Jess and Finn's father has died at his home in Mallorca; but to them he was a distant and uncaring man, so no loss. They are more excited about inheriting his near-derelict finca, as it was to come to them and not to his new, third wife. So Finn goes over to set things in train and meets the widow and her daughter Roze.

From there the story twists, as he falls in love with Roze and wants to stay and fulfill their ecotourism dream. However, the woman are Albanian and Roze has no legal status to stay; the finca has been restored using Ruensa's money and the police are questioning whether his father's death was a natural one.

The result is a twisty tale as the reader unravels who is telling the truth and who has other agendas and how the past shapes and haunts us. Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very much looking forward to a good psychological thriller, unfortunately I was very disappointed. After a long drawn out and rather boring story I was expecting an interesting twist at the end but once again I was disappointed with a chaotic and rather absurd ending.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I not like this book at all.

The first half was exasperating. Finn just made idiotic decision after idiotic decision - in that way that left me really annoyed. None of his actions (or reactions) made any sense. Now, if I had stopped reading at that point, I would have given the book a two or three out of five. Simply because, while readable, the main character was frustratingly stupid and he wasn't written in the way some books about idiots are where the idiot is endearing or entertaining or his idiocy makes sense in the context of who he is and it adds to the plot. Think here of' Sam Dermody from Ozark.

But then the second half happened and... the whole thing went downhill at an incredible fast pace!

There's nothing I liked about this second half. A solid zero or one out of five.

Yet I finished the book because I don't like not finishing books I am asked to review. And some of the books by this author I've liked in a the past so I held a tiny amount of hope that this could be saved by an incredible ending.

Well, it wasn't.

After the the big reveal happened (which felt ridiculously contrived and made no sense in the context of the first half of the book) the whole story... imploded.

If I was the JP's editor I'd say:

JP, work on the first half and completely rewrite the second half. Re-think the entire plot. This makes no sense JP, don't do it! Pause for a second. Take whatever time you need! Let's make this work - because it can. You just have to basically re-write it. It's a big ask.I know, this isn't what you want to hear. But if we're going to make this work, you have to re-write it. I believe in you, JP! I wouldn't say it to anyone else but I believe you can do this. You have what it takes! Just give it another go. Take a break in between now and when you go back in, if you must. Just re-do this. Do it for you. Do it for me. Do it for your readers who believe in you!

"The New Wife" is a thought-provoking psychological thriller set in Mallorca. Many times you will ask yourself "Who is telling the truth". The tension builds throughout the novel, to a point where it must be finished!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I have read one of this author's books before and enjoyed it so I was hoping for great things, Sadly the great things didn't happen, at least not for me. Finn and Jess's alcoholic hippy father has died in Mallorca leaving them a finca with a widowed wife and step daughter ensconced. Very slow paced so took a while to connect with. The characters are all dreadful . I didn't like any of them but I suppose that's the point. Finn spends a lot of the book telling us how luscious Roze is which gets rather tedious. Whilst confusion over who to believe is often part of books there does need to be a direction of travel at some point and I finished the book more confused than ever. The surrealness at the end confused things further. Medical details were wrong so that doesn't help.
The link with My Cousin Rachel which is a fantastic book by a superb author of classic novels was tenuous.
What I am really uncomfortable about is using women immigrants as lying, scheming basically prostitutes especially in the atmosphere we have today.
The ending was more confusion and overall the book fell very flat for me

"My generation is sometimes mocked for talking about 'my truth' rather than 'the truth' - an easy habit to criticise, but one which accepts, perhaps that, in a world where so many different versions of the facts are constantly available, it matters not so much what actually happened as who one chooses to believe"

When Jess calls Finn to tell him their Father has passed away, neither one of them are sad. After an unstable and abusive upbringing, they have nothing to mourn. What they do have is a Finca in Mallorca, which, upon his death, has become rightfully theirs. However, his new wife and her daughter still live there, so Finn flies out to sort the legalities.

What should have been a simple process turns into a somewhat frustrating, crazy tale that pushes the boundaries of believability.

Whilst I enjoyed the style of writing and, in some places, the story itself, I found myself at a loss as to what was going on. Why would any grown person be so utterly gullible. But are they gullible, or are they playing their own game? What is truth and what isn't? Who is the ultimate winner? I found myself getting quite tied up in knots!

