The Engagement
- Downloads：5608
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-19 21:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Samantha Hayes
- ISBN：B0BJL2RHJ2
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Tayla
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Pretty surprised at the high reviews for this one， a lot of unbelievable and eye roll moments but I will admit the two twists at the end really got me。
Bridget
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This is my sixth read by the talented author， Samantha Hayes。 Belle is turning 18 and Hannah and her husband， Rob， want to throw a surprise birthday party for her。 But Belle isn't the only one with surprises in store。。。 With a strong start， I was intrigued and gripped by what was happening and immensely keen to read on。 A surprising， shocking story about deceit， regret and family among other things。 Intense， intoxicating， rich in drama with a superb ending， and very highly recommended。I received This is my sixth read by the talented author， Samantha Hayes。 Belle is turning 18 and Hannah and her husband， Rob， want to throw a surprise birthday party for her。 But Belle isn't the only one with surprises in store。。。 With a strong start， I was intrigued and gripped by what was happening and immensely keen to read on。 A surprising， shocking story about deceit， regret and family among other things。 Intense， intoxicating， rich in drama with a superb ending， and very highly recommended。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
angela norton
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I did really enjoy this book and was excited to read and understand the backgrounds and conclusion。 It was an interesting and sometimes hard hitting read but I think its best not to think too deeply about the plot and look back on it as I think it does have quite a few holes and inconsistencies so I've marked it down a star。 It was an enjoyable read though and I'd look for more of the authors books。 I did really enjoy this book and was excited to read and understand the backgrounds and conclusion。 It was an interesting and sometimes hard hitting read but I think its best not to think too deeply about the plot and look back on it as I think it does have quite a few holes and inconsistencies so I've marked it down a star。 It was an enjoyable read though and I'd look for more of the authors books。 。。。more
Betty Mueller
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OMG！！！！！What a roller coaster ride of a story。 This author is one of my favorites and she never disappoints。 Samantha Hayes is definitely at the top of her game with this one。 The twists and turns kept me guessing and reading late into the night and that ending blew my mind。 I did not see any of it coming which is my favorite type of psychological suspense。 Bravo Samantha you have done it again！！！！！！！
Janalyn Prude
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This book is The Engagement Buy Samantha Hayes。 When we first meet Hannah and her loving partner Rob they’re getting ready for her daughter and his stepdaughter‘s 18th birthday。 It’s going to happen the day after she returns from being in France for two months。 They spent lots of money on a lavish party bought her antique jewelry as a birthday present and cannot wait to see bell but they’re going to have to because she misses the first flight she was scheduled for and she’s not communicating wit This book is The Engagement Buy Samantha Hayes。 When we first meet Hannah and her loving partner Rob they’re getting ready for her daughter and his stepdaughter‘s 18th birthday。 It’s going to happen the day after she returns from being in France for two months。 They spent lots of money on a lavish party bought her antique jewelry as a birthday present and cannot wait to see bell but they’re going to have to because she misses the first flight she was scheduled for and she’s not communicating with her mom and after going to the airport with welcome balloons happy faces and so much anticipation they came home without her。 The party is the next night so no worries as long as she gets in in time and at the last moment she shows up to the venue but she’s not alone。 18-year-old bell has brought her 40 something-year-old fiancé and introduce him to her parents she says his name is Jack when Hannah sees him however she knows his name isn’t Jack and he isn’t some 40 something-year-old entrepreneur。 Unfortunately she cannot share this with her partner Rob nor her daughter because that is the secret she wanted to take to her grave。 Jack stores out a menace the first night when they cannot find the antique jewelry that Rob and Hannah save that for to buy Bell for her birthday Hannah is upset but at the moment it seems Jack is the biggest fish she wants to fry and get out of the pot。 Rob says no worries will file an insurance claim and get her more jewelry… But wait when the family arrives home after the party with Jack in tow might I add rob thought it would be best because if not he would’ve taken Hannah to his hotel room and they wouldn’t get to see her。 No back to the jewelry， now when Belle walks in the house she is so excited it seems the loving jack surprises Bell with an identical original antique jewelry set。 