I really enjoyed this book! The characters were strong, the relationships made sense, and the mystery was compelling.

This book is a modern retelling of the graphic novel Rebecca. I read Rebecca about two years ago and remember enjoying it, although I do not entirely remember any specifics about the plot. I went into this book optimistic but open minded and it genuinely exceeded my expectations.

Samira is the second wife of pro golfer Roland Graham. Graham is a kind man, attentive and charming (and rich, of course) and everything Samira could want - except for his past. His first wife, Melanie, was found dead in the water with heroin in her bloodstream after driving over a cliff. There are suspicions of foul play regarding her death, and although it was ruled a suicide, the media is convinced that Roland did it. When Samira moves into Roland’s gorgeous Colorado mansion, she finds a set of journals that belonged to Melanie - journals that she suspects could lead her to the truth about Melanie’s death.

First of all, let me just say, the journals were brilliant. It felt almost like a dual POV, with Melanie as an unreliable narrator of a past with details that we may never know the truth of. Melanie as a character, although dead from before the first page, was three dimensional and vivid and extremely complex. I may not have particularly liked her as a person, but that was part of what compelled me to continue reading.

Not just Melanie but every character in this book was extremely well written. Roland was everything he needed to be to keep me wondering until the end if there was a chance that he had actually killed Melanie, but also to keep me hoping that he didn’t. Dylan was… well, I still find him fascinating, although I also have some choice words about his actions. In the end, I really think that every character was well formed and contributed well to the overall story.

The mystery of this book was handled so well. I sometimes find mysteries frustrating because I figure out the twists too easily, and I sometimes am frustrated when the twists don’t make sense and almost seem to come from too far out of left field. Every plot twist was unexpected but believable and I thought that the pacing was good and the ending was satisfying while leaving just enough unknown that it didn’t feel too perfect.

I know that this isn’t the first book by Shanora Williams, but I have not yet read her other books. After reading this one, though, I would definitely be interested in reading something else by her since I enjoyed her writing style.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for sending me an advance copy of this
book for review!

A really intriguing read which I binged in one go! Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing with complex believable characters. I loved the ending too! A great read for summer holidays.

This book started out promising and intriguing. However, I found many parts to be more predictable as the story progressed.

As an avid Shanora fan, this book did not disappoint at all!! I love all her books, I haven’t read one that I did not like. After reading The Perfect Ruin, I was so looking forward to this book. She has slayed it! I didn’t think she could top The Perfect Ruin but the joke was on me.
Her writing style is different than any other author I have read. I was sucked in from the beginning and could not put this down.
Omg the plot twists, the characters. I can not get enough of it. Samira didn’t have an easy life but then she meets Roland. He is seemingly perfect in every way. They have a fast past relationship. She marries him, becoming the second wife. She finds his ex wife’s journals and all may not be what it seems with her “perfect” husband. I can’t say anymore without spoiling it. You just have to read this for yourself!!

I received an Arc copy from Kensington Books and Shanora Williams through NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Holy Smokes!! I fell in love with Shanora William’s writing after The Perfect Ruin, but I may love this book more!! William’s does such a fantastic job pulling you into the storyline and wanting to know more about the characters! I am pretty sure that I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I did not want to put it down!

William’s does such a great job with making you question what is going on in the book and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions! You spend so much time trying to figure out if the characters are actually reliable and if someone is really guilty or not! I also LOVE how she incorporates the romance into the thriller and suspense!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Wow!!! Wow!!!! Wow!!! This book is a total page turner and will keep you guessing with every page. Halfway through I thought I had it figured out and then BAM! The ending floored me... I just loved this book. If you are looking for a good mystery with twists and turns then you will enjoy this. It is a great mystery full of suspense, lies, deceit, and amazing characters. Highly recommend!

Samira is down on her luck and desperate for cash so she takes a last minute catering gig. At the event, she meets the charming, famous, widowed golfer Roland. She is immediately smitten with him as he is with her. He seems like the perfect guy and she doesn't care that they are moving quickly. That is until her brother Kel calls her and tells her she's nuts for being with a murderer and that he does not approve. Samira knows Roland's first wife died, but had no idea he had been accused of causing her death.

