A roller coaster ride with amazingly fleshed out characters. If you are tired of reading thrillers where you just can't understand a character's motivation, give this one a shot. You'll question the characters in the beginning, but as the book goes on, Jess Ryder explains them so well and makes you understand their motivations, their weaknesses, their strengths... everything about them. There's plenty of crazy situations in this one, and lots of surprises to keep you on your toes.

Natasha has it all: a handsome, loving husband, an adorable child, and a beautiful home. No more working dead-end jobs and barely making rent. She doesn't have to worry about money at all, as Nick takes care of that. The one fly in the ointment is his ex-wife, Jen. She's always around... coming to family parties, sticking her nose in their business, taking up the little free time Nick has... and she's beyond tired of it. Yes, she began her relationship with him before they were separated... but she agreed to leave so quickly without a fuss, and it's time for her to move on so they can live their happily ever after.

That fairy tale is not. Happening. Suddenly, Nick and little Emily are gone. He's taken their things and simply vanished, leaving Natasha with nothing but an empty house for company. She's desperate to get her daughter back, but knows she's in for the fight of her life any way you look at it. Nick can afford the best lawyers and make her look unfit. But why would he do that, why would he want to? And how will she even find out where they've gone? Jen is offering to help her, but who can she trust?

We get mostly perspectives from the two women, plus the mysterious Anna... who the reader isn't quite sure about right away. This is a nice thriller with great, interesting characters. I loved the bits of reality about caring for a small child (it's not all fun) and the never-ending twists and turns the story took.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Oh my bleeping goodness! THIS BOOK!!!! My nerves are still frayed and my heart rate has only just returned to normal - I'm still struggling to digest what I read!!

So, Natasha feels that she has landed on her feet with her husband, daughter, pre-made house, and pretty much a bottomless pit of money. How does the saying go? 'If it seems too good to be true then it usually is'. Whilst there are people around Natasha who have taken their rose tinted glasses off and can see the situation for what it is, Natasha hasn't gotten round to taking hers off yet. That's if she even does, of course. Even though Natasha believes that her life is perfect, she still can't get rid of the itch that has been with her from the moment she married her husband; his ex-wife, Jen.

A woman scorned perhaps? Jealousy? Whatever it is, Jen refuses to be forgotten, doing anything she can to keep her foot in the door of her ex-marital home. Literally.

Whose side do you go on? The scorned ex-wife, or the new wife who is living in the shadow of the ex-wife who is well and truly alive? Of course we're going to pick sides as readers, we're only human! At first I sided with Natasha. Then, as soon as more information came to light, I ended up switching sides and pretty much kept doing that until the very last page. Whilst the author, Jess Ryder, has put a lot of the focus onto the women, the husband doesn't get as much airtime because, conveniently, he is always out of town on business.

I am trying to be so careful and not give anything away, but it is so hard to keep quiet about a ticking time bomb such as this one.

If I had to sum up 'The Ex-wife' in one word it would be - compelling. Everything about this storyline seized me from the get go, as though I was getting arrested. Some parts were heart-breaking to read I'm not going to lie, but, whilst I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat as I read them, the depth of the storyline increased dramatically and I was blown away by the magnetism of the intensity that followed. Jess Ryder hasn't just written a story, she has written a two tiered,  highly charged, addictive, compelling, and severely shocking story which took me prisoner until the very last page.

'The Ex-wife' is such a dark and dramatic read, with multiple hard-hitting moments making my toes curl and my spine tingle. Hard to read in terms of the theme, but oh so brilliantly executed - I didn't see it coming at all.

I really enjoyed this one! The pace and twists kept me gripped, I would definitely recommend it. I will certainly be looking for more from this author.

Natasha is struggling to make it as a barista in the city. Living on a tight budget, she cycles to work daily until one fateful day dramatically changes her life for the better - or so she thought.

While racing down a steep street on her bike, Natasha accidentally swipes the side of a car and tumbles to the street. A handsome, older man steps out of the car to check on Natasha. She's fine, but the man, Nick, feels guilty and offers to take her out to dinner. Things seem innocent until Natasha finds herself falling hard for Nick. There's only one little problem: Nick is married to Jen, his high school sweetheart.

