A really good psychological thriller, and as with the other reviews, it would be a shame to elaborate on the plot and give the twists away. Suffice to say, there are some very good twists in this book and the story will keep you hooked.

The write-up for this psychological thriller warns that even when you think you have things all figured out, you’ll be wrong. This is true.

Lots of twists and unexpected turns make this a book that will keep you off-balance. What seems to be a somewhat unlikeable protagonist/narrator morphs into someone you begin to understand. Not everything she has said and done was reckless after all. She’s not as unreliable as she seems. There are good reasons why things happened the way they did. Things you don’t see coming suddenly make sense when you think back on how it all played out.

Hendricks and Pekkanen combine their respective careers as book editor and best-selling novelist to produce a work meant to make the most of what’s popular in today’s fiction. It’s full of familiar tropes: the rich, handsome, doting husband who’s too good to be true; the awestruck young wife blinded by her fairy-tale life; the vindictive former wife stalking the new wife. The authors cleverly tweak the familiar to keep it unpredictable and introduce new “aha!” moments that won’t let you put the book down until it’s finished.

A good read when you’re looking for something that holds your interest but then lets you move on without too much introspection… unless, of course, you’re married to someone who seems too good to be true.

To avoid spoilers, which is especially important for this book, I'm going to provide a bare bones review - just to give you an idea what the story is about.

*****

Years ago - when Vanessa was attending college in her home state of Florida - she was outgoing, happy, and the social director of her Chi Omega sorority. After graduation Vanessa was living in New York City and riddled with anxiety - nervous about flying, going out alone at night, scary movies, and other things.

Vanessa was teaching pre-school during the day, working as a bartender at night, and coping with her insecurities as best she could when she met Richard - a handsome, wealthy, 36-year-old hedge fund manager. Richard was attentive, sophisticated, fun, and - most of all- reassuring about Vanessa's fears. In fact Richard affectionately nicknamed Vanessa 'Nellie' (for being a nervous Nellie).

Vanessa and Richard fell in love, got married, moved to the suburbs, and planned to start a family. Some years later the couple divorced.

Vanessa is now living with her Aunt Charlotte in New York City and working as a fashion consultant at pricey Saks Department Store. Vanessa has lost a lot of weight, can't sleep, and is drinking WAY too much. For his part, Richard is involved with his beautiful office assistant Emma.

When Vanessa hears that Richard and Emma are engaged, she loses it. Vanessa pretends to be ill, neglects her job, and starts acting out....determined to prevent Richard and Emma's nuptials.

The story alternates back and forth between the past and the present. In the chapters set in the past we learn about Vanessa's mother; her college experiences; her move to NYC; and her best friend/roommate Samantha - with whom Vanessa does facials, eats Chinese take-out, and watches movies. We also follow Vanessa's engagement to Richard and their marriage.

In the present, we tag along as Vanessa tries to derail her ex-husband's wedding, much to his chagrin. At one point Richard threatens to get a restraining order if Vanessa doesn't stay away from Emma and himself.

The story is interesting, the characters are well-developed, and there are some big shockers (which seems to be de rigueur for current books). I empathized with Vanessa and admired her solicitude for her aging Aunt Charlotte. I also liked Samantha, a good and caring friend who planned a wonderful bachelorette party. I had an inkling about one of the surprises, but certainly didn't guess them all. So well done, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

On the downside, the story is slow in places, has a plotline that's somewhat derivative, and should wrap up more quickly after the climax (IMO). The final sections are too drawn out, with too much blather and too little action.

All in all, 'The Wife Between Us' is a well-wrought suspense novel that I would recommend to mystery fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, the authors (Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen), and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) for a copy of the book.

wow, just wow. the "replacement" wife, the scorned wife, the ex-husband, the twists, the turns, a wild roller coaster ride. stop what you're doing and read this book. now.

The Wife Between Us
Greer Hendricks
Sarah Pekkanen


MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER St Martin’s Press
PUBLISHED January 9, 2018

A twisting and thrilling novel of marriage, relationships and the past that sometimes haunts us forever.


SUMMARY
Richard Thompson is a 36-year-old handsome and highly successful hedge fund manager. He is full of charm, has an easy smile, a runner’s build and deep blue eyes. He’s almost to good to be true. Nellie, a young and adorable preschool teacher, fell in love with Richard immediately. He romanced her when they met on a plane, and now they are getting married. But nothing is what it seems. There is a young woman entering into marriage with a man she loves unconditionally. The man has been married once before. There is a jealous first wife who is stalking her replacement. The ex-wife is a drunk and a disaster who needs help. But again, nothing is what it seems.

