Holy cow. What did I just read?!? This suspenseful, crazy ride was way more than I was expecting when I began reading this book. Murder, adultery, lies, and many other horrible things fill the pages of this novel, which keeps you second guessing your theories until the very end. Wow. My brain was just blown.

An Captivating Story of Murders, Betrayal, and Sleeping With Students

The novel opens up with Lila throwing a fit and tearing up her bedroom and elsewhere looking for Aaron’s, her husband, secret cell phone. She couldn’t unsee what she had seen! Her husband comes home and tries to dominate her and tell her that it isn’t what she thinks it is. What follows is mostly a diatribe against her husband until near the end. Aaron is a high school math teacher. Brent, Aaron’s principal and best friend shows up at his house one morning asking where Aaron is. Lila’s tells him that he is at school. A literary grenade goes off. Lila thinks to herself that she killed him and left him in his car on the high school grounds. The second literary grenade goes off. His car is not on the high school grounds! Is he alive? She had to find him before he finds her. I was hooked!

Having been called by Brent, Ginny Davis, Senior Investigator from the local Sheriff’s Office, shows up to obtain what initial information she can. Although Lila thinks everything is going south very quickly, she keeps herself calm. Ginny finds Lila very detached and unconcerned. Lila’s answers to Ginny are very measured and offer the bare minimum of information. The game of cat and mouse starts. The main storyline is not that simple but much more rich. The environment is one of several missing girls that are the focus of an FBI lead task force. Lila and her husband have pasts that they would rather keep secret. While Ginny focused on Lila, the investigation uncovers other possible suspects that must be investigated. While I was hooked early, the richness of the storyline kept me hooked throughout the whole novel.

This is a debut novel and appears to be a standalone novel so much of the B-storyline threads can be considered part of the main storyline. There is extensive background for Lila and her husband, of course, from the perspective of Lila. The background on the other characters is enough to understand the reasoning of their actions. The only other character with an extensive background is Ginny, the investigator. Insight to her background and her rocky path to and in her current position along with her family life proves a solid character. She has a junior partner so much of her character is revealed as she tutors her partner. These storyline threads contributed to my enjoyment in reading this novel.

I especially enjoyed two aspects in this novel First was the questioning of Lila by Ginny, who continually changes the line of inquiry trying to trip up Lila, who while internally in turmoil keeps herself calm and answer the questions with the minimum of information. This enhanced the cat and mouse aspect of the novel. The second was the high level of suspense that the author was able to maintain throughout the novel.

All of the above was achieve with not much vulgar language, and implied but no descriptive intimate scenes. There was one religious name taken in vain. All violence is described after the fact so it is less edgy. There is some pedophilia with teenage girls with references to evidence of such activity so this novel is adult content.

This novel was very enjoyable to read. All of the requirements for a high star rating were present. My opinion was cemented by the verbal duels between Lila and Ginny. The plot twists occurred right up to the end of the novel. I do not remember any loose ends. I rate this debut novel with five stars. If the teaser interests you, I believe you will enjoy reading this novel also.

I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from HarperCollins Publishers with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

Pretty Little Wife
A Novel
by Darby Kane
HarperCollins Publishers
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
William Morrow Paperbacks
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 29 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 23 Feb 2021

I am a fan of this author's romance books so I was looking forward to this mystery/thriller. It does not disappoint.
I loved this book. Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
4 star

Thank you for the advanced reader copy (ARC) HarperCollins!

In short:
Aaron was (is?) well-liked by his brother, peers, students, and neighbors, so when he goes missing everyone is beside themselves with worry. Well, everyone except Lila. Lila was the last person to see her husband's body, and now it's missing.

In review:
ARC's are a bit hit or miss, and in truth, I've grown a bit wary of them. This debut by Darby Kane was a hit, and it took me by surprise. Pretty Little Wife is well crafted, and really just a lot of fun to dive into. I know some reviewers didn't take to Lila, but man do I love a wronged woman serving up just deserts.

Read this if you like:
- domestic thrillers
- A Good Marriage
- Before She Knew Him

I was excited to read this suspenseful thriller. I am a fan of this author's romance novels, and was looking forward to reading a new genre from this author. this book keeps you on the edge of your seat and the ending was shocking.

Now that's what a wow debut. What a mind-blowing, wild ride of a missing husband thriller perfect for anyone looking for a good thrill.

I was first attracted to this book thanks to its cover, which I think is perfect for what it represents. This novel is about Lila, a seemingly absolutely normal woman living in an idyllic little college town. Except, she's not. And her handsome teacher husband Aaron is missing. The problem is, Lila was the last person who saw him, and she recently found out about his pervy infidelities .But that's not all - there are three girls missing in the area, and their cases might be connected to Aaron's disappearence.

Oh my goodness, this book is the definition of "I couldn't put it down." Lila is such a great, flawed character with her strong personality and successful career. In addition, the real twisted story pulled me in whole - so I have no choice but give it 5 stars.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lila has lost herself and is in a marriage where her husband berates and belittles her. She finds something that makes her snap out of it and look at her marriage in a different light. When he goes missing the investigator starts looking at Lila. It becomes a bit of a game between the two. This book is full of suspense and the twists were great. I absolutely loved this book and it’s ending!

