Two happy couples. One dead body. A whole load of secrets. Married life wasn’t meant to start like this.
On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff–side restaurant.
No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident.
The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there’s another side to this story . . . and your life depends on uncovering it.
Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really ’til death do us part?
‘Secrets, lies and the mother of all cover-ups… I was gripped by this twisty tale of two couples’ honeymoons colliding.’ – Louise Candlish, bestselling author of Our House and The Only Suspect
‘An addictive, jaw-dropping read. I loved it.’ – Claire Douglas
‘Fantastically atmospheric and suspenseful … Set to be one of the biggest sizzling reads of the summer!’ – L.V. Matthews
‘A nerve-jangling tale of tension, suspicion and betrayal’ – T.M. Logan
The Honeymoon is a pacey thriller, involving two couples on their honeymoons where things go wrong when a dead body shows up. We watch as secrets are revealed, relationships go awry and the behaviour of the characters darkens.
There is never a dull moment and the multiple points of view (mainly the two women) is handled well, with unreliable narrators driving the story. There are some cliched stereotypes “the plain and easily manipulated housewife” “the good looking, charismatic and successful hubby” etc in the story but originality and depth isn’t really what you come to this story for. If you’re looking for a plain, good, enjoyable pageturner, this story delivers. We’re here to not think, rather than think.
I felt strongly for the female characters – the men are not as sympathetic. Erin and Sophia, who are the two main honeymooning women, are very different women but both women you can feel for and get interested in. Despite some stereotypes “plain housewife Erin” and “stunningly perfect fashionable Sophia” there is more to both of them and they have real feelings and motivations.
This isn’t full of surprises but I enjoyed the journey.
The Honeymoon was such a terrific read. A genre I love to read with enough twists and turns to keep any armchair sleuth very happy. A well written book which I raced through trying to put all the pieces together.
The Honeymoon is a gripping first novel by Kate Gray. The narrative is written from the perspective of two women, Sophie and Erin, who are both Brits on honeymoon in Bali but have never met before.
With their new husbands, Mark and Jamie, they appear to be two happy couples with innocent back stories looking forward to peaceful and happy lives together.
The discovery of a body while on the honeymoon island sets off a chain of events and causes strange behaviours from the couples. As the novel unfolds, we learn of the background of the main characters including mysterious accidents, allegations of stalking, hidden security devices and gambling debts.
As each chapter advances, we discover more lies and deceit but are unsure why the offending character doesn’t tell the truth. What do they have to hide?
Gray uses many of the well-known devices to create tension, such as shattered mobile phones and mobile phone blackspots, stormy nights and a creepy farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
It is only in the last few pages that the creepy deeds puzzling actions of the main characters are explained in a surprise series of twist.
I look forward to Kate’s next novel.
The Honeymoon by Kate Gray is a thriller of a book and has many twists and turns which kept me guessing as to where it would go next.
It is the story of Erin and Jamie who meet up with Sophia and Mark on the last night of their honeymoon in Bali. After tea they go their separate ways after wild storms start and the night ends with a dead body and many secrets. Everyone returns to their lives post honeymoon. Erin is feeling guilty and can’t settle, while Jamie is trying to move on from it. Sophia is a reporter who smells a story and Mark has concerns about his wife.
I loved the way this book had me wondering what everyone’s secrets are and their motivations. I second guessed myself many times and had to just ride the roller coaster. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who like mystery with a touch of thriller and loads of atmosphere and suspicion.
Thank you to Good Reading Magazine Early Bird Program and Welbeck Publishing for my copy.
Well, this book surprised me! The first few chapters didn’t really grab me and I couldn’t get into the characters, but I’m glad I persisted because the tension started when Erin and Jamie were at the airport departing Bali. Things were quite tense and the writing style upped from there and never let up. Twists and turns for the rest of the book and what a ride!
Out of the four main characters, Erin, Jamie, Sophia and Mark, all newly weds on their honeymoon in tropical Bali, three have secrets and you never really know who to trust. One minute I felt sorry for some of the characters, the next I’m questioning their motives and what they’re really up to.
I never knew who to trust or what was going on and just when you think it’s all over a curve ball gets thrown at the end!
Highly recommended.
A murder mystery that stretches across continents. What makes this such a great story is the strength of the characters. The author has developed characters that are so strong. The twists and events will keep you reading. If you are a fan of crime stories and thrillers, you literally will not be able to put this book down.
From the suffocating humidity of Bali to the autumn chill of London, to a neglected, draughty and isolated farmhouse in the English countryside, this story will take you on a ride.
When the last night of a tropical honeymoon in Bali ends with body at the bottom of the cliff in a wild summer storm, two couples pack up and go home to England and attempt to pick up their lives.
What follows is a maze of secrets, lies, guilt and betrayal. Young marriages at stake. The characters are well drawn, at once relatable and unreliable. Who to trust? As a reader I felt immersed in the mystery and felt my allegiances shift along with the characters – guessing until the very end.
This is a thriller with all the vibes – I kept wanting to look over my shoulder as I read it. Short chapters told from alternate points of view will keep you turning the pages.
It would make great holiday reading – on a beach in summer or tucked up by a fire with a storm raging outside.
