Theo books just hook me from page one! I love all the twists this book delivers on. He has a way of writing that just sucks you in. The make Freida McFadden!

I love the author and am always excited for a new release but this one isn't one of my favourites sadly. I loved the premise and it was a really quick easy read. It had the twists and turns you'd expect fron the author but it was such a slow burn to start off and it all just seemed a bit..... much. Lol I know it's fiction and there's always an element of suspending belief to really get into these stories but I just couldn't get into any of the characters and just felt it all seemed a bit idiotic and dramatic! These people were just ridiculous! Anywho, it's decent enough for a quick thriller but there's so many of the authors other books I'd rate much much higher

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Scorned Wife by Theo Baxter is a busy thriller! Oh wow, so much going on here!
First of all the family! Seriously!? What kind of family is this? It made me so, so mad! And I love it when books make me feel real feelings!
The sister... The end twist made some sense and explained some behaviours but come on, it's still not good enough! Doesn't matter what there is no excuse to behave like that!

This book is full of suspense and what I liked about it was that I would not guess where this book was heading! The storyline was interesting and was easy to follow events and characters.

Amelia comes from a rich family and she doesn't have any money worries even though her family doesn't like her. In some way, the money is the way how they keep control over her. Amelia's sister Cara will do anything to make Amelia's life a living hell. When Cara manages to destroy Amelia's marriage, Amelia hires handsome Damon from escort to play the role of boyfriend and teach a lesson to her little sister. What felt like a good plan at the beginning became a worst nightmare at the end and now Amelia must find a way to survive!

Thank you, NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this copy as I really enjoyed it!

DNF 10%.

I tried, I really promise that I did. This book had so, so much potential. The description in NetGalley seemed like this would be right up my ally, but the writing is so painfully awful I just can't. Every single thing this character does or thinks is explained to us. She goes to the kitchenette, opens the fridge, tells us what's in the fridge, thinks what she should make for a snack. Someone knocks on the door. She can't think who it would be. Then she remembers. Then she walks to the door and opens it. I swear there were only a handful of sentences longer than 7 words.
The main character Amelia also can't decide how to feel from moment to moment. She paints a "very good" painting of a sunset and three sentences later tosses the disappointment into her car.

Everything I read was all tell, no show.

Amelia Gray’s husband drops her for her sister and Amelia seeks revenge. The Scorned Wife hires help to get her own back, but it all backfires in the most catastrophic way.

This was quite disappointing. The plot had such promise, but it was poorly executed. It was repetitive, predictable and strangely anti police.
Amelia’s family were totally unbelievable with their reactions to events and the ending with her father angered me somewhat with her unwillingness to seek justice against him.

Nevertheless, it was a quick and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my advanced copy.

This was an intense thriller which kept me gripped throughout. It was a fast paced thriller with such a fantastic plot twist. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing style. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author. I highly recommend this great thriller. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher my advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.

This book had an interesting premise. The blurb made it seem like a title that I would enjoy.

Amelia suffers a bad divorce from her husband after 10 years of marriage. On her birthday, Amelia shows up to her parents' home to find her little sister and ex-husband climbing down each other's throats. Cara has always taken Amelia's boyfriends but this is the last straw. Amelia decides to hire an escort to accompany her to her family's Christmas party and reject her sister's advances. This plan works out perfectly, except her escort, Damon, decides he wants more and won't take no for an answer.

The book itself was fine. It started off slowly, but the pace did pick up. Many of the aspects of the story were a little too unbelievable. The characters were a little too stereotypical.

My biggest issue with the book were the characters. None of the main characters were likable, nor did they have any redeeming qualities. The main female protagonist, Amelia, was so selfish and utterly spoiled. Amelia is constantly complaining that her family treats her like trash (they do), but she does nothing to help herself. She puts up with the abuse because she has financially bound herself to them (even while she was married) and is too self important to do anything to change her own circumstances. Amelia also, constantly makes the most outlandish decisions that put life and the lives of her friends and family in danger.

