Member Reviews
This was one of those stories that has you changing your prediction about what will happen at the end of every chapter! I have loved Shari Lapena’s past books and this one is no different. A woman, Erica, from Patrick’s past comes back with some devastating accusations about his deceased first wife. He denies that it was anything but a horrible accident but can Stephanie, Patrick’s new wife, believe him? Erica is a devious and awful character. It is easy to discount her suspicions about Patrick because she is so untrustworthy and Patrick seems like a good man. It is hard to know who to trust. This is especially difficult because it seems like Stephanie is coming unhinged under the weight of new parenthood and these shocking secrets from her husband’s past. These questions last until the final page when the story wraps up with some shocking twists. I couldn’t read the pages fast enough. I had to know what happened and who was the real “bad guy”. This is a fast-paced and well-developed thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.
Thank you to Shari Lapena, Penguin Viking, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. What a fantastic page turner. The characters evolved through the whole book and kept as the level of suspense escalated. This book is a tangled web of secrets.. A fast read that will keep you up at night and leave you wanting Shari Lapena to write another book ASAP!
Wow! <i>The End of Her</i>is a psychological thriller that is jam-packed with so many twists and turns, you will <b>not</b>want to put it down.
Patrick and Stephanie are just trying to survive with 4 month old twins that cry all.the.time thanks to colic. Sleep deprived, their days and nights are a mixture of hallucinations and a blur of work and they are just trying to get by. Suddenly, a woman from Patrick’s past shows up and rocks their already unstable life to the core.
This novel is incredibly well written and I would highly recommend it! With so many different angles and perspectives, you will not know who to believe, right up until the very end.
I have liked many of Shari Lapena’s titles, but this one was a bit thin. Too many plots, not. Ugh suspense, no one terribly likable. It wasn’t horrible - just not one of her best efforts.
I enjoyed the mystery and suspense in this book. I was never sure what Erica was going to do next; is she really crazy or does she know more than anyone suspects? Stephanie has to decide what’s the truth for her and for any future relationship with her husband. It gives a glimpse into how small a circle are lives can be. And what we would do to defend it.
Patrick and Stephanie Kilgour live in a suburban community in the Hudson Valley. They are the parents of infant twin girls. Their days
are busy with their colicky young daughters and their everyday lives. Stephanie is exhausted and barely making it through the days. Her husband, Patrick, is a partner in an architecture business. But they seem to love each other.
One day,a woman from Patrick 's past reappears with a stories of murder and deceit. Patrick swears they are lies and that the woman is unbalanced. This woman, Erica, causes havoc not only in Stephanie and Patrick's life but in all those she has contact with. As Erica destroys lives, she sows seeds of doubts about Patrick in Stephanie's mind. It is clear Erica will go to any length to achieve her objectives.
Erica will destroy individuals, marriages, and families, and she is very good at what she does. This story is told mostly from the point of view of Stephanie but occasionally the reader gets insight into other characters thoughts.
The characters were believable. I felt sympathy for Stephanie, and did not like Erica. The plot was compelling; moving swiftly between different characters kept the pace moving quickly, ratcheting up the suspense.
I was on the edge of my seat while reading this book. There were so many twists and turns that I could not put it down until the shocking ending. Fans of LaPena will not be disappointed.
New York couple Stephanie and Patrick’s lives are thrown into chaos when a woman from Patrick’s past reveals some very disturbing secrets regarding Patrick’s first marriage. Alternating narrators weave together a sordid story of mayhem and deception that will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking conclusion. A definite must-read for fans of psychological fiction.
I found the first hakd to be really slow and was a little bored. I didn't like the there were no Page breaks within the chapter and sometimes felt confused because I wasn't sure who was talking when the changed characters. I did like the plot twist of the current wife that is why Ibu.ped my scores to 3 stars instead of 2. I felt the book was ok.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was readable and well-written. However, I didn’t think it was anything groundbreaking, and the twists were either predictable or completely out of left field in a bad way - the ending felt thrown together and unsatisfying. I am still giving this three stars because I did enjoy reading it, it just left me disappointed.
