Thriller

The Marriage Secret

The Marriage Secret

  • Downloads：6636
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-18 21:21:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Carey Baldwin
  • ISBN：B09M79VMSK
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Hmy ，

This was not my type of book。 I knew immediately I was not going to enjoy it and I would have abandoned it if I had not agreed to write a review。 It's a story of relationships， control， "gaslighting"。 Under a facade of success and normality lies a layer of evil which was too far beyond probability for me to accept。 Holly's darkest secret felt too much like a plot device。 Her character and Zach's character felt muddled to me。 I wasn't convinced by their motives。 Their behaviour was too inconsiste This was not my type of book。 I knew immediately I was not going to enjoy it and I would have abandoned it if I had not agreed to write a review。 It's a story of relationships， control， "gaslighting"。 Under a facade of success and normality lies a layer of evil which was too far beyond probability for me to accept。 Holly's darkest secret felt too much like a plot device。 Her character and Zach's character felt muddled to me。 I wasn't convinced by their motives。 Their behaviour was too inconsistent and difficult to understand。 Perhaps sociopaths/psychopaths are like that and I'm lucky I don't know any。 For me the story felt forced and artificial， there is a big information dump near the end and the twists are too contrived。 I know a lot of people will enjoy the suspense， will be surprised by the twists and turns and satisfied with the ending。 I prefer something a bit more subtle， characters I can believe in。and a story which doesn't make me shake my head in disbelief。 I think the book will probably be a success but， as I said， it's not my preferred genre。 I picked it because I liked the cover and the title。 I listened to an audio copy and thought the reader did a good job。 Thanks to Netgalley for supplying a copy in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Maegan Bridges ，

5/5 ⭐️ I loved this book！ It was interesting from the beginning and kept me guessing。 The main character， Holly， was very relatable and I loved her。 Such a good story with many twists and turns。 I love a good mystery/thriller and this one did not disappoint。

Meghan ReadsBooks ，

3。5-3。75 stars Thank you BookOutoure and NetGalley for this review copy; The Marriage Secret does indeed hold up to the promised darkness and twists！ If you are a fan of well executed domestic thrillers that take some tropes （gaslighting， psychological manipulation， toxic relationships） and make them a bit about empowerment and intelligence instead of just victimization。。。 this book is for you。 I don't want to include too many spoilers so I will simply say that to me the biggest strength of the 3。5-3。75 stars Thank you BookOutoure and NetGalley for this review copy; The Marriage Secret does indeed hold up to the promised darkness and twists！ If you are a fan of well executed domestic thrillers that take some tropes （gaslighting， psychological manipulation， toxic relationships） and make them a bit about empowerment and intelligence instead of just victimization。。。 this book is for you。 I don't want to include too many spoilers so I will simply say that to me the biggest strength of the story is that Holly was from the start of the book was aware of her husband's pathological nature and was taking active， logical steps to try to advocate for herself and her newborn。 I thought there were some strong points in places about how the subtle ways in which legal systems can't help women in this situation fight for themselves because the nature of the abuse and gaslighting could make custody and legal battles challenging （and expensive。。。 and often women in these situations have access to money withheld or controlled）。 Though in ways a seemingly typical domestic thriller I thought there were strengths that engaged me more than usual （in that domestic thrillers often aren't my favorite genre。 。。。more

HellOnHeelsGirl ，

Carey Baldwin delivered an incredibly enjoyable and gripping novel in The Marriage Secret。 We meet Holly， the main character and wife to Zach， just as she delivered a new baby。 Little by little， Holly is stripped of her basic necessities by the increasingly controlling Zach。 As a reader， you cannot help but root for Holly to free herself from the binds of Zach。 There are several unforeseen twists and turns that make for a very surprising and compelling high point， as well as ending， to the story Carey Baldwin delivered an incredibly enjoyable and gripping novel in The Marriage Secret。 We meet Holly， the main character and wife to Zach， just as she delivered a new baby。 Little by little， Holly is stripped of her basic necessities by the increasingly controlling Zach。 As a reader， you cannot help but root for Holly to free herself from the binds of Zach。 There are several unforeseen twists and turns that make for a very surprising and compelling high point， as well as ending， to the story。 I very much recommend this title as an audiobook， as I found it a very easy and interesting listen。 Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley！ 。。。more

