What would you do if someone in your family might be a murderer? Someone who has been in your home, someone you trusted?? That’s exactly the question the main character is dealing with in The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane.

Elisa Wright is a wife and a mother who now suspects that maybe her brother in law is a murderer. Josh had once been married until his wife was died one night by a mysterious fall. The death at the time had been ruled an accident but now Josh’s girlfriend, Elisa’s good friend, has gone missing.

Elisa has found some incriminating evidence hidden in Josh’s home that leads her to believe her friend did not just pack up and leave. To top it all off Josh has also begun dating yet again. With a new woman in Josh’s life Elisa becomes even more determined than ever to find out just what her brother in law has been hiding.

The Replacement Wife is Darby Kane’s second book and having read her first, Pretty Little Wife, and enjoying it I was looking forward to this one. Just as with the first book I found myself easily drawn into the story in The Replacement Wife and completely engaged. The narrator in the story is the unreliable type so I of course had my eye on all kinds of outcomes which is always fun. There were plenty of twists to keep the pages turning and after finishing and enjoying this second novel I will certainly come back for more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Elisa experienced a recent trauma that has sent her on a crash course. Shortly after the trauma, her brother-in-law's fiancée goes missing. Elisa was the one to introduce Josh, her brother-in-law, to Abby who is now missing. After some thought and investigation, Elisa is convinced that Josh is a murder. Just months after Abby goes missing, Josh is involved with a new woman. Elisa becomes very worried about this new girlfriend's safety and begins to really dig into Josh's past relationships. This quest leads her to have more questions. While investigating this, she is still dealing with the effects of the recent trauma. The premise of this book is great......but for some reason, it didn't hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed Darby Kane's debut novel so I was very excited to dive into her second book. Unfortunately, it left me wanting more. I felt there was a lot of build up with a fast wrap up to the story. Sadly, I didn't find any of the characters likeable or relatable. Thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane and Custom House for the ARC.

Another great read from Darby Kane! If you loved Pretty Little Wife, you will most certainly want to read The Replacement Wife. Elisa is an amazing character. She is set on digging into her brother-in-law Josh’s life. It became increasingly clear to me that Elisa was on the edge of a vast canyon and the drop could be fatal. I absolutely loved everything about her. This story is well paced, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing.
I highly recommend reading The Replacement Wife. Kane has quickly become a must read for me.

Elisa Wright is the typical wife and mom living in a nice quiet town. However, she is very concerned about her brother-in-law, Josh. He has a dead wife and a missing fiancée and Elisa suspects that Josh killed both of these women. After some grieving, Josh now has a new girlfriend named Rachel, and now Elisa is terrified for Rachel’s safety. Did Josh really commit these crimes?

Overall, I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I felt it had good pacing and some great twists throughout the story. The writing style was a bit different and a little bit hard for me to get into. But in the end it was a good book with a great ending!

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

If you suspected your brother in law was a serial killer how far would you go to find the truth? Especially when he is in another relationship. Multiple girlfriends and wives have gone missing and everyone continues to believe his stories. This book is a roller coaster and had me guessing until the very end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A fantastic thriller novel

It was the kind of book that I was expecting. With lots of suspense that made me keep guessing and keep reading not being able to put the book down. A rollercoaster of twists, just when you think you know something, is not. This was my first book from this author and loved it. I received and advanced copy via NetGalley.

I am between 3 & 4 stars on this one. 4 for story. 3 for pace.
•
Really enjoyed the storyline and some of the plot points.

But honestly. Enough with 400+ page thrillers. Nope. Nope. Nope. This one seriously dragged in the middle and was becoming a bit repetitive.

Was happy with how it ended and the final wrap up!

This is my second book by this author and I have enjoyed them both!

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley!

The Replacement Wife follows the story of Elisa, a mother who is still in distress from an incident that happened about a year ago, and suspects her brother-in-law, Josh, may not be who they think he is. His fiance goes missing, but he assures her she just left him. Elisa questions this since his previous wife also died, and just a couple of months after he brings a new girl home. Is she in danger? Will she be able to find out what happened to her friend?

