Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC of The Wife Who Knew Too Much in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is about Tabatha Girard, who is a waitress in a small town that she grew up in. Years later she runs into the man that got away, Connor Ford. Connor and Tabatha had a summer fling when they were younger but Tabatha never forgot about him. Now, Connor is married to Nina, Nina is a very wealthy older woman who takes her own life shortly after Connor and Tabatha reconnect. Connor moves Tabatha into his late wife's home and from there Tabatha gets involved in the investigation of Nina's death. Tabatha starts to unravel some secrets that were meant to be hidden.

This was a really great slow burn thriller, I do wish it was a bit faster paced in the beginning. Michele Campbell does a great job in building the characters told by the perspective of Tabatha and Nina. I did find Tabatha's character some what annoying in the middle of the book because I felt she did not speak up for herself and just did what she was told to do. Throughout the whole book you are trying to figure out what really happened to Nina and what the motive was. I really liked the twist because I did not see it coming. I would like to read more books by Michele Campbell and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a summer thriller.

3.5 Stars
I love a really good thriller/mystery. This had all the earmarks for it. A diary accusing a husband of an untimely death if it happens. A woman 20 years older than her husband doesn't help the husband's look of innocence either. A past love that resurfaces and then is back...
All of this ends up as a very complicated story that can keep you interested.

"The Wife Who Knew Too Much" is all that one could want in a good summer mystery. There was the suspicious death, lies, deception, and a real can't-put-it-down feel to the plot. Hope this title gets the praise it deserves--it was great!

A page turner and perfect summer read! Suspenseful and thrilling. Pack this book with your beach bag and enjoy a great read that will keep you guessing until the end. I’ll read this author regularly now — Michele Campbell is a new favorite and repeat author for me as a result of this book!

I received a complimentary galley of THE WIFE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Michele Campbell for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press!

THE WIFE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH begins with Nina’s Diary entry. It is the 4th of July and her life is in turmoil. Nina has determined that her husband Connor has been unfaithful and she believes he is planning to kill her off for the inheritance. In the very next chapter we are told via news article that Nina has been found dead in her swimming pool.

The story then jumps back to Memorial Day and a new narrator. Tabitha is a young woman working as a waitress when suddenly her ex wanders back into her life, the very same Connor. Though she knows he is married, she winds spending the weekend with him, believing his promises that the marriage is nearly over and she’s the only one for him, a choice that will lead to consequences she doesn’t see coming. She is left unsure who she can trust and feels that her own life may be in danger.

I thought that the premise and the plot was very intriguing. I really enjoyed having Nina open the book warning of her impending death and I liked getting the back and forth POV between Nina and Tabitha to see their different perspectives about Connor and the events leading up to Nina’s death.

Where I struggled the most was with the characters. Most are truly unlikable and there really wasn’t anyone that I felt could be trusted. I think Tabatha was meant to garner sympathy, but I found her so naive that I really just wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes and stand up for herself! Buying into the connection between Tabitha and Connor relies on their past connection, but I didn’t really see why she was so head over heals for him. I also thought some aspects like the police procedures and legal proceedings were not really believable.

I have seen a lot of positive reviews for this one, so I absolutely encourage you to check those out, but unfortunately this one was mostly a miss for me. THE WIFE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH will be out on 7/28/2020!

Had this been published 10-15 years ago, it would have been a hit. However, the thriller genre has grown so much, which is truly a double edged sword. It’s great to have so many options, but it also means the same old tropes no longer work. I lost count in this one. False names, rich man saves poor woman, red herrings galore, nerdy woman is actually beautiful, housekeeper has a secret. Sigh. The “who done it” was really predictable too. The writing wasn’t bad at all, but these authors have got to come up with more unique storylines.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell begins with mega wealthy socialite, Nina, writing in her diary about her possible untimely death at the hands of her much younger husband, Connor Ford, and “her”. Connor is handsome and was brought up rich, thanks to his grandmother, but when she died, so did all the cash he was used to. As a teenager, Connor fell hard for poor girl Tabitha, definitely from the wrong side of the tracks according to wicked rich grandma. So that was the end of that. Until...years later, Connor just happens to ‘find’ Tabitha again working as a waitress in the same old town where it all began. Although, Tabitha is a now divorced, woman with criminal background, but it’s not her fault...really it isn’t. After a weekend of fun for both of them, Connor returns to his life as Nina’s husband, and Tabitha is just left...

All is going well, for Connor, he’s living his best life with Nina, until her annual July 4th extravaganza. Something is not right, and Nina knows it. When Nina is found dead in her pool the next morning, it’s thought of as a suicide. But is it really? Why would she kill herself? Did Connor really kill Nina, so he could be with “her” and live happily ever after, with all Nina’s money? As Tabitha is brought back into the picture, things aren’t exactly as they seem behind the smiles and money. As the police continue to investigate Nina’s death, Tabitha finds herself right back in the middle of a police investigation that she knows nothing about.

