This feels like a really tricky book to review. In the one hand I think the idea is good but I think it could have been executed much better. The pace was incredibly slow and until about 65% I didn’t even feel like I was reading a thriller. It felt more like a wet romance with a mmc with a saviour complex
There were some twists but they were very late in the game.
I was tempted more than once to dnf. I’m glad I did finish and I think if you could get everyone to finish it, it would make a good book club choice.

The New Wife by J P Delaney was a great read. As a person who loves Mallorca loved how this was based there, Finn alongside his sister Jess find out their father has died in Mallorca so Finn travels there to sort out the inheritance. Things do not work out smoothly. Just when you think you’ve worked out what is happening JP throws in another twist to keep you ending.

1.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I’ve got all of J.P. Delaney’s books but haven’t read any of them yet so I was glad to receive this one.

This is a mystery/thriller following Finn whose father has just passed away leaving his third wife and her daughter behind on his sprawling estate in Mallorca. The estate has been left to Finn and his sister and so Finn is given the task of claiming their inheritance A.K.A booting the wife and daughter out so that he and his sister can sell the place and claim the money. When he gets there however it becomes increasingly obvious that something isn’t right and that ousting his stepmother and stepsister out isn’t going to be as straightforward as originally planned.

I would compare this book to a car accident. You don’t want to keep reading but you can’t help but carry on because you want to see how much worse it can possibly get. Just to give you a little taste of what to expect from this book, the main character Finn repeatedly lies to his sister, even tells her that LEGALLY she has to send over £40,000 despite their lawyer saying the opposite all because he doesn’t want to affect his chances of getting with his stepsister. Yes you read that correctly, his stepsister. I actually wished for his downfall because his decisions were so ridiculous

Finn also wasn’t very likeable as a character. He’s very selfish at every turn, even his gifts and support to Roze and Ruensa are performative and to make himself look and feel better. He’s also an absolute creep to be honest and just weirdly over the top. I almost lost it when Roze told him something personal from her past and he replied with “if anyone can mend you I think it’s me”. Just no. The way he talks about the incidents from her past is also absolutely disgusting. I will admit the twist was pretty good in my opinion so it gets an extra half star but that was the only redeemable quality.

I could rant on and on about this book to be honest but I’m going to stop there. I want to be clear that I have nothing against the author (just Finn) and I will still definitely check out his other work. If you want to read about an unlikeable character making one awful and impulsive/embarrassing decision after another then pick this up (it was released on 20th July so apologies for not getting to this ARC sooner). If not, give it a miss.

A slow-burn psychological mystery. Finn returns to his childhood home in Mallorca to claim his inheritance when his estranged father dies. But his new wife and daughter are still living there. When questions are raised about his death, competing truths will have you asking who to believe.

I had really mixed feelings with this one, it was a slow starter and felt like it took a while for the story to really get going but once it did it was a real ride. I liked the the twist and although I don’t usually like ending that leave you having to make up your own mind about what happens I thought it really worked for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this arc.

4 Stars from me

For me, The New Wife is the perfect holiday read - whether that is poolside somewhere hot or curled up by the fire in a winter cabin - it offers an exotic departure from reality as Finn travels to the Mediterranean mountains to reclaim his childhood home.

Maybe his sister Jess should have gone instead as she makes it clear should would be going there to evict their father's latest beau and her daughter a message which Finn assures her he is more than capable of delivering.

But Finn is soon intoxicated with the improvements that his Father's late wife and her daughter Roze have made to the run-down farmhouse and soon finds himself wrapped up in their story and the life they have made for themselves on the island.

As the story unravels it soon becomes clear that it is impossible to know whose narrative is reliable and which version of events are true. There are many revelations and before long Finn needs to decide where his loyalties lie and deal with the consequences...

Overall this is a fab psychological thriller with a wonderful blend of mystery and intrigue.

I love this authors books. However this isn’t one of the best, it’s very confusing in parts and I’m not sure the author knew how to finish the book. But don’t be put off because other books by this author are excellent

I tried to get into this book a few times - and by that I actually mean about 7 or 8 times and I couldn’t. In theory, it sounds like it’s going to be my kind of book, but I just couldn’t connect with it.

I’m so sorry! DNF for me, my second of the year.

Ooh this hooked me right in.

I enjoyed the premise and the relationship between the siblings, the differences helping to move the book forward.

Satisfying read.

