I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my independent honest review.
This is a psychological crime mystery with a difference. It initially feels fast paced so it is easy to be drawn in. A twist at the end of chapter one and your hooked. From them on The sick psychopathic games begin and what is different I felt was the steady normality of it all. It doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen, but murder and torture and fear is so normalised for this couple that it reads like a trip to the shops.
If you are used to fast and furious then the style may take some getting used to.
The characters are well written
and it makes you wonder what your own neighbours are really like.
The pace intensifies towards the end to reveal a twist which I certainly had figured out wrong and a powerful ending.
An excellent debut and I cannot wait for more.

I had high expectations for this book. The blurb made it sound like a book I really wanted to read. I wasn’t disappointed. The book has one crazy premise; the perfect husband and wife with the perfect family decide to take up a new hobby, only their new hobby isn’t exactly painting or baking. Still, each to their own and it’s good to be different sometimes. The narrator is the husband and his true identity is never known. I love suspicious, unreliable narrators and this works really well here. The book is disturbing and nasty at times but brilliantly written and everything is implied rather than told in graphic detail. My Lovely Wife is completely unexpected and offers something original than the usual run-of-the-mill thriller’s.

Totally twisted and utterly addictive ! Thoroughly enjoyed this book! About a totally deranged couple that twists and turns. A fun indulgent read

My lovely wife by Samantha Downing is a 4 star read.
WOW just WOW, this book was one of those books you weren’t sure if you wanted to read all the way to the end BUT you couldn’t actually put it down, well this is how I felt. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.

I don’t usually include quotes when adding publisher blurb to my reviews – but look right there at the top. Jane Corry’s quote HAD to stay because it’s just so damn true and didn’t the exact same thing happen to me.

There I was, yesterday evening, picking up my kindle and looking for something to catch my somewhat distracted attention and I chose this book. And by the end of the first chapter I was so completely caught off guard and gobsmacked I just couldn’t stop reading. Until I fell asleep, Kindle still in hand, sometime in the early hours. This morning I had an excruciating hour getting the teen to school before I could finally devour the final 20% of this book.

I can’t talk about the plot. The characters. The twist. You gotta go into this one completely innocent like I did. But it is good. really good. It’s different, it’s crazy, it’s twisted, sometimes I wondered what the hell had been going on in the authors mind. But it was utterly gripping and I loved it.

As a MASSIVE fan of the domestic thriller, even I become a little meh with the endless supply of “twists you won’t see coming” or “standout thriller’s of the year” books occasionally. But for me, My Lovely Wife was a reminder of what i love about this genre and why I’ll continue to read it enthusiastically. Samantha Downing has wrote something fresh, different and definitely a book to talk about. When I come to think about my books of the year post in December, this is one which will spring to mind immediately. If you like a dark edge to your holiday reading then this book is for you! Bloody brilliant!

Oh wow! This book is utterly compelling, in a dark sinister and very thrilling way.

A tale of serial killings but not as you’d expect. It’s written solely from a husbands point of view. A family man. A tennis coach. A family man even, with two teenagers. A regular guy. Or is he? He and his wife plot to kill women who he meets by pretending to be deaf. But he doesn’t actually kill them. She does. Together they claim to be a resurfaced serial killer to cover tracks. Perfect murders? .

The author provides lols of twists and turns to this basic plot idea. For a lot of the book despite the horrific plotting of murders I found myself rooting for this man without really knowing why. A thoroughly good read even though the subject matter is grim and uncomfortable at times!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

A great book from Samantha Downing. I’ve never read a book by this author before and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. The characters were well thought out and the story was well paced.

Holy Twister! I’ve shook after My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing. I know saying there are twists can be a bit of a spoiler. But it’s there on the cover for all to see, so I don’t think I’m ruining anything for anyone.

MY THOUGHTS

For the entire time I was reading this book, I felt very uncomfortable. Because I HATED the characters. Despised them, judged their lack of moral and empathy, and found them wanting by any standards. Shuddered at their evil deeds. But I also couldn’t stop reading. I was drawn into their sordid games, and as grubby as the book made me feel, I couldn’t look away.

Part of why I had such an extreme reaction was that the couple seemed so normal. She sells houses, he gives tennis lessons. They are strict but loving parents who take turns attending their kids sports activities. BUT behind closed doors, they are anything but a normal couple. That’s all I’ll say about that.

My highlights were :

- the layer after layer of twists
- we knew from the very start what the couple were up to and that made it scary as hell
- the darkness of the characters. They were every kind of twisted and horrible.
the gripping storyline. I devoured it in a single day
- that ending. It pulled the rug out from under me, and left me floundering in a heap on the floor

This is a debut novel for Samantha Downing and I can’t wait to see where her deranged imagination takes her next.

WHO SHOULD READ MY LOVELY WIFE BY SAMANTHA DOWNING

I’d recommend this to you if you enjoy authors such as Tana French, Samantha Hayes or Lucy Dawson. And also if you enjoy lots of suspense, evil characters and more twists than a corkscrew.

This over-hyped book seems to widely divide its readership into devotees and detractors. I found myself siding with both at times. It's certainly original, creepy and psychologically chilling, with a twisty plot and repellant characters who command little, if any, sympathy.

The major strength of this novel is in setting the scene and succeeding in creating protagonists that are truly evil in intent. Its major weakness is not allowing us to feel an ounce of compassion for them. It's also fairly easy to grasp some of the later revelations early on.

What I found most unbelievable was the weakness of the husband, our narrator and partner in crime. His complicity beggars belief. Maybe we're being asked to see how blinkered love can be and how it conquers everything, even moral and common sense.

And it was disappointing to discover absolutely nothing about the reasons behind the crimes, other than committing them just for the sheer hell of it, and as an aphrodisiac, perhaps. There was more focus on describing appearance, and the minutiae of the family's daily routines, than there was on stitching up holes in the plot.

Their frightened daughter, along with the hoodwinked community, is convinced that Owen, a released felon, is responsible and likely to attack her. But even this doesn't make her parents desist from continuing to commit more murders, as the end hints at further threats to come. Not a bad debut novel but not a satisfying enough book for me.

On choosing to read this book, I initially picked it for the cover. I then read the reviews and found them hit and miss.

Once starting it, I could not put My Lovely Wife down. I read it within 24 hours. I don't know what it was about it exactly but it just grabbed me from the start.

I would definitely recommend reading this.

Here is a story where you get to meet the ideal family. A loving and hardworking father, a caring mother and two kids who are the best versions of themselves. But the wife is the one who steals the show. Millicent- a responsible wife who works hard for her family, is a brilliant cook, is good at keeping her children humble, loves her husband beyond words and gets away with murders.

There are a few things I absolutely enjoyed. The authors' way of playing with the reader's psychology by portraying these flawed yet rational characters and their circumstances is astounding. I enjoyed reading all the details about them and knowing them as a family. Obviously, I was wrong about them or maybe had a slight inclination towards what was to happen, but I enjoyed the revelation phase and the way each character played out.

The plot had its problems and so did the writing, which was monotonous and slow in most places. The conclusion was pretty good and a bit different from what I had expected. Overall, the book surprised me is a decent way and most of it was definitely engrossing.

A thriller with a difference and that many twists and turns I began to feel sick. There is no character to like in This story which I also find unusual. Saying all that it gets you gripped from page one. A tennis coach and a real estate agent who become obsessed with murder and come so close to getting away with it, or so you think.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Oh my days! This book has made me waste part of my bank holiday weekend! I started reading it then did not stop until I had finished! It's been a while since a book has made me do that!

The main characters are a couple who have been married for 15 years, have two kids, great job etc.... and an unusual "hobby". This is the first twist, and then they just keep on coming! Constantly until the end of the book!

I loved the fact I was kept guessing why on earth this couple have this "hobby" - I kept thinking, "Why are they doing this? Are they psycho? Is it like a sex thing?"

That's another thing I like - I'm having to refer to them as the "couple" as while we know the wife is called Millicent, we do not know her husband's name, apart from an alias he uses, even though he narrates the book. So much mystery and I only worked this bit out a few minutes ago!

The book was fast paced and flowed smoothly from chapter to chapter - another reason I couldn't put it down as I just couldn't stop due to everything that was happening constantly! I was kept on my toes throughout, never knowing what was round the corner.

A great debut! The next Gone Girl! Recommended to everyone who loves psychological thrillers!

I chose to request a proof copy of My Lovely Wife to read for review because it had so many authors I like recommending it.

My Lovely Wife is unrelentingly dark and completely unlike anything I have read before. It is like a car wreck you want to look away from but can’t. It definitely makes for uneasy reading.

My Lovely Wife is written from the point of view of the husband, a tennis coach at an expensive country club. His wife Millicent is an estate agent and his two children Rory and Jenna live with them both.

