I would give this one three and a half stars. I really liked reading this one! While there were parts that seemed to drag on, I was invested in Lila Ridgefield and if she was involved in any of the happenings that occur. I did figure out part of the twist and expected the ending but overall think this was a pretty good debut for this author and I hope that they write more in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Lila and Aaron have a perfect life, both good looking, lovely house in an upper-class neighborhood, financially well off, and Aaron is a beloved teacher in the community. So why does Lila decide to murder her husband? As the facade begins to fracture, we see that things are not as perfect as they appear on the surface. Lila finds hidden videos of her husband's students in compromising situations. Numerous videos, showing he's been exploiting and abusing his students for years. Lila devises a plan to kill her husband. The plan was perfect and went off without a hitch. Until his body and his car are not found where she left them. Lila is left wondering if she didn't actually kill him or if someone knows what she did.

Lila, of course, becomes the center of the police investigation. Her emotionless demeanor rubs lead investigator Ginny the wrong way. Lila struggles to keep her cool, especially when she receives notes claiming to know what she did. She worries that Aaron is still alive and is plotting his revenge.

In addition to Lila's missing husband, there are also three missing college students. Are the cases related or coincidental? This picturesque town has secrets that run deep.

My Evaluation of the Book: Pretty Little Wife is a roller coaster ride of a story. I thought I knew how the story would end, but I was completely wrong. None of the characters are what they appear to be, and the author developed layered and complex characters that keep you guessing who is ultimately responsible. The ending was shocking, and I raced through this story to uncover all the hidden secrets.

My only fault with this book is that Aaron was such a diabolical character that I don't think it is entirely believable that no one knew what he was up to or that none of the students let it slip about their sexual encounters. He deserved so much more than he got, and Lila should get an award for putting up with him for all those years.

Calling all domestic thriller fans—Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane is an absolute MUST READ!! I am completely blown away by how flipping well written this novel is! Honestly, I read a lot of thrillers, so most of the time I can predict how a storyline will play out and Darby Kane had so many twists and turns I NEVER SAW COMING with an ending that left my jaw hanging wide open!!! Being that most of us have watched all of Netflix in the past couple of months and are looking for some new entertainment, I highly recommend this 5+++++ star read as the perfect way to spend your weekend! From the very first page I was 100% on the hook and I will definitely be 1-clicking ANYTHING Darby Kane comes out with next!

This was a well executed thrill ride!

I enjoyed this, but the most baffling part is that after finishing I still have questions as to what protagonist, Lila, actually planned and what just played out. Even from her POV she was a very difficult character to understand. I think Kane did a good job in mixing up perceptions which made her mental state in constant limbo. The only thing that I thought could’ve been done differently was the ‘hunting party’ part at the end. Felt that it wasn’t needed and was too far fetched to be believed. I noticed in the authors note that this was Kane’s first attempt in this genre and I must say the story came off as if written by a seasoned mystery writer. 4 stars.

This gave me “Gone Girl” vibes! It was so interesting and kept me wondering “did she or didn’t she?” I couldn’t stop reading this that I was up to the wee hours this morning because it’s that good! You just don’t want to put it down.

4.5 stars. Did she or didn’t she? That is the question that grabbed me and made me read into the wee hours of the night! Lila killed her husband . . . or not? His body disappears from where she left him and the intrigue begins. Bad men and damaged women. Fascinating character development, particularly with Lila. Lots of twists in the tale. Told in several time frames, from a few months to a few weeks ago and current. A great mystery/domestic thriller that definitely grabbed me and wouldn’t let me put it down.

I couldn’t help but feel for Lila as more of this story unfolded. I ended up enjoying her personality more than I thought that I would. More than meets the eye is a running theme within this book, especially with most of the characters. The constant struggle between Ginny and Lila was intriguing to watch unfold. Not one, but two, strong fighting for their version of justice. Offsetting Ginny and her husband with Lila and Aaron brought both relationships into stark contrast. You never know what is lurking beneath the surface of something that seems idyllic.

There were a LOT of shocking twists – right down to the very end. While the end was indeed shocking it was so good – like a self-satisfied cat. Pretty Little Wife is a rapid-fire suspense thriller that I wholeheartedly enjoyed, it was hard to set it down. After all – like the blurb says, if you kill someone you wouldn’t just expect them to disappear right?

