"They only see what they want to see, even when the truth is right in front of them."

This book centers around a family, The Nelson's, and their business empire. Unfortunately, there are TWO Mrs. Nelson's. Kate and John Nelson were married first and built a growing empire about to reach a huge milestone. They have one daughter named Ashlyn. The new Mrs. Nelson, Trish, is only a few years older than Ashlyn. I knew this had the making of a perfect first or second wife revenge novel.

I was a bit more excited for the book from reading the excerpt than I was actually reading the book. Trish was probably the only character that I could genuinely connect with, but she lacked character even with her dominating the POV for most of the book. The other characters were very hard to like and were not well-rounded. In all honesty, not one of the characters was that impressive.

The book's ending was a bit surprising but left me feeling like it was unfinished and that they were all just horrible people. Typically, I love a good villain, but it just fell a bit short in this case with all main characters being antagonists. There was no one to root for. However, I will say the author left it so that it kept the reader thinking, well, what could happen?

Overall, it was still an engaging book. It is a quick read, it would be perfect for the beach, but overall it was just OK. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you like books that centre around unlikable characters and a plot full of lies and deceit, then this is the book for you! Kaira Rouda has done it again with a fast paced thriller that kept me engaged from the first few pages.

In this book we follow the story of two women and the chapters go back and forth from their points of view, as well as other characters in the story. I really like reading a book from multiple view points, as it allows the reader to see the story from all angles.

Kate was the first wife and built up a very successful company with her former husband. Tish, his former assistant and new wife decides that to celebrate the success of the company, she will wisk her husband away on a romantic vacation. However, it seems that Tish has other plans in mind for this trip and though nothing is for certain, her husband drops dead one night after a few drinks.

Back at home, there's a power struggle between ex wife and new wife and daughter Ashlyn seems to be caught in the middle. She knows that Tish has done something horrible to her father, but will she be able to prove it?

This book had a lot of twists and turns and every single character was unlikable and untrustworthy, so as a reader, I was never fully sure what exactly was going on. Tons of drama, which I love in a good thriller! I read this one really quickly, because I just needed to get to the bottom of it! I thought it was both diabolical and clever! Overall, very well done and a great read!

I enjoyed this book by Kaira Rouda. The characters were a little hard to like however the storyline kept me intrigued. I guessed the twist about halfway through. Good summer read.



Thank you to NetGalleyThomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

his was a fun and quick read! Kate Nelson and her husband started a company many years ago and have watched it take off to its fullest potential. The company is now going public and what better way to celebrate with a trip! The new “wife” Tish is the new Mrs. Nelson and has so many wonderful plans for her husband and her weekend getaway to celebrate. Celebrating turns into something different when Tish wakes up to find John dead. Kate Nelson (ex wife) and her daughter are faced with so much grief and heartache from the passing of John. The ex wife and former husband had plans to rekindle their relationship and leave the new “wife” Tish in the dust. However, Tish has other plans… What will Kate Nelson and her daughter uncover happened to father and the backbone of their family?
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I wanted to love this but I really couldn’t. The characters I did not love at all. They were very annoying and just weren’t formed to the reader well. The story was very predictable and a game of cat and mouse. I honestly was hoping for a lot better thriller but this one just left me bored and figuring it out by the middle. This felt like a lifetime movie that was just horrible. I love lifetime movies too so that says a lot. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC copy to review. I look forward to trying another book from this author and hope for something better.

This was a quick read about two women who shared the same husband.
   There was the usual head butting between the first wife and business partner of the husband and the present young wife (his ex personal assistant at the firm)….the reader can easily imagine how this all came to be.
   But apparently there was a lot of retrospective thoughts from all the characters and a new future coming into play between the three until the husband suddenly dies.  That future puts both wives wanting to be in the drivers seat of the business.  Now the gloves were off.
   Both women were conniving and self centered and their similar goals of power, money and entitlement led to a  "no holes barred" approach for either of them to get what they wanted and thought they deserved.
   I did wonder several times how naive and clueless wife #2 was throughout this book. I could feel the gum snapping and flipping of the hair as she spoke, so the author did a good job on that characterization.
   The unexpected ending tied the whole package up w a big bow.

I was so lucky to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. First off you are missing out big time if you have not read a book by Kaira Rouda! She is absolutely amazing! This book is no exception - WOW! I absolutely loved this book. She has a writing style that makes you want to hate the main character and that draws you in and keeps you engrossed until the very last page. The Next Wife is a must read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller and likes to stay up too late reading as you won't want to put it down!

I absolutely loved this book!!
Full of lies & deceit. Highly recommend.
This book was not what I expected.
You will not be disappointed. Grab it!!

This tale of greed and revenge is twisty and the end is the biggest surprise of all. I won’t spoil it but know that it’s a fluffy read that is hard to put down. I didn’t guess the ending although there were a few breadcrumbs left as a trail. For a fun, light read this gets my vote (and recommendation). Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda is a tale of two women who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and all in the name of love. While this was certainly not my favourite book from this author, I was invested enough to see it through to the end.

