You will want to read The Replacement Wife in one sitting. This book was beautifully written about a family and their secrets. Josh the ever loving and present brother in law spins his webs and is wanting to discredit his sister in law Elisa who has suffered trauma from a work place shooting. This book has so many twists and turns with fingers being pointed in several directions. Rachael, Josh’s girlfriend playing both sides. You don’t know who to trust. I loved it from beginning to end. I will definitely tell everyone to read this one. It’s was just as good as her last book Pretty Little Wife. I can’t wait to read her next book that she writes!

This story is filled with second guessing, gaslighting, and family. The very first chapter is a startling introduction. At a family dinner, Elisa looks at her brother-in-law, Josh knowing he is a killer. Not an accidental killer but an on purpose killer.

This chapter grabbed me and didn’t let go for the whole book. This is the perfect domestic suspense book. Elise is determined to prove Josh killed his former fiancée and her friend as well as his last wife.

I loved the authors writing style. You are treated to answers before you know what the question is. I wanted to keep reading to find out the question.

What would you do if you thought your brother-in-law was a murderer? Elisa Wright’s best friend was engaged to Josh, a person who everyone loved. When her friend disappeared without a trace, Josh quickly moved onto a relationship with Rachel. Josh’s first wife died from a fall down the stairs when he was home with her. Now with her friend missing, Elisa believes that she may also be dead and Rachel is in danger. A year earlier Elisa was a victim in a workplace shooting that also resulted in her supervisor’s death. She now works from home and suffers from debilitating anxiety attacks. When she begins questioning Josh about her friend, he begins using her fears and anxieties against her, trying to push her over the edge. While her husband Harris loves her, even he begins to question her actions and stability.

Darby Kane allows the reader to feel all of the doubts and insecurities that Elisa exhibits. She also introduces Elisa to Shelby Tanaka, a private investigator who offers her support and believes that Josh is hiding something. Rachel insists that she is safe with Josh and there is nothing to worry about. Rachel is not being completely honest about her own past and even though she asks Elisa to trust her it is difficult when she appears to side with Josh. As Josh steps up his campaign against Elisa and she learns the secrets from his past, Kane adds twist after twist. This is a story that is guaranteed to keep you reading well into the night. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House Publishers for providing this book for my review.

With a dead wife and a missing fiancée and a new girlfriend in the picture, Elisa is convinced her brother-in-law, Josh is a murderer. The more Elisa starts to dig and the more women appear (and disappear) in Josh’s history the more it becomes clear that something isn’t right. As she struggles with a mystery illness and panic attacks, Elisa fights to prevent someone else from becoming Josh’s next victim…or is something deeper going on?
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This domestic suspense novel was super fast and fun to read. While I do find the unreliable narrator with possible substance abuse problems overdone in the thriller/suspense genre, I did really enjoy picking apart this story which unfolded almost like an episode of a True Crime Podcast. I had my theories about what was going on and while the one I really expected to see didn’t pan out, I still really enjoyed how Kane pulled off the final twist. Kane kept me on my toes till the last page and I had a great time.
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The Replacement Wife doesn’t really reinvent the genre, but if you’re a fan of True Crime or thrillers with a familiar plot and some new twists, I think The Replacement Wife will be a very fun time!


CW: Missing Persons, death, gaslighting, suggestions/descriptions of domestic abuse,& drug and alcohol use.

*I received an eARC from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for my honest review*

After years of a close-knit relationship, Elisa suddenly has a bad feeling about her brother-in-law, Josh. His fiancé went missing a while ago, and he's already into a new relationship. But there's even more below the surface that Elisa has yet to discover, and she's still reeling from her own trauma (which took a while to get to - which sometimes backfires in novels but worked okay in this one). Are Elisa’s physical symptoms the result of post-traumatic stress....or something else? We know for sure that Elisa believes she's being gaslighted, but it seems like everyone is being played. And by whom? Figuring that out dear reader, is your mission!

I loved that this book was set in areas of Philadelphia, which is nearby, and I could relate to some of the towns that were mentioned throughout the book. I would have liked a lot more of the local flavor, but that didn't detract from the story. As another reviewer mentioned, it was hard to read Elisa (spelled with an "s" and really kept making me think of Eliza Doolittle!), but the short chapters made this very readable. I brought this book on vacation and it held my interest since I NEEDED to know what was going on :-) The ending held a few surprises and left some unanswered questions, but I wouldn't be mad if there was a sequel!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for an advance reader's copy for review.

