I quite enjoyed this book , interesting characters and not sure how the ending would be . I found the main character likeable but then that soon changed. It had lots of twists and turns with the past and present running alongside the telling of the story . I don’t know why there was something a bit lacking , hence the 4 stars , but I would recommend it , it’s worth a read

This book amazed me! The ending was one of the best that I’ve read in a long time…such a major twist!! The past and present chapters had a little confused at times but I loved the storyline. I never would have guessed how this book was going to end. Had me on the edge of my seat!! It’s twisty, suspenseful and a MUST READ!

Posted on @thrillersandcoffee

4.5/5 stars

This is the story of Jennifer, a doctor who is down on her luck. Her husband has recently been killed in an avalanche. There was also an incident at a conference where she strongly believes she was drugged and raped at. All she wants to do is move forward with her life but somebody won’t let her.

I am normally a big fan of everything that this author writes but this one just wasn’t for me. I found the book quite slow. The book also deals with several heavy topics which made this quite a difficult read. There are several twists in the book and she did manage to surprise me with the ending.

This is the latest in a line of psychological thrillers written by Samantha Hayes in which a female protagonist’s life is shattered in a moment. In this novel, the female in question is Jennifer, a respected and affluent doctor who shares a beautiful property with her husband and teenage son. When her husband travels abroad with what Jennifer suspects is his clandestine girlfriend and both are presumed missing after an avalanche, Jennifer comes to regret the argument they had before his departure. Her friend Rhonda is there for her in the aftermath of her loss, but who is the insistent stranger called Scott who suddenly turns up at her door and what are his motives? And how might Jennifer’s story be connected to the second thread of the novel, in which two small boys from very different backgrounds bond in the school yard over their shared interest in trapping and maiming insects?
On the whole, I enjoyed this novel, although there were a few clichéd instances. It took a little while to get used to the dual timeframe and the switches between the two seemingly unconnected narrators, but it was worth it in the end. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free ARC provided in return for this unbiased book review.

I wanted to love this so much more than I actually did. I've read a lot of thrillers over the years so maybe that's why I thought the twist wasn't super unpredictable. However, I enjoyed the writing. It was easy to fly through and I would definitely pick up another of this authors books. Plot wise, I just wasn't for me.

This is a suspenseful story that I loved from the first word. This is a well written story that brings twists and turns to a new level. I loved being pulled into the story by the characters from the beginning. I found this book to be engaging and hard to put down. It is full of action and things you won't see coming. The characters are relateable and gave life to the story. This is a story about one tragic night and the lies that everyone is telling about this night. There is much going on in this story but the author did a great job of details as to keep things from getting confusing. I really loved this book and how it was easy and entertaining to read. I highly recommend this book.

The book started off slow but wow, it definitely got interesting! I recommend this book if you like thrillers with twist endings. I seriously did not see it coming! "The Trapped Wife" alternates between three points of view. All the characters provide little pieces of the final conclusion.

The Trapped Wife by Samantha Hayes is a twisty domestic thriller that kept me on my toes until the final page.

GP Jen is devastated to learn that her husband Jeremy has been killed while on a work trip. Soon after discovering that she is pregnant, a new patient presents in her office, and Jen cannot shake the uneasy feeling that the two have met somewhere before.

This is a muti-layered story that weaves together the past and the present in a compelling and satisfying way, and it will have your head spinning as you race to connect the dots. It is another wonderful offering from the clever mind of Ms Hayes, and I cannot wait for whatever comes next. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Jennifer, a 40-something GP in a small community is trying to piece her life back together after her husbands' accidental death and simultaneously having to deal with the consequences of a sultry night of adultery. Or wasn't it? In a second storyline, we follow two young boys, outcasts who find some relieve of their hopeless and loveless lives in an unusual friendship. From the start you'll know that the two stories will intertwine and it is the readers' guess how. It is thanks to this part of the story that I got through the first third of the book, as Jennifer came across as a very helpless damsel in distress who could just have slammed the door in the face of the stranger who tried to get into her life. Instead, she just did every stupid thing a woman can do and I silently screamed "you stupid woman" a few times.

But I'm glad I pushed through, because when everything starts to properly unravel, that is when it finally starts to make sense and that you get into a "wait wait what?"- whirlwind and when you realize you get wrong-footed every few pages. This is when I started to skip some chores just to keep reading, as I wanted to readjust every piece of the puzzle after each new development. I'll warn you: keep some take-away menus at the ready, as you will want to keep reading instead of thinking about dinner. Even after having read the final chapter, I'll start to see connections that weren't obvious whilst reading, which is always a good indicator.

Absolutely gripping and intriguing, but I only gave it 4 stars -3,5 rounded up, as there are some loose ends (what with Rhonda? Or the official paperwork?).

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars for keeping me reading well into the night! I thought it was a pretty predictable story, but, nope, that one final twist I just didn't see coming. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, and to the author for the late night 😁

have always loved Samanthas books and this one has to be one of her best ones by far. Fast paced and full of twists with a jaw dropping conclusion.....brilliant.

Told in past and present. In the past Evan and Mac, 2 school children with not many friends form a strong friendship and a club called the killing club, sharing a passion for killing insects. However one day, this escalates into the abduction and killing of a 3 year old child.

In the present, GP Jen is slowly returning to work following the death of her husband Jeremy in a skiing accident. She is absolutly convjnced that he was having am affair with a co worker prior to his death. Further complicating her grief is a surprise pregnancy. She also is trying hard to support her teenage son Kieran who is also struggling.
A new patient at Jens surgery suddenly becomes over familiar, visiting her home, bringing gifts and eventually moving in as his accommodation has fallen through. Somewhere in Jens memory, she is sure she recognises this man but her memory struggles to ace him. Slowly it starts to remember, making her face some awful truths and secrets from the past. An ending which will absolutly make you go wow.

