This book was fast paced, twisted, I could not stop reading! I admired Alana so much and was rooting for her and her daughter, it made me love the book even more that we could empathize with the characters. This book was captivating, interesting, and definitely keeps you engaged until the end.

The Ex Wives by Jenna Kernan

Elana is drowning with bills after her husband died. Leaving her and Phoebe her daughter to fend for themselves with no family nearby. Elana's pretty face and curvy figure caught the eye of a billionaire mayor, Jackson of a little Florida town, Bald Cypress. To Elana, it's like a fairytale dream come true to marry a man like Jackson despite being warned about his character by his second ex-wife.

As you can expect the warning the Jackson's second wife gave was true. Elana little perfect world starts to fall apart when Jackson is stopped by the FBI and is questioned about the disappearance of his second wife's child. This is when Elana starts to not be the meek submissive wife anymore. Jackson seems very controlling and is to much at time his behavior is basically abusive and controlling.

I like how Elana changes as the story goes on but if a previous wife gives you a warning you better listen they are most likely telling you the truth. The story was so intense at times your heart begins to race by all the tension as the story builds up to the ending which was very believable.

This is the first time I read a book from Jenna Kernan and I am looking forward to reading other books from her she knows how to write a domestic thriller. I like the speed of the story leading with all the tension between the characters to a heart pounding ending. This was a solid four star read for me. I highly recommend this domestic thriller if you can move past some of the control and abuse that may trigger some people. Jenna Kernan wrote a domestic thriller in the way it should be written it pulls you in fast.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Amazing book lots of twists and turns ...unexpected twists ..characters are very true to life ..out of 10 this book defo scores a 10 without a doubt ...loved it :)

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I so enjoyed this psychological thriller and I was hooked from the very first page. It definitely has a fast pace to it and I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I will definitely read more by this author

It has been a while since I have read a book set in the US. This is in a small town in Florida. Elena is married to Jackson whose family has a lot of standing in the community - one is the Mayor, another brother high in the police, Elena is quite happy with her lavish lifestyle despite some very controlling behaviour. When the FBI arrive she has to rethink her whole life and marriage. A great domestic drama with missing girls, abusive behaviour and strength of character as Elena realises she needs to get her daughter out of this spiralling situation. Frustrating and shocking with good twists.

I received a complimentary copy of The Ex-Wives by Jenna Kernan in exchange for my honest review.
This was a good book, but it was a very difficult read. It contains descriptions of domestic abuse and may contain triggers for some. I held my breath during some of the descriptions. If just reading about this is so hard, how do women live like this?
Alana is a widowed mother to Phoebe, and is struggling to make ends meet. Then Elana meets Jackson, a very wealthy, sophisticated, important man and her world changes. After a whirlwind romance, Jackson proposes and promises that neither Elana nor Phoebe will ever want for anything ever again.
After the wedding, Elana starts seeing a different side of Jackson, a cruel and controlling side, he picks out her clothes, doesn't allow her to work, and even tells her where to purchase their bread and produce. Elana has no family and nowhere to go, so she just makes the best of it for Phoebe's sake.
One day, the FBI comes to their home asking about Jackson's ex-wives and their two missing little girls. They ask Elana to spy for them so that they can build a case against Jackson, but Elana is too scared, she must protect Phoebe. While maintaining secrecy, Elana searches their home and finds shocking evidence.
Elana is determined to find out what happened to those little girls, but she fears that Phoebe will be the next child to go missing if Jackson realizes that she knows his secrets.
Elana must continue the charade of being the perfect wife while living in terror, to protect her daughter. How much is Elana willing to endure? Will it cost her life?

A slow story and not at all what I was expecting. Sorry but this one wasn't for me
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

From the very first read by @jenna_kernan I knew I was a converted fan.

The Ex Wives is another unputdownable gem. The tension is apparent through the pages and I have been completely gripped by this one.

Poor Elana is put through so many uncomfortable situations in this book. I have found myself captivated by this book and quickly devoured this in one sitting.

Kernan has the perfect balance between horrible, unpleasant situations and a complete douch, evil husband! For Jackson, the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. After suffering abuse from his father, this monstrous human is vile to those in his life. He really is despicable.

This is every bit as chilling and gripping as I had hoped. This is a perfect psychological thriller and one that I have adored. I’ve read most books by Kernan but this is definitely a favourite.

This is a gem that should be on everyone’s TBR! I definitely recommend this one.

I found this book to be slow, and I am sorry to say I just couldn't finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the e-arc of this book

This book had my heart absolutely pounding! I don't plan on having kids but this book would certainly have me looking into their room at night for a bit.

Really enjoyed this story & couldn't stop reading as wanted to find out what was going to happen!!!
Thanks to Netgalley & Jenna Kernan for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review!!!