What would you do if you find out your brother-in-law has had quite the history with wives dying and fiancés disappearing? Elise is trying to put together the pieces of Josh's past and what happened to his fiancé and her best friend, Abby. Abby just up and disappeared and with her knowledge of his wife, Candace's death, things are pretty suspicious. Now, he's moved on to Rachel. Elise had her own traumatic event just months prior to this and it leaves you wondering if Josh is really a murderer or if she is just going kind of "crazy." This book has lots of turns that make you keep guessing every single character! I mostly enjoyed this book, but to me, it felt really rushed at the end and it didn't answer all of my questions.

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane is a story that throws you into the action right away. While I found the beginning to be fast paced, the book slowed down a 1/3 of the way in but then picked up again halfway through. There were times when Elisa annoyed me with her actions but I grew to really like her. Shelby Tanaka was the standout character for me and I’d love to read more about her.

I liked it. I thought it was going to be better than what it was to keep my interest. Got really good 3/4 of the way in towards the end. Elisa is married to Harris and has a seven year old son. Harris's brother Josh is a serial womanizer dating multiple women while married and engaged. He has a trail of dead women, missing fiance and women willing to do his bidding. Throughout the beginning of the book, I could not figure out what was happening to Elisa or what happened to her to keep her in a 20 mile radius of her house, headaches, dizziness and losing time. Once revealed it makes sense, but during Elisa's spiral, she starts to suspect her brother-in-law Josh is behind the disappearance of her friend who she introduced to Josh. Also, what happened to his first wife was it really an accident and other secrets are revealed and Harris's dedication to his brother in so many situations where Elisa looks crazy. Is Josh doing this to her or someone else and will Harris believe her.

The Replacement Wife was such a wild ride!
Elisa is a standard suburban mom with one exception- she thinks her brother in law is a murderer. His first wife mysteriously falls down the stairs and his fiancée, Abby (and Elisa’s bff) goes missing without a trace. Josh bounces back too quickly with a woman named Rachel. Elisa is unable to keep out of Josh’s business and vows to get the truth about Abby.

This was definitely a book you needed to follow closely, but I was very into it. There’s a lot of names, but you get the hang of it. I know Elisa's husband is going to side sometimes with his brother, but he often blames Elisa or her health without even listening to her. The end is a little predictable and I guess what happened pretty early on. I still enjoyed and I would recommend it!

Thank you so much to @williammorrowbooks, @darbykane and @netgalley for my gifted copy. The Replacement Wife is on sale December 28!

Thank you to the publishers at William Morrow and Custom House and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Replacement Wife.

The Replacement Wife introduces us to Elisa, a working mom of one and husband to Harrison. Harrison’s brother, Josh, is your typical nice guy, but Elisa is convinced he’s a murderer. His fiancé Abby has been missing for months and with absolutely no clue to her whereabouts, Elisa can only suspect foul play. Desperate to reveal his true nature, Elisa will alienate everyone she loves in this twisty thriller. Is Elisa losing her mind, or is she right about everything?

This one was a bit of a slower read for me, which made it harder to hold my focus. I did enjoy how Elisa was written into a very unbelievable narrator. She’s clearly not all there, but we don’t know if this is of her own doing or something more sinister, and because of her rocky past, it’s difficult to believe her when she goes off on her tangents. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really blown away by this one, but I did love the little twist at the end. I didn’t really see it coming, so I appreciate that.


The Replacement Wife releases December 28th!

In The Replacement Wife you really have to ask the question, is Josh just really unlucky in love or is there more to it than that? Elisa things there’s more to it than unlucky in love so she’s now on a mission to find out what’s really going on and boy will she go on a journey to find the truth. This is a really entertaining read and you will get through it rather quickly. Try to go into this one not knowing too much. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest review.

So I read this authors previous book and really enjoyed it.. I was so excited to see that they had another book out. When I started this book I thought it was going to be just like every other domestic thriller I have read. But boy was I wrong. The characters in this book are just perfection to me. I loved the dynamic between family in this book as well. Even though there were a lot of secrets and things that I didn't think could add up I thought the author did an amazing job of bringing everything together for it to make sense. Stunning second book from this author and I cant wait till they come out with more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
(3 ½ stars)

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane is a psychological thriller about a possible murderer in the family. What happens when you can’t trust those closest to you? Elisa starts to believe that her brother-in-law is a murderer after his first wife died and now his fiancee is missing. When he starts to quickly date a new woman after the disappearance of his fiancee, Elisa knows something must be amiss. But when past trauma and doubt start to creep in, no one will believe her. Sometimes she even doubts herself. Is he brother-in-law a murderer? Or is Elisa still struggling with her trauma and making things up?

