Unfortunately this book was just ok for me. I like a thrilling suspenseful read and although it started that way about half way thru I just wanted to finish. Hate giving bad reviews but this book wasn't one of my favorites.

A real page-turner. The story is told in two times - previously for Amelia the ex-wife who tragically drowned and currently with Elena the new wife. A dark, disurbing tale from both. A great read with characters that made you feel their emotions and a bad guy that is truly despicable. Some great twists and turns. but the supernatural part at the end threw me off a bit but all in all a great read

His first wife drowned in a seemingly freak accident and now he has a new wife!

Told in two parts, past and present, past - Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and what someone people are really capable of.

What starts as two people coming together in shared grief, Nick who seems like a loving and caring man recovering from the tragic loss of his first wife Amelia, and Elena who is grieving for her mother, fall in love and live is now more bearable now they have each other. And then things start to change!

This is a brilliant twisty suspenseful thriller full of some truly surprising twists and turns. I was hooked from the start and literally kept reading ..... all day! Unable to stop reading it until the very end.

This genuinely is a "keep you on the edge of your seat" read! I loved it and I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to anyone!

This book had me hooked from the beginning . Great characters, I couldnt put it down. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Greasy read. I really enjoyed the plot. It was very interesting and kept my interest throughout. Interesting characters that flowed well within the book

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author, Laura Elliot, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Wife Before Me in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I was hooked from the very beginning. Ms Elliot has created an extremely suspenseful novel with a storyline that was well written with engaging characters I was up until the early hours to find out how it would all end.
Definitely is a book that should be on your TBR list.

ARC kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*5 Stars*

This was a really good read with great characters. Shows the lengths some people will go to for "love". No-one should have to go through a situation like that, one time is too many.

I found this book easy to get into even though it covered the subject of domestic violence.. I did find the mysterious ending to be a bit disappointing though

The Wife before Me by Laura Elliot first reads like a romance novel. Elena and Nicholas meet and sparks are flying everywhere. Never mind the fact that they met during the burial of Elena’s mother. Their courtship is filled with a lot of romance though there are also a couple of red flags. It doesn’t take long for Elena to realize that she has married a monster. Nicholas is abusive, deranged and there is mystery surrounding his first wife’s disappearance.

There are many uncomfortable moments in the story. Chapters detail the abuse that Elena went through in the marriage. There are a number of characters that I naturally disliked like Nicholas and his mother who simply refused to see her darling son for who he really was.

I flew through the first section of the book but then, things slowed down after the narrator switched in the second section. The plot also had quite a number of supportive characters whose names and stories I couldn’t keep track of. There were also switches (narrators) that made it hard to immediately realize who was narrating the story.

In the end, the few niggles impended my enjoyment of this story although I still couldn’t help but read it until the last page. I enjoyed the tension in the narrative and the sort of mystic ending.

Very good book. I didn't know what was going to happen before I finished the book. I couldn't put it down!

A captivating read full of dark twists. This is one thriller you don't want to miss.

Elena is grieving the death of her mother, when she meets Nicholas. Nicholas is also grieving the death of his wife. Together the find solace in one another and their whirlwind romance moves at lightning speed. Elena quickly moves into Nicholas's home and things start to turn.

The story is told from the perspective of Elena and Amelia (Nicholas deceased wife) and as more and more is revealed the darker and more sinister the story and lives of both of these women becomes.

Then twist is slightly obvious but the unraveling is exciting and beyond entertaining. This is a psychological page turner that you won't want to miss out on.



* I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One cold evening as the sun sets Amelia Madison’s car slides into the seaoff masons pier her body is never found now if that doesn’t hook you in!!! Elena meets Nicholas at her mothers funeral he is also grieving the loss of his wife! He is the complete package caring sensitive but underneath that he’s a horrible person! This was a dark read and will keep you at the edge of your seat so many twists and turns. The ending is quick and will leave you breathless a must read !

This story turned out decent enough. It touches on a subject, physical abuse, that can be hard to stomachwhile reading it. About halfway through the book Imwas prepared not to like it. The beginning is so choppy and jumpy. I truly felt as if the author needed to skim through the beginning quickly in order to get to the meat of the story. I questioned whether I wanted to keep reading. It finally settled down to form a coherent story, to some degree, and that’s when it got interesting to read. I wish the whole book had been this way. The beginning had such potential but it’s not there. The ending is also rushed. Everything comes to a head quickly with no breathing room. I will still recommend this book to others because my opinion alone doesn’t mean it really is a bad book. Personally, I was disappointed.

This book was so good. Disturbing, dark and a touch eery but good. A psychological thriller / Noir at its finest. TBH Im not sure it fits one single genre. it started off like a romance (maybe a chapter or two), was definitely a thriller / noir for most of it and even had some paranormal stuff mixed in at the end. All done well by the author I think. We've seen the past wife / new wife story before but this book had so many twists and turns and I absolutely devoured it.
Only a few things: If you're triggered by domestic violence, this one isn't for you. There's a lot of it. Arguably too much of it. Second, the author switches from past to present tense rapidly and sometimes this could be confusing. there were times I thought a memory was happening and it was the present. Finally, the touch of paranormal probably wasn't necessary. Still Good.

I usually love Laura Elliot's books, but for some reason I just could not get into this one. It just was not for me and every time I tried to get into it I couldn't. I'm sure some one else may feel differently this was just me

Elena meets Nicolas at her mother's funeral. She is grieving for her mother & he is grieving for Amelia,his wife, whose car slid into the sea two years ago although her body was never found.. It seemed that the two of them could help each other. Elena soon falls for his charms and moves into Woodbine, the big house he lived in with Amelia.

Before long Elena begins to doubt how well she knows her new lover. Why is the room he shared with Amelia locked? Why does he hate theri next door neighbour- a harmless old man? What can she do to oid Nicolas's temper tantrums?

I found the start of this book very slow & wondered if I would ever get to the end, however part of the way through there were different narrators telling the story. This perked up my interest and towards the end I couldn't read fast enough!

If you can get through the rather stodgy romantic bit to start with it turns into a readable book that went from a 2.5 to a 3.5-rounded up to a 4* by the end.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Wow loved this book. Full of twists and turns really enjoyed this story. couldn't put it down. I haven't read any of Laura Elliot's books before but will definitely be reading some more.

Amelia has driven her car into the sea leaving behind her husband, Nicholas. Elena meets Nicholas at her mother’s funeral and soon their friendship becomes love but elena always feels second best to Amelia whose memory is everywhere in the house. Nicholas is not what elena expected and soon love becomes a dangerous game.

Oh what a twisty read. Brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A dark and very disturbing physiological drama at its best.

The last book I read by this author didn’t grab me so well, and I’ve loved her previous books. This book sure made up for it.

There are varied reviews on this one and I’ve been hesitant to read it, no, scared to because I love this authors style of writing and how she breathes life into her many characters, and after her last book and a few trusted friends not enjoying it so much I was holding back.

I wish I had read this sooner.

Twists, turns, biting nails, unlikeable characters, dark tunnels of thrillerhood! I loved it.

This is the typical rollercoaster of a “psycho” novel.

It’s tense, and sometimes very violent, book to read, but for me the ending was very unlikely and didn’t fit into the rest of the novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.