Whenever I read or see a book proclaiming to be the next The Girl on the Train I groan inwardly. I loved The Girl on the Train, sure. I was one of the first to read it before it hit its stratospheric heights, but every time I see a book being hailed as such, it rarely ever meets my expectations. Well this time I was wrong.

“She’s not who you think she is…”

The Wife Between Us begins innocuously enough as the reader meets the emotional wreck that is Vanessa. Newly divorced and living with her aunt, she is hanging onto her job as a personal shopper in Saks, which she was forced to take, by the skin of her teeth. With her wealthy lifestyle gone, she spends most of her time in a drunken haze whilst ex-husband and hedge fund manager, Richard, prepares to marry a younger replacement. When Vanessa inadvertently finds out that Richard plans to remarry, her fragile state of mind spirals out of control. Vanessa is obsessed with Richard’s new bride-to-be and will go to any lengths to stop this wedding from happening.

The book blurb tells you not to make assumptions, but that’s what I did when I started reading, I made an assumption. I took the comparison with The Girl on the Train on top of the similar premise of the story, another drunkard divorcée struggling to move on and thought “Here we go again”. I was just waiting for a dead body to pop up and for Vanessa to be in the frame for murder, but very quickly the story started taking a completely different route. By the time I got halfway through the book and it hit a massive twist, the whole story just turned on its head!!

Hendricks and Pekkanen present a storyline carved out so intricately with a stream of twists and turns. They just keep coming. The eyes tend to deceive in this one. I mean, really deceive. The authors haven’t just written a story, they have created a mind-bending, kaleidoscopic psychological suspense that will make you question everything you’ve read. Yes, it really is that good.

I read so many psychological thrillers or mystery-suspense novels that my senses subconsciously pick up even the slightest of clues, I can normally tell how the book will end before the author does, but The Wife Between Us messed with my head so badly I was all over the place with this one. So once we’ve been given that first story-changing twist, I thought “OK, I know where we’re going now,” then BAM, another twist three-quarters of the way through which again, gave the story a complete other dimension, and then again BAM right at the end, leaving me thinking “What did I *just* read?”

The writing is flawless and I sunk easily into the flow that moved along at a moderate pace. The characters were all well-developed and multi-layered, in fact they had so many layers they were like an onion, it took a lot of peeling to get to the mysterious heart of them. Short punchy chapters held my attention and made the storyline engrossing and addictive. The Wife Between Us was one of those books that once I started I refused to put down, and managed to read in one sitting.

A story about marriage, friendship, betrayal, manipulation and obsession that is twisted and complex. Wrong-footed from page one, The Wife Between Us is an exquisite gem of a book. Would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Pekkanen, Greer Hendricks and St Martins Press for my copy of The Wife Between Us.

Title: The Wife Between Us

Author(s): Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Publication Date: 9th January 2018

Page Count: 352 Pages

Rating: 5*


Summary

Nellie is preparing for her brand new life as wife of Hedge Fund Manager Richard Thompson. She's thrilled and excited, Richard is the perfect man, he spoils her with gifts, always shows up when she needs him and supports her through her insomnia and panic attacks which stem back to something that happened to her when she was in college. Everything is perfect, except she keeps getting these weird calls where the person just breathes down the phone. Then in the background is Richard's ex wife, putting her own point forward, desperately trying to stop Richard's wedding. But who is who? Which story is true? It's fair to say this is a story in which assuming truly does make an 'ass' out of you and me.

Review

Wowza, I started this book this evening and I've read it through start to finish, walking about the house with it in front of my face, unable to tear away my gaze. Talk about suspense! There is no wonder at all that this book is being turned into a movie, books like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train seem mediocre beside The Wife Between Us.

Its hard to really say much more about this book without giving away spoilers, it is, an absolute masterpiece of its genre and incredibly well put together, I couldn't help but just keep turning pages.
I really enjoyed this, and will definitely look out for more to come from Greer and Sarah in the future!

Although I can only give this book three stars that doesn’t mean I can’t imagine lots and lots of people really loving it. In fact looking at other reviews online my enjoyment or rather lack of enjoyment makes me the odd one out but an honest review is all I can give and I lost interest rather early on so felt a bit like I was ploughing through just to finish it.
Twists and turns a plenty and interesting complex characters too. It just failed to keep mtpml interest & I ended up feeling bored... but please read it yourself it is original and well written.

Fantastic read, lots of twists and turns. Kept me engrossed and the twist really was a surprise! Recommended.

This is, predictably, marketed as a book with a very surprising twist. Having read many books that promise this I was sceptical but when the twist came it wasn't at all predictable and was very cleverly executed. The book moved along at a great pace and was a compulsive read. My only criticism is that Richard's hold over the women in his life seemed a bit far-fetched given that the authors never fleshed out the charisma that he would have to have. But this is a book I will definitely recommend to friends.

