Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

4.5 stars.

Vanessa is a mess, divorced and living with her very patient aunt. She spirals down when she discovers her ex-husband is about to get married. With the aid of several wine bottles Vanessa knows she must come up with a plan to rescue the new bride from making the same mistakes she has.

Nellie is a sweet innocent preschool teacher on the cusp of marrying the love of her life Richard. She is dazzled by his lifestyle and his sophistication. Richard is handsome, rich and extremely close to his sister.

This is a very original twisted thriller that kept me engaged and enthralled. I admit I had to reread some passages to clarify what I was actually reading!!!!! Also to keep the characters and the timelines clear and to stop my tiny brain from exploding. It is so hard to believe this book is written by two authors. The writing is superb and seamless.

The first half of this book was brilliant. I had a nagging suspicion of what the first “Big Reveal” was going to be, though I was still blindsided. The second half was more subtle yet more fast-paced: the plot was working toward another reveal, but it wasn’t as obvious (at least to me). These are my favorite kinds of books – the ones where I have absolutely no idea where the story is heading. They’re fun because every page is a surprise, every twist and reveal is a shock.

I also enjoy books where the narrator is notoriously unreliable – Vanessa was still in emotional turmoil after her divorce from Richard and reeling from the revelation that he was now engaged to the “other woman.” Her revelations about the past read like a pile of jumbled-up snapshots that were scattered and never returned to chronological order. Even when she relays something about her and Richard’s past, you can’t fully trust her version of the truth.

"In my marriage, there were three truths, three alternate and sometimes competing realities. There was Richard’s truth. There was my truth. And there was the actual truth, which is always the most elusive to recognize. This could be the case in every relationship, that we think we’ve entered into a union with another person when, in fact, we’ve formed a triangle with one point anchored by a silent but all-seeing judge, the arbiter of reality."

Overall, this was a fantastic female-centered story. It was an important story about female relationships: how marriage can change them, how jealousy can fuel them, and how women can either be each other’s best friends or worst enemies. It was also an important story about how love can change a person, for better or for worse.

The writing was phenomenal and kept me guessing up until the last page. Even though there are tropes that feel familiar – the unreliable and jealous ex-wife narrator, the possibly-lying and possibly-manipulative husband, the “other woman” who destroys their seemingly-happy marriage – they feel fresh and new in the hands of co-authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. If you haven’t read this yet, read it. This book isn’t what it seems on the surface. Instead, it’s so much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Nellie found her Prince Charming, and he was great--until he wasn't. Now he has a new fiancee, and she's determined to stop the marriage. The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pakkanen, takes the reader on a few twists and turns in this tale of jealousy, marital hell, and revenge.


Vanessa, who met Richard on a flight and had a story-book romance, wanted to be a good wife, and Richard wanted to be the perfect husband. They both had secrets from their past. Anytime Vanessa's secrets came out, or she didn't live up to Richard's ideals, his controlling, manipulative, and sometimes violent side came out. After they divorced, she becomes determined to stop him from marrying again.


The Wife Between Us features zero likeable characters (except for Vanessa's aunt. She's OK.). This world is populated by people who keep secrets from people they love, make terrible life choices, and see other people as objects useful for their own goals. Richard is, conveniently, a moneybags, but we don't get much insight as to how he got there, other than he's a hedge fund manager. I don't guess it matters, but I'm a little bothered by people in fiction who are tremendously wealthy just for the sake of the story without the story telling us how he got there.


The story is suspenseful, but the suspense is a bit overplayed for the payoff. The back stories are slowly revealed, but, again, by the time I learned about whatever dark secrets the past held, I didn't much care. This is just the kind of story about nasty people and the nasty ways they behave that makes readers thankful that their own world is not full of such nasty people.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

I haven’t read a great thriller like this in quite some time! It was not at all the book I thought it would be, due to the many twists and turns. Vanessa is struggling with the knowledge that her ex-husband is getting remarried. But this does not turn into the typical “man leaves woman and woman finds a new life” story. It’s hard to write much more, because I don’t want to inadvertently give away too much! I will recommend clearing your schedule before sitting down to read this book as it’s certainly a page-turner and you will not want to put this down for any reason! It’s a very engrossing story that will suck you in quickly.

Two authors wrote this book, and I must say, they did a phenomenal job. I’m not a big fan of co-authored books, but these two work together so cohesively that you’d never realize there was more than one person writing.

This book right here!!! OMG....what a ride. From page one I was pulled into the story of Vanessa,divorced from Richard and having a hard time with it. Enter the new fiancee, Nellie. Vanessa is having a hard time accepting her "replacement". What follows will have you not being able to put this book down. The twists and turns were great!!! Who do you believe? You have to read this book and judge for yourself. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

HAPPY BOOK RELEASE DAY!!!!!!

PHEW.

That was one wild ride.

I give this a STRONG and hearty 4 to 4.5 stars. The only reason I don't give it a 5 is because I am not sure if I would read it again.

