There’s not much you can say about this book without giving away at least one of its many twists and secrets, so I’ll focus on what I liked and what I didn’t. Initially, I shied away from requesting this on NetGalley simply because of its cover. This does not look like the kind of book that I normally read, but I’m glad I looked at reviews, because it most definitely IS the kind of book I normally read! It’s quite long for this genre, but I plowed through it really quickly, because it does have that addictive quality that I’m looking for in a thriller. Literature this is not. But is it fun? Absolutely! Gone Girl-ish? Not quite, but pretty darn close. Did the twists trick me? Yep, especially the one revealed in the last few pages, which I kind of can’t believe I didn’t see coming. Were there some silly bits? Yes, but I really didn’t care. If total escapism is what you’re looking for, this is the book for you.

So many twists and turns that sometimes it's hard to keep up. Every time I thought I knew where things were going things would change. Readers that love suspense will enjoy this novel.Highly recommended!

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Wife Between Us. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

As the suspense of the book is completely tied to the plot, I cannot give but my general impressions of the setting, the writing style, and the characters. The Wife Between Us has many twists and turns, with at least two distinct drops that will leave readers shaking their heads. Just when you think you have the book figured out, your perspective is suddenly changed.

Authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have crafted a novel around deceit, obsession, and betrayal, so it is no wonder that the plot has surprises along the way. The novel flowed nicely and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. As suspense and psychological thrillers are among my favorite reads, I can say that I am seldom surprised as to the plot twists. The Wife Between Us did give me pause once or twice and, for that reason, I would recommend it to other readers.

Wow. There is not much you can say other than this without ruining some of the twists in the book. And I don't want to do that for anyone that hasn't read this yet. I certainly wasn't expecting some of the twists and turns that this book had. Suffice to say, this is the story of a woman whose marriage has ended and the woman who replaces her in her exes affections. With an unreliable narrator (or is she), an abusive husband (or is he), and and secrets from the past that affect the present, this is a different twist on the psychological thriller trend.

great characters, interesting plot! location descriptions are very good!

It's seldom a book keeps me guessing and comes to really give me a suprise...this book was just that one. If you love a good mystery, The Wife Between Us is just the book for you. I found myself so drawn into the story line a young girlfriend stalked by the vindictive ex-wife, the tale of abuse and intrigue and just when I thought I had it all figured out...BOOM! The bombshell dropped partway through this book totally blew me away. Everything I thought I knew was suddenly changed. This book kept me turning pages to find out the real story.

Entertaining read full of psychological suspense and quite a few twists. It wasn't always moving at the fastest pace, but that seemed to add to the tension.

You guys. Go read this book. Seriously. Just drop whatever it is you’re doing right now and go get it and lock yourself in your bedroom so nobody can bother you and read it. It’s that good. There’s a reason it’s on everyone’s “Books You Must Read in 2018” list, and been optioned for a movie, and made it onto Kris’ top 5 books read in 2017 (she was the first Midwest Lady to read it and has been raving about it ever since). And do you realize what’s even more exciting? This is their first collaboration. So we can only guess (but we’re feeling pretty confident about it) that their future collaborations will be just as awesome, if not more so.
Yes, we realize we’re a bit biased because Sarah is literally the woman who brought the four of us together (we met at one of her signings), but she and Greer have proved their worth as a fierce writing duo with The Wife Between Us. So go buy a copy if you haven’t already, lock yourself away and read it, and if you are lucky enough to be close to one of their tour stops, go say hi. You won’t regret it.

Going into this book, I was expecting a stalking story – a wife who stalks the woman her husband left her for. Boy, was I wrong! The Wife Between Us is a domestic thriller with an intricate plot and web of characters, and it completely blew me away. I am sure this one will be one of my favorite reads of the year.

Starting with the characters, no one is who you think they are, so there are like dozens of moments of realization, which made it incredibly gripping for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about this book and how fucked up the situations in it were. Each character plays an important role, even if you dismiss them as insignificant.

Just a side note: this story had a few elements that were eerily similar to my own life, and that was freaky 😄 For example, one of the characters is named Vanessa and she used to have a German Shepherd named Duke. I AM NAMED VANESSA AND USED TO HAVE A GERMAN SHEPHERD NAMED DUKE. WHAT THE FUCK!?!? Ok, rant over hahaha I just had to mention it 😋

The writing was very nice, the whole book read quite quickly. I’m not sure whether both authors wrote different chapters, but I didn’t really notice much of a difference in the writing from chapter to chapter. The writing is very flowy and fast-paced, which I definitely appreciate in thriller novels.

To me, the plot of this book is its strongest point. The authors did an INCREDIBLE job. I didn’t see most of the twists coming, neither did I ever think the story would go where it went. Also, there are several times in which the authors connect two completely distinct situations, and that’s when you have a “HOLY SHIT!” moment. Amazing.