When Rob mentions that the The jewelry they bought h， Hannah squeezes his hand and beg him to play along because at least Hannah got the jewelry … Right？ Belt things her parents just accuse him of taking it to cause trouble for her。 Now if I got engaged with a guy even as a teenager and my parents who I knew did not like him but no them to be trustworthy told me that this guy gave me their present this original antique jewelry said that there’s only one out in the world I would at least have to give it some thought I mean that’s my parents who I trust！ not Bell though they’re just starting trouble and they’re jealous everyone’s jealous cause she has old ass Jack。 Not only that Hannah says her and Jack think it would be a waste of her time to go back to school for her A levels and even college is out，as she’ll be working for Jack， but Hannah knows what kind of work Jack is in too！ end it will be over her dead body！ this time goes by secrets come out and Hannah has more than one chance to come clean with Rob unfortunately she double down on her lies that’s a bigger hole and as the book proceeds we learn why。 At a certain point in this book I had a feeling I knew what her secret was and what she was running from and I knew that was her secret I was going to be livid because no one can be that stupid… But yes they can and Hannah isn’t the only one to prove her stupidity Bell is a complete idiot and I know she’s young but come the hell on… If I said certain things they would give key plot points away and I know many women are going to read this book and say oh this book was so awesome this was so great and I guess if you suspend logic and forgo common sense then I guess yes this is a good book but everyone in this book are not who they have been pretending to be for the past 20 years！ It even gets to the point where Hannah and Rob get together in reacquaint their self with each other and tell each other things you would say on the first or second date I found that ridiculous and in the middle of all this she invites to abuse sisters to come live with her which I thought was crazy because she got this pedophile after your daughter so you invite two more girls to entice him！ I have thoroughly enjoyed Samantha Haze’s books in the past and I did want to finish to see how this cluster crunch of storylines we’re going to come together。 Do I recommend it… Yes I think I do there’s many twist many laws lots of duplicity but it is lacking in common sense but once you start reading it you’re probably gonna want to see how it ended I know I did！ I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more
Connie
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Hannah and Rob can’t wait for her daughter， Belle， to return from spending some time in France working on her French because they are planning a big 18th birthday party for her。 Rob is her stepfather and together the couple have another daughter， Amber， age 10。 When Belle arrives home， she has brought an older man named Jack with her whom she says is her fiancé。 Hannah is shocked because she knows this man and also knows he is evil。 Together， they share a secret about her past that her family mu Hannah and Rob can’t wait for her daughter， Belle， to return from spending some time in France working on her French because they are planning a big 18th birthday party for her。 Rob is her stepfather and together the couple have another daughter， Amber， age 10。 When Belle arrives home， she has brought an older man named Jack with her whom she says is her fiancé。 Hannah is shocked because she knows this man and also knows he is evil。 Together， they share a secret about her past that her family must never find out。Writing more about this plot would be giving away spoilers and I don’t want to do that。 There is a distasteful， but sadly， a realistic business， if you will， that goes on worldwide targeting young women。 It would be nice to see this eradicated but as long as there are greedy people and naive young women out there， it may continue to flourish。 I hope this has you intrigued to read this book。 It enlightened me about this evil business。 Maybe if enough people realize this happens， we can help stop it。Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Alexandra
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RTCThank you Netgalley and Bookouture for provided my copy。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Samantha Hayes - 4。5 stars！Hannah and Rob are throwing a surprise 18th birthday party for their daughter， Belle， as she returns home from a class exchange trip to France。 But the surprise is on them when she walks in with a much older man， Jack， and says she's engaged。 But Jack isn't a stranger to Hannah and she's terrified for her daughter。Told from multiple POVs and from a past timeline， this book wa Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Samantha Hayes - 4。5 stars！Hannah and Rob are throwing a surprise 18th birthday party for their daughter， Belle， as she returns home from a class exchange trip to France。 But the surprise is on them when she walks in with a much older man， Jack， and says she's engaged。 But Jack isn't a stranger to Hannah and she's terrified for her daughter。Told from multiple POVs and from a past timeline， this book was well-written and kept me engrossed。 You can feel the fear in Hannah as she worries about her daughter， as well as Belle's desperate feelings on her first love。 While I figured some things out - I never saw that ending coming！ Bravo！ 。。。more
