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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.)

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!

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

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.

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.

Thanks for the advanced reader copy of the wives.


A solid 3 star read for me. Often predictable and the characters were flat but I liked the storyline and setting on a cruise.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I finished this sooooo quickly, something about shorter chapters and multiple POV’s makes me read so fast. I really enjoyed it as I love a bit of mystery. I’m not usually that shocked by the plot twists but this one got me!! Was decent pay off in the end. I don’t think it’s one that will particularly stick with me, but it’s perfect for a quick and enjoyable read. I would have like to know more about Daniel and maybe get either some background on him or his POV, even just a chapter but regardless I had a good time reading it and couldn’t put it down until I had the answers.

Wow what an amazingly fabulous read this turned out to be and did I see the twist coming !!! No I did not !! Natasha and Daniel on a cruise taking Natasha friends all expenses paid. A chance for Natasha to show her friends how weak she’s done in Daniel but all is not what it seems and as the secrets and death occur who will be the killer?? 5+ star read for me thanks for the arc and the chance to read and review.

The Wives is full of friendships, drama, secrets and betrayal. All while on the perfect setting of a cruise ship. I didn't know who I could trust. While none of the characters are particularly likeable I think that's what made the story even better. It was like a competition of who is worse. While some of the twists were predictable, I did not predict the main twist. This is a quick and fun psychological thriller read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Four men and their wives take a cruise to relax and have some fun.
Instead of fun, each wife has a secret she has been hiding from her best friends.
It all unfolds in an unexpected shock wave.
Valerie Keogh has written a marvelous hypnotic murder mystery with The Wives.
#TheWives
#ValerieKeogh
#Boldwood
#NetGalley

Lies and secrets... and they all come back to one man, Daniel! This is such a page turner of a book. I had the crimes pinned on almost every character at some point and was still guessing right to the end - which is a big shock too! Just the kind of exciting book I've come to expect from Valerie, and she didn't disappoint. Seems Daniel thought he could get away with anything. He totally underestimated The Wives!! 5 Stars!!

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 weren’t anything crazy and I guessed most of them beforehand, but the ending was quite interesting.

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

This is my first book by this Valerie Keogh and I could not put it down, it was excellent.
Natasha and her new husband invite 3 couples to holiday with them on a luxury cruise ship and what follows is the holiday from hell.
The story was full of twists and turns as lots of secrets were revealed. Lots of the characters had a motive and I had no clue which way the story was going to pan out.
A brilliant 5 star read and I can’t wait to work my way through this authors previous books.
Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Natasha is tired of working as a nurse so when she meets Daniel she thinks he will make the perfect husband, ,,,but Daniel has secrets she doesn’t know!
He offers her friends a free cruise. What each don’t realize is each woman has a reason to want Daniel dead — so who murdered him or did he just pass away?

A good psychological thriller although I found it a bit slow in parts. Overall the characters were good and well described but for me personally it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I would recommend if you are looking for a good, well written book.