Cover Image: The Wives

The Wives

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Member Reviews

First, let me thank netgalley and the publishers for approving my request for an early release of this book. All reviews of my netgalley books can be found on goodreads and youtube. Please be sure to check out the links attached.

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Everything I have read by Tarryn Fisher, I have loved. This book is no exception.
The storyline is fascinating. The idea of being a "weekday" wife is creepy, and Tarryn unfolded this story in a manner that only she is capable of doing.
The Wives is a page turner; I read it in two days. I put it down to sleep and quickly picked it up again in the morning to finish.

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Tarryn Fisher is one of my favorite authors and I’m so excited to see her get all this attention. Even though it was not my favorites of her books, it was definitely written in her signature style. This book was a crazy ride and I wasnt sure where it was going to go, but I sure love the getting there. Once again Miss Fisher kept me on my toes.

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Thursday's husband Seth has more than one wife. In fact, he has three. Aptly named because she is the wife he visits on Thursdays, Thursday is hell-bent on being the best wife of them all. Thursday can't help but wonder about the other wives though - who they are, where they live, what they are like. She knows little tidbits about the women from things Seth has shared with her, but she feels like she has hit the jackpot when she finds a piece of information about one of the wives that Seth has accidentally left behind. Now she has what she needs to track down her husband's other lives and wives. Will she remain a dutiful wife and not snoop on her husband or will the temptation prove to be too great?

Tarryn Fisher has written an explosively twisty psychological suspense novel that is sure to make readers' heads spin. While this is one of those books that you can't say too much about without running the risk of giving something away, The Wives promises to pull you into its convoluted world and distort everything you know to be true. Get ready to guess wrong with this one - you may believe you have this twisted relationship all figured out, but looks can be deceiving. Be prepared to be shocked and deceived, while being thoroughly entertained.

The Wives will appeal to readers of women's fiction and psychological suspense. While there are many published novels featuring a female protagonist and a twist, Tarryn Fisher brings something fresh to The Wives, giving it a voice and a feel of its own. Definitely check it out if this is your go-to genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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I am really tired of reading about unreliable female character. The book started really well, I was hooked at the begining, but as I continued, I saw the end coming and I wasn't happy with this book. I liked the writing style so I may try another book by Tarryn Fisher.

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So, ugh…. I was approved for The Wives the week before it was released. I wasted no time downloading this story and digging into it. I did however waste a shit ton of time writing a review. Sorry for the mess that ensues.

In all honesty aside from Goodreads, I find very little value in social media. Of course, I was addicted for many years including the MySpace and Facebook phase. Slowly, I gave all of those up while struggling to give up Instagram. Why Instagram? I can no longer follow this gem known to the world as Tarryn Fisher. Tarryn Fisher has this amazing presence on Instagram, and it is impossible not to follow. She speaks her truth with confidence and without shame. She is a role model. She is a feminist who encourages girl power. Amongst those amazing qualities, the woman is dark as hell. I love her messed up mind and consider it a cold, hard strength. And once again, Tarryn Fisher comes through.

I mean that synopsis. Fisher gives readers four whole sentences. And yet, I want it, need it, and got to have it. Fisher is like Mamasita Coke, she’s offered me one sweet taste, and I will stop at nothing to get more. Those are with out a doubt my favorite kind of synopsis.

Not only does she nail the synopsis, she nails the mind fuckery that we’ve all come to know and love about Tarryn Fisher. I know going into her novel that I can try my best to make a guess. My guesses will fail every time because I cannot even begin to touch this woman’s level. Tarryn Fisher’s twists can take a decent book and make it damn good. She is a Dark Lord of some sort and I am here for it.

I also would like to compliment Fisher on her original takes. I’ve not once picked up a book about a polygamist. Fisher can take a genre that has been overdone and still make it new. I really like and respect an author who still has their own original ideas in this game. It is a sign of true talent. And Fisher is without a doubt a talented author.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin – Graydon House Books for a copy of this read.

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This was one heck of a read!!!!!

Before Seth told Thursday the truth that he was a polygamist, she was already so in love with him, that she accepted both his proposal for marriage and his lifestyle. She was the second of three wives, and ironically, she only saw him on Thursdays.

She was thrilled when she found out she was pregnant, especially since she knew that the Thursday wife did not want children and only cared about her career. But then the devastating news that she had lost the baby. Something she has had a hard time coming to cope with it.

