I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Story was decent. It held my interest. The narrator's did a good job.

I could not finish this book. The narrator was terrible to listen to and the characters did not seem believable.

"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."

This is a typical domestic thriller. When Cara meets Michael, he and his daughter Laura are mourning the loss of their wife/mother. Cara and Michael quickly hit it off, get married and have another daughter, Olivia.
Who would take their daughters and more importantly, why would they return Olivia and keep Laura? Cara is set up as a unreliable narrator - Michael seems to be hiding something.
I felt like I heard this story before and was able to guess some of the twists. The ending felt a bit abrupt and definitely leaves room for a sequel. This was a very quick, easy read with some surprising twists - overall the story kept me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.
Release Date scheduled for July 5, 2022.

Reading Between the Wines book review #53/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Secret Wife
Author: Emily Shiner
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES July 5, 2022!!! Order your copy today!!

Sipping thoughts: Going into a book called The Secret Wife gives you clues as to what you can expect. Except it was nothing what you are probably expecting. I enjoyed reading how Cara becomes mother bear and tries to find her missing daughter while unveiling some major secrets and lies in her marriage. I would like to see more of Cara and the way the changes to her life unfolds.

I absolutely loved the narrators-told in both a female and male voice. You could feel the passion and emotion during the parts of the story where emotions were heightened.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @DreamscapeMedia for an advance copy of @TheSecretWife.

#TheSecretWife #EmilyShiner #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Life is almost perfect for Kara and Michael. Two beautiful girls and discussions of a 3rd baby on the way...While taking the girls on a father/daughter camping trip, their oldest is kidnapped. During the investigation for their daughter, Michael and Kara learn secrets about each other that make them question their relationship and their entire family.

The only thing I liked about this book is that it was short. It was very inaccurate! As someone with bipolar, I know that 1) if you miss one dose of your medication you don't suddenly feel different and in 2 days you haven't gone off the deep end. 2) You're just as likely to become depressed as manic, and it doesn't happen that quickly, especially going into full-blown mania that quickly. 3) Mania wasn't accurately described, she would have had other things going on that weren't described.

Also, the male narrator was awful! His voice for the wife was quite grating.

The husband was also a horrible misogynist and I hope we weren't supposed to feel sorry for him as he was awful.

I would have also liked an epilogue just to tie things up.

Overall this book was just horrible!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback)

*Specifically speaking to the audiobook, I must say that the male narrator was awful when narrating the voices of the mother and little Olivia. The little girl voice was so ridiculous I almost laughed a few times and the mom's voice was so goofy. It truly took away from those portions*

This book starts off happily, a daddy taking his daughters on a camping trip to give Mom a well-needed break. Laura, his daughter from his previous marriage (his wife passed away), and Olivia, his daughter with his current wife, are equally loved by both parents.

While camping, both girls go missing. Only one is found. And with that, a huge web of lies, deception, heartbreak, and drama unravels.

It was definitely interesting enough to keep me engaged until the last section, the "explanation" section if you will. Too many random characters thrown in the mix, convenient wrap-ups in lengthy monologues, and I was also left with some unanswered questions about the law.......Super promising start but the end gave me no choice but to drop a star.

I listened to the audio for this. I have to admit the audio author wasn’t my favorite, primarily the different voices. But I loved the storyline. I honestly didn’t see the ending/twist until it was happening. The characters were very well thought out!

Cara and Michael are a young couple who love their little girls. Michael wants more children, and he believes he can persuade his wife for more children. The oldest daughter is from a previous marriage.
🏕
Michael takes the girls tent camping and the girls are excited letting their mom have a relaxing weekend. Cara has shown up to give one their daughters a beloved toy, but when they both go back to the tent the girls are missing. How can Michael leave the girls alone?
🏕
The hunt begins, and accusations are thrown. One girl returns, the other still missing!
🏕
The title alone tells you a clue! Cara is lead to believe the oldest daughters mom died! This book is absolutely riveting!

This thriller makes you wonder how you really fit into your spouses life. Is everything really how you believe it is? Get ready for this edge of your seat ride.

This was a fun, fast-paced thriller! It kept me entertained all the way through and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next!

Michael tries to give his wife, Cara, a break from their 2 daughters, so he takes them camping. His stupid mistake leads to both daughters being kidnapped. One daughter is found at their campsite, but the other is still missing.
I really enjoyed the dual POV's through Michael and Cara eyes and learning what the other was thinking throughout this tragedy. Both characters had some issues that I felt like they needed to address with each other, but it added to the secretive atmosphere of the book, which I appreciated.
While the large twist was fairly predictable, what happened around it was not (to me), which definitely helps when it comes to rating thrillers.
The ultimate reason I'm giving this 4 stars is because the very end left me wanting more. It felt like everything was wrapped up really quickly, and I just wanted a little more. Hopefully there's an epilogue in the final draft to bring everything more together.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiobook ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!!

. I wanted to like this book. But it just wasn’t for me. The premise is that Michael takes his two young daughters on a camping trip and they are kidnapped. One comes back.

There are things in the story that have nothing to do with the main plot, and they don’t really help/support the plot (ie, mental illness, bi-polar) either. People show up later in the book that tie into the main plot, but they bring a secondary plot that doesn’t get explained or fleshed out well and it fell flat. The ending fell flat, too.

Overall, the storyline was weak and characters weren’t really developed. Also, the name of the book was flimsy. It didn’t really speak to the storyline, IMO. This will be forgettable. Which is unfortunate. 1-2 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Quick, enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank-you for the preview.

A domestic thriller that is told through the POV of the two main characters, Cara and Michael. There are alternating chapters, each telling their versions of events. Cara thought that she had found her Prince Charming, a widower with a young child and he is a good provider. She and Michael have their own child, but he wants to expand their family even more. Michael put up a facade of this perfect husband, but cracks starts to show. He takes their children on a camping trip and a tragic event occurs. After this event, dark secrets start to emerge. Cara who is considered to be the perfect and docile wife, but she begins to find her strength and voice throughout the story. The surprise twist at the end of the story brings the whole story to focus.

“Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the DRC.”

Thank you to the publisher, producer and NetGalley for the chance to preview and review this audio book.
This was a tough one. I started off liking it quite a bit, with the exception of the male narrator. I just didn’t find him appealing to listen to.
Then, I got towards the last 3/4ths and things got really extreme and weird. I kind of predicted a couple things that were going to happen but not the really out there parts. This got way too complex and unbelievable for me towards the end.
I did like Cara but I wasn’t overly thrilled with her. She came off a lot like a pushover. And there wasn’t a ton of character development with her other than that she needed to take her pills.
Even though it turned out to be very far fetched by the end it was an easy listen to pass the time.

This book seemed to start in the middle of the story and seemed to finish before the story was over. I felt like the author made a mistake by having both characters speak in first person. One unreliable narrator is good, but two just makes you feel like everyone in the novel is crazy. I wouldn’t recommend this one to my friends who love a good thriller. It just seemed to crawl at the beginning and then alternatively rush to an unsatisfactory ending.

Oh wow, I really enjoyed this audiobook! It hooked me from the very first chapter and kept me hooked the whole time!