I will read a hundred thousand books about women in STEM. This will be a short book review because The Echo Wife was a thrilling quick read. I didn't even take that many notes, because most of what I was thinking was, "OMG". I even told my partner all about this book, which I don't normally do, because I was like, "Look, you gotta listen to what happens now!" That's how you know I enjoyed it so much! It's a Science Fiction thriller which makes me think of Orphan Black and Stepford Wives.

Talk about a page turner! As you continue reading, you can't stop! While The Echo Wife is non-stop action, it also, at its core, discusses whether we can change our own programming and behaviors. Gailey allows readers to view both Martine and Evelyn struggling to grow. To change their habits, capabilities, and to grow before our eyes. The line between clone and human was one that Gailey continues to experiment and play with - challenging what we think of as our limitations.

I was so excited to see that Gailey was coming out with a new book so thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This one was different from their other titles, so I was happy that I was getting something that was a harder sci-fi and about clones! I loved the development of the relationship between Evelyn and Martine over the course of the book more than anything else about it, which is good because that was the basis of the story. I cannot imagine what it would be like to see a version of yourself and really digging into your flaws and insecurities while being the one that has to help that other you. The Echo Wife is really well written and complex. It will be an instant hit!

I've seen a number of reviewers compare THE ECHO WIFE to The Stepford Wives, Orphan Black, appropriate for fans of Killing Eve, the Time Traveller's Wife... and they're not *wrong* per se, but I'm not sure they're quite right.
Every time I recommend a Sarah Gailey book, I say that Gailey is at their best when they take an alternative history, or a set of rules that's slightly different than our actual world, and run with it. THE ECHO WIFE is different than everything else Gailey has written - it's not necessarily darker, but there's less sweetness to balance out the truths of Evelyn's relationships; there's less softness to balance out the choices Martine has to make. And I loved it-- Gailey hooked me from the first page, and crafted a world that had just enough science to ground its mystery/horror elements without making me wish I had paid more attention in biology class.
One aspect of Gailey's work that holds true once again in THE ECHO WIFE is the attention to the choices women have and take (or don't have or don't take) -- not necessarily the loud and dazzling choices, but the silences and the shadows in every relationship, in every home. Without spoiling anything, the quiet moments between women were the showstoppers for me, the moments I wanted to see on screen, translated into the twitches and blink-and-you-miss-them movements of the small muscles around the eyes and mouth.
This is going to be a book I re-read, a book I insist all of my friends read and analyze with me. Can't wait until it's released upon the world and I can insist everyone read it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a tough book for me to rate for a couple of reasons, but for now I think I’m sitting at 3/5 stars.

The good: this book has a unique story and a very distinct voice. This is also something that I found to be true in Magic for Liars, the only other book that I’ve read from this author. Gailey is not afraid to push the envelope with her female characters. Often, I find that I don’t like them very much as a result. The main character--Evelyn--is grating, whipsmart, ruthless, unexpectedly sentimental, and very angry. The way her anger governs her choices is both interesting and catalytic to the story. The author has a strong ability to pick a personality trait and have her characters react faithfully to that trait. In Magic for Liars, the trait was self-pity. In this book, it’s anger. This makes for an uncomfortable read but also a story with propulsive momentum.

This book also deals with some big issues. Westworld meets Stepford Wives is an apt description. The plot went to places that I didn’t expect, and I really enjoyed that.

The mediocre: this is a very character driven story and can feel claustrophobic as a result. You don’t get a great sense of the larger world that these characters are operating in and there are only 4 characters that have any real significance.

The bad: the characters are basically all unlikeable. I grew to respect Evelyn and Martine, the two main female characters, by the end—especially the way they wield power vis a vis each other and allow for a deeper exploration of the others’ psyche. But this is not a story where you really have anyone to root for (except maybe vindictively against the shitty husband).

YMMV, but ultimately I didn’t find this to be a pleasant read. It’s a book I’m still thinking about, but not one I’d revisit.

