Book Review: The Engagement by Samantha Hayes

About the Book:

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You thought you had escaped him. Until he proposed to your daughter.

‘There’s someone I want you to meet,’ Belle says, as a man draws up to her side. He’s tall with dark hair and stubble on his square jaw. He’s dressed in expensive-looking clothes – tan trousers and a fitted navy shirt. He’s not exactly smiling, but the corner of his mouth curls upwards as he slides his hand around my eighteen-year-old daughter’s waist.

I grab my husband’s arm to steady myself as my heart kicks into a thunderous gallop.

I’m frozen.

It’s as though I’m under water. The room spins around me.

I stare into his eyes – jet black. Nothing and everything hidden behind them.

Fear prickles my skin as I remember what he did.

How I only just escaped.

All the lies I’ve had to tell since.

‘I want you to meet Jack,’ Belle says, bouncing up and down with excitement. ‘He’s my fiancé.’ She rests her head on his shoulder. ‘Isn’t it exciting? We’re engaged!’

I have to stop this.

If I don’t, I’ll lose everything…

My Thoughts:

Note: I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

The Engagement is a fast paced thriller that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. The story is told from 3 different points of view, one of Hannah in the present day, one of her daughter Belle and the last in Molly’s view in the past. As we read each chapter, the story unfolds from each character’s perspective giving us a sense of how the past shapes the current events.

Belle returns home from a language learning trip abroad with a shocking announcement. Not only did she not go ahead with the purpose of her trip, she spent time with a much older man to whom she is now engaged in the short span of two months of knowing each other. However, when Hannah meets this person, it is as though her past is coming back to haunt her. The story then follows her as she tries to make sense of the situation, protect her daughter and prevent some of her darkest secrets from coming to light.

The story is well-written with a lot of twists and some of them are so unexpected, you just do not see them coming. Each person has some kind of agenda and so many deeply buried secrets that it is a revelation to the reader. Some parts of the story are horrifying to read about but the author handles it all rather delicately. I truly enjoyed reading this book and was left shocked right until the very end. Even the last few pages had a twist that the reader just doesn’t see coming.

This book is a must read for all those who enjoy a good thriller.

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