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.

Loved this book!!! It was so well done that you just kept reading till the very end! I finished the whole thing in like 4 hours. Amazing!

Lila Richfield is a smart, impeccably dressed attorney, realtor and wife living the dream life. She is also hiding life hanging secrets and quite possibly just murdered her husband Aaron in the opening chapters. Now instead of being dead, he is missing. The case is assigned to Ginny, who is just as smart as Lila and each woman circles the other. So, if Lila didn’t kill him, where is the sleezy pile of shit Aaron, and who killed him. An intelligent psychological thriller with well developed flawed characters and a completely twisted plot that draws you you in the further you read.. highly recommended.

Ekkkk y’all I loveeee these Husband/wife novels!!! This one was top notch. I could not get over the ending, it surprised me SO MUCH. One of the biggest endings I have read in a while. The writing is excellent and the main character is mysterious which is perfect for this novel. A must read!

Holy shit! This was phenomenal!

I went in blind, not knowing much at all about the story. And I’m so glad I did.

Lila was quite an interesting character. I never knew when to trust/believe her. Or if anything she said or thought was true. The only thing I did know was that she’d killed her husband.

The rest of this story is a web of lies, murder, sex...and misinformation. Puzzling it all out is basically impossible.

It’s so much fun though. It’s sinister and dark, sure. But you kinda can’t help loving the direction things take.

I started becoming suspicious of many things all at the same time—around the halfway point. Some ended up being accurate, others were way off. And I loved that.

By the end, I just wanted Lila to be free and to learn the truth about everything.

And the truth is...mind blowing.

I highly recommend this for fellow mystery and thriller lovers. Definitely a favorite this year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I read all night to finish this book, I literally could not stop reading it! It went a completely different direction than I expected ✨
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It takes off at a fast clip from the very beginning and continues that pace throughout.
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Lila lives in a beautiful college town in New York state. Several college students have gone missing. Now, Lila’s husband, the beloved high school teacher, has gone missing and the entire town is scrambling to find him.
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Lila is confused because the last time she saw his body, he was dead. 👀
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I highly recommend this one! I really loved it!
It’s very Karin Slaughter-y but not quite as graphic. I look forward to more from this author!
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✨Due out December 29, 2020✨
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Thank you so much @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the chance to review this book!

Lila Ridgefield had everything planned out perfectly. She killed her husband, Aaron, and left his body and car to be found at the high school where he works. Or so she thought, because now her husband is missing. Does this mean he's still alive? Or is someone who figured out her plan messing with her?
In the background of Aaron's disappearance, there are also three missing college students. How do they fit into the puzzle?

This book held me under its spell. I was so captivated and intrigued, I didn't want to stop reading. When I had to put the book aside (because, darn it, sometimes life gets in the way of reading), I couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering what would happen next.

It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel!
It's beautifully crafted with strong female characters that are complex, flawed and fascinating.
Lila is a quiet strength who is sick of all the gaslighting from the men in her life and finally stands up for herself. Ginny, the no nonsense cop, has seen it all, heard it all and doesn't have time for games. In essence, she's a total Badass and I loved her!

If you're a fan of domestic thrillers, give this a read.

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

This Book sucked me in from the beginning. Such a great fun twisty read. Loved it. Go read it right now.

A solid read that starts out with a bang and ends with one too. This book grabbed me in the beginning, which I love! It was very well written, with many layers piled within for you to unweave. The character development made the book even better to read. Overall, I thought it provided some amazing thrills, chills, twists and turns, and shocks! A great book to go along with the current themes of today’s society! Can you imagine expecting your dead husband to be somewhere, but him ending up missing? If not or if yes, this book will show you just that!
Will make sure to buzz around and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

There are three young women missing. And now Aaron a teacher, is also missing. Is it coincidence or just happenstance. Of course the closest people to the missing person is always the first person of interest. Aaron's wife is the first to be questioned. Since she tents to be a quiet somewhat introverted person she is right of way deemed guilty by the general public. Since Aaron seems like such a likable person, friendly and gregarious, everyone seems to like him and have nothing but good things to say about him. What is not noticeable is that people in this story are not what they portray to be.
Ginny the lead investigator in the case is probably the only one that sees that there is more about these people than meets the eye.
A twisted domestic thriller that has you enthralled and definitely entertained from the very beginning of the book.

Thank you , Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC. It started out promising, so fast-paced, with exciting "what's gonna happen"? I'm not sure when it slowed down and started to get boring, but I ended up skipping parts. This might be because I didn't like any of the characters., which is really important to me. I will say. the end came at me out of nowhere. WTH! That made it all worth it. I just wish the book could have kept up the original momentum.

This is such a brilliant, mind crushing, moving, surprising debut!

Characters are flawed, inaccurate, complex, realistically portrayed and eventually you may find a way to connect with them. Especially the quirky, unique but also stone-faced, tough, determined heroine Lila Ridgefield. She seems like small college town resident, ex lawyer, a brand new, competitive real estate agent, always stylish, looking good, happily married with her charming teacher husband Aaron.

But as you may guess, nothing as it seems. In the beginning of the story, she finds her husband’s secret stashes including another phone( he didn’t even think hard to use another pin, what a moron!) and he is also idiot enough to keep the intimate videos he shot with the girls as he was “playing doctor”!

Yes, ewww! The year of the husband tries to convince his wifey that was just a prank!
And later we learn this husband dearest is missing and an investigation team tries to find out what happened to him.

Lila is also shocked because she is the last one who saw him. And she might have done something to her husband the pervert! But the real problem if there is no dead body found, that means she couldn’t accomplish her mission and her husband the jackass may be out somewhere to plan his revenge.

Aaron’s brother Jared and Lila’s lawyer/ ex colleague Tobias are her side as the investigation team targets her and brings out the skeletons she perfectly hid in her closet.

Yes, she has changed her name for a really important reason. But can the reason to make a fresh start be connected with her husband’s disappearance?

And there’s also a popular crime podcast informs people there are also three missing girls out there and there may be a slightest chance those cases may be also connected with Aaron’s disappearance!

Unfortunately all eyes on Lila: she may be lynched or shunned by small town residents who truly believe the purity and sweetness of Aaron the perfectly punchable face!

I stop right here but I have to tell you: there are so many jaw dropping twists, unexpected, riveting turns and WTH moments of the book so keep on reading! I know you’re gonna love it so much just like I did!

Lila was smart, badass, empowered, unique, logical character. She seems like a victim of her own choices but she’s strong enough to survive and choose another path. I don’t think she reminds me of Jane Doe- another badass, dangerous character- because firstly she’s not sociopath and she can feel deeply but she knows how to control her feelings and never let them cloud her judgment.

Overall: Connectable heroine, balanced and intriguing pace and twisty finale earned 4.5 stars from me and I’m happily rounding them up to 5 blazing, mysterious stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/ William Morrow Paperbacks for sharing this incredible Arc with me in exchange my honest review.