When they met, something clicked. They dated, married, and had two children. They work and live contented lives until they get bored. Normally, one wouldn't turn to murder as a new hobby but these two did...

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 26th.

This was an unusual read. He picks out the victims. She kills them. They work well together. No one suspects them. But they get a little too self confident. When they tie a serial killer from the past to their crimes, it begins to backfire on them. It seems he had died several years ago, so it can't be him.

Reading about their planning and how they trusted each other but didn't was interesting. The best part of the whole book was how everything went south. There's a twist here that made me stop and think for a bit before I went on reading. There's a monster in this family. I didn't figure it out ahead of time so it was a really chilling ending. Did you guess where it was going?

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing. Very intriguing and disturbing. Totally surprised at the ending. Not a couple that I would want to meet. Insane and unbelievably good thriller. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I had a legit pit in my stomach as I race-read the last quarter of this book. The blurb for this book straight up tells readers that the couple at the center of this book enjoys murder as a hobby, so one might think that there aren't surprises to be had, but this book is devious. It's definitely one of those stories that proves no one knows what goes on behind closed doors, and the first half or so of the book had me just shaking my head at the things this couple was getting away with.
It really takes something extra special at this point to set a story about in the mystery/thriller/suspense genres, and this book has that "thing" that set it apart from the crowd. It's a really well done debut.

A dark, entertaining take on the domestic thriller with one big message: complacency in a marriage can be dangerous. I was hooked by the opening pages, then even when I knew the other shoe had to drop, I found myself surprised by the twist. My Perfect Wife is told exclusively in first person from the husband’s POV, so it felt odd to never get the wife’s perspective on anything. All you know is the husband isn’t telling the reader everything, including his real name.

My only quibble is that it wraps up quickly and a little too conveniently. Still, an entertaining read.

3.5 stars

A guilty pleasure kind of book. If you like the Americans tv show, this is probably for you. And will make you wonder what hobbies your neighbors have that you don't know about.

Samantha Downing's book My Lovely Wife was a delightful little twist on the thriller/mystery genre. I enjoyed the pacing of the plot but did find the husband's obliviousness to many things slightly unconvincing. I would have liked wife's character to be a little more fleshed out but enjoyed the dynamic between the two. I liked the suspense from the possibility of being caught but found the end a little neatly wound up quickly. Overall probably a 3.5

Millicent and her husband of 15 years are your typical middle-class American family juggling two careers, a family, and marriage. They live in the suburbs with their two teenage children – Rory (14) and Jenna (13). They are well-known in their small community – Millicent, a real estate agent, her husband, a tennis instructor at their local country club. They have their struggles financially just like everyone else but life is good for this couple/family.

What makes them different from your average family is that they share the same hobby – a hobby that gives them great joy. Makes them happy, gets them excited, and helps to keep their marriage alive. Their hobby is MURDER … The way they select and go about approaching their victims will make your head spin. It will make you second-guess the motives of ANY stranger that approaches you, speaks to you, even looks at you .... AND it will make you think twice about the information you were putting out on the Internet about yourself ~ personal information that you THINK is private, secure, and unavailable to the general public ~ it definitely has done that for me!

I really enjoyed MLW. It’s fun, although maybe it shouldn’t be considering the topic (murder). It is easy to follow and has very short chapters (which I love). Loaded with lots of suspense and surprises you will not guess the ending so don’t even try. Committing murder in a small town is pretty risky, pretty brave BUT these two seem to know what they’re doing, seem to be pretty good at it… Or so they think!

The story of a murdering husband and wife duo is captivating and well done in Downing’s new novel. It kept me guessing until the end and blew me away. I look forward to recommending it to library patrons and friends.

My Lovely Wife is a fast paced read. It’s both a disturbing and fascinating look into a psychopath and a marriage. It contains some twists and turns and was (dare I say it) a fun read. I highly recommend this book.

**I received an ARC to provide a fair and unbiased review.

In this terrific thriller, a typical married couple fight the boredom of a long marriage by spicing things up with a little murder and mayhem.
Told from the husband's point of view, the tense plotting, the twists and turns, and the juxtaposition of daily life with kids & everyday troubles with the chilling details of the pairs diabolical machinations makes for a truly page-turning read.
Not to be missed!

A marriage bound together by secrets usually makes good fodder for a domestic thriller, but Downing's novel is so much more than that. It's not only what they have to hide that binds this marriage together, but they're cleverly devious minds and they're ability to see love in even the most heinous actions.
With 'My Lovely Wife,' Downing gives a new meaning to the phrase "'til death do us part."

An excellent debut novel from Samantha Downing! The premise of the book had me intrigued, and My Lovely Wife doesn’t disappoint.
The book is described as Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and that’s a pretty accurate description. Both husband and wife are accomplished psychopaths, while leading a seemingly normal life to outsiders.
With the influx of so many psychological mysteries with a self-described twist, My Lovely Wife does it different and does it well.