THE EX-WIVES By Jenna Kernan

Elana is a widow with a small girl to look after, Jackson swoops her off her feet with a promise of a better life.

😊What i liked -

✔ Psychological Thriller.
✔ The book started off with a bang. It sucks you in the first chapter itself.
✔ I loved how the book goes forth the present and the past.
✔ It's fast paced, crazy twisty. It's a total rollercoaster ride.
✔ I loved the character buildup of all the characters.
✔ My head was spinning throughout with a new twist every other page. It shocked the living daylights out of me (the good kind).
✔ This is one book that reading only one more page is not enough (i was dying to know what happens next so read it one go).

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I wish there was a dual pov. I really would have liked to know what Jackson was thinking too.
✔ I wish I could go inside the book and sock Jackson and Faith.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
👮Thriller Lover
🕵Psychological Thriller lover

📈My Rating : 4.5/5

P.s- I absolutely loved the story telling. I was pleasantly surprised by the book.

Thank you Jenna Kernan , Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy.

Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

I almost don't know where to start on this one. I legitimately couldn't tell if the author was mocking the Florida Good Ol Boy stereotype or if she was writing this to appeal to a certain type of woman. Elana is a young widow with a small daughter, who was swept off her feet by Jackson Bellauru, son of a billionaire and mayor of a small Florida backwater. On the day of their wedding, his second ex-wife shows up to warn her to call off the wedding, because Jackson is an abusive sociopath, and after she left him, her daughter from a previous relationship went missing. Elana is like nah, I'm cool, he has a lot of money and can take care of us. Sure enough, after they are married Jackson's true colors come out, and surprise! The "crazy" ex wife was right. Elana learns his first ex wife, a creepy Mennonite woman who is ALSO HIS COUSIN, also has a daughter from a previous relationship who went missing after their marriage ended. Elana now realizes the danger she and her daughter are in. She thinks she is finally rid of Jackson after he drunkenly falls off their boat one night, but unfortunately for Elana her plan that nearly ends in her own drowning backfired, and Jackson realizes she is trying to leave him. The violence escalates, and Elana decides the only way to save her daughter is to allow him to kill her instead. At this point in the story, which went on forever, I only wanted to see if he was going to get what was coming to him, hence the extra half star. But overall the writing was simplistic, it was hard to sympathize with Elana, the portrayal of the Mennonite community was uncomfortable, and there were several tangents that could have been edited out for brevity and not affected the plot and may have even made it better.

This was fantastic! Non stop thrills and just the right amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing , and turning pages. Really enjoyed this one!

TRIGGER WARNING: contains repeated scenes of emotional abuse with some violence
Elana and Jackson seem to have the perfect marriage. But it is a relationship based on fear. Elana is desperate to escape but is terrified that her daughter will disappear just like the daughters of Jackson's previous two wives. Will she ever be free...?
The Ex Wives is a psychological thriller set in America in the present day.
Elana is hugely grateful to her husband Jackson for rescuing her from widowhood and financial issues. But she soon realises there is a price to pay: her freedom. She cannot choose her own clothes, has trackers on her phone and car, and is isolated from all old friends and family. Elana begins to plan an escape but she is scared of the consequences for her daughter as the daughters of Jackson's two ex wives vanished.
I was really rooting for her to stand up to him but feared his reaction as much as she did. The menace and tension throb from the pages. There are some very gripping moments but there were also some points when it became almost unbearable and I wanted to walk away. The characters were so authentic that I really believed what I was reading and it was awful to see Elana's situation.
The Ex Wives is absolutely absorbing but the emotive subject matter makes it difficult to 'enjoy'.

This was a quick and easy read! The plot was catchy, especially as domestic thrillers are my favorite; Elena believes she has everything she has ever wanted after marrying Jackson... until she finds out he is a liar. He's been married twice before and each of his exes have young daughters (just like her) who have gone missing. Definitely one of those books where you are screaming "are you kidding me?" the whole time. Red flags, everywhere! And red flags ignored, everywhere. So much so that it just kind of lessened the book for me. I enjoyed the writing and the book really picked up in the end though! It was just SO hard for me to get behind what was happening and what wasn't happening... like not using the FBI when they were RIGHT there.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my review!

Loved this book! very easy and enjoyable to read

The story flowed very well and I was at the edge of my seat

This book was fantastic! I was rudely reading at my in laws while there for dinner because I just needed to know what happened! So good. Suspenseful, heart throbbing, dark. Loved it! 5 stars.

3.5 Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the E-Arc. This book started really strong then the middle sort of lost my interest then the ending made a comeback it was a gold star ending. I found myself screaming at my e-reader a few times because I got invested.