Thank you Bookouture and Net Galley for an early release of The Wife Before Me. Wow, Very Riveting! I did Not want to put it down. Such a great plot. The domestic psychological thrillers are the “In Books” to be reading and Laura Elliot did not disappoint.

Thank you Bookouture and Net Galley for an early release of The Wife Before Me. Wow, Very Riveting! I did Not want to put it down. Such a great plot. The domestic psychological thrillers are the “In Books” to be reading and Laura Elliot did not disappoint.

Those of you who've read a lot in the domestic suspense genre will recognize this plot- Nicholas is abusive, his wife Amelia has disappeared, and Elena has married him. Whether you enjoy this will turn on how you feel about the characters. Elliott gives you different points of view and tries to build sympathy but unfortunately it didn't work for me. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

I thought this book was really well strung together. There are two different story lines, albeit similar ones that are both pretty heartbreaking. My emotions were all over the place while reading this book but I loved it. I think the ending makes it all worth it.

Good book from Laura Elliott! Elena, thinks she has met the man of her dreams in Nicholas. However, Nicholas may or may not be the person everyone sees. They meet at Elena’s mother’s funeral and end up bonding over their mutual losses (Nicholas lost his wife a few years before). Their relationship progresses quickly but once Elena is fully involved, will she be able to get out? Does she even want to? I enjoyed the book, especially the back and forth between the stories of Elena and Amelia. However, even though I would not call it a thriller, it kept me interested and wanting to know more. To me a thriller has me looking over my shoulder and keeping me awake at night. I liked the book but I would say if was more psychological drama. One thing I did not enjoy was the third person point of view of the book. Very distracting! I kept having to reread sentences and found myself trying to read it in the first-person view. Also, I don’t always understand how women can put up with so much. Especially in the beginning of a relationship. Either way, worth the read! Most should enjoy! I received a free copy from the publisher for my honest review, and here it is! Get it, read it, reread a few parts because point of view is distracting and you can’t tell what character is taking, end up liking it!

Let me start by saying...WOW!!!.Just WOW!! A phenomenal psychological thriller that leaves you stunned. Very well written. Great storyline! Excellent characters.
Also even though it is fiction, the reality is domestic violence is real. This is starkly the main theme of this book. The events portrayed, do happen to some extent.
What can I say, fabulous read!!!

I didn’t really find this book gripping, too many characters in and out and found it hard to keep up with at times.

Amelia’s car slides into the sea and her body is never recovered, a couple of years later her bereaved husband Nick meets Elena who is also bereaved, grieving the loss of her mother. They fall in love and move in together, to everyone Nick seems like a loving and caring man, who had suffered a tragic loss, but no one really knows him.

Told in 2 parts, Past and present, past -Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and the truth about what someone is really capable of.

A fantastic 5 star read from Laura Elliot.

I really struggled with this book for several reasons - most of all that most of the story felt like so many other books that I have read recently. I have read a lot of great reviews for this book so I know that I am in the minority and I wish that I liked it more.

Elena meets Nicholas 2 years after the mysterious death of his first wife. They start dating and then move in together. That is when Elena sees the dark side of Nicholas - it is like he is different person. Domestic violence and mental abuse - and Elena starts to wonder if there is more to his first wife's disappearance.


Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This is a strange mixture of a book. Part Rebecca, part Sleeping with the Enemy, part ghost story, it doesn''t seem to be able to make its mind up about what it actually is. Elena becomes involved with the very handsome Nicholas whom she meets at her mother's funeral. He is in mourning for his wife, Amelia who is missing presumed drowned after her car slides into the sea. They soon move in together but cracks begin to show early on. Elena is obsessed with Amelia much in the same way as Du Maurier's nameless narrator is obsessed with Max's first wife Rebecca. But Nicholas is a much darker Max. Soon he reveals himself to be a wife beater and worse and it was at this point that I began to lose interest. Elena endures much abuse at his hands and it is hard to read about. Then after some more violence, the point of view suddenly switches and we are following Amelia's story which to be honest is pretty much the same as Elena's but a bit more Sleeping with the Enemy than Rebecca. But then, the story takes yet another turn and we are into the realm of the supernatural and that was it for me. I did manage to struggle to the end but I skipped the more violent bits as there's only so much I could take. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The story begins two years previously. Amelia Madison has one evening parked her car on the slipway near Mason’s Pier. When she was a young girl, Amelia fell off the pier and her mother died rescuing her. Contemplating what her life has become, Amelia comes to a place where she feels closest to her mother, but whilst sat in the car the car begins to slide down the slipway and into the sea. Amelia, unable to swim, is presumed drowned and her body is never found.

