This book starts with a strong but steady paced storyline and a range of interesting and well described characters. There are a few clues that all is not as it seems and cracks start to appear in the lead characters.
Then at about 40% into the book, the plot heats up and all I can say is wow.
With lots of exciting twists and turns this book was a compulsive read which slightly left my head reeling. A cleverly written book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest and independent review.
4.5****

Awesome, astounding, breath-taking, gobsmacking .. all words I've toyed with to describe this novel and yet I feel I haven't quite got there yet . . .

This is the story of the broken relationship between Nellie and her husband Richard. We begin the book seeing her as a broken woman whose life has fallen apart following their divorce and her discovery that Richard is engaged to a younger version of herself. Now, whilst I think that's a fair assessment of the opening chapters, please don't expect me to describe the remainder as I'm still reeling from how things play out! Just remember the advice in the book blurb . . .

I note that this is the first collaboration between the authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Please don't let it be the last! This is a cleverly plotted and superbly written novel. Just when you think you have worked out what's going on, realisation hits you that you really haven't a clue. And it is simply terrific. If you want something different from anything you have ever read before, then THIS IS IT!!! This is one where I really wish there were more than five stars available.

My sincere thanks to publishers Macmillan for approving me for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

There is a lot packed into this story. There is a lot happening and a lot of twists in the plot. It is a very cleverly thought out story that has been well put together from start to finish. However, I have read a few books with similar plots which are better.

I had heard a lot about this book. I was intrigued from the beginning of The Wife Between Us. Throughout I was guessing as to what the outcome would be, which wasn't what I expected and nor was I disappointed with. I did find it confusing in parts as to who was who but it did hold my interest.

My main thought theoughout thia books was that Richard was a complete control freak and why anyone of these women would even want to marry this caveman is beyond me! Vanessa and Emma were just as calculating as Richard! The pacing was quite off with this book. Up until the halfway point the pace was good and gripping enough to keep me intrigued (at this point the book was a solid 4.5/5) but from the 60% mark the pace slowed way down and it became a struggle to finish it. It picked up again around the 85% mark but the most interesting part of this story was the epilogue, which in my opinion should've been incorporated as part of the main story to up the intrigue.

A brilliant compelling book. Loved how it unfolded with so many twists and turns and ups and downs.
I read this book in two days, the story was an absolute page turner. I loved how the authors wrote this in such a way that I was constantly surprised and had no idea how the story was going to end.
The Wife Between Us is a story with dark and chilling moments and it will have you gripped to the pages.
Would highly recommend this book and will definitely read more by these talented authors.

Thank you!

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. There were some fabulous twists that I could not have seen coming. I even re-read some sections to see if I had missed something but it was so cleverly written it was easy to think that. I would recommend this book to all of my friends.

Wow I am almost breathless having just finished this book, what a book...... I could hardly keep up with the plot it was very clever very twisty and really unpredictable .Everything I look for in a thriller, I loved it.I liked the main character I did work out a tiny bit of the plot but there were so many clever twists that I couldn't read it fast enough , you will lose sleep with this book I certainly did.I also couldn't wait to pick it up and keep reading it made me think and kept me guessing. No spoilers from me but this is a really cracking thriller it is well written and just about everything I look for in a book of this genre.I can't recommend it enough.Thanks so much to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.

This book left me underwhelmed - it was slow and repetitive, with unoriginal characters and plot lines. I didn't enjoy the writing style, the main twist was weak, obvious and didn't really change anything in the story. This one wasn't for me.

The Wife Between Us is a tense thriller that has a few shocking reveals for the reader, although I have guessed most of it I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it and especially in the last quarter of the book I was on the edge of my seat as the atmosphere was so tense between the characters.
The story is told between Vanessa and Nellie. Vanessa's husband Richard just left her and she's trying to put the pieces of her shattered life together. She is depressed, on the verge of being an alcoholic, staying with her aunt and trying to not to get fired from her new job. Nellie on the other hand, just fell in love with Richard and preparing to get married. Two woman is linked by Richard- but is everything as it seems?

I can't say more, as I am scared to reveal. I read this book nearly in one sitting as it was really unputdownable. There were things I didn't like in the plot, but I think altogether it was structured very cleverly.

Not at all what I was expecting! Some lovely twists in this tale. Highly recommend.

This was such an excellent book I found it very hard to put down. A tremendous plot with so many twists right up to the very end, which I didn't expect and which left me totally gobsmacked.
A must read and fully recommended.

Ex-wives. ex-girlfriends and ex-partners in general, they tend to get a bad rap. Their wickedness is legendary, their legacy leaves behind a vast trail of destruction or rather that is what a lot of their ex- partners would have you believe. It is easy to demonize the woman, or man of course, but for the purpose of this story and review I will stick with women, and to blame her for the shambles of a marriage.

Nellie appears to be the needy and jealous type. She is obsessed with her replacement, the younger perkier new fiancé of her ex-husband. She stalks her in an attempt to be part of a life she no longer belongs to, her old life. Her house, her money, her family and her husband. To the reader she appears to be the epitome of a stalker waiting for the right moment to strike.

I found myself identifying with Vanessa when it came to her seemingly drastic approach to sever ties with her hubby. The abusive, controlling person will never concede control unless it is done on their terms, regardless whether that means via divorce, an ocean between you or death.

As long as they have the last word and action in your emotional and often physical demise they feel satisfied that they have retained control over you and your life. This includes maligning your name and reputation, trying to take away what matters the most to you, which is often the children, and any kind of financial stability. Control is the beginning and the end of this type of abusive relationship. If he or she doesn’t have the upper hand or makes the checkmate move, then the abused person may find themselves in mortal peril. At the very least they can expect a lifetime of continued harassment. Sounds dire, right? Well it is.

