I received A Palm Beach Wife by Susannah Marren as an ARC from NetGalley. Faith has reinvented herself and become part of Palm Beach high society but then her husband loses all their money and then she has to learn how to bounce back from the devastation. This book was an easy read but I didn't connect with the characters and the ending was a huge disappointment.

I buddy read this book with my friend and we both thoroughly enjoy it. This is my favorite type of women's fiction of rich people behaving badly.

I will feature this book in Summer Reading Guide next month.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I was hoping it would be a fun, campy beach read for me to recommend to friends. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The writing style was not my favorite. The writing was choppy and disjointed. I had a hard time following the storyline partly due to the writing style. Next, there was so much name dropping (which I get...it is Palm Beach and all) that, again, it was hard to follow the story.

There was quite a bit of topic jumping. New characters were introduced seemingly without warning and became a part of the plot yet they didn't really have a place within the plot. Marren attempts to wrap the story up with a bow, but it falls apart in the end.

I give it two stars only because I stuck it out until the end of the book. I wanted to just stop reading, but I continued to plug away until the dismal end.

I enjoyed this book. A nice easy read about the glamorous life of Faith in Palm Beach. A little slow and I couldn't engage with some of the characters but a perfect lie on the sunbed holiday read.

I had the opportunity to read A Palm Beach Wife through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Since I live here (just north of Palm Beach) I couldn’t wait to read this. I thought it would be a fun romp of a book about the lives of the rich and fairly anonymous that live the lives that I can’t even imagine in all those incredible homes and shop in the amazing shops along Worth Avenue in West Palm. The book certainly delivered on all of that.

Faith and Edward Harrison are the perfect wealthy power couple living a life of glorious luxury in Palm Beach. Edward is a financial management guy with his own firm and Faith is the owner of Vintage Tales – a fabulous consignment boutique that caters to the uber wealthy with consigned evening bags – the likes of which mere mortals can only drool over in magazine articles or on the arms of movie stars attending the Oscar parties, as well as consigned jewelry and other “smalls.” Everything seems perfect, until it isn’t. While I’d like to dive into the story and tell you more, it would literally ruin the plot and I’m all about not doing the whole spoiler thing.

It was a very visual book, and since I live here I could picture the scenes and places as I read. Faith was a great character. Would like to have had the author flesh out her business partner Eve a whole lot more – she only really appears in the shop – as readers we don’t know her story except that she is twice divorced and childless. Loved Mrs. A and how she always appeared with the right thing at the right time. A little more back story on Mrs. A would have added greatly to the story as well – we get a little glimpse late in the story with her nephew I believe. Edward was a complete tool. He reminded me a lot of a character from another book I recently read – empty suit, caught up in the trappings of wealth and greed and his addictive behavior.

The end – while I won’t say what happened, I will say that it was hugely disappointing as I felt the book dropped off a cliff. While the author dropped a couple of tiny hints in the dialogue about what can happen when someone goes down the path that Edward took, it felt very much like she just got fed up with the character and writing the book and that was it. I would have preferred something a little more interesting for the finish. I have a whole host of scenarios in my head, but that wasn’t among them.

Not my cup of tea but for those who like chick lit you will probably enjoy. DNF at 100 pages. I give it 2.5 stars.

Not writing a full review for this one as I didn’t make it very far. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and just wasn’t invested

Palm Beach Wife reminded me of The Real Housewives in a book. Some of the characteristics of this group of people are infuriating (just like on TV) and yet it's so unlike my own life that I can't help but be a little fascinated. A big theme that I took away from the book is that life is very seldom as good as we portray it. Even those who look like they have it all have problems.

The constant designer names, brands, and mention of locations in Palm Beach got a bit much. Otherwise, it was a fun escape into a world that is so unlike my own! This book would be an excellent beach read, especially if you're at a resort surrounded by all the high society types!

Great book. A fun story of a strong woman. .

