Mother Of The Bride by Samantha Hayes (Audiobook)

 

Lizzie Holmes wants as little contact with her mother, Sylvia, as possible. On a visit to introduce her new fiance circumstances conspire to make Lizzie have to rely on her mother's hospitality until she can find somewhere to live. Sylvia's overbearing nature is the reason Lizzie left home as soon as she could. It becomes clear very quickly that Sylvia hasn't changed.

Although the author Samantha Hayes seems familiar to me, looking at her back catalogue I don't think I've read anything by her. Mother Of The Bride is a good introduction and worked perfectly as an audiobook, I'll certainly look out for more by the author.

You are into the action almost immediately. Having recently returned from Dubai, Lizzie and her fiance, Owen, are living in a friend's flat. Knowing that she has to bite the bullet and introduce Owen to her family she plans a weekend visit. As soon as we meet Sylvia we discover how nasty she is. Sylvia is intelligent and well-off but comes across as bitter, resentful and controlling. She wants to control every aspect of her children's lives and she doesn't hide the fact. This is one of those characters that you immediately hate.

During the visit, Lizzie receives the unexpected news that their friend wants them out of his flat immediately. Since they are waiting on payment for Owen's last piece of contract work to come through they are forced to accept Sylvia's hospitality. A battle of wills ensues as Sylvia tries to force the couple to have their wedding almost immediately.

Returning home brings back a lot of unpleasant memories for Lizzie so you can understand her reluctance to acquiesce. It also raises lots of questions for the reader/listener. Where is Lizzie's father? What was the scandal that forced Sylvia to quit her job as a teacher? What happened at her sister's wedding a year ago? All these unanswered questions, and more, keep you gripped. There is not a moment in the book where the pace of the story drops. With every new revelation, you despise Sylvia more and more.

There are times when you begin to question the motives of some of the support characters, simply because you doubt that someone can be as spiteful and manipulative as Sylvia and get away with it unchallenged. All of this leads to a conclusion that is shocking and twisty.

Mother Of The Bride by Samantha Hayes will be published on 26th March 2024 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a review copy.

Author Details

Samantha Hayes grew up in a creative family where her love of writing began as a child. Samantha has written eighteen thrillers in total, including the bestselling titles DATE NIGHT and UNTIL YOU’RE MINE. The Independent said “fantastically written and very tense” while Good Housekeeping said “Her believable psychological thrillers are completely gripping.” Samantha’s books are published in 22 languages at the last count. In her free time, Sam loves painting watercolours, going to the gym, and swimming. She has three grown-up children and lives in Warwickshire.