This was my first Shari Lapena title, and what a great introduction it was!
THE END OF HER explores what happens when a marriage has been built on lies of omission. Patrick and Stephanie are struggling with colicky infant twins when a woman from Patrick's past emerges and threatens everything. This woman, Erica, is convinced that although it was ruled an accident, Patrick actually murdered his first wife. Everything in Patrick and Stephanie's lives gets thrown into tumult, and Erica will stop at nothing to get the revenge she feels she deserves.
Although this is written with multiple POVs, it was structured where we hear from almost all the characters in each chapter. I found this really helped build the suspense, and I truly could not put it down. The author's prose is also at once straightforward and cagey, in a way that by the end you see all the clues hidden along the way.
Almost all of the scenes in THE END OF HER are conversations in a home between 2 or 3 people, but I was truly riveted the whole time. Well worth a read.
(While NetGalley and Viking Books provided an eARC, opinions are all my own.)
Shari Lapena has done it once again!!! I always read her books in one sitting because I just need to know what is going to happen. She constantly has her characters surprising me with every page I turn. I love this author and all the work she has created and I am already anxiously awaiting the next!!
I am a HUGE fan of Shari Lapena and can’t describe how excited I was to be given the chance to read an advanced copy! This book absolutely lived up to (or perhaps even surpassed) the reputation of Lapena as one of the best mystery writers around! I highly recommend this book!
Sleep deprivation is real. As a mother of two under two I can confirm! This book centers on the relationship between Stephanie and Patrick, who have newborn twins. Patrick’s past rears it’s head and Stephanie has to decide who she believes. True to form, Shari Lapena kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Another great read.
This book is not at all what I expected and very predictable. I loved the couple next door, but this book was not exciting to me.
Okay, I would say 'you had me but you lost me,' except you never really had me. The plot was sluggish and awkward, everyone was terrible, and I refuse to believe that, hmm, 100% of people jump straight to thoughts of murder when things don't go thier way.
Lapena nails it!
Ever since "Couple Next Door" I've been a huge, huge fan of Shari Lapena. Since then, I feel like her books have only gotten better. "The End of Her" was no different. Her trademark twist and turns, that I've come to know and love so well were ever present. Only, I still have no idea what direction Lapena is going. She is that good of a writer and completely unpredictable!
I would recommend going into this one blindly for the most thrills. You'll enjoy it that much more. I highly, highly recommend this book. It was excellent and I give it my highest praise. Two thumbs way, way up!
I rarely use descriptions like “heart stopping” or “spine tingling” but this well plotted mystery was both. The author has created red herrings and twists galore. The characters do unexpected things and the reader doesn’t know who to believe.
The HER is a woman who comes into a NY town and creates a path of destruction. Her life has been one of deceit and mayhem, we see the people who have been hurt by her actions. The author gives us many reasons why she might be killed, but the ending leaves the reader thoughtfully trying to untwist the motives.
I really liked this and found that Erica Voss was a very worthy villainess. There is just enough closure to make us question our previous conclusions. A great read from Lapena.
Thank you Netgalley for this engaging novel.
I really love this author and am always happy when my students don’t know what to read, or don’t like to read, telling them that they may like Lapena. This novel is no less wonderful than all her others and the mystery still has me feeling creeped out!
Shari Lapena is well-known for her thrillers. The End of Her is another solid addition to the thriller category. Stephanie and Patrick are newly married and have brand new twin girls. Then, Stephanie finds out that her husband has a questionable past. Did he murder his first wife? Or is someone from his past lying? I found this storyline to be rather similar to many other thrillers that I've read. Murder, affairs, blackmail, bad decisions, lots of lying, unlikable characters--they're all here. This book kept me hooked because I wanted to know how it would end, but I didn't really enjoy the ride or the outcome. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
A quick read. This book had me guessing and questioning my observations. There is somewhat of a twist at the end that will leave you wondering. All-in-all, a fun read.