Cover Image: The New Wife

The New Wife

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I am quite a fan of this author and enjoyed previous books, this was a little different but still enjoyable.
I liked being taken down one route by the narrator only to end up in another when other characters had their say.
The comparisons to My Cousin Rachel are good ones, although this doesn't have the same style and tone as that fantastic book, the idea that you can't take people on face value is pervasive.
Characters and motives were well drawn and the setting a cheery one, plus the little glimpes of the family history were appreciated and added to the bigger picture.
Overall an enjoyable easy thriller.

Was this review helpful?

I have loved all of JP Delaneys books and was thrilled to be granted a copy of "The New Wife" via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review so it makes me sad to report I found this one a slow and painful read.

If you are a fan of Sabine Durants Lie With Me or Lucy Clarkes One of the Girls because of the atmospheric prose bringing the location alive you ill likely enjoy this and forgive the feeling of - "will something just happen already" and enjoy the drawn out mysetry, For me however I put this book down a number of times before finally geting back to it and solidering through.

By the time the twist has revealed itself and the drama unfolds I had nearly DNFéd it several times so it wasnt enough to redeem itself, althought the final cat and mouse was quite fun I can really only give this a 2/5.

Was this review helpful?

The New Wife - JP Delaney

JP Delaney is an auto read author for me, so I was super excited to read The New Wife and again I was pleasantly satisfied. Fantastic setting, a bit different from previous books and so many twists and turns! Just when you think you have it all worked out - BAM think again. A book to devour in one sitting. Thanks so much Netgalley and Quercus Books for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Was this review helpful?

An engaging read that certainly had me guessing throughout. Some very interesting characters and all set in an isolated villa in Mallorca. A few unexpected turns along the way added to the pace.

Was this review helpful?

'The New Wife' was a book that immediately grabbed my attention. I liked the synopsis and I felt like this would be a book about something I've never read before.

The story started rather slow, and throughout the bigger part of the book I felt like not much was happening. Even though I felt like this was a 'new' story for me (i.e. not a cliché story that I've read before), I thought this would be a really predictable storyline. I thought that I had it all figured out halfway through the story. But I guess I was wrong ...

Nearing the end, I was quite shocked at what was happening and I felt completely betrayed by a character I'd started to love. I really did not see the plot twists coming and I couldn't believe that I'd let myself be fooled like this. The ending of this book was nothing like I thought it would be and I honestly love that. The story turned out to be completely different to what I'd thought and I compliment the author on pulling this off. This book definitely put this author on my radar and I will be looking into some other books by J.P. Delaney.

Was this review helpful?

J.P. Delaney is the absolute king of twists. This book is no exception to the way he keeps you on your toes and always guessing. Was it my favourite of all of his books? No. The dizzying heights of Believe Me and The Girl Before have yet to be repeated, but it was definitely an enjoyable and addictive read.

The story follows the story of Finn and Jess two siblings whose incredible dysfunctional family changes again as they’re left as orphans after their fathers death in Mallorca. The issues are complicated by their father’s new wife, Rusena and her daughter Roze. Amongst the legal complications of sorting out the will all sorts of dramas unfold. The description of the sweltering heat, the lifestyle on the land and the nature around created a great setting for the book.

What I love is that you’re never clever enough to guess the twists. And when you think you’ve guessed them there are always more to follow.

Was this review helpful?

This book was really interesting! The story line was not what I was expecting at all, there was a lot less murder and action than I expected. It was more about the characters and their relationships with one another. None of the characters in this book were likeable, but I don't think that they were meant to be! We were suspicious of Ruensa and Roze, especially after hearing how Finn's father had died. Finn also gave me the ick, there were some things that he said or thought that made me dislike him, and although we didn't see much of his sister I didn't like her very much either.

This was definitely a slow burn book, the plot developed pretty slowly and then the ending... it was like all of the action just exploded! So much was happening at once, it was a really good plot twist at first but then more and more kept happening and it was really difficult to tell what was real and what wasn't. This made the ending a bit disappointing for me because I was left unsure what was even happening! So, the writing was good and the characters were interesting, but the plot and the ending was not for me.

Was this review helpful?

A really gripping book about a boy that visits his childhood home in Mallorca after his father died, and meets his fathers wife…..is everything as it seems? It’s a twist and turn of a book and I couldn’t put it down!

Was this review helpful?

The New Wife by JP Delaney was another excellent psychological thriller and I was hooked from start to finish especially as it was fast paced with brilliant twists and turns throughout that will have you guessing till the very end. Just brilliant a easy read which makes it a great holiday read,

Was this review helpful?

