Oh my god! I did not expect this to take a huge turn. Chad Zunker did an amazing job with this book. As i got further into the story i got literal chills. The twists and turns were totally unexpected.

Luke’s wife and stepdaughter disappear after she rescues some children. Why? Also why does Luke do the searching instead of hiring an investigator?
This plot would fit a movie better than a book.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Wife I knew.
Told from the husband’s POV, a newlywed couple is very happy. And adjusting to marriage.
While traveling Luke finds out his wife is in the hospital. She saved the lives of children in a burning daycare and she is recovering from her injuries. His wife, Ashley, is a hero. And she’s all over the news. As Luke explains this to her, Ashley tells him not to talk to anyone about her and also to get her small daughter from the neighbor. Luke is confused but does as she says. When he goes to get her the next day, Ashley is gone with her daughter. Luke has no idea what where she is and he starts his own search.
Soon he learns that Ashley may not be who he thought she was and now he has people following him and he doesn’t know where his wife and stepchild are and fears that he is into territory he didn’t sign up for when he got married.
3.5 stars

Thank you so much to Chad Zunker, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for this ARC

Pros: I easily read this in a few hours. The quick chapters and readable sentences/paragraphs makes this a book to read quickly.

Cons: I struggled to like the husband, Luke. He supposedly came from a tragic background, but I had a hard time believing his narrative. The plot seemed implausible, and I often doubted the scenarios faced by the characters.

Overall, this was a struggle for me to become invested in this story since the majority of the book felt forced and unlikely to be believable.

The Wife You Know
Written By Chad Zunker
Publisher Thomas and Mercer
Release Date February 27, 2024

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Pace: 5/5
Suspense: 4/5
Overall Enjoyment: 4/5

This was my first Zunker book that I have read and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Luke Driskell is a widower and certainly did not want to fall in love again and do it so quickly. But when Ashley and her daughter Joy came along he fell hard for them and marriage was just what he wanted. Things seemed to be great until one day there was a fire at the daycare center that Joy attended. Ashley ran in to save the children from the burning fire and became a sensation on the television. However, something happened that would tear the town apart. Ashley and her daughter, Joy, disappeared as though they never existed. As Luke peers through the items left behind, he notices different id’s with different names. Who were these two people that entered his life and took his heart. As he starts to investigate their disappearance act, he finds that Ashley’s lies and secrets run deeper than he could ever have imagined.
Will Luke find Ashley and Joy or is he in for the shock of his life? Is there someone else looking for them as well due to the media attention she received? Something dangerous is afoot here and hopefully Luke will find them before someone else does.

The author does a great job of telling the story and the build up is great. Some of the writing seemed a bit amateurish but the author was able to recover and keep the reader engrossed and engaged in the plot. The characters were well developed and flawed with a great backstory that showed the build up of them as well.certainly a good book that ultimately has everything you need to make for a great suspense novel.

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
What a book!!
Luke has done well in his life making money, a big house etc but has been alone since his wife died, When he meets Ashley and Joy he falls hard- but she is a mystery, never caring about money or a big house. But he wins her and her daughters love and life is good.
And one day Ashley is taking a walk and sees the day care center on fire. She breaks windows and jumps in to save the kids. She ends up in the hospital recovering with her picture all over the news. And Luke goes to pick her up the next morning she is gone as is her daughter How can that be? He never heard anyone take the daughter from her bed, no clothes missing. Where is she? What is going on? He begins the search for them which gets stranger and stranger and dangerous. Will he ever find them or what happened to them?
You won’t want to miss this book!

