Member Reviews

I flew through this book and could hardly put it down. This was fantastic and kept me guessing until the very end. And as in classic Pinborough style, the ending left my skin crawling!
When one character, in a moment of delusional introspection said she’d “grown as a person” I squirmed with disgust.
This book could’ve been called sex and secrets, because it had a ton of both, and I loved it!
Cold hearted characters that you can really hate on, set in the wealthy district of Savannah Georgia, these Southerners sure do know how to keep a secret!!!
A true who-dunnit with twists I didn’t see coming. A highly recommended read!!!

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Marcie Maddox has worked hard to insinuate herself into Savannah's elite society despite having the stigma of being the second wife. Keisha, a young waitress from London, marries an aging widower from that elite society to escape her abusive past. Marcie and Keisha begin to discover that the bars of their gilded cages will not protect them from secrets and lies not only from their pasts but also from those around them. Filled with lust, lies, greed and secrets, this was a cautionary tale that proved having wealth whether old or new doesn't make a better class of people. The twisty, psychologically nature of this story kept me going until the surprising ending.

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Super freaky

I read Behind Her Eyes by this author and thought it was so different, crazy and entertaining. This was more of the same with a completely new premise.

Not everyone will like this author. In fact, I think it will be that you really will like or dislike her. I dig her.

The story of voodoo and old southern blue bloods was right up my alley. The writing is crisp and the characters are well developed. There are quite a few surprises and everyone looks like a suspect at times.

Did I see how it would play out? Nope, not going to lie. It was satisfying right down to the very last page! I can’t wait for the next one!!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and HarperCollins Publishers for a copy in exchange for a review.

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4 1/2 out of 5 stars

First off I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel to read in echange for an honest review.

I have to admit that this is only the second book that I have read by Sarah Pinborough and I was not blown away by that novel. I am happy to say that I really, really liked "Dead to Her"!

Marcie Maddox and her husband Jason really are not thrilled with having to go to the party that Jason's boss William is throwing for his new English bride. When Keisha makes her grand interest Marcie is rather shocked at first. Keisha is beautiful, sexy,young and black. Marcie can't help but wonder how the high society of Savannah will react to all all this and then she glances at her husband. She catches Jason staring at Keisha,practically salivating as he looks at her. Marcie, who until Keisha arrived was the young, sexy second wife. She felt as if she was finally starting to get accepted after marrying Jason shortly after he divorced his first wife after their affair.

Marcie immediately sees Keisha as her rival no matter what Keisha but when Jason asks Marcie to become friends with Keisha so that she maybe steer Keisha into talking William into letting Jason buy out William. After spending time together though she finds that she and Keisha have a lot in common. There is still part of her that can't help but wonder if Jason and Keisha are having an affair and she will not let that happen no matter what she has to do.

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I LOVE SARAH PINBOROUGH!

Just had to get that off my chest. I’ve really enjoyed all of her books, but this one topped them all for me. I read this in one sitting! I just could not get enough of it! The story was fresh and original, and thoroughly entertaining. I loved the Savannah setting and all the southern mysticism involved. Marcie was a deeply flawed character that I just couldn’t help rooting for the entire time. Loved this book!

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Twists and Turns!!! What an amazing Rollercoaster! Further review to follow, but in the meantime, put this one on your list to read when it comes out February 11, 2020.

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In the South, money and status mean a lot. Marcie Maddox is the 2nd wife to a successful attorney, Jason. Her Jason's boss returns from a trip to Europe with a very young, very beautiful new wife and Jason can't seem to keep his eyes off of her. Marcie becomes worried, but are things as they seem?

This book is marketed as a "twisty psychological thriller", but the first 75% of the book was a little slow-paced for me to call it that. There are a lot of sex scenes, too many for my own personal taste. Overall the story is interesting and the last 25% picks up quite a bit. Sarah Pinborough is the queen of WTF twists. I won't give anything away, but I liked what she did with one.

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Thank you William Morrow for the free copy!Dead To Her by Sarah Pinborough

Marcie Maddox is Jason's second wife. She likes being the new young wife in his circle of friends until his business partner shows up with a new and even younger new wife named Keisha. Keisha and Marcie begin a forced friendship and things unravel from there.

This story was really bizarre and it is not what it seems to be. We alternate between Marcie and Keisha's point of view, but as the reader, I am never really sure who is being truthful. This has it all- murder, corruption, and affairs. I would go in blind on this one and see if you can figure out what is really happening among these rich entitled folks. 

