A book that will undoubtedly keep you riveted. A unique twist in the psychological thriller genre that offered a different approach to “insta attraction romance”. From the first chapter I was totally engrossed by this haunting and twisted story.

I listened to the audiobook that was provided by @netgalley & @dafina, and at times it did get. Little confusing as to what character was speaking because the narrator had similar voices for each character, but eventually it all worked out and was understandable.

A story told in present day and half in journals? Sold! Loved this one, I was all for it. I really enjoyed the snooping in journals because I would have done the same. Very relatable. Narrators were great they let me enjoy the story without any distractions.

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.

Tracy Conyer Lee does a great job with the narration. I flipped back and forth from the print to the audio and might have been even more engrossed when listening.

In a Nutshell: Oh boy! With such hateful characters, I didn’t care who lived or died. I just wanted to reach the end.

Story Synopsis:
Samira Wilder, basically a classy good-for-nothing, has fallen in love with the rich and handsome pro golfer Roland Graham. The only hitch is that her brother Kellan and her best friend want her to stay away from Roland. Reason? He’s been accused of murdering his late wife, though the crime was never proved and her death was ultimately ruled an accident. Samira trusts her new beau and accepts his proposal willingly, even when it involves moving to his house in Miami, where he stayed during his first marriage. What follows is the usual secrets and misleading communications that make Samira question her situation.
The story comes to us in the first person pov of Samira, and also of Melanie, Roland’s first wife whose communication happens through the journals she wrote.


Where the book worked for me:
I don’t know! I just know I wasn’t bored enough to discontinue the book. Maybe the audio version helped.
Ok, there’s one thing I loved.
👌 The prologue. It sets such a nice and creepy tone for the story. But… (continued below)


Where the book didn’t work for me:
☠ (continued from above)…it doesn’t come up in the main story at all. I still don’t know when and why and how the incidents in the prologue occurred!

☠ The characters do their best to aggravate your nerves. Samira is established as a self-serving kind of character right at the start, jobless, mooching off her brother’s money and later Roland’s. (When you realise that she is twenty-eight, the whole thing becomes even more annoying!) Roland is sketched haphazardly - sometimes quiet, sometimes outgoing, sometimes well-intentioned, sometimes evil. Melanie is also sketched in mixed hues. Of these, only Melanie can escape with some leeway as the unreliable narrator because we know her only through her journals. But when the first person narration is by Samira and she deliberately misleads, it is a sign of shabby character development.

☠ Other than the now-overused unreliable narrator trope, we also have the ‘dead wife’s journals’ trope. When this is written well, this trope works wonderfully for domestic thrillers. In this book, the journal entries aren’t written like journal entries but like an author writes a book, complete with direct quotes and detailed description of looks and scenes. Who writes all that in a journal! Only a couple of times does it feel like Melanie is speaking through her journal. What is also funny is that Samira took multiple days to read through those journals but Roland completes them within a couple of hours at most. What is even funnier is that the journals were kept out in the open. Two characters in the story know that the journals contain misleading information about their beloved Roland, and yet neither destroyed nor hid them, thus leading to Samira finding them easily. It was so silly!

☠ More illogical character flaws:
• If you are famous, could you go alone anywhere to investigate without the paps following you? Especially when it has already been established that the media hound the character in concern even when they are out on dates?
• If you are filthy rich, would you do your own investigation or hire the best detectives to find out stuff?
• Related to the above: If you are filthy rich, would you call your house your “home” or your “mansion”?
• If you have to locate someone, would you go and ask their recently-released-from-jail rapist where they were?
Sheesh!

☠ There’s a whole load of info dumping at the end about the modus operandi of what happened.

☠ There are a few paranormal occurrences written in to make the writing spookier. The whats and whys of these are never explained.

☠ The chapters are very short, which will definitely aid to going through the book quicker. However, the chapter divisions are weird. Like Melanie’s journal entries also span multiple chapters even if it is a single entry. Doesn’t make sense.

☠ The dialogues seem repetitive at times. The same question/statement that is spoken is repeated within a few sentences, almost as if the characters aren’t even hearing each other speak.

☠ As a domestic thriller, the book ought to have had a few good twists and surprises. But with one exception, nothing came as a pleasantly shocking revelation. Most were twists because of the characters’ abrupt change in stance.


