I really DO love a good "love to hate" book character⁣⁣. But to be completely honest - I disliked just about everyone in Dead to Her.⁣⁣⁣ 😆 The old money boys and real housewife-ish trophy wives were horrid as far as humans go. But it can be FUN to hate!⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣I loved Cross Her Heart so I was really excited for this! We follow the "second wives club" Marcie & Keisha are both wife number 2 of their wealthy Southern elite husbands. And as stinking-rich Southern charm goes, they definitely have to earn their places, prove themselves society ladies, while avoiding haunting ex-wives - both dead & alive.⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣When Marcie starts to question her husbands secrets and wandering eye - which drifts exclusively towards Keisha - this is where things start to get a whole lotta crazy.⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣It’s a unique and unusual storyline - which is appreciated for entertainment factor, but I found it a bit confusing at times (who ARE all these snooty people?!) The ladies both have their own secrets revealed in a slow middle-of-the-book, but what follows is certainly some fun erratic behavior, including a bit of voodoo vibes, leading to a clever and puzzling reveal at the end!⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣Although not my favorite of hers, I will def check out old (Hello, I need you Behind Her Eyes!) and whatever new comes next. She definitely puts a refreshing, unique spin on thrillers, when many seem to be getting more formulaic & predictable.⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣Or maybe I'm just getting infinitely smarter.⁣⁣⁣ 😆

Scandal, vivid characters, and a touch of voodoo are the main players in this book about Georgia's social elite. While the characters in Dead to Her aren't especially likable, they're certainly interesting, with mysterious backstories that are revealed in tidbits throughout the book. The first half of this book zips along as character relationships are established and the scene is set for disaster ahead. 

Unfortunately, the second half of the book doesn't keep the same pacing. I spent a lot of time wondering when the real plot would develop, and when it finally did it was kind of a slog to to solve the story's main mystery.  Much of the time is spent in protagonist Marcie's head and she considers a number of questions about the scenario over and over and over, and you simply wish that she'd finally get some answers. The last chapters of the book run through a number of theories before finally giving you the big reveal. I liked how it all wrapped up, but I wish that the energy from the early part of the story carried through to the finale.

Let me just preface this review by saying domestic thrillers? Not really my thing. I knew that going into this book, but I've only really read one or two and I wanted to give them another try. I've also heard good things about Sarah Pinborough and was excited to try her as an author.

I would say this was overall an enjoyable read, but was, at times, a bit of a struggle to get through. 

I feel like the first third of the book was, honestly, pretty unnecessary. This did NOT need to be 400 pages like whatsoever. I really thought things were going to pick up at the halfway mark, but that was not the case. It didn't pick up until the last third or even quarter of the book. The pacing was a bit off to say the least.

And I won't give any spoilers, but at the climax there was a lot of back and forth of what the reader was meant to believe and I really did not enjoy that part. It felt very clunky and convoluted. I also guessed the conclusion pretty early on, so maybe that had something to do with it.

There was also this cast of 'privileged white woman adding commentary on the privilege of white women while writing a character who is a privileged white woman' over the whole thing that was, I don't know, maybe meant to Mean something, but I sort of found the whole thing laughable.

Really though, as I was reading this, I wasn't having a bad time. I was interested to see where the story was going, what would happen next, etc, etc. What really got me was the ending, which is the name of the game with thrillers, I guess. 

This book was trying to be smart. It was trying to be really, really smart, but it failed in that. And when you fail in your main objective as a book, that is detrimental to the reading experience.

That's my main gripe with this book. Yeah the plotting was messy in places, the pacing was...interesting, Pinborough lacked nuance in her addition of social commentary to the plot, but overall those things are whatever if a book delivers, and this just didn't. This was meant to be a thriller and I simply didn't find myself thrilled.

It's hot, it's steamy - it's the location - not the book. 

With elements of black magic and a mystery, this book would normally be right up my alley but it kind of fell flat for me. It's probably going to be a best seller but for someone who is not me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc. I unfortunately really did not like this one. I really didn't enjoy reading about rich people and their problems. It just wasn't enjoyable

(cue any music you associate with batshit crazy here......I've been brewing the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil")
Yep, my head is pounding. A full cast of characters. Several tiers of family histories. Lies. Betrayals. Secrets. Manipulation.
I can tell you that I almost did not read this book. I started it, as I love the author, but when I read about the very "old money" and those who want to be a part of that, I pull back. It just doesn't interest me. Was I surprised to be very drawn after reading about 10% of this book? Yep again.
New money. Old money. Affairs. Deceit. Lust. Power. It's all here in a large cast of characters. Who is actually being gaslit? Is it me, the reader? Oh, please don't manipulate me! 
Nope, as promised always, the story is laid out, the action makes sense, the characters fully present. The specter of ghosts just around the corner. 
A really delicious read all around. No spoilers, and you can read the actual thumbnail somewhere else. If you enjoy a good ride, climb on board and buckle up.

I had such high hopes for this book. I loved the author's book behind her eyes so I was excited for this one. Sadly this one did not live up to the hype of the first.

The first half of this book was decent. I enjoyed finding out about Keisha, a trophy wife, who had recently married William Radford IV. She meets another trophy wife who seems wonderfully happy.

I was happily reading this book until all of a sudden a strange plot line happened. Needless to say I was definitely not into this. A very unbelievable and confusing development with characters I couldn't get into. Definitely not the thriller I was expecting.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"That's why secrets normally stayed secret. Secrets broke things."

Steamy Savannah, Georgia, fabulous mansions, old money, social standing and self-indulgence. It's a world that is dominated by men who have certain types of wives. When an old scion, William Radford IV,  gets himself a hot new wife after the death of the elegant Savannah belle, Eleanor, the tongues can barely stop wagging. Gossip is currency, and William's friends are both contemptuous and jealous of the lovely Keisha -- who's barely into her early twenties. "There's no fool like an old fool," they all say behind their social niceties. No one is quite as concerned, however, as Marcie Maddox. Marcie is also the second, younger wife but she displaced the former by having an affair that led to a divorce for Jason Maddox. When Marcie notices that Jason seems a bit too taken with Keisha, the claws come out. But then, to her surprise, she and Keisha find that they have quite a bit in common and become close. It's their need, their wildness, their hedonism that might upend it all. Things start to unravel almost immediately and everyone in their close circle will be affected. NO SPOILERS.

Although this was definitely not the twisty, shock-of-a-lifetime thriller that was BEHIND HER EYES, it was entertaining though a bit more "racy" than I like with far too much focus on lust and sex. The shifting narrative between Marcia and Keisha's points of view was seamless, but it lagged in places even though there seemed to be almost too much going on. Lots of different themes within this novel but the overlying tension was weakened for me a bit because I really didn't care of any of the characters! It was quite a collection of pathological personalities and as the end came closer I discovered that I had guessed it out quite correctly. I'll still check out the next book by this author as the stories are unique in their own way, but the more I read, the less likely it is that I'll truly ever be totally surprised by a twist. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I am so conflicted with this review of Dead to Her.  There were parts of this book that I really liked but there were also parts I didn't.  So I'll just go with the middle of the road 3 stars.  I think I wasn't a big fan of the black magic/voodoo and part of the book seemed to drag in the middle. I did enjoy the beginning and ending however and I never guessed who done it!  Pinborough is one of my favorite authors and although this wasn't my favorite book of hers I will still look forward to reading her writing.  Its just so hard not to compare to Behind Her Eyes!

3.5 stars. 

Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough was a tough read for me. I have read other books by Sarah Pinborough and really enjoyed them so I was hopeful for this read however it didn't fully do the job. Overall I enjoyed the individual character development, the change of perspective from Marcie to Keisha, and the ending was fire! However, the plot really didn't do it for me. Was I supposed to be into the steamy hidden romance, the money thirsty young wife, the voodoo magic, or the constant "I hope he dies". Overall, not a bad read, just wish the entire book held more clarity in plot and had reflected the intensity of the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review.  This book was hard to get through, which is unfortunate as I am a Pinborough fan.  I just didn't want to read about spoiled, rich people and their problems.  Oh well, next time!