I did absolutely adore the setting. It was beautifully laid out, and I could feel the wonderfulness of the atmosphere of the Finca and its surroundings.

I didn't much like any of the characters, but I think that was the point. You were meant to question and mistrust.

The idea behind this book seems to be that you have no idea who has been truthful or what the real truth was and, whilst I think it's a clever premise, I found it really frustrating. I ended the book with no idea what had actually happened or why!

It was an interesting read and enjoyable in places but ultimately unsatisfying for me personally. I definitely wouldn't class this as a thriller. It didn't have that kind of vibe.It was more of a slow, whats going on, read with no particular twists and turns.

Told mainly in the first person by Finn, this is a story of obsessive love. Finn and his sister Jess have inherited their father's house in Mallorca. Finn goes over to sort out the estate knowing it will be difficult as his father's new wife is living there. What he hadn't prepared himself for was that the new wife and daughter are charming and seemingly not at all put out by their lack of inheritance in spite of them having worked exceedingly hard to improve the property.

I enjoyed this story, It is inspired by Daphne Du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel as the author writes in an afterword. Finn is full of doubts about the motivations of his step mother and her daughter but he himself is hiding something,
However, it's a bit repetitive at times. This is the second book I've read recently where a man has been obsessed by a woman (or to be more accurate a woman's body) and it gets s bit tedious at times listening to him drone on about her lusciousness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I will start by saying that I love JP Delaney's work and came into this with high expectation. I was incredibly excited and gracious to receive an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

This was a slower pace than other books I have read by this author, but once I got I got into it, I was enthralled. It was so clever and I did not see the ending coming! Loved this!

This is the story of Finn who heads off to the island of Mallorca to settle the estate of his estranged father. Finn and his sister Jess do not seem to be sad about the death of their father but instead are eager to sell their inheritance and move on. Of course, things are not that easy. The new wife (hence the title) and step daughter are living in the house with nowhere else to go.

As with other books by this author, it is well written and a definite page turner with shocks throughout!

3.75 stars rounded up.

This book keeps you on your toes, not knowing whether you are hearing the truth or not. I liked the fact that things were not cut and dried but ambiguous and that added to the suspense. The twist took me by surprise, a little had been hinted at but the full reveal came out of the blue for me.
It flowed well and kept me fully engaged although I thought it went a little surreal towards the end.

The New Wife by JP Delaney... Where to start? In general, I would say - not bad but a little slow with many descriptions. I would not call this a psychological thriller. First 80% I would call a romance, probably not a love story but some type of romance. Finally, some activity started around 80% into the book. I got excited but unfortunately, 10% later story fell back to a slow, descriptive way. Must say I wasn't a fan of the end as well. I read just one book by this author before and find it a little bit slow burn so this could be the way how JP Delaney writes.
I must say - well done with the cover! I would pick up this book without reading the description!
This is a story about Finn who, after his father's death returns to a farmhouse in the mountains with the intention to sell the house. He finds out that Dad's third wife Ruensa lives there with her daughter Roze and they both do an amazing job by looking after the house and land. Finn didn't realize how quickly he become part of them and fall in love with the land and the house. Finn's sister wants her half but Finn doesn't want to sell. Things get complicated when the police start to ask questions about his dad's death.
Who is the villain and who is the victim? Who needs who to survive? Who is honest and who is lying? These are the questions you want some answers for.
Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy. Even so, it wasn't a book for me, I am happy that I read it!

Jess and Finn escaped their home as soon as they could given their fathers abusive behaviour.

They later learn their father has remarried a few times and get the news that within a few months of his latest marriage, he has passed away.

The family property in Mallorca is now theirs. The only problem is that the property is still occupied by their late fathers wife and her daughter.

Being the only one without ties, Finn travels to meet the family solicitor and sort matters out. When he arrives in Mallorca, things are not so simple however
The police want to speak to him as soon as possible given there could be suspicious circumstances around thir fathers death. That's just the start of Finns problems.

The story is full of twists.....who is telling the truth and who is lying......