The small community they live in has been rocked by the news that a serial killer is on the loose. His daughter has been shaken by this knowledge and has been acting out of character.

Not only does the narrator have to worry about this he also suspects that there is something that isn’t quite right about his wife.

I enjoyed reading My Lovely Wife despite seeing some of the twists coming. However, I didn’t guess anywhere near everything that was going to happen.

I couldn’t put My Lovely Wife down but I won’t say anymore about it for fear of ruining the plot.

Wow - what a great story - I was recommended this book by a work colleague who raved about it and she was right - a very twisty story which just got better and better - I loved it - highly recommended.

My Lovely Wife is a psychological thriller with a difference, it’s like nothing I’ve read before and is extremely disturbing.
Millicent and her husband have been married for years, they have two children, a nice house although money is tight. To spice up their marriage after 15 years they decide to kill women.... I know I thought what the hell, this is NOT going to work....but it does.
This is a very dark and twisty plot that is written soooo well, the writing style hooked me from the first page. Everything seamlessly went together and there were no loose threads at the end. This book is best going in blind as I did so you take the journey as your meant to so you’ll get the same thoughts I did. These are two very sick people that’s all I’m going to say. This is a book that will stay with me for some time.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK, Michael Joseph for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I debated between 4 or 5 stars for the ratings. The only reason and it's probably stupid to give it 4 was it took me a handful of chapters to really start to care. But once I did I didn't want to stop reading.
By the halfway point I had my suspicions about a certain character. Which my theory ended up being correct. I just didn't expect it to be as big as it turned out to be.
I hadn't realised until I finished reading that we never learn the husbands name. Which interests me. I wonder why Samantha kept his name a secret.

I liked this book a lot. It was certainly different with a young married couple keeping their marriage alive by selecting and torturing young women. A bizarre story but one that kept me reading to find out what the heck was going to happen at the end. A truly psychotic couple but the end was so unexpected.
As a debut novel this is an excellent book.

Last week I asked the members of THE Book Club “What is guaranteed to make you buy a book?” and I went on to say that my tick list would include a bat shit crazy female psycho; an unreliable narrator, spooky twins, dark humour and a killer twist. Someone recommended MY LOVELY WIFE so I started it immediately.

Well you could knock me down with a feather duster as MY LOVELY WIFE contains 4 out of my 5 requirements (to be honest the spooky twins wouldn’t have worked in this story anyway) and I really can’t believe this book is Samantha Downing’s DEBUT novel.

Our narrator is happily married to Millicent, has 2 teenage children and is a professional tennis coach for an affluent country club. They’ve been married for 15 years and have found an unusual way to keep their marriage alive!

This is one of those books that gripped me from the opening paragraph, shocked me at the end of the first chapter and didn’t stop entertaining me until the final sentence.

I’m not going to give anything away, but this is a dark, sinister and occasionally humorous tale with some excellent twists along the way. I would 100% recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers and I have already pre-ordered her next novel He Started It which comes out 11 June 2020.

This was a guilty pleasure read which I enjoyed immensely. For obvious reasons this will be a short review because you should not know too much about the story. Just a bit of information: They seem to be a normal couple with two kids, a house and jobs. The narrator of the story is the husband, who is never called by his real name so he stays without one. Very soon you learn that the couple has a thing for murdering people. This happened by accident at first. It is not that two psychopaths met, fell in love and decided to make luring women into their deadly net a hobby. That’s what it seems at first.

As I said this book was a guilty pleasure for me. I know there are some plotholes and it is slow paced and filled with domestic things like what organic meal Millicent will cook for dinner. But that’s exactly what I liked about it. This two people are deeply disturbed. They are monsters and they have a normal family life as well. They handle their “hobby” in a very down to earth matter of fact. And I liked that right from the first chapter you can feel that there is something lurking underneath what the narrator is telling us. The author seems to want us to like the guy and that we feel for him. But he is a creep and it is disturbing to see how everything spirals out of control. The weird things they do take not only a toll on their two kids but also on their friends. It is a creepy thing to read about them trying to keep their kids out of it and even help their daughter when she develops a paranoia about the killings when at the same time they are planning how to act further in their crime.

I devoured this book with a pleasant chill running down my spine. I cannot say why because I can see all the flaws and with every other book I would have picked on them. But this book ticked all the right boxes and I just liked the tone and the weirdness of it.