Huge thank you to Netgalley with providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book hooked me right from the get go. It was a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it is very fast paced. I loved the way that it was written the MC, Evelyn has a lot of self awareness and her inner thought are very self observant and she's constantly analyzing her own behavior and other's and that was so fascinating for me to read about. Reading about the cloning process was so fascinating to me, at first the scientific jargon went over my head but after a while I came to be enraptured by it. The way this book explained cloning made it sound so plausible and realistic that the events in the story felt so real. I also really enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between Evelyn and her clone, Martine. It was a very complicated one because Martine was basically herself but also the woman who stole her husband and I loved watching them figure out how to navigate that its a very impossible situation no one would ever expect to have to go through but the way it was handled by the characters was so realistic and well done. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book there were some small portions that dragged a bit but not for very long and I appreciated that very much. I was expecting more shocking twists I feel like the author could have taken this plot in so many different shocking directions but the "twists" were lackluster which is why I gave this four stars instead of five. I also liked the writing style like I said Evelyn was constantly observing her own behavior and the reasoning behind it along with others and it was also subtly written in a way that made me think Evelyn was recalling these events after they happened which did not really serve any purpose but was still interesting and unique to me as I have not read many books like that. It has been so long since I have read a science fiction and this would definitely satiated a hunger I did not know I have for a good domestic thriller and sci fi hybrid. I would highly recommend this one!

This book didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me. It started out a bit slow, got interesting around the middle, and then petered out slowly again. The idea behind the story is that a brilliant researcher who figures out how to make clones finds her husband has replaced her with a more submissive clone of herself. I did like some of the exploration of the clone’s perception of life and what toxic men expect out of their romantic partners, but it just felt like not much happened besides that. A lot of scenes felt kind of superficial, or were only described afterwards, which left me feeling a bit frustrated. It’s an easy read though, and if someone were to approach it thinking of it as a novella, they might feel more satisfied.

LOVED this!!

Super smart and clever novel that reads very much like a well thought out mystery with a bit of Sci-Fi here and there. It was evil and meticulous and so well done that I did NOT see the ending coming.

Very pleasantly surprised and impressed.

3.5 stars. I don't read a lot of thrillers, but the sci(fi-ish) premise hooked me. This is a fun book for people open to or interested in some of the ethical questions of scientific advancement. For thriller readers, I think the pacing will feel a little odd. It's dark but doesn't inspire the mood that I associate with "suspense/thriller." This author has written a wide variety of fantastical stories in quick succession, so taken with some of their other titles, it's interesting to see the evolution of their work.

Given its deliberately chilly main character, The Echo Wife took a little while to warm up for me. But eventually, the dominoes of this twisty little story start falling faster and faster, leaving no option to look away.

I've been in a rut, reviewing mediocre books, so The Echo Wife was a welcome break, with its compelling plot and dynamic characters. This is exactly the kind of soft Sci-Fi, or relationship-based Sci-Fi that I LOVE, and I powered through it in 24 hours. As is often the case, I requested this book a while ago and it has been sitting on my shelf for long enough that I managed to forget the synopsis, so when I got to chapter 7, I was surprised in a way I doubt many people who purchase this book will be (as they will likely be well aware that the woman with whom Evelyn's ex-husband took up an affair, Martine, is actually Evelyn's clone). I wish that weren't given away in the synopsis, and that every reader could experience that first shock in the same way I did-- honestly, it's my favorite thing about the book-- but I suppose that's the basic premise here, so it must be disclosed. That moment at the coffee shop, when the barista says "you two could be twins", was so good. Really hope this book gains traction in 2021 and that it's adapted into a film or Black Mirror episode.

What? There are two of me? Awesome! We’re gonna kick ass & take names! OK- so maybe that’s my first thought if i was told I have a clone. But then I’m not in the same situation as Evelyn Caldwell in The Echo Wife. Evelyn spent her entire adult life researching the cloning process, but she didn’t make her own clone; her husband did. He stole her research & used it to make a new, “improved” Evelyn. When Evelyn goes to confront her clone, Martine, only to discover that she is pregnant, her emotions get the better of her. It seems they get the better of Martine too, because later that day, she kills the man who made her. And then calls Evelyn for help.
No spoilers there- this is all in the promotional material- but the book is pretty coy about it for the first 7 chapters or so anyways, which is annoying. The rest of the book is a fairly tense, character- focused meditation on the ways in which women are conditioned, or more generally, nature vs. nurture.
If you thought this would be action packed, you might be a bit let down. We are primarily in Evelyn’s head, in her reactions to whatever thing Martine just did, and at times it becomes a little repetitive. One other thing that bothered me is how the science is never fully explained- like the world where this is possible is not really built in any way. We are just expected to believe it without question.
I did enjoy this read, and for a thriller, it was pretty fun. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I hadn’t read Magic for Liars and LOVED it, but I’m glad I did. I gave it a strong 3 stars- almost 3.5.

