Pretty good book, with several twists and turns. I think this book has a great premise, but it could have been developed more succinctly. I did find the characters interesting, and the story flowed well. I found it to be an easy read, and I will look for other books by Claire McGowan.

Suzi has left her big city living to stay at home at an isolated home in the country. She is completely alone until Elle moves down the road from her. Suzi is married to Tom who is obsessed with monitoring and following her every move, however she does not know until she tries to find the man she was having the affair with prior to her move. Things are definitely not what they seem and even Elle is part of it. I loved the pacing of this book and the many twists as the book progresses. There are a lot of people that are seemingly involved however they may or may not know that they are. The past is not the past anymore and someone is settling scores. I really like this author and am eager to read more from her. I will be recommending this book to others

Suzie lived in London, with a good job and plenty of nights out. However, her controlling husband makes the decision that they should move to an isolated cottage in the country. When Nora moves into the nearby house, the women form a friendship. However, not all is at it seems and when they get caught out in each other’s lies, Suzie doesn’t know whether Nora is a friend or foe! And who is Ellie and what is the secret that binds these women together?

The story switches easily between Suzie, Nora and Ellie and although I knew where this book was going most of the time, Claire kept me turning the pages with all the twists and turns. I did get annoyed at times with the mistakes Suzie kept making and I didn’t really like or trust any of the characters.

However, I enjoyed Claire’s style of writing and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

This book had a really great start, as it’s told from the perspective of three different women. We soon learn how tangled up their lives are and how they are connected. At times, I found it hard to keep reading because it became predictable but as I kept going, some twists were revealed and a newfound interest in the book had me in a hurry to figure out just what REALLY is going on here. Three women, two husbands, countless lies and secrets. With a really satisfying ending.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I am a big fan of Claire McGowan`s Paula McGuire series. I was excited when I heard she had written a stand alone thriller.

The Other Wife is told from the POV of three women, Nora, Suzi and Elle.

Career girl Suzi lived in London with her husband Nick. After a drunken one stand with one of her collegues, Suzi reluctantly agreed to move to the countryside. Living in a remote cottage and no longer working, Suzi became lonely and started an affair with Sean Sullivan. When Suzi became pregnant she told Sean and never saw him again.

Months later Suzi was delighted when Nora moved in next door. Nora had been recently widowed, and had to move to a smaller house when her savings had dwindled. Heavily pregnant and lonely, Suzi and Nora quickly became friends.

Acclaimed pianist Elle, was married to Patrick a doctor. Elle suffered from anxiety issues and became convinced Patrick was going to leave her.

During the story the reader discovers how the stories of Suzi, Nora and Elle weave together.

The plot was a slow burner and didn't truly get going until the 40% mark. After that I found it hard to put down.

Although Suzi bought her problems on to hereself, I did understand why she she had an affair with Sean. Her husband Nick was a emotional abuser who constantly put her down. He deliberately moved to the countryside to isolate Suzi from her friends and work. Elle was an interesting character, she was clingy and her life revolved around Patrick. I did guess Nora`s secret but not until just before it was revealed.

The plot was skilfully woven with twists and turns aplenty. The ending was brilliant and the right people got what they deserved.

I highly recommend this book.

A good read was slow at times but definitely picked up! Would recommend for readers you live thrillers! Thankyou for the arc

The Other Wife is another psychological thriller book by Claire McGowan, about a mistress and the wife of the cheating husband and how their lives become entangled. Yet again, I found that I couldn't put this book down. I read it in two days and I absolutely loved it.

As with her previous novel, What You Did, I don't believe any of the characters in this book were really meant to be sympathetic. I can't say I really liked any of them, but that didn't stop me from loving the book. The drama, the fear, and the excitement of finding out what was going to happen next was perfect. I can't wait to read what the author comes out with next.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, stalking, murder, cheating, rape.

This book surprised me, i expected it to be the same formula but it had a lot more to it, i figured out the first twist pretty early but the twists kept coming. while the writing could have been sharper, more impactful, the story was engrossing. thanks for the ARC

Suzi is pregnant and isolated living in a cottage in the middle of nowhere with her controlling husband Nick. She also has a secret, she's been ghosted by her lover. When Nora, who is recently widowed, moves in Suzi is overjoyed with the possibility she will have a friend but is Nora really who she says she is?

As the story unfolds you learn more about their lives and how they intertwine.

Its's a slow burner but keeps you entertained to the end. It has secrets, lies, murder, deceit and gaslighting. You come away with the sobering thought about how easy it is in this digital age for your every move to be watched or monitored and how easy it could be to deceive or be deceived.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC

McGowan is fast becoming a household name with her breed of dark domestic thrillers that are so plausible they will make you squirm.

