The plot and twist make this book a thrilling read and full of suspense. I couldn't have guessed what happened or why. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend to other.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest opinion.

A very good read with lots of complex characters - Callie being a very complicated character who came across as quite odd at times. However, she is clearly damaged and makes some bad decisions.

I love thrillers. They have this don't stop reading or you'll miss it and this book didn't fail to deliver that thrill, page turning effect which i loved.
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next read

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I may not have been in the right mindspace to read it.

One decision can change the rest of your life.

Callie is going to have to figure that out the hard way....

The Lying Wife, is a nail biter, that is for sure. Jam packed with unlikeable characters and edge of your seat suspense with a side of aggravation! Oh, and the plot twist ? You will never see this one coming !!

Callie loves her husband, but she cant say the same about the two step kids that came along with him. Also, it is clear the kids feel the same way about her. Every opportunity these kids have to make her miserable, they do. As hard as she tries, she just cant win, and it seems as though her husband is too busy to notice her efforts.

Now, Callie has been arrested for murder. Her long buried secrets are about to be exposed. Who is Callie? What is she hiding and is she truly a murder?

You are going to have to buy the book to find out! I can promise you, this is one you do not want to miss!!

An interesting turn which reignited my interest but also made me hate the main character. Nevertheless an easy weekend read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from beginning to end. A fast paced domestic thriller, beautifully characterised, with an interesting plot. The twist at the end was unexpected, and brilliant. Highly recommended.

Callie is the main character and one this this book tells you, is never to assume anything. From the start of the book, you are aware that Callie is a murderer but it isn't clear who she murdered, this becomes clearer as the story progresses. I was so ecstatic at how good a read this was and it completely blew me away. Thoroughly, highly and wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone and can’t wait for more.

“The Lying Wife” by Kathryn Croft is an entertaining and fast paced psychological thriller. When Callie marries James, she becomes a step-mother to his two children. They make her life miserable! They’re disrespectful, inconsiderate, and at times truly terrifying. The harder she tries to win them over, the more they fight back. When Callie is arrested for murder, secrets begin to unfold. The characters in the book were unlikeable and some of the situations in this book made me feel uncomfortable, ultimately leading me to rating lower than I had anticipated. However, that twist at the end was amazing! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for a copy of this book!

A quick read and one that falls into the same category as the horror film where you scream at the actors to turn the light on it wander around in the dark. Just characters that do he very opposite of what any normal person would do. He heroine of this story was just such a character making all the most dreadful decisions.

An excellent domestic thriller describing the plight of a woman whose dream of a family shatters upon difficulties she faces as a step parent, eventually turning ominous.

This book is different from the usual trillers as the murderer tells story to police in retrospect. It kept my hooked from page one and the plot twist was very good. It’s very well written, and the characters are believable and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I love any domestic thriller, murder mystery, or psychological book and all of these topics are addressed in this one. It will hook you from the very first page. You will not regret reading this! So, so good!

This is a first read for me by Ms Croft and I can guarantee I will be looking for more of her books. This is one domestic thriller that had me glued and turning the pages well into the night. Callie has suffered grief and had a difficult life. She meets James and they marry and she becomes step mom to his two sons. Callie desperately wanted to be a mom, so this situation works out great for her. The only thing is James' sons hate Callie and do everything they can to tear them apart. Things are definitely not going how she planned and she starts to spiral out of control. Then she is arrested for murder and we learn just how dark her history is. This was a twisty, gripping read that started out a bit slow, but once it picked up pace, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's a thrilling story with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming and it completely blew me away. Amazing!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

An intense blended family drama that switches direction after every bad decision.

