𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘:
⏱️ Dual timelines/POV
🤯 Out there twists and turns
🚩 Truly two-faced, unlikeable characters
✨ A super easy engaging audiobook you can have on in the background
🤫 Plenty of secrets

𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:
Pacy, gripping, and disturbing, this was a plot full to the brim with crazy twists and drama. With dual perspectives and timelines, we follow Anna both in the present, married to Will, and in the past as a teen, with her first love Finn. This was a super easy listen, narrated by Katie Villa, who read this brilliantly and added to the plot's suspense.  

If you can suspend belief, and enjoy this for the thriller it is, then the twists are great. Out there, but great - this stars one of those twists which makes you sit and think back to the first chapter and go 'oooooh.. that makes sense now'. I formed no emotional attachment or even interest particularly to any of the characters, but with plenty of secrets to be gripped by, this was definitely a quick, fun listen.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 + 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝘼𝙍𝘾, 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 @𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 (𝙄𝙂) 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙮.

Description 🔖

Anna Blackwell receives an email from an unknown sender with a photograph attached and when she opens it, her world is turned upside down. The photograph is of a dead woman. Anna doesn’t know who she is but she knows who killed her.

Does this mean that Anna is next? In order to protect herself, her husband and her family, Anna knows that she needs to come clean about her past but doing so will put her marriage at risk. She doesn’t know who to turn to at this point and as everything starts to unravel around her, she realises that she’s not the only one who has been keeping secrets.

General Thoughts 🤔

After having read quite a complex, heavy book, this thriller was a breath of fresh air for me. I thought it was great entertainment and I was able to fully allow myself to get lost within the story and the characters. There were some good twists and turns thrown in that I admit, took me by surprise and I really enjoyed the drama of Anna’s relationships.

Characters 👫👭👬

I quite liked Anna throughout the majority of the book and I found myself empathising with her quite a lot. She had made some poor decisions in her youth that had lead to not the best start of her adult life, however she had managed to move on, put it all behind her and make a life for herself. But then when her secret bombshell dropped, my opinion of her did shift. She had kept a pretty big secret and I’m not sure that if I were Will, I’d have been able to forgive her.

To be completely honest, the characters in this story weren’t that deep. I didn’t particularly love or hate any of them and I don’t feel like I really got to know an awful lot about their inner workings, but I was still more than happy to be swept along with their drama.

Writing Style ✍️

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I did enjoy her writing style. This book was exactly what it says on the tin, thrilling, suspenseful and mysterious. I’ve seen some mixed reviews online and most of the negative ones seem to be from readers who have read a lot of other work by Shalini Boland. If anything this has made me want to read more of her books because I enjoyed The Millionaire’s Wife.

The timeline jumped between past and present and as always, I thoroughly enjoyed this structure. I also listened to the audiobook which seems to be a winner in comparison to the book if you look at other reviews. The narrator did a fabulous job of carrying the story along and keeping me engaged.

Conclusion and Scoring 🎖

I really enjoyed this book and it jumped to the top of my TBR list at the exact right time. It was what I would describe as a popcorn thriller; it was fun, dramatic, easy to get lost in and felt a bit like a guilty pleasure. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook as I thought that it was great to listen to and kept me very entertained. If you’re looking for a binge worthy thriller that you don’t have to think too hard about to enjoy, then this is a book for you.

Color me thrilled!! I loved this book! I was hooked throughout and I loved that there were no loose ends when I finished! It was everything I was looking for in a mystery thriller. Just loved every bit of it. My first Boland book and definitely not my last!

#audiobook

I enjoyed listening to this thriller as an audiobook.

It opens with the violent death of a woman in Barbados, mown down by a speed boat. In the upmarket enclave of Westbourne, Bournemouth, Anna is living with her husband Will and they have a good and prosperous lifestyle. They cement their family life with the purchase of a new dog and all seems rosy until Anna receives a text with the bloody image of a dead woman. She soon understands who the woman killed in Barbados is and she knows that her well-buried past is coming to haunt her.

Anna’s early years were spent by the sea. Her Swedish parents were in the UK for some years and so Anna went to school. and she and another student, Sian, become firm friends and hung out together. Anna also catches the eye of Fin, the most desired boy in the school, and after they leave school, they decide to move in together, even though her grades would facilitate a move to a top university. But she is smitten, and her parents can make no inroads, she is determined to invest in the relationship. They work in minimum wage jobs and struggle to make ends meet, and the relationship is becoming hard to manage. Finally, when Fin brings home a bargain wetsuit from his place of work, Anna finds herself coming to the end of her tether and it is at that point it becomes clearer that Fin has quite a short fuse. They soon have to move out from their lodging and things go from bad to worse until Anna calls it a day.

So how did Anna go from destitution to living a luxury lifestyle? She is certainly harbouring some potentially life changing secrets in her background and soon her hand is forced to reveal them.

I enjoyed listening to this novel, it had a good sense of pace. It is well set out and easy to follow, which can be tricky when there are two timelines. Perhaps the ending was a little long winded, followed by the final denouement which seems like a bit of an add-on but ties up all the potential flapping ends.

In TripFiction terms, setting isn’t particularly strong.

🎧 The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland

🕵🏻 Can you ever really know the ones you love? After seeing a news report about the death of a woman on the other side of the world, Anna Blackwell realizes that her past has caught up with her. That her greatest fear is about to come true. That it’s her turn next. Uncover a web of lies and deceit in this chilling, twisty suspense thriller.


👩🏻‍💻 This book is a great middle of the road English thriller. While it didn’t blow me away, the storytelling and pacing were enough to keep me reading.

A solid domestic suspense, The Millionaire’s Wife is a great choice for a speedy summer read or winter day by the fire.

