Member Reviews

Wow! What a thriller! When the wife inherits the house on the cliff in Big Sur is it a blessing or just another million dollar home? Will her loneliness be thwarted by the triplets? Who are they really? What do they want? What is buried in the yard that has our heroine so worried? Pippa is an old friend of husband Juan, but is she who she seems to be? Arianne Richmonde spins a tale of intrigue and mystery with expert description and characters who morph into good and bad guys and gals and back in an intricate plot that will keep surprising you. I thoroughly enjoyed this "can't put it down" book and applaud the author for her talent and authorship of a great suspense novel. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Cliffside is the house in question. It’s a wow house on the Big Sur, sleek lines and glass. The wife is a widow grieving for husband Juan. She’s very lonely but self contained, has few friends and is not especially close to her parents back in England. Several unsettling events occur that make her feel even more vulnerable and as if she’s being watched. One day while out walking the extensive grounds of the property she meets fraternal triplets Dan, Kate and Jen. They seem friendly, they are extremely helpful to her and she becomes increasingly reliant .... the story is told by the widow.

First of all, the author had me at Big Sur, a stunningly beautiful location which is easy to picture, as is the property - think Grand Designs. The characters are well portrayed although not likeable at all. The widow is utterly infuriating so you need to suspend disbelief at her gullibility, stupidity and her dumb acceptance of every line the triplets spin her but you so want to yell at her as she brings disaster down on herself. All the characters are liars, some are just telling bigger lies than others. There are some hugely melodramatic events but one things for sure, it’s a twisty rollercoaster read! Some of the dialogue is annoying, for instance one of the triplets ends a sentence directed at the widow with ‘little lady’ which grates on my nerves! However, setting all that aside, just go with the flow and it’s a very entertaining piece of escapism! I really like how the weather is used to add drama on top of already dramatic events so much so that I think this would make a great movie!

Overall, fun, over the top, you want to yell and scream but it’s compelling reading!

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

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Our unnamed protagonist has been widowed for 6 months. Lonely and desperate, she finds some solace in alcohol in her cliffside glass house.; She is in her late 20's and misses her husband, Juan, terribly...

Being isolated in Big Sur is nice - but it does have its downside. As solitude creeps in to the widow, she befriends 20 year old triplets - Dan, Kate & Jen. Although a bit wary, the widow invites them in for tea. A mistake? Perhaps...

A very good read. The descriptive side of this story is fantastic!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a fun read.

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This is gripping, heart pounding and completely unpredictable. I have needed a book that will capture my attention and keep me guessing and this has been that book.
I haven't read anything by this author before, I am now very excited to. This book has definitely converted me as a fan of this author.
I haven't been able to put this one down, not that I would've wanted to at any point. I've been on the edge of my seat wanting to know more. This is the unpredictable read which I have been looking for.
I have literally been suspicious of every character in this book, they all have the potential to be evil. The narrator has made me want to scream more than once, but I absolutely wouldn't change that.
This is full of twists which will keep you guessing. I cannot wait for this author's next book. I will definitely be looking out for that one. A great read which I can't wait to recommend. Definitely five star worthy.

Public review to follow on blog tour.

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Thanks to NetGalley I was able to receive an ARC of this book. It’s been a few hours since I finished it and I can’t decide how I feel. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t love it either. Although I read it in less than 24 hours I skimmed a lot. The main character continued to do things that just didn’t seem believable. I really disliked the ending and the epilogue didn’t make it any better.

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This book started off really strongly. I enjoyed the writing style a lot, it was easy to get into and the story intrigued me from the beginning. The characters felt very real and the psychological aspect was amazing, the main character's stress and anxiety really translated well through the writing and I found myself really immersed in the story. The atmosphere was wonderfully creepy and the more suspicions and secrets were revealed the more I found myself loving the book.
After the first half of the book, it was getting somewhat repetitive and it dragged out a little for a while, and the ending seemed well built up but then didn't quite match up to my expectations. I felt like some aspects felt a little random and didn't fit into the story as well as others.
I did guess part of the plot twist in the end, but it was still unexpected and shocking enough that it kept me engaged and I couldn't put the book down. I would definitely read other books by this author in the future because I was really impressed by how well the characters were written and how the atmosphere was built up.

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Not long after Juan buys his wife Cliffside, a beautiful mansion overlooking the ocean, he dies in an accident. Despite now being a widow, she vows never to leave her dream house. But, by doing so, she is now alone and slowly slipping into paranoia, depression and alcoholism. She's convinced someone is spying on her with a drone, leaving her ominous messages and even breaking into her house. Then she meets triplets, who tell her they used to live in her house and start ingratiating themselves into her life. Sadden by the siblings story of a dying mother and homelessness and desperate to have companionship, she invited them to stay in Cliffside with her. Did she just invite in friends or foes? Has her loneliness blinded to her to the real danger?

