Samantha Downing gives you a story that seems like it should be about a typical suburban husband and wife but quickly turns into a twisted and suspenseful tale about how the couple keeps their marriage alive through kidnapping and murder. This debut novel will keep your attention, keep you guessing, and keep you wanting more.

"Full of twists, well-drawn characters and riveting suspense," they said. "Clever, manipulative, dark and disturbing," they said. What do I say? If you have but one book in this genre to read before the end of this year, make it this one. Yeah, it's that good.

Narrated by a man known only as Tobias, the plot follows his "love story" with his wife Millicent; at the beginning they were a perfect couple with a run-of-the-mill life. But before long, Millicent's job as a successful realtor in Woodview, Florida, and his as a club tennis pro turn boring; clearly, the marriage fire needs a bit of rekindling. Fanning the flames evolves into a murderous joint effort, and because they choose their victims with care, the plan works beautifully until one of the victims turns up unexpectedly.

It's only a temporary setback, though; recalling the dastardly acts of years-ago local serial killer Owen Riley (who's no longer in jail and hasn't been seen in years), Tobias and Millicent decide to walk in his bloody footsteps in the hope he will get the blame.

And get the blame he does. The local community, egged on by a persistent and competent journalist (and a little help from Tobias), is all a-titter (and a little bit scared), over the probability that Riley is back and on the prowl. Things couldn't be going better, until they don't; Tobias and Millicent failed to foresee the effect their clandestine activities would have on the lives of some of their friends and, worse, their beloved son and daughter.

So now they face yet another dilemma: What to do, what to do? It's back to the drawing board for a new plan, and the only thing they know for sure is that it won't include giving up the extracurricular fun that's brought them closer together.

Or not.

My conclusion? Whew! It's a thrilling ride - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

This book was extremely well written!! I adored all of the characters and their points of view and what happened to them. I loved the twists and turns. I loved the actual mystery of it all and I honestly did not see the ending coming at all!!! I would highly recommend this!

This was so twisty--it was great! Often in suspense/thrillers I can figure out the plot turns before they come, but the ones I was expecting never happened. It was great to be surprised for once! I would definitely recommend "My Lovely Wife!"

“But why wouldn’t you tell me? For a year?”
“I wanted to surprise you,” she says. “For our anniversary.”
I stare at her. My lovely wife.
“It’s demented,” I say.
She raises an eyebrow at me. Before she can speak, I put my finger against her lips.
“And it’s brilliant,” I say.

Don’t judge, but Millicent and her husband (we only know him by his alias, Tobias) enjoy killing women in their free time. Or rather, they schedule their lives around their next murder, and everything else is just lagniappe. Millicent and Tobias appear to have the All-American family - a home in an enviable neighborhood, two great kids, and careers on the rise. No one would suspect their dirty, little secret. But when this couple throws a little twist into their latest murder plot, this speeding train flies off the rails. Hold on because Samantha Downing’s My Lovely Wife is one wild ride.

If you like your characters twisted and your plots outrageous, you’re going to devour My Lovely Wife. This compelling suspense novel doesn’t shy away from being over-the-top and repulsive. The characters’ psychotic, no holds barred relationship will have you recoiling, but you also will not be able to look away. My Lovely Wife’s shining star comes in the form of the anonymous husband, who albeit crazy himself, will go to any lengths to please his even crazier wife. No, he doesn’t show he loves her with chocolates, or flowers, or jewelry ... he brings her blood. Ready for a head spin? Pick up this novel!

Ever wish to see what goes on in the mind of a serial murderer? To learn how it all began or what ungodly motivation caused them to take the life of another? To find whether or not they truly felt any remorse? Well, step into the mind of a suburban father, husband, tennis couch, and, you guessed it, killer. You’ll may never learn his real name, but you will learn his secrets, and those that are kept from and by his family.

This was creepy, sadistic, and SO very addicting. Each chapter—short and direct—becomes more and more addicting and I devoured every last word as quickly as I could. Samantha Downing take what appears on the surface as a typically normal family and unearths the monster that lies beneath. While there were some moments that I found predictable once delivered in the ending chapters, it did not change the fact that this book was beyond entertaining.

Something else that I enjoyed immensely was that in an interesting and peculiar way, this story makes you ponder on the little things we often overlook in our lives. I don’t know if this was an underlying intention, but if so, message received. Another takeaway will be that old habits die hard.

