Thriller about a missing child and alternate husband/wife narrators provided a quick read and an interesting plot. Tara and Michael are a married couple with two daughters; Laura who is seven and Michael's daughter from a previous marriage and Olivia who is preschool age. Michael work in a bank and Tara is a stay at home mom. Michael decides to give his wife a break and take the girls camping for the weekend so Tara can read, relax and not be on mom duty. Once he leaves, Tara realizes Laura's precious stuffed bear was left behind and she knows her daughter won't be able to sleep without it. So, she drives to the campground only to find that Michael left the girls alone in the tent to walk back to his car and the girls are now missing. The author did a good job of showing Tara as a devoted mother and with Michael I always felt something was kind of off but we don't find out exactly what that is until later in the story. With the help of the police the couple try to find their missing girls and in the process, family secrets come up which could lead to the answers Tara seeks.

I couldn't rate this higher than three stars for a couple of reasons: the sentence structures seemed kind of simple almost what you find in a young adult book. And various little things didn't make sense. At one point they are driving on the freeway and Michael wonders why Tara is looking out the window because you can't see anything out of windows on the freeway? What? Also, the couple often talk to their three year old like she is an adult and she also sometimes acts way older than her age. Also didn't like the portrayal of mental illness in the book and the constant references made to it. I did want to find out what happened and I liked the dual viewpoints. I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkubator books for an unbiased review.

This book was a bit blah. There was very little character development or depth. The dialogue and character thoughts were a bit one-dimensional. The book is told in a dual narrative, which is something I do like. I like being able to experience multiple characters' points of view. It was an easy read that didn't take a lot of emotional investment. The short chapters made for a quick read. I rate it 3 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner is a thriller about a family who has a daughter go missing during a camping trip. All seems normal for the loving family but as the story unfolds so too do the plot twists. Everyone is not as innocent as they first appear. The parents try and find the missing daughter and as they each search for the child details about the character of both the mother and father are made known. Eventually the distraught mom takes matters into her own hands to find her stepdaughter. The ending comes quickly after a long section about the parents being sent home to rest while officials search for the girl. (I found that hard to believe as nothing would keep me away from looking for my missing child.) There is a twist to the conclusion of the saga which I found odd.
At first, this book is interesting and a fast-paced page turner. However, it got to be a bit long for me. I am not a fan of reading books with a lot of description and less dialogue. I prefer to read conversations between the characters rather than reading what is in their heads. I also found the mother to be somewhat unbelievable by the end of the book. She quits taking some medication and has a drastic change in personality but that was probably the intention of the author.
It is a well written book with no major errors and an easy read. I did notice some repetition of common words, which is a personal peeve of mine, but it wouldn’t keep from considering another book by the same author.

Cara is a devoted mother to her two little girls who take the majority of her time caring for them. She's looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home alone while her husband takes the girls camping. But when the girls are taken by someone her nightmare begins. One daughter is returned while other is still missing.
As Cara and her husband search for their daughter it becomes clear this is not a random abduction. It's linked to well buried secrets that are starting to surface. Just how well does Cara know her husband, is she paranoid or is she finally seeing the real him?
Overall not a bad read, but a bit lacking at times.

The Secret Wife
Author : Emily Shiner
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Publication date: December 5, 2021
5 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
Description:
What happens when the perfect family trip becomes the perfect nightmare? Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls. She loves her hectic life, but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband, Michael, takes the kids on a camping trip. But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken, deep in the forest. One is returned safe. But one is still missing. As Cara and Michael frantically search for their little girl it becomes clear that this is no random abduction – her disappearance is linked to shocking secrets which are only now being revealed. And Cara begins to wonder how well she really knows her husband. Is the stress making her paranoid? Or is she finally seeing him as he really is? Time is running out. How far will Cara go to find her daughter?
⭐📘📗MY REVIEW📘📗⭐
This book has been impossible to put down, it engulfs you and drags you deep into the characters lives. The characters are all realistic and described so well I really felt that I got to know them all. Emily Shiner does a great job of putting us in the head of her characters. The plot is told from two points of view Cara and Michael and really makes you wonder how well do we REALLY know the person to whom we are married? ...Do we ever REALLY know what they are REALLY thinking and feeling?
The storyline was easy to read and packed full of mystery, suspense, and lies . Just when you think the story is going in one direction, another sudden unexpected twist jerks it in another. There was plenty of twists and turns which built up to a brilliant unexpected ending. I must say this was an excellent psychological thriller. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the descriptions took me on a journey. I just want to say Thank you to author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this 5 star story . I truly appreciate it!
*******Disclosure*******
I received a free E -ARC copy of this book from netgalley prior to release. Many thanks to NetGalley ,the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review a copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions I have expressed are my own. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !
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A quick read with a simple plot. It doesn't hold anything back, so you'll be able to see twists coming, but that's OK.

Wow what a book. I am still sat thinking about this book even though I finished it a few days ago. I cannot write a review to do this book justice. I was hooked from the first page. The writing is superb and enthralling and overall, I just loved this book.

I cannot wait to read more by this author. This author has now become a go-to author.

I was intrigued by the book’s description and while as a whole, I did enjoy it, it still could have been better. It was a very slow burn and at times I was bored and tempted to stop reading but then something would happen to keep me going. It was pretty good and I would probably read more by this author.

