Evelyn is a scientist who is making a name for herself in the field of cloning. Then Evelyn finds out her husband has used her science against her and created a clone of her. He has made the clone everything he would like Evelyn to be but she's not, like obedient. He divorces her and is engaged to Martine, her clone.

Then her ex-husband ends up dead and Evelyn and Martine have to cover it up. The more they try to cover things up, the more lies are exposed.

Great psychological mystery/thriller. Even if there weren’t many twists, what made the book great was the characters and the emotions. 4/5 stars.

I could not stop telling my family what was happening in this weird, terrible, wonderful book. Gailey demonstrates the brokenness of her characters a little at a time. I thought I knew was I was reading several times and was surprised and horrified at every plot shift.

A fabulous feminist sci/fi horror thriller.

An intriguing premise but the story didn't engage me as much as I was hoping. I've enjoyed Sarah Gailey's stories before so I'm interested in what they'll come out with next, however, this story didn't quite work for me.

I am giving it 3 stars for an original premise and my lingering thoughts about Martine and what would happen to her in the future. It also made me think about how far humans will go with their scientific discoveries in the future. Some parts was just glossing over so not what I would prefer. Seems rookie.

If you enjoy dystopian and sci fi and are willing to suspend belief, you may love this book.

Sarah Gailey’s books have been on my TBR list for far too long, and this month I decided to finally dive in with their newest release: The Echo Wife. This sci-fi and thriller blend follows the increasingly complicated relationship between Dr. Evelyn Caldwell and Martine, the clone her ex-husband Nathan created of Evelyn. When Nathan’s killed, the two women work together to cover up what happened, and in the process discover the other secrets Nathan’s been hiding. This is such an incredibly well-crafted book, and I loved Gailey’s use of cloning as an exploration of the way women are conditioned to behave, dream, and live the way society wants them to. The book reveals through both emotion and a lack of it just how deeply Evelyn’s impacted by all that’s happening around her. I know I'll be thinking of this one for a long time!

I could not put this book down. I loved the characters and was engrossed in the love story.

Echo Wife is the type of book that you think you know what is going on and then you have an "aha moment "and realize you were interpreting things wrong. About midway it goes a little "Gone Girl" and really picks up the pace.

The ending could have been better. I prefer a definitive ending, I don't like guessing what might have happened.

Westworld, meets Orphan Black, meets Stepford Wives. AKA THE DREAM. Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for my gifted e-ARC copy of "The Echo Wife" in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Caldwell is an award winning scientist, focused on her work, and making monumental discoveries --- and her husband is cheating on her behind her back with ... her? Martine is a genetically cloned replica of Evelyn, and his new wife. The story begins with his murder, and them needing to clean it up. It seems like that gives away the whole plot there - but trust me it does not. There is SO SO much more to this story.

I could NOT put this book down. I was instantly riveted and invested throughout the entire story, and glad that their were twists and turns my perceptive self did not see coming. Please read it, and message me, so we can talk about it because I am obsessed.

I’ll happily recommend this book to anyone hoping to dip their toes into the sci-fi genre. Clones, murders, and unlikely friendships.

Evelyn is a scientist who has perfected a system for cloning. She views clones as tools--a spare set of parts when one needs a replacement. She is horrified to discover her own husband has another idea. Their relationship is challenging and Nathan thinks he'd be happier if Evelyn was...different. She discovers that Nathan has created a clone of herself called Martine, when Martine invites her to coffee. When Nathan dies, Evelyn and Martine must work together to prevent people from finding out he's gone.

I really liked The Echo Wife. It was unlike anything I'd read before. I do wish it had been a little longer. The reader sees how Martine is developing a personality of her own beyond her programming but the book ends without seeing it through.

I loved that throughout Evelyn overcomes her own "programming"-- the result of a dysfunctional childhood -- and becomes more accepting of human (and clone) flaws.

"The Echo Wife" is a thriller novel centered around a woman named Evelyn, who realizes that her husband has been having an affair with Martine, a clone that Evelyn has created of herself. After Evelyn's husband dies, she and Martine figure out what to do from there.

I was a bit confused while reading the book, but there are some twists, turns, and surprises throughout, and I think it's a solid thriller novel.