Two years later, the story focusses on Elena Langdon. She has returned to Ireland from Australia for her mother’s funeral. Whilst here, she meets Nicholas Madison and falls in love with him. Deciding not to return to Australia, she settles down with Nicholas. Still grieving from the death of his wife, Amelia, is Nicholas really the man she thought he is and does she really know him at all?

Before we start with the review, a word of warning about this book. It does have a theme of domestic violence, and can be quite intense at times. You may want to reconsider reading this book if you are affected by this topic.

This book is written in three parts – present day following Elena’s story, two years previous following Amelia’s story and then back to present day to tie up all the loose ends! There is also an unknown person’s narrative in between some of the chapters, but you don’t get to discover who this is and the relevance of this until towards the end of the story. From the beginning, it appears that Nicholas is a suave and handsome man – a bit of a catch! He is obviously weighed down with grief and guilt over the death of his first wife, Amelia but as the story moves on you begin to realise that he’s not necessarily just grief stricken but controlling and abusive also. The story moves at a slower pace at first and this gives you chance to connect with Elena’s character, which is why it’s so absolutely horrific when she begins to experience what happens when on the wrong side of Nicholas’s temper.

To reveal any more of what happens as the book moves on will spoil the plot. Obviously the story tells what happens not just in the present, but in the past given from Amelia’s perspective. Some of it is predictable, but some took me by surprise. Needless to say, the story being based on domestic abuse is absolutely shocking, but my heart broke for Elena and Amelia’s characters on more than one occasion. Nicholas was also probably one of the nastiest characters I’ve seen in a book for a long time! It was a very dark, disturbing and twisted story but one that definitely grabbed me at the first page and kept me reading, albeit from behind a cushion!, until the very last page.

Would definitely recommend this book, but bear in mind the word of warning about the content.

The Wife Before Me is a great suspense book about a married couple Elena and Nicholas. Nicolas and Elena are still haunted by his ex wife Amelia. Exciting page tuner.

All that glitters is not gold ...

My first book by this author and I have to say it was confusing, but in a good way. Some chapters were written by a certain person and I had an inkling of whom it was, but it took a while before I was certain about it.

The book is divided in 3 parts. It starts in the present, takes you back to the past in order to clarify some things and brings to the present again to unravel everything.

I have to say I had my suspicions about a few things and it seems I was right about them at the end. Did this disturb me? No, not at all, because there were enough things left that I did not see coming.

It is, without a doubt, a gripping story and sometimes I felt like shouting 'get away'. Fortunately, I was never in this kind of situation, but I can imagine that the fear of leaving becomes bigger than the fear of staying.

Thank you, Laura Elliot, Bookouture and Netgalley.

This is my first read by Laura Elliot, won’t be my last though! I love a good psychological thriller and this was certainly that!

Elena is reeling from the death of her mother when she meets Nicholas Madison who seems charming, whitty, a perfect catch but is there such a thing? Nicholas is still grieving for his wife Amelia who, 2 years ago had an accident off Masons’ Pier in her car (where her own mother died) and is presumed dead, no body was ever found.

