It was a really fast paced read. Each chapter was about 4 minutes long on Kindle. I started this last Thursday and figured I would finish it last weekend... then Hurricane Helene hit and I was without power for 3 days. I could have read during that time but I have three teenagers and a husband and 5 furbabies.

I picked it back up last night which was a week after I first picked it up because I could finally sit and relax. I realized that the time away from this book, I kind of dreaded it because the first 25% I read last Thursday, I hated the characters. Michael gave me the ick right away because he was so controlling and he wanted his wife to have more babies and she clearly didn't want anymore because her first and only pregnancy was rough. He just kept saying take the weekend and think about and you'll come to see how I feel and give me more babies. Cara was oblivious to Michael's manipulations and demands.

Michael is taking their two daughters camping for the weekend and then one of the daughters becomes kidnapped. Cara sees a strange guy staring up at the house while she is in the attic which freaks Michael out because he has his secrets locked away up there.

This story was just not realistic at all. The youngest daughter who was also taken but put back in the tent was not driven to the hospital at all to get checked out after. The police just told the parents to take her home. The male policeman told Michael right to his face that he suspected Cara.

Things did not add up and it made me real frsutrated and I don't know if that was intentional on the author's part or if she didn't make it intentional.

The ending had me screaming because it just ended on a major plot twist. So many unanswered questions and plot hole after plot hole.

This book really sucked me in immediately, however got more and more convoluted and just down right odd the longer I read. There was so much that was completely unplausible and Cara at the end of the book was just the icing on the cake. I really like thrillers, however this one was off the mark for me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

The story is told from dual perspectives. It is a fast paced domestic thriller. There are plenty of twists and turns.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read this arc in trade for an honest review.

This is my first book by Emily Shiner and I have to say I enjoyed it.

This is very fast paced and starts with two little girls, Laura and Olivia camping in the woods with their dad, Michael while their mom Cara stays back to enjoy a relaxation weekend to herself. Michael steps away and leaves the two little girls in the tent, when he returns both girls are gone. Later on, one daughter pops back up in the woods while the other is still missing.

Cara decides to drive up to the campsite last minute to meet Michael and the girls because Laura forgot her favorite stuffed animal she cannot sleep without. When Cara arrives, she also realizes that the girls are missing. Michael and Cara call the police and then start to investigate on their own. They soon realize that things are not as they may seem, and that they have been underestimating each other so far.

This is a great place and displays the importance of a mother’s instincts and what she will do to save her child…no matter what it takes.

Highly recommend, however the ending was a little soft, I was happy with it but feel like I could have learned more before the book ended.

Thank you Inkubator Books, Emily Shiner, and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. You go between Michael, The Husband, and Kara, The wife’s perspective. I love stories that do this. The story line was well written and keeps you intrigued. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Fun read that moved really fast even if the twists weren’t all that shocking.

A brilliant twisty tale, told through a husband and wife perspective the story flowed along lovely, I never once thought it the twist at the end and I usually do, I read a lot of books of this type and have seen them rise in popularity recently. Not once was the storyline confusing or conflicting in any way

A simple camping trip in some nearby woods for a dad and 2 daughters turns out to be anything but. Wife Cara stayed at home for some rest and relaxation but that didn’t happen either. Does anyone really know anyone else? I liked the cover, I liked the story description but it did stretch incredibility to the max, especially the reason why these things were happening - so many would anyone do this, would that really happen, which spoilt it. No one was that great, not the nosey neighbour or the two main characters. The ending was hurried, leaving the reader looking for the next chapter! A domestic thriller, sort of.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Woah i was on the edge of my seat this entire book! would read again and recommend!

Wow what a fast paced thriller! The Secret Wife was such an addictive read I couldn't get through the pages quick enough, I'm really enjoying this author writing and will be definitely be reading more.

