A re-telling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Angel is a private chef for the Harrison’s, one of the most powerful Black families on Martha’s Vineyard. Jillian Harrison often spends the entire summer on the island, while her husband Irvin and their twenty-nine-year-old daughter Norma commute from Washington, DC, on weekends. They always join Jillian for the month of August, when the family throws a lavish garden party on the expansive lawn that is attended by nearly one hundred guests. This year’s guests include Everette Bruce, an influential Black billionaire, still in mourning for his first wife, Chloe, who committed suicide.
To the imperious Jillian’s surprise, Bruce ignores her and instead becomes enchanted with Angel. Eager to get away from the controlling Mrs. Harrison, Angel accepts Everett’s invitation to become the private chef at Riverwild, his massive mansion along the Potomac River. Soon he and Angel begin a whirlwind romance that culminates in marriage.
Though Angel is confident and strong, over time, she begins to feel the enigmatic Chloe's ghost. The house’s staff, the head housekeeper Ida, and even Everett, cannot seem to let the dead woman go, nor explain why the wealthy, stunning woman would kill herself. The more questions Angel asks, the more melancholic Everett becomes, revealing a far less charming side of himself. Just how well does Angel know Everett? Did she marry in haste?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this digital audio e-arc.*

While I must admit du Maurier's Rebecca isn't my favorite story, I thought this reimagined version featuring Angel, a Black chef to a wealthy American family who falls for Everett, a widowed Black billionaire and lets him whisk her off to his remote mansion was overall well done. What Angel thought was going to be a step up in life to a loving man, soon turns dark when his supposedly dead wife, Chloe, starts to make her presence known in menacing ways. I thought this was fast-paced, had similar vibes to the original, great narration by Chante McCormick and a gorgeous cover! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

😱 🆂🅴🆅🅴🅽 🅻🅸🆃 🆃🅷🅸🅽🅶🆂 😱

|| 𝓒𝓱𝓵𝓸𝓮 by Connie Briscoe ||
Pub Day: March 18, 2025

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?
Yes, of course, Briscoe is a legend in the game.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿:
I did not have any favorite characters in this book. I was disappointed in how many times Angel let other characters talk down to her without putting them in their place.

𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
While wealth has its advantages, the wealthy characters in the story often use their power in dangerous and unethical ways to influence, punish, and manipulate others. Briscoe demonstrates that having access to wealth does not exempt one from consequences. She explores the complex ways in which a life of wealth and status can drive people to do extraordinary things, raising the question of whether it is truly worth the cost.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀/𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀:
Isolation & Loneliness
Trust & Deception
Social Status & Expectations

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
Yes, the title 𝓒𝓱𝓵𝓸𝓮 is similar to Daphne du Maurier's classic novel 𝕽𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖈𝖆, written in 1938, because both books are named after the "dead wife" character.

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁/𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
The plot is entertaining and moves at a decent pace. Briscoe is able to build tension and suspense, but it proceeds to move too quickly in the last third of the book. It was interesting to see how Briscoe reimagined this classic with Black characters and a modern Oaks Bluff community.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
The ending was too neat and rushed to me. I wanted more insight into Angel’s “why” and purpose after finding out the truth. Some things are left unanswered.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌟Thank you partners @hearourvoicestours and @amistadbooks for the gifted copy. In addition, thanks to @harperaudio & @netgalley for the gifted copy and ALC.🌟

🏷 #Chloe #ConnieBriscoe #Retelling #HearOurVoicesTours #HOV #WomensHistoryMonth #bookreview #Bookish #Bookstagrammer #BookLover #wellreadblackgirl