Member Reviews
I read this book as an audiobook, and it was it all worth. The plots were absolutely crazy!! The audio was also really good. I am just starting to read thrillers, and this one was very good! What would you do if you got betrayed by the one you love the most. What if the guy you fall in love with has a missing wife?
What a wild ride! This book by Ruhi Choudhary kept me on my toes! It was a sharp, crisp read full of tension and with excellent pacing. His Last Wife delivered on its promise of an unbelievably gripping psychological thriller as I kept reading until all the complex threads were put together. Told in three POVs, there was plenty to muse on as the story unfolded and it was impossible to know who to trust.
An unbelievably gripping psychological thriller, His Last Wife will have you flipping the pages until you reach the final, breathtaking twist. Fans of Don’t Let Her Stay, The Housemaid and The Perfect Marriage won’t be able to put this jaw-dropping read down!
This genre is not my usual or preferred genre but I quite liked the blurb and thought I would enjoy it. I had also not read a book by Ruhi Choudhary before.
What I liked...
-The different view points from both Anna and 'Watcher'.
-The way that the tiny snippets of information from Watcher had me constantly changing my mind as to who it could be.
-The way that the characters 'evilness' completely changed for me once I read their back story
-The skill in writing characters so well that I absolutely fell for the way they were first protrayed, even though that turned out to be different in the way I viewed them in the end.
-The satisfying ending
-The twists and turns that sent me reeling
What I disliked...
-The inconsistency in the timeline. Anna states that it had been 18 months since first meeting Harper, she was 10 months old then. This makes her 2yrs and 4 months old.
-The way that Harper went from being toilet trained and thinking maturely and using full sentences, which a 2.5year old is seriously not able to do, then being constantly referred to as a baby and having to be fed in the next chapter. Harper is one character that was badly written due to so many unbelievable and age inappropriate details.
-The sudden rush of book at the end. I would have liked more from the epilogue with more about what happened after 'that night'.
All in all, a slow moving but well thought out story with twists and turns galore. With a little more care surrounding Harper and what she could do, this would have been a better read for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for my honest review.
After setting her sights on Cary, Anna believes she has found an ideal partner. His wife disappeared a year earlier, believed dead, and he has a young daughter, Harper, who quickly adapts to her new "mommy". Anna moved into Cary's home, but his first wife, Presley's mother also lives there. She is not happy and does everyting she can to sabotage Anna being accepted in the community. Anna is having a hard time living in the shadow of perfect Presley, but wins over Harper easily. All seems to be going well, until Anna finds Presley's diary and begins to suspect that Cary is not what he seems.
As I began reading His Last Wife, I thought I knew where this story was going, but boy was I wrong. Ruhi Choudhary has added several twists that took me on a roller coaster ride to find out what happened to Presley, as well as what secrets Anna was hiding. I felt bad for Anna, the newbie to the neighbourhood, always compared to Presley, talked about behind her back, and not included in the many things the women did together. She wanted to keep some of her own identity, but Cary wanted to turn her into the "perfect" wife. I loved little Harper. I know she was young, but she had her own character traits. She seemed to accept Anna quickly as her new mother, but it had been a year, and Anna was devoted to her. This is a story full of lies, secrets, deceit, jealousy, desire, manipulation and twists. The ending was very satisfying with all ends tied up and left me with a smile on my face. Yes, you will need to suspend belief, but I just went with it. Several reviewers have commented on the generic cover, but as you read this one, you will understand the significance of the red door. I was fortunate to have both the audiobook and ebook, to do a read listen. The narration by Penelope Rawlins & Kelly Burke was excellent. I liked that the major female characters each had their own voice, and the ages of the characters came through in the performance. Although, this is the first time I have heard Kelly Burke, I have enjoyed Penelope Rawlins' performances in the past. I recommend this book in whatever format you are comfortable with.
His Last Wife follows a woman who discovers her new beau has a missing wife… once she moves into the home that he and his last wife shared, Anna becomes more and more suspicious, not only of her new partner but of all of her new neighbors as secrets start to unfold. This one is super twisty and will have you guessing from beginning to end.
I just finished His Last Wife An unbelievably gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist by Ruhi Choudhary and Narrated by Penelope Rawlins and Kelly Burke and here are my thoughts.
When Anna meets Cary at her place of work, she cannot help feeling drawn to him. Handsome and calm. When she meets his little girl Harper, everything falls into place.
When Cary moves Anna into the house he used to share with his ex, there is a room she isn’t allowed in. Presley was abducted from her car in the driveway of the house she just moved into and she feels like she has to be the new Presley.
Everything is going as well as can be expected until Anna finds Presley’s diary. The more she reads and the more the neighbors talk… the more she realizes Cary lied about where Presley was when she went missing and that Cary might not be the man he pretends he is.
The narrators were brilliant! I loved how they took on the personas of the two POVs. It was so well done and I was super engaged with it.
YIKES!!! This book was a serious mindbender. I don’t normally add TW but this book is heavy on the DV - Domestic violence. It’s well done but hard to hear. It’s one of those books that has layers upon layers of insanity but without being super farfetched. My jaw dropped at the ending. I couldn’t believe it. Just when you think you know who the monster is… You don’t and then you don’t and OMG no you don’t.
The characters all have something about them and you never really know who you can trust. I got major creeper vibes and that doesn’t normally happen to me with thrillers. I was gripped. I listened to it from start to finish. I couldn’t stop.
It was one heck of a ride and I was kind of glad it was over. I had a huge book hangover after it. That’s the best way for thrillers to be. It took ages to shake off and I highly recommend this one to any and all thriller lovers
5 stars!!
Many thanks to @NetGalley, @Bookouture, and Ruhi Choudhary for my gifted copy.
Out now and well worth it
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Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Anna meets Cary and immediately falls for him and his baby daughter Harper. Cary's ex=wife, Presley has gone missing and is presumed dead so after some time they end up moving back to the family home where Cary lived with his ex-wife and the home is luxurious but it not only is home to Cary and Harper but Presley's mother also lives there and there is one room where Anna is told not to enter and it continually stays locked. Needless to say Anna doesn't follow rules very well and she starts to do a little more digging into how Presley disappeared and when she enters the locked room she finds Presley's diary and starts to find out what things were really like living in this house with Cary and Harper.. I really enjoyed this thriller and look forward to reading more by this Author.......Enjoy!!!!
Well this was an unexpected treat that kept my reading juices well and truly watered.
I read the blurb and liked the sound of it so I listened to this one on audio through the day and late evening and thanked goodness I wasn’t talked to much that day by family (football was on!) so this was a perfect solution to bury myself into a “good book” I didn’t know how good this was going to be.
There’s lots I didn’t see coming but that big one, yep that big one just about had my jaw dropping to meet the floor.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
The blurb says Do not go there……oh you need to go!
Wow, what a book! Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Presley Scott is missing, presumed dead. Her grieving husband finds solace in the arms of Anna, the manager of the clinic where he turns for therapy. Anna, falls in love with his little girl Harper, just a baby when her mother disappears, and before long Harper is calling Anna 'mommy'. All of these parts are pretty straightforward ... or so it seems. There were so many twists in this story and so many people had secrets that only reveal themselves towards the end of the book. The fact that it is told originally only from one person's perspective, but that later other perspectives are revealed, really added to the telling of this excellent thriller. There are aspects of domestic abuse and coercive control in this book so if you want to avoid listening to stories about such issues then this is one to avoid - but otherwise I'd heartily recommend.
This is a great thriller! Twists and turns all the way through. I was sure I figured it out....NO, you can't even guess, can't untangle this one. It's deeper than I ever imagined. Excellent writing!
This book was way better than expected. I gave it five stars on Goodreads. It had more twist and turns than I have ever read from a book. Absolutely amazing. I finished it within a couple days even the narrator kept me on my toes narration was really good and the storyline was absolutely mind blowing. It does not go where you think it’s going. This book is about a woman who falls in love with a man and his child and she uncovers the mystery of his last wife… thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this
Anna finds Presley’s diary…. And what ensured resulted in one of my favorite reads of the year. Beginning to end it had me captivated. I loved the twists and turns and did not predict anything correctly. I very much appreciated the careful exposition, clear plot, and intoxicating plot line. This is a story that seemed like it could have taken years to write and was very carefully planned. I look forward to reading more from this author as this was the first novel I’ve read by Ruhi Choudhary and will absolutely not be the last. Bravo to the author, publisher and audiobook narrator for a stellar read.
Thank you to the author and Bookouture for allowing me to receive an ARC of this audiobook.
His Last Wife written by Ruhi Choudhary and narrated by Penelope Rawlins & Kelly Burke was utterly outstanding!
It was so good, I left a temporary review 3/4 of the way through listening to say just how much I was enjoying it and then holey moley if it didn't go up another gear after that! A tornado of twists and turns that make a corckscrew look like a straight line. Did. Not. See. that. coming!!
Okedoke, first off, the narration is brilliant. The story is told from dual POVs and the contrast is sublime. Both very good narrators and balanced so well. The perfect team for this audiobook
Anna has fallen on her feet. Working as a receptionist in a therapists office, she sees the enigmatic Cary regularly when he attends for therapy following the disappearance and assumed unaliving of his wife (Presley), leaving him with a baby daughter (Harper) and a bitter MiL (Juliet)
A chance meeting in the rain starts off a friendship between Anna and Cary which builds into a relationship and they decide to move out of Boston to his old house in a gated community, a house with a room that Anna is warned she must never enter, ever. The wierd thing is, Cary told Anna that Presley was abducted from her car, leaving behind a pool of blood, so why is Juliet telling her it was from the room?
The community is a typical affluent community, material wealth, gossip and status are everything. As Anna strives to fit in, things start to go awry. Cary begins to get controlling and possessive, always apologising with gifts and flowers after each instance of DA. This and the misinformation leads Anna to start looking deeper into Presley's disappearance, and the first thing she finds, is Presley's diary.
The thing is, is anybody who they say they are? Or is it all a facade?
This book is so cleverly written and I had no hope in predicting the outcome. It is really quite different from any thriller I have read and I applaud it wholeheartedly. Brilliant!
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, the author Ruhi Choudhary and narrators Penelope Rawlins & Kelly Burke for this incredible ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
Wow! Great pace. This had me going. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl!
Little bit of domestic thriller; little bit of psychological suspense and a little bit of revenge.
It all wrapped up nicely as I was pondering the role of Seth, which all made sense in the end.
Great narration as well.
I never saw that coming! After the first big twist, I thought I knew where the story was going. It was similar to one of my all-time favorite thrillers, so I assumed it was going in that predictable direction. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was completely hooked as the plot unfolded with all of the shocking twists and turns. This thriller is original, entertaining, and full of jaw-dropping moments. The narration added a layer of intrigue as the plot was masterfully brought to life. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.
Wow! The narrator is brilliant and this story I didn't want to turn off!!! Hold on tight for a twist at the end you won't believe!
3 stars - a twisty thriller that really did keep me guessing until the end and even then still managed to catch me off-guard. It is a great domestic thriller that is perfect for lovers of Gone Girl and The Silent Patient. For me, where it is a bit of a let down is the characters, as it was difficult to like any of them except the baby. This is personal preference however, so if you are like me and want your characters to have some kind of redeeming features then perhaps this is not for you. The other part that confused me was the timeline - I think Harper aged a lot more than the timeline would suggest. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, it has fantastic pacing, some really good twists and reveals and is engaging. As an audiobook, the narrator is brilliant and easy to listen to.
Book Review - His Last Wife by Ruhi Choudhary
When lonely, grieving single father, Cary befriends Anna, the administrative assistant where he goes for counseling sessions, a beautiful friendship ensues. Slowly, over time, their friendship evolves into more, especially when he sees how maternal and nurturing she is to his little girl, Harper. This fast-paced thriller hooked me right from the start as I grew to really enjoy and understand each character.
What a ride, and what a twist as the story unfolds. My allegiances swayed throughout the story; the story is told through several voices, primarily Anna’s and Juliette’s, Cary’s grieving mother in law. The main problem? No one knows what happened to Presley, Harper’s mom and Cary’s beloved wife, who disappeared one day without a trace, leaving a trail of blood behind as well as her husband and young daughter, Harper.. I truly loved Anna and Cary, but then hated them; my feelings were all over the place! The narrators, Kelly Burke and Penelope Rawlins did a beautiful job giving voice to each of the characters, making me feel as though I knew each character personally.
There were times in which I was frustrated with characters’ words and actions which left me conflicted but it did all work out in the end. I did not see the twist coming at all and though I had several predictions as to who the watcher was, I was ultimately incorrect!
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ruhi Choudhary, and Bookouture Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
His Last Wife is standard psychological thriller full of twists, surprises, and characters you’ll love to hate. And I mean that literally; I did not like a single one of these characters, but I found myself unable to stop listening to this audiobook, eager to hear what would happen next.
When Anna begins a relationship with Cary, she is elated. She has a partner she loves, a child she can now call her own, and a beautiful home in a beautiful town. But like all good thrillers, this perfect town of perfect people is harboring a sinister past. Cary’s last wife? Kidnapped without any clues except for a blood-stained room. But who took her? And did Cary have something to do with it?
The premise was great. The delivery was solid, but a little shaky at times. I would have loved to see a little bit of growth from the main characters and the ending felt a little rushed. I also don’t know why this bothered me much, but I could not let go of the fact that as soon as Anna and Cary became a couple, everyone was calling Anna the kid’s mother. Is that not strange that she is suddenly the “mom” and not the “stepmom” or something? (Maybe it’s just me lol).
If listening to the audiobook, the narration is fantastic. At times, it was difficult to tell the difference between Anna’s chapters and The Watcher’s chapters because the difference in the voices was so subtle, but this is a minor issue.
This book was fun. Similar to a Jeneva Rose thriller, His Last Wife by Ruhi Choudhary is engaging, entertaining, and combines all the best elements of the classic psychological thriller.
*Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Ruhi Choudhary for providing me with an audio ARC of His Last Wife in exchange for honest review*
Anna moves in and gets engaged with Cary who has the daughter of Harper. Anna replaces Cary's wife Presley Scott who mysteriously disappeared . Anna never feels like she fits completely into the life and housing community except for her relationship with Harper. Anna fears that Cary might have something to do with Presley's disappearance.
The thriller in the first half wasn't that intense. The audiobook kept you captivated though. The twists and turns are great. The beginning of the book was so different than what I thought was going to happen.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.