The Echo Wife is a sci-fi tiller with mysterious elements. Evelyn's husband Nathan reminds me of Nick in Gone Girl, but in this story Nathan does not get off so easy. Strong female characters and a tale of science fiction based in reality with details that will have you day dreaming of your genetic clone walking into your life.

I am certainly in the minority with my opinion of The Echo Wife! While I really enjoyed and appreciated the writing and the themes, for me I just couldn't really connect with Evelyn, the main protagonist. I do love the premise and that is what caught my eye about this book.

Evelyn Caldwell has created a method to create clones. The twist occurs early on when we learn that Evelyn's husband has left her for Martine, who is Evelyn's clone! This is not a spoiler, trust me! Fascinating premise but I felt kind of dropped into the action and the story. I felt somewhat disconnected from the entire storyline.

Even though this book was not my favorite, I am very interested to see how this is developed into a limited series or movie. I didn't have an issue with Evelyn's unlikability and think that the whole idea of cloning is absolutely fascinating. The author's level of detail on the creation of clones is admirable!

If you enjoy reading science fiction and the exploring the ethics of cloning, then definitely pick this one up.

The bestselling author of MAGIC FOR LIARS returns with THE ECHO WIFE, a science fiction-inspired domestic thriller that upends the tropes of cheating husbands, angry wives and pliant mistresses and turns them into something far more.

Dr. Evelyn Caldwell is at the height of her science career and, simultaneously, the lowest point of her life. Although her research is finally gaining attention and investors, her husband, Nathan, has left her for another woman, Martine, to whom he is now engaged. On the night we meet Evelyn, she is due to accept the prestigious Neufmann Prize, but despite the endless champagne and congratulatory handshakes from her peers, all she can think about --- aside from her suffocatingly tight expensive gown --- is Martine. On a night that should be about Evelyn and her achievements, Nathan has stolen the spotlight, and everyone wants to know why two attractive, intelligent scientists would break up. With a pit in her stomach and a tightness in her lungs, Evelyn accepts the award and smiles through congratulations until she can get home and settle into her misery in peace.

When Evelyn returns to her lab, her safe place, the next day and finds a message from Martine, she is blindsided. Why would her husband’s fiancée want to drink tea with her, and what --- aside from Nathan --- could they possibly have in common to talk about? Oh right, their genetic makeup. Martine is a near-perfect clone of Evelyn, created by Nathan in secret to be everything Evelyn is not: patient, obedient, gracious and, above all, malleable. Where she differs from Evelyn, she excels; she has not been properly conditioned by exposure to the sun, broken bones, scars or wrinkles. As Martine stands to greet Evelyn, she releases a bombshell: she is pregnant. Martine’s existence is bad enough, but her pregnancy is not only a blow to Evelyn’s pride, but a scientific disaster, as impossible as it is morally fraught. Hurt, angry and terrified of the potential damage Martine and Nathan’s baby could cause to her career, Evelyn asks Martine to wonder why she was really created...and all hell breaks loose.

When Martine calls Evelyn again, Nathan is dead, and Evelyn is compelled to join forces with her in ways that she never imagined. Not only must the two Caldwell wives cover up Nathan’s death, Evelyn must go to terrible, careful lengths to protect her career. The Caldwell method of cloning has been controversial from the start, but it was approved only for the purposes of organ donation, research or body doubles for politicians. The existence of Martine --- and her scientifically impossible pregnancy --- will put Evelyn’s reputation and funding at risk, and she will forever be the scientist whose husband cloned a better her, rather than the brave, intelligent woman who made the science possible. To keep their secret safe, Martine and Evelyn decide that their only option is to clone Nathan...and that’s when things get really crazy.

THE ECHO WIFE is endlessly compelling, but it’s definitely a thriller that you need to enter a bit blind. Luckily for you --- and thanks to the author’s expert command of her plot --- even the summary above provides only the barest of details about this rip-roaring, razor-sharp powerhouse of a book. Sarah Gailey not only completely upends the cheating husband trope that has gained popularity in recent years, she pushes it to its limits, highlighting the power of good, speculative fiction and reminding readers how the right author can make a trope feel fresh and original. By setting her domestic thriller in a science-fiction world, she opens up the discussion for tricky questions about human creation, ethics, self-preservation and the idea of nature versus nurture. With Evelyn leading the way for her naive, new-to-the-world clone, the narrative takes on a bizarre but heartfelt mother-daughter dynamic that adds yet another layer to this complex novel.

