Confession time – as I near my 6th decade, with more than half that time married, I am a sucker for certain words in titles – wife, husband, neighbor, fiance, murder…… If you use one of those words, and throw in suspense and psychological twists, I am your audience. This was my first Shanora Williams book and based only on the title I requested this arc.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tracey Conyer Lee and at a little over 10 hours, this was a two day listen which kept my attention. This narrator was also new for me (a listener of recorded books since the 80s) and I found her voice to be compelling because it’s very different in tone and accent than most. Good job on selecting her as the reader.

The premise for this one is a new wife to a rich pro-golfer who was believed to have gotten away with the murder of wife number one. Relocated from her Florida hometown, Samira spends much of her time isolated in the dead woman’s house and finds a treasure trove of the woman’s journals. The story pivots from present to past and the unreliable narrator in those journals tells the story of her life. And death? Perhaps.

I’m glad I listened, and can imagine this would be a great quick beach read, but I found the first half of the book a little slow. You must stick with it to get the satisfying conclusion and I’m betting you, like me, will not guess the end. A solid book but one which comes with trigger warnings. Be prepared for some abuse and rape which may impact you as a reader.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen in advance of the June 28, 2022 publication.

Shanora Williams does it again! She is always able to take her readers on an emotional rollercoaster and slap you with a surprise ending you just didn’t see coming at the end of the story. As usual, I loved the Miami references as it’s so close to home for me and I love her writing.

Samira impulsive & impatient and at the start of the story she is struggling to find her footing financially with a roof overhead- which leads you to an obvious solution when she meets the handsome Roland who is quite wealthy. The two fall fast in love but Samira’s brother worries for her because rumor has it that Roland had something to do with his late wife’s death.

This book is an easy and binge worthy book just like The Perfect Ruin and can be read in one sitting.

My only critique is that the audio sounded a little muddled or like the narrator was under water.

“If a man looks back when you meet him, he’s interested.”

4/5 I really enjoyed this domestic psychological thriller.

A star athlete’s first wife dies. Everyone assumes it was him but he has an alibi. Although, even with the alibi, it’s hard for him to find anyone that is interested in him.
A waitress looking for a way out, falls madly in love with him not knowing he’s famous.
They marry.
Once they move into the house he used to live in with his first wife, she finds The Wife Before’s journals detailing her life with him.
Who murdered The Wife Before?

I loved the nod to her first book, The Perfect Ruin, in this one. Also, the author’s note at the end talking about why she wrote this particular thriller.

Quotes:
"He is going to kill me. There was a time when I
never would have thought such an awful thing about him.”

“A room without books is a room without a soul.”

I listened to the (ARC) audio version of this book.

Releasing June 28, 2022

Thank you to Shanora Williams, RB Media and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This started as a slow burn but I was kept interested from the beginning. When Samira gets to the mansion and finds the previous wife's journals it gets even better and the story alternates between chapters of the journal and Samira's pov. I really enjoyed the writing style and atmosphere of the story and wanted to keep listening to know what truly happened and what would be revealed about Roland and his previous wife. I'm not sure I'm a 100% satisfied with the resolution, though. Some details popped out of nowhere in my opinion. That said, it did tie up some loose ends nicely and I appreciate one of the twists. I'm all in for the nothing is as it seems trope and unreliable narrators. Overall, a solid thriller.

I listened to the audio version of this book.
This book starts off slow and spins a web of intrigue that enraptures the reader. The FMC is weak and dependent but finds herself determined at all costs to find a killer, THE killer. She determimes at her own peril to finish something for once in her life, to discover the truth. This is an intriguing, edge of your seat read that will keep you guessing until the end.
I do feel a different narrator could have made this a 5 star read but even so this book will likely be one of your faves.
I want to add that I appreciate the author's note at the end regarding Domestic Violence.

Samira is down on her luck....bouncing from job to job, trying and failing to find her way. Her brother can't help her anymore and her roommate is moving on with her boyfriend leaving Mira no choice but to grow up and sort out her life.

