Member Reviews

Oh my word what a wild ride this story is!!! Our poor heroine is really put through it and I could hardly read fast enough at the end when the story comes to an almighty humdinger of a conclusion. I could picture the house so clearly and was sure I knew how this was going to play out until that curveball proved me wrong! A very satisfying read.

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ohh this had everything I love in a psych thriller...a desolate beach with roaring storms, a house to literally die for, money, lots and lots of money, alcohol and lots of that too, murder, lies and a cute dog.
Yes, I highly recommend this book for your summer reading!
5 stars for the book and 5 stars for the cover art!
Thank you #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Wow! "An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller" is the perfect description for this book! I read way past my bedtime a couple of nights simply because I didn't want to stop reading it. It was my first Arianne Richmonde book, and I will definitely be adding her to my list of authors to keep on the lookout for her next book. I will be recommending this book to friends for sure!

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This was a great rainy day mystery, and a nice distraction from everything currently going on in the world.

Although it didn't completely blow me away, it still kept me flipping through the pages at a frenetic pace, and I was left feeling satisfied by the time I was finished reading.

This is that type of story in which you can feel the dread slowly building in the pit of your stomach the deeper you delve into it, and there's a creepy sense of someone watching you, or looking over your shoulder whilst you are reading it.

This story was eerie in the way of one of my nightmares coming to life right before my eyes on the pages reading the events unfolding- being alone in a house as somebody stalks you, watches you, making you feel vulnerable and unable and unwilling to trust anybody around you.

Can you say creepy?!

Definitely a fun, eerie, psychologically thrilling read that will give you the chills!

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I was drawn to this book by the picture of the house on the cover of the book and the fact that it is set in The Big Sur, a beautiful but remote area in California - just right for a psychological thriller. The book is narrated by Juan's widow and begins approximately 6 months after his unexpected death. The widow is grief stricken, lonely an being intimidated by some mysterious notes and gifts and is being watched by a drone. Then she meets a set of triplets who are homeless and worried about their sick mother. Before you know it they have moved in but it quickly becomes apparent that things aren't as they seem.
This had quite a slow start but builds to a high tempo roller coaster finish. It is hard to like the narrator, partly due to the fact that she is never named and sees herself as insignificant or inferior to to her husband. In this sense she reminded me of the narrator of Rebecca. However, it's not just that - she lies. About silly things. She also acts in a totally naive and stupid fashion -making decisions that you want to scream at her for. The thing is that all of the characters lie in some sense or other and whilst some twists are easy to spot , others completely blindsided me. A great but sometimes frustrating read.

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The Wife’s House by Arianne Richmonde Reviewed on July 19, 2020 3.3 stars
I am a big psychological thriller fan. Take pride in figuring out the twists and turns.
I was so excited about getting this early release.

We have vacationed in Big Sur and it is without a doubt “THE” most beautiful place. Love this cover!!!
Story starts with our young (nameless) protagonist being a widow and left with a Cliffside mansion in Carmel-By-the-Sea, CA. The descriptions totally transported me there. The downtown boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants make for an amazing vacation.

Okay back to story….
Out nameless protagonist is grieving the loss of her husband and is turning into an alcoholic.
She is worried about strange things happening. Once when returning from the grocery store, there is a strange smell, additionally she is hearing sounds. She believe she may be going crazy; but is very suspicious when she sees a drone flying near her home and also finds a note in her mailbox. Yet is not suspicious when the triplets invite themselves into her home, stating the security gate was open. Hmmm once inside, while sitting around chatting, Dan sits on her kitchen counter. I thought ~ who are these brats?

I found myself yelling out loud at her for being so foolish with her actions and her decisions. Surely she has real friends!!!!
Thankfully this was a quick read and the ending was worth hanging in there!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture publications for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 24, 2020

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Super creepy and worse case scenario for this girl! Thank you netgalley for this arc. It was a good, solid creepy read!

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Okay, let me catch my breath, because this book was one wild ride. The book started out as a little like a psychological thriller, with me constantly questioning the narrator. However, the last quarter of the book was a complete roller coaster.

