The Other Husband

by Kathryn Croft

One dinner party will destroy everything.

It’s a perfect evening on the night that throws a wrecking ball into Abby’s life. There’s still a hint of summer sun in the purple-streaked sky. Abby and her best friend, Sienna, look on fondly as their two husbands laugh under the garden gazebo. None of them know it’s the last time the four of them will be together again.

Bored of their daily routine and loosened up by wine, Abby finds herself going along with Sienna’s plan for their husbands to swap homes for the night. ‘How funny would it be – just for fun. Just to live a different life for a few hours. That’s all!’

But what starts out as just a little fun, has devastating consequences for all four of them. Alone with Sienna’s husband, Greg, Abby finds him unexpectedly charming. Inviting, even. And something happens that night that neither she nor Greg can take back.

Abby is desperate to tell her husband and Sienna the truth, but with Greg holding another huge secret over her head, she finds herself silenced. And then the unthinkable happens. Greg suddenly disappears. Is he simply running from his secrets? Or has Abby done something terrible, in order to protect her own?

The most gripping and twisty psychological thriller you’ll read this year from #1 bestseller Kathryn Croft. Perfect for readers who loved Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.

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

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2021

Reviews

[Nazanin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Told in multiple POV (mostly dual POV), 3rd person, it’s a standalone novel. I liked what I’ve read by this author before but this story didn’t live up to my expectations. Yes, it’s unpredictable and contains short chapters but it drags at some places and seems lengthy. All in all, it was an OK read and hope you enjoy it more than me!

[Tatterededges · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t understand the point of the partner swap, if not to have sex. I don’t even care, these four characters are all insipid. Sienna spends the entire book jumping to conclusions based on the most tenuous of links. Rob thinks so little of his wife, he’s ready to believe she slept with and murdered Greg. His mother is a 1 dimensional stereotype. Abby is just weak willed. None of them have any substance and their actions make no sense at all. The book is twice as long as it needs to be.

As for the killer, we’ll by the time of the big reveal, they’d already accused everyone else so, even though it’s completely nonsensical, they were the only character left in the book.

In short, this book is terrible.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bored with their daily routine and loosened up by wine, Abby finds herself going along with Sienna's plan for their husbands to swap homes for the night. But what starts out as just a little fun, has devastating consequences for all four of them. Alone with Sienna's husband, Greg, Abby finds him unexpectedly charming. Inviting, even. And something happens that night that neither she nor Greg can take back.

Sienna and Abby met at a pilates class. Abby and Rob have just moved to Winchmore Hill. Sienna is married to Greg. Greg has been married before and has a son with his first wife. They all quickly become friends. But one night, after a dinner party, they make a decision that will change their friendships forever.

Two couples are unhappy in their marriages but they're also reluctant to tell their spouses how they feel. This is a gripping thriller with a fast pace and it will keep you turning the pages until you reach the end. The plotline is intriguing but I did feel the story dragged out in parts. This is a well written story with lots of twists and turns.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Canelo and the author #KathrynCroft for my ARC of #TheOtherHusband in exchange for an honest review.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a regular reader of author Kathryn Croft’s novels finding them fast paced and addictive, but I found this one a little disappointing. It was still a good read but for me didn’t hit the high standards of many of the other books.

Abby ad husband Rob spend an evening with best friend Sienna and her husband Greg not realising that their lives are about to change. With the alcohol flowing the couples laughingly agree to swap partners for the night. What starts out as just a little fun, has devastating consequences for the couples. Abby discovers that Sienna’s husband, Greg is unexpectedly charming. And something happens that night that neither she nor Greg can take back.

Abby wants to tell Rob and Sienna the truth but can’t risk Greg sharing what he knows about her. She has no choice but to keep quiet. When Greg suddenly disappears. it questions whether he is running away from his secrets or has someone decided they can’t risk that he may share theirs?

There was plenty of the authors magic in the book but it failed to fully connect with me. Fast paced and interesting as always but a little too twisty for my tastes.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Canelo for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Nelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh that book was really frustrating because I hated all of 4 main characters!
The most hated being Sienna.
I wish someone could have slapped her... So intense like Greg said. No wonders he never confided in her!
She created all this mess and kept ruining people's lives too.
If you are not certain, don't spread the rumors!

Abby was not better with her lies! I don't know why she kept lying after the swap. I get it was to mislead the readers lol, but we knew something deeper happened that night.
She was stupid to still be friend with Sienna after all that...

Greg, oh well!

Now Rob was the least hated. I felt bad for him because he didn't want to play Sienna's silly game (with reason!!) but he lost big at the end. But in a way, it was his fault too since he chose to trust Sienna instead of his wife. Had he stood by Abby, they could have won against their own demons but oh well, he lets Sienna mess with his mind until it was too late.


