This is a good addition to the murder mystery/marriage as character study genre. Initially I had a difficult time getting into this story. It jumped around between viewpoints and in time and there was no apparent connection to the threads or compelling plot points. It took until halfway through the book before things started to come together. For me, this was too long of a delay in the story really getting some legs for the book to be a higher rating than 3 stars. That said, once the story took off I really enjoyed it. There were some great twists that made it fun. I think the character development was a bit lacking, and this was mainly to keep the reader guessing, but it did end up making me care less about the characters. Overall a fun story that needed a stronger start but had a great finish.

This book is more like 3.5 than 3 because it started SO strong. I mean, a guy whose 2 wives both die under mysterious circumstances? It sounded great. But then it suddenly shifted to Ralph Loren (I'm sorry but I couldn't get past that name each time I read it) and his backstory. That seemed like a completely different book, which also would have been compelling but took me completely out of the original story.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It does resolve in an interesting way but only via a very circuitous route.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Wow, what a psychological thriller, full of twists and turns. The twists start early in book and continue to the end. Like the books says "The entire foundation of social media is to make everyone believe your life is perfect, even if it is falling apart at the seams". Marriage is much like social media in this book.

I was given an advanced copy, but voluntarily left this review.

Will put review on Amazon under name of Connie

Thank you for granting me access to this title

Matt and Marie have been married for 24 years, have 2 daughters in college. They go away for some time alone, when Marie slips off a cliff while hiking. Matt's first wife died under suspicious circumstances so of course they look at Matt for Marie's "accident". Is Matt just unlucky or is a double murderer? This book has so many twists and turns and was quite a fun read. This book was a great thriller! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Must read!!! I just finished reading As Long as We Both Shall Live and I recommend everyone put this novel on the top of your summer reading list! This domestic mystery/thriller was brilliantly written with absolutely fantastic timing! Whether you’re at the pool, the beach, or at home on your couch you will be able to tune out the rest of the world with this well thought out novel! I know this is said often, but I literally found myself unable to put this book down! I haven’t read JoAnn Chaney’s debut novel (What You Don’t Know), so I pleasantly blown away how edge-of-your-seat captivating her writing is—love that! As Long as We Both Shall Live is a 5 star read that is definitely on my 2019 favorites list!

Yes, yes, yes! i loved it. There is a lot of he said/she said and the everlasting question of who did it? Or more like who did what? And why? It’s said that you only can hate someone if you loved the person at one time and this story proves just that. Even after everything happening all those years ago, there is so much love/hate that it’s impossible to move on. I’m going to recommend this book to everyone I know, so I can discuss the ending and who the real villain was in that story.

Full of surprising twists, this novel shows a very dark story in which love and hate are so entwined that it’s hard to tell them apart. A man’s wife disappears while they are hiking together and she is presumed dead but, did she fall or did the husband push her. Once the police find out that his first wife also died under mysterious circumstances, everything is pretty clear, right? That is where the twists start coming and I had no idea what was going to happen. I can’t elaborate more on the plot because it would be a shame to spoil it. What I can say is that it is very well done. My problem was with the characters. I didn’t connect with them at all. Not the husband or the cops. Loren seems to be a good person with dark secrets, but he was always removed from me. In any case, the plot more than made up for it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Flatiron Books!

This book was a trip! As soon as you think you know something, the plot twists again. Perfect for fans of domestic suspense and those readers looking for something to engulf them in compelling narrative, untrustworthy characters, and a fun and fast thriller.

When a wife is killed, everyone knows the husband did it, and if the guy has two dead wives.....we'll, it's pretty obvious who the killer is, right? Matt and Marie were on a hike in the mountains when she tragically fell off a cliff. The cops aren't buying it, and when they learn he was suspected of killing his first wife, Janice, they're sure Marie's fall was no accident. Or was it? Is he lying? Is she lying? Are they lying? Just when you think you have this twisted plot unraveled you'll discover you're wrong. One of the best, most unexpected and spectacularly twisted books I've ever read. And it's also given me my new favorite saying. Marriage, Stockholm syndrome? Tomayto, tomahto.

Have you ever thought about killing your spouse? No? Me neither. The main character in this book, Matt, can't say the same thing. His first wife died of suspicious circumstances, and now they pulled his second wife out of the river.

I give this book four stars because of its twists and turns, and at times, it cracked me up. The detectives in the book have their own storylines, while trying to figure out what happened to both of the wives that were found dead. It was an easy read that kept me engaged throughout the whole book.

The best part was that it took place in Colorado, mainly in Estes Park, so of course, I loved being able to picture everything.

I was given this book for my honest review.

2.5 stars. This one felt like it was trying way too hard to be Gone Girl. And the subplot with Loren wasn't really necessary and added nothing to the story.

Husbands killing wives and vice versa never goes out of style. Recall Winston Churchill’s ongoing brangle with fellow parliamentarian Lady Astor (who was most critical of Churchill’s consumption of cigars and alcohol).

