*2.5 stars

Well, to be honest, I didn't enjoy this like so many others have. After seeing great reviews from some of my Goodreads friends, I quickly requested this from Netgalley. I was hoping for a great suspense novel--I've been in such a thriller reading mood lately, but this did not live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I thought this was well-written and very readable. There's no doubt that I will be reading more from these two authors. I'm just not sure it will be another suspense book. They did say this was their first foray into the mystery genre, so I definitely see potential.

I wouldn't even classify this as a suspense novel or a mystery. Only the last 15% was "suspenseful". Through most of the novel you follow Jacks, who just found out that her husband died with another woman. The fiance of the woman contacts Jacks and asks her to go to where they both died to find closure. So off to Hawaii they go. I loved that the book took place in Hawaii! How I wish to go back someday. Anyway, so most of the book you follow these two make their way through the final steps of the deceased. I don't know if this was suppose to be a romance, a suspense novel, or something in between? Like I said, this was readable but I was looking to escape into a suspenseful book and that's just not what I got. So I finished reading this a little disappointed and underwhelmed.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think what I liked the most about this book was the fact that I had absolutely no idea where the plot was going, the story seemed nicely wrapped up but there were still so many pages left and Boom! Plot twist! While not the best book it did keep my attention and I liked the ending.

This book grabbed my interest right from the beginning! I read it in two nights! Jacks husband, James, has been killed in a car accident. She soon finds out he was not alone, and he was in Hawaii. Despite her grief, Jacks decides to go to Hawaii and investigate what happened. This is the story of how she comes to terms with her husband's death. Along the way, she meets a new love and takes a hard look at her marriage. The end was a twist I did not see coming. A great book for all mystery lovers!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was really good, suspenseful and thought provoking. When one thinks their life is one way and then finds out that other things were going on that they were not aware of., it makes one wonder about their own life. Is it as they think it is. I was caught up in the story and didn't want to put the book down to sleep and I didn't guess the ending until it was revealed by the authors. Really well done as I can usually figure out the "who done it" long before it is revealed. I will definitely read other books by these two best friends. I'm amazed that they can write a book together and it come out sounding as one book instead of two different books. Excellent!!

3,5 Stars

I expected this book to have more thriller elements. It is more about a woman comes to terms with the fact that her husband died in a car accident in Hawaii with his mistress.

I could criticize many thinks. The characters for example. I did not like Jacks, she is weak and obviously needs always somebody to take care of her. Her annoying and dominant sister. The dead macho husband James. Mousy Dylan. The pace is quite slow. There is also a love story (I don’t like chit-lit) and twist you can see coming from afar. But somehow and to my own astonishment, I enjoyed reading it. It is well written and easy to read. Maybe it was a mixture of me sitting relaxed in the sun and be reminded how I used to read love stories when I was a teenager. I don’t know. This book just flows and does not invite you to think too much about its story. It is just an easy summer read. You don’t really have to read it but it does not hurt you if you do. I could go deeper into its flaws but I think I just don’t. It was a nice and uncomplicated read.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to previw The Good Widow. A woman opens the door to two policeman that say her husband has been killed in a car accident in Maui - First she wonders, why was he in Maui, and then the police say he was not alone, he was with another woman.
Jacqueline, "Jacks", had a comfortable life - not perfect, but she was happy. Now her world is shattered and she does not think she can move on.
That's until a man comes to her door and says he too was affected by this car accident as he is the fiance of the woman who was with Jacks. husband. The two decide to go to Maui and retrace the fated lovers steps so they can get closure.
This book goes back and forth from Jacks' POV and the mistress, Dylan's, POV in a before and after the accident scenerio.
This is well written and will keep you guessing till the very end. I really liked this book and read it in two days. Great for the beach....Recommend.

4,5 stars



"We all have secrets. Some of them are just bigger than others."


What a ride!

It was a brilliant constructed book, exactly how I like them. A psychological drama that turns into a psychological thriller toward the end. Of course, I felt from the very beginning that SOMETHING would HAPPEN, and I swear, I wanted so badly to jump to the last page and read about the last twist or whatever. And I normally don’t do such things. I felt literally the twitching in my fingertips to hit “Go to” END on my kindle and read the last chapter. But I didn’t. I just read the whole night through, and it doesn’t happen to me too often recently, so... it is obvious, I pretty much enjoyed this novel.

I do not totally approve the choice the authors made in closing (view spoiler), but I do not deny the fact that EXACTLY this turn with a WOW/WTF effect made the whole novel even more interesting.

If you like character driven stories, don’t miss this one.

Highly recommended!

Mixed feelings on this one...to say the least!
Jacks Morales hears a knock on her door - her life is about to change forever.
"Five minutes ago, I wasn't a widow"
The police have come with the sad news that her husband James died in a tragic accident while in Maui. But wait just a minute, wasn't he supposed to be In Kansas on business? And, he wasn't alone!? Woops.
Plans are made with the other woman's fiancé Nick, to fly to Maui and retrace the steps of their cheating, loved ones. All the way to the scene of the crash, supposedly for closure....WHAT?? Granted, people grieve in different ways. I get that. As an RN I see it every day. But to go back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. I had a hard time comprehending that. Why? What could possibly be gained from this? As a wife I would want no part of it. If anything, I would want to distance myself completely from that pain and betrayal. Again, I know everyone handles things differently...but seriously?! That just seems weird and sadistic!
So you wonder why I continued reading. Curiosity, plain and simple! I just had to see where this was going. I was so charged up emotionally I couldn't just drop it. Sure, there were some great twists, and there was more to the story than just this singular quest. The writing was easy to follow as it showed different points of view from both women before and after the crash. I finished it rather quickly, and yes, I‘m glad I stayed with it till the end.
Most people really enjoyed this one so if you were planning on reading this one don't let me sway you. I am definitely in the minority on this one. 3*
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing,. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be posted on Goodreads under Kaceey June 15-16, 2017

I've been waiting for this book and was not disappointed. Highly recommend!

This was a fast paced, yet predictable read for me. I knew there was a twist coming and pretty much could figure it out at what part is happened and what the end was going to be. Despite that, I was still interested in reading to see how it all played out. Interesting story that I was able to breeze through in about a day.

This book is the perfect mix of suspense and women's fiction!

Jacks receives devastating news that her husband James has died in a car accident. The only thing is he was in Maui when he was supposed to of been in Kansas on a business trip. This results in a lot of questions like what was he doing in Maui. Shortly after this Jacks receives a visit from Nick who was the fiancé of Dylan who was in Maui with James. He wants her to come to Maui with him and try to figure out exactly what they were doing in Maui. Does Jacks really know James as well as she thought or did he keep a separate life?

This was a great book but a little slow at times. Just when you thought you knew what would happen and how this would end there was a twist that had you thinking what would happen next. I'm definitely going to read more from these authors in the future.

The blurbs were right on this one. There is suspense. Unfortunately, it is 80% of the way into this book. Along the way, Jacks and Nick trace back their lives and review what really happened and why their respective others cheated on them. A L.O.N.G. drawn out process that eventually led to the highly advertised suspense.

I think that the book was well written, however, I was looking for more of a suspense book, not a book looking for feeling involving being cheated on and how I would feel if it happened to me. The suspense part was very, very good and very creepy.

The feelings part was also very good, just not what I expected.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I really enjoyed this read. The sharp writing, humor and wit drew me in from the beginning. But. The. Ending. The ending-- where things usually taper off-- is where the suspense built and the revelations had me glued to the page. What a way to end a good story, making it jaw-dropping good. I can't wait for more from these authors.
Some great quotes.
"...once you find out there are so many lies sitting right below the surface of your relationships, you want to know them all."
"The men you never think would stray--they are always the ones with the most to hide."
"Sometimes you just have to trust your gut. If you spend your whole life scared to make the wrong choice, how is that really living?"
"...we could all be better. Better husbands, better wives, better sons and daughters. But the people who love us, the ones who truly care, they accept us, even if we aren't perfect."

I liked a lot about this book. Like many books in this genre, it was an easy read with an easy-to-follow story, likable characters, and a twisty ending. In general, nothing too special but still pleasant.

Jacks and her sister Beth are both great characters. I've only read one other book by these authors, but I've found their character development to be great in both books. It's definitely the strongest characteristic in this book. The pacing was a bit more patchy, with some slow spots, some spots that were exciting but far too quick, and an ending that came out of nowhere.

The book ended on a very random note, in my opinion, and didn't really feel like we had come to the end of the story. This lack of a satisfying ending was by far my biggest problem with the book. It all felt so rushed and there wasn't enough of a denouement for me to feel like I knew what was going to happen to Jacks after the last pages. I'm sure this ending will be fine for many people, but I don't like to have so many things left unanswered. It's why I am a big fan of epilogues. But I am not many people, just one, and I really enjoyed this book, all things considered. I've already added the other books by these authors to my to read list.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales is a fourth grade teacher who is married to James. James spends a great deal of his time on the job away from home. Their relationship is a difficult one at best – stormy and unpredictable.

One day two police officers show up at her door. They came to tell her that her husband has died in a car crash – in Maui. He was supposed to be in Kansas; at least that’s where he told Jacks he was going. Jacks further finds out that he was not alone. He was with a twenty-six year-old woman named Dylan.

Days later a man shows up on her doorstep claiming to be Dylan’s fiancée. He asks Jacks to go to Maui with him to ascertain what happened. While Jacks is reluctant, she begins to see that she might gain some measure of closure.

When Nick and Jacks land in Maui they begin to plan out to follow in James and Dylan’s footsteps. They interview bartenders and others who had contact with the couple. Jacks is astounded at some of the tours on which they went. She was under the impression that James would never have gone on them with her.

Throughout the initial stages of the trip, Jacks is a real mess. She is frightened and acting more than a little unstable. She is unsure of herself. Nick is there to support her all the way. They learn that Dylan was pregnant. Jacks unburdens herself about the lies she told James. When the inevitable happens, it seems to me to be a foregone conclusion.

Hats off to Jacks’ loyal sister Beth.

As Jacks and Nick’s relationship deepens, the world turns on its axis. Reality sets in.

This is a well written and plotted novel. It is mostly women’s fictions, but turns suspenseful toward the end. I wouldn’t label it a thriller. This is my first Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke novel, but it won’t be my last. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I especially liked the relationship between Jacks and Beth. The other characters were likeable – until you got to know them. There were both surprises and disappointments at how differing characters behaved in the novel.

I want to thank Netgalley and Lake Union Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read.

Although this book has good writing and was a quick read it was very easy to see where this book was headed early on in the story. I has a very hard time believing that Jacks would get involved in any kind of relationship right after her husband dies in an "accident". I like alot more suspense in the books I read. This book was just ok.

90% chick lit, 10% suspense. This is the best way that I can think of to describe The Good Widow

When Jack’s husband of years dies in a freak car accident in Maui, she is shocked. Her husband James is supposed to be on a business trip in Kansas. Jacks soon learns that James was in Maui with his mistress, Dylan. Jacks realizes that she never really knew her husband of eight years.When Dylan’s fiancée, Nick, shows up at her door asking her to go to Maui with him to find more out about Dylan and James' relationship, Jacks against her better judgment, agrees to go along, hoping that the trip will help her heal.

Told through Jacks and Dylan’s alternating POV’s that switch from “before” and “after”, little tidbits are revealed about Jacks and James’s marriage, as well as Dylan and Nick’s relationship. This seems like it is going to be a story of a woman slowly finding herself after her husband’s death until the twist at the end (which unfortunately I saw from a mile away).

I found The Good Widow to be SLOW moving; I was waiting and waiting for something to happen. I also had a hard time rooting for clueless Jacks.

I didn’t love this one, but I am in the minority—The Good Widow is receiving a lot of rave reviews. It’s a quick and easy read, and if you are looking for a good summer book to get lost in, The Good Widow just might do the trick.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories with a twist. Let me qualify that statement - I love stories with a twist that have carefully laid the framework. I didn't feel that the framework was laid for this one. It just popped out of nowhere with nothing to back it. I guessed what was going to happen, not because there had been clues, but because I just guessed the most outrageous thing that could happen. The writing was good, the characters well drawn and the premise was great. It was what drew me to the book to begin with. I would recommend to readers who like surprises, but who don't have to have the whys of everything.