Finally the murder revelation was anticlimatic and brought nothing to the story. Really lame!
Besides, a quick look at the chapters' list gave a hint when you see who is the last person telling their story before the epilogue. I suspected her from the beginning!

[Jenni Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 'psychological' suspense — who killed Greg—has a very strange style; it is told in the 3rd person voices of the two main women, Abby and Sienna, in alternative chapters, but the strange part is that it also has an overlying narrative style in that these women tell the reader what they are really thinking all the time; perhaps to make the reader wonder if they are telling themselves the truth (presumably, given most people don't try to deceive themselves so blatantly), or to fool the reader that both women are rather bizarre unreliable witnesses, even to their own thoughts! Turns out this latter hypothesis was not correct and it was just a lazy way for the author not to have to 'show' or allow the reader to work out motivations etc for themselves. The various unlikeable and very shallow characters were all given secrets that of course, might have led to them being the (unlikely) killer. But there was no subtlety, no tying in with the psychology of the characters other than making each character change his/her colours. The psychological underpinnings of the characters and their stories were in no way consistent nor believable. The behaviours and indeed the thoughts of the characters followed no psychological profiles I know about. Indeed the word 'psychological' in relation to this story is a misnomer. A very hard edit might have helped but I'm guessing the author was just pumping this story out. The most amusing/ridiculous aspect of all was that the police hadn't worked out at least where the murder happened within days of the man going missing. Let us hope there are no detectives in real life as incompetent as DC Plod in this novel! If this had been a self-published book by a debut writer it could be forgiven, but a seasoned writer with an editor and a publisher? Obviously if there are readers who enjoy books that so little care has been taken over, then perhaps that is all that matters. But next time, I hope the author takes more time to craft a novel to the standard I imagine she is capable of, given her previous success.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really really really repetitive. Bad plot. Bad twist. Bad ending.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Lovebookstours.

The Other Husband is an intricately plotted, twisty turney read that I struggled to put down!
Both main characters and their POVS are fantastic. I found both women relatable to a degree. The book starts with both women (Abby and Sienna) being friends after meeting at a pilates class that was cancelled. Their friendship progressed to their husbands also becoming friends and a tight social circle was formed.
One night Sienna comes up with an idea for the women to swap husbands for the night - this results in their lives being changed forever from events that unfolded. One of the husbands goes missing and one of the women will stop at nothing to find out what has happened to him.
I live twisty, psychological thrillers and this is one of my current favourites!

[♡ iana ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

without a doubt the worst mystery i've ever read.

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....

Thank you to Canelo for my gifted copy in exchange for a review.

I had never read a Kathryn Croft book before, but when I was offered a copy and read the synopsis I though it sounded right up my alley. A psychological thriller where everyone has some secret to hide? Sign me up!

Abby is married to Rob and they recently moved to London. She doesn’t have any friends there until she meets Sienna in a Pilates class. Sienna is married to Greg and soon both couples make good friends . During a dinner party Sienna proposes they swap husbands for the night and, what at first seemed just a bit of fun, soon will turn into a nightmare for all of them.

I found both MC, Abby and Sienna, well developed and found myself empathizing with both of them at times. My alliances kept changing at first but as the story progresses I was more on Sienna’s corner (despite her obsession with a supposed affair between Abby and Greg).

I liked how the story progressed in a way you could never be sure who was really being honest and who was just feeding the other characters (and by extension, the reader) more lies.

The ending caught me completely unaware. I did not see that coming at all, but I would have liked a bit more development there as I think there were some unanswered questions.

Notwithstanding this small issue with the ending, I really liked the writing style and the twisty plot so I will definitely check out some of Ms. Croft’s backlist. Any recs?

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off really well but dragged on way too long.

It's like if an episode of Wife Swap turned into an episode of 20/20. 😂

[Charlotte Stringfellow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still waiting to find out who the other husband is.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy.

I am a fan of Crofts & typically enjoy her books & writing style. Also if I finish a book I usually give it at least a 2 star rating even if I didn’t like it. But unfortunately I thought multiple times throughout reading that I hated this book. The only reason I finished it was bc of my history reading her books and so I was hoping the book would end in a way to make up for it. The main problem was it was extremely repetitive. Each part gave you 1 more piece of the possible truth, then continued all of the same back & forth. However bc you know the blurb and genre, obviously what you’re reading isn’t the whole truth so it becomes quite boring. This book felt very long for a book under 300 pages. There was little to make you even care about the main characters. Another factor in my dislike is a personal preference so I won’t blame the author at all but I prefer books with a lot of dialog, so the constant narrating/describing books already makes them “slower” for me - so that combined with the plot had me snoozing. Then the twists… well I read too many of these I guess but they were totally boring!
I always feel super bad giving such a harsh review to an author I enjoy but I can’t in good book conscience give this more that a 1 star.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rarely do I give such a low rating…*Spoilers*

I have read so much crime and mystery fiction from so many different authors. Usually there is a redeeming feature.

