Cover Image: The Wives

The Wives

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Member Reviews

WOW! This is a thrilling and original read! Tarryn Fisher SLAYED this novel and entrapped me with her words. I absolutely loved it. If you are looking for something dark, filled with tension, and unputtdownable this is a novel you MUST have!

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Thursday's husband has two other wives. Thursday does not know them, and is fine with that agreement. Until one day, she comes across a receipt with information about one of the other wives, Hannah. Before long, Thursday has tracked down Hannah and befriended her, although Hannah doesn't know who really is. Are those bruises on Hannah from their shared husband? Thursday continues to dig into the lives of the other wives to discover more about who her husband, his wives, and even herself truly are.

Suspenseful and unsettling, this is one that is difficult to put down. While the ending was a surprise, it was a bit disappointing after such a great start to the book.

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The wives in Tarryn Fisher’s domestic thriller know that each other exist, but in this polygamous relationship, they have decided to never meet...or, Seth decided that they should never meet. Our main character, the second wife, gets to spend Thursdays with Seth and tries to convince herself that it is enough. When it was just her and wife number one, it was easier; but now that wife number three has come along, she struggles with jealousy and trying to one-up the others by being the best wife. She’ll be the most low-maintenance, the most caring, the best at homemaking, the most generous lover – all without letting on that she knows it’s a competition. It was enough until she accidentally uncovers the name of the third wife and then goes searching for Hannah. What she learns makes her question her relationship with Seth, the kind of man he is, and the relationship she is in.

Writing a good summary and review of this book without divulging secrets is a complicated affair, so all I can say is to be careful of which character's story you trust – it’s a complicated path that leads to the truth. I also hope you’re able to put this book down and get more sleep than I did! It has definitely been one of my favorite mystery/thrillers of the year.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of #TheWives

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Fisher's writing blew me away. The Wives set a heart racing pace at the very first page and didn't let up until the final shocking moment. Fisher's words created such a level of tension that I felt like I was barely breathing! The book is creepy and so dark and atmospheric. The author was able to create a storyline that was so suspenseful that I read this in one sitting.

For me, the first half was incredibly strong but the second half became a bit predictable and somewhat frenetic. While I thought the narrator had an incredible voice, the author made a predictable and overused choice with regard to the narrator (I won't explain further because it will give away the plot). It also became so crazy that I felt like I was getting literary whiplash (yes, that's a real thing).

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Lots of twists and turns in this psychological thriller and the author has you wondering what is reality and what is imaginary. A strong plot that grabs you from the beginning and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. There were times when the protagonist aggravated me, and I questioned many of her choices, but I hung in there and was rewarded with a surprise ending.

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The description of The wives by Tarryn Fisher caught my attention and I just had to read this one. I have to say I was not disappointed and was hooked from the start. Great story for all to read!!!!

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Three…four….three….four….three…four…Okay stop just give 3.5 rounded up 4 delusional, twist and shout, come on come on come on baby stars!

Dear God, it’s me, not Margaret, oh hell no Chelsea( sorry using the `hell` word), this is Nilufer.( you may call me Nily shortly) I honesty, truly, genuinely ask you because I didn’t find the answer. WTF that I just read?( sorry for my language, I already close my mouth but unfortunately my fingers are still functioning)

This book is devilish, surprising, a greatest brain exercise( you feel like you competed at a 24 hours long mathematics marathon after you finished, let me call this “deep fry brain cell dish”)
I started to question everything after I finished this book. Where am I? Who I am married with? Am I married? Is this a dream? Oh, stop it!

Tarryn Fisher and her evil twin ColHo are so dangerous women for our intellectual minds. Because they can write tear-jerker, pant-melting, heart-breaking, edgy, incredible romances and they can also write mind-bending, twisty thrillers. ( It took me two days to close my mouth and wipe out the shock expression from my face after reading the “ Verity”) They’re definitely dark queens!

What I most liked about this book:

-Hooked me up from the beginning and glued to my hands, my mind! Definitely unputdownable and fast-paced, exciting, perceptive, brilliantly written!

And the remarkable ending! Oh this book shows us karma may be merciless, bitchy but also the fairest friend!
What I most hated about this book:

UNCONNECTION WITH THE HEROINE:
Yes, the heroine you’ve dreamed of cannot be reached at this moment. Try again for another book!
One of the wives and also our heroine Thursday( starting from the name my rejection process has already begun) accepts Seth’s polygamy offer including not to know his other wives’ names and for any other reason never ever to get connect with them.

How a woman accept an offer like this and patiently waits for her husband spending only one day in a week with her? You’re hearing the alarm bells! That’s the first warning about the heroine and it’s not the last one!
She finds out the other wives and realizes that her lovely and legal husband Seth has some anger management issues!

So not only Thursday, but also we got lost! Who’s telling the truth? Thursday? Regina ( first wife who claims she already divorced Seth and they’re not seeing each other), Hannah( pregnant, she has doubts about Seth’s psychological issues who comes from a family reminds us of Mansons) and Seth who acts like decent guy suffering from Thursday’s delusional behaviors.

Well, everybody lies in this book. It’s confusing, puzzling, perplexing, mind-hurting and it’s still a very good-read!

Polygamy idea and unlikeable heroine theme are about to stop me to read this book and I was on the edge of giving three stars but I’m happy to keep on reading in the love of Tarryn Fisher. Thanks to her, I didn’t get disappointed!

Many special thanks to Graydon House and NetGalley for sending me this mind-bending and amazing ARC COPY in exchange my honest review!

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This story has so many twists and turns that you will not want to put it down until you turn the last page! This psychological thriller begins on a Thursday with the main character waiting for her husband to come by for a visit. Thursday is her day because she has to share her husband with two other wives that she has never met. Asking questions about the other wives is not allowed. After one such visit from her husband, she discovers a piece of paper in his pants pocket that gives her a clue about the identify of one of the other wives. She begins to try to find out who she is and even goes so far as to meet her. From this point on, the story will have you hooked with all of the discoveries she makes and as more elements of the story come to light. This book is a must read!

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This is a hard book to review without giving away what happens in the book. I'll say this....if you think you have things figured out turn the page. After you turn the page and think you have it figured out....turn the next. This book was full of surprises and hard to put down. If you are a fan of "Gone Girl" pick up this book!

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What did I just read?! What an interesting story. I loved every minute of it! Thursday was such a well-built character. I couldn’t tell which way was up, but I had to keep reading!

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The definition of psychological thriller! I really enjoyed the jarring writing, shady character development, and unreliable narrator. This one will have you guessing right up to the end. I was hooked from the first chapter, and that’s always a bonus. I haven’t been into the slow burns lately, and this was one I looked forward to reading. Thanks @harlequinbooks for the ARC.

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After the books I have read of Tarryn's recently-- The Wives was such a huge refresher for me. After being so (not so patiently) waiting and excited to read this one, when it was all said and done I think I was satisfied.  

Now please don't get me wrong: I did struggle with this book. There was some internal dialogue that really droned on and on for me. It got redundant and it got to be very incessant. Especially the first half of the book. I think had Thursday's internal dialogue not rambled and went on as much as she did, I would have been less distracted and finished the book way sooner than what I did. 

Also, someone please explain to me why the hell every one loved Seth so much? I just don't see it nor do I get it. What made him so special to these three women? Because reading about him did not make him appealing in any way shape or form. Trash.

Other than the internal dialogue at times, I ultimately enjoyed the story and the concept of it and I especially loved Tarryn's efforts. I felt like she was writing the type of book that she has been wanting to write. Which brings me to my next point: This is the type of writing from Tarryn that I love to read the most. This is what I'm looking to feel every time I open one of her books for the first time. I want to feel HER while I am reading it and The Wives did just that. The jarring writing. The unpredictable plot line. The unreliable narrator (hello Margo!) I felt like I was truly reading some of Tarryn's great writing again and I loved that. 

As with the other reviews that I have read— the ending really lost me. It was like there were still some pages missing. Abrupt. Unfinished. I can really appreciate what Tarryn was trying to pull off with it, but I just wasn't feeling it. 

Despite the droning and somewhat rambling POV from Thursday-- it was refreshing to read this type of book from Tarryn, I’d like to do it more often.

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Such an addictive read!!!! Tarryn Fisher is a master at twisty turny tales that keep you up way past your bedtime, but The Wives could quite possibly be my favorite from her yet! The concept of polygamy has always confused me at the same time piqued my curiosity, but strangely enough, I’ve never read a novel based on the topic. Tarryn Fisher has taken this taboo subject and created a jarring, creepy, and mind blowing storyline that will surprise even the most avid mystery/thriller fans! The Wives is a complete 5 star novel and after finishing I realized it’s release date is December 30th and my first thought was they saved the best for last!! This may be the last book you one-click in 2019, but it will most definitely not be a novel you will ever forget! I highly recommend The Wives- a true must read!

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The Queen has done it again.

I’m sitting here having just finished this book. I’m speechless. I’m in shock. The Wives is one big mindfuck.

As I read I didn’t know what was happening at times. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to believe. All I knew was I was hooked on every single word.

Written to perfection, Tarryn weaves a story that is mind-blowing, addictive, and unique. It’s crazy!!! It will have your mind all over the place. It will have you staring at your kindle in disbelief. It will have you saying wtf?????

The Wives is an epic story that will hook you from the first word to the last.

Get ready. Get ready to have your mind blown.