She then finds out there is a third wife, Monday, and she is now carrying Seth's baby. This revelation begins her downward spiral of being obsessed to find out who the other wives really are because she no longer wants to share Seth and wants to be his only wife.

This book gave me whiplash!! My mind kept going back and forth as to what was true and what wasn't. Who was the real victim? Who was the one that was delusional? Or was there something sinister about the members of this plural marriage? And if so, who was it?

I was flipping the pages as fast as I could and had trouble putting this book down. An engrossing read!!!

Posted to GR 03/23/20 Will post to blog on 03/26/20

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Not even sure how to review this without spoiling the whole story OR I could just use the mindblown emoji and leave it at that.
This is my first Tarryn Fisher book even though I have followed her on Instagram for a long time and love her. And well, she is a self-proclaimed villain, so obviously she can write them.
That being said, the story didn't feel fully unique. I mean, it was unpredictable AF but it also felt like something I'd already seen on Lifetime or something.

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The Wives is a fantastic psychological thriller! I devoured it and loved every minute. Dark and twisted, it will keep you guessing until the end.

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Reading The Wives is like riding the fastest roller coaster and loving all the steep drops and stomach twisting loop de loops. Mind blowing with every page and a twist you won’t see coming means this book should come with a warning label for a reading hangover.

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I was interested in this book because not only did the blurb sound good I have a ton of book nerd friends who love this author and I have never tried her. I'm always skeptical of the authors people fan girl about a lot because for some reason they rarely work for me (probably cuz I'm naturally deposed to go against the grain).

This started off great and I was really immersed in the story. I really enjoyed it up until the end. I disliked the ending quite a bit. Not because of bad writing just a personal preference. So....I'm kind of in the middle. The writing was good and I can see why people enjoy this author. This wasn't a wow book though like I had been expecting. Just an average, middle of the road, reasonably entertaining book. I will definitely check out more by the author.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

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I am speechless, just finished this mind boggling suspenseful thriller. I don’t know if I want to hate Seth. Or feel sorry for him. Man Thursday had me going for a minute. I was like Seth must be really good if he has two other wives. This is a must read for this year.

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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. My opinion is my own.


This is the first solo Tarryn Fisher book I've read. I read her "Never Never" series with Colleen Hoover, and honestly I wasn't over the top impressed with it, so my expectations for this weren't super high going in. I finished the book on the plane from Baton Rouge to Nashville, so it wasn't a very long read. I got hooked into it more than I expected to.

The premise: Thursday is married to Seth. Seth is a polygamist who is also married to two other women. Thursday is not supposed to know about the other women, but she meets one of them and finds out that she may not know her husband at all.

I love love love books with unreliable narrators, and Thursday (what kind of a name is Thursday) is definitely one of those! As we learn more about her relationship with Seth, I wasn't overly impressed with him (although I don't think we are supposed to be) and I kept waiting for her to wake up and realize she could do better, and not just say "but I love him". The other wives were interesting and I would have liked to delve into their lives a bit more too. I don't want to say too much about this book because too much will give away spoilers, and this is one of those books that you've got to experience for yourself. I'm glad that this was the first Tarryn Fisher book I read, because now I want to read more!

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t’s dark and twisty. No word is wasted. It is all important. This is absolutely a psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down.

No matter how good you think it is while reading it.... it gets better.

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This novel is one of those buzzy thrillers that ended up being picked as a, “best book of the month,” by many syndicates. As you know, that can be a hit or (often) a miss.

Thursday is married, but only really married for one day out of the week. The rest of her husband's week is spent commuting back and forth to visit his two other wives. 

Thursday is curious about the other women, but Scott thinks it is important to keep these worlds separate. In her head, she is the sexy adventure-seeking wife that he needs to visit to get away from his boring wives. She begins to wonder though, what if that isn't actually the case?

When Thursday stumbles upon a scrap of information, about one of his other wives, she can't help but try to find out more information about them on social media. 

She, in fact, becomes obsessed with finding these women and hearing more of their stories.

As her curiosity grows, she decides to schedule some in-person meetings so she can learn more about why Scott insists on keeping them in his life.

It is when she travels down this rabbit hole that the stories frayed ends really begin displaying and Thursday realizes that Scott might not be who he says he is.

This started with tons of promise and I flipped through the first half rapidly. The ending promised a "bumpy, twisty, exhilarating ride," but I found it more of a fizzle. 