Nancy Allen ，

Carey Baldwin always grabs hold of me from the first pages and never lets go until the tale is done！ In The Marriage Secret， she has crafted a psychological thriller that explores the power of emotional abuse in the marriage relationship。 Her protagonist is the woman who has everything: a handsome， successful husband; a beautiful new baby; a gorgeous home。 The author has set her up in an idyllic world， but we watch with horror as her perfect life becomes a nightmarish prison。 This is the domesti Carey Baldwin always grabs hold of me from the first pages and never lets go until the tale is done！ In The Marriage Secret， she has crafted a psychological thriller that explores the power of emotional abuse in the marriage relationship。 Her protagonist is the woman who has everything: a handsome， successful husband; a beautiful new baby; a gorgeous home。 The author has set her up in an idyllic world， but we watch with horror as her perfect life becomes a nightmarish prison。 This is the domestic thriller at its best。 Highly recommend！！！！ 。。。more

Eilish ，

I could not put down this book！ I haven't even been able to get into another book since。 I will admit to completely being the target audience for this type of book。 I've read a lot in the genre and find them so compelling。 I will say that at times I felt like you had to suspend disbelief in the book - for example， how could a person not exhibit these behaviours for years of the relationship and then change so dramatically？The author definitely attempted to explain the situation and ensure there I could not put down this book！ I haven't even been able to get into another book since。 I will admit to completely being the target audience for this type of book。 I've read a lot in the genre and find them so compelling。 I will say that at times I felt like you had to suspend disbelief in the book - for example， how could a person not exhibit these behaviours for years of the relationship and then change so dramatically？The author definitely attempted to explain the situation and ensure there weren't any obvious plot holes。 The narrators were unreliable and flawed which really added to the suspense of the book。 All in all I'm giving 4 stars。 I loved the twists and how being a mother made the main character find an inner strength。 Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for an audio copy of this book。 。。。more

Robin Loves Reading ，

The Marriage Secret is about a marriage based on threats as a result of a devastating secret。 Holly and Zach Bancroft seem to have it all， including a gorgeous home and a delightful new baby。 He is a very successful doctor， and has earned quite a bit of respect。 Holly had a fabulous career herself as a speech pathologist but was more than happy to be a stay-at-home mother， at least for the time being。 However， nothing is as it seems with the couple。 This book just might remind readers of The Marriage Secret is about a marriage based on threats as a result of a devastating secret。 Holly and Zach Bancroft seem to have it all， including a gorgeous home and a delightful new baby。 He is a very successful doctor， and has earned quite a bit of respect。 Holly had a fabulous career herself as a speech pathologist but was more than happy to be a stay-at-home mother， at least for the time being。 However， nothing is as it seems with the couple。 This book just might remind readers of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or even the film Gaslight。 Despite outward appearances， Zach makes it his aim to keep Holly exactly where he wants her， using more than one method of control， even to the point of her doubting her ability to care for their baby。 In fact， Zach's control grows by leaps and bounds in this book， something that might make readers cringe on Holly's behalf。 Zach has been written as an utterly vitriolic character， unlikeable to the nth degree。 When Zach becomes a person of interest in the murder of a young colleague， he calls in the cards。 Holly will alibi him or he will tell her secret。What brought this couple together in the first place？ What is the ugly secret that Zach is holding over Holly's head to keep her in what is most certainly an unhappy marriage？ While every lasting marriage starts with a firm foundation， Holly's agreeing to marry Zach had the writing on the wall。 With Zach being alternately caring and cruel， Holly is forced to walk on eggshells， never knowing what next Zach has in store。 Her wardrobe， her finances， even her mentality - Zach holds it all in his hands。 Told entirely from Holly's perspective， events continued to unfold in disturbing fashion。 While this book proved to be a page-turner， with Holly struggling to show backbone， there was a point when the plot almost seemed predictable。 In fact， there was one plot line that more than one reader might guess， and although the story was intriguing， guessing a major twist might take away some enjoyment of the book。 Even so， the tension was kept at a high rate。 With just a few principal characters， this story is full of drama and angst。 All delivered with excellent pacing。Carey Baldwin spun a compelling tale of who could possibly win in this disaster of a marriage。 Any reader would know that Zach and Holly's marriage did not have a strong basis and it was very interesting to see what the end result would be。 Inasmuch as possibly recognizing a major plot twist seemed to wrap everything up， Baldwin took readers on an exciting ride， which will no doubt leave most readers shocked by the impossible to predict ending。 Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review。 This is my honest opinion。 。。。more