Clever plot twists throughout the book. Takes you on one journey and then does a swift about turn in the middle. Highly enjoyable

This was one of my most anticipated books from last year. I received it from NetGalley months ago but I wanted to read it closer to its publishing date and because I had so much other books to read. I’ve read so many raving reviews about it and its twists. So my expectations were high and that is not always a good thing.

Sometimes it is good to read reviews and know what you are expecting and sometimes you better avoid knowing too much about a book. Both apply to this book. I was glad that I read so many reviews which praised it twistiness because for the first 40% into it I was a bit disappointed. The pace was extremely slow and it felt like a mediocre psychological thriller. I must admit that I guessed the first twist. I can’t say why because that would be a spoiler. After that the story moved on faster and finally it griped me.

So, if I had not read all the frantic reviews, I maybe would have stopped reading. That was the good thing about knowing something about the book: that there was something going to happen. The other good thing is that I did not know much about the story itself and I will not tell anything about it neither. So I kept reading. I desperately wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

After finishing the book I understand why the first part was so slow. Everything was built up and we get to know the characters and what is going on, at least you think you know what’s going on. You think you know the story already: wife, cheating husband, mistress and drama. So the twist will come like a blow into your face. It is kind of a cheap trick how the author built this first part of the book. But it worked. So if you don’t see what the author has in stock for you it is a major surprise. And there are more surprises on the way.

What you get here is a well-crafted and twisted domestic drama. My only problems with it were that it started very slow and a bit dragging. I could also not connect to the female main character. I just think she was stupid. All the time until the end even all she went through. But as I said, after struggling my way through half of it I suddenly found it extremely gripping and could not stop reading.

Although I guessed the major twist and being only mildly surprised about the other turns I can say I enjoyed it. It held my attention not right from the beginning but it got better. The story was not as shocking or inventive as I expected but it was a fun read. I would recommend it to anybody who loves a twisted psychological thriller.

Much as expected this book is a page turner, one which you will stay up late reading as you need to know.....Not recommend for those with a nervous disposition!

The Wife Between Us is one of those books that draws you in and compels you to keep turning the pages. It’s full of suspense, jealousy and obsession and it’s easy to make assumptions but it is best to assume nothing. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and the author for the chance to review.

Greer Hendricks is a new and extremely exciting author for me I loved her writing style and the amazing twists I didn't see coming.
The husband, the wife, the exwife, the mistress - when you begin you think you have it all sussed out but as the story unfolds you soon realise that you are still in the dark.
When the twists and turns start to be revealed you are drawn in deeper and deeper and will find it extremely difficult to put the book down
Loved this book so much I have given it a much deserved 5 stars.

Clever and honestly twisted, with lots of layers that keeps you guessing while your brain catches up with the story.

Downloaded in a whim, though this isn’t a genre I read much of or enjoy too many of.
Read a couple of chapters but gave up. I didn’t enjoy the characters or the way the story was developing. Many positive reviews, so it’s obviosuly a read you love or hate,

Nellie meets Richard who is everything she wants and the feeling is mutual - so far so good! At first I wasn’t really sure about this book, it was slow, nothing much was happening and frankly I was bored but then suddenly found myself gripped with each new reveal, wondering what would happen next and by who. Definitely a slow burner with plenty of surprises which are engrossing once you’ve reached Part 2. It could’ve been a quarter shorter to be more punchy. It’s also difficult to review this novel without giving too much away and spoiling it for others!!

Normally when there is a lot a hype about a book I tend to shy away from it because I’ve been disappointed in the past. I was drawn to the cover on NetGalley and I loved synopsis, so when I started reading lots of glowing spoiler free reviews I realised it was time to pick it up and discover the story for myself.

Was I disappointed? Did it live up to the hype?

I absolutely loved the first half of this book, getting to know the main characters, Vanessa and Nellie. I flew through these chapters, not wanting to do anything at all except discover more about them, and how they ended up in their current circumstances. I loved everything about Nellie but only felt sorry for Vanessa, finding her rather annoying. I was very confused by the end of part one, but was determined to keep reading, and make sense of the rest of it.

I was still gripped by the plot and the character development, and there were some good twists and turns but, I must confess I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It wasn’t as shocking or as surprising as I expected.

I would still recommend it if you love psychological thrillers, as it’s clever and I loved the way the different characters developed throughout the book.

