Member Reviews

I can't wait for this to come out and for y'all to lose your minds. if you had doubts about preordering, don't. you're going to want to read this one. I raced through it this weekend. Such a smart idea. Twisty, warped, credible. Brilliantly plotted and compelling. Deserves to be such a hit.

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I love a good thriller and enjoyed this one. The plots and twists kept me interested. I would recommend this read.

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When the wives and their husbands embark on a cruise no one expects what happens on board.

A deeply flawed relationship has such an impact on the friendship group but is one of them capable of murder?

4 stars

Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

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Secrets And Lies..
Secrets and lies abound in this compelling domestic suspense where nothing is as it seems and when a cruise ship sets sail nothing will be the same ever again. Told effectively from multiple viewpoints and with an ever present underlying vein of menace, a pacy narrative and plot twists aplenty this is an immersive one sit read.

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'The Wives' started off a strong read, I was taken in quickly and I was gripped and intrigued by the events. I liked the characters and the sense of friendship between the main ones was strong. For me this went wrong with the ending, I found it a bit ridiculous and I did not like the direction it took. It spoilt the rest of the read for me which was a real shame.
Still, I did enjoy most of this read and I liked the setting and concept.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

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I’ve read a lot of books by this author and this is one of my favourites. I also cruise a lot so a book set on a cruise ship always ticks a box. Four women, Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann and Michelle have been friends for a long time and by default so have their husbands. Natasha was a nurse but recent marriage to the good looking, wealthy Daniel has changed all that. She now wants the family life, children and a husband, and she never wants to work again. Told from the POV’s of the wives this is a well written and well plotted psychological thriller.

Briefly, out of the blue Daniel suggests that the four couples go on a cruise together, he books and pays for all their cabins, but not the flights. However, it soon becomes clear that all is not well in paradise and that Daniel is at the root of the problems. Everyone hates him and almost everyone wishes him dead!

What a disparate group of people and really none of them are very likeable, although had Daniel not joined their enclave I felt their personalities would have been very different. Daniel really is the worst of the worst and the more that’s revealed the more despicable he becomes. The cruise ship setting works well, I could imagine the trial of trying not to bump into each other in such a closed environment, I’ve been there! A very enjoyable and entertaining novel - the perfect holiday read.

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I'm a huge Valerie Keogh fan and once again I loved this book !! So many secrets revealed during this cruise ! It's like nothing is what it seems, friends ready to betray friends, wives not totally honest with their husbands. It's quite a ride to discover what they all are hiding until the big twist. I was sure I had the culprit but I was so wrong lol. I'm a bit sad at what happened to that one friend though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for giving me access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

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While the characters didn’t appeal to me, the plot grabbed my attention from the start. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, explosive thriller filled with secrets, lies, and dangerous choices, this book is for you.

Natasha and Daniel seem like the perfect newlyweds, but beneath the surface, Daniel’s manipulative side begins to show—especially when he treats Natasha and her friends to a cruise. Each of the women—Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michele—has her own struggles, and Daniel manages to disrupt their lives, stirring up secrets and tension within the group.

With everyone having a reason to want Daniel dead, the drama unravels at a breakneck pace. The plot is gripping, and the ending delivers a satisfying twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this arc in return for my honest review.

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Nothing is what it seems.... but sometimes it is?

The wives tells the story of recently married Natasha, which at the surface level seems to have it all. She is beautiful, her husband is also extremely attractive, rich and wants her to stop working to focus on having fun together. To top it all, for their honeymoon he offers to pay a luxury cruise in Africa for them and her friends + husbands. Quickly the reader realises that not everything is perfect.

What I liked: the story is told from several points of view, mostly Natasha's but also from her friends. We only hear from the women and nothing from the men, which I found interesting. Plot wise, there were several times that I thought 'wait, what?' which is good, I like when a book catches me off-guard. The style is a great balance of easy to read but also sophisticated language.

What I didn't like: for every surprising plot twist there were several cliches. Which I guess is somewhat needed, but also felt a bit like a let down. Additionally there is a sideline plot that involves abuse. At the time of reading (September 2024) there was a lot of discussion online if the book/movie "It ends with us" glorifies domestic abuse or if it tells a reality of a lot of women. I feel this sub-plot is also an example of this contradiction. Lastly, I am not a fan of open endings, and in a way this book has one.

I would recommend this book to readers on a cruise or that have been to a cruise before looking for an interesting read. Is not perfect and I didn't like some aspects, but I think a lot of people would be able to enjoy it as much or even more than I did.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, self-harm, suicide, death of a loved one.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. The Wives will be published November 6th 2024. #TheWives #NetGalley.