REVIEW
What a gripping tale of love and marriage and the complexities of relationships, personal history and past decisions. It’s a book full of masterful twists that will confound and amaze you. You may think you have read this book before, you may think you know what is going to happen, you may think you know who to trust, but think again. The Wife Between Us is a smartly structured, well-written and suspenseful tale that will have you thinking long after you turn the last page. A great read.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the authors for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea of this story and I was highly engaged in the plot for the first half of the story. I typically like the stories where you think something is going to happen and then they pull a major plot twist on you. This book, however, was different. As the plot seemed to change, the story line dragged on. It was harder to make sense of the book and what was happening as you got towards the end. I will still recommend the book to friends, as I loved the first half of the book, however, it was just a little too long and drawn out for my taste.

3.5 stars

With such an enticing blurb and a stunning, eye catching cover, this book immediately caught my attention the moment I laid eyes on it!

It is a twisted, complex domestic suspense story about marriage, compulsion, manipulation and deceipt. It goes far deeper than the reader's initial assumption that this is a tale of an unhinged ex wife stalking the woman who has replaced her as the object of her ex's undivided attention.

What I enjoyed the most was discovering the first twist that totally screwed with my mind, I literally had to put on the brakes and stop reading, just to make sense of it all!

However, the remainder of the book was somewhat spoiled for me as there are quite a few similarities to 'The Last Mrs Parrish' by Liv Constantine, which I absolutely loved reading just a few weeks ago. But because of that likeness, it did dull my experience of this read, as I figured out the general direction in which this was going, taking most of the fun out of it for me.

Other gripes I had about this read:

* the switching of time frames in the story was not very distinct, giving me cause to go back many a time, having to decipher which time frame I was in.
* I felt somewhat of a disconnect to the characters.
* I feel the twist in the epilogue would have greatly added to the suspense of the novel if the concept had been developed further as a greater component of part three of the book. Instead, it felt like a last minute attempt to add a final cherry on top twist.

Apart from my gripes, this one did hold my attention throughout, and judging from the many favourable reviews out there already, this one will likely be a great hit with fans of the domestic suspense genre.

Many thanks to the authors, Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: A woman is preparing to marry her dream man. Another woman is distraught over her ex.

The tagline is perfect for this book - Assume Nothing.

This was an intriguing story. I love a good twisty plot, and this one kept me guessing. The story is from two points of view, Nellie (the young bride) and Vanessa (the distraught ex). At first, I found this book to be a bit slow, but as I got further into it, I couldn't wait to finish and see how it all ended. There are three parts to the book, and just when you've think you've figured it all out... BOOM, there's a surprise waiting.

A clever suspense novel. If you're a fan of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, and similar books, then this is the book for you.

There are certain tropes that a reader sees over and over again. A cheating husband, the other woman and the wife are things that can be seen in many books. This book presents them and then flips them upside down and inside out. What you think is the truth may change a few times in this book.

With a ton of twists and turns and u turns and wrong turns, this book was full of it and I loved it. When there is good writing, I love being wrong and when a book takes a twist that is from out of nowhere I get so excited about where it will possibly go! There were a few moments in this one where I just couldn't predict where it was going and it surprised me.

I read this book knowing I was already a fan of Sarah Pekkanen and was excited to read a book by her and with a twist of her writing with another - Greer Hendricks. Before reading this book I knew that Greer was Sarah's editor and knowing that they had a previous writing relationship I was excited to see them team up and write something together.

This was a great collaboration and I would love for them to do it again!

Amazing suspenseful book. I was hooked wanting to see how far she would go to stalk her ex husband's fiancee. Definitely a must read!

This was an excellent book that I finished in 2 days. Thank to netgalley for the review copy. The story held my interest from the start to finish and there were some pretty major twists fairly early on and at the very end. This book was very readable and didn’t get bogged down with endless and needless descriptions. The story kept moving along. I thought the flashbacks were woven into the story very well and everything was tied up believably at the end. I hope these authors team up again because I would love to read more from them.

This is hands down the twistiest, fastest, funnest-to-read domestic suspense in ages!

For the first third of this book I was bored, and it seemed trite. But boy, am I glad I stuck with it, because after that third, when I got to the first major revelation, this quickly turned into an "ignoring my family and yelling at them to go away so I can keep reading" book.

Reminiscent of Girl on the Train but with a less helpless narrator. Lots of mysteries in the past, and great twists in the present. An additional one at the end that you won't see coming!

This book…WOW. I’m not even sure where to start. There were so many twists and turns throughout the story that kept me on my toes. The Wife Between Us is an expertly woven story that has you constantly working to discern what is the actual truth and what is the character’s truth. This story is both gripping and clever. An absolute must read.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley of this novel.