I am quite a fan of this author and enjoyed previous books, this was a little different but still enjoyable.
I liked being taken down one route by the narrator only to end up in another when other characters had their say.
The comparisons to My Cousin Rachel are good ones, although this doesn't have the same style and tone as that fantastic book, the idea that you can't take people on face value is pervasive.
Characters and motives were well drawn and the setting a cheery one, plus the little glimpes of the family history were appreciated and added to the bigger picture.
Overall an enjoyable easy thriller.

I have loved all of JP Delaneys books and was thrilled to be granted a copy of "The New Wife" via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review so it makes me sad to report I found this one a slow and painful read.

If you are a fan of Sabine Durants Lie With Me or Lucy Clarkes One of the Girls because of the atmospheric prose bringing the location alive you ill likely enjoy this and forgive the feeling of - "will something just happen already" and enjoy the drawn out mysetry, For me however I put this book down a number of times before finally geting back to it and solidering through.

By the time the twist has revealed itself and the drama unfolds I had nearly DNFéd it several times so it wasnt enough to redeem itself, althought the final cat and mouse was quite fun I can really only give this a 2/5.

The New Wife - JP Delaney

JP Delaney is an auto read author for me, so I was super excited to read The New Wife and again I was pleasantly satisfied. Fantastic setting, a bit different from previous books and so many twists and turns! Just when you think you have it all worked out - BAM think again. A book to devour in one sitting. Thanks so much Netgalley and Quercus Books for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

An engaging read that certainly had me guessing throughout. Some very interesting characters and all set in an isolated villa in Mallorca. A few unexpected turns along the way added to the pace.

'The New Wife' was a book that immediately grabbed my attention. I liked the synopsis and I felt like this would be a book about something I've never read before.

The story started rather slow, and throughout the bigger part of the book I felt like not much was happening. Even though I felt like this was a 'new' story for me (i.e. not a cliché story that I've read before), I thought this would be a really predictable storyline. I thought that I had it all figured out halfway through the story. But I guess I was wrong ...

Nearing the end, I was quite shocked at what was happening and I felt completely betrayed by a character I'd started to love. I really did not see the plot twists coming and I couldn't believe that I'd let myself be fooled like this. The ending of this book was nothing like I thought it would be and I honestly love that. The story turned out to be completely different to what I'd thought and I compliment the author on pulling this off. This book definitely put this author on my radar and I will be looking into some other books by J.P. Delaney.

J.P. Delaney is the absolute king of twists. This book is no exception to the way he keeps you on your toes and always guessing. Was it my favourite of all of his books? No. The dizzying heights of Believe Me and The Girl Before have yet to be repeated, but it was definitely an enjoyable and addictive read.

The story follows the story of Finn and Jess two siblings whose incredible dysfunctional family changes again as they’re left as orphans after their fathers death in Mallorca. The issues are complicated by their father’s new wife, Rusena and her daughter Roze. Amongst the legal complications of sorting out the will all sorts of dramas unfold. The description of the sweltering heat, the lifestyle on the land and the nature around created a great setting for the book.

What I love is that you’re never clever enough to guess the twists. And when you think you’ve guessed them there are always more to follow.

This book was really interesting! The story line was not what I was expecting at all, there was a lot less murder and action than I expected. It was more about the characters and their relationships with one another. None of the characters in this book were likeable, but I don't think that they were meant to be! We were suspicious of Ruensa and Roze, especially after hearing how Finn's father had died. Finn also gave me the ick, there were some things that he said or thought that made me dislike him, and although we didn't see much of his sister I didn't like her very much either.

This was definitely a slow burn book, the plot developed pretty slowly and then the ending... it was like all of the action just exploded! So much was happening at once, it was a really good plot twist at first but then more and more kept happening and it was really difficult to tell what was real and what wasn't. This made the ending a bit disappointing for me because I was left unsure what was even happening! So, the writing was good and the characters were interesting, but the plot and the ending was not for me.

A really gripping book about a boy that visits his childhood home in Mallorca after his father died, and meets his fathers wife…..is everything as it seems? It’s a twist and turn of a book and I couldn’t put it down!

The New Wife by JP Delaney was another excellent psychological thriller and I was hooked from start to finish especially as it was fast paced with brilliant twists and turns throughout that will have you guessing till the very end. Just brilliant a easy read which makes it a great holiday read,

JP Delaney's books are hit or miss with me. Some of them I absolutely loved, and some just did not live up to my expectations.
This one, unfortunately, falls in the latter category and I did not enjoy it at all

I love JP and this book didn’t disappoint for a Moment. I love the contemporary setting the modern dilemma and the unexpected twists and turns the characters life’s take. Many thanks