I don't want to say too much about the plot of MY LOVELY WIFE by Samantha Downing and spoil things for other readers because I think it's best to go in not knowing too much.  On the surface, Millicent and her husband seem to have it all - a nice house, two terrific kids, and a happy marriage - but things aren't always the way they seem and the couple are hiding a pretty serious secret.  The story is told from Millicent's unnamed husband and he learns Millicent even keeps secrets from him.  He's got to figure out what's going on before it's too late.

I thoroughly enjoyed this domestic thriller and sped through the pages.  The characters are terrific and the plot twists kept me engaged throughout.  The very final twist left me wanting more and hoping for a sequel.  I know I'll be picking up whatever Downing writes next. If you like thrillers, you won't want to miss this one.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

The plot of this suspense debut was fairly original. That being said, this genre really isn't for me so I have a hard time knowing how it stacks up to similar titles and therefore I can't really recommend it.

Hooked me in and was a good page turner. While I did predict some of the big twists, others did surprise me. A fun read, if readers don't mind dark murder stories and unlikeable characters.

Seriously twisted!

I don’t even know how to prepare myself to talk about this book because it is THAT good! When I read My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, I not only had no idea what would happen next, but I couldn’t even decide what I wanted to have happen! A truly gripping thriller with a compelling writing style that was truly unputdownable!

If the teaser for this book seems light, it is absolutely by design. Really I had to put some thought into what I could say here because there is NO way I’m spoiling this book for readers. The premise is straight forward—a deaf man named Tobias meets a woman in a bar. She’s beautiful, with swirly blue eyes. He types on his phone to her. He’s been deaf since birth. She is attracted to him and worries what it says about her if she turns down a man because he is deaf. So she sleeps with him. He gets up to leave. A normal night, right?

Only he isn’t actually deaf. And his name isn’t Tobias. And he heads home to his lovely wife, whom he was enchanted by since the moment he saw her.

Told in a compelling first person narrative, we never actually learn Tobias’s name—a fact I didn’t notice until towards the end of the story. And this is almost definitely by design! So for now, I’ll refer to him as not-Tobias for the purposes of this review. You’ll have to read the book to find out more about this un-named narrator.

Not-Tobias and Millicent met on a plane, and they have a wonderful life. They have two kids, Rory and Jenna, and a beautiful house in Hidden Oaks, a gated golf club community. Like many families, bills can be a bit tight at times. They worked for everything they have. Millicent is a fantastic mother and she keeps the family running smoothly. Breakfast and dinner together as a family every day, no matter what. No sugar in the house. No phones during family time. Movie night once per week.

Not-Tobias is a tennis coach at the club, and Millicent is a successful realtor in their pricey community. They have great sex. They love to spend time together. Millicent is a fantastic cook. Not-Tobias is a fantastic father. They rarely drink. And sometimes they murder people together…

What secrets lurk behind a closed door? Something here even their kids don’t know about! I was so fascinated by Millicent. Not-Tobias describes her as “enchanting” and that truly comes out through the book. She’s strong but vulnerable. She has it together and keeps it together for her family as well. She’s a great wife and mother. She and Not-Tobias may even have the sort of marriage you’d envy, if not for the murder. But you’ll have to learn more about THAT as you read!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy! Opinions are my own.

The summary led me to believe this story would be totally different to what it actually was. It is a little misleading. This is not at all a tale about a Mr and Mrs Smith like couple who happens to have a fondness for murder. I liken this story to The Husband's Secret but it's the wife that keeps the secrets. I was engrossed in this couple's relationship and what led them to become these people but I kept getting bored with the minutiae of their family life. I couldn't understand how the husband could find it ok to do all of these horrible things to women but not question his wife as to what she did to those women. He was so oblivious and totally deserved everything that happened to him. All in all a good story that was not at all believable.

4.5 stars. This is how you write a thriller. I haven't been this excited and engaged since I read Gillian Flynn all those years ago. The writing and the narrator are perfect, the pacing, the tone, everything is revealed at the right time. I also really liked the mix of suburban mundane life and creepy serial killer details.

So so great.