And I will be over here doing a reread and bowing to the Queen.

An arc was provided for an honest review.

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Many thanks to Harlequin/Graydon House & Netgalley for a review copy.

It's no secret I'm a huge Tarryn Fisher fan and The Wives was among my most highly anticipated releases for 2019. I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw I had the chance to read it early! I tossed my TBR to the wind and got started.

This will be among one of the most difficult books to review, simply because I want to be exceptionally careful about the details I reveal. The idea of spoiling this book in the least for someone would be a huge injustice.

First, I have to say, upon finishing this book I was utterly speechless. I have never had my mind blown in such an unbelievable way by a book prior to reading The Wives. I know Tarryn is known for twisty endings, having read all of her books, but I could never have predicted what was to come with this story. As I clicked the "I'm finished with this book" button on Goodreads, I had a moment of uncertainty. I did not know how to rate this novel. I had to wrack my brain for any plot holes or things I might have missed to give an indication the book would end in the way it did. I wondered if I was satisfied with the conclusion or simply impressed by the unpredictability. As I've reflected upon the book, I realized I could give it no less than five stars. This is Tarryn Fisher's best work. The writing is clear and concise with no wasted words. Every moment is used in propelling the story forward, growing the characters, or revealing an important plot point.

Clearly, the main purpose of this story is shock and awe in the end, which is unquestionably achieved, but the book as a whole is a page-turner. My attention was grabbed from the very first page, and I desperately needed to know what would be following. I felt the main character's compulsive need for explanations and the desperation of her situation. I never knew what was going to happen next, which is a huge feat for this genre. I anxiously turned the pages until one in the morning, needing my own questions answered.

Yet, I'm not one hundred percent sure I loved the ending of this story, but I'm impressed by it nonetheless. I had hoped things might work out a little differently. However, I immediately wanted to turn back to the beginning and start over the moment I finished. Any book that absorbs me in such a manner has to receive my highest recommendation and rating.

Well done, Tarryn.

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5 STARS for this one. Absolutely riveting and gripping and had me feeling absolutely crazy and loving it. I. Lost it. I don’t know how she was able to write this without losing it, too?

This was another one of Tarryn Fisher’s raw, and totally relatable (and totally unpredictable) heroines and love stories, but she did it again. One of her VERY best EVER. I loved it from start to finish. Hooked me from the very first paragraph, and fed me the whole way through. I sucked it down, hungry for more, and it gave and it gave.

My full review on my blog: https://www.maryse.net/books/book-review-the-wives-by-tarryn-fisher.html

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This was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I absolutely had to know what was going on! Tarryn Fisher does a great job of drawing the reader in and not letting them go!

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A special thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Your husband has three wives and you are wife number two. You have never met the other women. Because of this arrangement, you see your husband only one day a week—you're the Thursday wife, the best wife. You convince yourself that this agreement works because you love him so much and he's worth it.

When you are doing his laundry, you find an appointment slip in his pocket for Hannah. She has to be one of the other wives. You can't help yourself, your curiosity gets the better of you and you manage to track her down. The two of you strike up a friendship, she is quite likeable even though she is young and naive.

Hannah shows up to one of your coffee dates with bruises and you know that these marks are because she is being abused by her husband—only he's your husband too. But he's never been violent with you, so why now? Do you even really know the man that you married? And who is his mysterious first wife?

Tarryn Fisher is a fantastic author who consistently surprises her readers with her vast style. This book is hypnotic and thrilling, but layered with an innate sadness.

I loved the clever play with the names of the wives based on the main character's name (which we don't find out until later on in the story). It hooked me right from the beginning and didn't let go until the very end.

The narrative lives in the head of the main character and she is incredibly unreliable—I mean there are unreliable narrators, and then there are the kind that Fisher writes. In this case though, it was a bit much because it weighs down the story in places with heavy passages that have little to no dialogue. Tarryn is a detailed and meticulous storyteller which is why some of the clichés surprised me. There were also some repetitious words that I hope will be addressed with the final edits.

All-in-all another banger from Tarryn Fisher. Can you believe she recently had a baby and has two books publishing this year? She's pretty incredible. You should also check her on social media—I love 'Tuesdays with Tarryn,' and her continued support of women.

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4.5 stars! What a ride...

Oh, Tarryn Fisher, what I would give to spend a day inside your mind!

The Wives is unlike any Tarryn Fisher novel I've read before and still has that signature TF feeling! The feeling where you want to turn the pages to know what's coming (and stay up well past your bedtime to continue doing so). One husband, three wives. All know about each other, but none know each other or anything about the others!

The suspenseful ride of The Wives will take you on a thrill from start to finish!

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Tarryn always seems to keep me guessing, yet I never see the ending coming. This is in my top 5 reads so far this year.

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