The ideas of motherhood via weird science and female partners in crime teaming up against a shortsighted man are, quite simply, exhilarating, but what I found most intriguing about the book were the commentaries on sexism, misogyny and abuse. Gailey never shies away from the fact that even though Martine is Nathan’s creation, it is Evelyn whose career will suffer the most for it, just because she is his scorned wife. And later, as Evelyn and Martine create a careful alliance, Evelyn must unpack her own internalized misogyny as she watches Martine perform her genetically enforced routine of the perfect wife.

In one particularly poignant scene, Martine takes charge of several household tasks that Evelyn has been avoiding, commenting that it was “nothing.” Evelyn feels immediately challenged and believes that Martine is trying to undermine her in her own home, but then slowly realizes that Martine was only acting as she was conditioned to act --- the way that all women have been conditioned to act. Therefore, she must reassess everything she believes about her clone. The resulting queries and realizations have painful connections to Evelyn’s abusive childhood, and the comparisons Gailey draws to ways that abuse conditions and traumatizes brains are some of the best breakdowns of abuse that I have ever read.

Perfect for readers of THE WIFE BETWEEN US and MOTHER KNOWS BEST, THE ECHO WIFE is a breathtaking and fascinating thriller with just enough of a sci-fi edge to keep you on your toes. Don’t let the science scare you away. This character-driven novel is about so much more than genes and DNA. It’s about the emotions and ideas that keep us human, and how systemic inequalities can tear us apart.

Wow! This book was a thrill-ride from the start! Evelyn's husband, Nathan has divorced her and started over with Martine who is pregnant with his baby. But when Martine requests a meeting, Evelyn is shocked to discover that Martine could be her twin! Not really shocking as we find out that Evelyn is a scientist who has perfected the art of cloning humans. That's all you need about the plot. Needless to say, there are plenty of plot twists and creepy turns that will have your head spinning! Stepford Wives re-imagined in the modern world! It's chilling in its intensity and darkly pleasing as Gailey examines marriage, science, biology, motherhood, resentment, and revenge in this novel that poses several questions about the nature of cloning humans: what will the repercussions be if we allow science to over-rule natural selection? This book will play with your head (but in a good way). I loved it!

Dr. Evelyn Caldwell is a geneticist specializing in cloning, at the pinnacle of her career: The Echo Wife begins with a banquet at which she is given a prestigious award. At the same time, Evelyn is at a low point in her personal life. She’s a prickly loner and a workaholic, and her husband Nathan has recently left her for another woman. What makes matters far worse is that Nathan, a far less brilliant scientist than Evelyn, has stolen Evelyn’s research to clone Evelyn herself to grow himself a new wife, Martine, using programming methods to make Martine a softer, more submissive version of Evelyn. Nathan even finds a way around the sterility built into the foundation of the cloning process. Martine is pregnant, while Evelyn had adamantly refused to have a child in the earlier days of her marriage to Nathan.

So Evelyn lashes out at Martine, using her cruelest words, and it raises enough questions in Martine’s mind that later that evening she asks Nathan whether he cares what she wants for herself. In the resulting violent fight between Nathan and Martine, Nathan ends up dead. Martine has no one to turn to but Evelyn, and Evelyn reluctantly helps because her entire career could be torpedoed if the truth about Martine comes out. So between them they clean up the mess and bury Nathan’s body, but now there’s a new problem: how are they going to explain Nathan’s disappearance? Well, Evelyn is the world’s foremost expert in cloning …

On one level, Sarah Gailey’s The Echo Wife is a science fiction thriller, a compelling read that kept me glued to my chair until far into the night. There are some shocking but logical plot twists, and unnerving disclosures about all of the main characters. Flashbacks to Evelyn’s childhood, especially her interactions with her intellectually gifted but abusive father, help to show why she’s developed into a cold, career-obsessed person with a venomous tongue. It also becomes apparent to Evelyn that, though she was fully aware of Nathan’s tendency to cut corners, she never really knew who he was. Meanwhile, Martine is struggling with many of the limitations that Nathan has programmed into her, and Evelyn isn’t sure whether to be pleased or alarmed when Martine is able to bypass her conditioning.