Of their famous squabbles, the most memorable is when Astor commented, “If you were my husband, I’d poison your tea.” Churchill’s riposte? “Madame, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

Newlyweds vow to love each other, “as long as we both shall live,” but divorce lawyers would go out of business if that was the case. A recent estimate is that “50 percent of all marriages in the United States will end in divorce or separation.” JoAnn Chaney opens As Long As We Both Shall Live with quotes that reverberate through the pages, particularly one by Danny DeVito, from the movie The War of the Roses:

There are two dilemmas . . . that rattle the human soul. How do you hold on to someone who won’t stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won’t go?

Matt the murderer kills his first wife Janice in 1995 in Madison, Wisconsin, and his second wife Marie, in 2018, Estes National Park, Colorado. To paraphrase Charles Dickens, he offed them: “There is no doubt whatever about that.” Harkening back to Danny DeVito’s words, neither wife is all that thrilled to be married to Matt. He’s a self-obsessed, selfish, self-delusional philanderer. Janice (1995) says to herself when she catches Matt in flagrante delicto, “Quit acting surprised, you knew what was going on this whole time.” But as any cheated-upon spouse will tell you, there’s a powerful distance between suspecting and knowing.

And now that she knew for sure—no denying it, Matt was a douchebag supreme, an unfaithful POS—what was she going to do? Because she couldn’t ignore this now. If she didn’t do anything, if she kept on pretending things were normal and let Matt do whatever he wanted, didn’t that make her guilty, too?

Marie and Matt are hiking in Estes National Park, going higher and higher as the long August day stretches out. Marie has ample opportunity to think about her twenty-year-long marriage. She’s an empty-nester now—their two girls are in college, and no one needs he. “She’d always thought the girls would grow up and she’d be free, but the freedom had just ended up being loneliness.” Janice and Marie both had divorce on their mind, but they left it too late. Or did they?

2018



“Please, stop! Don’t!”



The woman’s scream echoed off the sheer rock face, and birds lifted from the trees, startled into flight.



1995



A single gunshot rang out. A few people woke, but then went back to sleep. They all thought it was a dream.

As Long As We Both Shall Live switches gears into a fascinating police procedural…and the results are, shall we say, unexpected. Marie turns out to be much more than what she seems on the surface: her friends recall a woman determined to get her own way, in all things. And Janice too, maybe she didn’t get charred to the size of a charcoal briquette all those years ago. Readers need to suspend their disbelief because the twists and turns of this story aren’t predictable in the least—you’re going headfirst down an Olympic luge run. Spoilers prevent a reviewer from saying more but this for sure, JoAnn Chaney’s sophomore novel is unforgettable.

As Long as We Both Shall Live is addictive, dark, and SO entertaining. Filled with original twists and a plot that doesn't let up, readers will be thrilled to be immersed in Chaney's world. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, this is one you cannot miss out on. Be sure to pick up As Long as We Both Shall Live today!

An entertaining and suspenseful that starts out with a murdered wife. Some of the parts are tongue in cheek but the mystery storyline and the side mystery are intriguing. It almost comes together in the end but there are a couple of holes keeping this from being a five star read.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Loved! What a page turner! Very unpredictable and great characters! Am currently looking for her first book. This lady can write!

3.5 stars
What a dark, twisty book! I figured out most of it as it was going along, but definitely not all. You can't trust anything anyone says in the book, that's for sure.
I didn't like any of the characters except Spengler, but that was the point of the whole thing. The book reminded me a lot of the movie War of the Roses: the characters were bit nuts and self-centered to the point where they were destroying themselves and each other along the way. I felt as if I were a bit of a voyeur into some very twisted lives.
Quite fast paced and every time I felt like I had it all figured out, things turned around and kept me invested in reading on to discover more.

OK - these were some seriously creepy characters! And so much fun to read about while wondering who would get the last laugh. I had figured out what was going on halfway through the book and enjoyed reading how it all played out. Plenty of twists and wondering what would happen next.

I didn't care so much about Loren's story - it didn't really feel like it fit in with the book except to show someone else who was getting away with something.

This was a twisty, entertaining read.

This book BLEW. MY. MIND. So incredible and the twists were original and so very twisty. Absolutely loved it and I'll be telling EVERYONE to read it. I've posted it to my Instagram feed and list of books read so far this year.

This book is disturbing, psychotic, and creepy in all the most amazing and riveting ways! Marie and Matt kept me guessing from start to finish. I felt like I was really witnessing and understanding their crazy marriage. Somehow I still wasn't ready for the ending, but I thought it was perfect! 5 crazy stars to this gripping thriller!

Such a darkly entertaining binge-worthy domestic thriller! I’m so glad I decided to read this twisted story.
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Matt’s first wife died under suspicious circumstances. Did he murder her? Maybe...maybe not. Twenty years later he’s the number one suspect in his second wife’s death. I thought I had this one figured out early on, ya’ll, however I was so pleased to be dupped! Love this in a thriller.
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Forewarning: this novel may be a little gruesome for some. Several jaw-dropping scenes will definitely stay with me. The characters are wonderfully written and their dialogue is very witty. I had fun getting to know all of these crazy characters (especially Detective Reid!) & I was excited to learn that Detective Loren is in her previous novel as well that I’ll definitely be picking up. I’m looking forward to what author JoAnn Chaney creates next.