Nicola McIntosh ，

This was one of those I couldn't put down， plot twists galore！ This was one of those I couldn't put down， plot twists galore！ 。。。more

Cheryl ，

Review to follow

Natasna ，

This book is a serious page turner。 I don't know how many times my mouth hit the floor。 Holly's life is ideal thanks to her loving husband， a gorgeous and intelligent doctor named Zach， who is also her best friend。 When Zach begins to mistreat her throughout her pregnancy and on the day she gives birth to their daughter， things begin to alter in her life。 The abuse intensifies when Holly confronts Zach about his recent behavior toward her。**received from Netgalley for honest review** This book is a serious page turner。 I don't know how many times my mouth hit the floor。 Holly's life is ideal thanks to her loving husband， a gorgeous and intelligent doctor named Zach， who is also her best friend。 When Zach begins to mistreat her throughout her pregnancy and on the day she gives birth to their daughter， things begin to alter in her life。 The abuse intensifies when Holly confronts Zach about his recent behavior toward her。**received from Netgalley for honest review** 。。。more

A。 Lorna Warren ，

Thank you to the publishers， author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audiobook。This was pretty good！ While I didn't always like how the characters were written， the twists were somewhat unexpected。 The narrator was great as well。 Thank you to the publishers， author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audiobook。This was pretty good！ While I didn't always like how the characters were written， the twists were somewhat unexpected。 The narrator was great as well。 。。。more

Nisha Joshi ，

So， I didn't hate this book， but I didn't love it， either。 Some of the characters were unbelievable。 Holly was too naive。 The gaslighting was not well-written at all。But， I still wanted to know what happens next。 It was a total page-turner （or its audiobook equivalent）。 Even though I didn't quite like the ending， it tied all the strings and that is what matters。3 stars。Thanks to Netgalley for the audio ARC。 So， I didn't hate this book， but I didn't love it， either。 Some of the characters were unbelievable。 Holly was too naive。 The gaslighting was not well-written at all。But， I still wanted to know what happens next。 It was a total page-turner （or its audiobook equivalent）。 Even though I didn't quite like the ending， it tied all the strings and that is what matters。3 stars。Thanks to Netgalley for the audio ARC。 。。。more

Connie ，

Holly is married to Zach Bancroft who is the head of the OB-GYN department at a hospital in Phoenix。 Sometimes， Zach treats her like a queen， but he can turn in a flash treating her with coldness， disdain， and the silent treatment。 Now， with Zack attending her， she has just given birth to a daughter， Jolene。On the side， Zach has a girlfriend named Claudia who works in the medical field as well。 She is waiting for Zach to dump Holly and marry her。With Holly now home with Jolene， life with Zach be Holly is married to Zach Bancroft who is the head of the OB-GYN department at a hospital in Phoenix。 Sometimes， Zach treats her like a queen， but he can turn in a flash treating her with coldness， disdain， and the silent treatment。 Now， with Zack attending her， she has just given birth to a daughter， Jolene。On the side， Zach has a girlfriend named Claudia who works in the medical field as well。 She is waiting for Zach to dump Holly and marry her。With Holly now home with Jolene， life with Zach becomes more shaky as she doesn’t know what he will do next。 All she wants is to care for Jolene and be happy。 But she never knows from day to day whether she will see Dr。 Jekyll or Mr。 Hyde out of Zach。 Her fear is made worse by something she did when she was a young teen and she shared it with Zach。 Now， she feels like he has something to hold over her head。 She is desperate to find a way to provide a happy and safe life for Jolene and herself， but will she be brave enough to attempt it while staying one step ahead of Zach？Enough teasers。 I cannot give out any more clues here。 But this story builds with surprises at what seems like page to page。 I did not expect the ending。 It is a good one。 Don’t miss this book。Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more