The soft science fictional aspects of The Echo Wife are the weakest part of the plot. Conveniently, Evelyn’s cloning technology allows her to create a fully adult clone in a hundred days, one that is physically indistinguishable from the person who was cloned … at least, after some physical “conditioning” is done on the clone’s body to give it the scars, broken bones, etc. to match the original person. (Evelyn takes an unholy amount of pleasure in conditioning the Nathan clone’s body and having Martine participate in that process.)

Previous recordings taken of the original person’s brain — again, it’s suspiciously opportune that Evelyn has an older recording of Nathan’s brain — are sufficient to implant a full set of memories into the clone’s brain, including physical abilities that one might think would take a clone much longer to master, but somehow at the same time the scientist is able to modify those recordings to emphasize certain personality traits and memories and remove others. Gailey tosses around a few scientific phrases like “telomere financing” and “cognitive mapping,” but still, there’s an awful lot of handwaving surrounding the science and methodologies of cloning.

What does strike me as brilliant, however, are the psychological aspects of The Echo Wife. The main characters, as mentioned above, are all deeply flawed, but their shortcomings as well as their positive personality traits make them fascinating and multilayered personalities. There are also larger themes and issues woven into the story. The humanity and human rights of clones are one key element: Clones are viewed by Evelyn and the world generally as mere “specimens,” disposable for any or no reason (and in fact they are almost always disposed of after a few months), despite the fact that they are living, intelligent beings. But the more Evelyn gets to know Martine, the less she is able to rationalize this worldview … and yet so much of her career depends on it.

Another message, perhaps more subtle, concerns patriarchy and its evils, displayed by both Nathan, who blithely disposes of women who don’t meet his needs, and by Evelyn’s father, who physically abuses females who don’t obey him ... and even(view spoiler)

When I first read The Echo Wife, I was caught up in the suspense aspect of the novel and the twists of the plot. On my second read, I found it equally gripping, but for completely different reasons, more connected to the themes and the internal struggles and psyches of Evelyn and Martine. It’s an unusual, thoughtful and unsettling thriller, well worth the read.

I really loved this! It was twisty and I had no idea what to expect. The entire time I felt like I was holding my breath waiting for the house of cards to fall. Is the science legit? Who cares. The story is super cool, super unique, and I especially loved that both Evelyn and Martine aren't what you think they are.

I went into this book thinking it would be one genre, and was pleasantly surprised by the direction it took! In this book we follow Evelyn, who is recently divorced and has been recognized for her work with cloning humans. What she didn't realize that the person her ex-husband left her for was a clone of herself. Not only that, but the clone, Marteen, has killed her ex-husband and needs her help.

I thought this one was going to be a mystery/thriller, but it leaned pretty heavily into scifi. There was a lot of discussion about how cloning humans work and the ethics involved in their creation in this world. I really enjoyed learning the theoretical parts of what Evelyn was doing in her lab and how they made replicas of various people. I also enjoyed Evelyn as a character. She was very no nonsense and very direct in her thoughts and actions. I also enjoyed seeing how Marteen changed throughout the story and how external factors really influenced her personality later in the story.

There were a lot of twists and turn throughout the books, but the end of the story was a little anti climactic comparatively and I couldn't help but feel a little let down by that fact. But overall I enjoyed this one!

As I was finishing up this book I thought, "I could see this being a movie," and sure enough, as I get to the last pages, I read about the novel being optioned, and thought I heard Amy Adams's name being bandied around.

And why not? It's a scientific thriller. A somewhat cold divorced scientist discovers her ex-husband stole her research and created a clone of her, conditioned to be the perfect little wife she could never be. Evelyn's retort to her clone, Martine, at an unwanted meeting over afternoon tea--"Why do you think you exist? What are you even for?"--kicks off a violent incident that then binds the two women together. Evelyn can't reveal the greatest living example of her life's work because the complete violation of ethics will destroy her legacy, and Martine struggles to come to terms with knowledge of the world that Nathan--her fiance and Evelyn's ex-husband--hid from her.

It brings up issues of our innate human nature: does a brain formed by very specific stimuli then recreated in another continue that mind's trajectory, despite different conditioning? Can it override conditioning? And what choice does one truly have if one has been programmed to "choose" from a pre-determined range of options? Despite Evelyn's highly abrasive nature that gets in the way at times, this novel provides much food for thought.

This one was super intriguing. The ending threw me off a bit, but I really loved the premise. I love that Sarah is up to try anything, and I'm happy to follow them wherever they go!