Just WOW! Emily Shiner knocks this one out of the park! Fell in love with the dark and creepy intensity. I was hooked early on and the twists and turns never stopped. Totally captivating! Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley, Emily Shiner and the fabulous Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book

"The Wife in the Photo" by Emily Shiner is a compelling psychological thriller that opens with a bang and then builds up to an explosive climax. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Lola, a mother and wife, died in suspicious circumstances, leaving behind her husband, Evan, who is the chief of police, and her 14-year-old daughter, Jessica. The police regarded this as an accident, but not everyone is happy with this outcome.

Enter Ariel, whose connection to the case isn't clear at the outset. She suspects Evan had something to do with the death of his wife and is determined to find some proof pointing to his guilt. She accepts a job as a housekeeper in his household, seeking the truth. Evan is happy to employ her as he is overwhelmed with taking care of his daughter and household chores. Little does he know Ariel has her own agenda. As the plot unfolds it becomes clear to Ariel and (the reader) that not all is well in the household, and that Evan and Jessica are hiding something.

Ariel is worried about Jessica's safety and tries to befriend Jessica, but she does not make much progress with that or her initial goal. The plot thickens when Ariel finds Lola’s diary and realizes there is more to the accident than meets the eye. The more she delves into the past, the more her life is on the line.

The story kicks off with a bang and continues to thrill as it unfolds. The book alternates between the perspectives of the main characters, with the diary entries interjected in between, much to my delight. Each chapter heading clearly indicates which voice we are hearing. I liked the style of writing and the way the tension was built up. The pacing of the mystery was a bit slow at times, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the book.

While the plot and storyline were good, I didn't connect with or like any of the characters. I found the motive of one of them unbelievable, and their actions too radical. Although I suspected Ariel's identity, her secret came as a shock. The identity of the killer didn't come as a big shock, but the author still managed to cause me to doubt myself. In addition, I thought the ending was too far-fetching and unsatisfactory.

Despite those slight hiccups, I did enjoy the book and eagerly flipped along to see what would happen next. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

After finishing this book I legit messaged my 2 book friends in a group chat we have and said "my eyes literally popped out of my head at this twist. NEVER saw it coming." You will NOT want to miss this one this fall!!

This is a gripping story that is told by 3 people, Ariel the new housekeepr, Lola the wife in the photo and Evan, Lola's husband.
When Lola dies unexpectedly in an accident, Ariel doesn't believe it one bit. She believes Evan is covering it up and is determined to find out what happened. Books is full of twists and turns that will keep you gripped from the very first page.

Wow, what a fast-paced book! I read this in one sitting, which says a lot. Very twisty and great characters. I only thought the ending was a bit predictable if you're a thriller reader and I didn't expect it to end so suddenly, therefore -1 star.
Thanks for the ARC!

This was a great read! If you like Freida McFadden and Riley Sager this book would be perfect for you. Intense, heart-pounding, page-turning scenes and multiple plot twists. Loved the short chapters and the writing style was very easy to read. This book was my first by this author and I will definitely be reading more of her books! 🙌

Thank you so much to Net Galley for this ARC! ❤️

I really wanted to like this one but I never fully connected with it. It needed more character development and a little less inner dialogue. I found myself skimming through a few pages and the reveal was predictable. Which sucks because when I sat back and thought about the story itself, it was actually really good and had so much potential. The delivery just needs work. The title of this also doesn't exactly do anything for this. There were pictures of the wife as in any household but that's about it. All in all, I hate give negative reviews and will give this two and a half stars rounded up.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the short chapters and changing of POV’s throughout! I found the plot and the characters to be a bit underdeveloped. I thought the pacing was good up until the ending, which felt abrupt to me. Overall, a good thriller with an interesting premise!

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow…. I could not put this book down, I just had to keep reading to see how it would end. It gave me vibes of the Housemaid & was a great mystery to solve. Another reviewer mentioned Taylor Swifts song “no body no crime” was the soundtrack to this book, and I could not stop humming it as I read along.

Evan who is the chief of police in his town, is still trying to deal with his wife’s death while continuing to perform his job, and make sure his 14 year old daughter Jessica is okay. He soon realizes he can’t keep up with his job and household tasks and hires a housekeeper named Ariel. Ariel seems to be the answer to his prayers and gets their household back under control. But she has an ulterior motive, she thinks Evans wife Lola is dead because he killed her, and she’s worried he may harm his daughter as well. Told in alternate view points from Ariel, Evan, Jessica, and Lola’s diary entries as the reader you work to try to piece it all together. Was Ariel right, did Evan kill Lola? And why is Ariel so invested in this family anyways? A total cat and mouse chase story that will leave you speechless in the end. The twist you absolutely do NOT see coming, is insane.

If you’re looking for a fast paced eerie mystery and thriller, pick this one up! I’m looking forward to reading another book from this author!

Lola Warner is sure that her husband, Evan, the chief of police is having an affair. She figures she has no choice but to leave him and take their 15 year old daughter with her.

Unfortunately for Lola, she has an “accident” and is found dead at the bottom of the stairs.

Ariel is sure that Evan did it and she will do anything to find evidence to prove he murdered his wife. Becoming his housekeeper is the perfect opportunity to snoop and look for clues and also keep an eye on Lola’s daughter.

Can she do this all without being caught? And what will happen if Evan catches her and also finds out her true identity??

The story was a bit of a slow burn and I found it hard to stay interested with the way the story was written. So much inner dialogue between all the different characters and their POVs — a bit more tell than show. The identity of the killer was easy to figure out and I wish there was more red herrings and different characters introduced to lead you astray. All the puzzle pieces fell together rather quickly and I was left with a unsatisfied ending.


Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for giving me a chance to read an ARC of this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I’ve read all of Emily Shiners books and this one was no different she is the queen of thrillers. This book was so captivating one word WOW! It was fast paced and kept me guessing throughout and from the very first page I was drawn in and couldn’t put it down! 😊. I read well into night when I should have turned the lights out..I liked the alternating chapters between the three characters my favourite character was Ariel.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and all the plot twists that it presented! Another cracking book by Emily Shiner! 😊

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for giving me a chance to read an ARC of this book!

Evan Warner’s wife Lola had just recently passed away. Lola was said to have died unexpectedly due to an accident, but Ariel doesn’t believe that one bit. Ariel had just gotten hired as a housekeeper for Evan & his daughter Jessica to help with some household chores that Lola used to take care of. Once Ariel starts working for them, she starts to snoop around for any secrets that Evan has been hiding about Lola’s death. Ariel finds Lola’s diary and soon discovers secrets that could help bring justice to Lola’s death. Little do they know, Ariel may also have a secret herself…

First of all, I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. The plot was SO good, but I feel like the character development just lacked soooo much. I did not feel connected or attached to any of the characters as much as I wanted to. The ending was also quite unexpected & totally unbelievable in my opinion. Also.. for chief of police, I found Evan very clueless a lot of the time 😅 Overall the plot of this book was really good. I did enjoy myself while reading it, but I did not love this book as much as I wanted to.

This book blown my mind with all the plot twist. I love the genre of this book, pyscho, mystery and thriller and it my first time reading a book with 3 POV which is very interesting and every POV delivered their story very much leaving us some clue or hint about their personalities and characters which is very refreshing.

The plot and story line is very interesting it get you hooked up by curiosity on every chapter and pages. I love how writer make every chapter short and easy reading but able to make me question a lot on "who did it?" "did he? did she" and this book definitely making me on edge while reading.

the pacing is kinda slow burn kind of thing but it fast at the same time as each chapter are short. IT IS PERFECT FOR ANYONE WHO LOVE TO BE SHERLOCK HOLMES 😉 The writing style is refreshing like i mention before this is a first time i read a book with 3 POV which is very INTERESTING.

This book is definitely a must read for Pyscho, Mystery and thriller lover

After the tragic death of his wife, Evan is struggling to keep up with the housework and looking after his teenage daughter. He decides to hire a housemaid. Unfortunately for Evan, his housemaid might seem a stranger to him, but she knows secrets Evan is desperate to keep hidden…

Oh. My. Gosh! What a page turner! More twists than the waltzers. And that ending was fantastic.
Please tell me we have another book coming so we can find out what happens next!

A well written psychological thriller, told from multiple points of view. This held my attention well (I read it over just two days). I loved it!

The only *tiny* critique I have to offer is that I agree with other reviewers when they say that the title doesn’t really reflect the story. I’m not sure what the photo part references.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

I thought I had this one figured out but I was wrong. This book is a page turner with all the wonderful twists and tension that I love in a thriller. I don’t feel the title is great as far as describing this story but overall it’s a really good book. I hope the author writes a sequel.

I struggled with this. I was never able to really get into the story. I'm not sure if it was the writing style, the plot, or the characters, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

#TheWifeInThePhoto #NetGalley
An ok novel.
Evan and Jessica just lost Lola, Evans wife and Jessica’s mother. Lola died of an unexpected death and there is clearly a lot more to the story than people think. Was it really accidental or is there more to the story? Ariel then comes in as the housekeeper when Evan is looking for someone to help keep the house tidy, meals prepped, similar to how Lola did when she was alive. Ariel also makes sure to keep an eye on Jessica who is a hormonal teenager who just lost her mother. Ariel has some secrets too that she has not shared with her employers. Once she starts snooping around and finds Lola’s diary she starts to uncover a lot more than she was anticipating. She has to save Jessica from Evan, but there is a lot more she needs to discover first.
I figured it out what will happen and that ruined it for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

Was a bit disappointed with this book, normally love this author but it took me a while to get into the storyline.

I found the characters a bit lacking somehow and was disappointed overall

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I am just sorry I didn't enjoy it more

I thought the premise of this book was a good one. The storyline was very interesting. That being said, I thought there needed to be more character development. While the storyline wanted to draw me in, it felt a little underdeveloped and I did not feel attached to any of the characters the way I would have liked to feel. Also, I thought the ending was very abrupt and could have had a better arch. Not a bad read but not my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-arc in trade for an honest review. This is my second book by Emily Shiner and I could not put this down! This was my beach read and I read it in 3 days (would have been less if the baby gave me more time).

Evan and Jessica just lost Lola, Evans wife and Jessica’s mother. Lola died of an unexpected death and there is clearly a lot more to the story than people think. Was it really accidental or is there more to the story?

Ariel then comes in as the housekeeper when Evan is looking for someone to help keep the house tidy, meals prepped, similar to how Lola did when she was alive. Ariel also makes sure to keep an eye on Jessica who is a hormonal teenager who just lost her mother. Ariel has some secrets too that she has not shared with her employers. Once she starts snooping around and finds Lola’s diary she starts to uncover a lot more than she was anticipating. She has to save Jessica from Evan, but there is a lot more she needs to discover first.

This book was fast paced, instantly pulls you in and there were so many twists and turns, I absolutely loved it. This was a great read and I highly recommend. Five stars!