Member Reviews
There is lots going on in this book, but it works! This book made me happy because I was disappointed with the last Kubica book and I felt this was more like her earlier books that I really enjoyed.
Sadie/Camile/Mouse are three narrators that wove a storyline with lots of turns which kept me guessing and wondering where Kubica was going to go next. With every 'thriller' there is a level of acceptance the reader needs to make regarding some of the happenings and this book is no exception, however, I found that the author explained things well and tied ends together well. I also appreciated how some of the historical trauma references in the book were not over detailed, implying enough information for us to understand the storyline without having to read a lot of glorified awfulness like some books have.
Overall this was a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mary Kubica has done it again! Lots of great characters and lots of suspense!
Will and Sadie move to Maine due to Will's sister's )death. Will has inherited Alice's (his sister's) house and her 16 year old daughter, Imogen.. All four of them (Will, Sadie and their two boys) had screwed up quite well in Chicago so now - a fresh start! Right? No, wrong. And the premonition was felt there by Sadie from the start.
We go through the awful co-workers with Sadie. (She's the doctor - why let a nurse bully you?) A number of old flames of Will's are featured. It seems as if Will still might have had an affair already in Maine (?) Their 14 year old son, Otto is bullied and their 7 year old son is a bit spoiled. We go back in time to meet Camille who had an obsession for Will in Chicago - does it still continue? We read through her accounting of the Chicago story.
And, there is a murder across the way from Will and Sadie now that is still being investigated. Sadie thinks she will become a scapegoat for this murder. But, wasn't Will more than friendly with the victim???
A great story told by a great writer!
Many Thanks to Harlequin - Trade Publishing Park Row and NetGalley for a great read!
I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed every bit of it until the last 40 pages or so. Those last pages kind of ruined it for me. I think as a whole, this is a really exciting and interesting read and would recommend it to certain people for that reason. But the ending was just a huge buzzkill. If you love Kubica as a storyteller, I am positive you will love this novel. However, this was my first foray into her work and I expected more.
I found this book to be contrived, every cliche possible used resulting in a novel that’s a hodgepodge of ideas already used by other authors.
So, 1. you have a move to a distant state for a new start, because of the husbands infidelity and the sons trouble at school. 2. They have to care for the husbands niece who of course is sullen and nasty after the suicide of her mother 3. There is a murder in the neighborhood and the clues falsely point to a member of this family. 4. The tension grows between all the family members and it’s not the new start supposedly envisioned. 5. The medical condition that explains the reason for the murder is far fetched, and what, the woman has lived this long, and never been told she’s had this condition before? 6. And lastly, of course, the husband isn’t who he seems to be.
Predictable and unbelieving, especially when these plot lines are all thrown together.
In The Other Mrs. We follow along a total of 3 female POV's (with a 4th added in near the end). The main plot follows Sadie and Will Foust who pack up their family from Chicago all the way to Maine for a fresh start. That is, until their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home, and the killer could still be on the island. This leaves Sadie shaken, and everyone starts to question the new family on the island. Sadie will do whatever it takes to get tot the bottom of the murder, but along the way, she discovers a lot more than she signed up for.
In my opinion, the book started a little slow for me but eventually it picks up and I was glued to it and couldn't put it down! This book had so many twists, it was really a page turner. Although, I had started to guess some of the twists around 3/4 of the way through the book was really entertaining! I liked the use of different POV's, but found the young girls to be heartbreaking. The use of child abuse was shocking, but proved to be useful in the overall story of this book. All of the characters were dark and twisted and so well written. They all had a past that eventually would catch up to them in the present
I really wasn't a fan of Sadie's character, while searching for answers for the murder she really believes that her son is the killer throughout the entire time. While looking for another person to put the blame on, she targets Will's niece Imogen who is left in their care after the death of her mother. Instead of Sadie attempting to find a logical explanation, she tries to reason as to how her own family executed the murders. It even gets so bad that she's afraid of being in her own home with them.
