I received a free ARC From NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay but not quite what I was expecting. I had a hard time liking the characters. The story moved pretty quickly but I didn’t care too much for the ending.

I thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book. Elisa is married to Harris and they have a 7 year old son. Josh is Harris brother and his wives and girlfriends either mysteriously die or disappear. Elisa thinks this is very peculiar but Harris thinks it is bad luck. Elisa starts having health issues and mysterious behavior. So many twists and turns. A wonderful mystery and I had no clue until the end.

I really liked this book. It had me hooked from the first page. There were several twists I didn't see coming. It had me guessing til the end!

For some reason this one gave me de ja vu at the beginning, but it didn’t live up to Pretty Little Wife. It was twisty and entertaining, but lacked that extra something her last book had. I didn’t connect with the main character as I waffled back and forth if she was even reliable, but not in the good unreliable narrator way.

The writing kept me engaged, but I needed to connect a little more with either the characters or the story.

Every family has its secrets and they all come out in this psychological suspense. Elisa finds evidence that her brother-in-law is harboring secrets. As she investigates, she notices strange things beginning to happen, which cause her to question her sanity. This is an entertaining, suspenseful read with a few exciting twists. Fans of Shari Lapena and B.A. Paris will like this.

Absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in from the getgo and had me guessing all the way to the end. Did not want it to end at all.

I loved Pretty Little Wife. And this? Not so much.

It felt too repetitive, which made the story drag for me.

However, I will still read her next offerings because I enjoy her writing style.

Bah humbug!

This one started out with such promise, and then all hope was dashed.

The moment Elisa begins to suspect that her brother-in-law Josh murdered his former fiance, Abby, I was all-in!

Then we found out that Josh's first wife Candace died and Woah! At this point, my breath caught in my throat!

Elisa however is unreliable. She's been on meds for several months now due to PTSD and isn't quite herself. Can we trust her? It's at this point that the book started to go haywire. Elisa has several thoughts on what may have happened and they were all over the place personally, I found them to be way over the top.

From this point forward, everything became extreme, and that was it for me.

While this wasn't my favorite book by Darby Kane, I read and loved her prior book Pretty Little Wife, and remain a huge fan and can't wait for her next release.

A buddy read with Kaceey.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers - William Morrow Paperbacks via NetGalley for the arc.

Elisa Wright has a perfectly normal life. She lives in the suburbs with her husband and son. The only hiccup in their perfect life is that Elisa is sure that her brother-in-law, Josh, is a killer. She suspected something wasn't right when Josh's ex, Abby, just disappeared. Abby was also Elisa's friend and she cannot believe that Abby would just disappear. Josh has replaced Abby with Rachel. She seems nice enough, but Elisa can't help but think that her life is in danger. And her husband just dismisses her concerns. When weird things keep happening to Elisa, she starts to believe that her own life might be at risk. Will she be able to prove to her husband that Josh is dangerous?


From almost the very beginning Elisa Wright got on my nerves. She seemed unhinged. I am not sure if the author did that intentionally so that readers would question Elisa's suspicions, but it made me incredibly skeptical. There are some important details that slowly are revealed over the course of the book and you learn that Elisa has been keeping secrets. Not just from the reader, but also from herself, really. I was not really into the book, but wanted to finish it in order to find out if Elisa was wrong or not. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS



Bottom Line - As much as I wanted to enjoy The Replacement Wife, I really struggled to connect with the characters.



Details:

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane
On Instagram
Pages: 416
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 12/28/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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CATEGORIES: 2022, MYSTERY

Darby Kane has done it again. It’s a trope that has been done many times- the husband that is suspected of killing of his wives. The twists were perfect. A super quick read with an unreliable narrator. A perfect read to be done in an afternoon.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Darby Kane's first novel, Pretty Little Wife, so I was excited to read The Replacement Wife...and it did not disappoint! The characters were interesting, and I had a really hard time putting the book down because I couldn't wait to find out the truth about Josh and his missing/dead significant others. I also liked the ending and didn't see it coming at all. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review another great Darby Kane thriller...I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. : )

I hate giving a low rating based on my feelings for the narrator, but I just can't help it in this case. I struggled to connect with Elisa, or really any character. Elisa frustrated me to no end, the plot was predictable, and certain parts were quite repetitive.