This was quite the read. It will twist you around many times making it a challenge to guess the spoilers. The book is centered around the social elite in Savannah, Georgia which is one of the reasons this book drew me into it. I know this area well enough to relate to much of the descriptions and locations from personal experience. The two main couples are both deeply flawed in many ways. There are Jason and Marcie who are the good looking couple who both have messy past histories and who wed after an affair that rocked Savannah society. The other couple is William and Keisha, he is a wealthy widower who barely mourned his wife's passing before finding a new wife in the UK with stunning Keisha. There are issues with her as well of course because she is much younger than William, from a different country and also is black. This is all shocking to the Country Clubbers who don't even yet allow the wives/women to hold primary membership . 
There are twists and turns throughout and there are components of magical thinking with voodoo playing a role in the theme. Overall, I enjoyed the story and plot. The characters seemed flat at times and were all unlikable. Only a few of the supporting characters seemed to be written as decent people. The pacing also was great at the start and the end but lagged in the middle stretch.
3.5/5
#Netgalley #HarperCollins #WilliamMorrow

I unfortunately really did not like this one. I really didn't enjoy reading about rich people and their problems. It just wasn't enjoyable. I felt like literally every thriller trope was in it and I didn't care about what was going on with any of the characters.

Pinborough’s latest takes us to Savannah, Georgia, where the elite live, work and play hard. I like how these very flawed characters committed unconventional and unanticipated acts throughout. This created a great deal of entertainment and suspense. An overall fast, fun read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Sarah Pinborough for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a wild one! I really enjoy this author and this book. It had lots of entertainment like the wealthy, second wives, aging first wives, mansions, social clubs and of course back stabbing! There were characters you love to hate and ones you wonder about. The first half of book was impossible to put down. The second was good, but did get a bit convoluted. There were many twists and turns I did not guess the ending. A recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of Dead to Her. 

This book wasn’t really what I expected when I started. It’s not that much of a thriller and more a tangled love web. It has had themes of Voodoo which was unexpected. I wish there had been more to the thriller side of this. Not her best work, but I enjoyed her writing.

Marcie Maddox is lawyer Jason's second wife, she helped break up his first marriage by having an affair with him. She comes from humble beginnings and works hard to fit in with her new wealthy and elite Savannah social set.
When Jason's boss, recently widowed William Radford returns home from a vacation in London with a younger new wife on his arm, Marcie is concerned.
The new Mrs. Radford is a stunning and sexy young black woman named Keisha and Jason can't stay away from her.
When Marcie befriends Keisha to keep an eye on things, she starts to realize not everything is what it seems.
This twisty domestic psychological thriller doesn't have particularly likable characters, but they were intriguing enough to keep me interested. There was an abundance of sex and sexual situations, but it wasn't too explicit and I didn't find it offensive.
Throw in some voodoo and dark magic and the craziness ramps up!
This was an entertaining and exciting read.
Getting towards the end I thought I had figured out what happens and was feeling disappointed and then there were more unexpected occurrences and I was completely surprised!
Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers William Morrow for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

“His eyes were shining as he came and took her hand, his palms sweaty despite the AC, and she couldn’t stop herself suddenly picturing his damp, salty crotch, and the line of wet skin under the overhang of his belly.” I just couldn’t continue. This book is too Real Housewives of Savannah for me. I am really not the intended audience. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I was really looking forward to this book. I have heard so much about this author, I actually have her other books and haven't read them yet. I couldn't wait to dig into this one. This is going to be a weird review for me, I had so many different "feels" on this one. I can literally break it down into sections....

The first 25% I am really liking it...I am thinking that this is the foundation for a great thriller. The older rich man snagging a younger poor wife. The country club all in a tizzy and gossiping. A potential affair in the making...yes! I was reeled in and ready...

Then the middle...the next 50%...I started to wonder..hmm should I DNF this? What is the plot? Is the plot sex? It read more like a steamy, romance novel (which is not what I was bargaining for when I picked this up). People were having sex- here, there and everywhere! Yeah not for me...I want the "killer thriller".

Then the last 25% well...things start getting more interesting..and then the last couple chapters, I am thinking YES! This is what I expected, full on thriller, twisted, evil...YES!! Except I had to wait for about 90% of the book to get to this point.

Honestly this is just my opinion. I have seen some great reviews out there. Just not kind of read. If I could just rate the last couple of chapters, well they were 5 star worthy for sure.

I wanted to like this one! The premise was great and I liked the southern gothic setting.  However, none of the characters were compelling or likable and the weird voodoo subplots felt forced.  This wasn't the domestic thriller I was hoping for.