This is my first read of Valerie Keogh. The book held a lot of promise and got interesting at 70%.

We have 4 best friends who have gone through different life stages and are still close. Natasha the only single friend introduces Daniel to the group and that's when things start going awry.

There are multiple POV's in the book and each of them show an undesirable side of the wives. None of the characters are pleasing and they all have an ulterior motive.

As the story progresses, cracks start appearing in their friendship and also in the book. The POV's don't generate a buzz. I feel that we could have just kept Natasha's PoV. The mystery part was fun till it was not. The ending felt anti-climactic.

I give this book 3 stars. It was a light read though I wished for a different ending.

I thank NetGalley and Boldwood books for this E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Wives by Valerie Keogh is a fun book about four couples who go on a luxury cruise, funded by Natasha’s new husband, Daniel. Daniel is a horrible, manipulative individual and each of the characters have issues with him, most of them wishing him dead. Told from different points of view, this is a quick, easy read, and the setting of an upmarket cruise ship adds to the increasing tension. Although I’m not a huge fan of unresolved endings, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised by the final reveals. This is a light-hearted, twisty, rollicking read that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Valerie Keogh, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Really enjoyed this. Had me gripped from the start full of twists as the story continued I’d highly recommend this book to anyone.

“The Wives” by Valerie Keogh was a cannot put down, slow burn psychologically thriller that pulled me right in. I cannot wait to read more by the author, I’m a total fan now!

We meet Natasha a 38 year old nurse in London. She met and was quickly swept up by her now husband Daniel. We meet Natasha’s friends Barbara, Tracy Ann, Michele and their respective husbands. Natasha’s friends seem to be standoffish with how quickly Natashas’s relationship moved but a free cruise paid for by Daniel brings them all together. Everyone has their own secrets they bring with them. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put this book down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This as a pacy, ‘keep you guessing’ read right from page one until the twisty end. Secrets, lies and revenge are the undercurrent to the story about four friends and their husbands who go on a cruise together but not all of them return home. Told from multiple viewpoints this keeps the punches coming. A great read.

Another great easy read and book from this author. Lots of twists and all the characters were well defined. The storyline was exactly what it said in the write up. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The twisty, suspenseful plot made this a hard book to put down! The story had me engaged and looking forward to each chapter! Great psychological thrill and I'm excited to read more of Valerie Keogh's books!

I can't wait for this to come out and for y'all to lose your minds. if you had doubts about preordering, don't. you're going to want to read this one. I raced through it this weekend. Such a smart idea. Twisty, warped, credible. Brilliantly plotted and compelling. Deserves to be such a hit.

I love a good thriller and enjoyed this one. The plots and twists kept me interested. I would recommend this read.

When the wives and their husbands embark on a cruise no one expects what happens on board.

A deeply flawed relationship has such an impact on the friendship group but is one of them capable of murder?

4 stars

Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

Secrets And Lies..
Secrets and lies abound in this compelling domestic suspense where nothing is as it seems and when a cruise ship sets sail nothing will be the same ever again. Told effectively from multiple viewpoints and with an ever present underlying vein of menace, a pacy narrative and plot twists aplenty this is an immersive one sit read.

'The Wives' started off a strong read, I was taken in quickly and I was gripped and intrigued by the events. I liked the characters and the sense of friendship between the main ones was strong. For me this went wrong with the ending, I found it a bit ridiculous and I did not like the direction it took. It spoilt the rest of the read for me which was a real shame.
Still, I did enjoy most of this read and I liked the setting and concept.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

I’ve read a lot of books by this author and this is one of my favourites. I also cruise a lot so a book set on a cruise ship always ticks a box. Four women, Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann and Michelle have been friends for a long time and by default so have their husbands. Natasha was a nurse but recent marriage to the good looking, wealthy Daniel has changed all that. She now wants the family life, children and a husband, and she never wants to work again. Told from the POV’s of the wives this is a well written and well plotted psychological thriller.

Briefly, out of the blue Daniel suggests that the four couples go on a cruise together, he books and pays for all their cabins, but not the flights. However, it soon becomes clear that all is not well in paradise and that Daniel is at the root of the problems. Everyone hates him and almost everyone wishes him dead!

What a disparate group of people and really none of them are very likeable, although had Daniel not joined their enclave I felt their personalities would have been very different. Daniel really is the worst of the worst and the more that’s revealed the more despicable he becomes. The cruise ship setting works well, I could imagine the trial of trying not to bump into each other in such a closed environment, I’ve been there! A very enjoyable and entertaining novel - the perfect holiday read.

