I enjoyed this one! In the beginning, I thought this was going to be your regular run-of- the- mill domestic thriller featuring a powerful and rich female executive (Emma) and her new much younger love interest (Matthew) who seems too good to be true. That was not the case with FIRST WIFE'S SHADOW! As the story progresses you start to see the couple's relationship unraveling and you don't know who or what to believe. About 50% in there is a jaw- dropping twist and the story amps up from there. While I did predict a twist or two, it did not take away my overall enjoyment of the story and there were still more twists that I never saw coming.

I highly recommend FIRST WIFE'S SHADOW to domestic thriller lovers!

I love a good thriller and have been looking for new-to-me authors, which is why I requested this one. I really enjoyed this read--thanks so much for the gifted copy

What a twisted web this one is! I really enjoyed this thriller with so many surprises.

Emma is a single CEO, and Matthew is a widower whose wife recently died. They begin dating and things move very quickly, despite there being flashing red lights to warn her about this new relationship. About halfway through the story, the surprises begin, and to be honest, there’s one after another until the end. What a wild ride! The pacing is really perfect, and the author keeps revealing just a little more…!

I highly recommend this one! 4.5 glittering stars rounded up!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Emma is a wealthy, successful, independent woman in her mid-forties, who has been perfectly happy with her solo life, until she meets Matthew, a man a decade younger, with whom she falls for, fast.
The two become a tight pair, despite her friends' skepticism about his intentions, and the fact that he is still openly grieving the death of his first wife.
Their blissful existence becomes threatened when weird things start happening to Emma. Is she being sabotaged, haunted, or going crazy, and what, if anything, does Matthew have to do with it?
This was a fun thriller with a few twists and turns, some that were kinda easy to some coming, and some not as much.
Thanks to #netgalley and #mirabooks for this #arc of #firstwifesshadow by #adeleparks in exchange for an honest review.

This one was decent; but I feel like it tried too hard to throw that curveball at the end. Unfortunately, the lead up to that "twist" was pretty excruciating: a female main character who ignores ALL the red flags, her best friends advice, etc. By the time the end came around, I actually stopped caring. I enjoyed the narration.
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I've always enjoyed Adele Parks' books so it was a no brainer for me to request an ARC of First Wife's Shadow, especially after reading the description. Once again Adele Parks delivers an exceptional domestic thriller -- with gaslighting GALORE. There are essentially three main characters, and Parks provided the perfect amount of backstory/complimentary characters for each and also wove together past and present drama seamlessly. The perfect read this summer!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of First Wife's Shadow by Adele Parks.

This is a psychological thriller about a financially successful Emma who meets a younger man Matthew. Despite their economic differences, the two fall in love, but suspicion does revolve around them, could Matthew be a gold digger?

That suspicion gets even louder when strange things start happening to Emma, things that resemble what happened to Matthews first, deceased wife. Is Matthew dangerous, or are more sinister forces at play?

This was a very middle of the road thriller. I do feel like I've read it before, so while I enjoyed it, nothing about it knocked my socks off. Adele Parks is a great author, so the journey will be fun, I just wouldn't plan to be blown away.

Cover to cover I was hooked and every twist had me gripping the book I still trying to wrap my head around it!!

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

This was unfortunately my least favorite book by this author! It was still a fun and intriguing read but I did find the storyline slow at some points and redundant. I will still continue to read this author.

This twisty thriller kept me on my toes more than I expected. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, it delivered a surprise that caught me off guard. The writing is sharp, and while I disliked nearly every character for one reason or another, it felt like an intentional choice for the story. The pacing was uneven for me. Around halfway, I was ready for a big finale... and then it just kept going. The extended wrap-up wore on, turning what could have been a snappy, satisfying conclusion into something that dragged. I appreciate a thorough ending and love a well-done epilogue, but this wasn’t that for me. The premise was solid, the reveals effective, and it delivered a few rewarding shocks. Not quite a favourite, but worth the read if you like a layered deception.