Amelia's family is cruel to her in an extreme way but continue to pay for her entire life. She only holds worth to them when she is in a relationship. Her mother is an alcoholic who belittles her constantly. Example conversation between her mother and her: “You were so, so close. You actually had the perfect boyfriend for once. And you couldn’t even hold onto one, just one decent relationship in your life.” “Mom! Listen to me!” “I tried. I really did. Now I have to spend the rest of my life paying for a totally useless daughter. And I’m never going to get anything out of it. You just… You just can’t do anything!”

Her little sister, Cara, hates her and does everything (and everyone) she can to make Amelia miserable. Amelia's father is despondent and absent.

There is a twist toward the end, but I didn't really feel like it was related. It may explain some of Cara's actions towards her but really held no significant value to the story.

This book would have been better with more character development or at least likeable characters. I didn't like Amelia or her family so I was never invested in their predicaments.

This is an intense thriller by an author fairly new to me. It’s a dark and brooding psychological thriller that explores the complexities of relationships and lies. I really enjoyed it.

"The Scorned Wife" by Theo Baxter is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Baxter's writing is captivating, drawing readers into the complex and twisted relationship between Amelia and Damon. The character development in this novel is superb, particularly in portraying the psychological turmoil of Amelia as she navigates the aftermath of her husband's affair. Baxter skillfully explores the depths of her fear and vulnerability, making her a relatable and sympathetic protagonist. I would like to make a point that there are a few parts which heavily show clichéd tropes of a scorned woman seeking revenge. The pacing of the story is excellent, with suspenseful twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. The portrayal of Damon as a dangerous and manipulative character is chilling, adding an extra layer of tension to the plot. Baxter's ability to create a sense of unease and anticipation is commendable, making "The Scorned Wife" a thrilling and engaging read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a disappointment for me. I found the characters to be underdeveloped. Her family members were so hateful that it seemed unbelievable. There were several conversations that made me roll my eyes and think "that would never happen" or "nobody would ever say that". The ending was slightly better but unfortunately it didn't save the book.

Love love love every book from this author. Never disappoints and is an expert in pulling you in hook line and sinker where you can not put the book down. Can not recommend highly enough

Thank you to NetGalley and Incubator Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Scorned Wife by Theo Baxter was, and I feel silly saying it, a little too unbelievable. I know thrillers along this vein tend to rely on events, circumstances, and characters that rarely happen altogether in real life but it was a reach. The characters were not developed to the degree needed to connect with them and all leaned towards being more caricaturist than anything else. The circumstances also didn’t seem grounded enough for the reader to get into them. The book was easy to follow and had some hooks that were interesting, but in general would have benefited from less going on and more build up.

The Scorned Wife opens with Amelia is deeply in love with her husband, Sam. Until she discovers he is having an affair with her younger sister, Cara. Amelia falls into a deep depression before coming out of it and decides to hire, escort Damon Chase to fill in as her boyfriend at family events. Is Damon as dangerous as he seems.

The story line had potential, but I feel like the beginning of the book was too slow. I didn't see the end coming, but also wasn't surprised by it. I felt like the end was thrown together way too fast and very last minute to tie the whole back together.

A super fast paced and juicy thriller. A tad predictable in parts, and incredibly frustrating, but overall a really fun read with wonderful writing!

The build up of suspense was so exciting! This kept me hooked and the twists were definitely surprising..

Wow! That's some crazy characters!! Great characters but a little crazy lol This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, A crazy ex husband, and a crazy stalker! 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!

I was intrigued by this story in the beginning, but I always felt like I knew who was going to be the “bad guy”. Lo & behold I was right. There is a major plot twist in the last two chapters of the book that I didn’’t expect. It explained the plot a bit, but felt very thrown in to me.

Overall it was a good story. Not sure I’d read it again though!