But this felt like an 8 hour long stage play with three scenes: Sienna’s house, Abby’s house or outside.

The writing is good but apart from that, it is far-fetched, gruellingly slow, unoriginal, unexciting and just a bit of a yawn fest.

-How did ‘they’ find Greg’s body and who found it?
-How did Holly cover up the crime?
-What was even the point of the spouse swap?
-Why did Greg insist he killed Leela ‘deliberately’ when he was guilty of leaving Leela but not of directly killing her?
-Why is no one particularly sad about Greg and why is Abby totally OK with Rob living at Sienna’s?

I hope you enjoyed this more than I did!

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This twisty tale of toxic friendships, relationships, lies, deception, consequences, betrayals and secrets is written from the alternating perspectives of two relatable women. Abby who is married to Rob and Sienna who is married to Craig, they had no children from their current relationships but Craig had a teenage son called Jackson with his ex wife Holly. Abby and Sienna had met when they had turned up for a Pilates class which unbeknownst to the two women had been cancelled so they had gone for a coffee and from that moment had struck up a close friendship. After their husband's met and also became friends, the two couples started meeting up regularly for meals and bbq's. All was going well until one summer night when after a discussion about tv reality shows, Sienna innocently (or not so innocently) suggested that they spice their lives up by swapping partners for the night. That night would change their lives forever, certain character's demeanour and attitudes changed, suspicion and misconceptions spread throughout the group and then Craig mysteriously disappeared.

Sienna is determined to uncover what happened that night and the whereabouts of her husband and didn't care if Abby's life got torn apart in the process because as far as Sienna was concerned that was exactly what Abby deserved.

Out of the four main characters, the only one who I felt a bit of sympathy for was Rob although he didn't help himself at times and I found it difficult to care when their lives started falling apart around them..My least favourite character for the vast majority of the book was Sienna although I did change my feelings about her a tiny bit by the time the story had finished. The reader knew from the beginning of the story that there was issues in both the couple's relationships even before the night that changed their lives forever. But what had happened on that night? Where was Craig? Was Sienna's suspicions about Abby correct or was the truth even more darker and shocking Sienna and the reader would ever suspect?

I love this author's psychological thrillers, they are always extremely well written, addictive reads and The Other Husband is no exception. The story is intricately plotted, keeps the reader guessing and has more twists and turns than a roller coaster. The story books you in from the first page, has some very clever misdirections and the cast of characters were vivid, realistic and relatable. I thought this was a captivating, gripping read, very very highly recommended and definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 Rounded Down
This had great potential but the reveals were a disappointment.🤷🏾‍♀️

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby and Rob have recently moved to London into a lovely new home. To start a new chapter in their lives. Abby is currently unemployed, after leaving her last job at a local Primary school as an assistant deputy head which she loved. But, now finding it hard to find a new position. To fill her time, she signs up for a Pilates class but when she gets there the class is cancelled. But she meets a woman call Sienna and form a friendship.
The couple decide to meet up for dinner, were they both decide as an experiment to ‘swap’ husbands for the night. But this decision causes disastrous consequences for all involved.
Thank you, Canelo and the author, for a copy of the other husband. I have read many of Kathryn Crofts work so I was looking forward to reading this. This is another gripping thriller from the author and had a lot of twists and turns going on, but I personally thought a bit too much. That hindered the storyline slightly and left some unanswered questions at the end. 3.5 stars from me.

[Jenn(ifer) · Rating 1 out of 5]

One dinner party, one awful novel.

[Daya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hahaha omg dit was verschrikkelijk!!! Ik dacht dat dit zo'n typische guilty pleasure read was. Beetje slecht maar ook wel lekker (bijv zoals freida mcfaddens the housemaid) maar het was gewoon ronduit SLECHT. Heel vermoeiend hoe er altijd gehint wordt naar 'ze wist niet naar dat het allemaal nog slechter zou worden...' en dat er eigenlijk gewoon vrijwel niks gebeurd. Ik had hoop naar een verrassend plottwist (who did it?!) Maar dit was zoooo onrealistisch en teleurstellend. Uuuugh

Het ergste is dat ik hier nog best lang over heb gedaan omdat ik telkens 5 pagina's las en dan al in slaap viel dus nu ben ik teleurgesteld in mezelf dat ik hier zoveel tijd aan kwijt ben hahahaha

[NuevoRain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook. There is not one interesting character in this book. Lots of misdirection about what did and didn’t happen on a drunken partner-swap night. A bit of a who done it, but poorly executed.

