I did not care for this book. I found it to be very confusing and hard to get into. I think the plot could’ve been interesting had I been interested in reading. The prologue only made me more confused.

This is a story about old friends who meet again. Sophie is struggling with her fathers recent death and she decides to take her childhood friend Caroline up on her offer to visit. When Sophie arrives, Caroline seems surprised to see her. Then Caroline’s husband is away on work during the week and her daughter, Lucy, has horrible nightmares that cause her to wake up screaming. Sophie steps in to help where she can but is worried about Lucy.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. Caroline’s house is in a remote cliff overlooking the sea. The setting is perfect for the storyline. I wish I had enjoyed the book as much as I enjoyed the setting. I had a difficult time getting into the book. I found it difficult to relate to the characters and the story was a bit confusing.

This was the first book that I have read by this author, Jill Childs, and I like her writing style. I was engrossed in it early, and it was a quick read. As other reviewers have stated, the first few chapters were too detailed and way too long. I kept wondering when we were going to get into the heart of the story. The author has revised the first few chapters but I had already read them so I do not know how they were changed. I enjoy reading thrillers and mysteries, and this story was pretty good. I made my guesses along the way and got some of it wrong, but some of it was predictable as well. 3/5 stars

The First Wife by Jill Childs is a gripping story about a family and its many secrets.

I found it dark and chilling, The setting is vividly described and it is easy to imagine the isolation and sombre surroundings.
The situation with little girl is scary and heartbreaking.

After her father's death Sophie accepts her old friend Caroline's invitation to visit her. As soon as she gets to her destination, she feels that something is just not right and that she maybe shouldn't have come at all.
Caroline is also much different than Sophie remembers her to be. Caroline's daughter Lucy has stopped speaking and her relationship with her mother is more than strange.

Well depicted characters. Really atmospheric setting. I liked that we got to know the story from both perspectives.
It is a steady paced absorbing read.

Oh are you in for a ride . It is relentless in its pace and tight in structure. Sophia and Caroline school chums ,Caroline a well off you g woman befriends Sophie who continues the friendship throughout their adult life. It seems one sided at first , with Caroline regaling her friend with tales of life in Asia ,complete with an adoring and charming husband. Sophie whose life is a series of heartache and sorrow, never resents these tales her friend conveys and never refuses her interest. It is a semi desperate email that puts Sophie’s life on a course the changes forever her view of Caroline and the life she lead so perfectly. It is a real plot burner and will have you shaking your head when the final tale is told. Identity is such a fragile thing and this story takes a life and slowly reveals a plot worthy of Sir Arthur C Doyle. Happy reading

3.5 stars for Jill Childs book, “The First Wife”.
The story opens up with two characters, Sophie and Caroline, childhood best friends that haven’t seen each other in 25 years. Sophie just lost her parents and is trying to put her life back together. Caroline, who grew up wealthy, now with a gorgeous husband and child live in a mansion by the sea, extends an invite to Sophie to come visit.
This is my first experience with the author and I enjoyed her writing style. You could place yourself upon the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The alternating point of view between Sophie and Caroline was very helpful, as you gain more insight into what has occurred. The slow burn is my only reason was not putting this at 4 stars. The action really didn’t start until about 75% of the way through the book and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.
I look forward to seeing what Jill writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and of course, Jill Childs for providing me with an ARC.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The First Wife’ by Jill Childs in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sophie and Caroline have been best friends since meeting at school and despite not having met for many years they’ve been in regular contact. Sophie is invited to visit the isolated beach house where Caroline lives with her husband Dominic and daughter Lucy but when she arrives she finds Caroline has changed from the girl Sophie remembers, Dominic is rarely present at the house and Lucy seems quiet and withdrawn.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two previous books written by Jill Childs and had been looking forward to reading the ‘The First Wife’ so I’m disappointed that I haven’t enjoyed it. I thought the characters were dull and uninteresting, and couldn’t find anything thrilling or exciting in the story. I struggled through half of the book but couldn’t work up any enthusiasm to continue and must apologise for not finishing it. I’m sure my views will be in the minority and I won’t be put off from reading any other books by this author but I’m afraid this one didn’t do anything for me.

