There’s a sentence on the cover of this book that says “Whatever you think you know…. You’re wrong.” And boy has a sentence ever been so accurate for a book description.
Based on the blurb, this book appears as a slow burn domestic thriller, to me it was more of an instant page turner with twists after twists leaving the reader shocked and even questioning who to believe in the story, and whether or not there’s even anyone worth sympathizing for.
There were times I felt uncomfortable during this read and yet I found myself unable to put down the book, one really immerses himself into the story, which I thought added to the creepy-ness and dark aspect of it.
I did notice that, for a non native English speaker like myself, the writing was a tiny bit confusing at times, more particularly in terms of changes of perspective (first person narrator to third person or vice versa) which might be a bit distracting.
The pacing was rather slow but really picks up at the end, which I enjoyed.
Hints and clues are spread throughout the story, which ties everything together perfectly at the end.
It’ll all make sense, and yet you won’t see any of the twists coming.
I finished this book really not expecting this ending.
Truly what made the book a great read for me and an incredible thriller that I will definitely recommend and think of for a long time.


Also…. No spoilers, but that cover ? Absolutely genius. But now I can’t look at butterflies the same anymore.

Jennifer is a doctor, mother, and recent widow. She’s grappling to get her life back on track after her husband is presumed dead after going missing in an avalanche while skiing abroad – with a woman who may have been his mistress. Jen is also pregnant… and she’s pretty sure it isn’t by her late husband, but her recollection of one fateful night is foggy and distressing.

It’s hard to say much more without giving away significant plot twists, but wow can Samantha Hayes weave a tale! Once this creepy, slow-burn thriller got going, I couldn’t put it down! The story unfolds from several points of view – Jen, her bestie Rhonda, and a youngster during Jen’s childhood. It wasn’t clear how the “Then” and “Now” were going to come together, and despite my best guesses as a huge fan of the psychological thriller genre, I absolutely did NOT see the ending coming!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

My family gathers around 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 are just another patient of mine…

I had no choice but to let you in. If I laugh at your jokes and run my fingers through your hair, maybe I can delete the photos on your phone and find the truth about the night I can’t remember, just before my husband left on the trip he never returned from. Perhaps my son and I will have a chance at a normal life again.

But as I carefully piece together the shards of what really happened that fateful night, only one thing can possibly be true: everyone is lying, even me…

I had a hard time with this one. On one hand, I liked the idea for the story, however, I found none of the characters to be that likable or relatable. It was also pretty slow-paced and predictable.

I have always enjoyed this authors books. As I was reading this book I was initially disappointed. The plot seemed rather transparent. I even considered not finishing the book. But glad I decided to continue reading. The last part of the book had a number of twists that surprised me. So, overall another hit from the author that I would recommend to all.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a good fast paced thriller mystery with a couple of surprises in the end which I always enjoy. In the beginning I was sort of rolling my eyes at how obvious some of the flashbacks were and things were easily put together. But in the end I did get shown up with some “didn’t see that coming!” moments so it rounded it up to 4 stars for me.

Jen is a doctor in a small town who just lost her husband in an avalanche accident. She’s trying to recover and move forward in her life but there is a night in particular that she made a huge mistake and she can’t put the pieces together. Other characters are introduced and everyone has their own secrets including Jen.

There isn’t much I can spill in regards to the plot without giving the story away but it was a good entertaining read and one I would recommend.

Thank you to Bookouture and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This twisty thriller hit a lot of my favourite beats and kept me reading until the bitter end. It played with my mind in an intriguing way and had plenty of moments to make you question what the heck was going on. I really enjoyed the asynchronous times of ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ and watching how the past played slowly into the present. Trigger warnings for sexual assault.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book through Net Galley.

I absolutely love Samantha Hayes books and this one didn't dissapoint
I was gripped from the very first chapter and stayed that way till the end.
Told in then and now chapters with plenty of twists and turns ,a dark and sinister story told in such a away that keeps you guessing throughout.
And what an ending totally brilliant.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

A gripping and thrilling book that I could not out down, it was dark, disturbing and everything I look for in a thriller

A disturbing prologue that lays the foundations of a book where almost everyone seems to have something to hide and somewhat disturbing chapters give way to an ending that, although partly sensed, is nonetheless spectacular.
The action of the book is simmered but without pause helping to create the perfect atmosphere for your reading. Highly recommended.

A gripping, page-turning thriller with lots of twists. I will definitely recommend to any of my friends looking for a good psychological, thrilling read!

So this book took me by surprise, in the first instance I liked it and found myself quickly getting through the chapters, however as I drew near to the end I got cocky and thought I had figured out all of the plot twists and felt irritated… How very wrong I was!! Great book, unthinkable twists and gripping story. I look forward to reading more from the author!

Rating this book is very difficult.

I struggled to get into it at first as the lead character Jen acts in such a bizarre manner that I just couldn't empathise with her or believe in her as a character. At the end it is explained why she acted the way she did but by that point I'd lost all hope of connecting with her.

The other POV character Rhonda, I'm not sure why she needed to be a POV character at all. We don't find out much about her as an individual in her own right and she only seemed to exist to advance Jen's plot.