This story really grabbed my attention from the first page. It checks off so many interesting categories...wealthy people, check...handsome young man, check...a long ago summer fling rekindled, check...oh and death with a cloud of mystery engulfing it, check! There are a lot of not nice people, I really thought any of them could have been involved with Nina’s demise, because they were really bad. There is a story within the story unraveling as you go, and it’s not until the end where it all comes together, sort of. . You don’t really know who was and wasn’t involved until the end, but the ending felt a little messy and abrupt. I really liked the book...don’t get me wrong. It was a true psychological thriller, many great twists and turns, evil characters that I always love so much, but I wanted more with the ending.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Michele Campbell for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more of Michele Campbell’s book in the future!

At first I wondered why Tabitha would put her faith in someone who left her once before. Her life has not been an easy one and she already has an ex-husband who is an ex-con. However, she is forever the optimist and chooses to trust the boy - now the man - she has always loved. The author turns what could have been a formula “who done it” into a very clever, twisting and turning story where you will never guess the ending. It took a while to get there - maybe a bit too long - but worth the wait.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a fast paced story of love, betrayal, lost love and deception. It starts with a lost love, and a whole new world is offered. Ironically, I read this great thriller on July 4th weekend which is when the madness in the story begins. Sometimes things that seem too easy and glamorous are not what they seem. Thank you #NetGalley#StMartinsPress#TheWifeWhoKnewTooMuch

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michelle Campbell is a mystery that I received for a review by Netgalley.
.Tabitha is a hard working divorced women that rarely gets any breaks. Her ex-husband is a felon and is stalking her. While he was in prison, Tabitha divorces him and meets Connor who is the love of her life. Connor leaves and Tabitha doesn’t hear from him for a few years but shows up one day where she is a waitress. The mystery begins here.
This plot has many twists and turns and brings many lives together to solve the mystery. A places the plot is a little predictable but then takes a twist to keep you guessing. Thank you Netgalley for a very good read.

Tabitha never got over her first love Connor. She never left the small little town they grew up in. Until one day Connor comes home and she falls right back in love with him. Only to find out he married a wealthy overbearing psychotic woman, Nina. Tabitha falls hard. Timing is everything and soon Nina is found dead, but suddenly Tabitha finds out not everything as it seems. Nina has written a secret diary and it says on the first entry if anything should happen to her Connor was behind it. As Tabitha moves into a new kind of lifestyle with lavish and extravagant things she’s never known before she starts to wonder if what a wife knows can kill her.

I was sucked in from the moment I opened and read the first page! I really liked how she told the story from Tabitha’s POV and also from Connor’s POV. I loved all the twists, turns, romance and unexpected drama from all the character’s bad choices in their lives. While some of it I had a hard time connecting with the characters, I just had to know how they came out in the end with it being a first love. I am a huge fan of all this authors previous books. So I was super delighted to get a ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would like to say thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy.

DNF-I can't get past the main character, Tabitha. The character is immature and the storyline did not draw me in enough to continue. The cliché descriptors and phrases made the overall tone of the book read more like a YA book than adult.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Michele Campbell, her summer suspensions are always on an excellent stage and with diverse and extraordinary characters that bring the story to life. Excellent book full of intrigue, good romance, secrets and greed. A setting with excellent details transports you to be part of the plot. Fast paced, full of betrayals, passions, wrongdoings and a good ending. A good read for summer, light but with intensity. Thank you Net galley for the opportunity to read and review with my honest opinion, that are only my own.

I liked this book because you get to read two sides of the story. The first view point comes from Nina, a wealthy, beautiful, and powerful woman. The second view point comes from Tabitha, a waitress with a sad past. Nina always hosts a Fourth of July party, which has some fireworks of its own, and I don't just mean the kind in the sky! I was trying to solve the mystery and wondering who could be trusted through the entire book. This is the perfect read for summer!

An entertaining thriller that deals with first loves and extravagant new lifestyles that are intoxicatingly dangerous!

<i><b>”When you run with the wolves, don’t trip.
—Proverb”</b></i>

This book wasted no time grabbing my attention! A diary notation, written by a wife who is convinced her husband wants to kill her, for her money.

<b>”People said I was a gold-digger.”</b>

Nina is one of the wealthiest women in New York. It wasn’t that way until she married her super rich and much older husband, Edward and she inherited everything after his death.

The handsome and enigmatic Connor is penniless, until he meets and marries Nina, twenty years his senior. She showed him a whole new world...money, private jets, fancy cars, a huge house filled with staff. Sounds ideal, except for the corporate backstabbing, betrayal, controlling wife and constant distrust.

Then Connor runs into an old girlfriend...the one who got away. And all those wonderful and happy memories come back. But is true love worth giving up the lavish lifestyle he’s become accustomed to?

This is my second read by this author and I enjoyed both...another author to watch for!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Michele Campbell, for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review!

<b>My Rating: </b> 4.25 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> July 28th 2020 by St. Martin's Press
<b>Pages:</b> 336

<b>Recommend:</b> Yes!

