Thanks to @Negalley and @williammorrowbooks for Pretty Little Wife by @hkdimon in exchange for my honest review.

People tend to say that we marry people like our parents. For Lila Ridgefield, this is exactly what she was trying not to do. She marries Arron Ridgefield for his simplistic companionship, but one a night, she uncovers that there may be more to Aaron than meets the eye.

Spoilers ahead…!

As a result of what she uncovers, Lila plans to murder her husband. Just one problem: his body and the car she left him in to be found disappear and this turns into a missing persons investigation. Slowly, we realize that Aaron is not the all American teacher he perpetrated, but possibly something more insister.

This book had just the right number of twists and turns! I love a strong female lead that stands up for herself and other women. Even though Lila becomes a killer, I was never not rooting for her to come out of this whole situation unscathed. Who doesn’t love a little vigilante justice?

5/5 stars.

This book was awesome!! Every time I thought I had it figured out, a new wrench got thrown in and I was back at square one. The plot and pacing were both perfect. I absolutely loved it. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the chance to read Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Lila discovers her husband Aaron has an awful secret and she is the main suspect when he disappears. Where is Aaron? Even Lila is asking the same thing when he disappears from where she left him! I kept turning the pages until I found myself at the end of this suspenseful thriller. You will not regret the time you spend with this book!

Not your typical psychological thriller/mystery. This story has twists, family dysfunction and psychopaths. We follow our main character, Lila as she tries to get away with murder, but wait, what do you mean her husband, Aaron isn’t dead, only missing? I liked how the story wasn’t predictable, kept building throughout and had a few surprise twists. The police investigators suspect Lila from the beginning, but the evidence is not adding up. Her friend and lawyer, Tobias and her brother-in-law Jared are behind her and trying to help while the search for Aaron continues. The attention will reveal Lila’s secrets, but someone else is hiding something as well and this secret will change everything. Easy and gripping read that holds your attention.

We meet Lila who is in a marriage of convenience with her husband Aaron. Lila stumbles across a cellphone she didn’t know her husband had and uncovers sexually explicit videos of him with his young female students. Lila realizes she is married to a monster and knows what she has to do. ⁣
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The story jumps forward and now Aaron is “missing” although Lila knows he won’t be returning home- he is dead or at least he’s supposed to be. When his body isn’t discovered where she left it, the real mystery begins. Where is Aaron and what happened to him? ⁣
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I have so many thoughts on this one...there were some truly horrific reveals in this story that honestly left me feeling disgusted. I didn’t expect such dark and disturbing twists and they just didn’t sit well with me. I also really struggled to keep track of the male characters in this book which took away from the storyline. Thank you Netgalley for this advance reading copy. ⁣

What happens when your idyllic life isn’t so idyllic and your husband is actually an abusive, lying, cheat? Welcome to Lila Ridgefield’s personal nightmare. After a student vanishes, Lila’s husband also does, which leads police to question if the string of female disappearances are linked to Aaron. But when Aaron’s body doesn’t turn up, Lila is more confused than shocked. Shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?

This book was nothing short of thrilling. The chapters flew by and I couldn’t put it down. I loved Lila’s character and rooted for her… even if she was a murderer. I think that in the end Lila becomes a sympathetic character because there’s so much more going on than what meets the eyes.

I did guess the twist ending about halfway through, but in this case it was okay, because it added to the thrill. When would the twist be revealed? And how?

Overall, I gave this book 5 stars. Its quick pace and twists made this book go quickly, but also it kept me on edge. Definitely check out this domestic thriller.

There wasn’t much to like about Aaron, or Lila, but oh my gosh — this story pulled me in and kept me reading. From the start, when the panic was palpable as Lila found the phone (really, Aaron - same pin as your other phone?) and saw the videos, then frantically tore the bedroom apart to see if there was anything else to find, and when Aaron came home early to find her sitting in the middle of the mess she’d made, all the way through. I loved the way Lila’s panic was conveyed. And when her plan to kill him, and have his body found with the incriminating phone, went awry - it was a wild ride all the way. The lead detective, Ginny - there was a character to like - she was amazing.
All in all this was a really good thriller - lots of suspense and action all the way through!

Wonderful thrilling book!
Lila discovers something horrible about her husband. She doesn't really love her husband anymore anyway. It's all about him and she is the pretty little wife meant to make him look good. While she is not physically abused, there are many types of abuse. One morning her husband does not show up as a his job as a high school teacher and the police are immediately involved. Is Lila just the pretty little wife or is there more to her?

What I loved the most about this book is the twists never stopped. I love trying to figure out the end of the story as I read and with this book, I was not able to because just when you thought you had it figured out something new was brought in. I felt Lila was a very strong woman. She has overcome a lot in her past and now has a husband who views her a showpiece rather than a partner. Lila is smart and strong and that came across clear in this story.

Pretty Little Wife is a dark and suspenseful story that kept me on the edge of my seat! Lila's not just a pretty little wife in a quiet college town in upstate New York, she's also a former lawyer and real estate agent who's haunted by a traumatic past. Her husband, a popular high school teacher, goes missing and then a sly detective uncovers all the creepy secrets about this quiet little town. I could not guess what was gong to happen next and enjoyed every page of this thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty Little Wife is a fast-paced thriller that's easy enough to read, though very predictable. I thought the supporting characters (well, one, the dective actually trying to figure out what was going on--she was great!) were more fleshed out than the mc, who had the potential to be fascinating except that there was so much telling, and I wanted more showing! I think that given a few more books Darby Kane (pseudonym for Helen Kay Dimon) may write a less obviously formulaic thriller.