She decides to believe that Roland is innocent and keeps their relationship under wraps, even after he proposes. They get married in secret and they make the move across the country to the mansion Roland built with his first wife, Melanie. While cleaning out a shed, Samira finds several journals written by Melanie and she can't help but read them. Peeking into the mind of Melanie has Samira second guessing what actually happened to her and she desperately sets out to (hopefully) prove Roland's innocence.

I could not put this down! I NEEDED to know what happened to Melanie and found myself going back and forth the whole time wondering if Roland was guilty or not. It was the perfect blend of mystery and suspense with a little bit of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Shanora Williams for the ARC.

My Husband’s Secrets is a quick read that had some interesting twists and turns. I can’t say I loved it, but it held by interest enough to keep reading. There were secrets and lies and a plot that was fairly interesting. The characters in this book were on the unlikeable side, but I was still invested enough to find out what the ending of the book would reveal. I always like an epilogue in a book, so I really appreciated that part of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

I could not get into this story. The main female character is not someone who is easy to like and there just seemed to be too many twists and turns that did not make sense

When Mira meets Roland Graham, he's everything she wants. He's an attractive professional golf player with lots of money and a good heart. Their whirlwind relationship is going fabulous until Mira's brother calls her and tells her some shocking news: Roland was a suspect in his wife's murder. Uncertain if Roland had anything, Mira still agrees to move into the home where Roland and Melanie lived when she died. To make room for herself, Mira begins to clean out Melanie's old shed, where she finds confidential journals written by Melanie before her death. Using these journals, Mira finds out the truth behind Melanie's suspicious suicide, and the truth is finally told.

"The Wife Before" kept my attention throughout the whole book. I read it in a day because I absolutely had to know what was happening next. I loved Mira's character because lately, I haven't found a strong woman in the books I've read and that is what Mira is. She goes through all the emotions that any woman in her situation would and yet still wants to find the truth instead of running away. The book was full of twists and turns and the ending ... *chef's kiss*

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.

I loved The Perfect Ruin so I was ready to jump into this.

From the prologue you already know it’s going to be a twisty suspenseful ride! Mira is sort of a wreck and Roland in the beginning was very mysterious. I was intrigued by everyone believing he killed his wife and that kept me flipping the pages to get to the bottom of this. I can definitely say I’d be Mira, any breadcrumbs she found, she was that nosey enough to want to know. You could tell that something just wasn’t quite right. Once she found the journals, it was a series of ups and downs and wtf moments. Who do you trust, who can you trust? There was something fishy about all the key characters. The shocking reveal from Calvin about Miley and Melanie! Once you hit the 80% mark it really begins to have you questioning it all. I was screaming at Mira to just take all this to Roland on one hand and then on the other hand I was like can we trust him? My emotions were so torn through this book! The last few chapters had me shook, heart racing and all!! I had a feeling this person did it but not alone. The big reveal was in the final chapter. You literally stay chasing the answer to the very end and I loved it. The ending just leaves your mind reeling with all the possibilities that occurred for that outcome. Shanora is really outdoing herself in this suspense thriller genre!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife Before by Shanora Williams

Y'all, Shanora Williams is one of my fav one click authors!!

I have loved her age gap romances, LOVED her Mafia romances, but let me tell you...these psychological thrillers are The Chefs Kiss!!!!

And...My first clue of how freaking good this book was going to be was that freaking dedication in the front of the book!! Holy Shit Shanora, you blew me away with The Wife Before!

Every page I turn, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat!! I'm practically speed reading cuz y'all, I had to freaking know what in the hell was happening next!! Lol Soo FREAKING good!!

Samira Wilder has had a crappy life until she meets
pro golfer Roland Graham. He sweeps her off her feet marries her and life is perfect until she finds some journals out back in a shed belonging to his wife before who died from a tragic accident. (This is where you will start getting antsy in your seat! Lol)
Yessss that's all I'm sharing, you have to read the book..less is more..right? Haha

Just make sure you mark your calenders, The Wife Before releases June 28, 2022. You definitely will want to go one click and get on this wild, make your heart beat right out of your chest kind of read!!

The Wife Before is 10 Fan-damn-tastic Stars from meeeee!!!