Along comes Roland, a sexy pro golfer with charisma, secrets and a dead wife.

What could go wrong?

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Audiobook is easy to listen to. Story keeps you on your toes with secrets piling up trying to figure out what happened to “The Wife Before”.

Samira met Roland, they started dating and then she found out that his previous wife (Melanie) died by driving off a cliff. Everyone thinks Roland had something to do with it although there’s no evidence. She ignores the talk, trusts Roland and marries him within a couple months. Samira finds journals from Melanie that starts with “where my marriage went wrong…”
While reading through the journals, Samira discovers A LOT of secrets about Melanie which leads her to question her marriage and the truth of what happened to Melanie.
Samira is stuck on whether to trust her husband or believe the journals that she found which points fingers at multiple people that are in her life. Who is involved?? Was it suicide? Is it Roland, Roland’s cousin, Melanie’s ex boyfriend, Melanie’s sister? Is Melanie actually dead?
Even when you think you have the answers, you don’t!
This thriller dives into the dynamic of two marriages of two different women with the same man. There are trigger topics such as abuse and rape.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book. It was not for me. Many thanks to the publishers

I really, really enjoyed this audiobook! It hooked me from the first chapter and kept me on my toes the whole time.

Samira can’t believe her luck. After she crashed and burned at her latest job, she’s met wealthy pro golfer Roland Graham. The two have a lightning quick affair that turns into a hasty marriage. Samira doesn’t mind leaving the glamour of Miami behind to move into Roland’s lush Colorado estate. At first life is sweet, but then Samira stumbles upon journals written by her husband’s first wife, Melanie . As she reads, Samira begins to suspect that the tragic accident that ended Melanie’s life was no accident. How well does she know the man she married? Marry in haste, repent in leisure – or in a grave

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley for the audio. It was a great to add to my reading arc, a surprise from Kesington books and Netgalley.

I was really surprise by this book. I was not expecting to be so gripping and page turning. When I startet I was really crazy about what had happened to this previous wife. And was a slow puzzeling from the past from a diary and a reasearch the new wife was doing. I was really crazy how he cunduct her investigations. I wanted to scream! And after she thought she did know everything she was still getting new informations.
Really menthal health is important and it is important ro find help when we need it.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I didn’t agree with a lot of the things the main character did but it worked out in the end so that’s all that mattered. I realize that i like stories with other wives in it. Such a good read!

This epic thriller brings us "Samira meets pro golfer Roland". Samira who is down on her luck feels like a princess walking into an epic love story. Things go south when Samira stumbles across Roland's first wife's journals, who everyone believes was murdered by Roland, but was she?

Samira is very care free character and I must admit that I did not like her in the first few chapters. She came across as a very selfish person. Mid way through I did change my opinion of her. She "grows up", is brave and strong and fights for the truth.

I flew through this book, the writing was so easy and it kept flowing. The plot was a little unexpected and closed the book off nicely.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Shanora Williams' audiobook The Wife Before checks off all the boxes for a compelling psychological thriller. The deceit, the lies, and the mystery make this book highly suspenseful. The superb audio narrator, Tracey Conyers Lee adds to the listening experience by transporting you into the story with her voice.

Synopsis:
Roland and Samira are newlyweds experiencing the joy of their extremely happy marriage. Roland, a well known golf pro, was previously married to Melanie who died in an accident. Upon moving into Roland's house, Samira finds journals previously hidden by Melanie. After reading Melanies deepest secrets Samira discovers that Meanies death may not have been an accident. Was Roland responsible for Meanie's death? Does Samira have reason to fear for her own life?

Listening to The Wife Before audiobook by Samira Williams has made me a fan. The author's writing style is brilliantly executed and kept me guessing to the end. I will be adding her previously published books to my to my reading list.

The Wife Before audiobook is available on June 28th. (4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, (Recorded Books), for allowing me to review this wonderful audiobook. Your kindness is appreciated.