: ̗̀➛3.75 ⭐ i must say that this book is a real page-turner, with a fast-paced plot. i absolutely loved the short chapters and the subtle involvement of global politics. however, i have to admit that i had mixed feelings about it. while it's perfect for a one-sit reading session, it's not the kind of book that'll stay with you long after you've finished it. but don't let that stop you!

if you're a fan of thrilling mysteries that involve missing spouse, fbi, and corruption, then this book is def for you!

i've to admit, the beginning of the book had me hooked with its lightning-fast pace. however, as i delved deeper into the writing, i found it to be rather indifferent. but hold on, because the last 25-30% of the book is where things really start to get interesting because the pace picks up and the story takes on a whole new level of excitement.

despite everything, i found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. it was an absolute delight to uncover ashley's past along with her husband, luke.

thank you to the author, Chad Zunker, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks netgalley for this really exciting read, could not put it down.
Ashley never thought he would fall In love and marry again after his wife and baby were killed in a car accident.
He married Ashley who has a little girl called Joy and absolutely adores them,
Ashley was called a hero by rescuing some children from a burning school and her face was all,over the news and internet saying what a brave lady she is.
This was something Ashley did not want, she had another life before marrying Luke a life she had to keep secret, and she knew she had to run away and not be found.
Luke was distraught and dud everything in his power to find her, he then found out things he never knew about his wife.
Loved it really exciting.

I received this book from NetGalley.

Luke is so worried about his wife but he doesn't go to the police at first? That's so bizarre. His wife left the hospital, he's not sure she's okay, and she took her daughter. How can he not go to the police immediately? When he eventually goes to the police and they don't do much, why doesn't he get a private investigator? He has the money.

Also, when Luke decides to go on TV and plead for her, he knows that Ashley won't like it but quite frankly, good for him. She just disappeared. She wasn't honest and didn't respect him enough to tell him the truth about her life.

While I understand that Luke loves her, he gave up everything to be with someone he doesn't even know. She lied to him about everything. Honestly, I think she should have just left and been done with it. It's not fair to ask him to make a choice.

Overall, not a bad book, but I think it could make a better movie.

I devoured this book in 1 day! It was good. All the twists and turns. I love thrillers and this was a page turner! I couldn’t put it down. Read this book . You will not regret.

Quick, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The beginning of the book had me hooked me instantly! Felt like this thriller moved along at a good pace! Would recommend to a friend!

Awww we great ending! Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, a bit of a who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Wife You Know by Chad Zunker. If you want a fast read, try this one. I’m not sure it was as good as I expected because the story behind what happened wasn’t very compelling. I didn't really love the ending, but if you like romance themes you might. There’s a lot of action and many characters. If you want a fast read, try this one.

I've read a few other Chad Zunker books and fell in love with them..so when I saw this just had to read it.
I'm my opinion this book wasn't nearly as good as his others.
That being said it was still fast paced after you got through the slow beginning.
Missing spouse, FBI, CIA corruption...if you love these you will love this book. It has it all.
Great character development that grows as you learn the story.
Pick up his books he is a talented writer.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

This was my first Chad Zunker book and I really flew through it. It was a little slow to start, and the writing was a tad amateur which I didn’t expect from a seasoned author. There was a lot of the author speaking to the reader rather than the reader reading the story and being able to intone for themselves what is going on.

The last 30% is when it really got good because the pace picked up. I found it interesting that the author added a lot about himself in the book. His football career in college, product development, and his religion was definitely a key plot point.

I liked the main character Luke, but for someone that used to be dirt poor, he was a tad tone deaf about money and that didn’t sit well with me. His assertion that his wife should get a new car because there were 150k miles on it and they had already replaced (I think) brakes and the alternator was a tad insane to me. Statements like this made me feel like I couldn’t relate to this great character because the author wrote him as entirely too focused on money. While that too does come together, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, his referral to his step daughter as “her daughter” when speaking to his wife….. someone that has taken on someone else’s child isn’t going to refer to that as their spouses child. It was just something else that made me feel like the author was a little out of touch.

Now, while those things were an issue for me I gave this book four stars because I felt it really came together at the end. The character development was great and the plot development was equally satisfying. I liked where the author went with this story.

Great for readers that like:
-fast reads
-short chapters
-a little action
-missing spouse
-minor political/international political plot lines

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC!