If I had to describe The Other Wife in one word it would be "unputdownable" - which is probably not even a word! Wow, this story was constant from the moment I started and had to know what happened. Highly recommend this one to fans of thrillers!

A really good domestic thriller with an array of not particularly likeable characters. Full of secrets, lies, betrayal and mental abuse. All three female characters have interesting backstories. Are they all who they say they are? A gripping, dark read.

Not the most engaging book and it was hard to read as each chapter was from a different person point of view

4-5 stars. A thrilling, chilling read that I found very easy to read, but so very hard to put down. I found it quite chilling and loved the many POV, which I felt gave me a clearer picture to the story unfolding. Definitely a book I recommend to my fellow thriller lovers!
Will make sure I buzz it up!

A fun read, this book was told in the POV of three women who have difficulties in life.

Suzi was thrilled when Nora moved next door. She had found a friend, so she thought. Suzi had a secret which sh ethought was well hidden, but maybe Nora knew it. Ellie 's husband betrayed her and that caused a secret of her childhood to unravel.

This was a slow read, but soon picked up. The Secrets pulled me in and I became fixated on the three women and their lives. A murder mystery soon found its way in the story and I was completely enthralled.

This was one of the most twisted reads which kept me eager to get to the end. A fun read

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of The other wife by Claire McGowan. Suzi is pregnant, and is living isolated in a cottage with a jealous husband; Nora moves nearby and Suzi is happy to have a friend. Elle, spends her days trying to keep up appearances of a perfect life. All three of these women have secrets....
This was an ok read for me. Unfortunately, I didnt really like any of the characters, and the constant changing of POVs was annoying. That being said, some people will like the storyline, and there are a few twists in the plot.

My first book by Claire McGowan, THE OTHER WIFE is a deeply disturbing domestic thriller of a different kind filled with lots and lots of secrets, lies, infidelity, deception, family drama, coercive control/abuse and some totally unreliable narrators. So if you don't mind spending some time with some really unlikable people, then you are sure to enjoy this twisted yet deceptive ride.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Suzi, Nora and Elle it is immediately clear from the beginning that all is not as it seems in the lives of these three women. And while the three women are seemingly unconnected, it didn't take me long to work out just how their lives did intertwine. The pace is slow to begin with, but stick with it because it all begins to make sense quite soon, pulling you right into their web of lies.

Under the facade of working on their troubled marriage, Suzi's husband Nick moves them to a remote cottage in the country after a drunken indiscretion with a colleague, forcing her to give up her job in London. Nick, of course, could continue to commute by car but Suzi, now 6 months pregnant, is completely isolated with no access to her own money, transport or friends. He is incredibly jealous and while he never laid a hand on her, he controlled Suzi in other ways.

Before moving into their cottage, Nick had it gutted and completely renovated into their dream home...or so Suzi thought. What he actually did was turn it into a complete prison that monitored her via CCTV, controlled via an app on his phone which was linked to a hub at home that would randomly play music, whisper her name and change the codes for the locks on the doors. It was all cleverly designed to make Suzi think she was going mad and ultimately relying on him completely.

But Suzi is harbouring secrets of her own. Finding herself jobless, friendless and completely isolated...until Nora moves into the cottage across the road...she knows she shouldn't share them with anyone, let alone someone she barely knows...but Suzi is desperate. And so she confides in Nora about the married man with whom she'd had an affair, and after discovering she was pregnant, he'd decided to leave his wife to be with her. But now months after that promise, she has heard nothing from her lover despite anxiously trying to contact him, only to discover his number no longer connected. Had she been duped? Had she scared him off? Surely he wouldn't leave her without a word. But Nick knew none of this. He only knew of her one drunken liaison that preceded their move.

In the short time she had known Suzi and her husband, Nora suspected that had Nick known about this affair, Suzi's life would take an even more sinister turn. Nora was fairly sure that Nick was abusing his wife via coercive control and yet while she had no proof, she knew the signs. But what was she to do? She had her own reasons for moving into this musty little cottage. Should she get involved or let Suzi dig her own grave?

At first, Nora seems like a practical sort. She's strong and capable and just the type of person one could trust. But Nora has secrets of her own...some of which that have remained hidden since childhood. So just how credible does that make her? Should Suzi be trusting her with her secrets? There is something a little dark about the recently widowed Nora, almost calculating even, which is somewhat removed from the dowdy middle-aged persona she seemingly and outwardly appears. But there is more to Nora than meets the eye. And then something changes when she probes into the death of her husband...and her target for revenge shifts.

Then there is Elle, a former concert pianist married to a successful doctor. The perfect wife with the ideal husband, Elle tries in vain to keep her faded beauty alive and looking attractive for Patrick on a daily basis. She is obviously clingy where her whole life revolves around him. But does he appreciate her? He is constantly home late without a thought for his wife. Seemingly unconnected to Suzi and Nora, how does Elle factor in to the tale with the other two women? There is so little seen of Elle you don't really grasp her entirely but to do so would have given the game away...although there is just enough to have you questioning her role in it all.