*I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A twisty, unexpected psychological ride that leaves you terrified. Genuinely terrified because a scenario like this REALLY COULD HAPPEN. I am a fan of Kubica’s other novels, but this is her best work yet. I had a hunch about Sadie’s character, but the way her story unfolded gave me chills. Brilliant and provocative, while also pulling at the heart strings.
“How well we think we know those closest to us. And then, what a shock to find out we don’t know them at all .”
So many many things going on .. how do they all tie together ... only in a Mary Kubica book !
Sadie’s husband Will inherits, not only a house in a small Maine town, but a 16 year old angry niece.
Will seems to be a cheating man with more than one woman on the side.
Their oldest son seems to have been expelled from school
Sadie seems to be haunted. Meet
Sadie, Will, Imogen, Otto, Tate, not your typical suburban family,
A murder , a suicide, a stalker , a cheater and a crazy roller coster of a ride that only Mary Kubica can create.
Review #53 THE OTHER MRS. by Mary Kubica and reviewing for Netgalley.
A really good book, though I had the basic plot figured out there is a big twist. Then I had already figured out the ending which was a bit disappointing but still a great book and awesome author!⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Mary Kubica for this ARC.
Wow. When I first started this book, I was a bit skeptical. I've read other Mary Kubica books and loved them, but this one started a bit slow. Thankfully, it picks up about a quarter of the way through and crescendos into an AMAZING finish. I loved this book! The ending is just a total WTH and it's just so good. An addicting summer read by the uber talented Mary Kubica!
I'm a huge fan of Mary Kubica and couldn't wait to read this book.
This is a well crafted mystery thriller with a pacey plot and engaging characters.
Sadie and Will move to a new house in Maine hoping for a fresh start. Will inherited this house from his sister who died by suicide, and with the house came his troubled teenage niece Imogen.
Soon after their neighbor is murdered and Sadie finds herself drawn to the case.
But trying to uncover the truth might come at a heavy cost.
Engaging, engrossing and has an amazing twist at the end that ties everything nicely.
The only thing that put me off was a scene of animal cruelty that I had to skip.
Thanks Netgalley, HARLEQUIN publishing, and Mary Kubica for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Sadie and her seemingly perfect family move to inherent Sadie's late sister-in-law's home. The setting was so creepy it was almost cliche - a remote Maine island, only accessible by ferry in only good weather. The house is old, creaky, and comes with a moody teenage girl, Sadie's niece, who discovered her mother post-suicide. Sadie is one of the town's two doctors, and husband Will works part-time and is mostly a cooking, cleaning, laundry-doing stay at home dad. Sadie and WIll were grateful to escape Chicago after a medical mishap nearly ruins Sadie and older son Otto is expelled from school. But, soon after they move, they notice emergency vehicles in the night. They find out the next day that their new neighbor has been murdered. As newcomers, suspicion turns to them...what happened that night, and did Sadie have a part in it?
I found The Other Mrs. a fast-paced, engrossing read. I did think the setting was a bit over-the-top cliche in an attempt to make it scarier, and the vivid descriptions of suicide a bit disturbing - but it does add to the plot line. Know that this is a novel that has different points-of-view story lines, which I normally don't like, but this rendition did work.
The ending was a shock, which is rare for me after far-too-many psychological thrillers. I was fairly certain that I had it figured out, but I was wrong! In fact, after the twist, I was so surprised - but also had a real "DUH!" moment. It seemed obvious from the other end, and there are definite clues when I look back, so maybe you will catch on quicker than I did. I will say, this concept is definitely not new in literature or movies. That being said, it was carried off masterfully here. I came to care about characters and root for them. There were a few moments that truly broke my heart reading.
Know that there are triggers in this book for anyone who has sensitivities towards child abuse or suicide.
I would give closer to a 4.5 stars if that was an option; it was a great read. Would recommend!