Highly recommend this book.

The Trapped Wife by Samantha Hayes is an unexpected gem of 2021 I think! The plot twists were unpredictable in a domestic thriller style book, which is just... *chef's kiss*. It takes a lot for me to be surprised but Samantha Hayes did it! I haven't heard of her before and I say this regrettably, but I will be adding the rest of her books to my reading pile shortly. This is definitely a book to go into without knowing much, so my review is vague but I promise- you'll be on the edge of your seat at 2 am like I was when I originally started at around 11 pm saying "i'll just read a few chapters..." and finishing in one sitting. The drama, suspense, and sometimes downright *uncomfy* feelings I had was such a rewarding experience. 10/10 recommend!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

2/5 for me.
Unfortunately this book didn’t do much for me. I’m huge into thrillers and felt this was very much lacking. It’s missing an edge of thrill.
The book seems slow to begin as if you keep getting deeper in you’ll understand and enjoy more. However, I did not.
I would love to read more from this author in hopes to enjoy another read more.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - And what a book!!!
Jen, a doctor finds texts on her husbands phone leading her to believe he is cheating on her. And then - - he is presumed dead.
Before this happens she had gone to a medical convention, deciding to have a great time... but why can't she remember what happened? why does she have flashes of being tied up? sex? waking up in a room she doesn't remember? And - - why does she feel like someone is following her?
To add to her confusion she acquires a new patient who seems so familiar?
And as life begins to tumble Jen must sort through to deal with the aftermath of it all. And then a startling ending!!

Wow what an ending, I certainly didn't see that coming. Jen is a GP, married with a teenage son. When her husband keeps receiving messages she accused him of having an affair. A night away with work colleagues changes the course of her life for ever. She can't remember what happened on that night away but she really needs to as she is now pregnant.
She soon wishes that she had never met that man as her life is turned upside down when he turns up out of the blue. Things will never be the same again.
I absolutely loved this book. The ending was totally unexpected. I look forward to reading more from this author.

My family gathers round the large oak table in our beautifully renovated home. I've put on a dress and lit candles, and there's a wonderful aroma coming from the dinner you've so lovingly prepared. I feel your hand squeeze mine as you top up my glass and ask about my day as a doctor in our small town. It's the perfect domestic scene, except for one tiny fact: I think my husband is dead, and you're just another patient of mine.

What an intriguing book this is to read. The plotline has been cleverly crafted, multi-layered and well written. It's full of twists and flashbacks to the past. I did work out a few of the twists but the ending was a surprise. Even though the story did start off quite slow, I could not put this book down and I was gripped from the first few pages. But it's not long before it picks up it's pace. I was not sure how the dual timeline of then and now were going to gel together, but they did, seamlessly.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #SamanthaHayes for my ARC in exchange for an honest review,

Gah, where do I start with this review? I didn't care for the characters or lack of growth or connection. I found myself not on anyone's side or anyone's corner, it felt flat to read without rooting for a champion so to speak.

I was quite confused for a bit on why the main character would simply roll over and allow someone to take up residence in their home and put their child at risk. I still felt the answer to that was meh, this truly gave away the twist here.

It was pretty fast paced and if you aren't paying enough attention a few things may surprise you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy to review.

Where do I start? First off if you haven’t read any books by Samantha Hayes, where have you been?! As soon as I saw the cover for this I knew I HAD to read it. Every book I seem to read of Sam’s I can’t think another can top it, but The Trapped Wife has to be right up there at the top for my much loved books, you know when you wish you could forget what you have read and re read it? This is one of those books! I thought whilst reading about half way through id worked out the ending, then plot twist and nope not what I thought.. then 3/4 of the way through I thought right I’ve definitely worked it out… nope, the plot twist at the end was just jaw dropping and I honestly didn’t see it coming. As I said at the beginning of this review, where have you been if you haven’t read any of Sam’s books, this one I honestly couldn’t recommend enough, a well deserved 5 stars for sure.

Six weeks ago, she lost her husband as he left for a skiing trip he was destined to never return from. Now, everything has fallen apart. He was never going to finish that bloody book he was always writing, they were never going to have couples night with their best friends again, their son would never get to see him again.

But tonight, everything is perfect. Or at least, it looks perfect. She's just got home from work at the local GP surgery, the table is set, dinner is cooking, and her son is talking to him happily in the other room. But he isn't her husband. She doesn't know why he's here, why he won't go away, and just how he managed to get so much leverage over her, she's going to figure it out but for now she'll play along. Because there's one thing she knows - everyone lies, even her.

"I don't believe in fate, just science."
The Trapped Wife was not what I expected. Following the story of Dr Jennifer Miller, her late husband Jeremy and a strange intruder in her life who she met one night months ago but now is holding things over her head to keep her close. Immediately, I was intruiged by this woman who'd lost everything and was trying to hold together some semblance of normality for her teenage son. I empathized with her from the moment we met - but I ranged from adoring her, hating her, being utterly infuriated with her and falling in love with her all over again.

Written from multiple point of views but still easy to follow, we see Jennifers life unfold and get a glimpse into the past of a troubled young boy who we slowly get to know and wait for his place in the puzzle to be revealed.

This Domestic-Noir thriller was slow-paced but always had something happening - and knowing that Samantha Hayes is a master of deception kept me firmly on the edge of my seat as the suspense bubbled over. She almost lets the reader guess some of the twists coming, lulling them into a false sense of security before unleashing one shocking, bloody revelation after another.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

A thriller with enough twists and turns to make your head spin. I thought it was okay, a bit slower than what I would have liked. You really need to pay attention to the same details which I think the author did a great job in doing. It was like little crumbs along the way that really made you think!