Interesting read about the Palm Beach set. Those that look like they have it all usually don’t. I found the characters to be very believable and the plot well written. This book kept my interest throughout. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

What a depressing, narcissist group of people! I know people like this, my husband has family members who are these people in real life! It drives me crazy, the Chanel bags, the Mercedes, the constant label language! My husband and I have a beautiful life; we live below what we make; do we live in a gated Golf Club Community, yes! However, we do not get swallowed up by the greedy, glamorous life our neighbors get caught up in. I do not like Faith; it is her poor me, aren't I a good wife, for putting up with a druggie for a husband? She thinks she has come down in the world, yet, she can afford three thousand dollars a month rent! Move! North Florida is lovely, three thousand a month would buy them an eight hundred thousand dollar home, 5 thousand square feet, five bedrooms, five baths, a beautiful swimming pool! With many nice women capable of buying from her shop! It would get Edward away from his failure, a chance to start over! The ending was so depressing; the perfect ending to a narcissistic way of life, for all of these sad people; who believe it is more important to own a Hermes Scarf; than to live with faith, dignity, and true love! The sunset is always beautiful, watching with someone you deeply love!
Thank you Netgalley.
carolintallahassee.com

Great beach read about a Palm Beach family who seems to have it all, until they don’t. It’s amazing how close to reality this seems.

A Palm Beach Wife should be a great summer read but it lands with a thud.

One problem is that it's very aware of all the designer clothes, accessories, home furnishings and even the ingredients of things like kale salad. This is fine if you're interested in reading nonstop label names and their retail value. The problem is that there's just nothing beyond non-stop label names and pricing.

The other, bigger problem is this: the main character, Faith is about as substantial as a wet kleenex. She moves through the prescribed plot points but that's it. It's as if she there primarily as descriptor for objects.

As such, it's impossible have any interest in this designer name marathon that's attempting to pass as a story.

In an incredibly accurate depiction of the "Palm Beach Life," Susannah Marren weaves a story that will evoke the Bernie Madoff scandal that shook this island of the incredibly privileged.
Faith is a Palm Beach wife who attends society parties, participates in charity events where who you wear is more important than actual charity work.
But Faith isn't who she says she is, and when her husband is accused of embezzling millions of dollars, this Palm Beach wife will find exactly how cruel and cold this place can be.
Yes, at times the shallowness and superficiality of the characters can become too much. But that's precisely what gives credibility to Marren's plot. Her prose in entertaining, laced with humor and drama in a way that neither are felt to be too much.

Great, beach read. A good insight to the Palm Beach social world. As a South Floridian I found it extra interesting because it seems close to reality.

I really enjoyed this book. The story catches your attention right from the beginning and keeps you reading because you just have to know how it ends. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

I really wanted to like this - Its pure fluff - and right up my alley but I had the hardest time getting into this book and feeling anything for the characters... I'm sorry - your husband lost 30 million dollars and you expect me to feel for you having to sell your possessions? Hardly...

Palm Beach is synonymous with designer handbags, flashy cars, and country clubs. This kind of lifestyle is typical for Faith Harrison, owner of a high end consignment shop, Vintage Tales. Her husband, Edward, is a respected business man in the community who adores his wife and only daughter, Katherine. Faith's million dollar plus home is the envy of her peers, as is her place in society as she chairs the season's most prominent charity events. Many consign and shop at her upscale store, trusting Faith to keep their confidences when it comes to their designer labels. Being part of the "in" crowd is more important than the day's news for it dictates where one stands among the rich and famous. When a dark secret threatens Faith's marriage and her future within the Palm Beach society, she quickly learns who will stand by her side and who will turn away.

A Palm Beach Wife is a compelling read filled with lies, secrets and drama. A guilty pleasure for Lilly Pulitzer devotees, it's the right blend of intrigue and entertainment. The Palm Beach backdrop gives it an alluring setting showing just how important status is for a woman in Floridian society. With juicy gossip and saucy wit, the shocking ending makes this latest novel by Susannah Marren a top book pick this spring.

I absolutely love the cover and the description had me very excited to open the pages! This is a fun, light hearted read about life in Palm Beach. Faith's lavish lifestyle is dreamy and you instantly love or hate her. Unfortunately, I wanted a little more out of this book. The story comes with lots of turns and twists but the name dropping of designer labels and Palm Beach hangouts got overwhelming. The pace of the story picked up in the last pages but I am not exactly sure what happened at the end?!?!

This story tells us what happens when a wife is not paying enough attention to her husband's business, especially when he starts acting differently. Faith runs an upscale consignment shop and heads charities and stands by her man until he tells her that he's lost their money is bad dealings. Then, she must try to protect their daughter and sell what she can to survive, but she can't hide their secret from Palm Beach society.