There is so much originality here that I still cannot believe this easy and thrilling read was a debut. Samantha, girl, I am all in. Show me what you got next!

review here: https://www.lifewithemilyblog.com/2019/04/march-2019-reading-list-reviews.html

Millicent and her husband may appear to live a normal life, but their marriage is anything but normal. Sure, they met at an airport, they settled down, and started a family in the suburbs. But deep down, both of them are very deceiving and hold dark secrets – some they share with each other and others that are best kept to themselves…for now. review: It’s hard to say much in my review without giving anything away, but y’all this book was very eerie and creepy. I wanted to stay up late to read it, but every time I did I had nightmares. It’s hard to believe this is Samantha Downing’s debut novel, because she has the suspense thriller down! I know the synopsis doesn’t say much, but I think it’s best going into this one almost knowing nothing because even if I told you, I don’t think you would be prepared for what happens in this chilling book. My heart was racing for a lot of this book. *deep breaths* Be prepared to fly through this one, especially if you like thrillers and unreliable narrators! rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

Sarah Downing’s new book, My Lovely Wife, is a story of manipulation and deceit. A couple and their two children live in an upscale neighborhood. The husband is a tennis instructor at the nearby country club and his wife is a real estate agent. And, they share a dark and ugly passion.

My Lovely Wife is a difficult book for me to review. On the one hand, the writing is terrific. The author skillfully portrays the characters and tells a chilling and suspenseful story. But, I also found the subject and the characters to be quite distasteful. The entire premise of My Lovely Wife is disturbing and, while I admire the author’s storytelling skills, I couldn’t truly enjoy her book. So, I reluctantly give it 3 *s based solely on the presentation of the story and the author’s skill in telling it and not the enjoyment I received from the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Millicent and her husband seem like the perfect couple, with successful careers, two children, and a happy, sexy marriage of 15 years. No one would ever expect that they've able to keep the spark alive by murdering young women together.
This book was particularly refreshing because it was a familial thriller from the perspective of the husband instead of the wife. While the writing could have been improved - far too many short, choppy sentences - the plot was engaging enough that I was able to overlook it.

I just couldn't get into this one! I wanted to like it, but I didn't feel engaged with the characters--I found my mind wandering too often. I was hoping it would pull me in a little more than it did. I didn't finish the book. I may return to it in the future to give it another chance, because it really does seem like my "type" of book.

I went into this book with a little trepidation because it was getting a lot of buzz on Instagram and I just didn't think it could live up to the hype. Boy, was I wrong! I was mesmerized from the first page. I have to admit that I've never seen Dexter or Mr. and Mrs. Smith so I didn't really know what exactly to expect in this novel from those comparisons. In my opinion, this is a book you should go into completely blind and enjoy the ride. I picked this up while on a beach trip and I probably ignored my husband and kids more than I should have to try and "just read one more chapter". If you are looking for a thriller that isn't super dark and graphic, but is different than others out there right now, pick this one up soon!

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is one hell of a debut novel, and while maybe it won't be for everyone I sure loved the hell out of it.

What it's about: Millicent and her husband seem like your average couple next door. Millicent is a real estate agent, her husband is a tennis coach, and they have 2 young teenagers named Rory and Jenna. They aren't rich, but they have enough to comfortably live in the exclusive Hidden Oaks subdivision of Woodview, Florida. They are parents, friends, and coworkers, but their big difference from other people is that their favorite pastime involves murder. . .

I really don't want to get into the plot at all since that is all part of the fun of this book, but WOW. I found My Lovely Wife to be both riveting and suspenseful, and a few of the major twists blew me away. Some of this book I kind of saw coming, but I didn't even care because I loved the writing so much. Everything is told in first person from the viewpoint of Millicent's husband whose real name is never revealed. I thought this was an incredibly interesting choice by the author and one I didn't even fully realize until I had finished the book.

Final Thought: I don't want to say anything else and spoil things, but I highly recommend this book to lovers of thrillers and suspense who love crazy main characters. The end of the book gave me chills and I can't even believe this is a debut novel. The characters will fascinate you and disgust you, and My Lovely Wife will definitely leave you wanting more from Downing!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book!

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting...

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder. - Amazon description

I do see why a lot of the reviews say this one is boring. The first half is very slow. Not quite the hang-on-to-your-hat ride I thought it would be. BUT if you can get past the first half it is worth it.

The story is narrorated by Mr. Mysterious (as I call him since you never find out his name). He is very dark and creepy. He comes across as having no backbone. Is that part of his act? I’m not sure.

I’m still questioning so many things about this book. Including that ending!!!

I absolutely adored this book, which is weird to say because of the actual summary and how disturbing the actual topic is. The characters were so interesting and I was fulling invested into their marriage and the dynamic they had together. It was such a messed up story and I could not stop reading. I wanted to know more about Millicent's background, since I had a feeling she was not telling the whole truth all the time. I don't think I could actually put into words the things that I like about this book, since it was something that I should not have loved. I would recommend this to anyone who loves crime/thriller shows, like dexter and even criminal minds.

I didn't necessarily dislike this, but it took me way longer to read than I thought it would. I didn't see the twist coming, which is a good thing; but, I was not excited to sit down and read each night like I had hoped. I did like the narrator and found him to be quirky and relatable, despite what they were up to. It was definitely an interesting read, but not my favorite by any means.