It didn't take me long to form my suspicions regarding the three women which in turn proved to be correct...and yet, there are still so many more twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the end.

There are a few occasional chapters from the POV of Alison, who is a detective investigating the discovery of a body found nearby, leaving us questioning how that fits into the story. Whose body is it? And how did they get there? There are plenty of possibilities as we journey through the lives of these women, and on this point my mind was constantly changing as to who it could be. Alison's narrative is rather brief and somewhat sporadic that it is difficult to get any real sense of her. It was this and the addition of another police presence in wanting to question Suzi that confused me a little, as I wasn't sure which investigation they were alluding to...despite being months apart. Had Alison featured a little more it may have been easier to follow that line. But not to the point that that it interfered with my overall enjoyment of the book.

My one fault I could find was the phone Nora swiped from Nick. Could she not then use the app installed on there to override the control Nick had over Suzi? It seemed there was no real mention of it after that, except in the briefest of references. And I'm happy to find that nothing untoward happened to Poppet, though I was saddened finding him so frozen cold from the arctic conditions. I don't believe I am spoiling anything here because as an animal lover (especially dogs) I want to know the outcome of their plight prior to reading, for nothing else but to be prepared.

Well-plotted with short, snappy and alternating chapters, THE OTHER WIFE builds slowly to begin with but soon unravels quickly leaving an intriguing trail of clues to follow through the bleak slightly Gothic atmosphere. The ice cold wintry ambiance of the setting merely adds to the trapped feeling of isolation.

THE OTHER WIFE certainly has a creepy sinister vibe throughout that has you questioning the roles of who is bad and badder? Something is mostly definitely not right and the tension is palpable as the story slowly builds and gains momentum, with pieces of the jigsaw gradually unearthed for the reader to make sense of.

There are a couple more narratives that are added later in the story which will shed even more light as secrets are unravelled. Then the ending is the piece-de-resistance and I felt was the perfect touch, even if slightly unbelievable, bringing the whole sorry tale to a brilliant fitting conclusion.

Suzi may have done a bad thing...but what is it in Nora's past that she is hiding? And who is the father of Suzi's unborn baby? And what is Nora's motive for moving to such a remote locale? Just how much does she know about Suzi...and how? These are just some of the questions you will ask yourself as you journey through the lives of Suzi, Nora and Elle in THE OTHER WIFE.

What began as a domestic thriller ends as a revenge tale, THE OTHER WIFE is a perfect combination of thrills and twists entwined with plenty of secrets, lies and deception you will not be able to put down!

I would like to thank #ClaireMcGowan, #NetGalley and #ThomasAndMercer for an ARC of #TheOtherWife in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Seriously I could not put it down and read it in about two days. Y'all definitely read this if you are ready to be hooked and intrigued by these characters! Claire McGowan did an excellent job and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Claire McGowan writes a hugely engrossing and entertaining novel that deals with some serious issues in this gripping domestic thriller awash with glorious tropes of infidelity, ghosting, greed, imprisonment, revenge, menace, deceit and lies.

Pregnant and scared Suzi is living in an isolated cottage with her jealous husband, Nick. Suzi has done a bad thing and when Nora moves into the only house nearby, Suzi is delighted to have a friend. So much so that she’s almost tempted to tell Nora her terrible secret. But there’s more to Nora than meets the eye. Does she already know what Suzi did?

Meanwhile, concert pianist Elle spends her days in her perfect home, now a full-time wife, married to a doctor. But when her husband betrays her, it unravels a secret going all the way back to her childhood. She’ll do whatever it takes to hold on to him, even if that means murder.

Completely wrapped up in their own secrets and lies, these strangers soon realise they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. When an abhorrent event draws them together, their lives will be changed forever.

Claire McGowan delivers an unrestrained and exuberant story of drama in this toxic concoction of secrets, lies and deception. Taut and compelling, it was a cracking story and a book that I revelled in all the way through. It brought no disappointments and the clever plotting enabled me to fully grasp the motivations of the main protagonists. The shifting of perspectives between the three characters - Suzi, Nora and Elle - combined with alternating timelines, was handled with a deft touch by Claire McGowan and the masterful twist in the second half of the book paved the way for an enthralling denouement. A riveting tale of menace, hostility, psychological manipulation and vengeance, I would love to read more from this gifted story-teller and I am delighted to recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

A fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the first couple of chapters! I really liked the dual perspectives although found the fact that sometimes the timeline changed, slightly confusing, especially when it was switching to the past but it was easy to figure out within a few sentences.

The characters, all though unlikeable were all really compelling and fantastically written!

I found some moments where very convenient or hard to believe but once you looked past that, the story was really enjoyable.