Unfortunately, this title did not quite meet expectations. I was expecting more a couple of Dexters, but got instead a one-sided family drama that involved a philandering husband who did almost anything he could to please his control-freak wife. Yes, that does include kidnapping and killing of random women. You start the book knowing about some of the murders, you get the backstory on how the situation evolved and then you get the resolution of who is the real monster in the tale. Unfortunately, the husband is the type that needs to be punched out for his stupidity and unwillingness to change and see how he enabled his wife and his guilt in what happened. So while the story concept was interesting, the characters drag down the story.

If Baby Teeth and Gone Girl had a baby, it would be called My Lovely Wife. From one chapter to another, I was questioning what I thought I knew about the characters. Calling this title a page-turner is not an exaggeration.

Not gonna lie, this one was entertaining as heck. It kept me glued to my kindle all day. But I felt like it missed a little in its delivery? Our male POV kind of lost me there a bit and it just didn’t help that I was able to see everything coming from a mile away. Also, in all of Millicent’s glory, I felt that towards the end of the book she wasn’t given justice. When it came to her in the end, everything was just quickly solved and thrown under the rug. I needed Millicent to have a strong ending, but we just needed to get her out of the picture, so I sort of get it?

However, that final sentence! It was everything! Also, a lot of people seemed to love this one and so I shall recommend!

I can't believe I have had this sitting in my kindle waiting to read. What a a fantastic debut book! I literally could not put it down. All of the plot twists were fantastic and while it was suspenseful, it was never gory. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for the next Samantha Downing book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This book is a wild ride!

The story begins with your an upper-middle-class family; husband, wife, and two teenage kids. They are going about their lives, working and trying to fit in with their neighbors in the gated community. But as their marriage begins to feel stale they find a new hobby to bring them close again. It started as an accident, but now they spend their nights searching for the perfect girl to be their next victim.

The narrator is the husband, his wife is Millicent, and he is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. He and his wife are involved in seeking out and murdering women, but obviously nothing is that easy. I won’t say more because SPOILERS! And this story is twisty! If you’re looking for an interesting thriller that will continue to throw you curve balls, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

This book is a fantastic example of a great thriller. It is a slow burn but it drags into the story and keeps you there until you get to the end. I also loved the psychological aspects to this story and the fact that the author didn’t feel the need to get into the gory details or add things just for shock value, which I hate. Instead she sucks you into this family with a husband and wife who kill people. There is so much more to the story than that but I don’t want to give anything away. If you enjoy a good thriller, especially a more psychological one then this book is one you need to add to your list pronto!

In a similar vein, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing also follows a murderous married duo – but this couple is creepier and certainly more sinister. After fifteen years of marriage, this pair of suburban psychopaths are apparently bored and so decide to go on a crime spree. In order to evade detection (and have some fun), they emulate the m.o. of a notorious serial killer who was never convicted. They soon find that resurrecting the town bogeyman will have consequences for their family. This was not a favorite of mine personally but Marg from our Napanee Branch Library, who is responsible for discovering a lot our most popular books, has chosen My Lovely Wife as a Staff Pick.

I absolutely loved this novel. I found it to be a unique take on a pretty standard thriller. Lots of twists and turns with purpose- not just for shock value.

I’m not completely sure what I think about this book. There was a lot left up to the reader to interpret and use our imagination. I sometimes like this in a book but not as much as this one has us to do.

Millicent and her husband have a great life. Even though they feel like there could be more. They’re stable and what I suspect happy together. They love their kids and killing unsuspecting women.

There’s a lot of guessing in this book. What happened? Did I miss something important? The narrator is unreliable and you can feel his worry through the pages. It was a little bit stressful reading this. Because of this I couldn’t connect.

I am surprised this is a debut book. The writing was very smart. The relationship between Millicent and "Tobias" was a strange one and written so well. A little twisty but also at times a little predictable.

As an avid crime fiction reader sometimes I crave a read with a little bit of drama. After reading a particularly dark book full of gore and violence, I then crave a story which is realistic but also contains some soap opera TV theatrics. My Lovely Wife tells the story of a seemingly normal marriage but under the surface lay dark desires, violent compulsions, and deadly consequences.

