Cover Image: His Other Wife

His Other Wife

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Member Reviews

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read and review.

This is an interesting premise with a man who remains very much in love with his ex wife despite their separation. Throughout the book we get to meet the characters and their families all of whom are well thought out and developed.

Whilst this book was well written and had an interesting story line I did not enjoy it as much as I have similar books finding it a little drawn out and cliched. However, I would still recommend to fans of the genre and those going away on holiday and looking for a book to take with them.

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“Can you come and help us please, Daddy? Mummy says the whispering man is back and she’s scared.”

Oh. My. WOW! Nicole Trope (fellow Aussie here...Oi! Oi! Oi!) is one of my favourite authors. I don't need to read the premise for her books before grabbing them because I just know I'm going to enjoy the ride she takes me on. And HIS OTHER WIFE does not disappoint. It is so different from her more domestic family drama genre that it ventures into the psychological creepy thriller vein complete with unreliable narrators, gaslighting, questionable choices and a twist on the whole psychological mental health aspect that will have you turning the pages long into the night. It did me...and here I sit at 2.30am having read this book in one evening wondering where to start to review this twisted tale.

Although they have been divorced for two years now, Gideon remains at his ex-wife's behest as she has struggled over the years and he has never stopped caring for or even loving her. But now in the middle of the night, he receives a frantic phone call from his 5 year old daughter Emily summoning him to save her and her mother from "the whispering man".

Sarah is delirious from lack of sleep, her insomnia causing hallucinations and believing she must stay awake to protect her daughter Emily from the whispering man who plagues her at night, scratching at the windows, invading her mind and whispering thoughts how everything is her fault. She doesn't dare fall asleep in case he comes for her. Her spiral into a deep dark depression and anxiety began when she miscarried three years ago and then lost both her parents in quick succession in the months after. She didn't see they were suffering and as she slept, they were taken from her. Now, Sarah believes that if she sleeps now the whispering man will return to take the only thing she has left - Emily.

Now Gideon is engaged to Charlotte who adores Emily as if she were her own. So when Emily summons him in the early hours, he knows that this time Sarah needs help. Arriving at her apartment and calming her down, he calls the paramedics and has her sectioned in a private clinic while he takes Emily back to his place to be cared for by him and Charlotte. Whilst Sarah is in the clinic, Gideon and Charlotte celebrate their marriage with a small private ceremony with Emily as their bridesmaid. Together this family of three are happy and their home is a haven of peace.

After three months, Sarah is ready to return home to a new flat that Gideon has rented for her and Charlotte has decorated. She knows that access to Emily will be limited at first as she has to prove herself as a competent mother but the plan is that they share custody of Emily with two weeks on and two weeks off each. Emily is, of course, thrilled to see her mother again and begs for a sleepover to which Gideon acquiesces. But when Charlotte arrives the following morning to collect Emily, she finds Sarah dishevelled and tired with dark circles beneath her eyes and the place a mess. Charlotte at once assesses that Sarah is not ready to return to motherhood just yet. But Gideon disagrees. He sees Sarah is doing really well and that there are no signs of her previous troubles.

Sarah is a bone of contention for Charlotte. She is his ex-wife and she, Charlotte, is his wife now. So why is it he spends most of his free time talking to or about Sarah? Why is spending so much time with her? And why is he not as concerned for Emily's welfare as she is? Despite her efforts to hide the fact, Sarah is obviously struggling and yet Gideon refuses to believe it. She doesn't think Emily is safe around her and says so but Gideon is adamant. Sarah is Emily's mother and she will always be Emily's mother.

And then the whisperings start again. Strange noises in the night. A knock on the door when no one is there. Has the whispering man come back...?

It is difficult to tell just who is telling the truth in this creepy psychological thriller. Sarah grapples with reality and the fact that she could truly be losing her mind as Charlotte seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Emily. While Gideon is caught in the middle of this love triangle trying to support both women but not knowing who to trust or who to believe or know exactly what is going on.

Told through Sarah, Gideon and Charlotte's narratives, HIS OTHER WIFE is a psychological thriller like no other, teetering on the edge of the domestic genre with a disturbingly creepy undertone throughout. Nothing is as it seems in this tangled web. You think you know what's happening but you don't! Is the whisper man real? Is Sarah really recovered or is she hallucinating again? Does Charlotte really have Emily’s best interests at heart? Who is telling the truth and who is lying? Who is keeping secrets? Who is manipulating who?