Evelyn Caldwell’s zestful exhilaration of receiving her prestigious award for her excellent scientific research turned into a terrifying nightmare when she received an urgent and frightening call from Martine.

When Evelyn arrived at Martine's house, Nathan, Martine’s as well as Evelyn’s husband, was found dead in a pool of blood, and Martine was holding a bloody knife in her hand!

As both women were trying to deal with this tragedy, they were entangled in a mysterious and surreptitious affair of dark secrets and lies, betrayal and revenge.

THE ECHO WIFE is nail-biting and suspenseful, and will definitely keep you on edge till the end. Undoubtedly, writing unsettling and heart-pounding thrillers is Sarah Gailey’s forte.

I would like to thank Tor Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this spine-chilling thriller.

#TheEchoWife
#NetGalley

THE ECHO WIFE is one of those compact books that takes longer to read than the page count would suggest, as the reader pauses and steps away to digest not only the events on the pages, but also the larger emotions behind them. If there was one gift of 2020, it was the way in which it helped develop our emotional muscles to be able to both appreciate the craft Gailey has exercised on the page, and also feel sad for the characters and their experiences. Another stellar work from one of my "must read" authors.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.
Imagine the pain of having your husband leave you, now imagine if he left you for a more docile version of you he had cloned. That is the pain Evelyn was feeling when one nigjt her clone Martine called needing Evelyn’s help. It seems Martine had murdered their husband Nathan. And it was quite the mess that needed fixing.
I had a little trouble with this one at first, I mean I liked the premise, it just wasn’t resonating with me. Then input it down for a day or two and flew through it. I would say at about the 40% mark it really started to pick up. I enjoyed the story arc and the secrets Nathan held. It was overall a good read.

2–3 stars; I wanted to like this one more than I actually did.

I don’t think this is a bad book. In fact, it has many rave reviews that I appreciate, and I can see this being well-liked by most folks who pick it up. It also carries several interesting themes for readers to unpack, not the least of which include questions of programming versus free will, and women’s autonomy—of mind and body, what we say and what we do, how we carry ourselves, the ways in which we resist and transgress.

I just wish I’d had different expectations going in, because what I was anticipating—and very excited for—was not what this book delivered.


✔️EXPECTATION: Action-packed plot that is as gripping as the storylines of Westworld, with protagonists as entertaining as those in Killing Eve.
❌REALITY: None of the above.

I’ll be honest: what really intrigued about The Echo Wife was its name-dropping of Westworld and Killing Eve.

For me, Westworld was defined by its sublime landscape, its enigmatic sense that all is that what it seems. Meanwhile, Killing Eve ensnared me through the flammable chemistry between its two female leads. This book is marketed toward enthusiasts of Westworld and Killing Eve, and so I was expecting both these things: the expansive world-building of Westworld, and/or the snarky violence (and taut sapphic tension) of Killing Eve.

The Echo Wife… has none of those things.

I wanted more of an action-packed storyline—or more action, period. Instead, it takes seven chapters before the book finally stops acting like the husband’s cheating and death were mini plot twists, when they’re literally mentioned in the synopsis! The book started off WAY too coy.

It’s also very introspective and literary, more of a character study than fast-paced thriller. We spend the majority of the book in Evelyn’s head, as she comes to terms with her divorce from the ex-husband who cheated with her clone. She also recounts memories of her authoritative father and overly docile mother. She shares her frustrations about being a woman in academia (which I appreciated and found very relatable).

Yet I found her narration to be so damn repetitive. Martine would do/say something (or not do/say something) and Evelyn’d be swamped with [irritation, fury, frustration], and then she’d proceed to say something alone the lines of “I’m mad but I get that Nathan programmed her this way.” Rinse and repeat.

Again, none of these things were bad. I just felt disappointed that the plot was not as thrilling as I’d anticipated, and that Evelyn and Martine were not anywhere near as compelling as I’d hoped they’d be.


✔️EXPECTATION: Lush, vivid, expansive world building (à la Westworld!!!!!!).
❌REALITY: Worldbuilding is practically nonexistent.

As Jessica Woodbury puts it in this review: “This is a book where you have to Just Accept the Science. And this would be easier if our protagonist was not a scientist.”

I really wish I hadn’t gone into this expecting more in terms of explanation of the human cloning process. (Like: what is hormonal conditioning? It’s absolutely central to Evelyn’s research and her passions but we know zilch about it.)

There were many moments where things were just so convenient as to become contrived. And I regret not realizing earlier that I should’ve just been content with accepting this world, Evelyn’s world, a world in which we can clone humans, without questioning the mechanics of it or wondering how we got to this reality.