“The Honeymoon” was a fast-moving, intriguing physiological thriller where power, envy, trust and secrets are the central themes. I particularly like the secrets theme as we all have them and like the characters of the book will do almost anything to keep them this way. This allowed my imagination to add to the intrigue and mystery, further enhancing my enjoyment. The author’s rapid development of each of the four central characters kept me reading and created a brilliant story.
Piece by piece the plot forged a tale of realistic players and locations. I loved the contrast between tropical Asia and the cold bleak UK as how the story changed to darker and colder. The description of both locations gave the reader the feeling that they could almost be there.
The dynamics of the two couples were outstanding, and I enjoyed the similar but different lifestyles that were developed. The way the chapters were written in the first person added to the story, making real lifelike, enduring and confronting at times.
I finished the book in three days, barely taking a break to read this twisting tale of intrigue. I just couldn’t put it down. I loved it thoroughly and looking forward to the next Kate Gray novel in this genre.
The Honeymoon follows two POVs, Erin & Sophia. They both recently have got married and honeymooned in Bali where the couples meet for the first time. On their last night in Bali during a wild storm a dead body was found near the cliff edge.
This is a psychological ‘who done it’ thriller that you don’t want to put down, as you turn each page you will uncover dark secrets, lies and deceit. The characters you get to know and love start making you think twice about them.
There was one point in the book I was thinking wow I have no idea who to believe!
There were so many twists and turns between both couples separately that eventually connects them to piece together a very thought out and gripping plot!
This book gave off the running club by Ali Lowe vibes! It was Kate’s debut thriller and an enjoyable, nerve racking read.
Thank you so much to @goodreadingmag for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Honeymoon by Kate Gray is a thriller, which had me gripped from the opening chapter, right until the final pages.
The book was full of twists and turns, which kept me guessing until the very end, and on the way there, I had no idea who to trust as all four of our main characters seemed to have secrets.
I really enjoyed the short chapters and multiple person point of views from both Erin and Sophia throughout, with chapters from both Jamie and Mark tying up lose ends at the end of the book.
The honeymoon was fast paced and a thoroughly enjoyable read, which kept me wanting to turn the pages.
I’m looking forward to reading what comes next from Kate.
At times I liked this book but I felt the ending didn’t really fit. I not sure that I would call it a thriller.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I am not normally drawn to this genre, but The Honeymoon has definitely made me a psychological thriller convert. On the edge of my seat, this gripping story had me guessing until the very end.
It took a good part of the book for me to feel connected to the characters, but this did not detract from the plot itself. I felt the way the two couples connected on their honeymoon was unconvincing, however, I did not spend too much time thinking about this once I was well into the twists and turns of the story.
I enjoyed the structure of the short back-and-forth point of view between Sophia and Erin which created a thrilling pace.
I found it quite an easy read and I think this would be a perfect holiday read, but, just maybe not on your honeymoon…
Thank you to Good Reading Magazine Australia and Welbeck Publishing for the opportunity to review.
An idyllic honeymoon in Bali turns into a nightmare for two young couples, Erin and Jamie, and Sophia and Mark, on the night before they fly back to England. A storm and a dead body is all it takes.
Their lives start to unravel and the tension starts to build quickly. Gray gives early clues as to who the villain is, but this well plotted book has many surprises in its characters.
I have to admit this is not my genre and it took me a while to respond, but by the end I was hooked. If psychological thrillers are your thing, I can really recommend The Honeymoon.
Two English couples on their Bali honeymoon meet at the hotel they are staying at and spend some time together
On their last night, one of the couples see a man, they have had some contact with, die and they panic.
When back home they try to forget but live in fear they ‘ll be blamed.
One of the second couple, a jounalist, find out about the death and start to investigate for the sake of a good story
The accusations, suspicions, lies affect the marriage.
This is a great story with lots of twists and turns. A good read right until the end
I read The Honeymoon knowing I was going to be lead through a murder mystery, and was initially quite happy to settle into the ride. There were plenty of tense moments, shady characters and questionable intentions to keep me interested, but I found myself wanting to know more about all the characters, and Erin in particular. She was the most complex, and potentially the most interesting. Instead, all the nuances of the characters, including their motivations and back stories were left to the very end, where an almost prologue-esque series of chapters tied up the loose ends. This style of end worked, but it was a surprise when the writing took an explanatory turn. That said, if you like a murderous ‘beach read’ there’s a good chance you’ll like The Honeymoon. It’s light but entertaining, and the descriptions of Bali are beautiful; it’s a very pretty setting for a murder!
Kate Gray’s first novel in the psychological thriller genre. Wow. A page turner from start to finish and I hope she has more planned.
I loved the story being told from different points of view – mainly alternating between Erin and Sophia, with chapters at the end by their respective husbands.
I found the short chapters helped keep the pace of the story and also made it easy to read a chapter in a spare five minutes. Not that I did that much because it was hard to put down.
I wanted to know what happened and thought I had things worked out to then be sent along another path with no idea whose point of view to trust. One character was creepy from the get-go and gave me the shivers, despite the Bali heat.
There are plenty of twists and turns along the way as secrets are revealed and I loved the curved ball at the end, which I hadn’t seen coming.
A fast paced, easy read, ideal as a holiday read or a cosy winter by the fire. Thank you to Good Reading and Welbeck Publishers for my review copy.