Initial reaction: So I liked "The Echo Wife" and thought it was a well told story for the kind of story it presents. I will say though that I wasn't in love with it as much I thought I would be. Part of it may be the emotional distance of the narrator (there's a good reason for it, though), and another part may be that I expected some emotional upheavals that never arrived. 3.5 star read overall for now, may adjust as I think about it.

Full review:

"The Echo Wife" is one of those sci-fi thrillers that aren't outright scary, but there's a definite sense of foreboding permeating throughout the novel. I felt how heavy and twisted this story was, found myself taken by the overarching journey as a whole. I could count the number of times on both hands where certain turns in the narration and plot made me go "Oh. OH! Oh, doggone, I wasn't expecting that. That's messed up."

The way it explores themes of personal identity, individuality and sisterhood is worth noting in particular, albeit with caveats. For the record, I like stories like this where you have a central protagonist who has a multitude of secrets that are gradually peeled back by layers, going deeper and darker with each one uncovered. On the surface of it all - you have Evelyn Caldwell, a brilliant scientist finally getting due recognition for her work as a clone researcher. She's deeply immersed in her career, has no plans for having children and really would rather spend her time deep diving more into her research than being the wife that her husband and lab partner Nathan would rather have. The latter aspect ultimately lead to the fall of their marriage, but that isn't the only thing.

It's noted that the research she was doing with her now ex-husband Nathan produced a clone named Martine. The problem with Martine is that she was created - by Nathan - to be everything Evelyn wasn't - subsequently replacing her for a more subservient version of Evelyn that he could use for his own whims. Further, Nathan had cheated on Evelyn with Martine during their marriage. But even with that part of the story noted in the blurb, Evelyn realizes that Martine's existence and relationship with her former husband are far from being the only problem that she has to contend with. The deeper the conflict goes, the more it threatens to unravel everything Evelyn's ever worked for and then some. She's desperate to keep those secrets hidden and will do anything for them to stay that way. And when I say anything...that goes in quite a number of twisted directions.

I knew going into this book that the connection between Evelyn, Martine, and Nathan were far from being the only source of conflict, but those parts of it were so well done. Evelyn navigates her history with Nathan in a brutally honest way that puts their triumphs and flaws on full display, ultimately marching towards what happens when Martine enters the picture and how Evelyn discovers the truth of the affair on her own terms. It's when Martine unexpectedly - and desperately - decides to show up in Evelyn's life with some stunning revelations that things further to an even darker turn. I wasn't sure how far it would go, but it just kept digging and digging, making it more urgent for Evelyn to cover the truths unearthed up.

Evelyn's narrative voice has a dark, bitter, sometimes intense and sometimes emotionally distant undercurrent. Much of this was understandable in following the contentions with her ex-husband and Martine's revealed identity. With Evelyn's interactions with Martine, it was also understandable that she was essentially collaborating with the other woman - who was in fact large parts of herself unveiled in another light. That made "The Echo Wife" a number of levels of WTFery that I found fascinating to watch unfold. However, I'd admit that this distance in narration provided a double-edged sword. She's cold and calculating, so it's no surprise that she would act in some of the ways she does with her desperation to keep things hidden, but there are certain revelations that she lacks an emotional response to that are hard and heavy in themselves. I didn't understand why she'd treat some revelations as afterthoughts compared to others.

Certain lulls in the overarching progression of plot also kept me from enjoying this book more, but I at least appreciated the exploration of the research, dedication to the execution of how Evelyn and Martine would cover things up and the subsequent falling out of those efforts. If nothing else, I think "The Echo Wife" can be enjoyed for what it offers - a slow-burn thriller with a sci-fi twist and an unlikely partnership. It's my first read from Sarah Gailey and I'll gladly pick up more of the author's work in the future.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher, but I also purchased an audiobook copy for my personal library.

I have enjoyed Mx Gailey's other titles and this one did not disappoint. A bit more science fiction than I normally would read, but it kept my interest.

Hmm. This book was not at all what I was expecting. I enjoyed the scientific elements, but the thriller elements fell flat. I was not as invested or as intrigued as I was hoping to be. I did enjoy the writing style, and will likely give her another go.

This was a very interesting topic for a novel. I enjoyed the story, but feel it was a little lacking in thrill. Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced reader digital copy of this book.

For a sci-fi thriller about cloning, I guess I should have anticipated the need to suspend all disbelief. While relatively fast-paced and with an interesting enough premise, <u>The Echo Wife</u> suffers from a plot absolutely riddled with holes... (See Goodreads review for spoilers).

The Echo Wife is the second book I’ve read by Sarah Gailey. Like Magic for Liars, the premise starts out interesting, but the story feels like it is missing something. The idea of clones in a domestic setting is intriguing, and there were some funny moments.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This book is one I couldn’t put down. Sarah Gailey is a powerhouse, and an author I will continue to recommend to my patrons!