JP Delaney's books are hit or miss with me. Some of them I absolutely loved, and some just did not live up to my expectations.
This one, unfortunately, falls in the latter category and I did not enjoy it at all

Was this review helpful?

I love JP and this book didn’t disappoint for a Moment. I love the contemporary setting the modern dilemma and the unexpected twists and turns the characters life’s take. Many thanks

Was this review helpful?

I have read all J P Delaney’s other books and I usually enjoy them and find them to be gripping, unputdownable reads. I was delighted to receive a copy of the latest novel, The New Wife.

Finn and Jess are siblings and when they find out their estranged, alcoholic father has died, Finn is sent to Spain to begin proceedings so the villa can be sold and they inherit the money from the sale. Due to a previous agreement, the wife won’t inherit the house. Not only is ‘the new wife’ at the villa, but her beautiful daughter, Roze is there too. They’re very welcoming and kind to Finn, and instead of being suspicious he tries to let them stay at the villa for as long as possible, and predictably develops feelings for Roze. The police are asking questions about the death of the father, maybe it wasn’t an accident. Who can be trusted?

I found the story easy to read and I did get into it quite quickly, but I felt it dragged so much. I was annoyed with Finn’s lovesick, idiotic behaviour and wanted to give him a good shake! I thought the characters were very ‘meh’ and I didn’t connect with any of them. As the novel was so Finn-focused I felt the other characters didn’t get a look in and they didn’t have much presence.

Towards the end, instead of a twist there’s a total u-turn and the book loses its way. I think the author was aiming for mystery but it just left me with more questions. I felt the ending was very unsatisfying and it felt rushed and lazy.

I had high hopes for this novel as I’ve enjoyed others by this author but it fell flat for me. I kept reading in the hopes it would improve. I’m not put off the author and look forward to the next novel.

2.5 stars rounded to 2.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks for this copy however I just couldn’t get into it. It really wasn’t what I was expecting. The plot wasn’t really there. The characters personalities I really couldn’t click with at all. They seemed so cranky and sarcastic. This novel was so misleading. I was told a thriller however this was so not that.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Quercus books for sharing this. I really didn't expect it to end that way, although the foreshadowing was there all along. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Was this review helpful?

Was a bit of a suspense and enjoyed parts of it. I have read better books by this author but still enjoyable

Was this review helpful?

This is an easy read, set in an attractive part of Mallorca. I did find Finn and his relationship with his stepmother and sister rather strange given the circumstances of his visit. But is all becomes clear in the end with a surprising twist.

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this thriller which didn’t really resolve any of the loose ends but really dragged me into reading it in one sitting!

Was this review helpful?

"I don't know if this is commiserations or congratulations, but I've got some news. Brace yourself. Dad's dead."

I usually love Delaney's book, an instant buy. This was why I was delighted to receive an advance copy. But this one just didn't hit right with me, which was a shame.

Finn and Jess's father had passed away in Mallorca, where he lived with his third wife, who they have yet to meet. The house is to be inherited by the children, but they haven't seen it in years and presumed it was still falling to pieces. Finn goes out to sort out the league stuff out and to hopefully sell it as soon as possible. Only for Finn to discover the house had been renovated and both his fathers wife and her daughter are currently living there. However, not everything around his father's death and not everything is what it seems

It was an easy read but it was incredibly slow and lacked depth. It felt less of a thriller and mainly focused more on the mysteries and trying to find out what was truly going on. You could tell there was definitely some inspiration from 'My Cousin Rachel' by Daphne Du Maurier. I liked that you didn't really have an idea on what was happening. You didn't know who was being truthful or what to believe. At the end you are definitely left with more questions than answers.

"My generation is sometimes mocked for talking about 'my truth' rather than 'the truth' - an easy habit to criticise, but one which accepts, perhaps that, in a world where so many different versions of the facts are constantly available, it matters not so much what actually happened as who one chooses to believe"

*Thank You Netgalley for m advance copy of the book. Sorry I didn't finsh the book sooner before publication

Was this review helpful?

An excellent thriller as you expect from this author, plenty of twists and turns with good characters in this well plotted novel. I had a job to put thos book down. I got to read this book with thanks to the publishers and Netgalley

Was this review helpful?

Sadly not my favourite JP Delaney read. Normally the author snowballs ordinary people or situations out of control but this was different focusing instead on competing truths. This was done well, cleverly leaving the final judgement up to the reader. But, personally I much prefer a clear ending, with no ambiguity and ideally justice done. For the most part it also felt a little slow, with few characters and plot one-dimensional, before taking a very strange hallucinatory turn towards the end. So not for me but as always I look forward to the author's next book.

Was this review helpful?