"Sometimes I wish my husband would die".

With twists and turns and a main character that is fascinating and dark, this book had me hooked from the very first line.

Betts is our sort of reliable main character. She lives in the small town of Weeping Pines where she moved with her late husband, and no one really likes her. But, she found a way to be accepted by some people through her unofficial therapy sessions in the basement of her home in the woods. As Betts shares her interactions in the past and present with a handful of other characters, we begin to see a pattern emerge and more questions came to the forefront of my mind. I did not want to put this book down-I wanted to see how everything would unravel and play out, and I was not disappointed!

The chapters are tidy and concise and the book is the perfect length. This made for a fast and thrilling reading experience. I can't share much more because I would be spoiling the rest of the story and I highly recommend going into this story as blind as possible. If you are up for a unique domestic/psychological thriller with a feminist edge, then I highly recommend picking this book up immediately. As for myself, I can't wait to read the next book in this collection!

I read and reviewed an eARC of this book thanks to the HH Tisevich via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I found the title of "the Widow of Weeping Pines" intriguing, and I discovered throughout the book that the widow was just that, as well as many other facets to her personality. A wonderful character study and mystery that had me drawn into the plot. I would recommend this to all who like a good psychological mystery.

Strange but interesting. Not a favorite but like I said interesting and somewhat enjoyable read . Would I read the next, yes!

I promised myself I would get to bed early, it was a long and exhausting week and were leaving for Bermuda on Sunday but when I want to read.... I want to read.

I can't help it, reading is my outlet.

When I am super stressed I need to read, it's the only way I can shut off my brain and simple enough the only thing that calms me down is thrillers... go figure?

The Widow of Weeping Pines

The tile grabbed me, the synopsis hooked me, and then it was game over.

Hook, line, sink, this book is a doozie and I was all about it.

If you're looking for a book that will have your pulse racing and heart speeding, this is for you. The twist was wild and one that will leave you grasping for air.

Amanda McKinney, you're incredible.

Teaser :

Obsession turns deadly in this sleepy coastal town...

Therapist and struggling author Betty Lou Abbott has a secret, one she keeps locked in the basement of the historic mansion she inherited from her late husband. Her fiancé, Ian, also has a secret: he is having an affair with one of Betty Lou’s clients. She thinks so, anyway.

As Betty Lou’s life becomes intertwined with the beautiful, successful Carmen Marquis, her intention to expose the affair turns into a dangerous obsession. Especially when she learns there is more to Carmen than meets the eye.

Caught in the middle of this cunning pair of women is Nicholas Stahl, a crooked detective who is determined to prove the truth—that one of them is a cold-blooded killer.

The whole book you have this sinking feeling that Betts likely did something wrong and is still up to something but nothing prepares you for the end after all the action. I felt completely consumed by the story that was building and building in this book. I would recommend anyone who is into thrillers and enjoys a story from a “mad woman’s” perspective to check this one out (or the other books in the series.)

Wow... I kinda feel like I was sneak attacked and punched a few times by someone who then ran away screaming LOL
The characters were so intense and had so much going on for such a short story... The craziness of the characters with so many unanswered questions just felt like punches in the face. PSYCHO BETTY! (a few plot points) OBSESSIVE NICK! (a little more plot) BIG TWIST! SURPRISE CHARACTER! (tiny epilogue with little to no explanation) THE END!
If I'd been holding a paperback instead of a digital edition I would have expected it to self destruct at the end.
Now, that being said, it kept my attention. I blew through it, it's just that I finished it and was like Whoa, what was that? And I'm honestly not sure.

This title begins with great humour but quickly becomes very dark. So many of the characters are unhinged and I found this story quite confusing as all was not as it seemed.
Cleverly written. - short and sharp.
Three and a half stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Amanda McKinney/HH Tisevich for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow!… Tense and captivating… Full of twists and turns and shocks!… Raced through it, eager to find out the ending – which was just brilliant!’

Well, this was…weird. And fun. And a bit disturbing. But in a good way.
It definitely was a fast read (you know I‘m a big fan of short chapters) with many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I‘m still not 100% sure what happened but I liked the writing style and I was hooked from the first sentence.

The Widow of Weeping Pines is part of the Mad Women Series - I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but the title definitely fits this book.

Betty Lou (or Betts) is a therapist running a (off the books) clinic in the basement of her home. It‘s actually her late husband‘s house and Betts is currently living there with her fiancé. When Betts suspects her fiancé of cheating on her and the small town Sheriff suspects Betts of having something to do with her husband’s death, things get a little ugly.

To be honest, I didn't really like any of the characters but that’s ok because they were still interesting and unique. Every character was a mess in their own way so be prepared not only for mad women but also mad men.

