I've been seeing such mixed reviews for this one, but I really enjoyed it ! Although it wasn't my favorite thriller I've read, it kept me engaged and wanting to know more. I haven't read Pretty Little Wife, so I don't have any of Kane's previous work to compare to.

I enjoy a book with an unreliable MC, making you question if everything is in her head, or what is truly reality. There was a LOT of gaslighting in this, which was the only downfall for me, but it made the book what it was. It was necessary, in my opinion, to make everyone question Elisa, including the reader. Majority of the characters were unlikable, but I did feel bad for Elisa. Although she didn't do much to help herself, she was taken advantage of in such a way that nothing she said was credible, even her own husband didn't believe her, so she kept everything to herself regardless who it may put in danger.

Elisa Wright suffered a trauma, resulting in her going to therapy and needing medication. Not long after, her friend who is also her brother in laws fiance ends up missing. Not to mention, he was married previously to a woman who died. Is her brother in law truly just unlucky with women, or is there more to what has happened to the women in his life ? When Elisa starts digging into the past, someone doesn't want her getting involved and will go to great lengths to make her look crazy, and question her own sanity

When her brother-in-law’s fiancé disappears, Elise is the only one asking questions. With one dead wife, could the missing fiancé really be a coincidence? As she starts investigating, Elise learns more than she wanted….but there is no turning back.

A fast paced thriller that makes it impossible to out down, The Replacement Wife is a great follow up to Kane’s first novel.

Fast-paced thriller! Devoured it in two nights, and stayed up way too late finishing it. I thought I had it figured out a few times, and I had some right guesses and wrong guesses. Slightly ambiguous ending?

Just how many women in one man’s life have to go missing or die for someone to question what is really going on?

Thrilling and fast-paced, this book kept me guessing to the end. I had my suspicions but did not know for sure.

Elisa Wright has had more than enough trauma in her life. She has a solid marriage with Harris and an energetic little boy. But after surviving an incident that would leave anyone severely shaken, she is now dealing with PTSD. So when she begins questioning the disappearance of her friend Abby her husband and others begin to question her stability. Abby was engaged to Harris’ brother Josh, and she suddenly just disappeared. Josh says they argued, and Abby left. But it just isn’t adding up for Elisa. Plus, Elisa isn’t convinced that the death of Josh’s wife was an accident.

Now Elisa is becoming friends with Josh’s new girlfriend and begins to worry about Rachel’s safety. Is Elisa overreacting to coincidences, or is Josh making the women in his life disappear? Elisa is convinced that her brother-in-law is a murderer. Will Elisa be able to save Rachel? Or is there nothing to save Rachel from? Has her PTSD pushed her over the edge so she is imagining things that just aren’t so? And how does Elisa’s friction with Josh impact her marriage to his brother?

This thriller/suspense novel did not disappoint. I liked the characters, and the book held my interest all the way through. The pacing of reveals was perfect. This book was really hard to put down.

I received an advance e-galley of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eliza is married to Harris, a veterinarian and they are the parents to a son, Nathan. Harris’s younger brother, Josh, is always around Harris feels responsible for him.

Some time ago, Eliza had a nice job in accounting at a hospital. One day while sitting outside the hospital with her friend, a man came up and shot her friend. Eliza held the woman as she died. She was left quite traumatized by the event and after therapy, she is now a stay at home wife and mother concentrating on caring for Nathan.

Josh’s first wife died and soon after he had a girlfriend, Abby, who became friends with Eliza. Abby has now been gone for seven months having just vanished. Then Josh brings another woman, Rachel, into his life. Eliza is convinced that Josh is a killer and that he killed his wife and girlfriend, Abby. She likes his new girlfriend and worries that he will kill her next. Eliza has confronted Josh telling him this and he just scoffs at her telling her she is still ill from her friend’s murder that she witnessed. In addition, Harris and Josh seem to feel that she is not thinking right. This upsets Eliza and she is even more determined to prove that Josh is a killer.

This book was hard to get into. This happens when a book is way too long. I found the dialogue to be boring as well. It does finally pick up toward the end to an interesting conclusion. With Eliza portrayed as a crazy person not right in her mind, that is a turn off to the reader who wants to champion the heroine/hero of a story.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Story: The Replacement Wife follows the story of Elisa Wright, a mother and wife in a quiet nice town, who is convinced that her brother-in-law, Josh, is a murderer. She discovers shocking incriminating information about Josh but when she befriends Josh's new girlfriend, Elisa begins to doubt herself.