This is the first book I read from Jill Child’s. I found the first few chapters very boring. I love chapters that give a lot of detail, but I found the first few chapters of this book incredibly boring. I wanted to get on with the story. I wanted to DNF this book and I pressed on, but I feel like a lot of people would have stopped. Once the story started, I was dying to read more of Lucy. The last 20-30% of the book was amazing and I really enjoyed it. 2.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Two childhood friends - that’s what this book is about. One rich one not.. 25 years have passed. Do they still know each other ? The story is about the murder of Caroline. But we don’t know that until we read 80% of the book. Each chapter focuses on the life of Caroline and Sophie and they were long, too long- and honestly did not do much for me. Caroline was spoiled and at the end we find also manipulative. Sophie was a character that I feel could have been further developed. To have Sophie figure everything out at the end and then have it be so rushed was a shame.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. It was just not for me to even like. I was frustrated all the way through with nothing happening. The premise was good and maybe if the last 10% of the book was the actual story and was built up from there I probably would have loved it. The author is very talented and I’ll probably read something from her again. Sadly this book was not for me.

I’m likely in the minority in my review and opinions and I do hope you enjoy it.

The First Wife is the first novel I’ve read by Jill Childs. I found it impossible to put down and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After the death of her father, Sophie comes to stay with her friend Caroline. Caroline lives in a beautiful beach house at the head of an isolated cove. When Sophie arrives she finds her friend seems to have changed and her daughter Lucy has stopped speaking. Caroline tries to assure her it’s just a phase but then Sophie is woken by the sound of screaming.

This is a book of secrets and lies. It draws you in and will keep you hooked to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Wow. It's been a day since I've read this incredible book and I'm still reeling from it!

From the moment you start-- you're drawn in and so very captivated you won't want to do anything else. You'll find Caroline and Sophie were friends...and well, Sophie's mom never thought Caroline was really her "friend." So coming to visit her friend with her unique behavior leaves her wondering if her mother was right all along.

Despite feeling used, Sophie is loving Lucy, the daughter of Caroline and Dom and can't help but feel like something doom and gloom is hanging over this house they are living in.

With every chapter your heart will race, you will question things and be utterly captivated by this brilliant mind blowing thriller! You'll feel saddened, highly emotional and possibly cry when it comes to a few things-- just wow....

If you are looking for a unique thriller that is an emotional rollercoaster and thought provoking-- trust me this is the book for you!!!!

I've not read any book by this author before, but let me say- I'll look forward to reading anything this author writes.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars from me.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down until I finished it. Jill Childs, the author, did an amazing job of holding my attention until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get engrossed in a book and not be able to put it down. I so look forward to reading more books by this author as she is being added to my favorite author list.

I have to admit, the first half of The First Wife was hard for me to get through. I didn’t really connect to either of the main characters. But the second half was so thrilling, I’m glad I stuck with the book. I love the way the author goes back and forth between 2 characters and times, and the surprise ending is something I won’t forget.

Would say this was a firm 3 possibly 3 and a half.

The First Wife is the first book I have read by Jill Childs. It was very enjoyable overall and would definitely recommend both the author and book and will certainly look out for other titles by this author.

I read the book very quickly which was definitely a good thing!

I found it very easy to get into and found both Sophie and Caroline compelling characters.

The story is told in alternate chapters through the main characters eyes which I enjoyed.

There were some amazing descriptions of Hong Kong here. I have never been but could really picture the vibrancy of it. We were seeing a very interesting experience of a place through Caroline's eyes, but one that was very relatable and I found that very engaging.

There was also some fantastic descriptions of the house and the cliffs.

Sophie was also a very appealing character. Jill Childs depiction of grief was touching and sometimes hard to read. Anyone who has experience of intense grief will understand Sophie's thoughts and this was presented in a very real and respectful manner.

The descriptions are so impressive that it is very jarring when something is missing...the omission for me would be why wouldn't Caroline go to the doctor? No spoilers so don't want to go into it further but that one made me quite cross as was nonsensical.

