Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this.
Absolutely brilliant.
A really suspenseful, mysterious thriller. It kept me gripped from the beginning. And gripped I was... right to the edge of my seat!! From the first sentence I could feel the darkness of this book!
You definitely won't be disappointed
I would highly recommend it.

I wish to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. The First Wife by Jill Childs ticks all the boxes, a fast paced read packed with twists, drama and complicated relationships. Caroline reaches out to her old friend Sophie and requests that she visit her and her three year old daughter Lucy. She is having a tough time and needs a friend
Sophie and Caroline haven't seen each other in years so Sophie is not too surprised when she discovers Caroline's appearance has significantly changed. Yet it soon becomes apparent that looks is not all that has changed about Caroline and soon Sophie is wondering what else Caroline is hiding and why is Lucy not talking. I read this book I one sitting. It is simply inputtdownable. I loved it.

This is a slow burn. Nothing really starts to happen until halfway through it. This wasn’t a book for me. I didn’t really like it much.

Sophie's life has been turned upside down. Her parents are dead, her love life is non-existant, and her work has long been unfulfilling. So when her childhood friend Caroline invites her to stay, she jumps at the chance. Caroline has just returned to the UK with her husband and daughter, fresh from a life of glamour in Hong Kong. Their new home is beautiful, but Sophie soon realises that underneath the surface, everything is not as it seems. Caroline is distant and forgetful, her husband seems to resent Sophie's presence, and their daughter Lucy is silent, withdrawing from the slightest touch. What really happened in Hong Kong, and why has Sophie been drawn in to the mystery?

This book is a great example of how to get maximum impact from a dual narrative. We alternate between Sophie and Caroline, with Sophie dealing with the present while Caroline narrates her past in Hong Kong. This means you get this great slow reveal of information, which really works to increase the tension! Another thing that really adds to the suspense is The Conifers - the gothic house high on the clifftops that Caroline and her family call home. The house itself is almost like another character, full of hidden secrets and eerie noises that echo through its isolated halls...

Plot wise, I'm not going to comment, as I don't want to chance giving away a spoiler. But I will say that the plot is very strong, with a lot of little twists and turns and more than a couple of red herrings. But the real star of the show is the grand reveal at the end. There's a twist in this one that is genuinely fantastic. It's bloody brilliant. I won't say completely unexpected, as I did have an inkling of one part of it, but the rest is wonderful.

All in all, this was a really great book! I've never read anything by Jill Childs before, but I can't wait to try out some of her other books. If they're even half as good as this one, they'll be well worth a read! If you're a fan of thrillers, especially psychological ones, then I'd definitely give this one a go.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to receive an advance reading copy from NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Caroline and Sophie had been friends when they were little. Caroline moved away. As a going away gift Sophie had gathered all of her money and both Caroline a brilliant diamante swan. Sophie knew that Caroline could buy one herself, probably inlaid with real diamonds. But, the swan brooch was a special gift because she had bought it for Caroline. She had saved a lot to buy it for her. Through the years the girls stayed in contact. Caroline married and had a young daughter, Lucy. She was three years old.
When Sophie receives an email from Caroline inviting her to go for a visit, Sophie decides to go. She has lost both of her parents and gone through a breakup. It was time to get away. Besides the email sounded somewhat disjointed and not at all like Caroline. Almost like a plea for help.
This is an excellent story. It has mystery, drama, love, murder. Everything that makes a great read.

Sophie has had a bumpy few months so is excited to get an invitation to stay with her old friend Caroline who she hasn't seen in over 20 years. Once she arrives, she starts to feel uneasy about the subdued behaviour of Caroline's daughter Lucy and wonders what caused such sadness.
It isn't obvious until the last third of the book why it is called The First Wife but I won't give away any spoilers! Suffice it to say that Sophie needs to work out clues, using Agatha Christie as an inspiration.
We see Sophie in the present day and Caroline in the past. This dual viewpoint narrative allows us to trace the tension in Caroline's marriage that Sophie is now picking up on in the present day. Both female lead characters are warm and realistic, although Caroline in the present is more stressed due to her new business and worry about her daughter and husband.
The plot develops gradually to show the uncertainty that Sophie feels in an unfamiliar place with strangers whilst trying to win the affection of troubled Lucy. The mystery is sustained until the final chapter and, although I was slightly incredulous about the outcome, it was entertaining to read.
Author Jill Childs has a beautiful way of writing and the scenery really comes to life. This does make the chapters quite long and wordy, slowing down the action but evoking the landscape to represent the turbulence of the plot.
Overall, I thought The First Wife was an enjoyable and quick read.

I really enjoyed this book and I would love to read more from Jill Child in the future.