THE ECHO WIFE was absolutely brilliant! Such a fun play on the Bluebeard tale. I loved and devoured this book!

Thank you to the publisher for a free netgalley. I am truly unsure why I put this one off. I struggled with the print version, but finally scooped up the audio. That was a game changer. I listened to the book in one day.

I enjoyed this premise a lot and every time I thought we were on the downhill, another twist would happen. Highly enjoyed this one. Definitely recommend for those who want more of a sci-fi thriller.

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be.

And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband.

Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.

This was a solid thriller. I'll definitely be back for more of Gailey's stories.

Overall this book wasn’t one I found engaging but I do think some others might like it. I’ll say it’s around three stars.

Sarah Gailey continues to impress and enrapture with their premises that dig their claws into you and just keep tearing. I always think I've signed up for some big, high-concept thing, but as soon as it's been set up, the rug is swiped from under me and I realize that, once again, I'm being confronted with a very personal interrogation of humanity and self.

The Echo Wife in particular delves in to what it means to be human, and the answers aren't comfortable, and also aren't quite answers.

And while the core of the book is in the personal and intellectual, that doesn't mean that the hooky premises don't deliver! I found myself gasping aloud on the bus at yet another twist, another reveal. I loved this one. Can't wait for the next Gailey, as always.

I received a digital advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the idea of this book. Imagine creating a clone that looks like you but has a completely different personality. Then finding out your husband is cheating on you with that clone. Then finding the husband dead. The whole concept was great but the book was not that exciting. There were plot holes and the books was not as fast paced as I was expecting. Overall it was an interesting read.

Holy cow this was so good! I was riveted the entire time. Like "Westworld" meets "The Need." The changes the reader goes through with their perceptions of the different characters was amazing.

Every book is a surprise from Sarah Gailey--you never know what subgenre they'll write next! This domestic thriller/cloning experiment gone wrong is a fun character study as we watch a scientist learn more about herself when she's able to watch from the outside.

This book followed Dr. Evelyn Caldwell, told in the first person point of view, as she got dressed up in a fancy gown to celebrate herself and her legacy. She won a prestigious award for her cloning work. However, she was not in a celebratory mood because of her husband's extracurricular activities.

Her husband Nathan, who worked with her before he changed career, utilized her research to create a clone version of Evelyn named Martine and cheated on Evelyn with the clone. The clone was made to do everything Evelyn doesn't, including wanting to be a mother. One day, after an argument, Nathan ended up gotten stabbed. Evelyn couldn't let the police know because the secrets will unravel and her legacy would be ruined. The story was told in the present with many memories of the past.

The Echo Wife was an interesting read, part science fiction that dealt with cloning and part mystery thriller that dealt with Evelyn's childhood and her parents. I liked seeing how information were planted into someone. It's a neat trick.

I liked how the ending came together. I'm glad there's a solution for everyone. A workaholic like Evelyn, I guess I can understand why she doesn't want to bother herself with another man. I do recommend everyone to read this book and I'm looking forward to reading different opinions.

TLDR: This was my first Sarah Gailey book, but will definitely not be my last. I thought the writing was fantastic - Gailey has a great grasp of the craft and storytelling in general. The story never gave anything away before it needed to and always when you wanted a bit more information. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a look at ethical cloning!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I thouroughly enjoyed this book. I've had mixed experiences with this author in the past but this is my favorite read from them yet!

This book took an impossible situation and kept diving down a series of rabbit holes lined with heavy emotion and motivation. I recommend this book for the thought experiment alone.

The Echo Wife is a really tight, focused blend of science fiction and domestic thriller. Gailey keeps the narrative close to Evelyn and Martine, never straying much further afield - we don't get to know many other characters and only get glimpses of the world outside of Evelyn's work and the events that unfold over the course of the book. I also appreciated that The Echo Wife is primarily focused on experiences of womanhood and an almost haunting sense of unsettledness within spaces, especially domestic.

I wasn’t quite prepared for the journey when I picked up The Echo Wife. It goes some pretty dark places, musing about the way people shape each other, the fingerprints we leave on each other — both metaphorically and for some people physically — and the way we re-enact our own traumas and fall into terrible patterns. Even the acknowledgements at the end are a hell of a thing: raw, truly thankful, but in some cases in a twisted way that hurts. Gailey has put a lot of pain into this book, and that could make it a really difficult read.

For me, though, it got its hooks into me and wouldn’t let go. I read it in two sittings — a whole 150 pages or maybe even more while my wife was on the phone with my parents-in-law. Okay, it must’ve been a long call, but wow.

I don’t want to say too much about the story, but it is not the kind of story where you necessarily end up liking the characters — all that matters is that you really get to understand the characters, the things that shaped them and the way they in turn shape their world. It’s a hell of a ride.