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hours, is narrated by Tracey Conyer Lee. I was pretty impressed by her at the start as she gave a distinct voice to the two first-person narrations. But after Melanie’s third appearance, maybe she forgot the separate voice and began narrating both Melanie and Samira the same way. This becomes very confusing when there are multiple chapters for each of them with no clarity on who is speaking. A newbie audiobook listener will be absolutely confused with such an experience. Having a separate narrator for Melanie would have been better.
Also, her narration was so slow! For the first time ever, I heard an audiobook at 1.75-2x speeds and still felt like she was absolutely clear. (This is good in a way, I suppose. I completed the book faster.)


Basically, I am okay with suspending disbelief but the word ‘suspension’ always involves the idea that it is temporary. You can’t expect me to suspend disbelief for an entire book. This story contains mostly done-to-death tropes and average writing. Strictly a one-time read if you feel like going for a slow-burn domestic thriller. Nothing memorable, nothing novel.

2 stars.

My thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Wife Before”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

At first I found Samira to be pretty unlikable, but her character grew as the story went on. What a ride as she reveals the secrets about Melanie’s death. I absolutely loved Shanora’s writing - so many twists that kept me guessing! Roland was my favorite character, every chapter I was changing my mind about him. I listened to this one on audio and narrator, Tracey Conyer Lee, was a fabulous choice.

I listened to this as an audiobook and also read along with my paperback ARC.

The audio narrator was great. However, I recommend that you read this one instead of listening to it. Either way is fine, but I found it easier to follow the narration changes, diary entries and flashbacks with the written text rather than the audiobook.

This was an excellent domestic thriller / mystery, where you are constantly wondering who you should trust.

There were several characters and they were all well-defined and well-developed. I enjoyed learning about each of them and their secrets.

I liked Roland from the beginning…I didn’t care what he may or may not have done (esp the night before a wedding…a last hoorah…yeah you’ve gotta read this). I didn’t agree with a lot of what he did but there was just something about him that made me want to like him. He was interesting and I felt that he really knew who he was, which you can’t say about the other characters. He had an intuitiveness about him which I liked.

Samira’s character was more complex. I really enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the story. She was a bit all over the place. An immature mess.

Melanie was someone that no one can really get a good read on. She’s not a mess per say…she’s just messy. The entire time I’m reading this book, I’m like what is this woman’s deal!? Tell me more!

This book really surprised me. It didn’t really have jaw dropping twists but it didn’t need it. The characters were all flawed in their own ways so it added so much depth to the story. This book also addressed some heavy topics too so check the trigger warnings before reading.

Shanora Williams just perfected what it is to create a story that is interesting without doing too much. When you have a solid story, you don’t need to be pummeled with jaw dropping twists, chapter after chapter…you want to see the root of what makes the characters tick. Outlandish plot twists can be exhausting, and leave a reader feeling like the story was a bit hollow but you don’t have that with The Wife Before. You will genuinely care about each player in this game of chess.

I definitely recommend this one.

The Perfect Ruin was on of my favourite reads last year so I was extremely excited to get my hands on this one and I was not disappointed. Bonus points for the fun Easter eggs and references to Lola Maxwell & co!

Domestic thrillers are always so intriguing to me and this one kicks off immediately with a deceased wife and a mysterious journal! (Total Verity by COHO vibes)

This was a twisty ride full of deception and mystery and I adored Williams writing style and relished in the short but concise chapters that were executed flawlessly to continually drive the suspense! I was left constantly questioning everyone’s intentions and absolutely inhaled the diary entries!

Shanora is becoming a favourite author of mine thus far and I cannot wait to see what she does next!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Interesting book. I think I am just having a hard time finding a book like this to make me interested in the story. I just thought I was really slow going? I also did not like the narrator.b

5⭐️
I had no idea what to expect but it wasn’t this! It pulled me in right in and I couldn’t stop listening. It was a crazy mystery with all sorts of twists and turns. This author is new to me and I’m definitely going to put her on my list. Great plot, well paced and solid writing.
I chose to listen to this book on audio and Tracey Conyer Lee narrated it and she was awesome. Highly recommend.
Thanks Recorded Books via NetGalley.