I’ve read the most recent Kubica novel prior to The Other Mrs. and found it just mediocre and this one has done nothing to change that opinion. No idea how she gathers all this praise from other readers and (superior to her) authors. I mean, she works the formula decently enough (she should, she’s had enough practice by now), but there’s absolutely nothing that makes her books stand out in the ever popular genre, nothing at all, and her plot twists (because you’ve got to have those) are terribly contrived. So there you go, a thoroughly mediocre at best thriller about a woman who tries to solve a neighbor’s murder only to find their connections to be more inextricable than physical proximity. Too generic? Ok. How about this…a cliched normal family moves to a small island in Maine for something like a new start following infidelity and things turn out not as idyllic as they might have hoped for. That’s probably still too generic, but then again, this is a pretty generic story. All the surprises have been sprung on readers before in different ways in different stories. You’ll just read it and think…oh hey, that guy is right out of The Girl on the Train…or something like that. And at any rate…has there ever been a story about a family moving to small town Maine and things going well for them? I mean, King pretty much took care of that, but many other authors helped. Maine’s creepy. The island setting (Maine’s got thousands of them) is nice and does add that claustrophobic certain something extra, but it just isn’t enough to carry the story. There are essentially no likeable adult characters at all and Kubica all but shoots herself in a foot as far as later surprises go by establishing very early on (for any observant reader to behold) that her narrator is classically unreliable. Basically you’re just waiting to find out just how loony tunes she is. The writing is perfectly decent, very much within genre norms, and overly detailed. Almost like it’s been deliberately bulked up by very thorough renditions of minutiae as oppose to, you know, something genuinely interesting or original. It reads fine, quick and easy, it certainly doesn’t do much to challenge the reader. It’s dumbed down, overexplained and has a bizarrely girl power women’s fiction sort of ending. Women’s fiction thing throughout actually, come to think of it. Going in with low enough expectations you might even enjoy yourself. Going in with expectations preset according to all Kubica’s accolades, you’ll most likely be disappointed. It just kinda bland. Even the title is trite, do you know how many Other Mrs. are out there. It works within genre standards, but based on now two reads by the author, I’d put her definitely in the middle to lower brackets…for when higher quality suspense thrillers are not available and you’re really in a mood for one. Thanks Netgalley.
This book was captivating and “unputdownable”. Just when I thought I had it figured out - there was another turn! Mary Kubica never disappoints!
Absolutely brilliant psychological thriller!! This was a crazy great and creepy book that had me hooked! I just could not put it down. Beautifully developed characters and a spine tingling plot. I really thought I had it all figured out, but so many bizarre twists and turns! My jaw just kept on dropping! Highly recommend this book!! Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Other Mrs.
I enjoyed this book very much! The mystery kept me guessing, until it dawned on my what was happening. I though the twists and turns were well thought out. I didn't care for the animal (guinea pig) violence and skipped over that part. But overall, I though this was a good, psychological thriller and look forward to the next one by this author!
I have loved all of Mary Kubica's books but this is my new favorite! Sadie and Will move with their two boys to Maine after Will's sister commits suicide and leaves him her house and guardianship of her sullen, goth daughter Imogen. As in all of Kubica's novels, things are never as they seem and there are oh so many weird and creepy things at work here...and many mysteries to solve! It has everything I love in a novel: suspense, tension, murders, graveyards, so much atmosphere, and more twists than a candy cane! Seriously, every page had me gasping in surprise. Told from several perspectives, this novel may keep you from adulting as I couldn't put it down! Clearly a winner!
It was a 3 for me. It all seemed to just become ho-hum. I expected so much more story and felt let down.
Thanks, to NetGalley for the advance copy to review.