The Wife’s House by Arianne Richmonde really delivered on the thrill because by the time I finished the book, my heart was pounding and my palms sweating. I really liked the start of the book where there was a slow build, with us getting to know the characters. Personally, I didn’t like any of the characters. The narrator (was she ever named? I can’t seem to remember, oh dear) felt so daft to me, like who invites complete strangers to live with her with absolutely nothing out in writing? Then again, humans don’t always act rationally..

Still, the tension never flagged, slowly building throughout the book, till the climax which levelled shock after shock. I could have done without some of the action, because two deus ex machinas feels a little too much? Still, the final one was satisfying and hinted at right from the beginning so all is forgiven. All in all, a wildly entertaining read!

Diversity meter:
-

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Thank you to NetGalley and Arianne Richmonde for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife’s House is a psychological thriller of epic proportions. Our protagonist and narrator is an unnamed, shy, timid, self-conscious English widow. She is mourning the death of her husband, Juan, in the house he gifted her weeks before his death. Things in her life start to take a turn for the better, or so it seems.

This thriller tugs on all the heart strings, embarking the reader on a roller coaster of emotions, right to the very end. Her writing is imaginative, realistic, and made me feel as though I was inside the house at Cliffside. As I was reading the twists, my jaw dropped in shock. A fantastic piece of work by Richmonde; great story and well-written.

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Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review. The Wife's House is a fast paced domestic thriller about a young British widow living in a cliffside home in Big Sur. Much like the Du Maurier classic, Rebecca, the reader never learns the widow's name, her identity is inexorably linked with her late husband.

Still reeling from the death of her husband, the main character is surrounded by mysterious events which cause her to become paranoid. Despite this, when she meets a set of teenaged triplets on the beach near her home, it isn't long before the lonely woman takes them in. The triplets change from charming to menacing in no time and it's clear that nothing is quite what it appears to be.

The novel has several twists and turns and while I found some of the developments to be a bit outlandish, it was definitely entertaining. I enjoyed seeing the main character come in to her own. I think readers will enjoy the dramatic ending.

This is a solid thriller with a richly atmospheric setting. 4 stars.

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This was both heart pounding thriller and world's most annoying protagonist. I was rolling my eyes and not able to read them away from the story at the same time. So how do you rate such a book? I'm going with a 3 star as a result of my eye rolling but recommend it if you enjoy thrilling stories that are fast paced reads.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

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Complex thriller which was somewhat predictable ,although there were one or two surprises at the end.

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The Wife’s House was a quick read and well written. It took me awhile to get in to it but once I did I enjoyed it. There were a lot of twists in this story and the surprise ending I didn’t see coming. Thanks Netgalley for ARC.

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When Juan shows his new wife a beautiful cliff side home nestled in the cliffs overlooking the ocean at Big Sur, she falls immediately in love with it and promises to never live anywhere else again. The beautiful one of a kind home has floor to ceiling windows offering an unobstructed view of the ocean and distant beach, it also offers anyone in the adjacent woods to see directly into the home.

Just a few short weeks after moving into Cliffside, Juan is killed in a car accident on the way to the airport. Mrs. Trujillo must make a decision, stay in the house she loves all alone or leave and start a new life. Alone and lost without Juan she starts drinking, a lot. When she starts receiving anonymous notes and spots a drone overhead she becomes scared and is sure someone is stalking her and will find out her secret. One day on her walk on the beach Mrs. Trujillo runs into three teenagers who she immediately feels a connection with but isn’t sure she should trust them. The kids start hanging out at her house, where they once lived before they had to sell it to pay for their mom’s cancer treatments. With nowhere to live, Mrs. Trujillo asks them to move into the house with her. Things start off good but she quickly feels she is losing control of herself and her home. Were the kids honest with her about their past? Or are they to blame for her drinking and illness?

The Wife’s House was well written and a fast read, hard to put down sometimes. The twists were amazing even though the ending was a bit unrealistic. The author did a good job of having an overall sense of foreboding that had the reader waiting for the other shoe to drop. It makes you question those you think you can trust and those you sometimes can’t.