Natasha falls pregnant - something Jen never was able to do - and Nick casts aside Jen. He is eager to be a father and ready to welcome his new baby girl Emily into his life. Natasha moves into the house Nick and Jen shared and everything seems shockingly perfect beyond Jen's occasional lengthy phone calls to Nick. 

Things change when Nick gets one too many tickets and is under a court order not to drive. Jen suggests that he hire a private driver, which Natasha thinks is unnecessarily extravagant. Nick goes against Natasha's wishes and hires a driver, who ends up spending a great deal of time with Natasha. Natasha begins to question her reality as her driver suggests that Nick isn't being honest with her. Is Nick cheating on her? Is Jen somehow still involved with Nick? Is Nick really spending so much time on international business travel or is something else going on behind Natasha's back?

This book was an intense, hold-on-to-your seats ride from start to finish. The author drops hints here and there at what might be going on; clever suspense readers may figure out what's happening mid-way through the book, but that certainly won't spoil this tantalizing thriller for even the most seasoned mystery readers. This was a super quick read for me and so very difficult to put down! I loved how tension mounted in this book; it was there from the first page and continued to build with every turn of the page. 

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and Jess Ryder for an advanced reader copy of The Ex-Wife! I hope to read more of Ryder's books in the future!

It starts off slow and confusing. But after a few chapters The Ex Wife gets very suspenseful. You don’t know what will happen next. It beeps a fast based mystery what will happen next

My review is written with thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for inviting me to take part and for my copy of the book via Netgalley.
When Natasha married Nick and gave birth to daughter, Emily, she thought she had the perfect family. But Nick is still in touch with his ex wife, Jen, and one day, Natasha returns home to find herself locked out of the house with her husband and daughter nowhere to be found. She vows to find Emily and bring her home, but who can she trust to help her?
I've read and loved Ryder's previous novels, Lie To Me and The Good Sister, but The Ex Wife is on another level. It is told from several different points of view, and this allows the reader to get inside each character's head - and that's not always a nice place to be! It was impossible to separate the good guys from the bad guys and the people telling the truth from the people telling lies because the characters are so well constructed. Ryder is constantly working to make you change your mind about them.
I am simply in awe of the plotting in The Ex Wife. Every detail is meticulously planned and the twists are ridiculously clever. The first one is about half way through and from that point, they do not stop! Just when I thought I had something figured out, there was a twist to throw me off course and they kept coming time after time so that by the time I finished reading, I felt like I'd just stepped off a rollercoaster - and I was so gripped I had the white knuckles to prove it!

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. This is the first book I have read by Jess but I do have her previous two on my TBR pile.

This book had multiple POV which I LOVE. I just love getting inside difference characters heads and seeing things from their perspective. First we have Natasha and then we have Anna. It took me a long time to work out the connection between the two and I thought I had it all worked out but I am glad to say I was wrong. The story flicks between not only these two POV bus also then and now. We don't know how long it is between then and now just that there has been some sort of time gap.

Natasha is married to Nick and they have a beautiful baby girl called Emily. Natasha has everything this could ever need and her life is perfect. I liked Natasha. I thought she was young and naive yes but I think she had a good heart. She was a likeable character despite her flaws. After her daughter had been taken I felt a lot of anguish for her.

Anna was a weird one and as the story unravelled you worked out why so I'm not going to say too much on her. She seemed nice enough but I got this odd feeling from her. Like something was off.

The story had a lot of twists and turns and it was hard to know who to trust. There were lots of layers to this story and it was clearly very well thought out. Sometimes I find psychological thrillers are extremely over hyped but for this one it is definitely not the case. I was gripped early on and struggled to put it down. Each character is very well written and you can easily feel all their emotions as you go through the situations with them.

I really enjoyed Jess' writing style and will be bumping her other books to the top of my TBR pile.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Brilliant. I want to start by saying the cover is gorgeous (I like a good cover that catches the eye). The Ex-Wife will have you hooked just from reading the prologue, what a way to drag a reader in! I devoured this book within a day, I honestly was hooked and couldn’t put it down.