Callie becomes an instant stepmother and is far out of her depth. Instead of relying on her instincts, she makes poor decisions which make the relationship between her and the boys more contentious every day. Her actions fall right in line with the boys plans to get rid of the intruder who replaced their mom. As her world spins out of control, instead of being the adult and accepting responsibility, she makes worse decisions that continue her rapid downward spiral. Great surprises throughout. At times though, the reader just wants to shake or slap her to make her do the right thing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, possibly because you don’t want to put it down. It is fascinating to see how her dramatic decline is increased by more and more wrongs. The characters are well developed. The drama between Callie and her stepchildren feels familiar, knowing her actions will either mend the fences or destroy the relationship. The boys’ actions are true to form and while extreme in some cases, ring true.


I received an ARC from Canelo through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

A great psychological thriller from Kathryn Croft,The Lying Wife finds Callie keeping dark secrets from husband James and his two children Dillon and Luke who refuse to acknowledge Callie as they see her trying to replace their mum Lauren who died.Callie finds herself drawing closer to Dillon’s friend Rhys, and transpires will have very grave consequences for them all.As with all Kathryn Croft’s books it had me gripped from page one, and i recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.A cracking 5 star from Kathryn Croft.

Callie has always wanted to be a mother, but after the loss of her baby and the breakdown of her relationship, it seems that her dream is out of reach. Until, that is, she meets James, Recently widowed with two sons, Callie finds herself at the helm of the family she has been longing for. There's just one problem: James's sons Dillon and Luke refuse to accept her, and do everything they can to ruin her relationship with their father.

As tensions mount within the family and things become increasingly fraught between Callie and James, Callie becomes convinced that James is seeking comfort elsewhere - more specifically, in the arms of glamorous co-worker and former lover Tabitha. Frustrated, sad, and feeling increasingly alone, Callie embarks on a course of action that will see her lying to those she loves, and ultimately being arrested for murder. Just what price is Callie willing to pay for her family?

I really enjoyed this twisty and well-paced thriller. I think the scariest thrillers, for me at least, are the domestic dramas, where one wrong move starts a chain of events that escalates beyond the protagonist's control, and this one ran away like a snowball. Engaging, well written, and at points a read-through-your-fingers situation, this was an enjoyable read with a nifty twist - I will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Croft has written another engaging novel that will leave the reader hooked and not be able to put this novel down.

I have read most of Kathryn Croft's novels and I adore them. Easy to read, amazing characters and the storylines are literally second to none.

This novel did not disappoint me at all. We meet main character Callie, newly married and step mom to two boys. Callie has not had the greatest of starts to life and when she meets James they fall in love and connect through their darker experiences. The two boys despise their new mother figure in their life and Callie struggles with being their step parent. The real story starts when Callie makes a huge life changing choice and the reader finds out that Callie is a suspect in a murder, - literally this novel is fantastic. So many twists and turns that the reader does not see coming and hits hard. Its such a hard novel to write down and explain what the story entails but for me, it is a must read.

Thanks to Kathryn Croft, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The characters were so interesting!

I didn't know what to think about how the plot unfolded: murderer tells story to police in retrospect. But wow! That was really something! I kept wondering who was going to die. But that ending?! Whoa! Totally unexpected. And a really good plot twist.

I am definitely going to read more by this author!

The lying wife by Katheryne Croft.
Be careful what you wish for…
Callie has known sadness, and sometimes doubted she would ever have the life she wanted. When she meets James, also no stranger to grief, it seems as though her luck has changed. She becomes his wife, and in the process a stepmother to his two sons. Callie has finally got what she always imagined for herself.But things don’t go to plan for Callie. She tries to get things right, but at every turn she makes mistakes. If she can only show her new family just how much she cares, perhaps everything will be okay. Yet the harder she tries, the more she fails. A split-second decision leads to her spiralling out of control, and there is no way back for Callie.When the police arrest her for murder, the dark tale of Callie’s shocking fall from grace slowly unfolds. But how much is Callie willing to reveal about the choices she made? If those she cares for the most learn the truth, they will hate her. Will her secrets be her undoing? Or will she tell the truth, no matter the cost?
A very good read with good characters. Great story. 4*.