I had received an audiobook ARC but I think for this novel, the physical copy may be a bit better to get truly invested in the characters. I look forward to picking up a physical copy to continue my reading. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Classic Boland! Grabbed me from the start and was difficult to put down!

After a shocking opening, we meet Anna. Happily married and celebrating her husbands birthday when she gets a text that leaves her cold. Is the past that she had been trying so hard to forget about finally caught up with her?

This was a definite page turner that needs a little suspension if belief with some of the characters actions, but enjoyable all the same!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anna Blackwell is happily married to a wealthy husband that she adores. One night while out celebrating his birthday she receives a message from an unknown sender, it has a picture attached of a dead woman with the note, your turn next. In an instant, her long buried past comes full force back into her life. Can she protect her family and the secrets she has been keeping or is she really part of the long ago pact that is coming to fruition?

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller from Shalini Boland, it is full of twists and plot turns that makes you question who to believe. While I'm not sure ALL of her secrets needed to be kept from her new husband the suspense was good and you could see the predicaments that Anna found herself in. The pace of the story is good along with a few surprises. I would recommend this book. I had the audio version read by Katie Villa who did an excellent job and kept the story flowing smoothly.

This was a juicy twisty story that had me second guessing myself almost to the end. As always Boland fills the story with a naive MC who makes terrible life decisions. This story follows Anna as a teenager with flash forward to her adult life. Slowly the pieces come together as her past rushes to meet her future.
A must read for fans of Shalini Boland. Quick becoming one of my favorite author's for psychological thrillers and quick nail biting reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this. Fast paced, brilliant narration and plot. Just love this author and would highly recommend this to anyone.

I loved this audiobook!
I very rarely listen to audio versions, however had to request this one as Shalini Boland is one of my favourite authors and I haven’t read this book.
The characters developed well and were intriguing and the plot was unique.
I’d strongly recommend this to anyone. What a great book!

This was my first book by the author and it won't be my last. I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time to find out what was going to happen next! The story flicks between present day and to the past at different stages of Anna meeting Fin and their relationship together. Shalini's story telling kept me engaged the whole time.

This was SO GOOD! I loved it. It is packed with all the twists and turns, moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat. I don't even know how I can summarize this book without giving it away. The narrator did a wonderful job and helped me to really get sucked in and lost in this story.
Just know that this book is worth the read. You won't regret picking this book up for your next read.

The Millionaire’s Wife
By Shalini Boland
Review and Rating: 3 ⭐️

The Millionaire’s Wife is a fast paced psychological thriller with many twists and turns! It is basically about Anna Blackwell who is now married to Will, her perfect, wealthy, in the dark, husband. The timeline bounce back and forth between now and earlier when a young Anna, just graduating school, was in love with Finn, her first love.
I have decided not to get into the plot in this review because no one wants spoilers, and boy, are there a bunch of those!
However, I felt like it was all very implausible, you may really have to willingly suspend disbelief with this one, as I did.
The narrator did a great job and the audiobook version was good.
I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook.

#TheMillionairesWife #NetGalley

An amazing thriller!
Just how well do you know the ones you love? Do they keep secrets and if they do, how far would you go to keep them safe?

This thriller makes you question those people you surround yourself with and trust and love. Crazy plans that get out of hand and jealousy that ruins our relationships. I enjoyed the twists and turns that are scattered through this book and just when I thought it was over there was more. I can’t wait to read another one of her books.

I absolutely love the luxury of having a novel read to me whilst working... So subsequently I am an avid "listener" and have an audible book on the background most days (which sometimes drives my family nuts LOL!!!).
The Millionaire's wife narrated by Katie Villa is really enjoyable and well delivered.
The storyline leads itself to be listened to as there are not many characters to keep track on. In my opinion, "complex" books are not suitable for Audible experiences...
The storylines contains a dual-time frame and the whole point is to take you on a mystery solving experience giving the reader/listener clues from the past as well as from the present.
The journey through the book was very pleasant, thrilling at times with a wicked twists along the way. Really good indeed....

Superbly paced and gripping thriller by Shalini Boland. This was a light and binge-worthy audiobook listen. Set along two dual timelines, we meet Anna and her handsome surfer boyfriend in their teens and follow the turbulence and angst of those days. This is juxtaposed with 10 years later when Anna receives a chilling text of a murdered woman with the words: " Your turn next". There are some great surprises and twists in the plot that add to the suspense. The audiobook is clearly narrated in a Britiish accent intonation well the action, anxiety and fear. A quick and entertaining listen perfect for Autumn. #themillionaireswife #shaliniboland #netgalley #psychologicalthriller #thriller #audiobook #bookouture

The Millionaire’s Wife
By Shalini Boland

I am a huge fan of Shalini’s stories. This story did not disappoint.

Anna has met the man of her dreams. But when a message comes in on her phone, her perfect life shatters. The world she left in her past should have stayed in the past but this message of a dead woman brings it all rushing back.

I thought I had this story figured out and then the twist smacked me in the face.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media, Inc for the advanced copy of this audiobook in turn for my honest review.

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland
Format: Audiobook ARC
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Released September 19, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ARC.
This book sucked me in right from the beginning. The storyline is unique with many twists and turns and complex characters. The reader is drawn in to try to figure it all out. There is a split point of view from the main character as a teenager and young adult to a married young woman. The suspense is tied to both the past and present keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. The narration by Katie Villa is spot on and enhances the drama. If you enjoy some suspense then this book is for you!

I struggled really hard with this one, but the plot was good, so I think it was mostly the narration that was the problem. I would still read more from this author, but probably only in print or with a different narrator.