Member Reviews

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I am a big fan of Claire McGowan`s Paula McGuire series. I was excited when I heard she had written a stand alone thriller.

The Other Wife is told from the POV of three women, Nora, Suzi and Elle.

Career girl Suzi lived in London with her husband Nick. After a drunken one stand with one of her collegues, Suzi reluctantly agreed to move to the countryside. Living in a remote cottage and no longer working, Suzi became lonely and started an affair with Sean Sullivan. When Suzi became pregnant she told Sean and never saw him again.

Months later Suzi was delighted when Nora moved in next door. Nora had been recently widowed, and had to move to a smaller house when her savings had dwindled. Heavily pregnant and lonely, Suzi and Nora quickly became friends.

Acclaimed pianist Elle, was married to Patrick a doctor. Elle suffered from anxiety issues and became convinced Patrick was going to leave her.

During the story the reader discovers how the stories of Suzi, Nora and Elle weave together.

The plot was a slow burner and didn't truly get going until the 40% mark. After that I found it hard to put down.

Although Suzi bought her problems on to hereself, I did understand why she she had an affair with Sean. Her husband Nick was a emotional abuser who constantly put her down. He deliberately moved to the countryside to isolate Suzi from her friends and work. Elle was an interesting character, she was clingy and her life revolved around Patrick. I did guess Nora`s secret but not until just before it was revealed.

The plot was skilfully woven with twists and turns aplenty. The ending was brilliant and the right people got what they deserved.

I highly recommend this book.

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A good read was slow at times but definitely picked up! Would recommend for readers you live thrillers! Thankyou for the arc

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The Other Wife is another psychological thriller book by Claire McGowan, about a mistress and the wife of the cheating husband and how their lives become entangled. Yet again, I found that I couldn't put this book down. I read it in two days and I absolutely loved it.

As with her previous novel, What You Did, I don't believe any of the characters in this book were really meant to be sympathetic. I can't say I really liked any of them, but that didn't stop me from loving the book. The drama, the fear, and the excitement of finding out what was going to happen next was perfect. I can't wait to read what the author comes out with next.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, stalking, murder, cheating, rape.

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This book surprised me, i expected it to be the same formula but it had a lot more to it, i figured out the first twist pretty early but the twists kept coming. while the writing could have been sharper, more impactful, the story was engrossing. thanks for the ARC

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Suzi is pregnant and isolated living in a cottage in the middle of nowhere with her controlling husband Nick. She also has a secret, she's been ghosted by her lover. When Nora, who is recently widowed, moves in Suzi is overjoyed with the possibility she will have a friend but is Nora really who she says she is?

As the story unfolds you learn more about their lives and how they intertwine.

Its's a slow burner but keeps you entertained to the end. It has secrets, lies, murder, deceit and gaslighting. You come away with the sobering thought about how easy it is in this digital age for your every move to be watched or monitored and how easy it could be to deceive or be deceived.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC

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McGowan is fast becoming a household name with her breed of dark domestic thrillers that are so plausible they will make you squirm.

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A woman's husband buys a house in the middle of nowhere, forcing her to move from London.
A widow on a tight budget moves into the house across the street.
Their connection is pretty obvious. Some good twists as the women unravel the truth behind both their marriages.

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This was a great book, I loved it and thanks net galley for giving me the opportunity to read it.
Two woman and two husband.
One husband is a compulsive liar, the other husband is a control freak.
Somehow the two wives get together, and they work out what’s been happening in their lives.
That’s when this book really gets exciting, so exciting I could not put it down.
Loved it.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is mostly told from 3 perspectives. Suzy is pregnant and living with her husband in an isolated cottage. She has had an affair with someone who is now cold shouldering her. Nora is Suzy’s new neighbor. Elle is a woman who thinks her husband is having an affair. Suzy and Nora become friends but it isn’t a coincidence that Nora has moved in so close by.

I thought I had who these 3 women were worked out pretty early on. I was right because it was pretty obvious. So I was sort of disappointed at the half way point when all of that was revealed but then it took a bit of a turn and became more interesting as we waited to see how these relationships would play out. Overall I liked it and would probably read more from this author.

