Dead to Her
by Sarah Pinborough
Harper Collins Publishers

Fist let me say I have heard great things about this author, and was looking forward to a nice thriller. Wanting to come home and immerse myself into a great book. The first part of this book was more of a romance drama not a thriller and enjoyable if you were reading a romance\drama. There were no characters that you wanted to bond with, and cheer for. The trophy wives were miserable characters.
There were parts of the book that dragged on. Unfortunately this book was a miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Collins Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

BeverlyE \ladyedan62

I really enjoyed this new book by Pinborough. Cant wait to see what else she has up her sleeve! I was reading until the wee morning hours.

This just didn't work for me. I felt like it was more of a bad love story, drama, catty fights than it was a psychological thriller. But those themes just don't work for me. I think if it was branded as such I would have avoided it completely.

I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't care what happened to any of them, and all of the insane elements to this story made me rush to the end.

Just not for me.

Having not read any prior books by Sarah Pinborough, I didn't have any expectations going into this book. So when the first almost 1/3 of the book was about current and developing romantic relationships, I was ready to quit reading. Where was the mystery? Where was the suspense? But since I read some reviews beforehand, I knew the good stuff was yet to come. And then it did - lightly wrapped in a veil of voodoo, not overdone (except for one drug induced night), a lot of finger pointing, and a lot of suspects (though I guessed early on) in the murder of one wealthy Georgian. Quick read after an initial slow build.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/William Morrow for an advanced reader's copy for review.

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/review/R1GRXEMW1EK8W1/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A thriller with lots of twists and turns, at some points getting into bizarre territory. I enjoyed this book, and definitely wanted to know what happened in the end, but found the characters were all kind of icky and unlikable. I didn't really find myself rooting for anyone, nor caring about what happened to any of them since they were just all fairly yuck. That said, it kept me entertained which is what I look for in a book. Decent read.

Thanks to #netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thx to Netgalley, publisher and Sarah Pinborough for this ARC. I loved the previous books by this author so I was excited to get this ARC. Unfortunately, I just didn’t find this book as good as the others. I almost gave up in the middle as it seemed to drag out and go nowhere, but, knowing this author, it’s always her last few paragraphs or lines at the end of the book that tie it all in and make it worth reading. This one was no exception, so I’m glad I continued on. I gave this 3 1/2 stars but because I love this author, I’ll raise it to 4 stars.. still going to read every book of this authors !

Sarah Pinborough set the bar so high with "Behind Her Eyes" that I was afraid that any book that she wrote afterward wouldn't even be able to compare, but "Dead to Her" comes in at a close second. This book was full of so many twists that I never saw coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down and it had an ending that I never saw coming. Sarah Pinborough is at the top of her game right now and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I didn’t like Behind Her Eyes. But I loved Cross Her Heart. I must be following a pattern because this book misses the mark for me.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the early release copy. I was so excited to receive it. I love this author, however I found the story line did not keep my attention. I got bored with the southern talk with the old rich men and their wives. I found I didn’t just didn’t connect. I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. Readers who enjoyed the authors previous work should definitely give it a shot. I will pick up her next release despite not connecting with this one.

I really wanted to love this book! I loved Pinborough's previous works but this one just didn't do it for me. Too many unlikable characters and a slow plot.

Sarah Pinborough's latest psychological thriller kept me guessing until the very end. Set in the homes and country clubs of Savannah's elite, this mystery completely surprised me.

Marcie Maddox is a younger second wife whose life revolves around proving to the other women in their social circle that she's worthy of their friendship. But when Jason's boss, the recently widowed Willliam, returns home from a European trip with a much younger, much sexier and much more outrageous new wife, Keisha, it throws Marcie for a loop. She worries her husband has the hots for the newcomer and that she'll lose her place in the group she fought so hard to be a part of. It's only a matter of time before tragedy strikes and everything and everyone Marcie holds dear could disappear.

The author writes characters who jump off the page and the dog-eat-dog world of Savannah high-society was exciting to read about - it sometimes felt like a Bravo show crossed with Dynasty which, to me, is a huge compliment! The relationships between the characters were constantly shifting and as a reader, I often felt as off-kilter as Marcie did, never quite sure of what might happen next. The resolution to the mystery and the ending truly shocked me and I went back to a few earlier passages to re-read them looking for hints of what was to come. I did think the book felt a bit long at times but the ending was well worth the wait.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

GO IN AS BLIND AS YOU CAN. I BEG OF YOU!
And for that reason alone– this review will be short and sweet.

It took me two different times to actually sit down and finally get into Dead to Her. I’m not sure what happened, but my mood just wasn’t letting me get into it. But I kept telling myself how much I enjoyed Sarah’s other stories and her writing so I knew I could do it. I am SO glad that I pushed myself with this one because when I actually sat down and read through the first 3/4 chapters, I could not put the book down.

It had some elements that were far-feteched, of course. But the writing and the execution was A plus work. Sarah Pinbourough blows my mind with her 3rd person POV and her excellent story-telling.

Look, this book is out there. It’s a trip. If you aren’t used to things that take you out of your normalcy and comfort zone, this one might be un-enjoyable for you. I get that and I see it. But I liked it because it was a challenge. It was something that I went in blind to and ended up being completely caught off guard and it was awesome. I had a great time reading it and thankfully the end was not disappointing. It was all worth it.

I started reading Dead to Her and I was immediately intrigued by the fast pace and the pages flew by. However, things started going downhill about a quarter of the way through. I hated the characters. All of them. Most of the book is spent inside Marcie's head, not really a place I wanted to be. It all became really repetitive. Too many unlikeable characters and threads that seemed to go nowhere until the end. It gelled together somewhat by then, but I just didn't care at the point.

Honestly, I nearly DNF this one. I was upset because I so enjoyed Behind Her Eyes. This one didn't work for me on any level.

I’m a fan of Sarah Pinborough’s writing, but this one just didn’t work as well for me as her other books. I almost DNF’ed it around the 20% mark, but something happened in a scene with Keisha and Marcie that made me intrigued enough to keep reading. Although the book did get better after that point, it never fully worked for me. Almost every character was awful, which made it hard to care about - or root for - any of them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion

William Radford, IV lost his wife Eleanor to cancer. Without waiting, he met and married a young, African American woman, Keisha, age 22, that he met in London. Back in the U.S., she is meeting her husband’s long-time friends. Eleanor was loved by their friends so they are rather shocked at his quick marriage.

Keisha has a lot of energy, an outgoing personality, and tries hard to be accepted by William’s friends. His co-worker, Jason and wife Marcie, are doing all they can to befriend the girl and introduce her to their wealthy friends and way of life.

Marcie is a second wife to Jason and wants to hold onto her marriage. She worries a lot about him being true to her.

Keisha and William’s private married life is difficult for her to handle but she tries her best to be who he wants her to be. If only he would just die and not make her do that stuff!

William and Jason want Marcie to take Keisha under her wing and show her how to be a southern hostess. While they seem to get along, things are not what they appear to be.

When William suffers a devastating medical incident, it appears that someone wants him dead. Who and why? It appears that everyone is hiding a secret of some kind and looking for revenge.

Well now. This book has a bit of something for everyone. In true southern small town form, we have cattiness, people with more wealth than couth, and so many secrets and oneupmanship going on that it’s right heady. Come check it out. I found it a really good read.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sarah Pinborough has a huge fan following and I wish I could hop on board but her stories just don't work or me. 2 *I think I'm being generous* stars!

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.