I've been a fan of Pinborough since Behind Her Eyes. She definitely likes to keep things weird.

This is released February 11th 2020.

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The first time Marcie said Keisha, Keisha, Keisha...all I could think of was Marcia, Marcia, Marcia (think Brady Bunch). Showing my age I know! Three seems to be a significant number in this book, unfortunately, I never really figured out why, don’t believe it was ever brought up in the book. But for some reason, this stuck with me.

An Illicit affair and the high-powered men and their women of Savannah high society...who knew? Marcie is a second wife, marrying Jason after his divorce. Keisha is a young beautiful black ‘girl’ from London, marring much older William after his wife dies of cancer. Lunch with the country club set, add in a trace of voodoo and a mystery and this story is pretty much all over the place. Rich people and rich people problems with characters I didn’t really care for or about. This story was fast-paced enough and totally kept my interest but it was mostly predictable on one level and all over the place on another. As with Behind Her Eyes, there was no WTH ending (at least not in my opinion), more of a high five ending. Good book for a cozy winter day or a beach read! It will keep your attention.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is mine alone!

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I am so confused as to why this book has such low ratings on Goodreads. Seriously.

Look, if you're looking for the next groundbreaking work of literary fiction, then you probably should pick up something else. However, if you're looking for a binge-worthy, soap opera-esqe novel, then this should be on your TBR list. Seriously, the last line of the book synopsis, "Revenge is best served cold, but in the steamy Savannah heat, blood runs so hot that this summer it might just boil over into murder," is something I swear I've heard in the opening of one of the Investigation Discovery shows.

This novel is deliciously scandalous and dramatic. Yes, there were some predictable parts, but I think the mark of a good novel is if the ending surprises you, even a little bit and I was definitely surprised. Every guilty pleasure of any good thriller was included in this one: murder, money, sex, lies, and revenge. What's not to love!?

I just found the entire novel entertaining and unique. It's not the same overwritten domestic thriller that we've been seeing so much of these days. It's original and intriguing.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I absolutely love Sarah Pinborough, but unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I made it to Part II before I gave up on this title. I found the subject matter to be far out of the realm of my interest. It seemed too weird and inappropriate for my taste. It was as if the sexual situations were only for the shock factor, otherwise, the story was pretty mundane.

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"From rags to riches" was the journey for the two main characters, Keisha and Marcie, and now that they are finally on top and they have what they wanted, status and wealth, both women are quickly discovering that being rich and “famous” does not necessarily brings security and happiness. Secrets, jealousy, and lies quickly bring Keisha and Marcie’s lives to downfall.

This was a quick read for me, however I found myself skimming some parts of this psychological thriller. The first half of the book I found pretty interesting and intriguing, however the second half fell flat and was quite implausible. I did not really understand the need for the voodoo and dark magic theme, and the end was very anticlimactic. In addition, I really disliked all the characters in this story, and it was really hard for me to connect to any of them.

This said, my rating for this book is a solid 3 stars. Hopefully next book by Sarah Pinborough will be a better fit for me.

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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“Jon does my topknot look good?” “Yep- perfect.” 😑

Book 7 gifted by @williammorrowbooks is DEAD TO HER by Sarah Pinborough! If you know me you know I LOVE rich people behaving badly, so this had all of the makings of a smash hit. Steamy Savannah society folks being upturned by a minx from London who’s married a much older widower who’s unabashedly a gold digger? Yes please!

Marcie Maddox knows a little about gold digging herself, as she’s also a younger second wife who married way up. Her perfectly crafted facade is at risk when Keisha enters their circle, and she’ll do anything it takes to keep the lifestyle she’s fought so hard for. (You know, except get her own job.)
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Maybe I’ve just been reading too many thrillers lately, but I was able to guess nearly all of the twists in this one. That generally doesn’t bother me but is worth noting- there are a lot of twists and turns and schemes and counter schemes, but I didn’t find any of it to be especially shocking. This ones got a lot of sex in it, which generally doesn’t bother me but parts seemed gratuitous and there just to “shock”. There is an element to the plot that I thought totally didn’t need to be there and was just added to make a unique story; it just made me want to skim through those parts. I will say I ran through this very quickly, as I wanted to see if these unlikable characters would get their comeuppance, and did they ever. All told, I liked Pinborough’s first two better and I’m not likely to remember the finer points of this long term. But if you pick it up, do go in blind- it seems I’m in the minority here! 3 🌟. #tbrread2020

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This book started out a bit slow for me and I almost put it down but then it picked up and I couldn’t put it down. This story will keep you guessing until the end and even then there were still some surprises. This was a good read.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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Having read, and enjoying, Behind Her Eyes, I knew going into Dead to Her there would likely be some form of crazy.