That ending, though. Oh my god. No one would EVER suspect this was where it would go. And if anyone saw it coming, you are a fucking psychic and I worship you, because that was the best, most mind-blowing ending the authors could have come up with.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

This had a Gone Girl/Girl on a Train kind of feel to it. As the reader, you make certain assumptions, namely that the narrator is telling you the truth, but that is not always the case. This book certainly leads you to believe a certain reality only to later find that the narrator you had trusted was not exactly trustworthy. I'm not willing to risk spoilers, so the rest of the story should be revealed to the reader as the author intended.

This sort of genre is becoming more popular and it certainly occupied my brain while I was reading. I enjoyed this story and would likely pick up others like this in the future. However, I didn't think the execution hit as hard as Gone Girl did and therefore, I couldn't quite give this a higher rating.

I finally finished reading The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks, which took me absolutely forever to get through. I loved the book, but I haven't been getting many chunks of uninterrupted reading time lately. I'm glad I made it through this one without hearing any spoilers, so I'm not going to give you any details of the plot besides the cover copy I shared in my last book post. When the first big reveal came, it was a complete surprise and even after that I didn't see what else was coming. If you like domestic thrillers, I think you'll enjoy this one.

I was really excited to read this book, and it didn't disappoint. I'm a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen's work and this was different type of story for her.

I wouldn't say this is one of the best psychological thrillers I've read recently, but it was definitely entertaining and I felt drawn to the characters and their emotions. Although some of the main themes (adultery, "crazy" women) are common, it was a pretty unique story that keeps you on your toes throughout the book.

The book is broken into 3 main parts, and even when we get to 'unveilings' in the story, it keeps you guessing! I was not expecting the big reveal between Parts 1 and 2, and now I feel like I need to go back and read Part 1 again to see if it makes sense.

*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, for which I have given an honest and unbiased review*

Howdy, howdy! It’s the last Wednesday in January, which means it’s time for another book review. This time, I decided to go for something I wouldn’t usually pick up. It’s called The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and was released on January 9th. It received a lot of hype and a friend recommended it to me as she had also been able to pick up an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). Yes, I got another ARC from NetGalley, so I must thank them and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me access to the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to the reason you’re here now!

The Wife Between Us is a domestic suspense novel that follows a woman, Vanessa, as she stalks her ex-husband’s (Richard’s) new fiancé and tries to prevent their marriage. Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not. The blurb on the book tells us all the things we’re supposed to assume as we’re reading, then tells us to assume nothing. That was a huge red flag for me, basically saying “hey this book is going to be convoluted and annoying!” But I chose to read it anyway.

I admit that by the end of Part One, I was really disappointed. I had figured out the big reveal within the first few chapters and kept telling myself I couldn’t have guessed it that easily. The book promised twists and turns and unimaginable things. So, when I turned out to be on the right track, the book became less fun, because the “aha” moments became “yeah, and?” moments. Part Two was a little better with the twists, but it was still pretty easy to decipher what was going to happen. Though, I admit that the last big reveal was something I didn’t see coming. But at that point, I had stopped caring about the characters I was supposed to care about. I mostly wanted to know what was going on with Richard and his sister (the one connection the authors didn’t over-explain). That was the creepiest relationship in the whole book.

Even though I mostly figured things out ahead of time, I admit that it was a fun, quick read. The writing style was able to draw me in and the conversational tone allowed me to stop and let the narrator know she was being an idiot (yes, I talk to other people’s characters too) without interrupting my reading flow. So, I’m not say it was bad, just predictable.

The major thing that I didn’t care for about the book was that it felt like two different stories mashed together. It was as if one author wanted to write about a woman escaping an abusive relationship while trying to prevent her ex from abusing anyone else (a good premise), and the other author wanted to write about a woman whose mistakes in college haunted her the rest of her life (another good premise). But, instead of trimming things away to make a nice, cohesive story, they just stuck everything together and hoped it worked. Most of the time, it was okay, but there were parts that I kept looking at and asking myself what the point was.

Ultimately, The Wife Between Us was an okay book. I’m not upset I read it or anything, but I’m not going to rush out and look for everything else by these two authors. It simply wasn’t my cup of tea for the reasons listed here.

Overall, I’d rate it a 3 out of 5. If you’re into books like that, you will probably love it. If you’re not, skipping it isn’t going to hurt your reading list.

THE WIFE BETWEEN US is hard to describe without giving massive spoilers. We have potentially unreliable narrators describing both the end and the beginning of marriage to one man, Richard. The point of view switches between the female characters, all offering their perspective on Richard and the dissolution of one of his marriages as he is entering into another. Is the story simply one of a jealous wife? Or is it of a woman stealing a man’s husband? Secrets will be revealed as we uncover just who is the victim in THE WIFE BETWEEN US.