[denudatio_pulpae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby i Rob niedawno przeprowadzili się do Londynu, aby rozpocząć nowy etap w swoim życiu. Szybko odnaleźli się w nowym otoczeniu, a nawet znaleźli nowych przyjaciół – Siennę i Grega. Pewnego wieczoru, podczas wspólnej kolacji suto zakrapianej alkoholem, Siena wpada na dość ekscentryczny plan odtworzenia telewizyjnego show w prawdziwym życiu. Zamiana mężów na jedną noc – brzmi jak proszenie się o kłopoty, nie? Oczywiście obydwie pary ustaliły, że zamiana ta nie obejmuje sfery łóżkowej, jednak następnego dnia wszyscy zaczynają zachowywać się dziwnie. Czy ktoś złamał zasady?

Tym razem uważam pomysł za zbyt udziwniony. Nie bardzo wierzę, że coś takiego mogłoby się wydarzyć w realnym życiu. Chociaż z drugiej strony – alkohol bywa zdradliwy, więc może ta historia nie jest aż tak nieprawdopodobna? Nie polubiłam żadnego z bohaterów i trochę się zmęczyłam tą książką, nie byłam jakoś szczególnie ciekawa, jak potoczą się ich losy.
6/10

[Linda McCutcheon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How funny would it be ...just for fun. Just to live a different life for a few hours."

The Other Husband by Kathryn Croft is without a doubt the optimal example of be careful what you wish for there are no free rides.

Abby and Rob have just moved to London and have become couple friends with Sienna and Greg. After a few drinks one night the idea of swapping wives is, unfortunately, put out in the universe. Strictly platonic, of course, just to not be bored with another typical night.

After the swap Greg disappears. Sienna knows he must have slept with Abby. Abby does have a secret. Did Greg leave out of guilt? Did something sinister happen to him? Was Sienna jealous enough to do something to Greg? Is Abby's secret reason for foul play? How much does Rob know? So many questions and I haven't even included the supporting cast of characters and there are many of them.

Like any twisty psychological thriller there is not too much I can reveal without spoilers. There are more red herrings in this book than any ocean. As each new character showed up I was sure they were the key to what was going on. I did figure it out by the middle but there were some fishy innuendos (see what I did there lol) that made me doubt myself.

If, like me, you are a lover of thrillers this is a fun one to explore but you might need a board with red strings to keep tabs on all the sub plots and twists.

I received a free copy of this book from Love Book Tours for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Barbara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Kept me hooked right to the end! Just when you think you have it figured out another twist is thrown in!

[Vanessa Menezes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of twists and an unexpected ending!

[Amina Hujdur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solidan triler sa neočekivanim raspletom.

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't read in this genre, so my rating represents the fascination of a newbie.
The reason for me picking up this book was a prompt in the popsugar book challenge for which I couldn't find a title from my usual SFF genres.

"The Other Husband" is a cleverly written thriller that starts with a rather silly decision at a dinner party that unravels the lives of several people. The author keeps the POVs of the different characters vague enough so that the reader more than once gets the feeling of unreliable narrators on all sides. A delightfully uncomfortable feeling is the result which had me guessing and second guessing a lot while reading.

The ending is a bit too bumpy for my taste, but all in all this was a very enjoyable read outside my usual comfort zone. I should go for some more psychological thriller as palate cleanser in the future.

[Leona · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb for this book sounded really good and I was really looking forward to to reading it, however it just didn’t hit the mark for me and I struggled through it. Unfortunately I found the story dragged along and there was too much going on that I didn’t really care about . I have read this authors previous books and really enjoyed them but sadly this time it just wasn’t for me.

[Jack Lawless · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought this’d be heaps hornier than it is. Instead it’s just shit and boring and not good.

[Cassandra Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this one.
I really love when I can't guess who did the crime. There was a lot of crime, and most caught me off guard.
Okay, all of it did.
Once I believed I knew what was happening, I would be wrong and something completely different happened. I'd recommend this to a person on the hunt for a great murder mystery book.

[Poza słowami · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Jak zawsze bardzo dobrze się bawiłam;) zakończenie mnie zaskoczyło;) co parę stron myslalam, że wiem jak to się skonczy, a jednak to były fałszywe tropy :)