By appearances Millicent and her husband are a normal middle class couple; Millicent a successful real estate agent her husband a tennis instructor at the Hidden Oaks Country Club. In Woodview Florida the couple grew their businesses from the ground up with networking and putting in long hours. All of the couple’s successes are put in jeopardy when they give into their impulse to control and cross the line between fantasy and reality.

Millicent and her husband are successful but they are still mediocre. They live in a nice neighborhood but in the lower priced area of the development. Millicent makes a good living as a real estate agent but the family still lives on a budget. They are surrounded by wealth and privilege but have failed to make it into the inner circle. The first time the couple kills it was spontaneous but after getting away with it they begin to enjoy it. Since they were able to get away with it, in their minds this equals success. Not just success but the ultimate level of success. They are not only fooling the police but also their neighbors and clients. I do not think the couple really enjoyed killing but rather the thrill of getting away with it. They finally found something they can excel at, even if it is murder.

My Lovely Wife has a sly quality to it. The author does not spell everything out but more hints at incidents leaving the reader to use their imagination. This slyness continues until the very last page.

I have read other books and watched TV shows about real couples who kill. One partner typically dominates the other. I absolutely loved how Downing never revealed the more dominate partner. This leads back to the sly quality I mentioned previously. Both husband and wife commit despicable acts, but it is up to the reader to decide who is more devious.

My Lovely Wife is a perfect binge read. It’s fast paced, filled with over the top drama, and an ending which left me shocked and a little disturbed. Fans of Michele Campbell and Rena Olsen should add My Lovely Wife to their list of must reads.

Every once in a while I pick up a story that completely messes with my mind. A story was twisted and dark and so darn fascinating, that it's hard not to love it and want to keep reading, even though you really should stop.

A story that is both captivating and almost sickening. One that keeps you curious and wondering and most of all interested. One that you can't put down no matter how hard you try.

My Lovely Life, is one such story.

I don't even know where to begin other than to say, pick this up, read it and more importantly, experience it for yourself because really words aren't going to do it justice.

It messes with you. It fascinates you and in the end, it will leave you reeling wondering what in the heck you just read and wanting to read it all over again

I reviewed this book on my blog and will give the link and other information directly to the publisher in the next round of this process.

In My Lovely Wife you meet a perfectly normal husband and wife in suburban America. He is a tennis pro at the local club and she is an up and coming realtor. They have two perfectly normal kids, Jenna and Rory. But they have a very not-normal hobby. They like to kill people. Their first was Millicent's sister, Holly. Holly had spent their childhood tormenting Millicent and when she shows up at their home, they had to take care of her. Now they are "hunting" for their next victim. Millicent has a great idea, why not stick with the victims that fit the profile of a local serial killer from years ago. He got off on a technicality and has been dormant ever since. They have fun with it - sending letters to the local media and watching the community freak out with fear. But they did not count on the fear infiltrating their own family. Jenna has been sleeping with a butcher knife under her mattress and has been acting out at school. And then the media reports a shocking piece of news that puts their entire world in jeopardy. What will happen if their hobby is discovered?

My Lovely Wife is about as twisted as they come. I have seen a lot of comparisons, but I would say it is a mix of Dexter and Santa Clarita Diet. The book is written from the perspective of the husband. The reader never learns his name, but you get to know him and his family rather intimately. It was interesting to me that their daughter starts to exhibit some tendencies that are definitely that of her parents. Throughout the whole book, I seemed to like him better than his wife, even though he slept with his potential victims. And he tried to pick them up by pretending that he was deaf. What I found interesting was that the husband starts to see how their "hobby" has a lasting impact on their community, their friends, and their own family. But Millicent doesn't really care. She sees it, too, but she doesn't care. As I watched the percentage complete climb higher, I was curious as to how the author was going to end it. I was surprised by the end and it is not often that I can say that - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS - but again, the epilogue left me confused.

Bottom Line - My Lovely Wife was an engrossing read that was full of twists and turns. Those are always my favorite kinds of books. I can't wait to see what Samantha Downing has for us next!

DETAILS:
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
On Facebook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication Date: 3.26.19
Buy it Here!