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT OUTCOME AT ALL. WOW… No spoilers here but your jaw will drop too. What a brilliant twist. A cleverly written suspense filled story with some very cunning and crafty characters within, who do you trust?

The story does highlight the bond between a mother and her child and as a mother myself I put myself into Natasha’s shoes and really felt for her character. If I was her I wouldn’t have coped at all! A brave, determined character. I was 50/50 about Nick from the start but what a nasty character he turned out to be.

A well deserved five stars, highly recommend! Gripping. I won’t forget this in a hurry. A fast paced story that you will want to finish in one sitting. Perfect.

The pace is fast and the tone is rather frantic (which I think worked well).

Here are the players–Game on…

Natasha – Current wife and mother to Emily

Emily– Young daughter of Natasha and Nick

Nick– Loving hubby and dad

Jen– Jealous ex-wife

Anna– You’ll find out when you read it! Yikes

The relationship between Natasha and Jen was very intriguing and I was curious about how it would play out. The ex, Jen was jealous that things worked out so beautifully for Natasha and Nick. I wanted to know more about her and why she behaved as she did. She seemed unable to move on after her divorce from Nick. Then, things take a turn and Natasha needs Jen’s help. Can she trust her though? After all, this is the woman who has been trying hard to tear her down.

I loved how this psychological thriller kept me asking myself, “What is going on?” and racing towards the end to find out. The twists were surprising and kept me on edge as they were revealed. I felt a shot of adrenaline as each chapter ended and compelled me to keep reading (which I did). Several times I literally sat straight up in bed and asked myself, “Did that just happen?” Who doesn’t love a “gotcha” moment!

Loads of fun! What a rocky suspenseful ride! I cruised through this one at lightening speed! 5 STARS of pure entertainment

The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder an absolute page turner of a psychological thriller! If you want a fast-paced read, that will keep you on your toes and have no sleep.........this is a book for you. I was hooked from the first few pages and just had to finish this book as I could not put it down. This will be a book for you. It will leave you wondering what if? and what they are doing now when you come to the end of the book. A brilliant book I would highly recommend.

Big FAT 5 Stars from me.

Plus, a big Thank you to Jess Ryder, Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing me with this book for a review. I loved it

Review on my Goodreads and Amazon UK

5 Brilliantly Twisted Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow wow wow this book was simply brilliant! Jess Ryder Took me on one crazy ride.... this is my first book from this author, but it is definitely not my last! Admittedly up until about 35% I was a little unsure as to what was going on and then... BAM! huge swerve and then the twists kept coming!

Natasha has the perfect life, a doting husband, a beautiful daughter, the only problem.... the ex-wife... then one day Natasha arrives home to find no Nick, no Emily, no belongings... what is going on? Natasha is a terribly likable character and you just want her to figure all of this out, and get her daughter back....

The story is told from two points of view... Natasha then and Anna now... Anna is on the run, but from who? And why? And who is Anna? Oh what a well plotted story this is! As those layers start peeling away you start finding out secret after lie after secret after lie.... leaving you to believe absolutely nobody.... and the very end, creepy!

I read this book with my friend Mackenzie, who found a blog article written by the author.... to sum it up the author says the best way to create a good psychological thriller is to alter the readers perception and then let their imagination take over.... and that’s exactly what she did in this book, well done Miss Ryder 🥂

Absolutely recommend to fans of a good twisty psychological thriller... this is a must read!

*** many thanks too Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

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Debbie Krenzer
Debbie Krenzer's Reviews > The Ex-Wife
The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder
The Ex-Wife
by Jess Ryder
12691311
Debbie Krenzer's review Jun 05, 2018 · edit
it was amazing
bookshelves: ebooks, net-galley-books

What a crazy ride this book was!! A twisted, complex and ever changing relationship between a husband, his wife and his ex-wife. I tore through these pages. I could not believe that someone could be that much of a psycho. One surprise . . . who is the real psycho in this story?