I did eventually get into the plot as there are a lot of questions raised during the book and I was actually really looking forward to finding the answers out. For me, the big reveal didn't work. It was impossible to guess the twist as the reader was essentially lied to (Spoiler: A character gendered as 'he' throughout the novel ended up being a girl, with no explanation as to why anyone thought they were a boy).

I can't really say whether I would recommend this or not as there were times when the plot looked really promising and some very interesting themes were explored, but a lot of the execution just didn't make sense.

Also, I work at an abortion clinic. Even if you're a GP, you cannot get mifepristone from a regular pharmacy, it can only be obtained from a registered abortion provider. I accept that the general public wouldn't know this, but some research wouldn't have gone amiss.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them so I was looking forward to this one, and I was not disappointed, it was a real page turner and the twists just kept coming, and in no way was I prepared for the ending. Superbly written, a definite must read.

This was an absolute page-turner, which had me gripped from start to finish. I read it in a day, as I couldn't put it down. Even though I figured out a couple of the twists, that didn't affect my reading experience as I felt compelled to keep reading to figure out if I was right or not.

Samantha Hayes writes beautifully, and is very clever in the way she presents the twists and turns in The Trapped Wife. I loved the split between 'then' and 'now' and the dual perspective in the present day. It gave space for each character to develop, as well as for the reader to discover new information as the characters do too. Whilst some of the characters are deeply unlikeable, Hayes does a great job of ensuring they still remain 'human'. This is definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone!

Jennifer is a doctor who’s life is falling apart. Her husband has gone on a skiing trip with his assistant and Jennifer thinks they are having an affair. They are now both missing presumed dead in an avalanche.
She also thinks that when she was away at a business conference that she was drugged and raped. Now she is sure someone is following her.
I found this story quite unbelievable and slow to start. Most of the characters are extremely unlikeable and there are some horrific incidents.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just lived this and really wanted to find out what happened next. The start was a bit slow though. Loved the ending and the epilogue it was just brilliant.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

The Truth…?
Well woven psychological suspense with a nicely crafted cast of characters and a twisting, turning plotline that has the reader wondering what will come next. Who is telling the truth here and exactly which of the cast can be relied upon? An entertaining and compelling read.

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL DID I JUST READ?

Wow! This book was SO. DAMN. FABULOUS!

I was lucky enough to get this as an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. Honestly… if you are a psychological thriller fan, what the bloody hell are you waiting for? This book was extremely fast paced and had me gasping in shock many times! The twists were insane and right up to last page!

I LOVE how Samantha Hayes expertly inserted a “Then” chapter that seemed a tad disconnected at first but kept me wondering how the past fit together with the present. And… OMG! 🤯 each “Then” chapter revealed a little bit more detail which created a niggling suspicion about who the cast of characters were and who they are now. I NEVER saw it coming!

I can’t give this twisted book enough crazy, disturbing, creepy, spine tingling stars! I am confident when I say… it is most definitely a MUST READ!

Reading The Trapped Wife was an absolute delight for me. This new to me author managed to keep me in suspense fresh from the start til the last page.
TTW is a mystery/thriller, a stand-alone, gripping story that doesn't let go once I started reading. Simply unputdownable, I had to know what happens next to Jen and her family.
A twisted story that had me guessing, gave me all the feels and at the end had a fitting hea.
I loved connecting with the characters , loved the unique storyline, 5 stars.

When I read my first book by this author back in 2018 - The Reunion - I called it one of the best books of the year. No surprise, then, that I jumped at the chance to read and review a pre-release copy of this one, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley. It also was no surprise, at least to me, that I enjoyed this one very much as well, although a titch less than the other one.

The plot is complex enough to be totally confusing, but - thanks to the author's writing skills - it's relatively easy to follow even before all the loose ends start coming together. Readers get a glimpse of a years-ago "friendship" between two school kids that turns evil; then one of Jenn, a recent widow with fuzzy memories of something awful that happened in her past. Then suddenly, we're in her present, as she learns she's unexpectedly pregnant and gets an unwanted visitor named Scott, who makes her skin crawl but won't leave. Chapters shift perspective from one of the youngsters to Jenn to that of her good friend, Rhonda. Tossed into the mix are Jenn's teenage son, Kierin, and Rhonda's teenage daughter, Caitlin.

Questions loom large: Who were those two young schoolyard friends, and are they related to what's going on now? What happened to Jenn (and maybe more important, what really happened to her husband)? Who is the house-crasher and why can't Jenn - a physician, for crying out loud - make him go away? That last part is the only thing I had a bit of trouble with; I'm never been a fan of women who try to rationalize behavior that's outside of what my idea of a "normal" woman would (or, IMHO, should) do - kind of like those idiots in horror movies who run toward a dark alley instead of a well-lit store when a monster is chasing them. By the end, the real reason for Jenn's lack of backbone becomes evident, though, thus changing the opinion I had of her throughout most of the book (whether for better or worse I'll never tell).

All the parts herein are intricately and expertly woven and come together in the end - complete with a couple of knock-out surprises. In short, it was well worth the time I spent reading it. Recommended!