ALMOST divorced Evelyn (from Nathan) wins a scientific award. At the banquet, she knows that she cannot discuss certain aspects of her work or her marriage..

The reader realizes that Evelyn is working (with her brilliant co-worker, Seyed) on a form of "human" research.- using human growth hormone in her studies. After all, Evelyn thinks that, thanks to Nathan, the legacy of her award is a "shameful disaster".

The following day, Evelyn gets a call from Martine - she wants to go to tea. Evelyn has no choice. She has to go...

At first I thought I had read a similar book - but NO! This is great read! I finished the book in one day. The characters were very well-developed and the suspense/thrills kept coming!

RECOMMEND

Many Thanks to MacMillan-Tor/Forge Publishers and NetGalley for a great story!

Gailey's latest is like a Megan Abbott novel with a speculative twist. Evelyn, a brilliant scientist who has made seismic leaps in the field of human cloning, discovers that her husband has been having an affair... with a clone of Evelyn. This begins a series of knock-on tragedies and secrets that force Evelyn to question the morality of everything she's done -- all while keeping the reader white-knuckled to the page because of the various possibilities that ~everything~ might go wrong. While the plot sometimes overdrives and simultaneously the expository science can sometimes get in the way, Gailey's turned in a terrific thriller and they continue to prove that they're one of the brightest new stars in the SFF firmament.

As soon as I saw "a new book from Sarah Gailey," I knew I would love it, and I was absolutely not disappointed. The Echo Wife is a chilling, sharp, deeply unsettling read from an author who excels at sharp and unsettling. Evelyn Caldwell is a crisply logical, damaged, brilliant character filled with the rage of a smart woman in a sexist world - a rage that, as the reader, I felt viscerally drawn in by - and the gradual, glorious character trajectories of both her and the cloned Martine have the inevitability of an avalanche. The book raises plenty of fascinating philosophical questions, without attempting to give easy answers, but it's all woven into the fabric of a truly haunting novel. My one critique would be that it feels like a story that could have been told in a slightly shorter novella form - yes, even though the book as written is still quite short, a few passages drag just a tad, as Evelyn's internal monologue reiterates feelings and questions we've been over before. But that's a minor complaint, and one that pales particularly in light of the stunning ending. I'm running out of synonyms for "haunting," but The Echo Wife has left me haunted. I can't wait for everyone else to read it, so I have someone to shudder with.

CW: Murder, domestic abuse, pregnancy, child abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance review copy! I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upon first reading the publisher's marketing for this title my thoughts were, "That sounds really messed up... I want to read it." Evelyn Caldwell has made a name for herself in the scientific community for her successful, award-winning cloning research. This would be all well and good if her ex-husband Nathan had not left her for a clone of herself, Martine, that he had created in secret. One evening Martine calls Evelyn in a panic asking her to come quickly to her and Nathan's place. The events that unfold are filled with suspense, moments of horror, and bringing to light the ever recurring question: What makes us human?

Wowza, I don’t think I’ve quite read a book like this, but I did enjoy it a lot! It’s a bit of a different read, one which I have a hard tone explaining, but did thrill, chill, and shock me! Very fast paced, thrills and chills, with maybe a bit of science fiction mixed within! Definitely original, unique, and amazingly written! Make sure you preorder as soon as possible; as I have a feeling this might be the book everyone is talking about! Quite fast paced, intense, and just completely unputdownable! Highly, highly recommend!
Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date!

Not my thing, unfortunately. I liked Gailey's "Magic For Liars" and was looking forward to seeing the author's take on a more sci-fi premise. But this was more "wife thriller" than I had bargained for, plus it turns out I'm not that interested in the science of cloning.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC.

Wonderful little sci-fi-ish book! It takes place in the future, where Evelyn Caldwell is the genius scientist who discovers the secret to adding personality traits to clones. Her husband Nathan, another scientist, is jealous, of course, since he doesn't have half of her intelligence, and he wants her to have a baby and stay at home! SO, he begins an affair, and Evelyn is determined to find out who the new lady is. She is in for a shock when she discovers what Nathan is up to. This is a well written thriller, and I really had no idea where any of it was heading, but loved the ride! .Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my preview of this fantastic story.

This novel had me hooked from just the summary alone — a man having an affair with the clone of his wife? What an incredible, original concept.
The novel itself was a quick, fast-paced read for me that I found hard to put down. I did see some of the twists coming, but others stunned me; the characters were also extremely compelling. Especially Martine, the protagonist’s clone. All in all this was an exciting read that I can confidently recommend to those that are seeking an original psychological thriller.