I didn’t really engage with any of the characters but that didn’t stop me from turning the pages of THE WIFE BETWEEN US to see what would happen next! Some of the scenes were quite painful to read, particularly as Vanessa becomes more and more obsessed, even to the point of destroying her own world. In fact, the scenes were so heartbreakingly painful I nearly ditched the book entirely. However, things take a dramatic turn in Part Two of THE WIFE BETWEEN US- and that’s where the real story underlying everything is revealed.

I still have mixed feelings about THE WIFE BETWEEN US, as I didn’t like many of the choices the characters made. However, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen do a marvelous job at making even the craziest of actions understandable. The blurb for THE WIFE BETWEEN US says “assume nothing” and that’s a good rule of thumb to follow throughout the story line.

Fans of stories with unreliable narrators where the readers must question everything will relish THE WIFE BETWEEN US. If you liked GONE GIRL or THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, then THE WIFE BETWEEN US just may be your next thrilling read.

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Sarah Pekkanen was a good book, a very good book; it could have been a great book but at times it was confusing in it's attempt to throw the reader off track. Perhaps I feel this way because I am one of those readers who does not mind if I figure out the twists and turns I still enjoy a story well told.

There were some surprises, some twists, nothing shocking but that is ok. The book has it's share of interesting characters, some their motives are clear, some they are not.

A definite read for anyone who enjoys a good domestic suspense novel. It encompasses dating, marriage and sibling relationships. You will not be sorry for choosing this book to read.

4.5 Stars!

The Wife Between Us was an absolutely thrilling read with amazing characters and clever twists.

This book is one of those ones that’s hard to review as giving even a minor detail away could spoil the story. So I will at its’ core, The Wife Between Us focuses on a woman whose husband has left her for a younger woman. It follows a woman who becomes obsessed with her replacement and is determined to stop her ex-husband from remarrying.

The Wife Between Us is very much a character driven story and the characters are where this book shines. I’d say the main character in the story is Vanessa who is the woman whose husband left her. Through Vanessa we meet all of the other characters and her story is the one that very much drives everything forward. There was only one character, Richard’s sister Maureen, who I wish we got to know more about. All of the other characters are very well fleshed out with great backstories and motivations.

The writing in this book is fantastic and easily pulls you in. The book has an addictive quality to it and I read the book from start to finish in one sitting needing to know what was going on. The authors do an amazing job tying together the different storylines and weaving together the lives of the characters involved. The further along we got in the story the harder it was to tell who was lying and who was telling the truth. There were several fantastic twists and the tension that builds up between events was very well done.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Wife Between Us as there was a lot of hype surrounding this book. In the end though it really is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a great domestic thriller with clever twists and amazing characters.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ebook ARC of The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen.

You will make many assumptions when reading this book.
You will assume you are reading a book about a jealous wife, and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading a book about a woman about to enter a new marriage with a man that she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars. It had me guessing the whole way through. The book was very slow in the beginning. But I had heard many good things about this book, so I kept reading. It started to get good at about 40% of the way through. It was very suspenseful and had many twists and turns. I recommend reading it.

The Wife Between Us is a twisted tale of deceit and treachery. What starts off as a story of a jilted ex wife soon transforms into so much more.  
Vanessa is divorced.  Her ex husband is moving on and that is something Vanessa can’t cope with.  His soon so be wife is young and vibrant and all the things that Vanessa feels she no longer is.  But as Vanessa’s spying on Richard’s fiances seems to no longer be enough, Vanessa feels she must confront her.
This story is told in three parts and alternates between different points of view.  As you reach the end of each part, you’ve come to a new revelation.  Not once did I see what was coming because every line is timed just right.
This is easily the best book I’ve read this year and, the best thriller I have read in quite a while.  I hope to see many more books written by this magnificent author duo.


This review will also appear on www.prettysassycool.com and I will update with that link once it goes live. I've also gushed about this book on twitter as @KatDowney28
Thanks so much for this review copy.

3.9 - enjoyably twisty and turny; rather satisfying ending

The only thing that kept me from giving The Wife Between Us 4 stars was the unevenness of the pacing. The premise of the novel is unique, and the warning to not assume anything while reading unique. I found that the story did have twists and turns, and it kept my interest overall, however the pacing was rather choppy, which made the book too easy to put down for me. I was hoping for something that would make me want to read straight through. The characters were interesting but not compelling. I felt I could tell when they were being voiced by different authors, which was a bit unsettling.
I think if you approach the book as it's suggested, by not assuming, you will most likely have an overall enjoyable reading experience.