What a wild ride! I read this book in one evening and finished in the wee hours, I could not put it down! HIS OTHER WIFE is the type of twisted thriller that really messes with your head as you try to untangle the truth from the lies to uncover what is really going on. Look closely and carefully, and you may just work it out.

A fast paced read that had me turning the pages as the intensity built, HIS OTHER WIFE is fun, entertaining and thoroughly addictive that had me hooked from the very first page. What a crazy ride! Absolutely brilliant. Loved every moment of it. And that ending...chilling.

I would like to thank #NicoleTrope, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HisOtherWife in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

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I can always rely on Nicole Trope for a shivery read. His Other Wife revolves around mind control and manipulation. I was on to the main manipulator immediately. She’s crafty, resourceful, and very devious.
A mother fights to regain her normalcy. A father is quickly caught between two,women. Let the games begin. A stepmother only wants to keep,what is rightfully hers.
Toward the end it gets messy, but the resolution is worth the read.
This book makes one rethink about jumping into relationships too quickly.

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The reason I chose this book was because I’d read The Family Across the Street not long ago so I knew from the start that it was going to be good.

Without a shadow of doubt, the best book I’ve read so far this year. Its subtlety makes it such a wonderfully compulsive read. Charlotte, who is fast approaching 40, meets Gideon, the divorced father of 5-year-old Emily. Charlotte longs to have children but Gideon has made it clear from the outset that he doesn’t want any more, leaving Charlotte with the only prospect of motherhood, being a parent to Emily whilst her mother is in a clinic for her mental health issues. And it’s not long before Charlotte finds herself loving the role and Emily and not wanting the ex-wife, Sarah, to return and destroy their perfect family.
The book is so beautifully crafted to see everyone’s perspective.

Charlotte, who is constantly comparing herself to Sarah, certainly doesn’t fit the charming chaos of Gideon and Sarah’s marriage which ended following a miscarriage and the death of her parents, with a nervous breakdown.

Charlotte and her mother have a very odd relationship and the Author builds up the tension perfectly. The writing style is fast paced and totally page turning stuff. The ending kept me on my toes and allowed the potential for a sequel which I really hope happens.

By far my favourite book this year!

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Thanks to Nicole and NetGalley for allowing me to read His Other Wife before the publication date.

Following a miscarriage, Sarah experiences feelings of guilt. When both her parents die soon afterwards, Sarah’s mental health deteriorates but she spurns all attempts by her husband, Gideon, to help. Instead, she insists that they divorce.
Now Gideon is in a new relationship with Charlotte but continues to be attentive to Sarah, much to Charlotte’s annoyance.

When Sarah starts to hear voices and noises in her flat, she is concerned that she has relapsed, even that it is her imagination.

This is a superbly creepy story which leaves the reader wondering what is real.
With lots of twists, turns and red herrings, this is a real page turner.

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What a book! A fast paced family mystery that keeps you on your toes, I was swept away by the story. I could hardly put this book down and loved the way the story was weaved.

I was hooked from the first page of the story and the multiple perspectives that the story was told from did not deviate from the story. With multiple perspectives, a lot of time, the story can drift apart and it makes hard as readers to feel connected to the story. That was definitively not the case here. Toxic relationships, be it in between family members or spouses certainly have an effect on your mental health. That’s what a major part of the tale also underlines. The decisions we take when the green eyed monster shows up it’s head turn us into a self that we never thought of. Although I could guess halfway through a part of the story ending, attributing to the numerous thrillers I’ve read till now, I couldn’t stop reading. Gideon, Sarah and Charlotte have been crafted so beautifully that it’s easy to imagine the scene playing in front of you. Would definitively love to see this one being turned into a movie.

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Gideon and Sarah have the perfect family with daughter Emily until grief takes hold and Sarah is thrown into a deep depression and she asks for a divorce which Gideon does not want. Gideon moves on and finds Charlotte, the total opposite of Sarah. After Sarah has a mental breakdown and spends time in a mental hospital, Charlotte swoops in and becomes a mother to Emily. All is great until Sarah returns home and wants her daughter.

Nicole Trope does it again! Told between Gideon, Charlotte and Sarah this was masterfully written. As always the twists and suspense did not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

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This was both poorly written and poorly plotted. The characters were beyond one dimensional - they felt like caricatures from the very beginning.