✔️EXPECTATION: Nathan would be tangential to the story.
❌REALITY: Nathan cropped up on just about every page.

This one kind of baffled me, especially since Nathan isn’t even a physical character in the story (his entire characterization is presented solely through Evelyn’s interiority and her thoughts about him). I’m not complaining that he didn’t get more physical airtime—good riddance!—but I do wish he hadn’t been so central to the story. The overall vibe was that the story, and Evelyn herself, had to be defined relative to this utterly insipid man.


Bottom line: Again, truly not a bad book; I only wish I’d gone in anticipating a slower, more introspective story. For the most part, this is a major case of “It’s me, not you”—or, more accurately, “It was my darned expectations, not you”!

The premise of this book was so intriguing. A husband murdered by his wife and her clone? Yes, please! Unfortunately, although it tried, the book never really delivered the excitement it promised. Bogged down by flat characters, never ending dreary inner monologues and repetitive science that made no sense, the story’s attempts to break free and rise to its potential were never fully realized. My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Echo Wife 🧬👯‍♀️🧪 by Sarah Gailey

Fans of thrillers get ready!! “The Echo Wife” by Sarah Gailey, which will be published in February 2021, is everything thriller fans hope for -intrigue, spookiness... plus a few clones here & there. I received this ARC from @netgalley & really enjoyed it.

I’d rate myself a medium fan of thrillers, yet after starting this one, I found it very entertaining. Evelyn is a cutting edge scientist who pioneers genetic cloning research...and unfortunately, her husband secretly created a clone of her to have an affair with (major 🤢 vibes!). Martine is the “perfect” version of Evelyn, but the two Caldwell wives must come together to fix a certain few problems that arise.

I’d like to hear an actual geneticist’s take of Gailey’s descriptions of the cloning process - for my lay scientific self, I just bought in to the theoretical cloning process in order to focus on the plot. There are some ethical dilemmas in this book around cloning & scientific research of human genetics, but aside from that, Gailey presents other issues - including how Evelyn is slowly turning into her scary & abusive father. On each page, I kept wondering how and what Evelyn and Martine were going to do next.

I can picture this book becoming a Netflix movie - plot driven & something new at every turn. There were a few questions that I never got answers to (Seyed just disappeared from the story? Or maybe this was intentional to show Evelyn was left to her own devices? Idk!!). I think that the big overarching question Gailey poses is: are any of the human characters “good” or “evil,” or are the lines blurred?

I think it’ll be a hit when it’s published. 4/5 ⭐️ from me!!

I absolutely love Sarah Gailey’s writing, and this book just further confirms that. It’s intense and evocative and draws you in immediately. The storyline is that a scientist’s husband has married her clone, and while that sounds weird and creepy, it only intensifies from there. Each new twist lead me to think about what I would have done in that situation and made me grit my teeth to see how the characters would get through it. Thanks to Tor for sending me one of my most anticipated books of 2021, it was unforgettable!

This is another hypnotically intimate first person character study from Gailey, on a par with Magic for Liars.

Gailey has such a knack for drawing interesting, resonantly flawed characters, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive them for Evelyn; her insecurities and pain were so sharply drawn. That’s where the story really shines for me.

But there’s also a ton of other stuff going on in the novel, on multiple levels. Unlikeable woman protagonist who doesn’t deserve to face judgement on that basis alone? Check. Women avoiding the patriarchy’s trap of being set against archer other (while also being flawed and human and not always sweetness and sunshine to each other)? Check. Women characters who get to live in gray moral areas? Check.

Oh, there’s also clones and murder. What a ride.

My husband has been trying and trying to get me to watch the HBO show Westworld. A show about realistic clones? How could you possibly make that interesting? Put it in book form and let Sarah Gailey write it. That’s how. When an award winning professor (Evelyn) stumbles across a hair on her husband’s clothes, she investigates and finds it belongs to a clone of herself. A clone that she did not make. This can only mean one thing: her husband stole her research and created a new “better” version of herself (meet Martine) to replace her completely. Then the husband ends up dead and Evelyn and Martine must come together to find a solution because there is more at stake than just jail time. This sci-fi thriller is a little outside my usual reading box but I absolutely loved it. I both rooted for and loathed the characters at various points throughout the book. I know it’s still 2020, but this epic 2021 novel definitely needs to be added to your TBR.


Thank you @netgalley and @torbooks for the gifted copy of this book!