To the outside world, they had the perfect marriage and family with two wonderful children. However, does anyone really know what goes on behind closed doors? Nobody would have suspected that this couple is the suburbs answer to the old TV show Dexter. Instead of a single killer, we have a married couple.

This story isn’t as straight forward as you might think. It takes the reader down so many dark streets and turns down so many dark corners. Just when you think you know what happens - it doesn’t. There are even more shocking events to occur.

Talk about “edge-of-your-seat” reading. My Lovely Wife is that and so much more. I really had no idea where this book was going, but the ending sure left me speechless. It's told from the husband's point of view which is an interesting perspective.

I haven’t read anything by this author before but she’s on my radar now. I will be looking for more books by her.

Thank you Berkley books for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review. Let me first comment about how amazing this cover is! The reflectivity off the knife? PERFECTION. Secondly? WOW. This is one of those books where you have no idea what’s about to come at you until it hits. I think because I read a ton of psychological thrillers, I had the ending figured out pretty early on. But not in its entirety! This couple is completely crazy and you can’t stop reading to find out just how crazy they really are! It’s gruesome and dirty and irresistible. If I was watching this as a movie, I would be shoveling popcorn in my mouth every second in anticipation of what’s to come. It’s a good one! And for a debut writer? Even better!

My Lovely Wife is a psychological page turner that explores the unthinkable. A husband and wife co-conspire to lure and murder innocent women when a shocking twist turns the tables.

I loved that this delved into a topic that’s, for the most part, unexplored: female serial killers. Millicent’s character was deliciously wicked and so captivatingly portrayed. The unputdownable plot moves along at breakneck speed and is dotted with several twists. A thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley and Samantha Downing for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Lovely Wife was an amazing thriller, especially for debut fiction. As a reminder, this genre isn't my favorite, as I really don't like the anxiety and worry that suspenseful, psychological mysteries bring on. This one had me glued to the pages, even when I was ready to scream and the book across the room.

The husband, who is married to his 'seemingly 'lovely wife', tells the story in the first-person point of view. The same man often takes on the persona of a deaf bachelor in order to get to know women, after all, the world will remember the deaf man's name, not his own. Right? Um, already you know these characters are whacko.

This story had a lot of layers to it, especially where the kids are concerned. The twists that related to both children really took me for a loop and added depth to the story. I mean, how can you have normal kids when your parents are part time serial killers? Just like Dexter (the Netflix show), the story makes you root for the bad guys and be disgusted at the same time. What amazed me were the amount of lies that floated around this rule driven family. There were lies to neighbors, to teachers, to their kids and by their kids, and most of all between the husband and wife themselves. I can totally see this as a mini-series.

I did guess some of the outcomes which was no surprise, but I wasn’t prepared for the last line of the epilogue. Could a possible sequel ensue? I’m not sure, but that ending left it open. I found many descriptive words that were used over and over again, first that pops to mind is hair the color of “roasted chestnut”. I hope those were rectified as ARCs will often have changes made before official release date. Fans of this genre, go buy now!

Quotes I liked:

What I found sexy in my wife, I found horrifying in my daughter.”

“There is no real news. No updates. Just new ways of repeating the old.”

“Dad failure number 79,402, and she’s only thirteen.”

“Even a big house can feel suffocating.”

This book summary intrigued me to the core. Husband and wife turned serial killers? Um yes please!

How could I not be intrigued by the whole suburban couple meets Dexter and Mr and Mrs Smith situation described in the summary? I love shows like Weeds (suburban housewife turned drug dealer), and movies like Mr and Mrs Smith (suburban couple meets assassin spies) so this book was simply begging me to read it.

As a stay at home mom, there are days when I wonder what my neighbor are up to when they come home at 3 am. Were they just out for a night on the town or were they out having an affair or hiding a body in the wilderness?

I have an over active imagination and I am nosy AF, and this book totally appealed to someone like me who could relate to suburban life but also listens to way too many true crime/murder podcasts.

Summary

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder (summary from Goodreads).

Review

First of all I have to say how impressed I was with this book, especially as a debut novel. Often times with debut novels, they can be a little rough around the edges and desperately in need of a good polish. However with this book, I was captivated beginning to end and never once felt like it needed a little shine.

I loved the concept of this novel and since I was engrossed in it from the beginning, I often found myself sneaking off to read just a little more when time allowed. I was constantly thinking about it and wanting to know what came next. Well well well done!

I think one of the things that intrigued me most about this novel was the whole, perfectly normal couple facade which hides some of the craziest people I’ve ever encountered in reading! There were moments where I could relate to the mundaneness of everyday life and a couple of times when I even chuckled a little, but then there is this whole other dark side of these characters that you can’t help but be sucked in by!

This was a book that I had to make room for in my review schedule. I was booked solid for March, but after reading the summary I knew I had to read it and I am so glad that I made the room and fit it in! It was a truly entertaining novel and if you love thrillers like I do, you need to have this one on your radar for the spring/early summer reading!