My thoughts: This was my first book by this author and I liked the overall premise of this story. There were definitely some shocking twists and I was really curious about Josh especially when Elisa unravels those disturbing incriminating information about him.

I have to admit that as far as flawed characters go, this book delivered that! But I personally felt the characters depth was not enough for me to connect with them and appreciate the ending.

Some parts did feel too long and repetitive, but it was entertaining and intriguing for me to want to see how things will wrap up. Although this book did not work out for me as much as I would like, the writing was pretty good and I liked all the twists in the story!


***Thank you William Morrow Books, Harper Collins Canada, author Darby Kane and NetGalley for this gifted copy to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own.***

This was a super quick read that I read in a day and half, similarly to Kane’s earlier 2020 book. She knows how to draw you in from the start and her thrillers keep you on your toes. There is a lot that goes in this book and I’m not sure all of it was necessary, but nonetheless I enjoyed this one and was furiously flipping the pages for the last 1/4 of the book. Good read-4 stars ⭐️ . Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

After loving Darby Kane’s last release, Pretty Little Wife, I was excited to read her next domestic suspense. The Replacement Wife tells the story of Elisa Wright, a wife and mother residing in a small, quiet town. What sets her apart is the fact that she is convinced her brother-in-law, Josh, is a murderer. When he begins dating someone new, Elisa worries for the woman’s safety. She decides to solve the mystery of Josh’s missing fiancé and get close to his new girlfriend. However, as Elisa gets closer to the truth, she begins to doubt herself and those around her.

I love a thriller set in the suburbs with insane happenings involving “normal” wives. This book was perfect for me. It goes all in analyzing gaslighting and the unreliable narrator trope. I enjoyed this one even more than Pretty Little Wife. Entertaining, fast-paced, and twisty, The Replacement Wife is perfect for thriller fans. (Audiobook fans, the audiobook is narrated by the top notch Karissa Vacker, who will for sure nail this performance.)

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted on release date.

Sometimes you want to read a book that has twists and turns and keeps you guessing throughout the story. The replacement wife does a good job of keeping you guessing and on your toes throughout the story. Initially you find yourself understanding why Elisa has a suspicion of her brother-in-law Josh and the tragedies that seem to occur to people he has been involved with in the past. But as a Elisa seems to push her narrative of Josh’s life things seem to start to implode in her own. This is a great suspense book the handles family dynamics in an interesting way. If you want a book that keeps you thinking this is the book for you.

3.5 stars

Tag line: Pretty Little Wife fans are sure to enjoy Darby Kane’s follow up, The Replacement Wife!

Full review to come on FreshFiction.com.

This was good, soapy read. Kind of a drag overall.

The book focuses on Elisa. And right from the beginning Elisa states that her brother in law is a killer. Or so she thinks. It creates this hook that kept me reading to the end.

The rest of the book is Elisa investigating and trying to prove that her brother in law is in fact a killer. But she gets gaslight along the way. As well shown as a crazy, unhinged woman, that might have a drug problem. It gets so bad, that even her husband talks down on her.

The only redeeming part for me was talking about trauma and dealing with it, getting the help you need for your own mental health.

In the end Elisa got help and support from the unlikely source. And it is a sad part, where a complete stranger trusts you more than your own family. I can't trust that that's realistic.

Anywho. I still like the style of writing, and the twisty plot. I'm just not a fan of some of these tropes.

Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book. The Replacement Wife was an easy book to get into. Elisa believes her brother in law, Josh, is a serial killer. How do all the women in his life end up dead or missing. It is a battle to prove that he is guilty when everyone around her thinks she is losing it. This was a fast paced read for me, however, I found some of the story line to be repetitive and unoriginal as I have read countless books where they try and make the main character think she is crazy. Overall, good read, but I wouldn't bump any books on your TBR to read this one.

The Replacement Wife is the 2nd novel from Darby Kane.