The Wife Between Us is a novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions. ( GUILTY )
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement. ( GUILTY )
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves. ( GUILTY )
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her. ( NOT GUILTY )
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships. ( GUILTY )
Assume nothing. ( ACCURATE )

I don't want to give anything away, because I want everyone to read this. All I can say is, assume nothing. You will. But try not to. Cause believe you me, even if you think you have it figured out, you don't.

The writing was brilliant.

The story was fascinating.

Literally one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read, along the lines of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.

All I can say about this is I literally had one of these moments while reading:

(WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an eARC of this book. I can't wait to force everyone to read this.

(Fully formatted review available at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2050996789 )

3.5 Stars. It's best to avoid reading anything about this book. It's extremely easy to unintentionally slip into spoiler territory. A blank slate is best!

The chapters alternate between a man’s ex-wife and his new fiancée. When his ex-wife finds out he's engaged, she decides she must stop the wedding from happening. My immediate thoughts during the first few chapters:
The man: Walking red flag!
The fiancée: Sweet, but naive. She's jumpy and the harassing phone calls she's been receiving aren't helping.
The ex-wife: *groan* Another suspense novel about a heavy drinker obsessed with a past relationship?
It's a slow-starter that took me two attempts to finish, but once I finally reached "Part Two" it became an exhilarating read! My preliminary review went out the window when suddenly my every thought became a spoiler, even though I hadn't actually predicted any of the upcoming twist-and-turns!

This story deals with the imperfection of our perceptions and the incomplete pictures of ourselves we present to others. We see what we want to see and we present ourselves the way we want to be perceived. Sometimes the signs of what's ahead are there all along, but we aren't ready or willing to see them. Things that look obvious at a distance aren't always so clear up close and it can be easier to focus on the details rather than deal with the whole messy picture. Romantic love can further cloud perceptions by softening our critical impulses and compelling us to disregard inconvenient details. Even our own bodies can betray us by making it easy to conflate romantic arousal and fear.

The most compelling part of this story was (potential spoiler removed; can be seen @ Goodreads)

Part of the fun of this book was that at the same time these women are trying to sort their lives out, the authors also want the reader to confront their own blind spots and biases. In terms of enjoyable mystery/suspense/thriller stories, I'd place it in the Clare Mackintosh (I Let You Go) grouping rather than the Gillian Flynn/Tana French category. I'm rounding up to four stars because I really liked the execution of the story. It reminded me of a faster-paced thriller (potential spoiler removed; can be seen @ Goodreads) that most everyone has read, but it's different enough to stand out on its own. I really appreciate a moment that makes me gasp and go reread sections (more than once in this case). I think this book is worth the read just to talk about it with everyone else!

This book is eerie. I struggled to come up with the right word. But eerie seems the best way to describe this tale of new and old lives interconnecting. 

Vanessa and Richard were once married; living their happily ever after in a nice home, surrounded by their wealthy friends and fancy things. But then, Richard meets "the replacement" and everything changes for Vanessa. 

Vanessa's character broke my heart. I would feel like I hated her, then could sort of understand her, and I'd move onto annoyance with her behavior and then I'd go back to heartbreak. The authors captured her despair, abandonment, and chaos exquisitely.

Nellie is the soon-to-be new wife to Richard. Nellie is cookie-cutter. She's this sweet young woman, who teaches preschool, waitresses at night, and somehow manages to find "the one" in Richard. He never wants to talk about his ex and Nellie never pries. She has her own issues that she isn't sharing either.

One thing about this story is that it moves slowly. This isn't a fast-paced action thriller. It  sort of carries on, as if it's on a nice Sunday stroll.  It just is. I think that fact is what lulls the reader into comfort. You think you're reading about these two women, and their lives. The thrill in this story is how normal it seems. Men and women get married and divorced all the time. Relationships break apart. It could happen to anyone. 

Another thing that I didn't like initially but started to appreciate the more I thought on it is this book has several twists and turns. I figured out one but because this story is so dynamic, figuring out one of the twists didn't ruin the whole story. You can understand one portion of the puzzle but you still don't see everything. 

This book is reminiscent of "Gone Girl" and "The Girl on the Train". If you enjoyed either of those stories, you will enjoy this one. I've heard a lot of buzz that this book is also being turned into a movie, and I'm not surprised to hear that at all. This book is dynamic, terrifying, and downright eerie. Readers will not be disappointed.

The Wife Between Us is a wonderfully crafted maze of intricate relationships and fast-paced events which all come together in a satisfying conclusion. Every character is complex and unpredictable, while every twist and turn is completely unforeseen. I could not put this book down. Highly recommended. Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5/4 stars

Okay, so I know this one was described as a suspense/thriller type of read, but I wouldn't call it that at all. It wasn't "thrilling" so much as an interesting mystery that had a few plot twists that made me go whaaaaaaaat? So, yes, I quite enjoyed this one... but I don't think anyone should go into this expecting a thrilling-roller-coaster-ride type of story. I believe with those expectations, they may be disappointed. The twists and turns definitely kept me guessing, and I personally really liked the ending and how it basically threw me for a loop. This was a good story that kept my interest, despite not having a ton of "OMG!!" moments. I great weekend read for sure.