The Wife Between Us is an accurate portrayal of what certain people want you to believe and then somewhere hidden behind closed doors is the actual truth. The next time you hear a story about a crazy vindictive ex just keep in mind that you are only hearing one side of the story or the conveniently edited version of the story. Abusive charmers can be very persuasive and convincing.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story, and I believe the one the abused don’t think about and can’t afford to think about, is the replacement. You either have to be cold-hearted enough to walk away and never look back or you can try and warn them about what is coming straight for them, bearing in mind that they would never believe you, because hey you’re just the crazy obsessive ex.

Hendricks and Pekkanen have managed to create a compelling intense read, which doesn’t have to rely on exaggerated scenarios, because it’s a story that happens all the time. This is reality. Hopefully it will encourage others to look beyond the shallow gossip and to think twice about passing judgement.

Rule number one - never make assumptions, this book will challenge them all!

An absolutely addictive page turner, fabulous writing with brilliantly drawn characters and such clever twists and timely reveals - I'm afraid to say anything more as any spoilers will ruin this book, which for me more than lived up to the hype surrounding it.

Just
Read
It

5 massive stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I really loved this book. Told from the perspective of the new fiancee and the ex wife, it seems like the ex wife is out to sabotage this woman's life and steal her husband back. There are many twists and turns throughout the book and it always keeps you guessing. The book is well written and a total page turner.

*The paragraph at the end of the review marked with an asterisk (*) contains spoilers.

The Wife Between Us is a thriller, and like in a lot of my reviews, I don't like giving synopses for thrillers as I feel it's best to go into them blind. I feel as though I have a lot to say about this book, but at the same time I have no idea how to put my thoughts down. Firstly, the way this book was written did include a few surprises for me, not huge ones, but slight ones that made me think "oh okay, that's the direction it's going in" which I guess is one of the conventions of a thriller novel?

It would be a lie to say I wasn't entertained by this book, because I definitely was, but it wasn't AS entertaining as I had hoped when I first went into it. It fulfils the woman-MC-thriller type book that has been popular over the last few years, but it just wasn't quite as punchy as I'd expect from a thriller. That being said, I've had a quick browse through reviews and plenty of people found it dark and twisty in a way that I just didn't, so if you're into that kind of thing, it's worth giving it a shot, if your thoughts are different to mine, I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

____ spoilers below

*There were many parts of this book where I just felt like I knew what was coming and that I just didn't entirely see the MC's point of view at all. I didn't understand her motives in any way, shape or form. On the surface, I sort of did, but realistically? Not a chance. Firstly, the way she wanted to get out of the marriage just didn't gel with me. Yes, I understand the husband's behaviour and that it needed to be his idea to end it, or he would never let her go. But I didn't see enough of that behaviour from him for it to be realistic, it just felt like our MC was going out of her way to get rid of a man who just didn't seem that interested in her anyway, in my opinion. If somebody can be "led astray" that easily by her clumsily orchestrated plan, she could have just walked away and be done with it. The other motives I don't understand were why she even went after Emma to try to "warn" her. I guess the whole thing just felt unrealistic to me and clumsily put together in a very haphazard way.

A captivating read from the beginning, the characters worked and the story flowed nicely, it was a good thriller, I particularly liked how it was all tied together at the end, no lose ends at all, if you like a good thriller with a great storyline then I can recommend this book

I kind of wish I hadn't read the intro blurb to this book, as I ended up guessing what the twist was, which is always annoying! However, as that happens halfway through the book, I was still intrigued to read on and discover how things had gotten where they were.
Trying not give away any spoilers, this is a decent thriller that reinforces the ages old adage "love is blind". It's well constructed with a good twist halfway through, but for me, it did lose its way a little towards the end.
It does have a great unreliable narrator, who reminded me in parts of Rachel from "The Girl on the Train", in its central character, who will have you scratching your head (in a good way) as to what is real and what is the truth.
As thrillers go, this one is pretty good, just let down by a slightly disappointing editor. Fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train et al, will likely love this!

This was such a clever book and I found it very hard to put down. The plot was just tremendous and had so many twists right up to the very end and I did not guess any of them, they were so good.

Nellie is the narrator of the story and at the start of the book she is divorced from her husband Richard, living with her Aunt Charlotte in New York and has just started a new job as a saleslady in Saks.

We learn all about her wonderful marriage, how she met Richard, how caring he was, how happy she had been and what an amazing life she had led. They were living the dream in a beautiful house, having amazing holidays and this is all brought home to Nellie when she has to serve one of the wives of Richard’s business partner in Saks. She also discovers that Richard now has a beautiful new girlfriend, Emma, a younger version of Nelly whom he is planning to marry.

It is very difficult to go into details without spoiling the storyline which is just so absorbing. Was Nellie’s marriage as perfect as she describes it? Why is she stalking Emma? How much influence does Richard’s older sister Maureen have? There are so many questions that only get answered at the end where everything finally falls into place.

You are brought into this story and almost feel like you are living Nellie’s life for her. There are so many twists and turns and you just cannot work out what the real story is until the brilliant end. Even then there is another twist that I just did not see coming. I would urge people to read this, I thought it was brilliant and will definitely look out for any further books by this incredibly talented duo of writers.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I really enjoyed this book and really was surprised at the twist half way through , I did find it along similar lines as a couple of other books I've read recently , behind closed doors and the last mrs parish to name a couple but it still had enough originality and pace to keep me interested ! It was well written and when I realised what was happening I really liked Alexandra . Excellent book , thanks for the opportunity