"Elisa Wright thinks her brother-in-law, Josh, is a killer. His first wife died from an "accident" and now his fiance, Abby, is missing. He's moved on too quickly in Elisa's mind and no one seems to care about her friend, Abby. Her concerns are ignored by her own husband. Elisa becomes friends with Josh's new girlfriend and starts to wonder if a horrible incident is pushing her over the edge. The race is on to discover the truth before any other women die."

The tension starts early in this book and never lets up. Kane keeps revelaing things about Josh and makes you question Elisa'a sanity and paranoia. You will probably guess some part of what's going on but until the reveal you won't be sure.
The dynamics between the brothers were interesting. Harris is a big enabler and Josh takes advantage. You will not like Josh at all - you will probably yell at him a lot.

The ending was unexpected. I like when an author chooses not to tie everything up in a nice neat bow.

Add this to your list of 2022 thrillers.

I enjoyed this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for my advanced copy of The Replacement Wife!

I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

This book took me forever to get through and that’s not the books fault! It was a very busy month. I was working a lot, it was the holidays… blah blah blah.

The Replacement Wife was a fantastic read. After Christmas Dinner I sat down, took a breath and breezed through the second half of this book.

I loved that the author kept me guessing! I didn’t know who to trust while reading this book! Even the narrator was in question. I do love me a possible unreliable narrator.

I had a lot of questions while reading and all of them were answered by the end of the book. I appreciated that.

Overall- Recommend. I also encourage readers to pick up Darby Kane’s debut that was released in 2020: Pretty Little Wife. It is just as good.

I cannot wait to see what this author writes next. I will definitely be checking it out.

I was completely blown away by Pretty Little Wife so I was pretty dang excited to read Darby Kane's sophomore suspense novel The Replacement Wife. I do have to say I liked this one less, but ultimately, I still really enjoyed it! The majority of the story is told from Elisa's viewpoint with the occasional chapter from an unknown narrator. Elisa is very unreliable as she is dealing with the aftermath of something terrible that happened, and I spent the whole book wondering if she was right about Josh or if there was something else at play. This is a story FILLED with unlikable characters and even Elisa grated on my nerves, so I would go into this one with that in mind.

The biggest frustration for me was that it felt like Josh and Elisa's interactions were just the same thing repeated over and over again so the story ended up being really repetitive to me in that respect. I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room multiple times, but it is also impressive that Kane was able to make me feel that much emotion. Plus, despite my annoyance with all of their interactions, I still didn't want to put the book down and had a very strong compulsion to keep reading. The Replacement Wife is definitely domestic suspense combined with a psychological thriller, and while it isn't SUPER twisty, there are a few things that I wasn't expecting, especially at the end. It ended up being pretty satisfying which was nice, and I liked Elisa a bit more by the end. Read this if you are looking for a book to keep you guessing and one that you won't want to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars rounded down. I liked this book okay, up until the very end. To me, the first 7/8 of the book is well done and very believable. But the last 8th of the book was rushed and sloppy. I was left with far more questions than answers, and it very much felt open ended for a sequel, but at the same time final. I would like a sequel for the loose ends but I highly doubt we'll get one. Kane reminds me stylistically of Alice Feeney, who for me gets better and better with every book. Hoping Kane will measure up, but the jury is still out.

Unlike her last book, Pretty Little Wife, which was built around two likable strong female characters, in this book she returns to the age-old, worn out chestnut of a weak, mentally unstable, pill-popping wife, Elisa, as the unreliable female narrator who’s doubted and condescended to by the male MCs - in this case her husband, Harris, and brother-in-law, Josh.

Long story short, Elisa suspects Josh of nefarious things regarding the ladies in his life, past and present, and Harris takes turns being supportive and suspicious of her, while frequently showing deference to his younger brother Josh, who he raised after their parents died. Elisa’s efforts to reveal Josh for who he is puts her in his manipulative path, and that of his current girlfriend, Rachel, whose motives, like Harris, can seem supportive and suspicious in turns.

So - pretend with me - you’re at home trying to enjoy your day, and your possibly psycho brother-in-law and his girlfriend show up unannounced, let themselves in with their spare house key, or end up having dinner at your house seemingly every other day. Any attempt you make to question their behavior results in chastisement from your husband, gaslighting from your brother-in-law, and an inevitable argument and tension-filled evening for everyone.

