Thank you to Recorded Books for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6/28/22
Genre: thriller
In one sentence: Samira is the second wife of famous golfer Roland Graham - but what happened to her predecessor?

Williams' The Perfect Ruin was one of my favorite thrillers last year, so I was really excited for The Wife Before. The "second wife" trope is common in thrillers, but Williams managed to use it to create a fresh story. I enjoyed watching Samira play sleuth as she learned more about Melanie's past. The plot was just a bit too over the top for my liking by the end, but I appreciate that Williams took it in a direction I didn't expect.

Narrator Tracey Conyer Lee did a lovely job with the audio - I enjoyed how she portrayed Samira's fear and Melanie's desperation. This is a fun audiobooks to liven up your walks or chores!

Love the first book from this author. Very gripping storyline,I binged this in one night and this is my 2nd book from this author she did not dissappoint and I can't wait to read more from her. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Samira Wilder has not found her niche in life yet, bouncing from one job to the next, living with a roommate and counting on her brother to bail her out when she can’t make ends meet. When her brother tells her that he no longer can help her because he has a baby on the way, Samira is facing a grim future. Then Roland Graham, a wealthy, nice looking, pro golfer asks her out. Her brother tells her to steer clear of Graham due to rumors of the death of his first wife but Samira ignores everyone and follows her heart, into a whirlwind romance and marriage. When her new husband asks her to move to his home in Colorado, she agrees, leaving Miami behind.
Once she’s in her new home, Samira begins to find clues about the ex wife and when she begins to clean out the she shed, she stumbles across a diary and secrets of not only the ex but the man she is now married to. Is she destined to the same fate?
I enjoyed this one but I had trouble following the narrator. She has a slight Southern accent which I did not feel suited Samira, it is a soothing voice to fall asleep to however and I did more than once, having to go back for what I had missed. I want to relisten when I get the e book to see if I missed any of the storyline. I really enjoyed “ The Perfect Ruin” by this author as well, she is definitely an author to add to your must read list.
This is due for release tomorrow, June 28th, so order your copy and get a start in your summer reading!
Thank you to #netgalley and RB media for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars Language -- profanity.

The story is fun, exciting, twists, turns, predictable stereotypes and has a golfer. I liked the sports figure was a golfer. Second wife finds the journals of the first wife and her things in the house. Then the story unfolds.

I had problems with the profanity, and I had to stretch my imagination when it came to the relationship. However, I read quickly and the story had my full attention. (I generally puzzle with audiobooks.)

I liked the narrator and had no problems keeping voices straight (Male/female and supporting). Lee did a good job.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for accepting my request to read and review The Wife Before. I look forward to seeking other works by Williams.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shanora Williams for this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Samira's life isn't going so great. She just got cut off from her brother and is struggling to make ends meet when at a party she meets Roland. Roland is a pro-golfer who sweeps her off her feet. Before she knows it they get married and she moves to his mansion in Colorado. While cleaning out Roland's deceased wife's she-shed Samira finds Melanie's journals. Now it seems like Melanie's death wasn't what it appears to be.

This audiobook kept me intrigued. Just as I thought I saw where it was going I was thrown. Shanora knows how to write a psychological thriller!! This was definitely one of my favorite summer reads by far! I highly recommend this tantalizing thriller!!

It took a little bit to get into this one, but it suddenly grabbed me and I was hooked until the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The Wife Before was incredible! Such an addictive and edge of your seat story.

Samira jumps from job to job until she meets this charming pro golfer, Roland Graham. He seems to check every one of her boxes except he was accused of killing his ex wife? Samira believes Roland didn’t murder his ex wife and marries him. Once she moves into his house, she finds all of his ex wife’s journals. She can’t help but snoop and she uncovers things no one could have predicted.

Shanora Williams wrote such a mind bender of a book. I would describe it as a Gone Girl meets A Simple Favor. Can we trust the journals? Could she still be alive? Is Samira in danger? Is she living with a murderer? I had so many questions run through my mind. Such a fast read especially if you couldn’t put it down like me!

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the ARC copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"A new bride’s fairytale marriage soon becomes a prison of secrets in this insidiously sexy, twist-filled psycho-drama reminiscent of the classic gothic tale Rebecca"

If you enjoyed Rebecca, you will enjoy this fresh, modern take on the story.
The story moved a bit slow for the first 40% and I initially struggled to relate to the main character Samira. She has lived her life making poor choices and looking for a quick, easy way through life. Samira came off as lazy and entitled, becoming upset with her brother when he could no longer help pay for her rent because he was expecting a baby with his new fiancé.
The story picked up at the half way point and took several unexpected twists and turns which kept me completely engaged. The character growth of Samira was well done and the ending of this book was very satisfying.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for this audiobook.
Release Date scheduled for June 28, 2022.

Overall, decent book but I ideally hoped for a little more action as well as a little more connection to the main character. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shanora Williams, and Recorded Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The first chapter of this book pulled me in and I had to figure out what happened! I love how the story was told in the present day and through the journal entries. The journal entries had me second guessing everyone and I couldn't believe what we learned from them. The twist at the end was done very well and I didn't see it coming. The characters felt real and relatable and I love that in a book. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life! This one comes out 6.28.22!!

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrator 5 stars
The narrator was great.

Story 1

Im so sorry but I just could not get into this story. I didn't like any of the characters at all which really stopped me from caring how this played out.
First time trying/hearing this author and even though I didn't like this book I would try another one.

3.5 stars

A good mystery book that keeps you guessing a bit. It is a bit slow for the most part but the ending is tying up all the loose ends and makes the story come together nicely.
It did bother me the complete lack of faith in the man she chose to marry and who gave her a dream come true type of life.

A big thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to read this book!

Samira meets pro golfer Roland, who is handsome and wealthy. She marries him after only knowing him for a short while despite what she has heard about the death of his past wife. Samira moves into his secluded Colorado home. When Samira is cleaning out a shed, she finds old journals of Roland’s past wife and goes down a rabbit hole questioning weather her death was an accident or intentional. If it was intentional, who did it? Did Roland kill his wife? This thriller was a slow-burn at the beginning but did pick up pace. I did enjoy the twists throughout; I did not see all of them coming. I wasn’t a fan of Samira as a character. Sometimes reading books where you are not invested in main character is harder to get int. Overall, it was just so-so for me.

Sorry to finish this enjoyable book. Story of love lies deception. Kept me glued to it for 2 days. Great narrator who made all the characters come to life. Unexpected twist after many turns. Thank you for giving me so much enjoyment.

Well at first I was not so sure about where this story would lead me.
We meet Samira who is down with her luck. During a waitressing job she meets a rich Golf-Pro Roland and...the two of them fall in love. Kind of predictable??? No, this is just the beginning.
Because the spirit of Roland's dead first wife is still all over the place.
Samira starts investigating qs she is curious about what happened to Melanie. And what a bumpy ride this is!!
I enjoyed the Audio Version narrated by Tracey Conyer Lee who did a great Job!
Thanks #Netgalley #RB Media, Recorded Books for this advanced listening version

This book was so addicting! I listened to it as an audiobook and turned it on every chance I could. The synopsis of this book describes it as a “psycho-drama” and that is so accurate. The story follows Samira as she gets married to a pro-golfer named Roland. As she settles into her new life, she comes across the journals of Roland’s first wife, Melanie, who tragically died in a car accident. Curious about Melanie and the life she shared with Roland, Samira falls down a rabbit hole and is totally consumed with reading the journals. She starts to think that maybe Melanie’s death wasn’t an accident after all, and she begins to question how much she can really trust her new husband. This book is a must read! The ending left me with my jaw on the floor and goosebumps on my arms. For an added thrill, give this one a listen! The narrator, Tracey Conyer Lee, was absolutely incredible. 4.5 well-earned stars, rounding up to 5 on goodreads!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Shanora Williams for allowing me to listen to this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Wife Before by Shanora Williams checks all of the boxes for a good thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I found myself constantly questioning who could be trusted up until the last minute of the audiobook. The narrator does an excellent job of bringing emotion and drama to the main characters voices as well. I loved how the POV bounced between the present wife and 'the wife before' and painted a confusing, yet intriguing picture of the husband and his relationships. I was taken completely by surprise by the ending twists and did not see them coming in the slightest. This was very exciting the whole way through. I really enjoyed Shanora's writing style and will definitely be adding some of her past works to my TBR! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧
🌟🌟🌟

This author is new to me. Most of her previous work is Romance which I don’t read. But the cover of <i>THE WIFE BEFORE</i> is extremely eye-catching so I thought I’d give it a try.

<b>“A new bride's fairytale marriage soon becomes a prison of secrets in this insidiously sexy, twist-filled psycho-drama reminiscent of the classic gothic tale Rebecca - from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shanora Williams...”</b>

I intend on reading<i>REBECCA</i> one of these days but we all know how that goes. This book is almost 11 hours and it’s hard to focus that long unless the book is exceptionally good. This story was good but not exceptional so it lost my attention several times.

I think this would have been better as an actual read. There are journals from the first wife—Melanie—and those are awesome. The chapters alternate between characters, without announcing the narrator. At times I was confused about who was speaking and needed to rewind and listen again to get back on track.

I did enjoy the ending which was very twisted and unpredictable. Most readers loved the book. Read this one for yourself and take my unpopular review with a grain of salt.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this complimentary audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

#thewifebefore #shanorawilliams #rbmedia #netgalley #lovestory #crimeandcocktailsbookcrew #mysteryandthrills #thrillerafterthriller #readwithme #bookaddict #thrillersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #coloradoreader #lovebooks #thrillerfiction
#bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading #fortheloveofbooks

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was twisted and intriguing! I was gripped by the story and could not figure out if Melanie had been murdered and if so by who. It was a quick and very gripping book. This was a wonderful book!

🔊Song Pairing: Life’s a Mess - Juice WRLD, Halsey

💭What I thought would happen:

The new wife goes sleuthing into her husbands past…drama ensues 😂

📖What actually happens:

Samira’s luck has finally changed once she meets Roland. He is handsome, rich and vastly wealthy due to fact that he’s a professional golfer. But Frick does a rich, handsome, successful man have to have baggage? That baggage being a dead wife whom Roland was accused of murdering. Is Samira in danger by carrying out this relationship with Roland?

🗯Thoughts:

I loooved The Perfect Ruin. One of my favourite reads of last summer. I expected much the same from Shanora’s next wild ride and any thriller with Wife in the title has me excited 😂

While I did enjoy this book and it had my captivated until the bitter end, I was only like okay that’s pretty good but no wow factor and that’s ok. This book 💯 served its purpose!

I liked the way the story unfolded. I was in the Italian market with my headphones in trying to pick out the right manchego for a charcuterie board being like ohhh Damnnnn 😂

Overall, very enjoyable and encourage everyone to give it a read/listen!