My opinions of a couple of these characters had me going back and forth as the author intended. However, my opinions never really changed regarding the psycho. I disliked that person from the very beginning. And, the more I read of that person, the more my dislike grew.

The twists in this book will have you (or at least it did me) looking up and thinking "OMG".

This was my first book by this author and if I have anything to do with it, it won't be my last. Excellent read!!

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

OMG! Read this book! LIke now! It's a wild roller coaster of a ride where you have no idea where you are going or what's going to happen from one page to the next. Just when you think you have it figured out there's another twist or turn that will have you feverishly turning the pages so don't start this at night before bedtime because the next thing you know it's three o'clock in the morning when you have to be up at six. Definitely pick this up and remember to strap in for a wild ride. Happy reading!

This is the third book by Jess Ryder that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. Boy oh boy my first thoughts on finishing ‘The Ex-Wife’ were flipping hell (well ok maybe I used slightly stronger and ruder language) what a blooming fantastic book this is. I absolutely LOVED reading ‘The Ex-Wife’ but more about that in a bit.
I can’t honestly say that I took to the characters in this book, mainly because I just wasn’t sure which ones to believe!! Natasha is a young woman, who had an affair with Nick, when he was married to Jen. Nick leaves Jen for Natasha and moves in with her. They get married and they have a little girl called Emily. Natasha isn’t happy about the circumstances that led to her and Nick getting together and she seems to think that Jen wants Nick back. Natasha is paranoid that her husband’s family hate her and to be honest that doesn’t sound far from the truth. Nick’s family think an awful lot of Jen and don’t hesitate to let Natasha know exactly what they think of her and blame her for the end of Nick’s marriage to Jen. I did feel for Natasha at times as I know what it feels like to have alienated a whole branch of the family but at the same time I could see why they perhaps treated her the way that they did, especially given the circumstances that saw Natasha get together with Nick. Natasha is rather paranoid and I think that in a way Natasha’s behaviour does seem to drive Nick further towards Jen and his family. Natasha is bereft when Nick disappears with Emily and she is desperate to get them back, although it means that she might have to accept help from Jen. Jen does sound to be something of a nightmare. She doesn’t seem to want to let Nick go and she regularly makes some excuse to see him. Will Natasha get Emily back? Will Natasha and Jen ever see eye to eye? What is the truth? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Boy oh boy was this book good or was this book good? I became seriously addicted to reading ‘The Ex-Wife’ from the moment I picked it up and I binge read it over a couple of days. ‘The Ex-Wife’ is one of those ‘CPID’ (can’t put it down) books. The book wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because my Kindle came everywhere with me. I just had to read on and on to see how many more secrets would come tumbling out of the closet and how the latest twist in the tale would affect the different characters and what it meant for their futures. The story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. Reading ‘The Ex-Wife’ was much like being on a rollercoaster ride with lots of twists, turns and moments that you don’t see coming until they happen and they leave you feeling as though you have been punched in the gut. There were also times when I almost had to read through my fingers as I genuinely feared what was going to happen next. This is one of those books that certainly messed with my head and kept me guessing all the way through.
To conclude, I have to say that for me, ‘The Ex-Wife’ is easily the best Of Jess’s books to date. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this fantastic author. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. I would definitely recommend this author to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Hayley and Jen have been friends for years. Hayley’s family is wealthy and welcomed Jen into their lives. This friendship is great because Jen grew up in a not very wealthy family. Hayley’s brother, Nick and Jen fell in love and married young. Nick worked hard and with his charming personality, became very wealthy. They live in a huge home and have plenty of money to spend. All Jen and Nick want is a child, but as his sperm is considered to be a slow-swimmer, becoming parents is not to be.

After nearly 20 years of marriage to Jen, Nick meets Natasha, 25, when his car hits her bike and throws her to the ground. Nick is immediately solicitous and brings her into his house for tea and gives her a large amount of money. He begins asking her out. He is very gentlemanly, but after a few dates, they make love and she becomes pregnant. Totally ecstatic at being a father, Nick divorces Jen, she moves out of their big house, Natasha moves in, and they marry just before little Emily is born. However, Jen is always calling Nick and she and Nick’s family hate Natasha making it difficult for any family get-togethers. When Natasha finds Jen inside her house drinking wine, she is shocked. Jen yells at her to tell Nick that their marriage has gone on long enough.