Got it? Now put that on loop for 400 plus pages with Lila questioning her sanity at every turn and coming off like yet another perpetual female victim. That is this story for me. The plot had potential but it ended up being too one-note and repetitive, with no characters I could really get behind, and a lackluster ending that ventured close to my much hated Scooby-Doo confessional territory. I admire Elisa trying to make things right, but her stress as a character became my stress as a reader, which I don’t enjoy.

The one saving grace for me with this book was the insights it offered into trauma and how it affects people mentally and physically. I appreciated the effort, and it lifted my rating just enough to bump it up to 3 stars instead of down to 2.

This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the right book for me. I believe Darby Kane is a good author, and I’ll still enthusiastically want to read her next book, but I hope the female characters will get a little more love next time around!

★★ ½ (rounded to 3)

Thanks to William Morrow and Custom House, NetGalley and author Darby Kane for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It's due for publication on December 28, 2021.

Pub: December 28, 2021

How many dead wives does it take to go from unlucky in love to killer?

Elisa thinks her brother-in- law Josh is a murderer (and you thought you had family drama this holiday season!).

He has quite the past, including a dead wife and a missing fiancée. When he brings a new woman into the picture, Elisa goes into detective mode, determined to prove his guilt.

With her second novel, Darby Kane is quickly establishing herself as a leader in domestic suspense. The layers of drama between Elisa, Harris, Josh and Rachel is a delight to read. Sometimes you need to suspend a bit of belief, but that just adds to the fun for me. Think similar vibes to Revenge, the TV show (though very different plot).

I love a well-written unreliable narrator (or two!) and this book delivers. Someone is always scheming and you’re never quite sure who is on first as the manipulation and paranoia develops and the tension jumps off the page. Kane also does a great job at establishing the backstories of the characters.

If you’re like me and love domestic suspense and unreliable narrators, add The Replacement Wife to your TBR! If you haven’t read her debut, Pretty Little Wife, I also recommend it!

A big thank you to HarperCollins Canada and netgalley for the arc to read and review. All thoughts my own.

Josh seems to be a man who is unlucky when it comes to love. His first wife Candace died when she fell and hit her head after they’d only been married for five years. Now his fiancé Abby has disappeared. Josh claims she must have got cold feet about the wedding and run away. However, no one has heard from her for seven months and her best friend Elisa, married to Josh’s older brother Harris, can’t accept that Abby would cut all ties to her too and not answer her calls or emails. When she finds out the supposedly grieving Josh has a new girlfriend, who he has been dating for months, her suspicions that Josh is involved in Abby’s disappearance are fuelled even further.

The problem is that no one will listen to Elisa’s concerns. A year ago she was involved in a very traumatic shooting at the hospital where she worked and since then has been prone to panic attacks and scared to leave the house. She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and her brain feels foggy even though her medication shouldn’t be having that effect by now. When it comes to younger brother Josh, Harris has blinkers on and doesn’t support his wife’s fears that Josh is involved in her friend’s disappearance. Josh is extremely talented at deflecting blame onto others as well convincing others that Elisa is confused to the point where she also starts to doubt her own perception of events. This all makes her into a very unreliable narrator and leaves the reader wondering what is really going on.

Although, the premise for the novel is compelling, the pacing is slow and the plot drags somewhat as Elisa’s is the main voice we hear and it does become rather repetitive. An occasional chapter from an unknown narrator is intriguing and alerts us to the fact that someone else has plans for Josh. Although considering himself a ladies’ man and a smooth operator, Josh is clearly unlikeable and untrustworthy and his continued gaslighting of Elisa becomes annoying, as does Harris’ support of Josh rather than Elisa, especillay in light of further revelations about Josh’s past. While the ending tied up a lot of threads, it felt sudden and contrived and not all that convincing. However, the novel is an entertaining mystery which keeps you guessing and would make a perfect holiday read. 3.5 stars

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane is a suspenseful thriller about Elisa and her husband's brother, Joshua. Elisa is convinced that Joshua is behind the death of his wife and now the disappearance of his girlfriend. She becomes very concerned when he appears at the house with a new girlfriend even though his previous one is missing. Elisa begins secretly looking into Joshua's life. The twists and drama keep the reader guessing right up to the end. Read and enjoy!