A woman's husband buys a house in the middle of nowhere, forcing her to move from London.
A widow on a tight budget moves into the house across the street.
Their connection is pretty obvious. Some good twists as the women unravel the truth behind both their marriages.

This was a great book, I loved it and thanks net galley for giving me the opportunity to read it.
Two woman and two husband.
One husband is a compulsive liar, the other husband is a control freak.
Somehow the two wives get together, and they work out what’s been happening in their lives.
That’s when this book really gets exciting, so exciting I could not put it down.
Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is mostly told from 3 perspectives. Suzy is pregnant and living with her husband in an isolated cottage. She has had an affair with someone who is now cold shouldering her. Nora is Suzy’s new neighbor. Elle is a woman who thinks her husband is having an affair. Suzy and Nora become friends but it isn’t a coincidence that Nora has moved in so close by.

I thought I had who these 3 women were worked out pretty early on. I was right because it was pretty obvious. So I was sort of disappointed at the half way point when all of that was revealed but then it took a bit of a turn and became more interesting as we waited to see how these relationships would play out. Overall I liked it and would probably read more from this author.

Wow, once you've got your head round who all the characters are in the plot, you're good to go and it is actually rather good. Pure coincidence that your lover's wife is a new neighbour of your new home? Awkward

This story is told through various characters. Suzi, Nora, Elle and Maddy. Theres blackmail, possessive husband, an ally of a neighbour or is she? It took me a little while to settle in to the story but I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. The tension just builds and builds. Great

I'll certainly be on the looking out for more of Claire McGowan's books. She has even done a series! I didn't realise her books were out there until I came across this one and investigated what other books she'd done.

I'll start by admitting that I very nearly gave up on The Other Wife by Claire McGowan very early into the book as I found the different POVs and dislikeable characters quite off-putting, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the book turned out to be a very enjoyable read with lots of fastpaced twists and turns.

I really enjoyed this book and my first time reading a book by this author. This is a difficult book to review without giving away spoilers. The first half of the book is told from three different women’s POV. Elle who is married to a doctor but unhappy, Suzie who is married to Nick but cheated on him and his pregnant and not sure who the father is. Also, is mentally abusive to Suzie and then a new neighbor moves across the street from Suzie, a woman named Nora who is recently widowed. The first major reveal happens halfway through the book and I didn’t seen it coming which for me reading a domestic thriller is a great thing, being surprised. Then there are more twists and turns. Fasten your seat belts for a roller coaster of a ride. The reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 was I felt the ending was a little rushed. But all in all I really liked the book and was pleasantly surprised by all the twists and turns that were still to come after the first reveal. I want to thank net galley for this ARC I received for an honest review.


flag
comment · see review

Suzi and Nora, 2 women living as neighbours in an isolated part of the countryside. Both women subjected to manipulative, controlling, lying husband's.
Suzi is pregnant and hiding a secret from her husband, her lover has recently been killed in a car accident.
Nora, a widow, who's husband has been killed in a car accident.
Suzi begins to confide in Nora but Nora is hiding secrets from her.
This story takes many twists and turns as the lies and complex lives of these women unfold.
Would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. A bit twisty and turns but not too much. It’s about three women, all living in an extremely close, isolated area with many secrets. They come out slowly, with none of the three expecting much. Well written and fairly exciting. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

She’s a total stranger. But she knows who you are…

Suzi and her husband Nick move out to an isolated cottage several miles from any major highway and far from their old home in London. With their marriage on the rocks and their first baby on the way, things appear very tense. Suzi is paranoid and restless. She’s done something that is unforgivable and if her jealous husband finds out, her whole world will collapse. Nora Holscombe, a recent widow, moves in next door to the only other cottage in the area. And then there is Elle, a perfect housewife who is betrayed by her husband who will stop at nothing to hold on to him. Soon Nora, Elle and Suzi’s lives will intertwine, but the only one who knows it is Nora, because she moved here to be close to Suzi and she knows her secret. Three months later, DC Alison Hegarty and DC Tom Khan are on scene where a murder has taken place. Through shifting points of view between Suzi, Nora and Elle we find a story latent with secrets and twists.

This book had promise and a great hook in the beginning. The different points of view and twists kept me reading. After every short chapter I had so many questions and found myself suspicious of all of the women. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and felt the theme of abuse was forced in every character’s back story. Some characters weren’t fully fleshed out (i.e. Dr. Holt). The police investigation was not exactly resolved and the two detectives simply raised their hands up in the air, shrugging and went to have a beer. The last 20% of the book, everything is packed in with revelations, more twists and felt rushed. I liked the direction it was going but felt that at the end every plot point came too rapidly.

This is an engaging, if not quite original, domestic thriller that made me think a little of Lisa Jewell or Shalini Boland. The story is interesting and the characters feel real, but sometimes it dragged a little for me. All in all, though, an entertaining read!