I enjoyed the story, it was fast passed and had some twists I didn’t see coming. I wanted to yell at Mrs. Trujillo when she invited 3 strangers to move live with her though! Another thing, is Mrs. Trujillo never was given a first name by our author, kind of an interesting way to write but it flowed well. I definitely recommend, especially on a good rainy day when outside is as eerie as the book.

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

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*Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Wow. "Unputdownable" describes this book very well. I could not, would not put it down. The novel begins with Mrs. Trujillo (no first name) beginning her life as a widow. Her husband, Juan, has promised her "Cliffside" which is a mansion sitting on the edge of a cliff in Big Sur, Ca. The mansion is all glass and with Richmond's unique descriptive prose, you can see the mansion clearly in your mind. MT is lonely, lost and 6 months into widowhood when we meet her. You learn after a few chapters, that her husband has driven his beloved mustang off of a cliff. In her loneliness, she befriends a set of triplets: Dan, Kate and Jen. She soon learns they are former residents of the house and the drama begins.

There are so many twists and turns to this story. From creepy to horror to surprise. Each chapter had the reader feeling something different. The ending is terrifying but everything comes together in one swoop. A must read for those who love thrillers with so many turns, you have no idea where you are.

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The Wife’s House by Arianne Richmonde is a perfect example of gripping psychological thriller. A recently widowed woman is left in a gorgeous house surrounding by glass windows on a California cliff overlooking the ocean. She is a very sad and lonely woman whose paranoia and insecurities open the novel. She also loves her alcohol which later blurs the lines of what is actually happening. Or is it? Who can she trust? I thoroughly enjoyed the writing about the beautiful California location and could clearly imagine the area and the house. This thriller had me guessing the entire time and has an interesting plot twist.

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Juan bought Cliffside in California to be their home. Juan is killed just weeks later. Widow remains in the house even after her mother pleads for her to return home to be near family.
The widow thinks she sees a drone flying overhead, then gets a note in her mailbox and then runs into triplets while walking who just happen to be the previous owners and there mom is sick. Too much.
The choices that the widow makes are too reckless for me.

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#TheWifesHouse #NetGalley
Big thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde for a free copy to review.
That said, let's get to business. Do you know that sort of book where you keep yelling at the protagonist disbelieving how the hell they are stupidly doing what they just did?! You will wish to hit her with her own book for her gullibility and naive.
A widow who will remain for the rest of the book unnamed_though every other character even the dog and the house itself has names_who lost her husband months ago and feels miserable and lonely in her prized CliffSide house invites a triplet to her house and to her life unassuming the sheer danger she invited with them. All the characters in the book are natural liars, you can't trust any of them. The setting is beautiful you would love to be there at Cliffside with her glass walls and breathtaking ocean view.
The writing style is good and engaging, a solid page turner though a slow burn in the first half.
loved the book as a whole and especially Beanie.

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I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t feel like this “unputdownable” thriller I was told it would be. I loved the scenery and as a native Californian, enjoyed reading about my own backyard, but scary notes, the flying drone, the annoying friend, just turned me of off.

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Oh gosh, what a MIND F*$K! I can't even. My mind is blown. Definitely a great read, a solid psychological thriller in my opinion.

So the description for the novel starts it off very well. "The perfect house or the perfect lie?"

Initially you are learning about the main narrator, the widow and her backstory. In other reviews that I've read, they've said that the narrator is unreliable... and I can definitely see that as I read along. She's paranoid, she's a little bit all over the place. I was drawn into her paranoia as I expect you're meant to. I no longer could differentiate what was bad and what was good, who to be trusted and who couldn't be, or even what was REALLY happening... is it a dream, is it real?

I was thrown for a loop throughout most of the novel, not sure who was out to get the narrator or was it the narrator out to get others? It was impossible, at least for me, to tell.

The ending shocked me, in that I didn't expect it coming... it was a good ending... tying up the loose ends well.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this novel and it was a relatively quick read!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!</i>

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