Fast read with realistic characters. You never can tell about what people are like by appearance and this twisty tale proves that point.

"My Lovely Wife" by Samantha Downing takes the reader on a wild ride of a married suburban couple who find murder their special thing to share. Narrated by the husband, the story delves into their relationship history, their families, and their careers. They are the average suburban couple, with two kids and busy lives. And they enjoy getting away with murder. Slowly, he realizes his wife hasn't told him everything, just as he hasn't been up front with her about some of the women they've researched meticulously, abducted, and killed. And their games start to affect others in their lives in ways they never saw coming. Twisty and dark, this novel is well written and edgy, will keep you guessing to (almost) the end (although some of the plot points I did see coming, I wasn't as clear on the end game at first). Recommended for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Unger, Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware and other deeply psychological thrillers, particularly those focusing on relationships.

THIS BOOK! WOW!!
We learn early on that our main characters are NOT your ordinary married couple. As the story builds, we realize just how NOT ordinary they are and just how much they were screwing up their family. Oh yes...they have a family!
And then....the twists! OH, the twists.
When all is revealed you realize just how dang twisty, turny this one is!
I'm entirely sure I liked either of main characters, at all. I'm not sure readers are supposed to like either of the main characters.
This one will keep readers of psychological thrillers entertained.

This edge of your seat debut novel by Samantha Downing is a total crowd pleaser. Fast-paced and compulsive to read, My Lovely Wife is a story about a bored husband and wife who decide to shake things up to keep it interesting. I won’t get too into the summary of the story- you get the gist from the blurb. I love that the book was written from the husband’s point of view. His inner monologue is written in such a way that keeps you turning pages way past your bed time.

Downing has an interesting way of being creepy and disturbing without being graphic or gritty. The implications woven throughout the story are enough to paint quite a picture of this devious couple. She shares just enough detail to hook you but leaves so much up to the imagination. And even though this is a debut, Downing makes a splash with not only her story telling, but also with her quality of writing. She writes a great story. I didn’t particularly care for either the husband or the wife- but that’s also one of my favorite characteristics of the best psychological thrillers. These characters are messed up, twisted, and completely deplorable. Not only did I feel like I knew this husband and wife (they’re you neighbors, tennis partners, your realtors, your kids’ friends’ parents) but their kids added just enough drama and intrigue to add complex layers that seemed to jump right off the page.

I have to mention the ending. I LOVED it. It was perfect. I didn’t see it coming and make sure you read to the very last line of the story. It just might make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention. I’m definitely looking forward to more from Samantha Downing because while this is a fantastic debut, I can tell she’s only going to get better from here!

I've seen the book described as Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And I have to agree with that description.

My Lovely Wife is deliciously creepy and has an unusual premise: a seemingly normal couple has a completely abnormal way to spice up their marriage--- murder. I can't divulge much more without spoiling the book, but I will say that while the premise is unusual, some of the twists were a little predictable. However, I read this book over a two day span, so that bit of predictability did nothing to distract from the story.

A super fun and fast-paced read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I did not read what this book was about before I started it. I would recommend you do the same. I do not think a review can summarize or prepare you for the darkness of this story. To me, that was what made it so great and addictive to finish. This is a fantastic debut novel that is for fans of the ‘Gone Girl’ or ‘Baby Teeth’ readalikes

There were no characters that I particularly liked but our narrator held my sympathies because he was MAYBE not as bad as his wife. Maybe... Not really. Oh, well...

Get ready for murder, lies, revenge, and disturbing content! Oh, and more about eye drops then any other book I have read. After finishing this book, it hit me that anyone can be this terrible, which is the scariest and maybe the best part of this book. It is so believable.

I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THE AUTHOR’S FOLLOWUP!

Move over Gone Girl! Samantha Downing has written a gripping psychological thriller that will have you reading until the very last wicked sentence. A story of love, murder, and betrayal, told from the point of view of one of the alleged murders. Has a suburban couple found a new hobby to spice up their love life, or does something more sinister lurk?

This book is crazy and so much fun to read.

'My Lovely Wife' was totally unexpected, and did I mention crazy? The husband and wife are a nice, normal couple living with their two children in a nice, normal suburb. They are successful in their careers, they have a happy marriage, and the kids are well-adjusted. But look below the surface of this perfect life, and there is something very sinister going on.

It turns out the that most perfect marriage can be very, very flawed.

First of all, this book is really well-written. It is funny, unpredictable, and suspenseful. The narrator is completely unlikable, but I wanted to like him anyway. I even wanted to like Millicent and I don't know how the author pulled that off, because she is a monster. The ending was perfect and terrible at the same time--terrible only because (spoiler alert) not everyone who should have been held responsible for what happened actually was held responsible...but really, it was a great ending.

I hope this becomes a huge hit, and gets made into a movie, because it would make a fantastic movie. I would recommend this to everyone.