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I can always count on Valerie Keogh for a great psychological thriller! The story takes place on a cruise with four couples-Natasha has just married Daniel and we soon learn he is not the person he appears to be. Great characters and a great setting make for an incredible story! I love this authors writing style and have enjoyed every book that I have read by her. Definitely recommend- this book is full of twists -they all have secrets they are hiding and the ending was a total surprise! My jaw hit the floor at the end- Great book. Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Keogh and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

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The Wives is a psychological thriller that focuses on four couples on a vacation cruise. Natasha and Daniel, while only newly married, want to treat Natasha's friend group to an unforgettable cruise in Southern Africa. Natasha's main goal is to reconnect with her girls, whom she has felt distanced from lately. She also wants Daniel to be a part of the husbands' group. Unfortunately, as the ship sets sail, Natasha realizes that far from reconnecting and making unforgettable memories, her friends all have a deep-seeded hatred of her husband. Then, when Daniel unexpectedly dies, Natasha doesn't know whom to blame. Secrets are revealed and friendships are tested throughout The Wives.

The story is told through multiple POVs - all four main female characters. I did enjoy having the perspective of all of the wives; however, overall, I didn't find the characters overly interesting or developed. I also knew almost immediately who killed Daniel and with what. Because the mystery was quite predictable and the chapters focused heavily on the drama between the wives, I found the pacing to be slow. Finally, the end was too unrealistic and not overly satisfying. I didn't need that extra "twist." With that said, the book did make me want to go on a vacation asap! Overall, The Wives just wasn't the thriller for me.

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The book is a psychological thriller about 4 couples on a cruise.

Natasha and Daniel met, moved in together and got married kind of fast. When he suggested a cruise for them and her best friends with their husbands, Natasha is happy. But it is clear that everyone has a secret and they all have to do with Daniel.

During the book it seems that all the wives would have a reasonable to hurt Daniel, so I suspected them all when he died.

I did not anticipate the killer, even of there were some hints, but the ending did not surprise me.

Overall this is a quick and entertaining read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Boldwords. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Wives by Valerie Keogh is a sharp paced thriller with murder, friendships and marriage as the main themes. Four female friends met at university and have remained friends ever since. So when Natasha meets and marries Daniel everyone is happy for her., at first anyway.
So when Daniel offers to take all four wives and husbands on a week’s cruise everyone agrees. Within days nearly everyone wishes that Daniel would die.
When he does, who is responsible and why?
Highly recommended

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This was a fast read and I liked Keogh’s writing style. The set-up for this book was really interesting and I liked that the story was told from multiple POVs. However, I didn’t really like any of the characters, which was disappointing. The plot twists were not anything earth shattering but were very entertaining and i definitely did not see the ending coming!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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A real roller coaster of a story with its ups and downs as well as twist and turns. When so many have a reason for wanting a person gone, we’re kept guessing.

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Natasha and Daniel seemed to have it all. The new couple met, moved in together and got married quickly, then only had time for a short honeymoon. Daniel was later able to take more time off, and being the wealthy man he is (one of the main reasons Natasha married him), offered to pay for a cruise, inviting Natasha’s best friends and their husbands. Doing so may have been the death of him…

This is quite the dramatic group of people! Barbara’s husband Ralph recently retired…and along with giving up work, he gave up on hobbies, leaving the house and even showering. When Daniel came into their lives, Barbara was able to escape into a fantasy where a man as sexy as him might be interested in a mundane, middle-aged woman like herself.

Tracy Ann is also getting bored in her marriage. Her husband Blake is handsome and sweet, but she doesn’t know anyone else intimately, and she’s worried her good looks will soon go by the wayside. When Daniel came into their lives, a brief moment at a party changed her life, and her marriage, forever.

Michele and her husband Don have raised their kids and are now ready for the next chapter. When Daniel came into their lives, he ended up making sure their next chapter would be bankruptcy - definitely not what they’d been working towards their whole marriage.

Basically, they all have reason want Daniel dead, and during the cruise, secrets start to come out between the eight friends. A lot of alcohol, along with a lot of deception, makes for a very tense vacation, and it was so fun watching it all play out. This was a very fast page turner, and a delightful popcorn thriller - perfect for a vacation read. Just be careful of your traveling partners! Four stars.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, Valerie Keogh and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on November 6, 2024.)

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What a fun book to read! Easy read, kept me guessing! Loved that it took place on a cruise ship. Definitely interested in reading more books by this author! Thank you net galley, the author and publisher for this opportunity!

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I definitely didn’t expect much here.

You know the plot already – besties on vacation, oops secrets, oops murder…oops more secrets…toxic, toxic, toxic.

And, yes, it’s all that. But it’s also got just the right amount of scandal, a person who really needs to die (horribly if possible), and the book is chock full of surprises.

I munched my popcorn and thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Is it a beach read? Absolutely! Is it a lot of fun? Absolutely!

Enjoyed this!

• ARC via Publisher

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What a great read. I was really hooked from the start, so fast paced and easy to read. Superficially the characters are all quite stereotypical, but wow, what undercurrents are going on underneath. Clever plot with an unpredictable ending.

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Stunning nail biting writing yet again.

8 friends on a cruise what on earth could go wrong? Apparently everything, blackmail, deceit, murder to to start with. Page turning blockbuster I could not put this book down. Easy reading ideal for holidays, unless you are on a cruise.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

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