I wasn't disappointed.
I know many are turned off by the odd turns Sarah Pinborough takes in her novels, but I actually find them creative and fresh, in what is becoming a majorly over-saturated genre. Her writing is tight, with zero plot holes, and her red herrings are always masterfully rendered. I, unfortunately, was able to figure out our antagonist very early on, which is why I'm rating this 3.5 stars, instead of 4, but I still felt the need to keep turning pages. That speaks to just how good Ms. Pinborough's writing actually is.

While her characters aren't saints, not by any stretch of the imagination, they are riveting. I desperately wanted to learn more about their lives and secrets. Set in the deep south and told from alternating points of view, those of Marcie and Keisha, I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Recommended to those who love suspense novels, but with a touch of the religious paranormal.

3.5 stars rounded up
Available in stores on February 11, 2020.

**Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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I DNFed this book. The writing is lovely and almost pulled me to the end its own, but I felt the story and setting were lacking and I just didn't care for the characters almost to a level of disliking them. I honestly put the book down with every intention of picking it back up, but I never did.

This book is a 1 star based on my personal taste, but I don't think it's a bad book overall.

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Marcie and Keisha have something in common in the upper-class world of Savannah. Among the old money and high society, they stand out. They are the trophy wives. Women who lived dysfunctional lives, and were viewed as slightly trashy before snagging their husbands. Now, allowed to participate, but barely.
The difference between Marcie and Keisha? Marcia was a trophy wife years ago, but she has aged and lost some of her sparkle. Keisha is a bright, shiny, new trophy wife. A gorgeous African American women in her twenties, married to an older, fat, fleshy white man who was recently widowed.
Dead to Her is set in the upper class, privileged world of Savannah, Georgia. I love the setting, but honestly, if I hadn’t read it took place there, I’m not sure I would have known. The purpose seems to be to loop in voodoo and ritual practices, but honestly, those were my least favorite parts of the book and they kind of lost me.
I appreciated the premise of this book, but I really just couldn’t get into it. And when voodoo queens started showing up, it jumped the shark for me a bit. I enjoyed True Blood, and the occasional American Horror Story (when that show doesn’t jump the rails!) but this just wasn’t that. I always feel guilty when I don’t love a book, like I just didn’t try hard enough. But this one didn’t do it for me.
Special thanks for Netgalley and William Morror for a free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

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It's SO GOOD! Sarah Pinborough always delivers and this book is no different. I wanted to read it in pieces because I wanted the awesomeness to last. Told between two women who are married to scoundrels, Pinborough weaves a tale of love, lust, and maybe murder. When it was announced this would be coming out next monday, I immediately went NetGalley to see if I could get the ARC. And sure enough - yay! - I did.

Here's the situation: We have Marcie and Keisha. Two women who are married to men, that probably don't deserve them. We see the relationships' details and once these two women meet for the first time, we see their relationship bloom too. Oh, and someone might die at some point....and it could be MURDER! It could also be not murder and I'll leave you with that.

Beyond excited to get an ARC of this. Even though I split it up into several sittings, when I did sit down to read, I inhaled this book. It's that good.

Dead to Her publishes 2.11.2020.

5/5 Stars

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Keisha a young wild black woman has become a second wife. She has married William who is wealthy and comes from the blue blooded elite. Hos wife Eleanor was a beloved member of society. It's a very different life from what she's led. Wealth can do a lot for a person who comes from nothing.
Marcie is also married to an up and coming go getter. She is also finding her way among their group of friend. Upperclass, bluebloods who all have run in the same circle of friends for years. She is also a second wife. Jason her husband has kind of struggled to find his place. His father had embezzled a huge amount of money from his company. When the dead was discovered, he hung himself. Jason is trying to build his own reputation. Trying to distance himself from his father.
Elizabeth is William's personal assistant. She works with both William and Jason and has been on the outer edges of the group. She is the holder of all the information from everyone. She knows everything, she knows were the bodies are buried. She will turn this group on it's head, accusing each other of malice.
Excellent read, great characters. Surprise ending.

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