If you are in the mood for a story of psychological suspense, you have found the book for you. This is a collaboration between Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen where their voices mesh together so well there is no distinction between them. The narrative flows easily and creates an atmosphere of tension that continues to build throughout the book. The story is told mainly from the perspective of Nellie, recently divorced from Richard. As if she hasn't suffered enough trauma during the marriage and divorce, now she learns that Richard is already engaged to someone. The story then begins to center around what Nellie can do to change that situation.

In order to keep from spoiling the story for other readers it wouldn't be wise to relate any more of the plot. The city of New York provides the bustling, noisy, impersonal background for what is happening to the women whose lives swirl around Richard. The twist at the end of the story caught me completely by surprise. Even after I finished reading I still wonder if I actually have the story right. This would make a good book to read at least twice.

Everything is connected. Everything.
This plot line has more curves than WV roads. The details keep up with it pretty flawlessly. Vanessa’s neuroses tended to drone on at times, but still a good read. All tied up in a neat, if unexpected, bow. Go read this book.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As the promos say, you may make certain assumptions when you first pick up this book. It may strike you as another in the line of disturbed wives or former wives a la Gone Girl and Girl on a Train. You will be wrong. Now, don't misunderstand me. The book is highly readable and the story is ultimately very enjoyable. It is also just as suspenseful if not more so than those other books I mentioned. However, and without giving away too much, it is not those other books - it is decidedly different and it is ultimately that difference that will keep you up long into the night trying to suss out where the author is taking you before you get there. You will likely fail in that as well. It is a book that is full of suspense and surprises and well worth your time and effort and those lost hours of sleep. The writing is crisp and highly readable so it moves quickly ao while it will keep you up at night, it won't be very many nights, which I guess is some consolation. Do yourself a favor and block out a weekend night and have at it, it will be a weekend well spent.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!
So here is another story of a perfect marriage or is it?? Nothing is ever perfect!
This story full of twists
Can not wait to read more from this author!
I love these kind of stories and it did not disappoint.
This version has unreliable narrators, which do not always work but for me this time, it was great!
It made the craziness work (made my mind work)

Will definitely be the hottest book this winter. Great mystery/suspense full of twists and turns. I am going to love hand selling this book. A lot of books claim to be the next Gone Girl....this is the real deal!

Blog tour review on my blog 11/17/17

About: The Wife Between Us is a thriller written by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Peekanen. It will be published on 1/9/2018 by St. Martin's Press, an imprint of Macmillan, 352 pages. The genres are thriller, mystery, suspense, and fiction.

My Experience: I started reading The Wife Between Us on 11/4/17 and finished it on 11/10/17. This book is an excellent read! I like the suspense and the shocking revelations. I like the surprise turns and the epilogue. I like the mystery of running away from a past and the slow pace of revealing the secrets behind the lies. Normally I don't enjoy flashbacks so often, but the stories in the present day and in the past are both intriguing and it left me wanting more. At times I forget two authors are writing this book because it blends so well together.

In this book, readers will follow Vanessa, Richard's ex-wife as she tries to put her plans into actions. This book is divided into three parts. Part 1 alternates between Vanessa in the present stage and Vanessa during her dating stage. There are flashbacks to her college days throughout the book. Part 2 Vanessa reveals more about her marriage to Richard, a control freak. He twists words to make her confuse and second guess herself. Part 3 is where her actions takes place and exposes many surprises. Each part contains a lot of suspense and mystery. At the beginning, Vanessa appears to be a bitter ex-wife who couldn't let go of the marriage. As she reveals more about her past as a married woman and as a college student, she appears vulnerable. In the end, she appears stronger because she overcomes her fears.

This book is very well written. It definitely throw me off my path when I realized that I haven't been following a dual POV (and at 74% of the book!). My mind was scrambling trying to make sense of it all. I even go back to chapter 1 and 2 trying to make sense what I had read. It's somewhat good to be confused but I would've prefer to know who or what I'm reading about, so a name at each chapter headings would have been helpful. There were some repetitions about how Vanessa met Richard and how Nellie met Richard. At the time, I thought they were two different persons and funny how Richard play the same game to win both girls. I like that the main character is smart enough to stand up for herself but I don't like how she turns to alcohol to deal with her problems. Alcohol and insomnia should've blurry her brain, but somehow she is able to conjure up a plan. This book is still an enjoyable thriller and I highly recommend everyone to read it!

Pro: suspense, cover, fast paced, page turner, deceptions,

Con: some repetitions

I rate it 4.5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, publisher St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. I appreciate the invitation to host a blog tour for this book! Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review