Carry Me)so I googled for another one of her books. His Other Life started off well, but I was really annoyed when I got to the section where the 'Australian' psychic did her thing with her terrible accent. The way Thomas spelled each word as if it was an Australian speaking was just plain wrong and very difficult to read. Australians don't pronounce 'him' as 'hum', that's a New Zealander (I should know, I am a New Zealander) - Aussies pronounce it as 'heeem'. So the whole book annoyed me from that point on.

The plot climax/ mystery was a bit meh as well, and the love story was a bit predictable.
Profile Image for Amberly.
1,425 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2024
Started and finished date - 26.10.24 to 28.10.24.
My rating - two stars
I mixed feeling about this book, I did enjoyed this book but I didn't love it and this book bit too young for me but I do think this book has a great moral to the story. The atmosphere, worldbuilding was fine but I would like it be flash out bit more. The writing was okay and the paced of plot was bit rush for my liking. Both the cover of book and the characters was okay.
7 reviews2 followers
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October 2, 2025
None of the characters or their behaviour make any sense at all. They're cardboard cut-outs of people, and anything that might inconvenience the story (like employment) disappears too- conveniently. Plus Grace is so dense that she's frustrating and I constantly felt like I was being hit over the head with very obvious foreshadowing - there were no surprises.
Good plot idea, but the characters and slowness let it down.
Profile Image for Kerri Elizabeth .
256 reviews5 followers
January 2, 2019
Pretty cover, but a little bit dull.
Started off well, but I lost interest half way through.
The ending wasn’t quite as exciting as I would of hoped from a book like this.
Not a memorable read so only 2 stars from me
12 reviews
May 5, 2019
Started off well but by the end my interest was dwindling, I found it a bit predictive with regards to the characters. I found the main character very annoying, but nice easy read. Unfortunately it won't be staying on my bookcase
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