I did figure out a majority of the plot very early on and there are 2 things that needed to have been done in this book to help the mystery....

1) It should have been obviously set in the 80s or very early 90s. No internet was very strange and photos should have been much more prominent in this due to social media etc. I think the setting would have made much more sense if it was set in an earlier time period.

2) Lucy should have been older ...5 or 6. She was much too young to fit comfortably in the story given her role.

Overall though...a very easy and enjoyable read with amazing descriptive writing. Would definitely recommend to fans of intriguing thrillers.

This book was a free copy given via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After 25 years of long distance communication, Sophie embarks on a much-needed visit to stay with her childhood friend, Caroline. Upon her arrival, Sophie worries that she has misjudged what she felt were a lifelong friendship. Caroline’s husband is never around and her young daughter is completely uncommunicative; making matters more unsettling, Caroline doesn’t seem to be the same person she fondly remembers.⁣
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The first several chapters of this book were a struggle for me. While the descriptions of the characters and locations painted a good image, it felt wordy and drawn out to the point that I found myself a bit bored. Around the middle of the book, the plot seemed to come together and then the suspense started to show itself. I finished the book with the desire to find out if I had correctly guessed the ending, not because I couldn’t put it down.⁣
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While this book wasn’t for me, the author’s talent was visible in the writing. I’m sure that there are some who would find The First Wife an enjoyable read! ⁣
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Special thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this copy in exchange for my honest review. ❤️

**Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**

Reading the synopsis, I was super interested in this book and the twist, but it feels like nothing happens in the first half of the book. I somehow went from reading 6% to 19% and I was only at the second chapter. There's so much monotony surrounding Sophie and trying to build her character, and Caroline is just... tacky?

I won't say I had high hopes, but I really had hoped and expected something different.

This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing. She has an easy style that flows nicely, so you get absorbed in the story. I liked the two perspectives as we learnt the now from one character and the events leading up to now from another. The setting was really atmospheric and creepy, adding to the tension of the story, which was so well told it had me thoroughly engrossed. I guessed an element of the plot, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment and although I wondered why the husband would bother with one element of the deception, it was still a great read.

Well what a great book this was . I never stopped being enthralled by this book and found it hard to put down . I loved every minute of it from the opulence of Hong Kong to the beach cottage in Britain and the characters were fabulous. Great story and loved the ending which I didn’t see coming . Will be reading more from this author

3.5 starts

This book was a slow burn with an explosive end.
The first 3 quarters of the book were slow, Sophie the main character was interesting but a bit of a door mat at times. Her old friend Caroline was a bit of a self character.
Even though the book was slow, the reader knew that things were not right with her friend and the family. i felt so sorry for the daughter Lucy. Sophie was an interesting character and the need to know more kept me reading on. It was nice having Caroline's POV as well as Sophie's it kept it interesting.

About 3 quarters of the way into this book, everything started to click into place and the action started. Edge of the seat couldn't put the book down thrilling.

Overall this book is worth a read. It is the first Jill Childs book i have read and i will be picking other books by her up.

Even though I'm in a phase when I read a lot of thrillers, this book still managed to surprise me and fool me into thinking the opposite of what happened. Through two points of view, we follow Sophie and Caroline, school best friends as Sophie visits Caroline, her husband and their daughter Lucy. With many secrets to keep, her own ghosts and the fact that Lucy isn't speaking, Sophie finds herself drawn to the young child and begins to uncover mysteries sorrounding the family she is staying with.

The beginning was slow and it sometimes lacked the shocking plot-twists that I'm used to, but towards the end, some secrets are uncovered and mysteries solved. Some long descriptions were maybe unnessecary and in my opinion served no purpose, but we got to know the two main characters and their past deeply. I was on the edge of my seat for the longest portion of the book, but once I connected all the pieces, everything made sense. The ending wasn't what I expected, but given the circumstances, it makes sense.

It did take me longer than usually to finish this, but I did read more books at the same time, so this has nothing to do with the fact that I did enjoy the book and would certainly read it if I saw it in my library!

(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3195901199)