I received this book from Net Galley. It sounded really interesting but I just could not get into it enough care about the characters.

I fell in love with this author after the Perfect ruin, and she hasn't disappointing me yet. Samaria Wilder is kinda the f up of the family. She can't seem to keep a job and is always getting money from her brother, until he has to cut her off because he has a child on the way. She accepts a waitress job, and ends up meeting Famous golfer Roland Grahmn. Sparks fly, and before you know it, they end up getting married. The big thing Samaria didn't seem to pay attention to, is that it is rumored that Roland murdered his first wife. Samaria finds her old journals while cleaning out the shed that belonged to her and the story will take you on a journey that mimics a lifetime tv movie.

This book kept my interest from beginning to end. I did not want to put it down. It was fast paced and exciting, and something I would actually watch on a screen, and I'm not that big of a tv person. I loved Samaria's growth through out the story, I was completely shocked by the end, and I can't wait for this author's next book.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review. This book was such a page turner. Mira is in a tough spot, jobless and loosing her apartment and the assistance her brother has been giving her for years. She takes a waitressing gig and meets Roland. Roland is a professional golfer and Mira has never heard of him which make Roland take interest in her. His life has been all over the news since his first wife drove over and cliff and died and he was a suspect. Roland and Mira have a whirlwind romance which leads to marriage which leads to Mira digging in to his ex's life to find out the truth of how she died. This book is fast paced and reading Mel's diary with Mira is quite interesting. A definite book to add to your thriller TBR list.

I read this during my move last month, and unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I had to force myself to finish it (I likely wouldn't have completed it if it were not an arc), and it took far too much of my time to do so. I tried, I did. But the book felt unoriginal (I know it's reminiscent of Rebecca, but still) and moved way too slow at times to be enjoyable. The "thrilling" parts of the book weren't enough to make up for the parts that were hard to push through. That being said, there are lots of good reviews, so maybe I'm just the odd one out; it happens.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

🏌‍♀️ What woman isn't attracted to a handsome, hazel eyed, rich, famous man? I bet we would all be, but for him to have a wife murderer reputation (I would still take him JK 😆😉).

At first this novel was super fast paced. The way Samira met Roland, how they both quickly fell in love and got married, that would have definitely been a red flag for me. However, not for Samira. As the story continues it begins to get extreme interesting when she finds the ex wifes journal entries. The author @reallyshanora had me at the edge of my seat expecting her to get caught by her husband everytime i turned the page. Such a gripping story with a shocking ending. I recommend this to anyone who liked novels such as Verity and Rebecca. Just when you think you have this thriller figured out...NOPE YOU DON'T!

WHAT A RIDE THIS WAS! I think I was able to read this in 2 days. It definitely did have Verity vibes. I liked the setting and the character.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Samira is working as a waitress and mooching off her brother a lot ~ what's up with that? when she meets Roland. They have an instant connection and he tracks down her number.
Roland is a pro-golfer that was accused of murdering his wife, Melanie. He claims he's innocent and she believes him even though her brother disagrees.
They get married rather quickly and now she's living in a mansion with no job. To occupy her time she starts reading Melanie's old journals. As she reads page after page after page her belief in her new husbands innocence starts to falter. With nothing else to do she starts investigating on her own ~ will she uncover the truth about what really happened to the wife before?

Told in the 1st person both by Samira and through journals that Melanie wrote during her marriage to Roland. I found the journals a tad odd with their full on dialogue, but they did tell quite a story.

Overall, this was slow going for me, but had some suspenseful moments. There was a nice twist in there and I was mostly kept engaged. This is my first time reading this author and I'd give her a go again.

I was able to listen to a final copy that was narrated by Tracey Conyer Lee for 10 hours and 6 minutes. Her voice was actually so slow at my usual 2x, so I had bump her up to 3x. Which is crazy quick but it worked for this one for me. Ultimately, I feel reading was the better option to be able to decipher when it was Samira vs Melanie's journals.

TW ~ infidelity, domestic abuse, rape reference

I appreciate the author's note at the end that explained why she chose to write about these heavy topics. It helped me have a better understanding of the book.

Roland is an amazing golfer but since his wife’s unexpected passing everything has changed. When he meets Samira at a party, the attraction is instant. Samira for her part is a free spirit who has no idea who he is or about his past. She was looking for some fun but what will happen when she finds out about the rumors? Will she stay or run? Is she safe with him?

Sadly had to DNF this one, my mood just couldn't get me into this one. I definitely appreciate the copy, but will have to pass this time around.

Shanora can weight romance and Shanora can write domestic thrillers. She really is a one stop author for me and I love her so much. This is the perfect summer thriller. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist was thrown in and I was right back at the beginning trying to piece it all together. I thought this book flowed really easily and nicely and the way it all came together in the end was perfect. Shanora really does keep getting better with every book she writes, no matter the genre.

