This has the absolute potential to become a best selling thriller. The book maintains it's intensity throughout and I never felt like there was a lull in the writing. This book reminded me a lot of "The Wife Between Us" in the way it was written with a story line that I was sure I had correct and turned out to be completely wrong, which I should've been able to figure. I thought the whole premise was interesting, very well written, and because I received an ARC, it was difficult to get around with formatting but I know that would be cleared up before print. AMAZING book.

While the thriller part thoroughly worked for me (a promising premise, a great page-turner), the characters didn’t (superficial and stereotyped, especially the supporting roles), and the ending fell short (not to mention too Christian-Fiction-y for my liking).
Nevertheless the momentous twist that I didn’t see coming deserves an extra star for it will surely please lovers of the physiological thriller genre.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This kept me solidly interested. Great story even after the actual story reveals itself...I hate to use the word "twist" because it seems overused and people base their entire experience on if they liked the twist or figured out the twist. So much more to a book than a twist, even when it's a delicious one.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"If my husband doesn't report me missing, am I really gone?"

I don't know!!
Are you really gone?
Who is your husband??
Who are YOU???

Take a shot of Gone Girl with a generous splash of Sleeping With the Enemy and it still won't taste as good as Dear Wife.

From the fabulous cover
to the captivating plot
to the carefully crafted twist
to the fast and to-the-point writing style of Kimberly Belle,
this book is a compulsive read from beginning to end.

4.5 ⭐

**I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Wow! Kimberly Belle came out swinging with this one! I LOVE a twist and this had a big one. In "Dear Wife" we meet Sabine who is missing, her husband Jeffrey who is searching for herb(and also beating her behind closed doors) and a cop named Marcus who is trying to find the missing woman. It sounds so simple, but it was anything but. I love it when I'm reading a book and suddenly there is a shift and everything I thought I knew i was reading turns out to be false.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Loved falling into this story. Following the different characters on their journey was so enjoyable. They were written really well, each with their individual characteristics apparent. Have to say, Beth is an amazing woman!!! The end got me- not why I expected, but a fantastic way to wrap up a book I didn’t want to put down! 🙌
Thank you NetGalley for this early copy!

This was a really well written book. I loved the split points of views of the different characters and the story really kept me guessing. It had a satisfying ending and had memorable quotes and actions throughout the story.

I’ve read Kimberly Belle books before but her latest is definitely my favorite. Interesting, dynamic characters and no shortage of thrilling moments. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Excellent domestic psychological drama with a twist I never saw coming. It does have a bit of disturbing domestic violence, so be aware if sensitive to that kind of content.

Update: I had promised a more thorough review but I'm afraid I may give something away so just know that this does NOT go where you think it is and instead of straining your brain trying to figure it out, just go with the flow.

This is perfect for readers of Catherine McKenzie, Peter Swanson, Shari LaPena, and B. A. Paris.

Kimberly Belle does it again! What an enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns and surprises I never saw coming. Highly recommend especially for fans of Lianne Moriarty.

Dear Wife is about a woman, Beth, who is on the run from her abusive husband. She has it planned out: how to get away, where to stay, and how to keep her real identity hidden.

But what if her husband’s not ready to give up on tracking her down?

Meanwhile a woman from Beth’s hometown, Sabine, goes missing. Her husband, we’re quickly learning, is not exactly a stand-up man. Which may leave us thinking are Beth and Sabine’s disappearances related in some way?

Unfortunately, I saw the “twist” coming early on, but the story was certainly well executed, and I had a firm grasp on each of the characters and their personalities. Beth went on quite the adventure to get to her ultimate destination, and it kept me wanting to turn pages.

I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and books about strong women!

Holy cow!
THIS BOOK!!
Written in alternating narrators, this book keeps you guessing all the way through. Because of the alternating narrators you are never quite sure who the heck to believe - which makes the story that much better.
I thought I knew what was happening....and then BAM! I was very wrong.
Twists, turns, suspense... this book has it.
I need people to read this so we can discuss it!!
Actual stars: 4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of Dear Wife in exchange for my honest review. Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle is a twisty thriller I throughly enjoyed. The protagonist Beth escapes her husband’s abusive grip and she is on the run constantly reminding the reader of the potential manhunt. Kimberly Belle depicts Beth as calculating and quietly bold, and I appreciated her character. The plot of Dear Wife allows the reader to see only portions of Beth’s plan leaving us in suspense as to whether Beth will indeed escape her husband. I appreciated the premise of the story and I loved watching the plot unfold surprising me throughout the entire story.