Firstly, I'll say what I did like about the book. The setting at Big Sur and the town of Carmel is absolutely stunning! The descriptions of the house and the views transported me there and were enjoyable to read.
That being said, a beautiful setting can't save a book from mediocre storytelling.
The protagonist (who remains nameless throughout) is supposed to be well educated with a successful career, however, she just comes across as naive and helpless. She doesn't appear self sufficient, she believes anything anybody tells her and continuously makes stupid decisions throughout the book. I just wanted to scream at her! A goldfish has better sense than this woman!
Additionally, this feels like a book I've read before. It didn't really bring anything new to the table in terms of the psychological thriller/domestic noir genre. I found it unsatisfying in it's predictability. About 5% in I pretty much knew how it would end. I'm not sure if the writing was that transparent or if I've read this exact plot before.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I liked the premise and I did finish the book, albeit with some skipping around, but I can't recommend it. All of the characters are unlikeable. Every single one. We also never find out the name of the main character. I found myself trying to care about someone in this story and couldn't do it. Also, it was described as a "pulse-racing psychological thriller" and I didn't find that to be the case.

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Wow. This book is a real atmospheric mystery about a woman who has recently lost her husband that retains the home that they bought together. There are all these really scary elements to the house, is her husband back or is there another reason? I love this book I was literally on the edge of my seat until the last page.

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4.5 stars
This story was a never-ending fast-paced that gave me goosebumps all the time while reading it.
Somehow, the author managed to keep me engaged to read it in one sitting and I honestly was fearing for what’s to come next. It’s more than suspenseful and what the kids managed to do it goes on borderline creepy and unbelievable at the same time.
To be honest, the whole story was different from what I usually read and had my heart pumping really fast. I can’t say that I got close enough with anyone, not even the heroine but what I will say is that I am looking forward to reading other books by the author in the genre.

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This story is about a widowed, British woman living in a glass house on a cliff in Big Sur. She is grieving the loss of her husband and is a deeply lonely soul. Enter the triplets - three young adults who befriend our protagonist and move their way into her heart and home. But things are not as they seem. There were so many twists and turns with this story, it kept me on my toes and constantly second guessing my assumptions of how this story was going to go. Was the ending a little over the top as some reviewers suggest? Yes, it was - and I personally loved it! It worked. I really enjoyed this book and am already looking for more to devour from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing an early copy of this book for me to read and review.

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Yes! The Wife’s House is the heart-pounding, double-crossing summer noir thriller I have been waiting for.

The wife in question is a widow, who was married to a handsome and mysterious guy named Juan. Juan recently died in an “accident.” She is lonely. When three young adults come to the land near her house for a picnic, she strikes up a friendship with them and soon learns that they once lived in the cliffside mansion that now belongs to her. And as it turns out, they’re all now homeless, living with friends. She enjoys their company so much, and they’re so down on their luck...surely it would be nice to have them move in with her?

This book moves at a breakneck pace, with potentially evil and murderous characters everywhere. You will wonder about everyone, including the unreliable narrator. It’s a super interesting premise filled with the kinds of twists and turns you might find in a 40s noir film.

This is the kind of book in which the narrator does stupid things. You will be screaming at her, frustrated, as she falls into all sorts of dumb traps. But that’s by design and a big part of the fun. You will have to suspend your disbelief a little at times to go along with the roller coaster ride of a plot.

The book isn’t perfect plot wise and if you don’t like watching characters do stupid things it might annoy you, but to my mind the character was perfectly crafted so I could understand why she did all the things she did (stupid and less stupid). Bottom line - this book was so unputdownable that I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it and wishing I had finished it. And when I did finish it, I loved the ending.

An awesome, twisty book with a great narrator and a ton of thrills. This author is going on my list of “must reads,” and I hope she hurries up and writes another thriller soon!

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Arianne Richmond for the ARC of this super fun book!

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The book grabbed my attention from the start. I didn't have any speculations of what would be "the BIG twist" throughout the first have which I found very clever and pleasing since many books give away the plot twist to soon. But once I hit the middle to last I start having big speculations and solving the mystery but still found it surprising. I enjoyed seeing the protagonist change throughout the book, and transform into herself. The writing reflected the state of the protagonist very well, which made it very easy to picture throughout the story. Sometimes I felt that they story was carrying on too much which made me a bit less enthusiastic but the ending made me finish with a smile. Enjoyed it very much. A fun, quick read. Very mysterious, well written, and twits at the end!!! I read it on a rainy day which made me feel like I was in Cliffside, definitely a plus. Very recommendable and more in a rainy day with a tea in hand just like in The Wife's House!

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Psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres and this book is definitely it. Although it started a bit slow for me, the build up of characters was developed quite thoroughly.

Written in first person point of view, the main character at first looked weak and wishy-washy. A lonely widow in a great big glass house by the cliff is the perfect setting for a murder mystery but in this case it is more than that. You have to dig deeper into her persona and she eventually will grow on you. I wasn't very sympathetic to her paranoia and self-pity at times but once you learn her family history then you realise why she is that way.

"Awake, my brain lived in a deep freeze. But asleep, in my dreams, it thawed. Slowly defrosting...dripping into coherent memories."