There are two very important things to keep in mind if you are considering reading this book. 1. It is a domestic thriller. 2. It has an unreliable main protagonist, and you may need to be up for a reachy story. I read Pretty Little Wife, and this is the kind of author that throws wild things at you, but this one was not as crazy in my opinion. I went ahead and picked this copy because I do like domestic thrillers, and I don't mind unreliable narrators. Or at least I thought I didn't. To be honest, this book made me question if I can still read unreliable narrator stories and enjoy them. I think the main issue is not them being unreliable, but how they don't help themselves in any situation. I like stories where the unreliable narrator can still have some common sense, and sometimes this was not the case in this book. The story was interesting and it kept me reading. I would love to see this turned into a movie. The main character annoyed me, but the lack of support from her husband is what actually drove me insane. The twist is kind of predictable, and it is also the kind of ending where you can tell it is a bit reachy. The reasoning wasn't really there for me <spoiler> and the fact that Elisa stays with Harrison as if he did not choose his brother and insinuated he would take their kid is just beyond me. I wish more authors wrote domestic thrillers with stronger female leads </spoiler>. I did not care too much for the interactions with the kid, or little jokes between Elisa and Harrison, but the character development wasn't bad. I think taking into consideration what I have mentioned, this is a solid 3-star book.

Darby Kane wrote one of my favorite recent novels, Pretty Little Wife, and was so excited to read The Replacement Wife. This one revolves around Eliza, who has just been the victim of a horrific trauma is at home recovering and slowing resuming her previously vibrant life as a working professional with a loving husband and a boisterous toddler. Elisa does not trust her brother-in-law Josh after Abby, Elisa’s friend, seems to disappear without a trace after dating Josh. He said they broke up and Abby left. No big deal. Elisa, who is our narrator, decides to investigate a little and all psychological hell breaks out, her family is loyalty-split and Eliza is thrown back into the anxiety and depression she developed immediately after the trauma. I really enjoyed the first half and couldn’t wait to read more, and although the middle was a little repetitive I’m giving this an overall 4

I really enjoyed “Pretty Little Wife” by Darby Kane so when I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of her latest book, “The Replacement Wife,” I jumped on it.
This new book had a very different vibe to it. I didn’t quite feel on the edge of my seat as much as her previous book. While some of the characters were pretty bad, they weren’t as vile. The main character of this book, Elisa, thinks her brother-in-law is a murderer. She also has issues that she is working through, so maybe she isn’t as reliable as she could be and that is frustrating those around her.
This was a good book to read on a long flight, but it wasn’t quite the thriller read that I was looking for.
Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House, William Morrow Paperbacks, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

3.5 Stars

I really loved <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3501102056?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane</a> so this was an instant request when it popped up on NetGalley. I love me a good domestic drama.

Elisa thinks her brother-in-law is a murderer, his first wife is dead, his fiancee is missing and then he starts dating a new woman...Elisa begins to worry about her safety, so she decides to investigate. What follows is a taut, dramatic psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator.

Although some of the story was a bit repetitive and a tad predictable I was able to enjoy this quick, fun read because of Kane's writing style and character building.

With many thanks to NetGalley, Darby Kane, William Morrow and Custom House for the giving of the ARC.

In Darby Kane's sophomore novel, you will find the ever-present unreliable narrator. I am all for a unreliable narrator, so this had me intrigued.
Elisa is convinced her brother in law is a murderer! He has a spotty past with women, including a dead wife AND a missing fiancee. Elisa becomes an amateur detective and begins to investigate her brother and find her friend (his missing wife to be, Abby). She knows Abby wouldn't skip t0wn with out saying good bye. AND along comes his NEW woman, Rachel.
Elise seems paranoid. She's often dizzy. She worries for Rachel, she obsesses over Josh and twist ensue until the (somewhat predictable) ending.
If you like a light thriller read- this book is for you! 3 stars and thank you to the publisher and author!

Have you ever read a book & just KNEW the whole time how it was going to go, but were so incredibly wrong? That was this book for me.

Elisa Wright has a great life, but she has a problem with her brother in law, Josh. She’s convinced he’s a murderer. With one dead wife & one missing fiancé, Josh starts dating a new girl way too quickly for Elisa’s liking. Elisa fears for the new girl’s life, but soon starts question everything and everyone she knows.

I went into this one kind of blind, thinking I had everything figured out from the jump, and was pleasantly surprised with how wrong I was. I loved how it was based in a town & city right in my backyard; it’s always fun when the setting is so close to you. I could have done without some parts of the book, but all in all it was a really exciting read.

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow, & Darby Kane for this e-arc!

