Member Reviews
I really enjoyed The New Wife. The ending had an interesting twist that I definitely didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the narrator and the story. I actually finished it in a day because it sucked me in and I had to know how it ended!!
I look forward to more books by Sue Watson.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The New Wife! This novel about a newly wedded young woman, Lauren and her mother, Georgie offers a thrilling and difficult to solve murder mystery suspense story.
The characters are well drawn and fascinating. Lies among them abound. Their motivations are not always easy to understand, which makes the mystery of Lauren’s death difficult to solve. The dysfunctional personalities among the individuals makes for an intriguing and gripping page-turner. I look forward to reading more from the author, Sue Watson.
The story is told by single mother Georgie after the death of her son’s wife Lauren. Georgie’s son Sam married his childhood sweetheart Lauren at quite a young age and the two families then became even more intertwined. Already before that, since the kids Lauren and Sam were in the same nursery the families had been great friends, even going on holidays together.
Shortly after their wedding Lauren is found dead and the suspicions start and what was for decades a solid friendship between the parents became troubled as the husband is of course always one of the suspects!
The way the story is told by Georgie really pulled me in and I felt like it was a friend telling me what had happened and inviting me to try to work it out together with her, as just like her I was convinced her son Sam was innocent.
There are several twists and turns and just when you think you have it worked out another twist is introduced, which is just what I am looking for in this type of story.
Georgie has done her job. She really wanted her son Sam to marry with hopes of one day making her a grandmother. Lauren is indeed the perfect daughter-in-law. But a few months later everything changed in the most horrendous of ways. Lauren was found dead and the police are looking at Sam as the killer.
Sam was the one who found Lauren’s body but is he the killer? Georgie just has to know. Of course she offers him 100% of support when he claims his innocence, but seeds of doubt begin to take root. Georgie cannot help herself. One day she wanders over to their remote cottage to look around. Perhaps she will find a clue that the police did not?
As if this thrilling book could not get any better with regard to the level of suspense, then factor in the audiobook narration by Tamsin Kennard. Her approach to this book was spot on, which further kept my interest as to the possible identity of the killer.
At one point, both sets of parents were in perfect harmony. Now they are at loggerheads. What really happened to Lauren? With secrets and lies becoming clearer and clearer, Sam’s innocence begins to look doubtful. But with perfect misdirection, the reader is also doubtful. Excellent job as always Sue Watson.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
I received the audio of The New Wife from Netgally but the opinions and review are mine. This is my first book by Sue Watson and probably won't be my last.
The Book is told from the perspective of Georgie who has an only son named Sam. He married his childhood sweetheart and jot long later, she is dead. How she ends up dead and the secrets that the family has makes everyone appear to be a suspect at some point t.
I enjoyed both the book and the narrator of the book and would recommend it to people who like twisty thrillers.
What a fun and entertaining listen!! I flew through the audio of THE NEW WIFE and absolutely loved it. It kept me engaged the entire time.
I really enjoyed the perspective we got here … the mother-in-law of the victim. It felt pretty unique to me.
There were quite a few shady / questionable characters which kept me guessing right up until the end!
I listened to this book rather than read it - Now I love Sue Watson's books and am gripped by all of them. I just wonder if this one wasn't the best to make into an audiobook. I found Georgie irritating and submissive - she seemed to feel that she was not as good as Tim and Helen, she let Helen speak to her like dirt. I found no real mystery and when it kept alluding to a terrible secret found in the bedroom I must have missed it! Having said that the ending was good and I look forward to the next book by Sue.
Sam marries his high school sweetheart, Lauren. Shortly after their wedding, Lauren is found dead. Sam as the husband is the likely suspect. Things slowly begin to unravel about Sam. What is the truth? What are the lies? Told only by one perspective, Sam’s mother. You hear her innermost thoughts and what she begins to doubt. Watson brings us through a journey of a mother who is trying to right her son’s name. But does she believe everything she hears? I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I do think it would have been nice to slip in chapters at the end from Sam or Lauren’s perspectives. It may have added to the story. To me, this was just an OK psychological thriller. It takes a lot for me to get really excited about these types of books. There were a lot of parts that dragged on. I wish I liked it more.
“Truth is powerful and happiness is fragile!”
A story so full of secrets and lies that there’s almost no one left to trust… almost!
Loved this one. Great audiobook. 5 stars ⭐️
Thanks NetGalley for the advance audio book in exchange for an honest review!
<b>Things I Liked:</b>
I enjoyed the narrator, Tamsin Kennard. The narrator is a huge factor in my overall opinion of an audio book because they can really bring the words to life. When the narrator is unpleasant for whatever reason, I lose interest in the story. But Tamsin Kennard was great!
I appreciated the many twists and turns throughout the audio book. For the most part, it wasn't totally predictable and there was lots of surprises throughout.
I like Georgie, who is the voice of the story. As a single mom, she was happy to connect with another mom, Helen, and her daughter, Lauren early in her son Sam's preschool days. The two families remain close and 23 years later Sam and Lauren marry. Everything is from Georgie's point of view, and I really felt comfortable with her, like she was a friend sharing a story.