Patsy
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I enjoyed the beginning and the ending of this book but the middle 🥱 it kept going back to the past but with no detail so I kept losing interest， the pacing was terrible。 I should also be a detective as I’d figured it all out 🧐 which isn’t unusual as I read so many domestic thrillers
Maggie Hauptman
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this was fantastic- I would love this as a thriller movie。 I could picture each character and nail biting scene。 five stars。 enjoyable indulgent read。
Lillian Cummings
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What a suspenseful thrilling read。 What would you do to keep your family safe？ Hannah knows that she can’t allow someone from her past to destroy her family。 But how can she stop him？Belle is happy & in love and she can’t understand why her parents can’t be happy for her。 He is much older than her but he treats her so well。 Jack knows that he can make Hannah’s life miserable and he will use any means necessary。 He wants what Hannah took all those years ago and he won’t stop until he makes her pa What a suspenseful thrilling read。 What would you do to keep your family safe？ Hannah knows that she can’t allow someone from her past to destroy her family。 But how can she stop him？Belle is happy & in love and she can’t understand why her parents can’t be happy for her。 He is much older than her but he treats her so well。 Jack knows that he can make Hannah’s life miserable and he will use any means necessary。 He wants what Hannah took all those years ago and he won’t stop until he makes her pay。How can Hannah get away from her past before anyone finds out everything？Another great read by Samantha always a great read。Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Bookouture for the ARC copy。 This is my voluntary review。 。。。more
Laura
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Wow， just wow！ I thought I had that twist nailed down， and when it came I was impressed I'd figured it out， but alas。。。there was an even more surprising one！ Such a great book， I will be searching out more by this author！ Wow， just wow！ I thought I had that twist nailed down， and when it came I was impressed I'd figured it out， but alas。。。there was an even more surprising one！ Such a great book， I will be searching out more by this author！ 。。。more
Charlotte
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A bit long winded and boring。
Lisa F
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Absolutely brilliant！！ So many twists and turns it was difficult to predict which made the book even more enjoyable
Vanessa
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Meh。
Sara
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Could not put it down！One of the best thrillers ive read，the twist ending was just nuts，did not expect it at all，read it，wont be dissapointed！！！
Francis
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Happy birthday！When Belle introduces her fiancée at her 18th birthday party， Hannah， her mother is quite surprised， but not in a good way。Jack， a man from her past， is introduced to her and hef only thing on the radar is getting away from him。This book captivated me， loved the twists and the thriller side of the book。Loved reading it！It was my first book by this authoer， will not be my last！
Thereasa O'keeffe
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Such a really good book yet again by this author 。Hannah is a mum of two girls Belle who's just about to turn 18 and Amber who is ten。Hannah has arranged a surprise 18th for Belle on her return but things don't go to plan 。 Starting when Belle isn't on her flight and then arrives the next day with her own surprise which is a massive shock for her mum Hannah in more ways than one 。This book focuses on the past of Hannah and everything that happens in the present which is really good 。How far woul Such a really good book yet again by this author 。Hannah is a mum of two girls Belle who's just about to turn 18 and Amber who is ten。Hannah has arranged a surprise 18th for Belle on her return but things don't go to plan 。 Starting when Belle isn't on her flight and then arrives the next day with her own surprise which is a massive shock for her mum Hannah in more ways than one 。This book focuses on the past of Hannah and everything that happens in the present which is really good 。How far would you go to stop your daughter making the same mistakes as you ？ A race to save her daughter from the world and people she didn't survive 。I raced through this book as just couldn't stop reading with its twists and turns 。 。。。more
Brittani Owens
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3。5 stars rounded down This book was definitely a 3 star read until the last few chapters and wow they made the book。 Hannah is planning her daughter's 18th birthday party， but when her daughter shows up engaged to a man she met less than 3 months ago， Hannah's past comes slamming into her present。 As Hannah deals with trying to parent an 18-year-old convinced on marrying someone 20+ years older than her， dealing with her own past， and her partner， Rob， she finds herself being caught up in a web 3。5 stars rounded down This book was definitely a 3 star read until the last few chapters and wow they made the book。 Hannah is planning her daughter's 18th birthday party， but when her daughter shows up engaged to a man she met less than 3 months ago， Hannah's past comes slamming into her present。 As Hannah deals with trying to parent an 18-year-old convinced on marrying someone 20+ years older than her， dealing with her own past， and her partner， Rob， she finds herself being caught up in a web of secrets and lies。 The Engagement goes back and forth between past and present with multiple POV's in the present， which did a good job of giving background and context of the present。 The build-up to the ending seemed to drag on a bit， and there was a few parts that seemed unnecessary （like Leanne and Kate）， but the last few chapters of the book WOW - I did NOT see that coming。 The book dives into deep topics about the sex industry， which might be triggering to some people。 Overall， I recommend reading The Engagement and buckle up for a wild ride！Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read and review this ARC of The Engagement。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lorraine
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Samantha Hayes has written another brilliant psychological thriller 。 Told in two different timelines this book was an absolute page turner right from the beginning to the end。I loved it and highly recommend 。 5 ***** stars from me 。
Bookworm86
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BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Engagement' by Samantha Hayes。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Samantha Hayes， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 10th January 2022。 This is the second book I have read by this author。 I have also read 'The Trapped Wife' which I would highly recommend！！ I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally gripping psychol BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Engagement' by Samantha Hayes。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Samantha Hayes， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 10th January 2022。 This is the second book I have read by this author。 I have also read 'The Trapped Wife' which I would highly recommend！！ I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally gripping psychological thriller from an Amazon No1。 bestseller that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and have you gasping at the twists。 Fans of The Housemaid， Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be flipping pages all night long！' I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement。 I am also a huge fan of Samantha and if this book is half as good as 'The Trapped Wife' it is guaranteed to be a page turner！ I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture。 I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed。 Hopefully this won't be the first。。。 Watch this space！ （Written before I started reading the book）。This novel consists of a prologue， 50 chapters and an epilogue。 The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed。。。OK， I know yeah right， but still just in case！This book is based in London and Bristol， England 🏴， UK 🇬🇧。 I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book。 This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times。 I have actually visited both places recently and only live a couple of hours from Bristol so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any areas mentioned。 This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Hannah， Belle and Molly。 The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them。 If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on。 The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more， what they are thinking and what they are doing。 It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything。 To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything。 'The Engagement' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others。 I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not。 In this book Samantha discusses/includes exploitation of women and prostitution。 OMG！！！！ WHAT DID I JUST READ！！！！ I DID NOT EXPECT THOSE TWISTS！！！ MIND BLOWN MUCH！！！ Wow！！！ This book is fantastically written and had me hook， line and sinker from beginning to end。 The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout。 The synopsis， title and cover were perfect for the storyline。I was absolutely absorbed throughout this page turner。 It is filled with tension， suspense， lies， secrets and omg the twists！！！ I DID NOT see any of them coming！！！ A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Samantha！！ It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over！！！ What an ending！！！ One of the most gripping unputdownable nerve wracking psychological thrillers I have EVER read！！！ You lady have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books。 I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time！！！ The storyline is filled with crime， shocks， suspense， regrets， lies， friendship， tension， deceit and family。 There were at least not one， not two but three explosive bombshells I did not see coming！！！ There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout。 The storyline is scarily realistic and what happens in the book and what Molly and Hannah went through happens to thousands of girls， if not more all over the world。 It is a heartbreaking story and a parents worse nightmare！！ The fact that Samantha has done her research absolutely shines through so a huge WELL done Samantha！！ There is nothing worse than an author not doing even basic research on the subject they choose to write about as it can completely ruin a book of it is littered with unnecessary mistakes。 Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down！！ Practically every chapter ended on a cliff hanger so no way could I put it down！！ Absolutely hooked！！ I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie！！！！ It is set over multiple time lines。 When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader （if it is well done） understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions。 It also shows the bigger picture。 I was completely invested in both the storyline and the characters。 Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and I felt differently about each of them。 I really liked Molly and Hannah and felt so sorry on them throughout the book。 Sadly， like many they felt they had no choice to do what they did after being manipulated and brought into their lives under false pretences。 Hannah spends her whole life hiding her secrets and blaming herself but is she the only one with secrets？ My heart broke for her with everything that was going on with her daughter Belle and as a parent myself I could feel my heart going a million miles an hour with hers。 I'm not going to say too much about the other characters as I don't want to risk giving anything away。 I could not stand Darren who was a horrible， twisted and sick person but again， strong and realistic and Samantha portrayed what many men in this world are like through him and what he does to the girls and how he treats them and the lies he says is exactly how these girls get dragged into these lives and caught in the webs that ruin them。 My heart went out to Rob who was an absolutely amazing Dad to Belle and was worried about his family。 I am not going to say anything about any of the other characters as it isn't worth the risk of dropping any hints but there was definitely mixed feelings with some of them and some major shocks to be had！！ If you want to know more you will just have to click the link below to get a copy！！ All in all a great mix of characters that worked well with this storyline。 Welcome to my top author Club Samantha and your book is one of the best psychological thrillers I have EVER READ！！ Bring on the next one！！！ I cannot wait！！！ Here's to the next success 🥂 Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the prologue of Samantha's 'Date Night' ' which promises to be another explosive page turner and one I am looking forward to reading myself！！Overall an absolutely heart racing， nerve wracking， emotional unputdownable addictive psychological thriller！！！ Genres covered in this book include Women's Psychological Fiction， Mystery， Thriller， Suspense， Psychological Fiction， Crime Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others。 I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl'， Shari Lapena， 'Housemaid'， 'Gone Girl' and 'The Girl on the Train'， Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending！！！ 365 pages。This book is just £1。99 to purchase on kindle， free on kindle unlimited and £8。99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book！！！ Rated 5 /5 （I LOVED it ） on Goodreads， Instagram， Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook。 Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews #TheEngagement #Bookouture #SamanthaHayes #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #NetGalley #Amazon #AmazonKindle #KindleUnlimited @TheEngagement @SamanthaHayes @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Netgalley @Amazon @AmazonKindle @KindleUnlimited https://kcmw86。wixsite。com/bookworm86https://m。facebook。com/Bookworm1986/？。。。 https://m。facebook。com/Bookwork86/？__。。。https://www。instagram。com/bookwormwhi。。。https://www。goodreads。com/user/show/3。。。https://mobile。twitter。com/kcmw86 。。。more
E Dod
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I have read lots of Samantha Hayes novels and I was looking forward to reading this。 I have to be honest and say it does not live up to some of her other novels but it is still a great and exciting read。We meet Hannah who is married and has 2 daughters Belle and Amber。 Belle is currently away on an learning holiday and Hannah is setting up a 18th birthday party for her。 On the day of the party Belle shows up with a man who is much much older than her， Jack and Hannah is surprised to find out tha I have read lots of Samantha Hayes novels and I was looking forward to reading this。 I have to be honest and say it does not live up to some of her other novels but it is still a great and exciting read。We meet Hannah who is married and has 2 daughters Belle and Amber。 Belle is currently away on an learning holiday and Hannah is setting up a 18th birthday party for her。 On the day of the party Belle shows up with a man who is much much older than her， Jack and Hannah is surprised to find out that they are engaged and the other huge surprise is that she knows Jack/Darren from a past life。 A life that Hannah wanted to leave very much in the past and Jack is now wanting his revenge with Hannah。 Each chapter is from Hannah's perspective， then and now and also Belle's perspective。 In these chapters that are about Hannah's past， we learn exactly why Jack is out for revenge and the seedy life that Hannah once led。 I do not want to give too much away。 I found Hannah to be somewhat a silly woman and annoying at times that she did not just come out and tell her husband of her past。This book for me was quite slow paced， I found my mind wandering and missing chunks of text which is when I know that I am not entirely invested in a book。 The last half of the book really quickened up the pace and it was great。Thanks for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Leona
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This was a completely gripping read that I found almost impossible to put down。 The storyline was excellent with a few unexpected twists along the way。 Once you start reading this book be prepared to not get anything else done as you will be so engrossed in this read。 This is told in a dual time line and both timelines are absolute page turners。 Everything about this book is brilliant from the prologue to the very last chapter。
Debra
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Surprise， Surprise！Hannah and Rob are throwing a surprise eighteenth birthday party for their daughter， Belle。 They have everything planned but are shocked when Belle has a surprise of her own！ This book is full of surprises。 What， on the surface， seems like a straightforward story， soon becomes a twist filled journey full of secrets， lies and danger！Belle brought home a much older man to meet her parents。 A man， who she says， she is going to marry。 Jaws drop， shock and confusion set in。 Belle's Surprise， Surprise！Hannah and Rob are throwing a surprise eighteenth birthday party for their daughter， Belle。 They have everything planned but are shocked when Belle has a surprise of her own！ This book is full of surprises。 What， on the surface， seems like a straightforward story， soon becomes a twist filled journey full of secrets， lies and danger！Belle brought home a much older man to meet her parents。 A man， who she says， she is going to marry。 Jaws drop， shock and confusion set in。 Belle's fiancé is no stranger to Hannah， and she is frozen to her core with fear。 The engagement is a twist filled ride which kept me on my toes and shocked me with a jaw dropping twist。 This is a psychological thriller which was clever， gripping and captivating。 Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more
Brittany
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You thought you had escaped him。 Until he proposed to your daughter。 Just seeing that on the cover made me want to read it。 It definitely picks up a lot in the last third or so but I liked reading the multiple timelines and povs although Belle was irritating to me。 I did catch one of the twists pretty early on which I was proud of， but that final twist！ Totally didn't see that coming！ I really enjoyed this one！ You thought you had escaped him。 Until he proposed to your daughter。 Just seeing that on the cover made me want to read it。 It definitely picks up a lot in the last third or so but I liked reading the multiple timelines and povs although Belle was irritating to me。 I did catch one of the twists pretty early on which I was proud of， but that final twist！ Totally didn't see that coming！ I really enjoyed this one！ 。。。more
Nisha
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The Engagement by Samantha Hayes was a tense， psychological thriller that enveloped me right from the beginning。 So many lies and so many secrets， all of which are revealed in the last few chapters of the book and the twists which I could never guess。 Even though the book felt a bit long and drawn out， I enjoyed the multiple PoVs ， dual timelines， dark and gritty premise and absolutely stellar writing but the icing on the cake was one last surprise in the epilogue that shows what a masterful sto The Engagement by Samantha Hayes was a tense， psychological thriller that enveloped me right from the beginning。 So many lies and so many secrets， all of which are revealed in the last few chapters of the book and the twists which I could never guess。 Even though the book felt a bit long and drawn out， I enjoyed the multiple PoVs ， dual timelines， dark and gritty premise and absolutely stellar writing but the icing on the cake was one last surprise in the epilogue that shows what a masterful storyteller Samantha Hayes is。 While I have seen stunning reviews for her books I haven't really read any until now which means I must delve into some of her backlist books this year。 Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the digital ARC。 The book is out now。 。。。more
AGilden
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I enjoyed this one quite a lot， but I'm not sure why， because all the characters' stories were， objectively speaking， a bit odd。Belle was so unbelievably stupid and annoyingly wannabe grownup that I didn't relate to her at all， to the point where I almost thought she deserved whatever she was going to get。 Molly's story was a tad predictable。 Hanna's silence didn't really make sense to me， because her secret was 。。。 well， you'll have to read that one for yourself。 Let's just say that it wasn't w I enjoyed this one quite a lot， but I'm not sure why， because all the characters' stories were， objectively speaking， a bit odd。Belle was so unbelievably stupid and annoyingly wannabe grownup that I didn't relate to her at all， to the point where I almost thought she deserved whatever she was going to get。 Molly's story was a tad predictable。 Hanna's silence didn't really make sense to me， because her secret was 。。。 well， you'll have to read that one for yourself。 Let's just say that it wasn't worth her daughter's life。But， notwithstanding the individual stories being a bit stupid， the emotions were so raw and the subject so brutal that it kept my attention throughout。 The ending was maybe not terribly surprising， but still great。 。。。more
Ag
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The blurb really says nothing about how deep the story is， how real it feels and how many emotions it brings up when you read it。 As the story progresses， it becomes a story of hurt， love， and the most unusual sisterhood。 The title - the engagement - well。 When I read it， I couldn’t stop thinking how wrong the title is。 How the story is not about any engagement。 This is not a story about engagement。 Not。 At。 All。 Nowhere near it。 Yes， there is a trace of it， but it really has nothing to do with The blurb really says nothing about how deep the story is， how real it feels and how many emotions it brings up when you read it。 As the story progresses， it becomes a story of hurt， love， and the most unusual sisterhood。 The title - the engagement - well。 When I read it， I couldn’t stop thinking how wrong the title is。 How the story is not about any engagement。 This is not a story about engagement。 Not。 At。 All。 Nowhere near it。 Yes， there is a trace of it， but it really has nothing to do with the story and the plot。 And then I read the last page。 And。 Ok， yeah。 Makes sense。 Loved it。 Loved it so much， even though at times it was hard to read。 The description of Cloisters - although hopefully a made-up story， with way too many similarities to what life actually is like in places like this – was a bittersweet heartbreak mixed with despair and love born in the weirdest place。 The book was an absolutely gripping read。 Now I want to look up anything and everything this author has ever written。 All the time while reading it， I kept hoping that there is not really going to be any plot twists at the end。 I felt like any plot twists （at least the ones I could think of） would ruin the story。 Then one plot twist came – exactly the one I predicted， and I thought， ok， this is not so bad， yeah， I like it， so no more plot twists and the story will not get ruined。 But then。 Another plot twist and one more。 Both were so unexpected and – they made the story even better。 Also， one more thing to add。 Hannah， the main character， is the most awesome person。 Somehow most who have been through hell and then get an ok life turn out to be the best people ever。 Broken， but with a heart of gold and knows how to love and how to be a way more decent person than most not-so-broken people out there。 。。。more
Nickey
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What a twisted thriller of a read with a totally shocking ending。 I really didn't see that coming！Hannah and her partner Rob are waiting to welcome their daughter Belle home for her 18th Birthday party。 She arrives back from a trip to France a day late and newly engaged to a much older man。 The problem is， Hannah knows him from her secretive sordid past， so she will do anything she can to protect Belle and prevent her going down the same path she did。 Jack， Belle's fiancé， is a nasty piece of wo What a twisted thriller of a read with a totally shocking ending。 I really didn't see that coming！Hannah and her partner Rob are waiting to welcome their daughter Belle home for her 18th Birthday party。 She arrives back from a trip to France a day late and newly engaged to a much older man。 The problem is， Hannah knows him from her secretive sordid past， so she will do anything she can to protect Belle and prevent her going down the same path she did。 Jack， Belle's fiancé， is a nasty piece of work and just reading about him made my skin crawl！ The chapters are written in the present and the past， linking the story up gradually。 The first half of the book is a slow burn， but then it really ramps up and the tension builds towards the end at such a fast pace I was rushing to turn the pages。 This is the third book I have read from Samantha and the third I have enjoyed。 。。。more
Kira
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