In her sophomore novel, Darby Kane tells the of Elisa, an unreliable narrator who believes her brother in law, Josh, has done something horrible to Abby, Elisa’s best friend and Josh’s fiancé.

The book starts out quite strong and very gripping, but as the story unfolds, there are just a few too many characters and a few too many (unbelievable) plot points for me to get completely immersed. Did I enjoy it? Yeah. Will I continue to read Darby Kane’s novel? Oh, absolutely.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love a good domestic thriller! This novel follows mom Elisa who is barely holding her household together after an accident at work. When her brother in law, Josh, brings home his new girlfriend, Elisa can't help but feel like Josh is leaving things unsaid. Josh has had one wife die and a fiance mysteriously vanish. Elisa sleuths to undercover what Josh is hiding--and putting herself in danger while doing it.

I really enjoyed this thriller and could not put it down. It is exactly the kind of fast paced, edge of your seat book that keeps me coming back for more.

A pulsating thriller that will have you questioning who and what to believe! The ultimate page-turner. Highly recommend!

The replacement wife
By Darby Kane
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.5

This slow domestic and psychologic thriller is a good option for fans of 'The Woman in the Window' by A. J. Finn. It was a decent book but I didn't love it as much as 'Pretty Little Wife". I had already figured out the "twist" when I was half way done but I didn't know how they were going to expose the truth so I wanted to keep reading. I found this book too repetitive and it took me a while to get into it in the beginning but then I wanted to finish it. The author did a good job showing confusion and self-doubt and I was expecting a big twist at the end but the story is basically what you're reading and you can guess the truth.

This book is about Elise Wright, a mom and wife that went through traumas and has anxiety, Josh, a brother-in-law that could be a killer and her husband Harris that always has his brother's back, no matter what. Josh's previous wife died in an accident at home, his fiancee mysteriously disappeared and now a few months later he has a new girlfriend, Rachel. Elise isn't convinced that this is all coincidence and ends up finding a laptop with some proofs and more women. Trying to find the truth and warn Rachel that she's in danger can cost her her own family and sanity. She starts getting dizziness and believing someone is following her and entering her house but her husband thinks she's just having a hard time getting back to her normal life after an incident at work and he listens to Josh when he suggests that Elise needs therapy. Completely on her own, Elise keeps trying to find the truth. Is this all in her head or is Josh really killing every women in his life? Is Rachel an ally or a threat to Elise? Where's the missing fiancee?. Who is Rachel?. I guessed it all in the beginning but it was still an enjoyable read.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

amazing book amazing Story amazing plot i will keep reading her. cant wait to get her next book i loved it

As a big fan of Darby Kane's, Pretty Little Wife I was looking forward to her next work of fiction, The Replacement Wife and it did not disappoint. The plot pulled me in right from the start as I was deciphering what was truth and what might have been the confusion and paranoia of the narrator. The replacement wives kept piling up as the story line continued and the twisty end was satisfying. One aspect of the Pretty Little Wife that I enjoyed was how the setting, academic life in an idyllic college town, really added a richness to the story. I did not feel the same way with this one, and I believe it was missed. Overall however, a great suspense tail for the upcoming Fall and Winter.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!

I was so excited to get an ARC of “The Replacement Wife” since I loved “Pretty Little Wife”. Elisa Wright is a mom and wife living a nice, quiet life in a nice, quiet town. She’s also convinced her brother-in-law is a murderer. Josh has one dead wife and one missing fiancée, and though he grieved for them, he starts dating someone new. Elisa fears for that woman’s safety, and she desperately wants to know what happened to her friend, who is Josh’s missing fiancée. Searching for clues will mean investigating her own family, and once she starts, she doesn’t like what she finds.

This was such an easy read as I was invested in the story immediately. It is also one of the better books that I've read that incorporates gaslighting in a real way. Elisa is trying to work her way through a horrific trauma, so she's already plagued with self-doubt when everything starts to get out of control. The character development throughout the novel was great! Most of these characters will give you the major creeps and knowing who to trust will be difficult. There were so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and the ending was SO satisfying! I can't recommend this one enough.

Darby Kane delivers another nail-biting, twisty suspense novel. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time and every chapter seemed to get more intense. Her talent shines through on every page. I can’t get enough of her writing! I could see this being adapted as a movie because it was just that good. Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Darby Kane.