When I stumbled across the listing for Pevensey House I knew I had found a way for my family to be free and I didn’t hesitate. I should have, I know that now… moved her away suddenly when she was eleven, but her childhood there was filled with happy memories. Drew seems less sure, but Thea is certain it’s the perfect place to raise their two children.
But as the last boxes are unpacked, Thea can’t seem to settle. She thought the move would bring her family closer together, but Drew is growing more distant. And why do old friends cross to the other side of the road when they see her coming?
Alone in the house, exploring the creaky corridors she used to cartwheel down as a young girl, Thea smiles as she slides open the loose panel she once used as a hiding place. But it only takes one look at the faded local newspaper clipping hidden inside for the bonds holding her perfect family together to break.
It’s not long before news of the scandal spreads further and the whole town turns against her. Thea’s life is in freefall as her head and her heart wrestle between taking the blame, and fighting for her innocence. In a small town where no one ever forgets the past, can Thea find a way to save her family’s future?
This heart-wrenching and gripping family drama will have you hooked from the very first page. Perfect for anyone who loves Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
What readers are saying about My Husband’s Lie:
‘Gave me goose bumps right from the start. Fantastic page-turner that I finished in one sitting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Addictive, emotional read… Didn’t really want to put down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An incredible novel that drew me in and never let go. I felt emotionally invested in the characters’ lives and couldn’t stop reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Page-turner! I was hooked and could not stop until the last page. Wow! Stunning read. Definitely recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘A powerful and engrossing read!… a real page-turner… consumed me… I lost myself in the story… filled to the brim with secrets and lies… I absolutely loved this book. An engrossing, edge-of-your-seat read.’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘What. A. Book… such a perfect read… kept me glued from beginning to end. Even when I had to do my chores… A delightful book filled to the brim with suspense and emotions… a completely immersive read where I had to know how the book ended. Addictive and captivating.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
“Looking back, I wonder whether our holiday had been to blame. Two weeks of unexpectedly perfect weather at Easter, when the girls had gambolled like lambs in the fields surrounding the farm where we had stayed, and even Drew had lost the pinched look he so often wore. His stride had lengthened, his shoulders had relaxed, and he just looked… content.”
‘My Husband’s Lie’ by Emma Davies is a mildly dark family drama that centers around the main character Thea, her husband Drew, and two children as they embark on a bold move to free themselves of the constraints of the big city life and corporate work environment.
It’s a feeling many of us have had or will experience in our lifetimes. That point when you tire of working to make others wealthy at the expense of your own best interests and decide to take a risk, to branch out on your own. More and more, it’s becoming a common narrative in our society.
When Thea discovers the home she spent some of her happiest years in happens to be on the market, her fond memories foster an excitement and determination to return to her roots. Having begun her life in Pevensky House, with her then best friend and now husband right next door, their families abruptly moved away while the pair were still children.
“Seeing her on that holiday reminded me of the Thea I first met, the one who walked barefoot everywhere, the one whose fits of giggles exploded out of nowhere. It made me realise how beautiful she was, how much I loved her. And her work? It came to life during those two weeks, the best she’d ever produced – winning the commission was evidence enough of that. So how could I possibly hold her back, just when she had found her wings.”
What starts out as an earnest change for the betterment of their lives, soon clouds with uncertainty. She and Drew seemingly drift apart and people go out of their way to avoid her.
After discovering an unexpected secret tucked into her childhood hiding place, she’s faced with more questions than answers and a growing sense of unease. Meanwhile, the other citizens of the small town turn against her as more secrets and accusations come to light.
This novel definitely touches on some uncomfortable topics.. abuse/assault, destructive lies, and so forth.. but I assure you that it doesn’t go into much detail in those regards. It’s not an exploitative book. It’s almost more of a study as to the effects, not just of the original harm caused by such things. But also the ripples stretching outward over the years beyond due to the lingering weight of keeping the secrets. So many more lives are changed by one act than we might at first believe.
Watching characters struggle with the accusations is hard enough, but the feelings of betrayal, loss, and disillusionment sit even more heavily on them. Thea’s pretty relatable, she’s hurt and angry. She lashes out, sometimes in stupid ways, which are completely understandable. But all that aside, it’s kind of hard not to feel sorry for some of the targets of that anger.
“How can you ever grow if you don’t have roots?”
At the core of the family, Drew and Thea have a really lovely relationship. It’s warm and supportive. They like to say sometimes that they “don’t know where one of them ends and the other begins.” And it’s especially difficult to watch that conflict between them because of the usual nature of that relationship. Plus, their girls are also quite darling and you really just want to see everything work out for them all.
I will say, I saw the reveal coming before the foreshadowing was really at play, but some of that is instinct as to how an author writes. I don’t feel like there were any telegraphing issues of note or anything like that.
My only disappointment is probably the idyllic wrap-up. There is a particularly tense moment toward the end of the story that I felt could have been well served with a different conclusion, but it’s all well-structured and moves at a good pace. I just like a little more destruction in my stories than most.
Definitely a worthwhile read if you are a fan of mysteries or contemporary dramas.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
For more reviews like this, also see http://www.BetwixtTheSheets.com!
Emma Davies is a new-to-me author and I am so glad to have found her! My Husband’s Lie is a tight and fast moving story with lots of distractions and fully fleshed out characters. White tense most of the time it is a very good read!
The prologue to this book sets the plot up nicely, as I spent the rest of the book trying to figure out how everything fit together (I had many theories throughout – most of them wrong). I thought the characters were interesting, and the author captured small-town life, which apparently is the same no matter what country it is! This is one to pick up for an escape, as it will pull you in and keep you entertained. For a full review, please check my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
I enjoyed this story quite a bit, probably for the same reason other readers did not. I was glad it wasn’t the typical ‘evil husband’ thriller that many were expecting – instead, it was deeper and more substantial. It revolves around Thea and her family moving back to the home where she grew up and met her husband, Drew, who lived next door. It’s an idyllic place, a large home with beautiful gardens and plenty of open space and fresh air. Her husband is initially hesitant, but agrees that it will be the best place for them to raise their family.
Of course, after they move back, they’re met with whispers and side glances of the locals and Thea finds it harder than expected to settle back in as expected. Even her neighbors that live in Drew’s childhood home quickly become less friendly and welcoming than they seemed at first. She soon finds out that her family is the subject of nasty gossip relating to an incident twenty years ago, which is not coincidentally when she and her parents moved away. It’s up to her to decide whether she will repeat the past and just escape the unforgiving community or whether she will stay and fight for her family’s right to live the life she always dreamed in the village where she spent her youth.
I was thoroughly engaged from the start, the author has such a descriptive way of writing and it made me long for a lovely home of my own in such a place! It probably would be better marketed as general fiction, that way, readers wouldn’t be expecting something different and they could appreciate this story for what it is – a beautiful tale of strong family bonds and redemption.