Member Reviews
Not really for me,characters wishy washy and unlikeable and how many troubled psychologists can there be? Have enjoyed this authors books in the past and so look forward to the next |
His Hidden Wife was an interesting read. It's very well written and I loved how the story could be taken as Maya's story of losing her mother to an accident (or was it really an accident??) at a young age and being raised by her father or Teresa's story of unrequited love, of keeping silent to protect the man she's loved for years. It's told from the POV of both these women. Lots of suspense and twists! And speaking of twist, that ending?!?! To die for! |
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Wendy Clarke - 4 stars for a twisty psychological thriller! Maya lives alone with her behavioral therapist father, Stephen, at the top of a cliff - the same cliff where her mother died from a fall when Maya was 6 years old. Maya feels responsible to make sure Stephen is taken care of so she gives up her dream of becoming a doctor to stay home, working as an aide at a nursing home instead. But when Stephen brings home a woman for the first time and she looks remarkably like Maya's mother, Maya begins to wonder what really happened that night so many years ago. She knows Stephen is keeping secrets but what are they? In alternating chapters, we hear from Teresa, a therapist in Stephen's practice who has secretly been in love with him for years. Teresa has her own issues - an abusive marriage, an out-of-control son, and a mother slipping into dementia. This was a solid read that kept you guessing as to what all the secrets were that everyone was hiding. The story was well written and really put you into the atmosphere where the remote, cliffside setting added to the suspense. It was also an interesting look into behavior therapy as it pertains to memory. |
Debbie D, Reviewer
This is a psychological thriller with a lot of twists and turns. It truly kept me guessing. I liked the premise of the story, but it took me a while to get into it. While I have read many books that alternate POVs, this one took a little to adjust to. Glad I stuck with the story. Enjoyed the ending, I received an advance copy of this booking exchange for my honest review. |
I was mesmerized by this tale of the secrets lurking behind the beautiful facade of a picture perfect marriage, and what happens when that picture is disrupted. A great book! |
When Maya was 6, her mother died leaving her to be raised by her father, Stephen. Years later Maya is struggling with moving on with her life and when Stephen introduces Amy his new girlfriend to Maya the likeness to her mum is uncanny. Soon Maya is having flashbacks and things are starting to change in her world and not in a good way. This was a good solid story and I enjoyed it, as I do with all of Wendy's books. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review. |
I couldn't really get into this book. A bit slow and the storyline was one I've read many times. That said, I've liked many of her other books so give it a go. It may not be for me but might be for you. |
I must say that I was very intrigued by the synopsis of the book when I request it but unfortunately I find this story very flat for my taste. It was very slow and I really didn't understand the existence of the characters like Teresa or his first wife.. they didn't offer anything to the story really especially the background of Teresa which was very flat like the writer just put them so the book will be little bit longer because if you take them out the book was like short story. Even the main characters were very little and unlikable, and their action was not very believable and pointless mostly, especially from the father. I understand very well the main idea behind the book and maybe it could be a good one but the way it was written it was confusing and without any suspense, even the twists was little bit silly and the most of them you see them coming. From the first pages you know that something wrong with specific characters because of actions and a decisions they make without any logic. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital copy for exchange of my honest opinion |
I’m annoyed as I really wanted to enjoy this book. Once I read the synopsis I requested this book and was looking forward to receiving it.......until I started it. About a third of the way through I found myself either reading the words but not taking in the story or so confused with alternating chapters from different points of view. I have read books where each chapter is told from a characters pint of view but in this book I kept having to go back to figure out who was who and what happened to them last. I kept hoping the pace was going to pick up but it never did. I hate leaving negative reviews but on this one I couldn’t do anything other than leaving my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. |
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. I am not really sure if I liked this book or not. Its a very slow paced novel and picks up only at the last few chapters of the novel. Though the end is really good I wish I could connect more with the characters. I give it a 3 stars. |
2 STARS I feel like this story has been told way too many times. We think someone is dead, they may or may not be, and we as readers are left trying to figure out what is true and what is not. Meh. I have mixed feelings about this one and all the different points of view were difficult to keep up with. It felt very disorganized and the characters were unlikeable. It was so slow paced I couldn’t focus most of the time because it got so boring. In my opinion, there will be better suspense/thriller reads than this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture as well as Wendy Clarke for this ARC they provided in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published on February 3, 2021. |