Sadly The Echo Wife just wasn't really my cup of tea. It's well-written, thought provoking, and would be great for folks who like thrillers with a touch of sci fi, and is an interesting exploration of near-future tech and its moral implications. Lots of Orphan Black vibes and some fun twists. May not appeal as much to folks who are solidly sci fi/fantasy readers, like myself.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The premise of the book is Evelyn, a ground breaking scientists, has just divorced her husband for having an affair. The catch, the woman he's having an affair with is her illegal clone.

I could not recommend this book more. This was a smart, thriller, with light sci-fi in it. The main character was punch, vulnerable, and not taking any of this bad relationship. There was one twist after the other in the plot, and I could not stop reading.

Highly recommend for folks who want just a touch of sci-fi in their literary fiction.

The Echo Wife is a fantastic read! Sarah Galley writes with pitch perfect prose and has an amazing talent for creating suspense on every page. Highly recommended.

Having never read a book about cloning I was skeptical about it but I really loved this book. I couldn't stop reading it. There are so many layers to the story and the characters I was sorry to see it end.

This is my first Sarah Gailey novel and it does not disappoint. I look forward to reading more from her in the future. This book is all about lies, betrayal, secrets, affairs and a doppleganger. There are twists galore and many suprises. I love the characterization and I thought it was going to be predictable, it was not!!! Highly recommended as a suspense/thriller read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Gailey and Macmillian Tor Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 2/16/21

This book will make you think about those great existential questions of life. What makes you, you? Can someone take your place? What makes a mother? Is science going too far? The Echo Wife has the reader hanging on the edge of the seat with a few whodunit motives, and Sarah Gailey takes us somewhere new.

This was a great, tightly paced thriller (that starts off a wee bit slow) that plays around with the ethical implications of cloning. To be clear though, this book doesn't necessarily FEEL like sci-fi. This is a world nearly identical to our own, save for the existence of clones.

Anyone who's ever been in a relationship will appreciate this premise: what if your partner dumped you for a clone of you, genetically engineering out of the clone all of the qualities they dislike? I think this book did an excellent job of getting us into the headspace of Evelyn and exploring the emotions that would bring up (What makes you YOU? What is those things that also make you special also make you less loveable to someone else? If that person only wants you without those qualities is that even love?)

I liked the fact that Evelyn wasn't always likeable, that the interest in science always trumped her emotions. She understands that befriending Martine is likely an excuse to be able to study her further and accepts that about herself. Unlike most lead characters in thrillers, Evelyn actually seemed like a self-actualized person that had done some personal work, despite her traumatic childhood. (Thankfully avoiding the trope of "brilliant scientist behaves like an idiot during a crisis.")

Martine is more opaque. It's not her story, but she's a central figure in everything that's happening. While this book did a great job of exploring aspects of "her programming," her awareness of that programming and her ability to live a normal life with/in spite of it, I still found myself wanting to know more about her life with Nathan and how she felt about Evelyn.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

at times the echo wife feels a little contrived in its character building, there a couple of lines that seem written solely to tick off some feminist cred boxes, but it's the kind of riveting read where your initial criticisms start to melt away the deeper you get in and you find yourself getting lost in the story, desperate to see how it ends. compelling!

Stepford Wives meets Big Little Lies. This science fiction book takes the husband/wife dynamic to a whole new level. What happens when your marriage isn't meeting your expectations? Cheat on her with her clone. Wait, what?!? You read that right - clone. The Echo Wife is a page-turner full of dark and twisty plot twists that you wont't want to put down!

4 - 4.5 stars

There is something so satisfying about thrillers, I always end up reading them so quickly. The Echo Wife was no exception, I ended up reading it in one sitting. I literally couldn’t put it down, it was that good.

I don’t often read the synopsis, I like to go in as clueless as possible. But the first line of the synopsis of The Echo Wife caught my attention. “Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research.” Clones? I haven’t read many books with clones as the subject so immediately I was invested. But when I read the rest of the synopsis, I was hooked and immediately requested this book! I was a bit concerned with the number of spoilers in the synopsis, but there is so much more to this story.

Now there is no way I can safely talk about the plot or the characters without spoiling anything. Just read the synopsis and jump in! Just know the premise is brilliant and I am so happy I got to read this early!!

A thriller with a hint of science fiction? You guys must simply read this!

This was a very interesting book! I loved the Sci-fi feel to it because it does center on the concept of cloning, but also the important concept of human nature at its core. I loved the p[lot twists it takes, especially it's ending because it wasn't the ending I expected. It's not a momentous, big event end kind of ending, but the way the story goes is something very unexpected and I really enjoyed that.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn is a scientist who is working in the field of cloning research. She is betrayed by her husband and lab assistant and the betrayal leads to a plot twist that keeps expanding.