This is a fun book with a clever plot. The story begins when the main character, who is not always sympathetic, finds her husband’s secret phone containing extremely incriminating videos. They fight, they reconcile, and then the husband disappears. Did his beautiful, but emotionally distant wife, Lila, have anything to do with his disappearance? Lila doesn’t seem to know where he is and she should; because she left his body and car where they would be easily found after she killed him. Besides a dead body that can’t be found, there are missing teenage girls, a determined policewoman and a plethora of twists and turns in this riveting page-turner.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishers for this amazing ARC. This book sucked me in and I read it in about 24 hours. The suspense built throughout the book and the ending was just wow! Definitely add this one to your list.

What a fantastic book from start to finish!
Like I devoured this book!
It was really hard for me to put down at times
I enjoyed the plot the ending the characters!
Such a fun exciting book.

Rating 4

Thank You NetGalley Publisher and author for this gifted ebook!

This was an amazing debut novel and I couldn't put it down. If you're a fan of thrillers, this is right up your alley! The character development made the book even better to read. Overall, I thought it provided some amazing thrills, twists and best of all a shock!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Pretty Little Wife.

I was pleased when my request was approved, because though parts of the plot sounded formulaic, I was interested to read it when I got to the part where the husband is missing.

Pretty Little Wife is about a trophy wife named Lila, once an attorney, now relegated as arm candy to her professor husband, Aaron.

The standard, domestic thriller tropes are here: Aaron is charming and popular, but in private, he is a predator, manipulative, philanderer, and enjoys gaslighting and deceiving Lila.

When Lila discovers Aaron's filthy secret, she decides to turn the tables on him and put him out of her misery.

But, when his body disappears, Lila is left to wonder: Who knows her secret, and is she next?

At the same time, three women have disappeared from town and a serial podcast has armchair detectives and listeners wondering if Aaron's disappearance and these women gone missing are connected.

First, Lila is not likable. No one is. She comes off as aloof, calm and controlled, yet the author seems unsure of developing Lila correctly.

She acts collected and indifferent when detectives interrogate her yet makes the same mistake when she has an affair with another professor, who double crosses her.

Let's not even go into how comfortable she feels with her brother-in-law.

If the author's intention is to demonstrate Lila is only human, and keeps choosing the wrong men because her character and upbringing has been damaged by her monster of a father, I understand, but her actions and behavior are inconsistent.

Generally, I root for a charming, devious, cunning woman, no matter how unlikable she is (see: Gone Girl) but nothing about Lila came across as smart or brilliant.

The writing was good, but the narrative dragged, and when a clue was revealed, it was nothing earth shattering.

I figured out the identity of the murderer early on and pieced the clues (if you want to call them that) as they occurred.

But, I read a lot of books like these so it's difficult to surprise me.

I think many readers will enjoy Pretty Little Wife, but I just thought it was okay.

This was such a rollercoaster!! I was completely sucked into this book from the very beginning. I love how the characters were written. There are twists and turns that makes you desperate to keep turning the page. I completely recommend this book for a good “edge of your seat” page turner!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!! I was hooked from the beginning!!!! There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming. If you are looking for a catching read that will keep you guessing as things keep coming to the surface then read this book!!

After reading Author Acknowledgements and About the Author I found out this book was written under a pseudonym as a debut author. I found that very interesting and will research who the author really is!

I have already recommended this book to people as a must-read ASAP!!!!

Thank you again NetGalley!!!!

I'm not usually a fan of murderers as protagonists, but Pretty Little Wife is so clever and well-written that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lila Ridgefield may not be warm and cuddly, but her husband Aaron is far worse, as the sex videos of him with female high school students demonstrate. A lot of women might be tempted to dispose of him, if only in their imaginations. Lila does it for real -- then his supposedly dead body and the car she stashed it in both disappear. As the police broaden their investigation, Lila is more afraid of a suddenly alive again Aaron coming after her than she is of being caught. . The twists are genuinely surprising and the plot has a fresher feel than many suspense novels do. Recommended!

An excellent domestic thriller with a twist ending that kept me engaged at all times. The main character definitely surprised me! A delight!

Wow what a wild ride of a read.The story so well written characters that come alive .A storyline that kept me guessing till the ending that shocked,Highly recommend.#netgalley#harpercollins

Pretty Little Wife is a suspenseful page-turner that just completely blew me away! Lila’s husband is missing, which shocks Lila, since she knows exactly where she left his body, and she can’t understand why the police haven’t found him yet. So starts this twisty, well-written thriller that will have you hooked right from the first page. Great characters, totally engrossing plot and a satisfying ending all add up to a fantastic read, easily 5 Stars. Highly recommended, don’t miss this one! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lila is shocked. She killed her husband and dumped the body in his car, but somehow in the hours since the crime, the car and body are gone. Her perfect plan disappeared along with her husband.

This is a twisty domestic thriller that keeps you guessing and wanting to read more. Even with characters that aren’t really likable, I still wanted to find out what happened. And the ending?! So, so good. I’ll be watching for Darby Kane’s next thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good page turner but predictable. I called the whole story after 50 pages... maybe I have read too many mysteries but this was not a surprise twist.