Part One of the book is about the courtship/romance between Elena & Nicholas, Elena completely opens up to Nicholas but he never gives anything in return. After a commitment ceremony (as Nicholas cannot remarry until his wife has been missing/presumed dead for 7 years) Elena starts asking Nicholas about his marriage to Amelia which he portrays as the perfect marriage. Elena feels she is constantly walking in the shadow of Amelia and she will never match up and living in “their” house is not helping. After cashing in on her own inheritance, Nicholas was to sell his house and they would jointly buy a house and begin afresh but Nicholas finds more reasons and excuses to never getting around to selling the house, what is he hiding? Its not long before Nicholas’s true colours begin to show and the physical and emotional abuse of Elena begins, he says sorry most times but can she keep forgiving him? She trusted him to invest her inheritance and he has “beggared” it and now she has no means to cope alone especially now that she is pregnant. Two children later and things take a turn for the worst!

Part Two of the book is about Amelia’s marriage to Nicholas which is not so perfect as he said, she too suffered emotional and physical abuse even having lost a baby as a result of him hitting her so hard. His mother Yvonne blames Amelia for losing her first grandchild. Did Amelia drive off the pier intentionally? Nicholas’ parents leave a lot to be desired, I would have loving to SLAP Yvonne and as for Henry, WAKE UP already!!!

Part Three of the book…. Wow this is where it all comes together, I’m not going to go into too much detail for fear of ruining the book for others but to say justice is a dish best served cold is putting it midly. Subtle twists and turns will keep you wanting to read into the night……

With elements of paranormal to add to the mix, this book will keep you thinking long after reading it. For those of you who love a great psychological thriller with a hint of paranormal, this is definitely the book for you. YOU MUST READ IT!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Laura Elliot and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: THE WIFE BEFORE ME by Laura Elliott. Awesome book with a twisty ending that you aren't expecting. Will be looking for more by this great author ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four Stars!

The tension begins pretty quickly in this book rather than gradually growing so much so I wonder if the author could keep it up for the rest of the book, which they are able to do. The subject matter, whilst uncomfortable, is unfortunately, all too realistic for some women. I did guess where the book was going, although that did not detract as I wanted to keep reading to see if I was right! The chapters are narrated by different characters and I was always able to work out who was 'speaking' even if it wasn't always obvious at first. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Really good but not great. The author wrote very well, but some of the different perspectives were confusing. I still don’t know who the narrator was supposed to be.

What an incredible book! My heart is still pounding! Amelia, the only child of sweet, loving parents, meets a handsome young man, Nicholas. Her father does not like him, forbids her from marrying him, she does it anyway, on a wet night her car plunges into the sea, she had never learned to swim. Without a body, washed out the sea, Nicholas cannot remarry for seven years, yet he meets a vibrant, young woman whose Mother had worked in the same firm, Elena. Elena believes this handsome man can help her with the guilt of her Mother's death; she died of cancer without ever telling Elena that she was ill. Once the honeymoon phase is over, the real Nicholas shows through; obsessive, jealous, domineering, the only people to see him for what he indeed is, are Amelia's father, his best friend, and the two women who loved him! How far will he go to get what he wants, what is he willing to do to keep them in his life? Must Read!
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
Carolintallahassee

The Wife Before Me by Laura Elliot.

I want to say that this book has a great opportunity to be a lot better. Not that it was horrible it just lacked smooth transitions. In the beginning we have a woman who has lost her mother and a man who has lost his wife. She believes that he is such a wonder duo guy even though she does not really know him. Things start to change and she finds a letter. I will not go into too much detail as to not spoil the book for others. The writer takes us back and forth from past to present. It makes it somewhat convoluted. I found myself trying to keep up and rereading parts to understand what was happening. I really do believe that if you could get past the transitions then you would love this novel.

Thank you netgalley as well as the publisher/author for giving me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3 ⭐️out of 5

Unfortunately I was unable to connect with the characters in this book. The author seemed to keep the characters at a distance, as if observing them from afar. As well, I found the domestic violence very disturbing. I did not enjoy reading about that at all. This was definitely not the book for me.

I was given a copy of this a ARC by NetGalley for an honest opinion.