I am going to be so careful writing this review as it will be so easy to include something that would ruin it for others, especially as I have to start like this:
I got to a certain point in this book and it made me so angry at what I had just read. I felt duped and cheated and all sorts of other negative emotions as i couldn't see a point to what just happened. In fact, I was so angry that I put the book down, intending to either sack it off or give it another chance when I had calmed down.
Then I had a little think, gave the book and the author the benefit of the doubt and continued.
Boy am I glad I did. What I though was a cheap parlour trick actually turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments of the book. Its whole raison d'être so to speak and a chastised myself for being too abrupt with my personal feelings and prejudice.
It's a story about love and marriage and all the shenanigans that go with. Secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour and all the rest of the "behind closed doors" stuff that goes on when two people collide, merge, separate and, inevitably, move on... or not as the case may be.
It has probably ending up being one of the most clever books I have read, plotting wise.
As the blurb says: assume nothing. And that's all I am saying about the plot.
I am also going to try and be really careful when describing the characters. I will speak generally but here, the author has included some of the most intriguing and frustrating characters I have ever met. Reliable / unreliable, complex to say the very least. They were all, without a doubt, some of the hardest characters to get to grips with but, at the same time, ones that I was determined to get to know more. One minute I was rooting for one against another and then my feelings about turned as I learned something new and then, lo and behold, back we go to square one. Definitely a cast that need their heads banging together, several times. Even at the end, when I knew all, or most at least, of the truth, I was still undecided as to exactly how / what I felt.
But that doesn't mean that the book left me unsatisfied. On the contrary, even with my feelings still up in the air, the conclusion of this chapter of these characters' lives left me perfectly satisfied, even if I did wonder as to their ongoing futures.
Sorry to be so vague. I could have just written my review in just three little words but I felt I needed to say a little bit more. But here, for the record, is the short version:
Read. This. Book.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The first part of this book starts off quite slow and you wonder where it's all heading, this story is the reason why you should never make assumptions about anything.

I would normally share a bit of the background in my reviews, but feel that I can't do that with this book as it will give too much away, so all I will say is that it's definitely worth reading, it has more twists than a helter skelter and had me flipping back through the pages because I thought I'd misread it.

Thank you to St Martins Press for the approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

Ohh dear unpopular opinion alert...

A lot of people have been RAVING about this book...but I didn't love it. I liked it. But it didn't grip me in in the same way it seems to have for a lot of people.

Let's start by addressing the major twist (which I won't spoil). It's a damn clever twist. This will no doubt be one of the major reasons why this book is and will be very popular, it was suuuch a clever twist. But I guessed it several chapters before it came!! Once you've guessed a twist like that, it does sort of deflate the impact, but I do agree it was clever. My bigger problem with it was that it came too early in the book, and I didn't find the latter part as interesting. I also felt like the epilogue was a bit weird, like an extra little twist that felt a bit unnecessary because it didn't really impact anything.

As I was going along I felt like it had a bit of a Girl on the Train vibe, and I just read that the film rights have been bought by the creators of the Girl on the Train film, so that's probably another indication that it will do very well.

Like I said, I did like it. It was reasonably well written, the first part had great pace, and the twist was clever. I just didn't love it as much as everyone else seems to - but clearly that means you should try it for yourself and see!

Vanessa and Richards marriage isn’t what it seems to everyone else looking in. When Richard leaves Vanessa and finds a new wife it seems that Vanessa can’t move on but not all is what it seems. The book is very well written with plenty of twists and turns.

“Gaze detection, it’s called – our ability to sense when someone is observing us”
This psychological thriller is told between Vanessa and Nellie. Vanessa’s husband Richard just left her for another woman and she’s going through a hard time trying to find herself and move on. She is living with her aunt, with a new job, but she can’t keep her hands off the bottle. As opposed to Vanessa, Nellie is at the peak of her happiness, can’t quite believe her luck with her brand new fiancé Richard who is ‘too good to be true.’
I was really excited to start this book! I read so many good reviews that surely I was up for a fast thriller that I would glue my hands on my Kindle. And I was not wrong! I couldn’t put it down for some time. It was gripping, took my attention, and I was eagerly waiting for the twist… OH that twist, which did not come until half of the book! So, I persevered in the end, and I’m happy that I did, but it could come a lot earlier. The last 30% of the book had a lot more pace. But, I need to say between the first reveal, the plot didn’t continue seamlessly right after. So, again you need to be patient and hang on to see how it all connects. There was a point that I just wanted to know the end and be done with it. I really don’t want to say more because I’m scared of ruining the experience for the rest. It was an OK read, the last part being very excited. the twists were not totally unpredictable, but still cleverly written. As I said, if there would be less details unnecessary in the first half, the pace of the book would be much better.
I gave this book 3.25 out of 5. Goodreads rating by the time I publish this review is 4.18.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC of this book.

This was a brilliant read. Very very clever. You think you know the story and then you see it from the other side! OMG!! Absolutely loved this. Better than the girl on the train for me. Thank you for letting me review this book