Wow wow wow! So many twists and turns! Geez this book went a whole different way! I thought I had it all figured out! Then bam! Totally different thing than I thought?! That was crazy! Crazy good though! Lol wow I definitely enjoyed reading this book! This book had suspense, intrigue, and a few who done it! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Absolutely love this side of Shanora Williams! The thriller side, that has you slowly turning the page. The twists and turns that lead you further and further invested in this story.

Where did it all go wrong? That's exactly what I was thinking. You truly want to believe every word your new husband is telling you...but the more you uncover...the more you second guess who or what to believe.

So many pieces don't fit this perfectly carved puzzle. Which piece fits in and which piece needs to be turned the other way. This great story will have you trying to figure out who is the friend and who is the enemy throughout.

What can I say about The Wife Before? It was an amazing read that blew my mind!! It's filled with twists and turns and will have will keep you trying to guess who's the killer and why? Also characters from the perfect ruined are mentioned. So if you're looking for a thriller that's filled with family drama, great characters, suspense/mystery that will have you saying well I didn't see that coming The Wife Before is for you. I loved the story!! I received an ARC copy from Kensington Books, Dafina and NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Not your typical domestic intrigue - slow start, but don't let that turn you away, keep with it - the story grows and intensifies and as it progresses you won't want to put it down. Some nice plot twists as the story moves forward, some outcomes maybe expected, but some an interesting and believable surprise.

Stayed up through the night to finish the book, it was that good! As with all of Shanora's books, it ended too soon.
This book will keep you guessing. Once you think you figured it out, something comes along and changes what you thought. The story was perfectly plotted out.
Another A+!

A great psychological thriller. Samira seems to have lucked into a marriage to Roland, a good-looking, rich golfer. She moves into his Colorado mansion and finds his first wife, Melanie's, old journals. She starts to question how Melanie died and what her husband is really like under the surface. This is a great, suspenseful read, full of creeping unease and lots of twists.

Who can you trust? Samira knows that she needs to get her life in order but she just hasn't find what she is looking for. But that all needs to change that her brother Kellan has told her that he can't support her anymore. What is she going to do as she needs to pay the bills and her roommate won't be happy that she lost her job again.
But that all changes when she meets Roland Graham, he is rich successful and he wants her but she has heard the stories about his dead wife. Did he really kill her? She knows that she should keep away but she has fallen for Roland and when he suggests that she should move in she jumps at the chance.
Everything is going well until she wants to clean out his dead wife's old shed. She finds Melanie's old journals and she can't stop reading them but she is lying to Roland and she isn't too sure what he will do when he finds out the truth.
Melanie was this bored housewife she had a hard upbringing and she was pretty wild when it came to men and she just wanted to escape from her marriage so she tried everything to get Roland to walk away from her.
Roland loved his wife and he couldn't let her go no matter how much she hurt him but they were both so miserable is that why Melanie had to choice but to kill herself?
Samira realises that someone killed Melanie but who and why? The more she digs the more she afraid she becomes. Who can she really trust? Will she be able to find out the truth and will it be the answers that she needs to believe in her marriage?
A good read. Who knows why people do certain things? Did Melanie deserve to die for her sins?
I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

When I learned that this was an inspired by Rebecca but twistier version, I was sold. Rebecca is one of my favorite books. Shanora's The Wife Before was just perfection. The way the book unfolded, the pace and THAT ENDING 😱!!

I found Samira (the main character) to be very relatable with very real life problems. As for all of the other characters in this book. Representation about people's mental health and conditions are for me personally always a big plus since I have had suffered from some of these conditions, which makes it 10 times more realistic.

The fast paced writing and just the thrill I felt while reading particular chapters, just WOW. I got the actual chills as in - what is going to happen now?

And the journals of Melanie. Again wow. It's very cleverly written by Shanora, the point of view from one person, but the question quickly sets in: is Melanie a reliable story teller? Does she write those journals in her own favor? Does she see herself as a hero or a villain? And how does she describe herself. The biggest question, whatever she writes, is it the truth?

As the story progressess we get more and more insight on what actually happend. A few discoveries that literally made me say WTF!

And that ending 🤯? Some call it justice, some call it crime? Some might be lost for words. It depends on the reader I'd say.

Shanora has done it yet again. Another 5 🌟 from me! She has a gift with words and story telling. All I really can say is, if you are looking for a dark, twisty, psycho with a pinch of digging until you find out the truth book, this is the book for you! 😏