Honestly, this might not be a reflection on the writer and just the tired theme of the unreliable narrator.  When executed well, it can be so fun.  When it doesn't though, it can be a bit chaotic and confusing.

For me, this felt a tad too disjointed, although the first half was a blast.

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Wow!! Just wow! So many twists and turns I didn’t know what was and was not real! This was a real page turner! I found myself needing to keep reading toward the end. I so badly had to know everything!!!! I would definitely read another book by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!! I enjoyed reading it and will recommend it to others!!

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The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is a tour de force of a thriller! It is one of those few and far in between books that will keep you up all night, so just strap in! This is a roller-coaster ride of a novel that can't be missed!

Summary

"...He comes over on Thursday every week. That's my day, I'm Thursday. It's a hopeful day, lost in the middle of the more important days; not the beginning or the end, but a stop. An appetizer to the weekend. Sometimes I wonder about the other days and if they wonder about me. That's how women are, right? Always wondering about each other-curiosity and spite curdling together in little emotional puddles. Little good that does; if you wonder too hard, you'll get everything wrong..."

Thursday is married to a man she loves more than anything, Seth. But their marriage is a different kind of arrangement and Thursday has learned to cope with it. Seth has two other wives and Thursday doesn't get to see her husband every day. She has to share the man she loves. She is the middle wife and she is sure that Seth loves her best, but she has never met the other two wives and she can't help but be curious. She can't help but wonder about the other two women she shares her husband with. One day, when cleaning his clothes, she finds a note, from a woman named Hannah. She is sure that Hannah is one of the other wives. Thursday has to know more. She has to find Hannah. She has to see who she is sharing her husband with.

Thursday pretends to be someone else and meets Hannah over lunch. What she sees surprises and frightens her. Hannah is beautiful and pregnant. Hannah is also hiding bruises on her arms. Thursday has never known Seth to be violent but the bruises are deep and purple and shaped like a hand. Thursday has to decide what to do. Does she reveal who she is? Her agreement with Seth was to never contact the other wives, but now that she has met Hannah, how can she turn away? And what of the first wife, Seth's original wife.

Thursday begins to wonder, just how much does she even know her husband.

Review

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is difficult to review because as a reader, you absolutely want others to love this book as much as you did so how much to share, becomes the question. I have not had a novel take as many twists and turns and still able to keep me involved as The Wives does in a very long time. It is absolutely one of the best thrillers and mystery books I have read in some time.

It is narrated throughout by the main character, Thursday and she will take you on a trip through reality and delusion and truth and lies unlike any you may have have been on. Thursday has shades of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction and shades of the devoted, sheltered wife in every Lifetime movie you have wasted two hours of your life on. Even in the beginning, it is easy to tell that Thursday has an edge to her. But how sharp and who it will cut remains for the book to tell.

I'm really not trying to be obtuse here, but this is such a good read that I hate to give anything away. So I will just say, it is one hell of a good read and will remind you of what thrillers use to be.

Prepare for a long night, have a few drinks, some good snacks and enjoy the ride!

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Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to read this #arc

Thursday has a very complicated relationship with her husband Seth. You see, he has two other wives she shares him with. She only gets him a small share of the week. She makes sure she is the perfect wife during those times- to make sure she is the favorite wife. Your blood will boil at how hard she denies herself to please Seth.
But then the reader starts to realize Thursday may not be the reliable narrator you have been thinking she is. What is the truth? Whose truth is it?
I stayed up way past my bedtime two nights in a row to read this. You will too. Fisher has crafted a compulsively readable psychological thriller. I’m still not convinced I closed every gap in Thursday’s tale, but I am walking away a satisfied reader. If you’re looking for a fun, twisty, highly readable thriller- here it is!

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Disappointing and unrealistic. While initially I felt empathy for the protagonist, she became increasingly vapid throughout the novel. And what a terrible ending! Ugh!

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I was really disappointed in this book. I am a huge fan of the unreliable narrator, but don’t like the bait and switch that happened here. Not of it made sense to me and it’s like I was reading along and then the author pulled out the rug with a trick (not a twist, but aa trick). There were a lot of places where I had to go back and re-read something I thought I had missed, but wasn’t really there in the first place. Plot holes, unlikeable characters I really didn’t care about, and a story that didn’t make sense ... I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this book made me uneasy: the portrayal of mental health; the destructive relationships; the “men are bad” vibe? I’m not certain, but this book missed the mark for me.

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