Kate and John have established a successful company during their marriage, and share a daughter, Ashlyn. Their shared workplace is where John meets Tish, his assistant and, ultimately, his second wife. But the marriage is not all it appears to be, and Tish begins to suspect that John's first wife, Kate, wants him back. Told from multiple perspectives, the story of two women who will go to any lengths to protect that to which they feel entitled unfolds.

This is a twisty tale that is full of enough familial drama to keep you turning the pages. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.

I was hoping this would end a bit of a NetGalley rut I’ve been in, but I ended up just somewhat enjoying it. I think I was spoiled by the first Kaira rouda book I read, Best Day ever. This one just didn’t live up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.



3.5/5

I did not love this book - I thought the writing was oddly off and unsatisfying. It was tough to get through. The characters were unlikeable and not believable. The dialog was off as well. The plot was decent but everything else was just meh.

I enjoyed reading this book that falls in the genre of Mystery & Thriller. Though I feel it is more of a Psychological thriller.

The story revolves around wife number 1, husband and his young trophy wife. The dynamics around these three are so tense it is nerve wracking.

Tish- the new young wife - gave me the creeps from the start. The tension between them, the change in attitude and perception did build the set up for a major doom bound to happen.

What I really liked about the book was how it did pick up the pace after a few chapters. And the author has done a great job subtly telling the thinking or throwing in hints here and there. As The story goes on you do not feel sorry for any member. That kind of takes the edge of softness from the story and makes it really interesting because all your characters are capable of being crazy.

The beginning section could have been structured in a different way to make it a well rounded story. It was a predictable plot with foreseen twists but nevertheless it was a good thriller read.

Lo siento de verdad, pero no me ha gustado.
Lo he dejado justo en la mitad. Previsible y nada interesante, especialmente después del fallecimiento del marido. Da igual si Tish lo ha matado o no. Fatal.

The Next Wife was the first book I read by this author.
It is a domestic thriller about a woman, her husband and his family. John and Kate had the perfect life as well as a successful company and a daughter, Ashlyn. Everything seemed to be perfect until John left Kate for his young assistant, Tish. The new woman herself is a friend of their daughter. Perfectly imperfect.
However John considers leaving Tish. To save their marriage they go on a romantic trip and this is when the action sets in…
Although I first thought this might turn out as a typical wife-husband-new wife- story it kept me guessing the whole time.
I enjoyed that the story is told from multiple perspectives and I loved to hate the characters.

Thank you # Thomas & Mercer # NetGalley for an ARC of this book

WOW...speechless! Not the book I thought it would be and my mind has been BLOWN!! Prepare to fall into a rabbit hole of lies, deceit, and ugliness. That is ALL I can say without giving the book away.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda.

Tish has finally made it. She scored a rich husband by seducing him at work, and is slowly making friends with his daughter Ashlyn. The only thing standing in her way is John's ex-wife Kate.

Kate is also high powered and wealthy because of the business her and John started early in their marriage. Kate has no problem supporting herself and her daughter, and is even willing to make it work with John and Tish.

But things are never as you plan and after a series of unexpected events, Tish and Kate now find themselves at a crossroads, one wife, one ex-wife. Which wife gets to win?

I really enjoyed Rouda's Best Day Ever. I even remember the road trip I was on when listening to it, so I was excited to pick up her next one.

This one hooks you pretty quick, and it's not hard to see why it's been read by so many, but ooooh myyyyy gaaaaaaawsh, get on with it already! Like, how much ridiculous back and forth bantering full of empty promises and threats must we endure. It seems like so much of it could be solved with the phrase, "plan to hear from my lawyer," >click<

So, easy to read, but totally silly. I have a hard time believing that two cunning and intelligent women would reduce themselves to the dialogue and behavior as these two. But then again, maybe love and money make you do insane things.

OMGGGG this book was just what I needed. I loved the multiple POV and the crazy story. This was a wild dysfunctional family drama packed booked. It had me hooked from the start. I Loved all the twists in it. Tish was a character I loved to hate and she was so well done. Thanks for allowing me to read this one!

I was extremely disappointed with this book. This one had many high ratings but I found that it was extremely lackluster. The characters are all terrible people and you aren't cheering on for any of them. The plot is really predictable and I have read thrillers with a similar plot. But the worst thing by far is the dialogue which had no emotion at all. It felt like the characters were constantly texting each other. I think the writing could have been better if it wasn't in first-person narration. The only thing I enjoyed is that it was a woman lead thriller. Overall I'm extremely disappointed and I don't think I'm going to pick up another book from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Kaira Rouda for the arc.

The Next Wife is the first book I've read by Kaira Rouda. The Next Wife is Tish, who started out as John's assistant and is now John's much younger second wife, Kate is the first wife. Tish, Kate and John all work at the same company. Are you keeping up? When Tish and John leave for a romantic getaway everything goes wrong. Without giving away any spoilers, things are not as they seem and everyone has something to hide in this novel. It will definitely keep you guessing!

I really enjoyed this and finished it in one day. I wasn't sure what was going to happen but it hinted at it early on. The characters were not too likeable but the story was good and kept my interest.