Amazing twists that kept you guessing although there was one plot point that I guessed pretty much straight away, the other twists were enough to keep me surprised & well written.

This is the first book by this author I have read but it definitely won’t be the last!

I swear that all domestic thrillers are following the same storyline now:
A vulnerable/alcoholic wife who is living with an abusive and controlling husband who all seem to have a crazy ex-partner intent on causing harm to the aforementioned vulnerable wife.
This plot is just getting a little stale now as it has been so overdone, and sadly this book is no different at all.
The characters were all stereotypical for the genre and not well developed, so I struggled to engage with the plot and the events that unfolded. Parts of the plot were quite boring and often felt disjointed, which probably wasn't helped by the choppy changes in POV either.

If you haven't read a lot of domestic thrillers then I'm sure it would be an enjoyable read, but for me, it sadly felt unoriginal.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Other Wife was a book I struggled to get into at first but once I’d figured out who was who I couldn’t wait to get to the end.
Suzi has a great life in London, good job, flat and married until she did something that she doesn’t think her husband knew about but he did and she finds herself in a small village in a house mikes from anywhere until someone takes over the cottage opposite, could this be a friend for Suzi as she does need one being pregnant and married to an overbearing man.
This was a book that got better and better the more I read, the chapters are told from the main characters viewpoint and gives the book more depth and more realness to the characters. I enjoyed seeing how this was going to unfold as there are multiple ways it could have done.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a perfect example of why British thrillers are my favorite genre - do many twists and turns, and stories that are wild yet believable. As a bonus, I learned a new phrase - until I read this book I had no idea that "people carrier" was a British term for a minivan! That one made me laugh out loud, literally.

This was a solid 5-star book for me and I am excited to read more by this author!!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was afraid this would be a typical, tired trope-filled domestic thriller that would leave me disappointed with the time investment. But, wow, what a pleasant surprise. Although there were some aspects of the plot that were evident early on, this author did a fantastic job in weaving this story right until the final page. If you love plot twists and turns in your thrillers, unreliable characters and a range of directions the story could go in the end the. This novel is for you. Really well done. Clearly a fully developed plot and characters, leaving anyone open to be the villain character.
Definitely a recommended thriller from me.

#TheOtherWife #NetGalley #AmazonPublishingUK

Suzi is pregnant and living in a cottage with her controlling husband. Then you have Elle and her husband who seem perfect. Lastly, you have Nora who moves in next door. What happens when they all come together? You have to read to find out. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. I love thrillers!

This novel was pretty good. We follow multiple points of view which is one of my favorite perspectives in a story. We have Suzi, an isolated and pregnant housewife who is desperate for companionship. Nora, who is widowed, aged beyond her years and moves in across the street from Suzi. We have Elle, who seems to be living the most idyllic suburban housewife life. All of them have secrets and no one really knows the truth until the end of course.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. One of my all time favorite things in a book is the multiple perspectives. I love seeing the story unfold from different directions. The characters are pretty unlikable, but I felt like that made them more real, they are flawed just like the rest of us. My only real issue with this book was that I occasionally got confused as to which character I was following and would have to go back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself who we were with.

I had a very hard time getting in to the story at the beginning- about the first 25% bored me and I didn’t care about the characters. But after that point, I started connecting the dots and making theories, and it got much more interesting and enjoyable. Good thriller that I will recommend to friends.

Interesting plot, but everyone was bad. I like at least one character I can root for. It reminded me of reading behind closed doors- which I ended up hating so much I deleted it.

Okay I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down from the beginning. It was a great fast paced thriller. I always es ted more and had questions. It kept my attention and kept me wondering what next. If you need a good thriller I recommend this one for sure! Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Suzi is married to Nick and they are expecting a baby. They recently moved in an isolated cottage, away from London and they got a new neighbor, Nora the recent widow. Meanwhile, Suzi has an affair with Sean and he seems like he ghosted her. Weird things start happening in and out of her house, new info that will blow her mind and her life as well.

Mystery thrillers isn't my go to genre, still this was the second book by this genre that I read within two weeks. I'm so glad I picked this one up, because it was so good! I want to say so much about it and yet I'm holding back because the book is so complicated and I think that's the way it's supposed to be. But I can still express myself and say a few things about the book, without revealing too much.

The book has different point of views and also different timelines. Present and three months later. I was intrigued by that fact, especially the different female name chapters. I couldn't help but feel intrigued when I started the book and discovered that.

The story was smart, well written, it was intriguing and kept me guessing and it wasn't as predictable as I thought. The characters and the web of lies was well made and it's a story that makes you like and dislike the same characters with a passion. Like Suzi? I felt for her, but also wanted to shake some sense into her. Same goes for others too. Won't be calling names though ;)

The Other Wife is a story was full of twists and turns, that some I saw them coming, but others I didn't and I'm happy it surprised me. I will definitely read in the future more by this author.

I was given a copy in exhcange for an honest review by NetGalley. Thank you!