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Wow, once you've got your head round who all the characters are in the plot, you're good to go and it is actually rather good. Pure coincidence that your lover's wife is a new neighbour of your new home? Awkward

This story is told through various characters. Suzi, Nora, Elle and Maddy. Theres blackmail, possessive husband, an ally of a neighbour or is she? It took me a little while to settle in to the story but I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. The tension just builds and builds. Great

I'll certainly be on the looking out for more of Claire McGowan's books. She has even done a series! I didn't realise her books were out there until I came across this one and investigated what other books she'd done.

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I'll start by admitting that I very nearly gave up on The Other Wife by Claire McGowan very early into the book as I found the different POVs and dislikeable characters quite off-putting, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the book turned out to be a very enjoyable read with lots of fastpaced twists and turns.

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I really enjoyed this book and my first time reading a book by this author. This is a difficult book to review without giving away spoilers. The first half of the book is told from three different women’s POV. Elle who is married to a doctor but unhappy, Suzie who is married to Nick but cheated on him and his pregnant and not sure who the father is. Also, is mentally abusive to Suzie and then a new neighbor moves across the street from Suzie, a woman named Nora who is recently widowed. The first major reveal happens halfway through the book and I didn’t seen it coming which for me reading a domestic thriller is a great thing, being surprised. Then there are more twists and turns. Fasten your seat belts for a roller coaster of a ride. The reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 was I felt the ending was a little rushed. But all in all I really liked the book and was pleasantly surprised by all the twists and turns that were still to come after the first reveal. I want to thank net galley for this ARC I received for an honest review.


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Suzi and Nora, 2 women living as neighbours in an isolated part of the countryside. Both women subjected to manipulative, controlling, lying husband's.
Suzi is pregnant and hiding a secret from her husband, her lover has recently been killed in a car accident.
Nora, a widow, who's husband has been killed in a car accident.
Suzi begins to confide in Nora but Nora is hiding secrets from her.
This story takes many twists and turns as the lies and complex lives of these women unfold.
Would highly recommend this book.

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I really enjoyed this book. A bit twisty and turns but not too much. It’s about three women, all living in an extremely close, isolated area with many secrets. They come out slowly, with none of the three expecting much. Well written and fairly exciting. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

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She’s a total stranger. But she knows who you are…

Suzi and her husband Nick move out to an isolated cottage several miles from any major highway and far from their old home in London. With their marriage on the rocks and their first baby on the way, things appear very tense. Suzi is paranoid and restless. She’s done something that is unforgivable and if her jealous husband finds out, her whole world will collapse. Nora Holscombe, a recent widow, moves in next door to the only other cottage in the area. And then there is Elle, a perfect housewife who is betrayed by her husband who will stop at nothing to hold on to him. Soon Nora, Elle and Suzi’s lives will intertwine, but the only one who knows it is Nora, because she moved here to be close to Suzi and she knows her secret. Three months later, DC Alison Hegarty and DC Tom Khan are on scene where a murder has taken place. Through shifting points of view between Suzi, Nora and Elle we find a story latent with secrets and twists.

This book had promise and a great hook in the beginning. The different points of view and twists kept me reading. After every short chapter I had so many questions and found myself suspicious of all of the women. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and felt the theme of abuse was forced in every character’s back story. Some characters weren’t fully fleshed out (i.e. Dr. Holt). The police investigation was not exactly resolved and the two detectives simply raised their hands up in the air, shrugging and went to have a beer. The last 20% of the book, everything is packed in with revelations, more twists and felt rushed. I liked the direction it was going but felt that at the end every plot point came too rapidly.

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This is an engaging, if not quite original, domestic thriller that made me think a little of Lisa Jewell or Shalini Boland. The story is interesting and the characters feel real, but sometimes it dragged a little for me. All in all, though, an entertaining read!

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This is the first book I have read by Clare McGowan and I will read others. The complex relationships between these characters and how their stories unfolded kept me reading. I was interested in finding out what happens to Suzi and if she ever decided to take matters into her own hands.