What I didn’t like was that I was left with a few unanswered questions. Throughout the first half of the book, there were repeated references to a certain twist, and I was a bit disappointed that that part of the story just wasn't mentioned anymore in the second half.

Who is telling the truth? What are people’s motivations? This book lives up to the blurb of psychological thriller in every way and offers so many intriguing characters to ponder. Really well written, the author has a knack for convincing dialogue even when presenting such a wide range of characters, all with their own quirks. And Betty Lou, I love you!

I really enjoyed the opening of this book and loved the writer's style of story telling. Unfortunately I felt it was entirely too short, with unlikeable characters and too many plot holes. Not for me.

The Widow of Weeping Pines is a great quick read. It’s definitely a page turner. The story did not disappoint with the twists and the turns and it held my interest. It's a thriller and mystery and makes you wonder what is going to happen several times throughout the book. I highly recommend reading this if you enjoy thriller and mystery books. Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't' a favorite of mine. It felt like there were a lot of different tropes and cliches of murder thrillers that didn't make sense when they all happened in the same novel. It was also way too short to try to accomplish the reveals - there was no room for inference, just twists being explained flat out to you. Really just nothing original happening in the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

“Sometimes I wish my husband would die. Do you ever feel like that?” And with that opening sentence we’re off to the races.

This was a quick read and relatively fast paced novella about a widowed woman named Betty Lou. Years after her husband passed away from what appeared to be natural causes, 39 year old therapist turned author Betty Lou still resides in her inherited mansion called Gadleigh Estate in the small town of Weeping Pines, WA. Now engaged to her fiancée Ian, whom she met prior to Jacks death, she suspects Ian of having an affair with a local beauty named Carmen Marquis. Meanwhile Betty Lou is under suspicion from local detective Nicholas Stahl for he believes Jacks death was anything but natural. Tensions rise quickly and escalate to murder…
I have to say I really enjoyed seeing the characters become more and more unhinged as the book came along!! Unhinged people are super entertaining. It was a fun ride, and while the ending came as quite a surprise it also seemed a little rushed unfortunately. Very good read though!

Many thanks to Netgalley and HHTISEVICH for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes I wish my husband would die.

Yeah.
Uhm.
No one please show my boyfriend this book and its terrific opening line.


Catching up with all my ARCs so that the NetGalley police stops thinking I'm an asshole, and decided to start with this one, because both the blurb and the cover looked enticing.


The Widow of Weeping Pines is a short-chaptered little gem that sounds like every other domesti thriller you've ever read, but is blessed by Amanda McKinney's good writing.
The plot doesn't wait around and you're never left hanging, because the story is spread into a frantic succession of events and twists you won't be able to catch your breath.

Betts is one very unlikeable main character, but in her defense, everyone in this book sucks.
Also, bonus point for the author to create a story without feeling the need to introduce more than 10 characters.

There's really not much backstory -which for me is a positive trait, because I like my thrillers like I like my washing machine press cycle: quick and effective-, and I feel like some parts were extremely rushed and some questions were left unanswered, but I overall liked this and can tell it has potential to be the one-sitting kind of read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me this ARC in exchange for a honest review.


ACTUAL RATINGS 3,5/5

This book left me a bit uncomfortable and unsettled! The story line is a boundary crossing twisty turny nightmare in a good way. The fast pace and short chapters had me speeding through this. The twist and turns were juicy and the writing style was captivating. Highly Recommend.

Major mixed feelings with this book.

On one hand, I couldn't stop reading because I needed answers. On the other, I kind of felt like everything was very blunt, to the point, quick and short. I don't know that I liked one character, they were all kind of horrid or annoying in their own way.

A little off the charts, this was a fast paced domestic thriller that will have you tense and turning pages well into the night.

** spoiler alert ** I enjoyed this. It was a quick, easy and entertaining read. I also liked the end right up until the VERY end. I don't really understand how Betts managed to survive being poisoned in a remote cabin off-the-grid. She was unconscious when she was taken there, so it seems unlikely she could even direct help to her location if she managed to find a way to call for it. Stahl was conspiring with his friend to murder her and dump the body, so it doesn't seem likely he would've been in contact with any other law enforcement. So how did she survive? Other than that part of the ending though, I found this book very enjoyable.

Great writing style. I really appreciate books that keep you invested and are not unnecessarily long.

This is a true cat and mouse story

You read it in two perspectives Betts and Detective Nicholas Stahl.
Betts is unhinged and is quite the character. I actually found myself rooting for her. Detective Stahl is sure she murdered her first husband. He is continuing to investigate the case.

This is a fast and easy read. It’s short but worth it!