This had such an interesting premise and although it was a good read i think it could have been better. The prologue made it seem like the book was going to pack a punch right from the get go but sadly after that it was a slow burner and I kept reading to get to the tension. The second half of the book was much better with faster pacing and more tension and suspense but it was still slightly disappointing, if not enjoyable. I would still read more by the author though. Overall an enjoyable read.

Overall this is an enjoyable novel, bit slow to start and I feel the language is aimed at maybe a younger, teenage age range. But once I got into the book it’s was a good read. A novel full of twists and turns with the ending not being predictable at all!
My one major niggle, was why would a father leave his kids in a tent?!

This text started with a very intriguing prologue that draws the reader in. The first half of the book was a slow burn, but after getting through that, I had a hard time putting the book down. Would recommended to high school aged, young adults and adults. Great read!!

I was definitely drawn in by the cover of this book. It gave me Samantha Downing vibes which I’m always here for & the synopsis includes two of my favourite thriller tropes - missing children & toxic marriage.
Unfortunately though, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The first half was very slow (to the point where I considered DNF’ing) & the second half, although definitely more page turning, relied a little too heavily on the “mental health = unstable/gullible” vibe which is always a letdown but even more so in 2021 when everyone should know better!
I also think that the title of this book was a bit of a strange choice - although I won’t go into that for fear of spoilers.
I think it would be a good starter for those looking to break into the genre as it has a pacy, outlandish style that is lightly twisty without being dark but hardened thriller readers won’t find anything new here.

The Secret Wife starts out with Cara as the perfect wife and Michael with the perfect family. Cara convinces Michael that she needs some time to herself. Cara convinces Michael to take the girls on a overnight camping trip. After she sees the family off, she decides to go clean the attic. Michael meanwhile has set up camp when Laura the oldest can't find her bear. Knowing a meltdown is on the horizon, he talks the girls into staying inside the tent, just the two of them. Back to Cara, she finds the bear also knowing that Laura can't be without the bear, she packs an overnight bag with the bear and heads to the campground.

At the tent someone unzips the tent and asks the girls to help her find her missing puppy. After some persuasion the girls go with the unidentified person. Michael encounters Cara who is not happy to find the girls were left alone in the tent. They quickly head back to find the girls missing. They argue about him leaving the girls alone and then Michael gets Cara to wait at the campsite while he goes back to the car in order to use the cell phone which has no signal. He reaches the campground office where he gets the police to come help find the girls. Cara hears something and leaves the campsite to find the girls. As she searches the sound keeps changing directions and ultimately returns to where she was waiting for Michael. She sees the tent, walks over to it, unzips it, looks inside and screams.

Okay, so I had several issues with this book, The first few paragraphs go on and on about the perfect wife and family. I never knew someone could be so perfect. Next, Michael leaves the girls alone while setting up the campground. REALLY, who does that??? Cara goes up to clean the attic while she wanted to have a weekend by herself. Not in million years would this be on my weekend alone list! However, just as I was just about to say 'I'm done' the story takes several sharp turns that are unexpected. The reason for these twists becomes clear. The story does drag in some spots but it does begin to make sense why the writer has written the story way she has. There were parts that had me thinking, I see where this is going; there is more to this than we have been led to believe. I have to say I never saw the ending coming. It was a total shock. All that said, I am giving this 3 stars. If not for the last chapter I might have been tempted to give less.

Loved this domestic drama by Emily Shiner. Full of suspense and crazy twists! Characters were so well developed that I felt my heart just go out to some and could’ve snapped others in half! Super invested in reading this one, blew through it in one day. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Cara is a devoted mother to her two little girls,her life is hectic just the way she likes it.
She's looking forward to a relaxing weekend away alone while her husband takes the girls camping.
But when the girls are taken by someone deep into the woods a nightmare begins.
One daughter is returned while other is still missing.
As they both search for their daughter it becomes clear this is not a random abduction,it's linked to shocking secrets that have been buried and are now surfacing.
Just how well does Cara know her husband,is she paranoid or is she seeing the real him at last.
Overall not a bad read but a bit lacking at times.
Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

“The Secret Wife” written by Emily Shiner is a domestic thriller. Cara and Michael seem like the perfect couple! They have two young girls, so life is very busy and hectic. In order to let his wife have a weekend of quiet and relaxation, Michael decides to take the girls camping. In a momentary lapse of judgement, Michael leaves the girls alone in the tent. When he returns, he realizes both girls have been taken.

In their search for the girls, surprising secrets are revealed and it’s hard to determine which characters to trust! This story is full of many twists and is very intriguing, through I felt like the ending was very difficult to believe. Other than the feelings of grief and complete loss when the girls go missing, I had a difficult time connecting to the characters.

Overall, this is a fun, quick paced thriller! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. It held my interest and kept me in suspense. It moved along at a good pace. It also had some good twists.

i wasn't keen on this book at all. i just couldn't get into it. the description sounded a lot better than it was.

The book seems to target the young audience because English is extremely simple and the sentences are short. The characters are one dimensional and not very likeable and probably because of the basic English they seem to have basic intelligence. So unfortunately I could not get through the book and decided not to waste my time.

The Secret Wife was my first book by Emily Shiner and I was excited for a mystery/thriller.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. I struggled to finish it and had a hard time connecting to the characters and storyline.