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy domestic suspense, serial offenders, thrillers, and dark mysteries. This book would be perfect for fans of The Girl from Widow Hills. I can only hope Darby Kane continues to write, this debut was one of the best I’ve read in a while – I’ll be on the lookout for further novels. As always, thank you to William Morrow, Scene of the Crime FB Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Pretty Little Wife – all opinions are my own. *Rounded from 4.5 stars*

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When Lila discovers her husband does something unforgiveable she doesn't plan to divorce him, she plans to kill him. But all her best laid plans do not prepare her for the day his best friend says he's missing. In trying to discover what happened to him, and keeping secrets from the police, this book takes turn after turn. I was surprised by what actually happened. I liked all the characters, Lila, her friend the lawyer, her brother-in-law, and Ginny, the woman investigating the disappearance. I would recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and William Morrow Paperbacks.

Wow! Great book!
Such a great premise, we know that Lila has supposedly killed her husband and left his body in his car at the school where he teaches, hoping that others will find him and believe he has committed suicide. A short time before Lila found out some horrific information about Aaron. Yet Aaron's boss shows up at their house saying that Aaron never showed up to work. Lila is puzzled, but the car--and Aaron--have vanished.

The story takes many twists and turns as Lila and the various people involved in Aaron's life are questioned by police officers Ginny and Pete, who are determined to reveal everyone's secrets, no matter how hidden. My head was spinning because there are so very many secrets that the characters are hiding. It wasn't until nearly the end that everything started coming together for me and clicking into place--and wow, what shocking events those turn out to be!

Highly recommended psychological thriller, one of the best I've read in a while.

This is an absolutely brilliant debut! This domestic suspense will suck you in and you'll be stuck with it in your hand straight through until you finish. Lila Ridgefield is not exactly a likeable character but you can't help but be drawn into the story. The whole town is looking for her missing husband, Aaron...well everyone but Lila. She has her own worries - she was the last one to see her husband's body and now it isn't where she left it. I loved the way the story developed - we were in on Lila's secret but were left in the dark to know what happened after she dropped Aaron off, just like she was. The novel had enough side stories and characters to keep me guessing and in the end Kane brought everything together in a way I did not expect! I look forward to reading more by Darby Kane.

I ended up reading the physical copy of this and definitely enjoyed it. It was very good and I loved the story. I would definitely read more from Darby Kane. The writing was impeccable and I'm even more happy that Book of the Month picked it up.

I really enjoyed this thriller that reminded me of My Lovely Wife and Before She Knew Him (in all three, there is a big reveal right in the beginning). Lila murdered her husband - we know that straightaway. But why and how she did it and where his dead body went are the mysteries that unfold throughout the book. In addition to those plot points, several women have gone missing in the area recently and Lila and her husband Aaron both have very disturbing events in their pasts. The story kept me captivated and guessing until the end, with a satisfying conclusion.

I was so excited about this book- I badly wanted to love it as much as I thought I would.

Without giving too much away, I can say this; the writing is fluid, solid, and informative about the lead character. But it is almost too informative and I left this book feeling like I was told way more than I was shown. I would have really liked to be more surprised because everything about the premise told me I would be.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This book was great! It kept you guessing about exactly who did what. Lila was very unlucky when it came to the men in her life. It's scary how you can not know the person you live with. Some of the characters were a little hard to connect with because for awhile I was struggling to remember who was who, but as the book kept going and I couldn't put it down, it because easier to connect just because of the time I was "spending" with the characters. If you're a fan of domestic thrillers, I recommend this book.

I can't say enough about this book! So many twists and turns and the ending is so unexpected. One I will definitely read again!

From the outside, Lila Ridgefield appears to have a perfect life. She's beautiful, intelligent, and is married to her husband, Aaron Payne, a high school teacher and girls' field hockey coach who is seen as a pillar of the community in the lovely college town in which they reside. But looks can be deceiving and as three female college students have gone missing without a trace, Lila finds evidence that Aaron is hiding a very big secret. She decides to take matters into her own hands and kill him. She thinks she has a foolproof plan to bring Aaron's crimes to light... until his body goes missing. Are the disappearances connected? With Lila as the main suspect into Aaron's disappearance and no trace of the missing girls, the police are desperate to solve the crimes and figure out if there is a connection.