This book was an epic thriller that had me guessing and wanting more the entire read. I was on the edge of my seat holding my breath wondering what would happen next and I definitely did not see the twists coming. This book was sexy and suspenseful. I loved the whole vibe of this book and the world created. It completely drew me in and did not let up until I was done reading and even then I still thought about it afterwards. Shanora Williams can write any genre and I will read it. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

Not my favorite take on the classic gothic tale of Rebecca. You may think you know where it is headed, but it did manage to surprise me a little. I just wish I liked the main character more. Her decision making really drove me nuts.

Shanora Williams has done it again. This is a "who done it" type murder mystery and a twisted, dark love story, wrapped all into one masterpiece. The Wife Before is well written, highly entertaining and enjoyable, has a thrilling storyline, well developed characters and great mystery elements.
Bravo!!

#TheWifeBefore #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. This novel felt in line with A Simple Favor with secret sisters and such but also felt like a take on Rebecca. I had a feeling where some of the plot was going but was pleasantly surprised by the last chapters with how it all actually played out. It was a good way to spend my time seeing where the plot could go and I don't regret requesting it. I would not purchase it myself only because I do not tend to re-read thrillers once I am done. 3.5 stars

This is my second thriller from this author, and I did enjoy the previous one more but it all came down to my personal preferences in thrillers. I think this was done very well and I enjoyed the twists, but it ended up not really being the book for me. I plan on reading more thrillers from this author. I think that people who love domestic thrillers will really have a great time with this book. A large part of this story is told through journal entries and that made this really fun to read.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I like the writing style and it kept be hooked from the beginning. They weren’t the most likable characters but I don’t mind that. Great binge read!

I was intrigued by the take that author Shanora Willams was going to take with this book, I though she did good. It felt a bit slow, but it had my interest, somewhere along the line I though maybe it will be more suspenseful, but it was just at a great steady pace, which I didn’t mind at all. I just felt that I needed a bit more twists and turn, something that would keep me hooked in the story and not day dream about something else, but most likely than not, I was somewhere else.
But I really felt this was a me problem!

Samiras journey was entertaining, just a bit of. Slow pace for me, but the ending wasn’t bad and was a great closing to this story.
It’s a good read, just felt it was a bit short on the thrilling.

The Wife Before gives you that rich feeling of glamour, suspense and mystery at first glance and you want nothing more than to dive into it head first. The aura of something tragic and deadly lurks through the pages after you finish reading the prologue and you only get more intrigued as the chapters slowly go by.


Samira Wilder has been down on her luck for the past few years but the one constant she has in her life is her older brother. Keeping a job is not one of her strong suits and if you were to ask anyone, they would tell you that she lacks focus and some more growing up to do. But all of that quickly changes when she has a chance encounter with the famous pro golfer Roland Graham.


Now married and living her most extravagant life, there is something that has been bothering Samira and she's not going to rest until she gets to the truth of what really happened to her husband’s first wife. Was it murder, an accident, or did something else happend to her?


I was really intrigued with this storyline and having read this author’s books plenty of times in the past, I felt like I was going to be left on the edge of my seat shocked and wanting so much more. Sadly that didn't happen and I guessed most of the plot twists early on. Some of the scenes dragged on and I was expecting a lot more suspense and thriller feel to this but I didn't get that. I also had a hard time connecting with the heroine and her flow of things just didn't do it for me.

If you’re looking for a light romantic suspense read, then you might want to give this one a try. What didn't really work for me, just might be the thing that you love

After loving The Perfect Ruin last year, this was one of my most anticipated summer reads and it did not disappoint. First I want to give a small shout out that The Wife Before, while not a sequel, is in the same world and time of The Perfect Ruin. I love when an author can throw that into the book for the readers.

At first I had vibes of Tiger Woods as the love interest at the beginning of the book is a golfer and it alludes to his troubles with his wife, but then it morphs into an OJ sort of thing where he is actually suspected in his wife’s tragic accident. I was guessing until the end and was surprised more than once.

Very entertaining whodunit thriller! Samira marries Roland Graham, professional golfer whose reputation has been stained by the death of his first wife. There’s a mystery about the death, he was initially accused, but there was insufficient evidence, so he was acquitted.

However, Samira believes in him and falls in love, so she marries him. Then later she finds information and starts to investigate and learns that not all is how everyone thinks.

The author did a great job in keeping the reader interested as the plot gets more and more convoluted. The story was entertaining, although not very deep into character development. I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters except for Samira because the book is written in first person and we read about her thoughts and feelings. I also didn’t feel any suspense as I read, just curiosity and interest as the mystery is unravelled. It still made for very entertaining reading, as Samira, who was flighty and never finished anything, decided to finish this investigation to the last consequences.