With that said, I've heard nothing but positive reviews of Darby Kane's debut novel, Pretty Little Wife, and I look forward to reading it.

This one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Whoa… this was crazy. At times I felt it super predictable. I mean I didn’t figure it out completely from the jump, until the end. DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! So good! And even though it was predictable, it was so well written! So creepy! Highly recommend

This book was one I’d brushed-off for the longest time. As much as I enjoy this author, and for no real reason, kept pushing it aside for other reads. Finally, once the audio version was released I thought it might help spark my interest.

Sadly…nope. This book just didn’t work for me from any angle.

Elisa hasn’t stopped wondering what happened to her brother-in-laws’ fiancée. She mysteriously vanished and he doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. Hmmm…does that sound right to you? Me either. She soon discovers this isn’t the first time something happened to other women in his life. Skeletons keep piling up as she pries open his closet door!🦴🦴

I just couldn’t bring myself to warm up to Elisa in any way. And her husband and brother-in-law were equally despicable. Leaving me with no one to connect with or root for.

I really enjoyed the previous book by this author so I will definitely be picking up her next.

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both disappointed.☹️

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House

This was my first Darby Kane book and I’m hooked. Elisa believes her brother in law is a serial killer and sets out to prove it. TRW is filled with twists and turns. It kept me guessing right down to the final reveal. I did want a tiny bit more from the ending but set that aside and this book was sooooo good.

Is Elisa just suffering from PTSD or is there really something going on? How would you act if you think your brother in-law is a cold blooded murder? Her character felt flakey and unreliable, at times I was afraid it wold all turn out to be tricks of her messed up mind.
This story really draw me in. The uncertainty, the mystery, the never ending twists. It was all very thrilling and I enjoyed it. I can't really say much more without spoiling it, you will have to read it!

Will review in the future, was offered as a free book with no review needed. However, as soon as I read this I will review. Thanks for offering free reads for Scene of the Crime.

The Replacement Wife is a fast paced thriller. At first I was thinking "Oh great, another thriller with the word 'wife' in the title" but this one was spot on! When I thought I saw what was coming, this author threw in a twist. This was a quick read and I recommend to others who enjoy thrillers/ suspense. This was my first book by this author.

Thanks to Wm. Morrow and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Gaslighting, Batman! Elisa stays at home, taking care of her son, while her husband works as a vet in the suburbs outside Philadelphia. They're close with her husband's brother, Josh, who seems to be bouncing back just fine from his fiancée Abby's disappearance ... not to mention his previous wife's death. Then it turns out that Josh was married before that, too, and guess what? His first wife also died under mysterious, "accidental" circumstances.

Elise was good friends with Abby, who left without telling Elise (she wouldn't do that to a good friend, would she?) and after Josh introduces his NEW girlfriend, Rachel, just a few months after Abby disappears, her mild suspicions go hog wild. But is Elise right to be suspicious? After all, she suffered a mental health breakdown not that long ago. Is her PTSD driving her worries about her brother-in-law? Rachel might be an innocent bystander, so why does it seem like she's in cahoots with Josh to make Elise doubt her own experiences? Ultimately Elise must find out for herself if her brother-in-law really is a killer, or if she really is crazy ...

A lot of folks seem to think this book was way too wordy, but it was fine for me. Lots of Elise's inner life, but not great fleshing out of her husband (I can't even remember this character's name, he was so background) - this book is all about driven female characters. It was a quick, exciting read and a decent thriller I would definitely recommend to my mystery-loving patrons, despite the fact that it strained the boundaries of believability at times.

Your brother-in-law loses his wife, but suddenly is engaged to your friend and she goes missing. Is he a killer, are you having a breakdown? Then you become ill. What is real - what imagined? And everything involves your family.

Not the freshest idea, but the suspense is great.