This is a great, tense book which draws you in and makes you want to know what's going to happen so you end up staying up late turning the pages.

The story is about Sophie who is having a difficult time so she goes to stay with a friend Caroline. It sounds like the ideal place to stay for a while - remote, by the beach the perfect place to heal. But Caroline is acting strange, she isn't very friendly and her daughter seems even more strange. Sophie feels very uncomfortable in the house, but she doesn't leave...

As the story unfolds the tension mounts. You really begin to feel the discomfort- which kind of made me wonder why Sophie didn't just leave - but it was very effective.

It's a great thriller, it's not too complex so you can easily read it and follow what's happening, but it has enough depth and well-formed characters to make this a really enjoyable read which has you engrossed.

Sophie has just lost her father and is still grieving when she decides to go stay with her old school friend, Caroline and her husband, Dominic. However, she quickly notices things about Caroline which are different. Caroline is not as warm and friendly as she used to be. Her whole personality seems to have changed. And what is even weirder is the behavior of Caroline's daughter, Lucy. Lucy does not speak at all and she always looks a bit frightened. Sophie finds herself very confused about what's going on with her best friend.

Sophia seemed to have quite a low self-esteem. As Caroline and Dominic put it, she was a mouse. I found myself feeling a bit irritated by her. Quite frankly, if I realized my presence was irritating someone, I would have left.

I did not like Dominic from the beginning.  He seemed to be a bit too charming and suave. Caroline also rubbed me the wrong way at first. I think the only person I really liked was Lucy. She seemed so lost during the book.

The book started off a bit slow but it got interesting pretty quickly. I started suspecting what part of the twist would be from the beginning so it was not much of a surprise for me. However, the second part was shocking for me.

The book was a good read. Based on this, I would not mind reading more of Jill Childs' books.

Suitable audience: Adults and teens who enjoy thrillers

Recurrent themes: Gaslighting. Friendship. Deception. Motherhood. Grief. Drowning.

Violence: Only mention of drowning
Sexual Content: None
Profanity: None
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Social drinking and smoking

Creepy, dark and suspenseful. Loved it! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

This isn’t the usual type of book I go for but when I read the preview, I had to give it a go. The book held me from the first page to the very end meaning late nights to try and get through it! There were many twists and turns and I totally got one part wrong. I don’t usually like “thrillers” but this book certainly changed my opinion.

I received this book as an ARC for my honest opinion. This book was just okay for me. It was super descriptive and at times over descriptive of the scenes and atmosphere. I found it hard to get past the first 25% but after that was able to fly right through. I loved the thrill and suspense that the author gave. While I have a love/hate relationship with the descriptive scenes I loved the complex and brilliantly described characters.

Slow burner but certainly sped up after the first couple of chapters! A real domestic thriller told from 2 different point of views! It was hard to read Caroline’s parts at times though!
Good solid 4 stars!

The First Wife by Jill Childs is a dark and suspenseful domestic thriller packed full of lies, secrets, and deception. It follows Sophie, who is thrilled to be invited by a childhood friend, Caroline, to visit her family's beautiful beach house, situated at the mouth of an isolated cove miles from the nearest town. But when Sophie arrives, she immediately senses that something is off with the family. Her once popular and confident friend is secretive and moody. Her husband is distant and doesn't seem very happy with Sophie's visit. And her three-year-old daughter Lucy hasn't spoken a word since her arrival. Sophie starts to dig around and uncovers some sinister secrets about the friend she thought she knew.
This story is told from the perspectives of Sophie and Caroline, with Sophie's chapters being in the present day, and Caroline's chapters set in the past. The plot flows effortlessly, and the author does a wonderful job of creating a creepy and foreboding atmosphere, which added to the tension of the story. There are plenty of twists along the way and just when you think you have the story all figured out, the author drops a shocking bombshell in the final chapter that will leave your head spinning.
If you enjoy this genre, then I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good psychological thriller. Set in a house in a remote location on the coast you can almost feel the wind, sea mist and eery setting. Friends since school Sophie and Caroline have a reunion however, it is not the visit or welcome Sophie was expecting from her warm, funny friend. A good mystery with great twists. A surprising ending.

Without a doubt, this was one of the best psych thrillers I have ever read. It had mystery and maybe even a little bit of supernatural– and ohhhh the mind games (so many and so good). Plus, aside from some excellent twists, it also had one of the best reveals; I absolutely did not see it coming. Do yourself a favor and go grab this one now. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.