“The past is sometimes hidden just under the surface of the present. With help, if you peel that layer away, it can come back to life” ― Wendy Clarke, His Hidden Wife Well as you can imagine this was intense from the start with plenty of manipulation, gaslighting, threats, intimidation, and murder or was it suicide? It starts with a young girl Maya witnessing her mom Cheryl's death -fall over a cliff- but then 18 yrs. later she finds herself tending to her father's every whim. Stephen. Stephen is a bizarre one. He's new girlfriend Amy is now on the scene but she's not the first and won't be the last. Perhaps nobody cares about the past but wouldn't it be nice to know the whole story with the connector pieces in play. Theresa the therapist/partner in practice/college love or whatever is quite disturbing and these woman that seen something in Stephen make me wonder what all that magic was as I'm not seeing it. Well, that's all for now-this was an interesting and unique thriller that was different from others in similar genre. |
Wowwwwww this one was fantastic!!! Seriously I knew that this book was going to be a knockout! The characters were fantastic and this was such a good thrill. |
Susan Anne B, Reviewer
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller, great characters and a great storyline, had me hooked until the very end |
I had the pleasure of reading this for my honest review from NetGalley, thank you. This story focuses on three characters, Maya being the main character of this read. Maya lives with her dad Stephen in a cliff top house surrounded by the sea. Maya's mother died when Maya was six years old, she has never known the truth about the death of her mother,all she has are happy memories of her childhood. All of her life she has wanted to know the truth but her dad has always kept it a secret. Stephen meets Amy and straight away he is smitten with her, he introduces Amy to his daughter but Maya can not accept another person in their life, Maya does not like Amy from the start, Amy reminds her of her mother, the same hair colour, the same likeliness. Then we have Theresa, Stephens work colleague, they work together in Stephen's clinic. Theresa is obsessed with Stephen, she will do anything to be close to him. This Story is based on Maya searching for answers towards her mother's death but now Amy has come into the picture, things do not go the way maya hoped for. This read will have you guessing, it is full of twists and mystery. I was glued from the start. I really enjoyed reading this, I am looking forward to reading more novels from this author. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ |
mick d, Media
This book is centred around behavioural psychologist Stephen and two women whose lives revolve around him. First, there is daughter Maya; her mother died in a tragic accident when she was 6 and she’s been alone with her dad ever since. He suffers from occasional dark moods and Maya is convinced there’s a secret surrounding her mother’s accident. A secret they have to keep at all cost. She’s dedicated to her dad to the extent that she didn’t go to university when she had the opportunity. The other important woman is Teresa, Stephen’s colleague and long-term friend. She’s married to Garry, a controlling buffoon and on top of that, her mother is suffering from the onset of dementia. She’s had a crush on Stephen since she was a student and is still obsessed with him and constantly thinks “Stephen would understand; he would calm me down; I wish Stephen was here …” Then, something unthinkable happens. Stephen falls in love with a younger woman; a woman that looks a lot like his dead wife. Although Stephen is the central character, the book is solely told from the POV of the 2 women who love him. I have to say that none of them is likeable at first sight. I warmed up to Maya, the daughter as her love for her dad is genuine and unconditional. The story starts out rather slow but that gives an excellent opportunity to meet the main characters and form an idea about them and their psychological make-up. You’re slowly drawn into the story, and when you think you figured it all out (I had 2 or 3 possible scenarios as possibilities at first), you’ll learn something new or something unexpected happens, and you have to rethink everything. There is a major twist near the end that puts everything that we assumed to know in question again. I’m slowly getting fed up with books where the main character is struggling with a parent with dementia. It’s an ugly and cruel disease and deserves a place, but it seems to be a prevalent theme these days; last year I had the same thing with missing family members that popped up in almost every book. That’s just a personal musing; it doesn’t interfere with the quality of the book. If this is Wendy’s debut; well done and I’ll look out for more stories. The title feels a bit as misdirection. The subject pops up near the end but is in my eyes a minor issue in the whole of the narrative. I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for the free ARC they provided and this is my honest review of it. |
Elena S, Media
Book was well written. Enjoy it. Finished in one sitting. Well definitely read more by this author. Thank you for letting me read the book. I would recommend this book who likes a good book. |
Sharon T, Reviewer
His Hidden Wife is a psychological thriller with a lot of twists. I enjoyed this book it was every well written and kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next, and the ending never saw that coming. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC . |
This book just couldn’t keep me engaged. It has the structure of a great story, but.....🤷🏼♀️. I don’t mind multiple POVs but maybe this just had too many “moving parts” or mini mysteries within a larger mystery.... Also, I’m a bit burnt out on England & the likes these days. Nothing personal AT ALL, I’d like to visit one day. But I just need one solid mystery here in the USA, I believe. I’m a bit worn out with all my “bloody” literary travels of late😂 |
Great characters, a fantastic setting, and a psychological thriller all wrapped up in one! Wendy Clarke’s newest thriller is exactly that- a thriller. I was drawn to the story and the ending blew my mind. Way to think outside of the box with this one! Thank you for the advance copy! |