I'm a huge Valerie Keogh fan and once again I loved this book !! So many secrets revealed during this cruise ! It's like nothing is what it seems, friends ready to betray friends, wives not totally honest with their husbands. It's quite a ride to discover what they all are hiding until the big twist. I was sure I had the culprit but I was so wrong lol. I'm a bit sad at what happened to that one friend though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for giving me access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

While the characters didn’t appeal to me, the plot grabbed my attention from the start. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, explosive thriller filled with secrets, lies, and dangerous choices, this book is for you.

Natasha and Daniel seem like the perfect newlyweds, but beneath the surface, Daniel’s manipulative side begins to show—especially when he treats Natasha and her friends to a cruise. Each of the women—Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michele—has her own struggles, and Daniel manages to disrupt their lives, stirring up secrets and tension within the group.

With everyone having a reason to want Daniel dead, the drama unravels at a breakneck pace. The plot is gripping, and the ending delivers a satisfying twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this arc in return for my honest review.

Nothing is what it seems.... but sometimes it is?

The wives tells the story of recently married Natasha, which at the surface level seems to have it all. She is beautiful, her husband is also extremely attractive, rich and wants her to stop working to focus on having fun together. To top it all, for their honeymoon he offers to pay a luxury cruise in Africa for them and her friends + husbands. Quickly the reader realises that not everything is perfect.

What I liked: the story is told from several points of view, mostly Natasha's but also from her friends. We only hear from the women and nothing from the men, which I found interesting. Plot wise, there were several times that I thought 'wait, what?' which is good, I like when a book catches me off-guard. The style is a great balance of easy to read but also sophisticated language.

What I didn't like: for every surprising plot twist there were several cliches. Which I guess is somewhat needed, but also felt a bit like a let down. Additionally there is a sideline plot that involves abuse. At the time of reading (September 2024) there was a lot of discussion online if the book/movie "It ends with us" glorifies domestic abuse or if it tells a reality of a lot of women. I feel this sub-plot is also an example of this contradiction. Lastly, I am not a fan of open endings, and in a way this book has one.

I would recommend this book to readers on a cruise or that have been to a cruise before looking for an interesting read. Is not perfect and I didn't like some aspects, but I think a lot of people would be able to enjoy it as much or even more than I did.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, self-harm, suicide, death of a loved one.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. The Wives will be published November 6th 2024. #TheWives #NetGalley.

I can always count on Valerie Keogh for a great psychological thriller! The story takes place on a cruise with four couples-Natasha has just married Daniel and we soon learn he is not the person he appears to be. Great characters and a great setting make for an incredible story! I love this authors writing style and have enjoyed every book that I have read by her. Definitely recommend- this book is full of twists -they all have secrets they are hiding and the ending was a total surprise! My jaw hit the floor at the end- Great book. Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Keogh and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The Wives is a psychological thriller that focuses on four couples on a vacation cruise. Natasha and Daniel, while only newly married, want to treat Natasha's friend group to an unforgettable cruise in Southern Africa. Natasha's main goal is to reconnect with her girls, whom she has felt distanced from lately. She also wants Daniel to be a part of the husbands' group. Unfortunately, as the ship sets sail, Natasha realizes that far from reconnecting and making unforgettable memories, her friends all have a deep-seeded hatred of her husband. Then, when Daniel unexpectedly dies, Natasha doesn't know whom to blame. Secrets are revealed and friendships are tested throughout The Wives.

The story is told through multiple POVs - all four main female characters. I did enjoy having the perspective of all of the wives; however, overall, I didn't find the characters overly interesting or developed. I also knew almost immediately who killed Daniel and with what. Because the mystery was quite predictable and the chapters focused heavily on the drama between the wives, I found the pacing to be slow. Finally, the end was too unrealistic and not overly satisfying. I didn't need that extra "twist." With that said, the book did make me want to go on a vacation asap! Overall, The Wives just wasn't the thriller for me.

The book is a psychological thriller about 4 couples on a cruise.

Natasha and Daniel met, moved in together and got married kind of fast. When he suggested a cruise for them and her best friends with their husbands, Natasha is happy. But it is clear that everyone has a secret and they all have to do with Daniel.

During the book it seems that all the wives would have a reasonable to hurt Daniel, so I suspected them all when he died.

I did not anticipate the killer, even of there were some hints, but the ending did not surprise me.

Overall this is a quick and entertaining read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Boldwords. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Wives by Valerie Keogh is a sharp paced thriller with murder, friendships and marriage as the main themes. Four female friends met at university and have remained friends ever since. So when Natasha meets and marries Daniel everyone is happy for her., at first anyway.
So when Daniel offers to take all four wives and husbands on a week’s cruise everyone agrees. Within days nearly everyone wishes that Daniel would die.
When he does, who is responsible and why?
Highly recommended