<b>Things I Did Not Love:</b>
Some of the plot was predictable. It's a tough line for me - I don't like mysteries and thrillers to be predictable but I also don't like it when I can't figure out who the real villain is before it's revealed. So I'm tough to satisfy in this respect.
I didn't think the characters, aside from maybe Georgie, were well developed. They were very surface in general, and some characters, like Sam, had hardly any character or presence, let alone development!
So I do recommend that you give this audio book (or ebook or physical copy) a listen (or read). Overall, I enjoyed it!
Oh wow, what a great book. A thriller that kept me guessing all the way through the book and some humorous one liners that made me smile. While this isn’t a comedy, I just loved coming across those lines and smiling.
It makes you think about how well do you know your family and those around you. After Georgie’s son Sam marries his childhood sweetheart, he calls to tell her she was murdered. The book is told from Georgie’s view and her defending her son at all costs because he is her everything.
I kept changing my mind all throughout my read, trying to figure out who killed Lauren. While the cast of the book is pretty small, I suspected all but Georgie, multiple times. And one point even wondered if maybe she was unreliable and misleading us. You are limited to Georgie’s knowledge as you progress and with many of the others keeping secrets of their own, they weren’t always honest with her.
This is not a quick paced book, but character driven. You keep learning a little more about each of the characters as Georgie works to clear her son’s name. And Tasmin Kennard does a great job with the audio narration. She really gave Georgie depth.
I could not put this one down. I think domestic thriller lovers will really like this one.
Childhood sweethearts Lauren and Sam are about to get married, having known each other ever since they started nursery together and instantly became friends. Their families are already close and this feels like the icing on the cake.
But after only a few months, Lauren is found dead in the newlyweds' home, and what initially looks like an accident turns into a murder investigation, with her husband Sam the only suspect. Sam's mum Georgie can't accept it was anything other than an accident, but the more we delve into the story, the more cracks appear and the more secrets we discover the seemingly perfect family are hiding.
Gripping, packed with twists and a very well narrated audiobook.
Another stunning story by Sue Watson.
Georgie's son, Sam marries Lauren his childhood sweetheart Lauren. The two of them have been inseperable since they met as kids. Since Georgie raised Sam on her own, she has always been happy to be friends with Lauren's parents. So the three of them were like one big family.
This changes, when Lauren is murdered and Sam is the prime suspect- it is always the husband- isn't it?
Georgie does everything to proofe that Sam is innocent while Helen and Tim, Lauren's parents, are not as convinced about this. At least he is supposed to have killed their daughter.
Can their friendship stand this test?
I particularly enjoyed Tamsin Kennard's narration. Her characterizations made this story a deep experience for me!
Thanks #Netgalley #Bookouture Audio, bookouture for an audio version of this book
A perfectly written thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book is full of many twists and turns and a surprise ending you won’t see coming. It’s everything you want in a good thriller! I recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook copy.
The New Wife is a story about Sam who recently got married, but weeks later, his wife Lauren, was found dead. This is narrated by Georgie, Sam’s mother. I was wondering at first why this was so, but found it fitting as the story went on.
Georgie for me is a little naive, one who believes what she sees right away, even if everything was already thrown at her face. I felt her desperation in saving his son from what happened as a result of Lauren’s death. It really is what a mother would do for her son. This is a whodunnit story, and I actually write in my journal who my suspects were, but I got them all wrong. 😅
I seldom found audiobooks to be really gripping, but this is one of the few. The narrator’s voice is perfect for the character, she got the emotions behind the characters, most especially Georgie.
I remember a line from Helen, Lauren’s mother. “Georgie, you only see what you want to see.” And this story revolved around that.
This really had me guessing, I think I suspected everyone at some point. Even when someone wasn't a suspect I didn't trust them. I was gripped from the beginning and loved the fact it really seemed to dive straight into the main event.
With plenty of twists, turns, white lies and deceit this really held my attention and I needed to know who was guilty of what.
This book really has you pondering on how well do we really know our friends and family .
What would you do if you lost your child? Then, found out their death was being investigated as a murder?! Whether it’s your child by blood, or family you’ve made, you’d want to know the truth!
Follow along as Lauren’s death is investigated. So many loving people in her life. Could it really be one of THEM? Or is there a stranger, lurking about.
#SueWatson does a FABULOUS job keeping everything, and everyone, in question. You won’t know until the very end what ACTUALLY happened!
Thank you to:
#NetGalley for the advanced copy of #TheNewWife by #SueWatson.
Narrator #TamsinKennard for bringing the story to life.
And to #Bookouture #ThreadBooks publishing
The New Wife by Sue Watson was a good read. The characters were well developed, some were likeable, and some were not, which was the point. The storyline kept me engaged. The setting was supposed to be atmospheric, but I do find it fell just a bit short of encompassing me. I enjoyed Tamsin Kennard’s narration. All in all, worth the read.
***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****
As a mom of 3 boys, this story was terrifying just thinking about this mom protecting her son from the aftermath of his wife’s death. I enjoyed the twists and red herrings in this fast paced mystery/thriller! I will definitely be reading other titles by this author.
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺, 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!
What a wild ride, it was full of twists and turns, fast-paced, kept me at the edge of my seat and guessing until the very end.
Impossible to put down, loved it.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ALC.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢.