I've read several books by Sarah Pekkanen so I was really to happy to see that she (along with Greer Hendricks) teamed up to write a thriller. Thrillers are my favorite but I wouldn't say this was a "thriller" more of a psychological thriller, and there is a difference.

A story of the perfect husband, a marriage on the rocks, spousal abuse and the price you pay for your mistakes. The synopsis says to assume nothing. It's a safe assumption.

I really enjoyed this twisty. suspenseful story. It seems at first like a domestic drama of a marriage that has suddenly ended, and then you realize there is quite a bit more to it. It is well-written, with complex characters. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller.

I received this book "The Wife Between Us" from Netgalley for my honest review.

Assume Nothing. Wow! This was an excellent read. Twists - Turns - Unexpected Everything! Fast paced and definitely a page turner to keep you up at night saying "I'll read just one more chapter" but then you end up not wanting to put it down. Very unique writing and again WOW.

I received an advance ebook copy of this book from Netgalley.

At first, I thought I was reading a fairly straightforward story that jumped back and forth between the viewpoints of the ex-wife and the woman who is about to replace her.

And then I kept on reading, and all of my assumptions went out the window when the plot twist to end all plot twists hit like an oncoming freight train.

I really don't want to say anything more and risk spoiling the surprise for other readers. But a word of warning. Don't start reading this book late at night, because I guarantee you will stay up way past your bedtime.

I received a copy of The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen from Netgalley. I would classify it as a psychological thriller. If you enjoyed reading The Girl On The Train, then this is the book for you. I personally found it hard to keep things straight in the beginning, but yet was so drawn to it that I couldn't put it down. The more I read, the more it came into focus for me. There are so many twists and turns, it's almost impossible to figure out who to side with. I found it to be a very riveting read, and one you won't want to miss. I'd rate it at 4 stars, only because I found it a little confusing in the beginning.

Wow. This was a clever mystery, perhaps the most clever I've read since Gone Girl. The author plays the same psychological tricks on the reader that the characters play on each other. This book is told in 3 parts, from multiple perspectives within each part. It is the story of love and obsession, perceived crimes and punishments, actions and reactions. I absolutely loved it.

There is no easy way to review this book without spoiling it, at least in my opinion. Fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train and Behind Closed Doors will definitely get into this read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley and the brilliant author for taking me in this wonderful ride with the characters

Then.. Vanessa was a young carefree woman, teaching preschool, loving her life, loving her work, loving the man of her dreams. Sure he seemed at times to be a bit of a control freak but what woman in love won't look past a few flaws when she feels like the luckiest woman alive about to marry her soul mate?

Now.. Vanessa is not so young, not so carefree, has lost touch with her friends, works to survive, has lost everything she ever was and spends most of her time stalking her "replacement" Emma, the beautiful young woman who is engaged to marry Vanessa's husband. I can't say much more without giving away the intricately woven twisting turning plot. One thing for certain, I sure didn't see the end coming until it held me by the throat. What really went wrong in Vanessa's marriage? You'll be shocked by the answers.

The Wife Between Us
Woohoo! What a good book! I can strongly recommend this book except for the crappy day I had after staying up all night in order to finish it.
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have sure tangled an interesting web with this plot. There’s not a lot of detail to give that won’t ruin the plot (which I absolutely refuse to do). But I can say this: for the first 30-40% of the book you may think you’ve got it all figured out. Such a typical plot. So mundane but I’ll finish reading it anyway.
Then, you turn the page. What you read doesn’t make sense. You go back and make sure you didn’t skip any pages. You didn’t. You slowly accept that you’ve been hoodwinked. And believe it or not, it gets better from there.
The characters are believable and crisp; you’ll either like them or detest them. The setting is so very believable; you probably have friends that have been affected by marriage in the same manner described in this book.
Just read it. It’s so worth it. I anxiously await more from this writing duo!
My thanks go to the Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Suspense and a psychological thriller- in a well described book where you could actually see inside the character's minds and feel their emotions as each chapter was read.
Just when I thought I knew for sure how this would end and who was truly the person that was disturbed, I was dead wrong .
I was sleepless over trying to figure out the end of this novel.
If you want drama and twists and turns in a plot, this is the book for you !

Honestly, I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I thought it was entertaining enough. It had a twist or two, which I didn't quite see coming. But something was lacking for me....

[This paragraph contains a minor spoiler - Please skip to next paragraph]

I don't want to give too much of the premise away, but I think a few things were off for me which has made my rating of the story difficult. The biggest thing for me was the portrayal of Richard, the ex husband of Vanessa. Vanessa's marriage is shown to us in little fragments through out her chapters. For the most part, he is presented in a decently likable manner. Yet, we learn of their past and his and we get a bit more insight to the actuality of the situation. Which in my opinion, the actuality of his character, while not the greatest, it wasn't quite as detrimental as presented. I feel as if the authors put a much heavier focus on the lying and scheming verses the out right abuse. Vanessa many times seemed like she wanted justice for the character assassination verses the actual harm done to her.

[Spoiler Ends]

On the other hand, I would like to compliment the authors on Vanessa. I find that most characters in her situation are rather annoying and whiners. It was rather refreshing to get a character who didn't dwell on her lows, even though she had every right. This is one of my biggest pet peeves for women in these types of stores, yet I didn't feel an ounce of frustration from her.

The big twist while good, it wasn't quite Gone Girl good. I did find the revelation to be original enough that I wasn't about to put the book down anytime soon. The last twist, I thought was the better "Holy Fuck" moment.

Overall, I think this book has great potential to be a big hit upon release. I read another review, which stated, "This is a case, where it is likely me and not the book." That resonates well with me in this instance. I would have to say the book was enjoyable but I am not quite going crazy over it like many reviewers.

This book is fantastic. I have already started raving about it to fellow readers and telling them to get ready for it in January. Best thriller I have read possibly all year. Can't wait to see what the authors do next.

WOW. This book deserves more than 5 stars. I couldn't stop reading. At the end of part one, I literally yelled "WTF!?" and immediately kept going because so much was unanswered-but it a good way. I loved the characters in this book, even though I sometimes hated all of them. I was kept on edge, even through the epilogue.

The Wife Between Us is easily one of the best books in the psychological suspense genre that I've read in a long time. I was already engrossed in the book when nearly halfway through a huge twist comes, and I had to put the book down, think through it, realize that the authors did an amazing job tricking me, and then sped read the rest of the book - nearly dropping my kids off late to school because I.couldn't.put..it.down! The authors kept up the suspense and twists throughout, all the way to the end. I will definitely be recommending this one to friends once it's published!

I can’t even begin to tell you how this book brought me out of the funk I didn’t know I was in. I devoured this so quickly and thoroughly and I’m still processing my very existence. So many twists and turns when I least expected it. I could be more cliche if you want me to be.. but I’m not - just put this on your tbr.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2144770740?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

5 stars

The last line in the book description is very apt, “assume nothing.” The book got me good with its twists.

Vanessa Thompson is the divorced wife of Richard. She becomes obsessed with him following their divorce. She can’t let go of the relationship, in spite of the lies she has told him. When she learns of Richard’s engagement, she begins to stalk the woman and calls her and then hangs up. Vanessa drinks to excess – something Richard made her do was to quit drinking altogether. She is sometimes too hungover to go to work the next day and says she has the flu. She just can’t stop thinking about Richard and his new bride-to-be. Her aunt Charlotte is very right to be concerned. Vanessa now shares an apartment with her aunt.

She was a naïve and relatively simple woman who is easy for Richard to manipulate. Unsure of what she wants out of life; in fact, she likes her life the way it is now and seems embarrassed to tell her friends the truth about Richard, or even to display her ostentatious engagement ring or to talk about the fancy house Richard bought for them. She doesn’t want to leave either of her two jobs, a pre-school teacher at a very expensive preschool and waitress at a lively restaurant/bar.

Richard is a first class manipulator, but very subtle at it. He doesn’t listen, is selfish and throws semi-tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. He even came up with a nickname for Vanessa when her real name “didn’t fit” her. He told his new fiancé that his ex-wife “Wasn’t who I thought she was.”

So who is the nefarious person in this story: Richard, or Vanessa, or Emma? What is the truth?

This book is very well written and the plotting is odd, but it works very well in this story. The suspense starts out early in the story and continues throughout. The book takes dramatic twists and turns that the reader does not anticipate or expect. It is absolutely brilliant! While the background information given for the characters is differently presented, it also comes through in a dramatic and convincing manner. I truly enjoyed the novel and will certainly look into more of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s works.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this most unusual and entertaining book to read and enjoy.

magine you have the perfect life, the perfect husband, the perfect marriage and then it all ends with a new perfect girl who has stolen your husband away. Now imagine that everything is not as it appears and you have the basis for this novel.

What we have here in these pages is the ultimate triangle, with the jealous ex wife Vanessa, the new fiancé , Nellie, and the wonderfully perfect Richard. But, as in life, we can assume nothing. The book is presented in two perspectives allowing the reader to get to know Vanessa in the present and Nellie in the past. Nellie is naive but Vanessa knows and she is determined to see that Nellie does not become Richard's wife. Is it jealousy that drives Vanessa or is it something else that makes her tick? Is it her drinking or her unbalanced nature that has made the wonderful Richard take up with another?

From memories and things said we learn that Richard was married before he was married to Vanessa. Why does this perfect, successful, handsome man seem to be having problems with the women he selects and loves? "We all layer them over our remembrances; the filters through which we want to see our lives." As the lives involved in this novel unfurl we find that all is not what appears on the surface.

The authors did a fine job in letting the reader become totally involved in the book. Nobody is totally who we think they are. Your feelings about these characters shift and change as each chapter builds to a very surprising conclusion. As Vanessa says "The full story is far too tangled and complex to unravel." Certainly the reader will enjoy doing so.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel for a unbiased review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2142347221?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I likex the plot and twisted story. All was great but I was so disappointed in the end. I am still not sure!!

Like Girl on The Train and similar books? Then this is a book for you! I can definitely see this being made into a film. Page turning and at one point I literally gasped out loud. That's how you know a book is good!
I think this is one of those books you need to go into blindly because spoilers good ruin it.

Oh my goodness!!! This book was absolutely fantastic. Now this is a psychological suspense read. Way better than "Girl on the Train" or Gone Girl. The author was very clever. Kept you turning page after page, and what I really liked was the capability of tying up loose ends. The ending was not rushed, and I highly recommend this book if you enjoy suspense. I received an advanced readers copy for my honest opinion.