Overall, I did enjoy this book. So far, I have read both thrillers by Kane and I have enjoyed both of them. Elisa, the main character, is an unreliable narrator. I always enjoy that when reading psychological thrillers because you never know who to believe. There were some twists throughout that kept me guessing.

Although I did enjoy the premise of a brother-in-law on a possible killing spree of his ex-wives and fiancees– always looking for the next best thing; I kind of found it a little hard to believe though that no one looked into him. I mean– multiple missing and dead spouses would be cause for alarm, even with his brother, Harris.

I do feel as though this book was a bit longer than it needed to be. At some points I kind of felt like I wished the book would move along and get to the point. I think that some of the build up may have been able to be slimmed down.

Overall though, I did enjoy the story. I read through this book very quickly. I enjoyed the short chapters and there were definitely a few twists that I didn't see coming. I do think it was a bit longer than needed though.

Elisa is the only one who thinks there's something wrong about her brother in law Josh. His first wife died on the stairs in their new house, his fiance Abby (who was Elisa's friend) disappeared, and now he's bought Rachel to dinner. Elisa's husband Harris, Josh, and others, think that Elisa's traumatic event at work has made her paranoid and they dismiss her. And someone is gas lighting her. She, however, is determined to find out what's happened, especially to Abby. Know that the characters might feel familiar and the plot a tad trope-y but this is a quick (the chapters are short) and entertaining read that occasionally strains credulity but which keeps you guessing. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This would be a perfect travel book.

I really enjoyed the authors previous book, Pretty Little Wife and this one was just as good. The thing with this author is that she makes me want to keep reading even though her main characters are so unlikeable. Elsa is convinced her brother-in-law is behind the disappearances of his wives and girlfriend. Or is she just whacko? Now, I do have to say it took a sec to get fully involved, but once I did, what followed was a fast-paced thrill-ride that was hard to put down. The ending was nicely done! I look forward to more books from this author and can definitely recommend this one!

This is the first book I’ve read by Darby Kane but I’ll definitely be reading more. This was a gripping thriller that kept me turning pages. I was not at all expecting the twist in the plot and the ending was mind blowing. If you love a good edge of your seat thriller this is definitely for you.

The beginning took me several tries to get into and I was a bit “meh” about this one until the middle. It really picked up pace & then I couldn’t put it down. The unreliable narrator moments came too fast, too soon. I didn’t care enough about anyone when hints were dropped that Elisa could possibly be unwell.

I detested the husband, Harris, who seemed like such a jerk at times. Obviously you hate Josh, and his new wife…there wasn’t really anyone I was rooting for other than the son.

That being said, I loved the plot, the premise, the red herrings that kept you guessing.

I liked the final two pages the most out of this entire novel and overall was satisfied with the ending.

I could have been having a bit of a hangover from last read.

If you liked Pretty Little Wife, I recommend you give this a go. It’s make a great holiday read for thriller lovers. I’m very curious on what others think of this one—would make a great buddy read or book club pick! 👍🏼

#TheReplacementWife:

This is one of those books where you don’t really think about the title, but after you turn the last page, the lightbulb turns on and you have that “ah-ha” moment.

The alternative title to this popcorn thriller should be called, “A B C D E F U Josh”. I have never wanted to scream so loud at a family before. Our MC, Elisa, has gone through a traumatic event. (TW: a shooting is mentioned) and she’s recovering mentally and emotionally. She’s consistently gaslighted and basically told, “get better faster”. They toy with words like “paranoid” “unhinged” “crazy” “deranged” The girl is just trying to prove she’s not all of the above while simultaneously trying to find her Sister-in-law! Why no one else seems to care to look for Abby, the SIL, is the reddest of flags y’all.

Karissa Vacker brought Elisa to life for me. I could hear her desperation that she was sane and just wanted anyone to believe her that she wasn’t crazy. Just listen to her! Karissa knows how to amplify a story with her reading, and I’m really glad I chose to do a listen/read combo.


Overall, I really enjoyed it. The ending was so satisfying, more so than I could ever imagine. The characters were so frustrating, and I couldn’t help but keep trying to figure out what was really happening. Thank you so much William Morrow for the gifted copy. The Replacement Wife is out 12/28!

Wow, Wow, Wow! What a thrill ride this book is! Tense, tightly written and oh so devour-able!

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this ARC!

THE REPLACEMENT WIFE is a fictional extrapolation of an extreme case of a young man who behaves badly and is sheltered from the consequence of his actions -- or is it? Are Elisa Wright's concerns about her brother-in-law's missing fiancee and what feels to her like a premature new romantic relationship justified, or are they a manifestation of her own mental health following a deeply traumatizing work incident? Readers will empathize with Elisa's frustrations, anger, and concerns.