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Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Sarah divorces her husband Gabe after a shattering miscarriage. They share a daughter a young daughter, Emily.
Gabe has remarried another woman, Charlotte, and has custody of Emily. Charlotte is angry and feels that Gabe goes running every time Sarah calls. Charlotte loves being a stepmother and feels that Emily belongs with her.

Sarah begins having delusions and becomes mentally unraveled. After a brief stay in a mental institution, Sarah is released. She is allowed to spend more time with Emily, to the chagrin of stepmother Charlotte. What lengths will Charlotte go to to have Sarah eliminated from their lives??

My thoughts:
I loved this book! I was sucked in from the first page. I felt that all the characters were relatable, believable and well developed. I was not sure who to believe, which is a good thing. At one point, I thought I was becoming unhinged as well!

This was a solid 4-star read for me. I look forward to reading more by Nicole Trope.

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The twists keep on coming in this domestic thriller! Sarah is struggling mentally with grief following the death of her unborn child and her parents after leaves her husband Gideon who later meets Charlotte who provides stability for himself and his and Sarah's daughter Emily. As the pacey story unfolds it gets darker and darker with twist after twist! The characters are all so well developed. A great read.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars. I’m in the minority with this one but I just found it quite disappointing compared to how great Nicole’s previous books are.

I found the characters to be annoying & unlikeable, the story was slow, repetitive in parts and it was quite easy to guess the main storyline.

But then the ending seemed really rushed.

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This is the first book I have read by the Author Nicole Trope and it certainly won’t be my last.
The book is a fast paced psychological thriller based on Gideon, his ex wife Sarah, their daughter Emily known as Ladybug, and his new wife Charlotte.
The book covers mental health issues, betrayals and loyalty.
I found the book a fast paced thriller that captured my imagination. It had lots of little unexpected twists and turns, had me second guessing what I thought may happen? And for me it was exciting until the end.
A really enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book, in return for my honest opinion.

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Oh WOW !!!! What a great story this is. I was hooked from the start. The twists kept coming . Twists that I would never have expected. I loved it and think it would make a great film.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

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Nicole Trope is an author I know will never disappoint. This was another outstanding book by her that I throughly enjoyed and again read in one day (as I am on holiday). Bring on her next book!

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Yet another brilliant storyline. Charlotte has grown up under a controlling mother and this is the way she also runs her marriage. Poor Gideon and his young daughter Emily didn't stand a chance. Emily's real mum Sarah has just come out of a psychiatric hospital and Gideon spends time with her making sure she can cope with visits from her daughter. Charlotte wants to put a stop to this but she is not the only one and soon poor Sarah's sanity is tested.
Great book to get your teeth into.

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🗣His Other Wife🗣
By Nicole Trope (via #netgalley)
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am on the fence about this one - it’s a domestic thriller with a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am intense conclusion. Nearly 70% of the story was build up, so if you enjoy mounting tension to where you think you’ll go crazy yourself before it ends, this one definitely hits the mark there. And I don’t say that as a negative, it actually really works in this story. But the characters - I passionately disliked all of the characters in this story. Overall, it balanced out to meh - just ok.

Charlotte has almost the perfect life. A successful career and a wonderful husband. All that’s missing is a baby. Her husband Gideon has a little girl with his ex-wife and isn’t open to having more children, so Charlotte accepts her fate by being the best step mother to Emily that she can be. And she does love Emily so much that they become a happy little family. Except Gideon’s ex-wife keeps getting in the way. His ex-wife, Sarah, stricken with guilt and grief over the loss of loved ones, seems to be manic and hallucinating. Whenever Sarah has a problem, Gideon goes running to her to fix whatever the problem is and it’s unacceptable. Charlotte will go to any length to keep her marriage in tact including proving to Gideon that Sarah is crazy and unfit to be in Emily’s life….but to what extent?

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of His Other Wife!!

#netgalley #netgalleyreview #bookstagram #books #read #readmore

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Another great read from this author. Extremely well written as always, a great story line and full of twists and turns until the very last page.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

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A totally addictive, twist-packed psychological thriller about the lengths we go to for the people we love.

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Always enjoy this authors books and this was another good psychological thriller,,a quick read, tense and atmospheric, maybe at times a bit repetitive ( and annoying the childs nickname was Ladybug ) it was still a book with twists and turns and an interesting storyline,look forward to the authors next book

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BOOOM this book is explosive in all the right ways, addictive, gripping, easy to read, full of twist and turns and full of lots of thrills. Great book.

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