Jodine ，

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley。co。uk in return for an honest review***A good domestic thriller， full of twists and turns。 Holly and Zach have the perfect life from the outside。 Appearances are not always as they seem。An easy read， with just enough to keep the reader turning pages。 My issue with it was the level of abuse that Holly was willing to endure in order to not "rock the boat"， given her character I found this to be a major flaw in the storyline。 ***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley。co。uk in return for an honest review***A good domestic thriller， full of twists and turns。 Holly and Zach have the perfect life from the outside。 Appearances are not always as they seem。An easy read， with just enough to keep the reader turning pages。 My issue with it was the level of abuse that Holly was willing to endure in order to not "rock the boat"， given her character I found this to be a major flaw in the storyline。 。。。more

Ann ，

Grabbed you right from the beginning！I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it。 I couldn’t wait to turn it back on。 If you like psychological thrillers you will LOVE this one！ Carey Baldwin has outdone herself。 If that is possible。

Krista Hajjar-Nejad ，

WOW！ This was one twisted psychological thriller！ My heart was pounding and my anxiety was high while reading about all the drama between Holly and Zach Bancroft。 This was one fast-paced， exciting read！ I thoroughly enjoyed Carey Baldwin's style of writing and how well the book flowed。 It was mainly told from Holly's POV。 Many times I wanted to jump inside the book and shake Holly。 The ending holds a major twist that I didn't see coming！Favorite quote: "It takes courage to bite the hand that fee WOW！ This was one twisted psychological thriller！ My heart was pounding and my anxiety was high while reading about all the drama between Holly and Zach Bancroft。 This was one fast-paced， exciting read！ I thoroughly enjoyed Carey Baldwin's style of writing and how well the book flowed。 It was mainly told from Holly's POV。 Many times I wanted to jump inside the book and shake Holly。 The ending holds a major twist that I didn't see coming！Favorite quote: "It takes courage to bite the hand that feeds you。"Highly recommend！My review has been posted on instagram: @thrillersandcoffeeThank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Giofab21 ，

Is too good to be true a red flag？ This story definitely breaks that burning question down。 Shocking and suspenseful， you truly get lost in this crazy story that keeps unraveling， even when you think it's done。 Secrets always have consequences， betrayal is even worse。 Makes you take a second look at your partner but hopefully you have more positive results。 A great web of lies wrapped in a cleverly written story。 I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion。 Is too good to be true a red flag？ This story definitely breaks that burning question down。 Shocking and suspenseful， you truly get lost in this crazy story that keeps unraveling， even when you think it's done。 Secrets always have consequences， betrayal is even worse。 Makes you take a second look at your partner but hopefully you have more positive results。 A great web of lies wrapped in a cleverly written story。 I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Kim Third ，

So many secrets and plot twists！ I loved it。 I'm use to novels being more gripping near the beginning but was surprised with all the plot twists as I got further into the book。 Zach was an infuriating character but it made the story interesting。 I listened to the audiobook and it was very well done。 Definitely worth picking up this book。 So many secrets and plot twists！ I loved it。 I'm use to novels being more gripping near the beginning but was surprised with all the plot twists as I got further into the book。 Zach was an infuriating character but it made the story interesting。 I listened to the audiobook and it was very well done。 Definitely worth picking up this book。 。。。more

