Member Reviews
Thank you to Shari Lapena, the publishing house, and NetGalley for allowing me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
OK. First I had difficulty relating to Stephanie with her extreme tiredness and insecurities of being a new mother to twins. My babies are in college. But then once I saw that not everything was as it appeared things got interesting. Then Patrick seemed to be hiding something. There's another woman who is despicable but I enjoyed disliking her. I actually came to enjoy her a little bit because she had no problem causing huge problems and then extorting people to keep it quiet. The book just kept unfolding and I enjoyed it. And thank god for the epilogue!!
Thank you to Net Galley for providing an e-copy of this book for my review. I have read all of Shari Lapena books and usually find them well written page turners. This book had elements of her previous writing but I did not particularly enjoy it. The main reason is that I did not like any of the characters. Not one of them seemed like a decent person who I could root for. If you want to read a book by this author I would suggest starting with her earlier books.
This was an entertaining read and I enjoy Shari Lapena's writing so much. Her stories are easy to get addicted to and always have a twisted ending. I usually love all the twists and turns that are added into her novels but, this book was not my favorite. Although I enjoyed it, it was a little bit too out there for me. The characters were interesting but the situations they fall into and the connection between them all was not my favorite and made it seem like the plot was lacking. I do think this is a great book for someone new to the thriller genre. Even though it was not my favorite book by Shari Lapena, it was an enjoyable read and a lot of fun.
I love her books! They are twisty enough to keep you guessing until the end. This one went back and forth between the characters pretty quickly. I'm not sure if it was just the formatting in the ARC or if that is how the actual book will be. It was little confusing when the character change happened, but it didn't take away from the story.
As a fan of Shari Lapena's other books, I was excited to get approved for this one. She never disappoints. Each one of her novels tests human relationships and the trust that you give the person you marry. Stephanie exhausted by her colicky twins becomes unsettled when someone from her husband's past raises a red flag about what really happened to his first wife. This person continues to rattle Stephanie and works to destroy her marriage with Patrick but at what price?
I'm a huge Shari Lapena fan. I've loved all of her books, but this one fell flat. The beginning drew me in and it was a quick read, but I feel like the characters and plot didn't play out the best. I don't think first part of the novel laid the groundwork for the revelations made in the last part. Just a note: the formatting was messy and there was no line breaks between sections. Sometimes the character perspective changed so quick I didn't even realize it was a new character speaking. Perhaps that is because it is not the final publication, but that should definitely be fixed.
I will continue to read Lapena's work, but this one didn't do it for me. Thank you Bantam Press and Negalley for and ARC in exchange for my honest opinions and review.
If you want a mystery thriller that feels all too real, then this is the book. You’ll spend the entire time wondering what is and isn’t a lie and who is truly the bad person. When you think you know it, you’re thrown for a twist.
Shari Lapena’s newest thriller is a roller coaster ride for suspense lovers. Stephanie thinks she has it all, twin girls and the perfect husband. Then Erica, a woman from her husband’s pas, arrives with secrets to tell threatening all that Stephanie holds dear.
Erica claims to know the truth of how Patrick’s first wife really died and it implicates him. Stephanie doesn’t know what to think - for every accusation Erica makes Patrick has an answer and vice versa. She is on a merry go round of who to believe as her perfect life begins to unravel.
Lapena has another hit on her hands. The characters are wonderful and in Erica, Lapena has created a villain you love to hate. The suspense builds at a fever pitch making the book impossible to put down making Lapena the queen of domestic suspense.
This author just keeps them coming. I liked this book and it was a quick read, but maybe a little less tightly structured as her previous books. I found myself having a few questions of motive for the characters and also sometimes questioned their actions. Still an enjoyable 3.5 star book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
I have enjoyed all books by Shari Lapena until this one. The characters were not at all likable and all were either naive or stupid. Or both, for that matter.