@MCampbellBooks @StMartinsPress
#NetGalley #MustRead #TheWifeWhoKnewTooMuch #Thriller
#DiaryEntries

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 28, 2020

Solid summer thriller!

PLOT SUMMARY:
Nina Levitt has just married a much younger, extremely handsome man named Connor. After years of being unhappily married to an abusive, yet uber rich man, she has inherited his vast fortune and is finally free to marry for love. But is all as perfect as it seems in this new romance? When Nina is found dead, what will the repercussions be? Did she commit suicide? Or is there something more sinister afoot? Connor’s ex girlfriend Tabitha is drawn into this web of lies and deceit and will need to determine the truth before it’s too late.

PROS and CONS:
Did someone in Nina’s inner circle kill her? Or was it suicide? You’ll have to read it to find out! The pace moves along quite nicely as down on her luck Tabitha resolves to find the answers to this question as her life is now caught up in this whole controversy as well.

I found Connor and Tabitha’s love story a tad unbelievable, as well as the timeline for everything happened. It was all just a bit too convenient. These issues took me out of the story, and I had to work to get back into it. Tabitha seemed to make bad decisions after bad decisions, and I always find this type of character to be quite frustrating.

There were quite a few twists and turns, and the ending ensures everything is tidily resolved.

YES or NO:
This one is a MAYBE - if you’re new to thrillers and love reading about the uber rich, then you’ll enjoy it!!!

3 Stars

I want to preface this review with the fact that I've read dozens of thrillers, especially around this topic. I also read this at the same time as some other thrillers, so I already forgot what happened.

Overall, this is very generic for me. If you've never read a thriller before, I would read it. Nothing really memorable and nothing to attach me to the characters. The whole "will do anything for money" plot is just kind of old.

After reading A Stranger on the Beach, I was super excited to get the ARC for this book.

With an ironclad prenup, it seems ridiculous to cheat. But that's exactly what happens. She had evidence that he is. BUT - Nina is convinced that he's trying to kill her.

It's very suspenseful and makes you keep reading to find out what will happen next.

If you are a fan of thrillers - this is for you.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book to read. I really liked it! I flew through it. It had short chapters which I love because it kept me turning the pages. It had just the right amount of action and mystery to keep me intrigued.

This story is about Tabitha, a woman from a small town who doesn't have much to her name and works as a waitress in a restaurant. In her youth she had a relationship with a guy named Connor who came from wealth. As their time together fizzled out, he moved on to bigger and better things, marrying an older and extremely wealthy woman. In present day, by a chance encounter at her work she runs into Connor and falls in love all over again. Except now he comes with some shady secrets. It seems his wealthy wife has died, apparently by suicide and Connor is set to inherit her fortune. This could mean happiness, and not to mention wealth, once and for all for Tabitha, but the pieces of Connor's story just don't seem to add up and she ends up tangled in a web of deceit and lies.

I will say that I had the villain and the ending figured out relatively early on. The twists weren't major and it was mildly predictable but there was enough action in the story that I was thoroughly entertained throughout! I enjoyed Michelle Campbell's writing style and have enjoyed other books from her as well. This is a quick read and will be a great summer thriller!

Please. Everyone STOP trying to be Gone Girl. Gone Girl is Gone. It was great, I get it. But Y’all gonna make this genre gone if ya’ll don’t stop. Be gone with that mess. GONE, girl.

Shortest Summary Ever: Tabitha Girard remembers that summer when she was 17 and completely in love with Connor Ford - handsome, rich, and all hers. For a summer. Now she’s in her 30’s, waitressing and handsome Connor is sitting here. The one who got away. In her restaurant. But he’s married to Nina, a mega-wealthy, powerful woman. But their attraction is undeniable... thus begins a romance rekindled and when Nina takes her own life it seems like everything will now come together for Tabitha. So why is it all falling apart?

My thoughts: Ugh.
I don’t cherish giving poor reviews but I’m going to be honest. The description of this book is so wrong. It’s more romance-y than mystery-y (new word points for me). Without spoilers I can say this - I despise stupid, foolish, naive but pretty female leads. They are annoying, and that was Tabitha.

(Uh-oh, I’m on a roll here) It’s clear from the tone the reader is supposed to feel for Tabitha, but that’s not the actual experience for me. She’s kind of an awful person. Connor has to swoop in to make her happy? Nooooo. And he’s kind of a jerk. The other is that the wife Nina doesn’t seem that neurotic or controlling to me as the jacket description claims (duh, her husband IS cheating), so her death was confusing. I felt bad for her but the writing seemed to assume the reader would be happy for Tabitha?

The redemption was that it was a fast read and the story did advance, though just not in any believable way for me. I just couldn’t get on board with this one.

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com

Genre: Chic Lit/domestic fiction.

Recommend to: If you can suspend a lot of disbelief, if you’ve pined for “the one who got away” this might be more enjoyable. It is a quick beach read.

Not recommended to: if you dislike weak female protagonists.

Thank you to the author Michele Campbell, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my always-honest review.