This book was "cuckoo bananas"! It was a non-stop wild ride from beginning to end and kept me guessing all the way through. There is no slow build-up because you are thrown right into the mystery from the very start. Told from the perspective of both Lila and Ginny, the lead investigator into Aaron's disappearance, this is a rollercoaster of a whodunnit. The evidence is constantly shifting, putting almost everyone in Aaron's orbit directly into the crosshairs of the police, until the very jaw-dropping end.

Lila is not a perfect protagonist, but over time you begin to understand her mindset and how the betrayal of everyone in her life has affected her. You don't necessarily root for her but you definitely feel for her. Ginny's character is written as a strong, whipsmart investigator that knows exactly how the game is played, but still shows empathy towards Lila and her predicament.

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller with an engaging lead character and a genuinely interesting mystery.

Trigger warning: this book does depict domestic violence and sexual violence against women.

Everything is not as it appears to be!! Especially this what may look like 'perfect' marriage. When Aaron goes missing things start to become more clear. I don't want to say to much for fear of ruining it for others but I can say I LOVED this book and one of my favorites this month for sure! I couldn't put it down.

If you like dark and twisty psychological domestic thrillers, you'll want to add this debut novel to your TBR list right away! This is not a cozy read by any stretch of the imagination. If you aren't comfortable with a darker, disturbing mystery, this might not be the best pick for you. However, if you're comfortable with feeling uncomfortable (a la a Gillian Flynn novel), I think that you'll find this a compelling read.

The main character, Lila Ridgefield, seems to have an idyllic life in a charming college town. However, there are cracks in this picture-perfect world. Early on, the reader realizes that Lila's handsome husband is actually a horrible, controlling monster and she is trapped in her marriage.

In addition, several residents, including Lila's husband, have gone missing, indicating that things may not be quite as neat and tidy as everyone would like you to believe. At first, the case involving Lila's missing husband seems unconnected to the cases involving missing female students. The local police are desperate to stop the murderer from striking again and under enormous pressure to solve the cases. And all eyes are on Lila, the only person who seems less than worried by the fact that her husband is missing. To Lila, the most confusing part of his disappearance is that his body is nowhere to be found and definitely not where she last saw it.

Some readers may be put off by Lila's aloofness and her apparent role in her husband's disappearance. And may begin to wonder about how all of this is connected to the missing college students. While I'm not sure she's someone I'd be friends with, I found Lila sympathetic and was hoping that she would outwit everyone. Although, I did also hope that the female detective would also come out on top. Two complicated women matching wits is always a pleasure to read, in my book.

Many thanks to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime's Early Read program for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy courtesy of NetGalley!

I requested this book via NetGalley after seeing quite a lot of buzz about it in the book blogging community because I didn't want to miss out in case it was as good as people were saying it was. At the time, I didn't know it was a debut novel. Was it? I'll answer this question in a bit. I will say, upfront, is this will be very vague because there is no way I want to give even a smidgen of a spoiler.

Aaron is a bit controlling when it comes to his wife Lila. That is, until the day she finds some shocking and horrendous videos that she found on a phone that he thought he had hidden from her. From that moment on, things in the Ridgefield home change. Change so much that Aaron goes missing. But it isn't Lila who reports this. It's the Principal at the school where Aaron is a teacher.

A local Podcast, that has been following the case of missing high school students, now add Aaron into the mix. Are these cases connected?

The reader learns that Lila changed her name 13 years ago, but no history before that. Until the police department starts investigating. The reader also learns that Lila's early years were tied to a man who now sits in prison.

The suspense in the book did not let up. As more evidence came forth, the more my head spun. As more of the history was told, the more I didn't know what characters to like or dislike. And who of the characters were the suspects or the victims, or even who was truly the murderer ( oh yes....the bodies start to pile up!!!!).

Was there someone in this cast of characters that had a wrong to right? Maybe even a hero? Does the truth finally reveal itself?

If this was Ms. Kane's debut novel, then I can't wait for what the future holds. But I know one thing, she is now on my "authors to read" list.

Was the buzz correct about this book? ABSOLUTELY and then some!!!!

Posted to GR: 12/04/20
Posted to Instagram: 12/04/20
Will post to blog: 12/29/20