OK. This book, for me, started off really slow. I had a hard time getting invested in the characters, particularly the main character, Sophie who goes to stay with her childhood friend, Caroline after the death of her mother (first) and most recently her father. Sophie was not a person in the beginning that I wanted to read about as she had such low self-esteem. Her friend Caroline, was someone who was from a wealthy family, moved around the country and started a family before moving back to England. I couldn't understand the important of Caroline's character except that she had a husband who only came home on the weekends as he had a business in London. She also had a daughter who was 3, but wouldn't speak a word to anyone.

Thankfully, I continued on with the book because I figured there had to be some awesome plot twist to get this story going and oh my goodness I'm so glad I did! After a few turn of events in the story, I kind of guessed what happened, but I couldn't figure out how it would all end. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! This is a total must read! I give this book 4 stars as it had a really slow beginning but it turned around quickly!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

I adored this thriller! The final aspect of the thriller completely surprised me. And it’s a surprise up until the final chapter!

There were many aspects in this thriller that were surprises and that’s what kept me wanting to keep turning the next page. I truly fell in love with these characters which doesn’t always happen with a thriller.

EXCERPT: 'Difficult, these cases. Unidentified remains.' She gave me a half-smile. 'They often get a good public response. They bring back so many memories, you see. So many questions from the past. What if it were my estranged mother or my long-lost sister or my first girlfriend? It makes people stop and think, doesn't it? About the people who've really mattered in life.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: What secrets lie behind this isolated house by the sea?

When Sophie’s life falls apart, she accepts an invitation from a childhood friend, Caroline, to visit her family’s beautiful beach house, situated at the mouth of an isolated cove, miles from the nearest town. The silence is broken only by the rhythmic crash of the waves against the jagged black rocks below.

But when Sophie arrives, she finds her friend much changed. Caroline – who used to be so warm and confident – is secretive and on-edge, spending long, unexplained hours away from her family. And then there’s Caroline’s little daughter Lucy – who stopped speaking soon after they moved in. Caroline assures Sophie that it’s only a phase, but Sophie thinks Lucy looks a little uncared for, a little afraid…

Then one night Sophie is woken by a scream and runs to find Lucy, out of bed and at the attic window, staring in terror at the view below. When Sophie goes to look, her blood runs cold…

MY THOUGHTS: When I first started reading The First Wife by Jill Childs, I thought it was a pretty ordinary sort of book. I have had a run of 2.5 - 3.5 star books, and I thought that this was another. I was WRONG! Very Wrong.

This is one of those books where the suspense creeps up on the reader insidiously. At just over 50%, I was reading along thinking, 'Yeah, yeah, alright, nothing special,' then only seconds later I am sitting bolt upright going 'OMG! OMG! O! M! G!' And then it just never let up.

Every time I thought I had things figured out, Childs threw in another twist, and I had to rethink things. Very clever writing, Ms Childs.

The story is told from two points of view: Sophie in the here and now; and Caroline in the past. I didn't particularly like Caroline's character to start with. I thought that she was a terrible mother, and that Sophie's mother was correct in her assessment of her as a spoiled little rich girl. But then...I can't say any more on that subject without giving away a major spoiler. So, Dom, Caroline's husband. I really don't know what to make of him, even after finishing this read. He is very focused, a bit of a player, and yet... he does have some redeeming features, like his love for Lucy. Sophie, Caroline's oldest friend is grief-stricken following the death of her father and the break up of her own relationship. She has low self esteem, and is probably suffering from depression. Initially, it was really hard to like her. Pity, yes, but like, no. And Lucy, a three year old who has clearly been traumatised by something, but what?

I really enjoyed this book, and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a domestic mystery/thriller.

#TheFirstWife #NetGalley

❤😲💇‍♀️✍.5

THE AUTHOR: Jill has always loved stories - real and imaginary. She's spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She's now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does.

Although she's covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she's found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home - in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The First Wife by Jill Childs for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and

Jill Childs writes with a range of emotions that capture you from the beginning and hold on to the stunning end. The First Wife is another hit and well worth the read.

Sophie & Caroline were childhood friends & although their lives took different paths they had always kept in touch, first by letter, later on by email. Sophie is still struggling with the death of her parents within a fairly short time so when she remembers the unexpected invitation to stay with Caroline in their house in Cornwall it seems to come at a perfect time.

However when she arrives she finds Caroline strangely distant. She gets the feeling that she is not exactly welcome from Dominic (Caroline's husband) When Caroline has a business trip & the latest nanny has walked out Sophie finds herself caring for three year old Lucy. She is concerned that Lucy doesn't speak & seems very sad & withdrawn.

Caroline's story tells of her past in Hong Kong, while Sophie deals with the present. It was a story that kept you guessing- & for once I guessed right, well mostly right! It kept me gripped to the page. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.