I love this! Great page turning thriller! In fact, I enjoyed this so much I chose it as my Book of the Month book so I can have a physical copy on my shelf to loan out to friends and coworkers. I can see this as your next book club thriller without a doubt! Some books it’s good to just go in blind without spoilers and I recommend that here!

Unpopular opinion time! This book just didn’t do it for me. I had a really hard time powering through because I honestly did not care to find the truth about what happened to Aaron 😅 I also predicted one of the major twists which took a lot of the fun out of it for me.

A whirlwind of a debut from Darby Kane. Lila has just found out something about her husband and though their marriage was far from conventional, she is completely devastated. Especially after the past she has endured and has tried to put behind her. When her husband goes missing one morning, she knows there’s something very strange about his absence. From there it’s a cat and mouse tale between the highly skilled detective, Ginny and the cool as a cucumber wife. The wife that knows much more than she’s telling!

I had heard so many good things about this novel from other reviewers that I simply had to request it and I'm so glad I did. This book is a great psychological thriller and not one to miss. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this title.

When I say this was a crazy page turner full of suspense, I mean it. This book had me guessing all the way through. Lila is the protagonist and the book starts off with her finding out a secret her husband Aaron has been keeping. Aaron is a popular teacher who is wealthy due to family money, but prefers to work at school and coach a young group of girls, but the secret Aaron is keeping could end him, Aaron ends up missing and all eyes are on Lila. Lila has tried to keep to herself due to her past with a father who raped and murdered her best friend when she was a child. Lila has changed her name to disassociate herself with her father ,and with Aaron missing the fears of her past coming back to haunt her are rising. With a podcaster reporting not only on Aaron’s case, but also on several missing young girls the heat is on. Aaron’s older brother Jared has a pretty close relationship with Lila and doesn’t want to believe Lila could’ve hurt his brother, but her nonchalant attitude regarding Aaron is causing him concern. Detective Investigator Ginny is hot on Lila’s tail and believes Lila did something to Aaron. Lila is a former high powered attorney and knows how to play the game, and she knows exactly what to say to much to Ginny’s frustration. After Aarons secret gets out the case takes a turn, and the public views on Lila change, Ginny is finding it harder to crack this case. Ginny is determined to figure out what happened with Aaron, but is she willing to take Lila down in the process. This book is a true rollercoaster ride.

Thank you Harper Collins and Scene of the Crime for this ARC.

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane is a suspenseful tale that will keep your heart rate up until the very end.

When Lila's husband Aaron goes missing, all eyes immediately look to her - and with good reason. The perfect trophy wife is suspect number one, and the police know she's not telling them everything. Being the lead suspect in her own husband's disappearance isn't Lila's biggest worry though, it's who moved Aaron's body after she disposed of it.

As the investigation continues, and more clues about what happened to Aaron are relieved, Lila realizes she knew less about her husband than she originally thought.

Readers will not want to miss Pretty Little Wife. While the whole, astonishing story isn't revealed until the very end, Kane revs up the suspense with each chapter as you try to figure out what really happened right along with Lila. The ending and reveal was perfect and nothing readers will see coming. The characters are very well done, and the book is hard to put down once the plot gets going. Perfect for fans of suspense and nail-biting endings.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this read!
Lila seems to have the perfect life with a husband (Aaron) that everyone loves. It is not what it seems. Lila is not what she seems and Aaron is definitely not what he seems. Suddenly Aaron goes missing! Everyone is trying to find him, except for Lila. She was the last one to see his body (yes his body) before it disappeared.
I really enjoyed this. The characters are all flawed and it worked to make a wild ride. There was always a little twist that kept me hooked the hole time. Near the end I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to see how it was going to wrap up. If you are in the market for a good thriller, I would recommend this one. It is a Book of the Month or comes out December 29!

Buckle up because this is one WILD ride! I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book, from start to finish. I had no idea what was going to happen or even what HAD happened. Just when I thought I was getting a grip on what was going on another curveball was thrown. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended!

Lila Ridgefield has been putting up with her husband Aaron’s controlling behavior for a long time. One day she makes a shocking discovery and decides to take action. Six weeks later, she is surprised when the principal of the high school at which Aaron works tells her Aaron is missing with no sign of his car or any indication he showed up at work. As the investigation into Aaron’s disappearance continues, Ginny Davis, the CID investigator, will wonder if Lila is a victim or a killer.

This book has some back and forth between timelines as well and points-of-view, switching between Lila and Ginny. There are also some true crime podcasts since Aaron’s case is noticed by the person broadcasting a podcast about young women in the area who have disappeared. Lila is both tough and vulnerable at the same time, while Ginny is intelligent and looking for justice. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game between the two of them. The book has several unexpected twists and the ending is both surprising and creepy. Some of the activities uncovered during the investigation are very disturbing but the book overall is suspenseful and entertaining. I think the book would appeal to fans of Alafair Burke or Karen Harper.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Scene of the Crime Early Reads for this ebook. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Wow, so she was the perfect wife. Took care of everything, and her husband. She worked in real estate so she could be the perfect wife. She always did what Aaron asked her to do until she just got tired of it and him.

So, she killed him, or she thought. But then his body disappeared?? What happened? Was he really dead, where did he go, who is taunting her?? And the list of questions goes on.. and on...

This was an intriguing story with some suspense in it. I did enjoy reading it and I will be looking for other books from this author!