The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

Looking for a psychological thriller to add to your TBR? The New Husband is the book you’ve been searching for.

This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclaimer for more info.

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer officially hits the shelves on April 14th.

Reading the premise of The New Husband made me intrigued. After Nina’s husband Glen dies (or disappears since the authorities were never able to find his body), she starts dating Simon. Simon who is seemingly perfect in every way. He’s charming and attentive, he has similar tastes to her, really he checks off all the boxes for what she’s looking for in a man.

A man that’s not like Glen, who it turns out, lied about so many things.

At the beginning of the book, Nina and her two teenagers are moving into a house with Simon. Maggie, her 13-year-old hates the arrangement as Simon is a teacher at her school, but Nina hopes they’ll all start to get along.

The New Husband was definitely slow at first. Knowing it’s a thriller, you have some sort of idea what could happen in this book, but it takes a while to get there. I was interested at first, but it was definitely a slow burn book. By the middle though, I was hooked and had to keep reading because I needed to know what was going to happen with Nina, her kids, and Simon.

The story was intriguing. I LOVED Maggie, I think she was my favorite character. Nina annoyed me, only because she kept getting all of these gut feelings and then doing the opposite. Like, NO GIRL! But, it also felt very real and true to domestic abuse victims.

I would say that for this book the trigger warnings would include: domestic abuse, emotional and verbal abuse, neglect, and suicide.

Like I said though, the story was good and I liked the ending. I felt like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds throughout most of the book (and that’s one of my favorite shows!) So it made for a good time.

I gave The New Husband 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed the story, the pacing was a little slower than I like, but it was really enjoyable to read. There were a lot of twists and turns which made it fun and kept me guessing.

I am so grateful for St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC (advanced readers copy) to read and share my thoughts. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About The New Husband

Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you know them.

Nina Garrity learned that the hard way after discovering that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But Glen’s gone–presumably drowned while fishing on his boat–so she can’t confront him about the affair or any of his other misdeeds. A year and a half after the accident, Nina considers herself a widow, even though the police never found a body. Following a chance encounter with Simon Fitch, a teacher from her daughter Maggie’s middle school, Nina finds love again and has hopes of putting her shattered life back together.

Simon, a widower still grieving the suicide of his first wife, has found his dream girl in Nina. His charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina’s teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, but Maggie sees a far darker side to this new man in their lives. Even Nina’s good friends wonder if Simon is supremely devoted–or dangerously possessive.

But Nina is committed, not only to her soon-to-be new husband but also to resuming her former career as a social worker. Before she can move forward, however, Nina must first clear her conscience that she’s not making another terrible choice in a man. In doing so, she will uncover the shocking truth: the greatest danger to her, and her children, are the lies people tell themselves.

Pages: 384

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Add on Goodreads | Preorder: Amazon — Your Local Indie Bookstore

Will you be picking up The New Husband when it hits the shelves??

Want more book recommendations + weekly inspiration? Sign up for my weekly newsletter!

You might also like:

• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

• The Holdout by Graham Moore

• 9 Mysteries to Binge-Read While You’re At Home