The Wife Between Us is an unpredictable, well laid out, page turning story. The characters are believable and complex. I looked forward to my reading time each night while I was reading this book.

I have been sitting on this review for awhile now, thinking on how I want to write it. Each time I started a sentence, I was giving away too much of the plot. I went into this book blindly. I saw that the ratings were awesome and noticed it was a thriller which is my favorite genre, its not only just a thriller but a psychological thriller. I did read the blurb and the blurb didn't give anything away either. I had no idea what this book was about, and this book has lots of twists and turns that are full of surprises. The twists and turns make this book so much fun.I suggest you go into this book blindly and hope you get the same surprises as I did. I am using the blurb as my review because I think its perfect for this book, and then I will put down my thoughts.
A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man 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.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

I can not say that I was hooked straight from the very beginning. This one has a slow burn going into it. Once I got into it though I couldn't put it down. It was like a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns. I found this psychological thriller to be very addicting once I got to the suspense.

The chapters are very short, so it is a fast paced read. This book is very well written. I loved the dialogue, and the writing style. The characters were so well developed. This one kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing. All the clues were there but it was like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of this puzzle just made this an unpredictable read for me. It was so surprising. I could not put it down and kept wondering what was going to happen next. The book ended very well. It kept my attention and amazed me. It has several jaw dropping moments.
I recommend it. I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once I started this true page turner, there was no going back! No dinner was cooked, no laundry was done, as I couldn't be bothered to leave Nellies world for even a moment! I admit I went back a few pages when the first twist appeared just to be sure I hadn't missed something, but that only made me delve in even more! Who's word can you trust, what's really going on?! I don't want to give anything away as it would feel like taking a favorite gift away from a child so I'll leave fellow readers with this... READ THIS BOOK AT ALL COSTS! #OMGTHATTWIST #Netgalley

The Wife Between Us is full of twists and turns, and I could not put it down--until the last third of the book. Suddenly it felt like I was reading a different story. It became much more predictable for me, like the author had to find a way to wrap up the story. However, I seem to be in the minority, so maybe it was just my interpretation. It's hard to give a more in depth review without spoiling the book, but I wish there would have been a more definitive ending.

Interesting book and some twists and turns. Enjoyable!

What a great thriller! So many twist and turns. In starting off, I thought I knew EXACTLY what was going on. But I was wrong!

We meet Vanessa, the ex wife who seems to have many issues. She and Richard had a rough marriage, she is divorced, learns he is engaged to remarry, and also dealing with knowing her mother had some mental issues and concerned about that.

Honestly, in this book I feel I cannot tell more in my review for fear of giving away too much of the storyline.

That being said, if you like a twisty thriller, this is the book for you.

Thanks St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this great book!

Wow. This novel is fantastic! Just when you think you have it figured out, a twist comes and you're left guessing again. Is she insane? Or is she just confused? She needs to be locked up, she is utterly sick. Or is she? Who is HE? I was so frustrated at one point I wanted to put the book down, but didn't because I HAD to know. What happened to the dog? That one upset me to no end. I love dogs. This book is a must read. You won't figure it out. It is very well written and even to the very end you won't know what will happen until it does.

RATING: 2.5-3 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

I was really looking forward to this one and this is a fair psychological thriller. It's not exactly what you think, though the twist comes a bit late, but I think only some readers will pick up on it early. Henricks kept my attention despite the characters being "Gone Girl" types. I would say this is definitely a library book borrow than a go out and buy.

I was once again disappointed in another book fueled by hype and great reviews. I almost put it down but after reading halfway I decided to perservere. Now I must give credit where credit is due, there are certainly some major plot twists that make the intriguing ending difficult to predict. Unfortunately, I felt the first half was rather boring and the last part confusing. At times, it was hard to distinguish which character's head the thoughts were coming from. While it was a good effort for a debut thriller, there are many others I would recommend over this one.

A thriller this was not. It took a while to get into the story. For a while it was nothing more than a banal story about a scorned woman left for a younger woman. Then it turned into a story about a deceptive husband.

This fell flat. Most of the time what was going on didn't hint at anything deeply disturbing going on. There were a few twists, but they certainly weren't mind blowing. Richard was the main impediment to this story being appealing. It was apparent from the start that he was controlling, demanding, selfish and superficial. It was hard to understand why more than one woman was ever in love with this man. Sure he was rich but that's not everything. I felt like this was supposed to be a story about a charming man who was not what he appeared. For that to work, he had to be charming in the first place. Vanessa's role in the story wasn't interesting as it alluded to.

The ending wasn't what I hoped it would be. It was good, but I was expecting more. There were dark elements, but the story itself wasn't dark. Nothing that anybody did was shocking or maybe I was too unattached to the characters to feel disturbed by what happened to them. The prologue definitely had an unexpected twist although it wouldn’t have changed anything if it hadn’t been included, which lessened the impact of the twist.