Natasha is very happy being a mother spending time with Emily and taking her to pre-school. When Nick loses his driver’s license for drunken driving, he hires Sam to drive him around. He is also available to take drive Natasha places as she has never learned to drive. Natasha asks Sam to give her driving lessons so she can surprise Nick.

One day, Natasha comes home to find that Nick has taken Emily, changed the locks on the house, and cancelled her credit cards. She doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust. She just wants her daughter back. Why is Nick doing this to her? But she is a determined mother and she will stop at nothing to find Emily.

This story flips from the present to the past, giving the reader puzzle pieces a bit at a time as we discover what happened. I liked the book, but my only complaint is that I think the “incognito life” was a bit overdone. However, this book will keep the reader turning pages and unable to put the book down.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Loved it! Not often a book using past and present tense to tell the story will hold my attention but boy this one sure did! First time I've read this author but it certainly won't be the last. Highly recommended.

I loved this story. The author gives you a main character that you dislike for what shes's done to another woman, but feel sorry for. This book kept me guessing and entertained throughout. Natasha is a wife and mother whose life gets turned upside down after discovering her husband's secrets. Jen, the ex-wife plays a huge role in the events that take place, but who will she stay loyal to? Great story.

Outwardly Natasha has everything... rich husband, darling baby girl and beautiful house, but someone is getting right under her skin and husband Nick is too nice to tell ex-wife Jen to back off.  Jen is a childhood friend of Nick's sister and she uses every excuse she can to turn up at family occasions and stir the pot.

Natasha resents Jen's interfering but she knows that her husband loves her and dotes on baby Emily.

So, why does Nick suddenly disappear, taking Emily with him?

Natasha is shocked and distraught but she will do everything she can to get her baby back.

This was an incredibly well written psychological thriller with interesting timelines and narratives which kept me gripped from the start. My brain buzzed with possible explanations but the characters and clever plot line kept me guessing and wondering who I could trust. The pace stayed steady throughout, I enjoyed the dual narrative and will be looking out for more books by Jess Ryder.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of The Ex-Wife which I have reviewed honestly.

3.5 stars At first I wondered how it’s even possible that a wife like Natasha puts up with the ex wife’s presence in her life with her new husband. I found that hard to swallow. Once I let that go, I began to enjoy the book a little more. The twist at the end of part one was a good surprise. I did not guess that at all. The second twist in part 2 about what happens at the cabin was one of the scenarios I had played out in my head already so it wasn’t a shocker. The final twist that was towards the end of the book was also a little expected to be honest. So while the aha moments were not that many, the writing was good enough to keep reading and see if I’d figured it out correctly. The dynamics between Jen and Tasha, Tasha and her mom, Nick and both his wives is described very well and you feel like you are in the middle of this story. The writing is succinct yet descriptive enough. I enjoyed reading this book. I would give it 4 stars if I had not been able to figure the plot twists out or had not been able to predict them.
Thanks NetGalley and bookouture for sending me a copy of this book for my unbiased review.

Jennifer wants what she can’t have - her ex husband, Nick. Poor, Jen, she will do anything to get her Nicky back. Doesn’t she know that you should never let and old flame burn you twice? Our good ole Nicky boy, yes like a typical man he has moved on to younger, better things - Natasha.

All is rosy for Natasha and Nick until one afternoon Natasha arrives to pick up her daughter from childcare but is told Emily had never arrived. Who has her? Where is she? Natasha, frantic and angry sets out on a mission to find her daughter. Yet, little does Natasha know, her mission is going to be one hell of a ride that has consequences. If only Natasha and Jennifer would have known that after being with Nick, going to hell would be considered easy. A twisty, turny, fab read! Yet another one that deserves 5 stars. ❤️