Member Reviews

I really loved this book right from the first page. It captured my attention straight away and I really had trouble putting it down. I loved the way it kept you guessing at who was doing what and to whom until I didn’t know who was causing the trouble.
I really would love to give this book ten stars as I loved it so much. I will certainly read more of this authors books.

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Louisa is a sleep deprived mother who s best friend Tiff decides with her husband Brian to through a Surprise Birthday party does not go down well will say no more i so enjoyed this book so a want to read book very very twisty i so Recommend i was so so wrong on who i thought it was brilliant book so cant wait to read more from this author

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This book irritated me from start to finish and I only kept on reading as mine was an advance copy.
Nothing in the plot is plausible.
What kind of husband or friend organises a surprise party for their sleep deprived wife on the pretence she is having a night away to catch up on some sleep? Do not buy the scenario.
What kind of person allows someone else to set up a facebook account and then doesn't change the password? Tiff didn't hack the account, she didn't need to, she already knew the password.
Louisa spent too much time thinking about things and not doing anything, completely disorganised. Why let a man you don't know or trust into your house? A mother's first instinct is to protect her child, although Noah wasn't in danger, she didn't know that.
Hiding evidence and trying to sort things out herself, it doesn't work like that.
The end of the book is a farce and I was glad to get to the end. Not a book for me.

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Full of twists and turns that kept me reading until the end to see the outcome. I was not totally invested in the story but give it a solid three stars out of five. If you are looking for a quick read this is it.

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Well written but somewhat tedious. The real twist comes near the end and races to a finish that does not make sense nor seems plausible. A quick read.

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Enjoyable and a fun read!

The story caught my eye from the moment I read the blurb, and I just knew I wanted to read this book. I was not let down and can recommend this to everyone!

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I'm conflicted in how to review this, so I will just give my thoughts and let people decide for themselves.

I found the main character to be too gullible. And why didn't she share her thoughts and concerns with her husband? Her behavior wasn't normal. But then again that makes sense because she wasn't normal. It frustrated me, yet it added to the story.

I thought parts were confusing and I wasn't sure what was going on. But then again, the main character was confused. I think it added to the atmosphere of the story.

I didn't like any of the characters, and wasn't sure who I was rooting for. But I was drawn in, and wanted to know what happened next.

Overall, I'm giving it 4 stars because I was really drawn in and there were twists after twist. I think this will stay with me for a while. I

Thanks to net gallery for an advance copy, which did not influence my review.

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3.5 stars. Overall I really enjoyed The Missing Wife, it was a fun quick read but it had little thrills, an obvious antagonist and Lou was a level of naive and gullible that just doesn't seem realistic.
I'd recommend to a casual reader.

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Louisa is an exhausted, sleep deprived new mother of an infant. And she is getting ready to turn 40. Her best friend Tiff and husband, with the best of intentions, plan a surprise 40th birthday party for her. Since she doesn't have many friends, Tiff contacts all the "friends" on Louisa's Facebook page, including her ex-boyfriend Oliver from college. Louisa drinks so much at the party that she doesn't remember much of it. Oliver's wife, Melissa goes missing after the party and Louisa starts to have small flashbacks that she might be involved in the disappearance.
As Oliver weasels his way into Louisa's family, befriending her husband and Tiff, she begins to wonder if she can trust him. Should she trust him or trust the "memories" that are starting to come back to her from 20 years ago? Why is Oliver really back in her town and her family's life? And where is Melissa and did Louisa have anything to do with her disappearance? I don't want to give too much away but you will not be disappointed in this story. It was very well done. There are twists and turns right up to the end.
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I really loved this book and warmed to the characters . I did keep saying to the leading lady just ask him why he’s covering for you and what you did but I suppose then there wouldn’t have been a story at all . I will look forward to reading more from Sam Carrington in the future

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Summary: Louisa is about to turn forty years old, and just had a new baby. She and her husband also have a teenager, which all together has made her sleep deprived and forgetful. Louisa has an amnesia from her teenage years that is blocking out a traumatic event that happened to her, but she can't remember what it was. When her best friend, Tiff, and her husband, Brian, team up to give her a surprise birthday party, Louisa starts experiencing flashbacks. Especially when she runs into her old boyfriend, Oliver. After the party, his wife goes missing, and he invades Louisa's life. Where is his wife? What happened to Louisa as a teen? How is Oliver involved in all of this?
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.Review: I really enjoyed this thriller. There are twists and turns until the very end. Louisa seems like an innocent bystander at all the tragedy taking place in her life, but is she really? What are the secrets that she can't seem to remember? Everyone in this book is keeping a secret of some sort. Best friends, husbands, and old boyfriends. This book was so much fun to read and I would love to read more by Sam Carrington. There was a shocking ending and feeling that left you wondering how Louisa will cope in the future. Highly recommend if you love a good thriller!

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I really couldn’t finish this story. It seemed really far fetched and totally dragged in. I’m sorry. It just wasn’t for me

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A nice mystery thriller about a surprise birthday party that brings ghosts from the past with their share of secrets and lies.
The heroine can't trust anybody including herself, is everybody acting suspicious or her mind is playing tricks on her?
This was a fun ride although some of the dialogue could have been improved, and I did find the ending somehow farfetched.
Thanks #Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

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Zero stars!