Girl Gone Good. The easiest way to tell you about this particular book, my first from Ms. Belle, is that it very much evokes the Gone Girl vibe. Thus, whether you're a fan of that work or not will give you a good indication of whether this book may be for you - though if your feelings toward that book are not particularly negative, I would still recommend giving this one a try. And if you're not familiar with that work... what rock have you been living under for the last few years? :D

On its own, this is a solid mystery told from three perspectives - a woman on the run, a man she is running from, and a cop investigating the disappearance. The key difference between this tale and Gone Girl is that this tale doesn't suddenly and mind-warpingly pivot halfway through, but instead begins to drop major clues in the back half of the book before explicitly revealing itself with about 15% left in the book, leading to the finale.

Overall an excellent work thanks to the back half in particular, and I'm very much looking forward to future work from Ms. Belle. Very recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. I feel like the first half of this book was a page turner. Around halfway through, it started falling flat for me. I wanted to like this book, and would give first 50% 4 stars. However, it declined thereafter. There was too much fluff and inconsequential information about who she was staying with and about the church. There were some obvious red herrings for me. Overall, I’d give this book 3 stars.

Kimberly Belle does it again! Another great novel full of suspense. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this book as I found the first half a little slow. But, It's worth the build up.

The story is told from 3 different perspectives: "Beth" - who's on the run trying to escape her life, Jeffrey - who has returned home from a business trip to find his wife is missing and Marcus - the local detective assigned to the case.

The story really unfolds in the last half of the book and things are not always what they seem.

#Dearwife is a very solid story and is definitely on my recommendation list. Pick it up and you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Harlequin for an advanced copy..

Dear Wife,
I found you. But not what I expected! Wow! I will not give spoilers, but what a turn of events. The mixture of characters was just enough for this story and definitely kept me on my toes. I love when the story turns and is a total shocker!

**Will post my review to goodreads. Also, once book is published on 06/25/2019 I will post to amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This book is very well written. It pulled me in almost right away and kept me interested until the very end. I will definitely be recommending this to the customers at my work!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with an advanced copy of Kimberly Belle's Dear Wife in exchange for my honest review. I was really excited to read this one as soon as I read the synopsis. I am a sucker for thrillers.

Dear Wife is told through multiple POVs as we follow the stories of two missing women and the people they left behind. Beth Murphy is on the run from her violent husband. She's skipped town and she won't stop running for fear that he'll catch her. Sabine Hardison is missing, and she's left behind a husband and a sister who will do anything to find her. As the story unravels, the truth behind these women's disappearance gets harder to find.

spoiler free: I really enjoyed Dear Wife. I loved the premise of following two different disappearances and the effect they had on a multitude of characters. One of my favorite things about this one was the unreliability of each character. Everyone seemed like they were telling the truth and everyone seemed like they were lying. The story unfolds with various twists and turns and no character is exactly what they seem. This made the story feel fresh and exciting.

The only reason this wasn't a full 5/5 was that I figured out the large plot point at about 75% in and then at 80% the author kind of lets you in on it. The rest of the story is suspenseful for sure as the story wraps up. I was still turning the pages until the very end, but I kind of wish I hadn't figured it out so soon.

Overall, I gave this one a 4/5. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and how the story was interwoven between all the characters. I loved how the author built the suspense up and the unreliable narrators kept me flipping through the pages.

Dear Wife is a suspense/thriller novel, and it releases on June 25, 2019. It’s available for pre-order now.

A full review will be posted on my blog/socials closer to publication. I will update this review with the link when it goes live.

Sabine Hardison, aka Beth Murphy, Jeffrey Hardison, and Markus Durand are characters we come to know intimately. Each chapter is an account of the pain in their daily experiences, with us as innocent bystanders. Sabine is ready to give up and divorce Jeffrey. His anger, violent and offensive actions have driven Sabine to quit despite Jeffrey’s threats to kill her. She has built up real estate career and in doing so has put aside a lot enough funds so that she can afford to secretly leave him.
Jeffrey Hardison has become stuck in his software publishing job. He would explode whenever his way wasn’t her way. Because of Sabine’s long hours, dinner was never ready when he returned from work. The house wasn’t as clean as it should be, the kitchen was unstocked. Sabine left one day ready to end the hurtful life that she and Jeffrey were leading. Days later Detective Markus Durand was at the house working on finding her. His income is now lower than Sabine’s. To afford the house, Sabine paid off the mortgage with the agreement that he would pay for utilities and food. They hoped that in settling financial problems, have a child and end their endless marital fighting. Sabine did become pregnant, several times but was never able to carry the child to term. Things never worked out. His anger was never resolved. Domestic violence is an ugly topic. It exists despite all of the help groups, legal aide, and hotlines. In this book we read of the results. With each of the four characters’ narrations we live it with them. With each narrative. I too was thinking about what she could do next. Ms. Belle’s storyline was overpowering. The novel was compelling, I could not put the it down. I highly recommend it.
I would like to thank Harlequin for allowing me to read the pre-published copy for review. Dear Wife by Kimberly Bell will be published June 25, 2019.