A very well written mystery, page turner & unpredictable.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

4 stars

This was my first Kernan read, and I expect there will be many others to follow.

Elana, the m.c., is the current wife, as opposed to the titular ex-wives, but they all seem to be facing the same problem: their jerk of a husband (or ex-husband, as the case may be). He's the type who has everyone under his thumb, mostly by virtue of his charms, so folks are really supporting his bad behavior. Elana has some past trauma, including the very early death of her first husband/father of her daughter, Phoebe, and she's excited to be starting a new life with this fellow, so it's no surprise that it takes her a beat to distinguish caring from creepy.

Readers may find themselves making correct guesses about a fair amount of what happens here, but there are some good twists, too, and best of all, Elana is no fool. Especially for this genre, and in light of the time jumps, she comes off like a traumatized but capable opponent, and that (the capable part) is always a joy to see.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and recommend the audio version of this book.

Thank you bookouture audio and netgalley for this opportunity. It was a wild one. Very sad as well couse of the children. But it was also about strenght, will to survive, to be better, to bit the bad. And that makes the book interesting. So many mistakes and love is blind. Brings us to do things witout thinking. And there are people who help.. Not all is bad and hopefully the good sometimes wins as well.

A huge Thank You goes out to Jenna Kernan, Boukouture Audio, and Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook prior to its publication day of Monday, October 10th. This psychological twisting thriller will make you rethink dating and/or marrying anyone, especially if they seem to have the world wrapped around their finger.

All is well in Elaina's life after she's found the man of her dreams, Jackson, who's both a wealthy Mayor of a small town and very connected with everyone in it. When FBI agents show up at her house one day to question her husband's knowledge of two missing children from his previous marriages, Elaina begins to question the man she knows. Her husband is quietly being investigated and suspected of the disappearances of two of his step-daughters from his ex-wives.

Jackson begins to grow more suspicious of what he thinks Elaina suspects of him, so he places a tracking device on her phone, car, and other devices to keep her in check at all times. When presented with her opportunity to flee this prison of a marriage, things go terribly wrong and she's stuck with her dangerous partner, who now knows his life is at stake as well but knows he can use Elaina's daughter as leverage to keep his wife put.

This book is a hot mess and should definitely serve as a reminder to listen to your gut if you're ever in a tricky situation, especially one with all of these red flags. Red flags never lie, and at worst, you're just being cautious and protective of yourself.

I liked this one! I listened to the audio version and finished it in under 24 hours. The narrator was great, distinguishing voices for all of the characters- and there were quite a few! Lots of twists and turns with a satisfying ending.