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, this book could quite be the worst one I have ever read. I am not exaggerating, The dialogue is so ridiculous it's laughable. The plot utterly ridiculous. And when you put it all together, the end result is a book that should never have been published. A disgrace to the wonderful mystery and suspense novels that are out there--the ones with exceptional writing, plots that leave you breathless. And are a combination of mystery, thriller and suspense in one great package. This is definitely NOT one of them. Pass!

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Sat down to reD a few pages was immediately drawn in unputdownable.Twists turns characters thAt come alive.So well written so tense grab this one.#netgalley#avonbooksuk

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This is a story that keeps you on your toes....Louisa is about to turn 40 and her best friend Tiff organises a surprise party for her, which would be great if Louis wasn't delirious with tiredness whilst getting used to be a mature mum unexpectedly.

When a face from her past rocks up in the shape of her ex, Oliver, Louisa has a feeling inside that's something isn't quite right, which comes to fruition when Oliver's wife, Melissa goes missing....

Louisa finds herself in a situation where she doesn't know who to trust any more, she certainly doesn't trust Oliver, Tiff starts acting strangely and even her dependable husband Brian raises her suspicions but maybe the person she can't trust the most is herself....and what about the fact that nobody even remembers seeing Melissa at the party...was she even there?

Not a bad read, did find the ending slightly crazy but up until then it flowed quite well.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

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*CONTAINS SPOILERS*



Ohhhhh my!! What a twist!! That was an amazing turn of events!!

Absolutely loved Louisa, really felt for her most of the time...so hard being a new mum and having a husband who doesn't help out...or older sibling.

I think Brian knows what happened in 95, but would probably be waiting for Lou to 'fess up herself....Oliver was a dark character!! He was creepy. I'm glad for what happened to him....shame they had to hide it though!

Tiff seemed like a bit of a snobby moo....always slating Lou behind her back, that isn't a true friend....maybe Tiff was jealous of everything Lou had, husband and children....who knows lol....

Melissa was a good character...I knew there had to be someone to tell the full story....I'm glad she finally had closure about her sister..

So well written from Sam again....absolutely loved every book I've read by her....keep up the great work beautifully!!!

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I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing about this book particularly sucked me in, but it didn’t turn me off either. The main character is actually quite likable but it’s hard to understand why she allows the people in her life to treat her so badly. I did feel the need to finish to make sure she came out OK in the end, so that would clearly indicate some investment beneath the ambivalence and the meh.

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Louisa is exhausted. Her 40th birthday is in two weeks; she has a baby(Noah), a teenager(Emily) and a husband(Brian) who may be not so faithful. Aside from all of this, she has nightmares and possible hallucinations. She is relatively estranged from her parents and essentially has one friend - Tiff. Her baby is fussy and keeps Louisa up all night - so add sleep deprivation into the mix. Louisa began to check her husband's phone, lately. A partial message from Tiff (to Brian) said, "All good for meeting Friday, still?" But Brian had told Louisa that he was going out with his mates that day. Hmmm...

Actually, Tiff and Brian were planning a surprise party for Louisa's 40th birthday! But Tiff was in charge of the invitations- she added Facebook friends, friends from Exeter college (over 20 years ago) and past work buddies/school moms. But Louisa is not happy. All of these people! And all she wants is sleep! Then, to Louisa's surprise, Oliver Dunmore, Louisa's first love (from when she was 17 years old) is at the party. He tells Louisa he had been married for a year. . Louisa gets drunk at the party but Brian has arranged for B&B rooms for both Louisa and Tiff at the party's site.

Oliver is supposed to be around the area for business awhile and strikes up a friendship with Brian. Also, he ingrates himself on Louisa. He says his wife, Melissa, has been missing since Louisa's party. In come the police. He needs help and tells Louisa "help me like I once helped you". Louisa has a mental block of some of her time at college, so... she does help him. Only she may learn that this was an awful decision with dire consequences...

Many thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a book with lots of suspense and twists you do not see coming - A Must READ!

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The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington is a rollercoaster of deception, betrayal, long-buried secrets and lies, and I could not devour it quickly enough. I was immediately engaged in this dark and twisty tale, and was tearing through the pages in an effort to slot the puzzle pieces into place.

Louisa is an exhausted mother of a newborn son when her husband and best friend decide to throw her a surprise fortieth birthday party, compiling a guest list from her collection of Facebook friends. When Louisa arrives to the party, she recognizes very few guests, with the notable exception of her old boyfriend Oliver, someone she hasn't seen in over twenty years. Sometime during the party, Oliver's wife goes missing. Although Louisa has barely any recollection of events, her frequent visions and hallucinations cause her to suspect that she may have had some type of contact with the mysterious Melissa, but she cannot say for certain what has transpired. To further complicate matters, Oliver has infiltrated Louisa's life, and shared secrets from the past begin to resurface.

This is a riveting read that I consumed in a single afternoon. I loved the complexity of Louisa, and could fully empathize with her struggles as an exhausted mother, and her frustrations as a result of dissociative amnesia. I am immediately adding every novel by this author to my 'TBR' list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this wonderful ARC.

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