3.5 rounded up to 4!
It took me a while to get into this book but once I got into it, I was hooked. I kept trying to piece together what was going on. I didn't know who to trust in the book. I was surprised by the twists.

Melanie and Samira drove me crazy most of the time. Especially Melanie. I enjoyed her POV in her journals. It gave you a sense of what she was thinking. I look forward to reading more of this author!!
Thank you to Netgalley for my audio version, and toBiblioLifestyle and Kensington Books for my gifted copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ #TheWifeBefore by #ShanoraWilliams was a bit of a let down for me. I absolutely sad to say this because I went into this with such high hopes. The opening of the book really had me going at first but as the story went on it lacked in keeping my attention. There are for sure trigger warnings in this book so beware of those before reading. The story follows Samira who meets a pro golfer named Roland. There are rumors circulating that he killed his prior wife but there was evidence lacking to convict him. Danita’s brother warns her but she continues to see him and they get married without anyone knowing. She offers to clean out Roland’s late wife’s shed and stumbles along journals of her life before she was found dead. She finds herself in a rabbit hole of reading them. She gets a look into her life and starts to discover disturbing information. The twist at the end was unexpected so that’s why I gave this three stars. Thank you #NetGalley for providing this book for me to read! #bookstagram #bookreview 📚

Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me access to the audiobook.
Wow, a book that keeps giving twist after twist. Williams did extraordinary writing a novel that keeps the reader invested chapter after chapter.

I liked the storyline on this one. Samir’s has had a string of bad luck until she meets a rich man who affords her a lavish lifestyle. Then she finds the journals for his former life and things aren’t what they seemed initially. Or are they? Love the story but didn’t like the narrator or as much.

First of all, thank you very much to Shanora Williams, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the audiobook.

I started out with the audiobook, but soon switched to the printed version of the book. Here and there I tried the audiobook again, but it was like reading/listening to a completely different book. I guess audiobooks just aren't for me and this one was no exeption.

The book was a slow burn thriller. I prefer having more tension and action, twists and turns in thrillers, but, however, this one was flowing easily and somehow held my interest. I got through it faster than I thought and the end wrapped it up quite nicely. Overall, it was a decent book, but it didn't blow me away.

When Samira’s meets, fall in love with and marries Pro golfer Roland, she thinks she finally has the man of her dreams. That is until she comes across Roland’s dead wife’s journals, leaving Samira to wonder did she marry the man of her dreams or her nightmares?

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the audio ARC. #Netgalley #TheWifeBefore #ShanoraWilliams

I loved this thriller! I thought I figured it out early on but I was wrong! I love an author that throws in a plot twists that sends your mind for a loop! I will definitely be recommending this book and reading this author again!

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media (Recorded Books) for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so much like so many others I've read recently. It reminds me of Verity or the Wife Upstairs, but without all of the thrills. It was just a so/so edition to the genre and it didn't offer anything new. I was hoping for more of a twist at the end, but it didn't seem to deliver what I was looking for. So many thrillers are following the same formula with an abusive husband and an unreliable narrator. Is it the wife or the husband who is bad? There's so many like this my head spins.

That being said, I did enjoy the book. I was able to finish it in one sitting. The narrator was a saving grace here. I think I may have lost interest in the story if it weren't for her narration. All in all, it just wasn't unique. I would recommend it to those who like domestic thrillers, but I wouldn't reread it. A solid three stars.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Okay now. Shanora went on and did the thing y’all! This book was RIVETING!! I literally could not stop listening. The suspense. The mysterious “what is going on” plot. Somehow Shanora topped her own game and did a spectacular job!! This story literally had me guessing the whole time. Just when I thought I had it figured out..nope! Wrong!! I’m so proud of this book and Shanora’s skills!

3.75 stars

This one was suuuper dramatic and intense. I didn’t have it all figured out before the ending; I was more or less expecting the “it’s always the husband” trope here, even if that would’ve been obvious. I had very mixed feelings about the way some of the characters, plot lines, and conflicts were presented, especially the part about the girl who was sexually abused/exploited as a teenager…some of it didn’t sit super well with me. I more or less enjoyed the way the story wrapped up, although I was a bit disappointed with the futures (or lack thereof) for a couple of the backstory characters. Overall, it was worth a read, and I would check out another story from this author.