When Sadie and Will Foust move their family from Chicago to a small town in Maine, they believe it will be a fresh start. That is until their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead. This leaves Sadie shaken, but it’s not just the thought of a killer in her own backyard that has her terrified. The home they are staying in is eerie. It was a house inherited from Will’s sister after her untimely death. Along with the house is Will’s disturbed niece Imogen. Now with all eyes of suspicion on the new family in town, Sadie becomes drawn towards Morgan’s murder. What she learns is the more she discovers could make everything unravel. Learning that if the truth ever came out she has so much to lose.
Thank you so much to Park Row Books for my ARC 💗 This book releases on February 18th. So be sure to mark it down in your calendars.
4 ⭐️ This started off a little slow for me. The plot is something that is so simple yet so complex. Once you get past the slow parts the storyline picks up. When it does it gets so good, I couldn’t put the second half of this book down. There are so many parts that will leave you completely unsettled. The twist at the end that wraps up the whole story was so crazy. This was my first book by Mary Kubica and it definitely won’t be my last.
This review is posted on my book Instagram account “bookingonthebrightside”
Oh, the dark and murky places you’ll go! Ms. Kubica has done a fine job of twisting a plot so intricate you’re not sure which way to turn. This book is dark and atmospheric in every way - Sadie and Will and the family’s dark/questionable past, the home they inherit in Maine is dark inside, as is the family member that comes along with it; Maine scenes are generally gloomy, and still the plot thickens. While nothing is very clear (it felt like I was reading through fog), I figured out what was happening about halfway through. Continuing on, feeling slightly smug, I was blown away by yet another plot twist, entirely unexpected. The plot held my attention until the end. An unexpected thriller with a surprising ending. The content and subject matter was at times depressing and difficult to read and take in. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for granting me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I am in no mood for romance novels right now. I’m too cagey right now, too consumed with my emotions, and just way too sad to read about happy couples and their zany mishaps.
Luckily for me, I have a stockpile of thrillers to go through and if there’s one thing that genre does is it does not offer you any happiness. Rather it takes you on a nonstop roller coaster ride and in the end you’re nearly delirious.
The Other Mrs. is a dark, suspenseful tale about a family that moves to Maine after a series of incidents that occurred in their hometown of Chicago. It’s a fresh start blackened by the fact that they are moving into the main character’s sister in law who has recently and volently killed herself in the attic. In her will she states that she gives them the house and also full custody of her teenaged daughter, Imogen, who in fact was the one who found her mother’s lifeless body. So, inheriting a house where a family member’s death took place and also a somber, angry teenager. Yup! That sounds like a great beginning to any “fresh start”.
As you can tell, things are not great in the household, located on a tiny Island of Maine and it gets even worse when a neighbor is found murdered next door. On an island community where the general population is less than 100 people, tensions and fears are high and the race to figure out who the suspect is mounts. Our protagonist, Sadie the local physician finds herself trapped in the whirlwind of it all. This is a complete descent into madness.
This book was amazing. From the very beginning I could tell it was going to be one of those books that I would read in one sitting and it absolutely was. There are multiple perspectives told in this book and reader, it’s unreliable as fuck. You immediately sense that something is very fucked up and wrong and that feeling doesn’t leave you until the very end.
I liked Sadie as a character. She was complex and introverted and still fought her way through this novel to find out what has happened and who she is. She can be a bit maddening at times and I honestly wanted to shake her lmao.
Imogen is heartbreaking. Every time the author stated she was moody I wanted to scream that she had just found her mother DEAD. Nobody should ever have to go through that. She out of anybody else had good reason to be the annoying, angst ridden teenager. Your mom dies and your relatives you barely know come live in your house, and your aunt is walking around in your deceased mother’s clothes?! Who wouldn’t be angry?
I really can’t go into much more without spoiling but if you are a fan of thrillers and suspense, you will definitely like this book. I don’t believe I’ve ever read any of Mary Kubica’s other novels but that definitely has to change. She has a way of weaving complex characters through an insane story and keep you on the edge the entire time. My craving has been satiated. For now.
Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. This review will be posted on my blog https://aelilyreads.home.blog from 8/25/2019 to indefinitely.