Jenn Reviews ，

On the surface， Zach seems like a perfect husband， who provides the perfect life， house， and everything a woman could want。 In The Marriage Secret， he is quickly shown to be obsessive， controlling， cold， and calculating。 When Zach becomes a suspect in the murder of a young woman， the surface fairy tale unravels further。 The narration of this story was pleasant and skilled， and although I was able to guess some of the twists， there were still some surprises waiting in the wings。 A worthwhile， sol On the surface， Zach seems like a perfect husband， who provides the perfect life， house， and everything a woman could want。 In The Marriage Secret， he is quickly shown to be obsessive， controlling， cold， and calculating。 When Zach becomes a suspect in the murder of a young woman， the surface fairy tale unravels further。 The narration of this story was pleasant and skilled， and although I was able to guess some of the twists， there were still some surprises waiting in the wings。 A worthwhile， solid listen， that would also be a good read。 This honest review was provided in return for advanced reader audio access。 #TheMarriageSecret #NetGalley 。。。more

Sabrina ，

A decent attempt at a murder mystery。 There was too much going on。 We had adultery， murder， gas-lighting， horrible friends， liars， and more。 It's like the author tried to fit every possible scenario into the story。 The title and description leads you to believe that the book is about secrets in the marriage。 So much time is spent around Holly's secret， but that ends up being very minor compared to everything else going on。 Zach， Holly's husband， is very emotionally and mentally abusive。 He essen A decent attempt at a murder mystery。 There was too much going on。 We had adultery， murder， gas-lighting， horrible friends， liars， and more。 It's like the author tried to fit every possible scenario into the story。 The title and description leads you to believe that the book is about secrets in the marriage。 So much time is spent around Holly's secret， but that ends up being very minor compared to everything else going on。 Zach， Holly's husband， is very emotionally and mentally abusive。 He essentially gives a lesson on how to gaslight your spouse。 Holly has memories of certain things happening， but Zach convinces her and those around her that they didn't happen and that Holly is "crazy"。 The story does get very twisty at the end， a little too much。 It got a little hard to follow in the epilogue。 Thank you Net Galley for the ARC。 Overall， not a bad story， just too much going on and hard to keep the twists and stories straight。 By the end， it's twisted so much， I was having a hard time keeping the names of the characters straight with how they were relevant to the overall plot line。 。。。more

Cherlynn （cherreading） ，

I saw lots of rave reviews for this book so of course I had to read it for myself！ This was a page-turner for sure。 I love domestic thrillers and there's not a dull moment at all in this twisted tale of lies， secrets， scheming and more。There were some scenes that made me really angry at the antagonist， a couple of which were very uncomfortable to read。 I would have appreciated content warnings in advance especially when it comes to （view spoiler）[sexual assault/spousal rape （hide spoiler）]。While I saw lots of rave reviews for this book so of course I had to read it for myself！ This was a page-turner for sure。 I love domestic thrillers and there's not a dull moment at all in this twisted tale of lies， secrets， scheming and more。There were some scenes that made me really angry at the antagonist， a couple of which were very uncomfortable to read。 I would have appreciated content warnings in advance especially when it comes to （view spoiler）[sexual assault/spousal rape （hide spoiler）]。While this book didn't wow me like I'd hoped， it was nevertheless an enjoyable read with some good twists that I didn't see coming。Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book。 。。。more

daniela weber ，

having been through "marriage noir" myself，I'm seldom interested in anything in sleeping with the enemy spectrum （go ask freud！） but this one read indeed therapeutic - in spite of its accurate portrait of psychological abuse。  having been through "marriage noir" myself，I'm seldom interested in anything in sleeping with the enemy spectrum （go ask freud！） but this one read indeed therapeutic - in spite of its accurate portrait of psychological abuse。  。。。more