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Suzi and her successful husband Nick live in a beautiful, fully modernised and luxurious cottage in the countryside. It is so remote that the only neighbouring property is a vacant cottage that has seen better days. This domesticity is driving Suzi mad. Although she should savour her beautiful home she cannot stand the isolation. Gone is her job in London, her friends and the life she had embraced to the full until her husband discovered her transgressions and whisked her away. She has no money, no transport and the nearest station is a five mile walk away. She feels claustrophobic and although her husband has bought a dog to guard her and keep her company, she needs more human company.
When Nora moves into the cottage nearby, Suzi cannot wait to meet her. She longs for friendship and companionship, someone to walk the dog with and swap stories with. She introduces herself and soon they are friends. Nora is alone as well, so they both have at least one thing in common. She also loves dogs and readily agrees to Suzi’s request that they walk together. Suzi is pregnant and Nick is keen for her to keep healthy. She likes to please him for an easy life. The time flies by and their relationship flourishes. Suzi almost confesses to Nora about why they moved into the countryside. But luckily she holds back because she doesn’t yet know much about her new neighbour.
Elle’s perfect life is shattered into tiny pieces when she finds out that her husband has betrayed her. Their home is picture perfect, he has always been attentive to her and they have fabulous luxury holidays together. She is in denial and cannot believe it when she meets with their solicitor and learns that they have no money left. He has taken the lot and left her to pick up the pieces. Her life is about to change drastically and she is out for revenge. He should be very afraid because she will stop at nothing to track him down.
These three ladies have all been deceived and treated badly by their menfolk. Working together they could be a mighty army. They are angry, determined and dangerous, but what they don’t know is who or what they are dealing with. Their adversaries are strong, amoral, and have spun a web of deceit and iniquity. This novel is full of twists and turns, enough false leads to throw any detective into a fug of despair. What’s more there are so many lies and so much criminality that it would baffle even a seasoned policeman. When their lives collide there is a flurry of fireworks and police involvement is initiated. But who will be victorious?
I thought the storytelling was excellent and the storyline weaved with a magic spell. I didn’t know what to think about any of the characters. They were like wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their motives and instincts were for self-preservation, they were chameleons with a lethal bite. I didn’t know who to trust. Just how well do you really know your family, friends and relatives? If this novel is something to go by, I feel very afraid!
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Thomas & Mercer through my membership of NetGalley and I would like to thank them for my copy, sent out to me in return for an honest and unbiased review. I really enjoyed reading the novel and recommend it as a solid, enjoyable read. There is a myriad of lies and deception and this makes 'The Other Wife' exciting, intriguing and I loved the ending. It’s a 4.5* review from me.

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Suzi is married to Nick. He's extremely jealous. Suzi had an affair and ends up being pregnant. She also has no friends until Nora moves I to the isolated countryside beside her. Nora quickly becomes friends with Suzi. But Nora already k ow more about Suzi than she's letting on about. It seems Suzi is not the only one with secrets.

This story does ot really start until you are a out two thirds of the way in. The pace is slow. The story is told from multiple points of view. The chapters are headed y who is narrating them. None of the characters are likeable but I think that was the authors intention. Suzi's husband is jealous and a control freak. When it becomes apparent how suzi and Nora are linked, I wasnt surprised. There are plenty of twists to put you off the trail. The resolution was satisfying. This is a thought provoking read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing Uk and the author Clzire McGowan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The characters were interesting and kept
the pages turning.
Suzi, once a city girl going out and having fun is now a country girl 6 months pregnant in complete isolation with her husband Nick. She has no friends, no vehicle and no one around for miles until Nora moves in next door. Suzi confides in Nora because she feels a connection to her and she is also the only friend that she has. She has done a terrible thing and is trying to decide what to do about it. Meanwhile Elle is concerned with being the perfect housewife in the perfect house trying to get pregnant with the child she so desperately wants. All of these women’s lives become intertwined when a terrible accident brings them together. The women find that their needs and wants have changed as a result of meeting each other. How far will they go for revenge or to acquire what they want the most!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! I truly enjoyed this book thru to the last page!

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