This was a quick and action-packed read that only kind of hit the mark for me. It centers on married couple Michael and Cara- Cara needs a break after raising their 2 young girls and Michael takes them camping for the weekend. Almost as soon as they get there, the girls go missing. The chapters alternate between Cara and Michael’s POV, which keeps the book moving at a fast clip, though neither character likable. I felt like while there was action, there really weren’t that many twists, though. The plot was interesting but the characters were not very likeable and seemed shallow. The mental illness portion seemed contrite and thrown in as an explanation for Cara being naïve. The concept of the book was good but could have been executed better.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity..

I received an eARC of The Secret Wife by Emily Shriner from Inkubator books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! Even though this book was predictable it was still an enjoyable page-turning domestic thriller.

Thrillers are a genre that I didn’t get into until recently and this story definitely did not disappoint! It was a fast paced and I truly did not want to stop reading! I loved it!

The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner is a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat for the duration. It has been a very long time since I have picked up a read that I could not put down, and this one kept me glued to the pages.

Michael and Cara have two little girls, Laura and Olivia. Laura is Michael's daughter from his first marriage, but Cara loves her as if she were her own. Taking the girls on a camping trip seems the perfect opportunity for Michael to have some bonding time with them while Cara enjoys a quiet weekend at home. But when Laura goes missing in the woods, the family will be tested in ways that they could have never imagined, and secrets from the past will come to light that will change everything.

I enjoyed the alternating POV's of Michael and Cara, and thought that this was an effective narrative style as their shared story unfolded. It is always such fun to be kept guessing until the very end. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

Wow, that ending was shocking to say the least. I definitely did not see it coming. As for the rest of the book, it's pretty fast paced and I really liked the narrator. The characters are decently developed and I really wasn't sure who to trust throughout the book. The twists and turns in this were all very surprising to me and I thought everything came together fairly well at the end. This was my first by Emily Shiner and I really enjoyed her writing style. I am looking forward to what she brings us next.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a reader of mostly Thriller/Mystery books, I was really looking forward to reading this one! The synopsis really intruiged me, and I couldn't wait to get to this one.

This book follows Michael and Cara, who seem to be picture perfect parents. Michael has always wanted a big family and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. Cara struggled to get pregnant and isn’t sure she wants anymore kids. This sets in motion Michale’s scheming and it’s not the first time it’s happened.

The book opens with a kidnapping of the children of Michale and Cara. This foretells a lot of what is to come, and introduces some of the central characters without giving anything away. The book quickly switches in the next chapter to the perspective of the mother. She is the second wife to her husband, the adopted mother to her step-daughter, and the mother of one child. The husband takes his two daughters out on a camping trip for the weekend, giving his wife some much needed time to rest. However, they are taken when he leaves them unattended. Mom comes up to deliver the fave stuffed animal, and is there when dad discovers the missing daughters. After a panicked search, the younger daughter is returned to her tent, but the older daughter is missing. Thus the mystery begins.

This book definitely intruiged me and kept me wanting to know what was going on. However, there were a lot of unlikeable characters that did somewhat diminish my enjoyment of the book. The ending though... a lot of people will enjoy that twist!

3.5/5 ⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the book!

Two girls disappear, and one is returned. The other one's return reveals a lot of secrets, most of which should have stayed hidden. Nothing is as it seems with this book, and the reader is entertained throughout. Recommended.

I'm pretty sure I'll be in the majority for this one but whilst the premise grabbed me and it was an enjoyable read mostly, I just felt like it was lacking, I'm not sure what iwas expecting but it was more than what I got.

The characters arent overly likeable and totally shallow which didnt help me with any connection, I need to feel some form of connection or engagement with at least one of the characters but that just didn't happen for me.

Whilst twists and turns were there they were quite expected in all honesty.

On a positive note, I absolutely love the cover, it caught my eye instantly and also the writing style was clear and precise, easy to follow and fast paced.

This is definitely a book that most will absolutely love but unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea.

With thanks to netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

My first time by this author. I found that I do like her the twists in the book kept me interested. Without giving much away a secret life is what he had. And when you keep secrets from the one you love things have a way of slipping out.

With a cast of morally grey narrators, this book was a fast, plot twisty, fun ride. I read it in one sitting.