First 60% was dull and I nearly gave up. Powered through because the author’s other stuff is alright.
Last third was disjointed, erratic and too rushed.
⭐️⭐️

*ARC from Netgalley*

I usually love J.P. Delaney's books and was very much looking forward to reading this one!
We get to know Finn Hensen and his sister Jess who happen to inherit their parent's villa on Mallorca after their father's death.
Finn decides to get there to get everything in place, since his father's last wife and her daughter live in the villa. Hence they are from Albania we learn a lot about their culutre as well as about mallorca's.
The setting of the story is unique and I could nearly taste all the oranges!! There is one twist in this story which messes up with the reader's head. I have to admit that I had to struggle a bit towards the end and that is why it is a 3.5 stars book for me.
Thank you #NetGalley #Quercus Books for this ARC

THE NEW WIFE

It took me awhile to decide if I liked this book or not, so because of this I thought it was only fair to rate it three our of the five stars.

The author brought this story to life with its descriptive pros, painting a vivid picture, which enhanced the atmosphere of the novel.

Where I found it to be a sinister thriller, I struggled with the slow pace of the book. But at the same time I found that I was constantly guessing the route this novel was taking with its twists.

However I felt let down with how the story ended. It seemed as though the author wasn’t sure in how to finish what they’d started with its strong enticing start.

Thank you #NetGalley for my e-arc of #TheNewWife in exchange for my honest review.

When Finn receives a phone call from his sister Jess stating their father has died neither are sad. Their father was a mean spirited abusive drunk and when their parents divorced he continued to live a life in Mallorca while they returned to the UK. Due to a clause in the divorce his lavish farmhouse now passes to Finn and Jess but as their father had recently married his new wife, Ruensa and her daughter Roze are still living there. They decide that as Jess has children she can't leave behind Finn should be the one to go to Mallorca and get possession of the house. When he arrives he sees how much work the two women have put in transforming the house and begins to wonder if he can really take it from them. But the police are also asking questions regarding the death was it really a horrible accident or will Ruensa and Roze stop at nothing to gain the house for themselves?

I am biased I love everything JP Delaney writes and this was no exception this was fast paced, dark and kept me hooked from the very beginning. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book. This kept me guessing right up to the end and all the information you do get is so unreliable you don't know what's true. The only part I disliked was the end as I like to know for sure what happened and this was left for the reader to decide. Otherwise I highly recommend and if you haven't read them already I'd recommend reading every other JP Delaney book too.

This book was perfectly paced that I flew through this without getting bored. While this wasn't the thriller I was expecting I still enjoyed the story being told.
By the end of the book my main question was who was the bad "guy" because it could have been multiple people.
We see the process of the obsession growing. But it isn't until the reveal that it's confirmed to be more than a simple manipulation that we think.
This twist added a layer to the story. Which by the end isn't fully answered.

When their estranged father Jimmy dies, siblings Jess and Finn discuss how best to deal with the family home, a finca in Mallorca. Belonging to them jointly since their parents divorce, Jess is worried that Jimmy’s third wife Ruensa will try to claim squatters rights. The property and the bohemian lifestyle that was the norm there, hold many traumatic memories for them both, they want to sell it as quickly as possible. After much badgering from Jess, Finn agrees to go to Mallorca, meet up with their lawyer, and see how the land lies. What neither of them expect is that the almost derelict home of their young days is now a lovely home and that Ruensa and her daughter Roze are responsible for the dramatic change. Soon Finn changes his mind about selling and despite being advised otherwise, he becomes more involved with Ruensa and Roze.

A straightforward story until the trap is sprung, then it all turns in true psychological thriller style.

When I started reading this, parallels of My Cousin Rachel was my first thought. Along the lines of one of my favourite du Maurier books, it was a case of who is the deceiver, oleander in place of laburnum, a captivating woman and yes, even a cousin Rachel mentioned! But Delaney put their own spin on a classic and brought it up to date. Not to be compared with MCR, as that would be unfair on this writer, but a good read nevertheless.

Thank you NetGalley.

Having read the author's previous books I was looking forward to this new novel. Didn't disappoint - an exciting psychological thriller set in Mallorca. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend it.

A totally enjoyable reading experience. Found it progressively more difficult to put the book down.

The plot seemed fairly straightforward and characters also seemed very easy to relate too. That all changed in the blink of an eye! The plot was sensational and totally caught me out as it evolved.

Very well done to the top-notch author!

A brilliant gripping psychological thriller that is hard to put down. Set in Mallorca you will feel that you are not reading it but watching the story unfold.