Evelyn ，

This book certainly kept my interest throughout and I loved most of it， but I found the last 10% or so to be very disappointing。 I listened to the audiobook， and the narration was first rate。 When I had to stop listening with about 30 minutes left because of the lateness of the hour， I couldn't wait to get back to it the next morning。 But while I found the majority of the book to be well written and well plotted， the ending was so implausible and almost clumsily written （would the villain really This book certainly kept my interest throughout and I loved most of it， but I found the last 10% or so to be very disappointing。 I listened to the audiobook， and the narration was first rate。 When I had to stop listening with about 30 minutes left because of the lateness of the hour， I couldn't wait to get back to it the next morning。 But while I found the majority of the book to be well written and well plotted， the ending was so implausible and almost clumsily written （would the villain really have written down nefarious plans and the reasons for them in such detail？） that I was disappointed。 I do love a good twist--and this was， although I did see it coming pretty early on--but it all just seemed way over the top。 I'd give the first large chunk 4 stars， but the last bit gets 2 stars at best。 I'd still recommend it because most people seem to love it and it did have many good points， but it wasn't one of my favorites。 Many thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an advance audio copy of this book。 。。。more

Bridget ，

Zach and Holly are married; Zach， a wealthy obstetrician still wanted to marry Holly even though she told him her deep dark secret。 Now， Zach has changed and not for the better。 And he has a few secrets of his own。。。This novel has everything - toxicity， secrets， lies， manipulation， adultery， gaslighting and mega amounts of intense drama。 It rockets along and it's twisted from beginning to end。 I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this talented author。I received a complimentary copy Zach and Holly are married; Zach， a wealthy obstetrician still wanted to marry Holly even though she told him her deep dark secret。 Now， Zach has changed and not for the better。 And he has a few secrets of his own。。。This novel has everything - toxicity， secrets， lies， manipulation， adultery， gaslighting and mega amounts of intense drama。 It rockets along and it's twisted from beginning to end。 I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this talented author。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more

BookofCons ，

You want psychological thriller？ The author really said Bet！ At no point in this story was I able to guess what was going to happen next。 Holly and Zach seem to have the perfect marriage。 Holly believes once she gives birth to their daughter， everything will go back to how it used to be when they met。 But when Holly has a troubling experience in the hospital， things only start to go downhill from there。 I didn't want to put this book down because I needed to know what happened next。 Please check You want psychological thriller？ The author really said Bet！ At no point in this story was I able to guess what was going to happen next。 Holly and Zach seem to have the perfect marriage。 Holly believes once she gives birth to their daughter， everything will go back to how it used to be when they met。 But when Holly has a troubling experience in the hospital， things only start to go downhill from there。 I didn't want to put this book down because I needed to know what happened next。 Please check your triggers。 This book does deal with: Manipulation， abuse， gaslighting and suggested sa。 Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Tonya ，

This author is new to me， but I can't wait to read more of her books！ What a suspenseful， psychological page turner！ Zach and Holly seem like they have it all。 Zach is a doctor who everyone knows and respects。。。or so it seems。 One minute Zach seems very loving to his wife， doting on her， lavishing her with gifts， but the next minute he's controlling and very toxic to her but claims she's imagining it due to her having foggy "baby brain" after giving birth to their daughter， Jolene。 Is she just s This author is new to me， but I can't wait to read more of her books！ What a suspenseful， psychological page turner！ Zach and Holly seem like they have it all。 Zach is a doctor who everyone knows and respects。。。or so it seems。 One minute Zach seems very loving to his wife， doting on her， lavishing her with gifts， but the next minute he's controlling and very toxic to her but claims she's imagining it due to her having foggy "baby brain" after giving birth to their daughter， Jolene。 Is she just sleep deprived or is Zach a psychopath？ You will not want to put this book down！ The ending made my jaw drop。 I never saw it coming！！ What a great read！！I'm grateful to netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy to read and review。 。。。more

Paulina M。 ，

Enjoyment （stars）: 5Total rating （stars）: 4。43You can also check my review here: https://youtu。be/m0yA3KmGChc We follow Zach and Holly in The Marriage Secret， who seems to have it all。 He is a wealthy， successful OBGYN and professor。 She is a beautiful stay-at-home mom。 Their house is perfect， and so is their newborn。 However， behind closed doors， things are not what they seem。I do feel that the synopsis gave too much away， but it didn't affect my enjoyment。 For sure， Zach is a gaslighting， scum Enjoyment （stars）: 5Total rating （stars）: 4。43You can also check my review here: https://youtu。be/m0yA3KmGChc We follow Zach and Holly in The Marriage Secret， who seems to have it all。 He is a wealthy， successful OBGYN and professor。 She is a beautiful stay-at-home mom。 Their house is perfect， and so is their newborn。 However， behind closed doors， things are not what they seem。I do feel that the synopsis gave too much away， but it didn't affect my enjoyment。 For sure， Zach is a gaslighting， scum of the earth， misogynistic narcissist， and we are shown his true colours in the first chapter。 I listened to Bookouture Audio production narrated by Stephanie Cannon。 It was such a fast-paced book that I could literally not put it down。 Cannon's style was easy to follow， and at times I even forgot this wasn't a full ensemble cast。 I followed the book from beginning to end without feeling lost。 This is my first Baldwin book and will NOT be my last。 She played fair for such a twisty book with unreliable characters， and all clues can be found in the text - which is always a plus for me。 I absolutely HATED Zach。 As weird as it sounds， this is actually a plus。 Whenever an author makes me feel this strongly about a character， they become an auto-buy。 He is so well fleshed out without being stereotypical， and all the characters read authentic， and their actions made sense psychologically。 I hope more people talk about this book; it deserves all the love it can get。 Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review， I am thankful to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Marriage Secret。 。。。more

Angela Y （yangelareads） ，

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by Bookouture Audio。From the outside， Holly has a perfect marriage to Zach: dream home， a perfect baby girl and passionate， all-consuming love。 When we met， I confessed my darkest secret to him and he never judged me for it。 Instead， he vowed to always protect me whatever the cost。 But as I cradle my gorgeous baby， I have to accept that the husband who used to be my everything， has changed。 At first it was lit I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by Bookouture Audio。From the outside， Holly has a perfect marriage to Zach: dream home， a perfect baby girl and passionate， all-consuming love。 When we met， I confessed my darkest secret to him and he never judged me for it。 Instead， he vowed to always protect me whatever the cost。 But as I cradle my gorgeous baby， I have to accept that the husband who used to be my everything， has changed。 At first it was little things: expecting me to keep to a strict schedule， picking out my clothes for me。 Now， he controls every aspect of my life: from how much money I have， to when I leave the house and who I can see。 One fateful night， a young woman is found murdered and Zach is a potential suspect。 Zach swears he’s innocent， and I realize there is only one solution。 If I agree to be his alibi， he will keep my secret and our daughter can grow up in a loving home。 This book was probably one of the best written thrillers I have read in awhile。 It was a quick paced， twisty story that had me hooked from the start I loved the dynamics and the plot twists that I never would have thought could take place。 The twist was unpredictable for me and the feeling of fear will linger even after the last page has been turned。 I definitely recommend reading this book and cannot wait to read more books by this author。 。。。more

Sarah Manser ，

Firstly， I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free copy of this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 This was my first book by this author， and I will certainly look at her other titles now as well。 This was a page turning domestic thriller that kept my interest throughout and I finished it quickly。 Both Holly and Zach have their secrets and as the book progresses the twists come out to end in an even more twisty finale！I rate this audiobook 4 stars and w Firstly， I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free copy of this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 This was my first book by this author， and I will certainly look at her other titles now as well。 This was a page turning domestic thriller that kept my interest throughout and I finished it quickly。 Both Holly and Zach have their secrets and as the book progresses the twists come out to end in an even more twisty finale！I rate this audiobook 4 stars and would recommend to those who enjoy their thrillers。#TheMarriageSecret #NetGalley 。。。more

MeWriter ，

No one really knows what goes on in a marriage except the two involved。 Should you confide your deepest， darkest secret to the one you love， or will it come back to bite you？ A page-turner for sure！ Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC！