The Marriage

Tom Billinghurst and Jesse Wilson were long-time best friends from childhood.  Their moms, Jill and Bridget, respectively, were also best friends.  Their lives were intertwined in the way that happens when another’s child is as much your own as yours by virtue of their constant presence in your life. Sounds rather idyllic, doesn’t it?  

Flash forward to Tom and Jesse at 18-years-old at a club.  Drinks have flown freely - at least for Jesse.  Words have been spoken that the reader isn’t privy to.  Tempers flare. A potential weapon is pulled.  A punch is thrown.  Now Jesse is dead and Tom is in prison. What happened?

Now jump ahead again 10 years.  Bridget and Jill, bitterly divided by this horrible event a decade prior find themselves in the most unique and bizarre situation: Bridget has married Tom - the man who killed her son.

Excuse me … WHAT???!

If that wasn’t the mother of all complications - no pun intended - throw in Ellis, the now 9-year old son of Jesse and his one-time girlfriend, Coral, who can’t understand why his beloved grandmother has married the guy who killed his father. 

Needless to say it’s a mess, as is every character in this book.  Dive deeper and there are secrets, betrayals and darker truths at work, as all parties cast a suspicious eye on the other, trying to figure out why they’ve been thrust back into each others’ lives, and what potential motives are at work.  

For 90 percent of the book, I was entranced.  What are these characters up to?  Is there a more sinister plan afoot?  Who can I trust?  What’s real and what isn’t?  K.L. Slater strung me along and left me grasping for truth at every step and I was there for it!  Whereas I don’t normally love a book full of unlikable characters, these were so compelling I wanted to follow their every step and figure out what and who I could trust.  The use of the ever-changing POV, switching between Jill, Bridget, Tom, and several others allowed me to see the story from multiple angles, which I loved.  As for the big reveal - I only put it together in the last moment before the reader is shown, and it was GOOD.  

Now - here’s where the story lost a ½ star: the part after the big reveal.  In the big picture, this is a minor complaint, since I’ll walk away from this book having thoroughly enjoyed it, but the wrap-up felt way too convenient and “clean” after such a twisted journey.  I had a hard time believing the characters would end up where they did after so much complicated history together, and the tone felt too abruptly different from the rest of the book. As I said, a minor gripe and certainly not one that should put anyone off from reading this taut, compelling story!

★★★★ ½  

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author K.L. Slater for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.  It will be published tomorrow: May 20th, 2021