Having never had twins or babies with colic, Stephanie deserved lots of empathy, but I can't picture some of the things she did early in the book as anything that would be likely to happen. Maybe I am naive here? She was the only one I sort of cared about. Patrick liked to play with fire by meeting Erica when he knew he shouldn't. Erica was an awful person. Others played roles that would probably play out in a big way, but I stopped reading about 25% of the way into the book. The characters were more than annoying. I read to escape and enjoy other lifestyles. This was neither.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
I have read several books by this author, and this was one of the best! After the first few chapters, I felt myself getting anxious waiting to see just how badly things were going to go for Patrick & Stephanie. The book didn't disappoint! The character Erica is absolutely evil, but I couldn't wait to see what she would do next. A fast paced, intriguing read!
Thanks to #Netgalley for letting me read this great book by Shari Lapena. She has become one of my favorite authors.
As normal, her books keep you wanting who did what and why. Really enjoyed this one. As I have all her books.
Lots of plot twists, some you seen coming others you didn't.
I loved this book and am a huge fan of Shari Lapena! I've loved all of her books so far. I loved how we were never really sure if Patrick was a "bad guy" or not until the end. Stephanie had a lot of guts to kill him the way she did! The ending was great too. As a reader you knew that Erica was going to die, but with three different families/people needing her dead, we'll never know who did it! Loved it!
Once again she’s done it This author can keep you guessing you never quite know what’s coming which makes reading her book so much more enjoyable.It’s not the normal oh I figured out who did it on the first page, this just keeps you guessing and you never quite see it coming. Do you self a favor and read this author she’s awesome. Can’t wait for the next book!
I love Shari Lapena and her new book does not disappoint! Probably one of my favorites. I kept going back and forth. Is the husband good or bad? I couldn’t be sure. This novel kept my interest from beginning to end with just enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing until the end. And what an ending! Five stars!!
I liked this novel a lot. Shari Lapena is an author I trust to put out consistently good writing and she delivered (of course) with her newest work. I thought the plot moved along nicely and the mystery was great. More than some of her other books, this one is a tad predictable and the “gotcha” moments are quiet. But I liked it very much all the same and if you’re looking for a nice beach read, this one would be fantastic.
Oh my gosh I was so excited to read another Shari Lapena book. I always struggle to come up with a favorite author but I feel like she might be mine. This storyline hooked me and did not disappoint. I didn't really like any of the characters except Stephanie and Hanna so that made the story even more interesting watching it all play out. I feel like I was supposed to be rooting for Patrick but I was actually kind of "eh" about him the whole time. I'm sad I'm done reading it!
Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
2.5 stars
Reading this book, I felt like I was always waiting for the next reveal… which either never came or was anticlimactic. I was invested in the story, but not particularly interested in the characters. And there were a few plot points which, I felt, should have been more significant. They reminded me of the theory of Chekov’s Gun-- every dramatic or literary element should be necessary. (Kind of spoiler alert:) It particularly bothered me that the detail about Nancy and Niall didn’t go anywhere.
Just a formatting note: Since I read this as an electronic ARC, the formatting was untidy and there was no line break between sections, so it was difficult to tell when a scene switched to a different character. This was a bit distracting, but I assume this will be resolved before printing.
As a pre-existing fan of Shari Lapena's novels, I'm always excited to get my hands on her newest one! The End of Her continues Lapena's great niches: developed characters who make us cringe, gasp, and smile along with, a mystery to "solve" and an "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" realization somewhere in the last two-thirds of the story! From the beginning, I had my guesses about Lindsey Kilgour's death, but as fans of hers know, you may have guessed a portion of the whodunit, but definitely not all of it! This fast-paced story will have readers staying up all night for sure!
Shari Lapena has written another page turner that i quickly devoured. Six characters whose lives are entwined with pasts that are filled with love, lies, deceit, infidelities and maybe a murder or two. Trying to figure out who was telling the truth made this a quick read. The game of cat and mouse throughout the book kept me engaged. Another winner! #TheEndOfHer #ShariLapena #NetGalley