This writer makes the antagonists a bit more like caricatures. The last quarter of the book was spectacular in so many ways and a bit over-the-top but hey, I love things that go bang! I am not sure however if I agree with the heroine's decision in the end. If you want a book that will make you think deep and your heart skip a few beats then give this one a try. (I was given this arc by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

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In the tradition of du Maurier’s Rebecca, the widow at the heart of The Wife’s House remains unnamed. She’s Mrs. Trujillo, a property of her husband. After losing him, she’s nothing. She owns a big, awesome house by the beach but she’s slowly killing herself with champagne (there are worse ways to go, I guess). She’s needy, paranoid and so morose that I honestly didn’t expect to care much about her. And yet, the author’s writing is so accomplished, that I couldn’t help getting sucked in. When she meets triplets who get too close to her, I kept yelling at her. When she keeps making bad decision after bad decision, I kept wanting to throw my kindle at the wall. The slow spiral into madness is like watching a train wreck, you know it won’t end well but you can’t look away. The twists were mostly unexpected and I kept suspecting the wrong people all the time. Don’t let the blue skies of California and the spectacular glass house fool you, this is a Gothic novel. A good one. Thank you, NetGalley/ Bookouture!

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I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn’t. The premise of it was good but I couldn’t get into it. It seemed all over the place and a little too unrealistic. I didn’t find the widow likeable and her behavior at times made me laugh as did her thought process. The end of the book did hold my interest a little more than the rest of the book though.

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It's rare that a thriller grips me from the first few pages, but this one did — and it admirably didn't loosen its hold until the end. I don't want to reveal too much, but the atmospheric setting, plentiful WTF moments, and numerous plot twists all made this one of my favorite recent reads. If you constantly chase good thrillers like I do, you'll want to pick this one up ASAP.

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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okie, I don't think synopsis told much about the story, there is more. Our un-named protagonist is living alone in her beautiful cliffside house. After the death of her husband, she feels alone and torn. (She doesn't even have a name after his husband's death, so yes she doesn't have any other identity -_- except a wife and widow). She is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. One day she found a drone stalking her and a few creepy messages. Someone must know about her secrets.

Let me say this, 75% of this book was so depressing and sad. I was continuously shouting on characters for being so dumb, I was so angry about making wrong choices and deliberately closing eyes. I was disgusted with characters being so cruel and unfair. The author smartly tricked the readers at many places, when I was expecting twists from the east they were coming the west. The last 25% of the story was a roller coaster ride, so many things were happening and so quickly. I'd be happier if this book was 230-250 pages. If characters weren't much blindfolded in 50% of the book. 

My favourite thing was the ending, everyone served right. All the ends were tied, everything made sense, which made me really feel better.

An interesting book though.

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This book was remarkable read! It had me hooked from the very first page!

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for this amazing ARC!

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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my free digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Anchored on the side of a Big Sur cliff, clings “Cliffside” the dream home, of all dream homes. The floor to ceiling windows offer an unobstructed view out into the abyss of the sea and distant beach, and coincidently, offers a perfect view IN for any lurkers in the woods. Loneliness seeps in for widower Mrs. Trujillo after her husband suddenly dies, leaving her alone with her thoughts of what’s out there in the woods. Is she going crazy? Many would call this place paradise, but the widow can’t escape the feeling of being watched. She returns home from shopping to find odd scents in the house and anonymous notes in her inbox. Then one day a mysterious drone is spotted hovering over her property. It’s no surprise that it comes as a relief when Mrs. Trujillo stumbles onto some friendly faces; the triplets: Dan, Jen, and Kate who are only too happy to keep her company.

Laced with an underbelly of chilly foreshadowing, deceit, and coincidences, The Wife’s House delivers on suspenseful storytelling of one woman’s fight to keep her good spirits, sanity, and possibly, even her life.

I was most excited to read this book because of its setting. I grew up in the Big Sur area, and know the high stakes turns of Highway 1 and its sudden drops, very well. The beauty of the winding coastline, the redwood forests and neighboring cottages of Carmel-By-the-Sea are unmatched in beauty and author Arianne Richmonde got these details perfectly. Weather in Big Sur is also “so much bigger” (more dangerous) then in other locals so I was happy to see that play a large role in this story. The pacing was also great, and with every side glance or manipulation I was turning pages long into the night, to find out more.

So a few things I didn’t like. I found it very hard to concentrate on the story for the first 50 pages because I kept waiting for the main character’s name to be revealed. After a while I gave up and accepted that she was “the wife” but this delayed my sense of grounding with the main character. I also wasn’t a fan of the explosive ending or the final reveal on the beach -that led to a life changing choice. (I’m being super cryptic to avoid spoilers.) I was also hoping for something different for Jen, but that’s just my preference.

All in all it was a fun, psychologically thrilling read. I recommend this to anyone who has visited Highway 1 and knows of its impressive cliffs and most importantly of the creeping fog that always seems to loom just around the bend.
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I'll be sharing identical reviews on my Instagram Account: @EdibleReads, Goodreads account, and FB. Good luck and thank you again for the digital copy!

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