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA Books for access to this book.

I am a huge fan of Adele Parks and have loved all of her thrillers. They are twisty and creepy and I never know where her words are going to take me. This is one of her best with all of the spectacular twisty, creepy parts. I devoured it!

Emma and Matthew meet and the relationship almost seems too good to be true. Oops, maybe it is. As things move quickly between the two of them, others in Emma's life urge her to slow down. And then Emma starts doubting herself, and Matthew.

I was totally blown away by the twist that ended this amazing story. If you love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the end, First Wife's Shadow is one you definitely should read. I can't recommend it enough! I loved it!

Firstly, let me say that the Emma-in-the-sauna scene had me sweating. Now, with that out of the way, this book was just mid (as the kids say). I'm not the biggest Adele Parks fan; to be honest, I don't even remember reading Lies, Lies, Lies, but the folks here at NetGalley say I gave it four stars in 2020 so . . .

Emma was annoying. Her character went from being independent, confident, and content with her job, home, and friends, to being a caricature of how she was originally presented. She was also incredibly self-centered and thoughtless (like, bringing up Matthew's finances in front of her friends at any point, let alone the FIRST time he met them? Girl, no.) I will admit I gasped out loud at a twist I did not see coming AT ALL, but then that led me immediately to figuring out the second twist. The ending was completely, 100% unbelievable, and there were a few other things that strained credibility, but I don't want to spoil anything by putting them here.

Everyone needs friends like Gina and Heidi, because I'm not sure I would have been as quick to forgive Emma as they were.

First Wives Shadow is a twisted, diabolical psychological thriller which will make you gasp, be shocked and surprised with each and every warped turn. This can't put down book is a creative heart palpitating adventure you will never want to end. The ending itself, the fireworks.

Emma is a wealthy single older woman who never married. An executive at a company and wealthy due to her hard work, she loves her life. Very routine oriented you could set your watch by what she does and when she wakes up every day. Although her two best friends are married with children, they are as close now as they were when they met years ago in college.

Matthew is a widower who lost his first wife Becky in a tragic accident. Although they seemed to not have much in common, perhaps that's why the flirting began. After accidentally meeting at a convention where Emma was speaking, she finds herself attracted to Matthew. He is a photographer and although they do exchange numbers, they work and live and travel in different areas, so nothing happens. Until it does.

Their romance advances very quickly. Although Matthew is not afraid to talk about his late wife Becky, Emma believes he still has feelings for her. He brings her up subtly and she understands that is to be expected. For the first time in a very long time Emma is happy!

When her two best friends are introduced to Matthew one of them gets a bad feeling. This sadly causes a lot of stress and anger, but Matthew and Emma not only move in together but decide to marry against her friend's wishes.

There's something else going on with Emma. Strange occurrences begin to happen in her house where they are living. Things she can't figure out such as finding items shattered, doors locked which were not supposed to be, and other unusual occurrences which make Emma feel like there might be something wrong with her. Unfortunately, with her friends alienated from her she starts to become paranoid and begins drinking a bit more than usual which concerns Matthew.

Emma starts to question whether she made the right choice in moving so quickly with Matthew and whether or not he truly has gotten over his first wife. Then things take an even darker turn one which neither of them will ever be able to come back from. That, I will leave the reader to discover, enjoy, and be shocked at.

First Wives Shadow has so many crazy, and I mean crazy moving parts with mysteries, and secrets some we don't even discover until much later just as the reader will think they've figured out what's going to happen and then be turned around in another direction and find yourself rattled. A great beach read, this is just another fascinating story in Adele Parks amazing devious style.

Thank you #NetGalley #MiraBooks #AdeleParks #FirstWivesShadow for the advanced copy.

Oh boy, this was so good! I started this book off thinking I knew where this was going (as a major thriller enthusiast who has read every one I can get my hands on) - but Adele Parks kept me buckled in for every twist and turn right to the end!

We start off the book with Matthew (handsome, widowed) bumping into our protagonist Emma, who is a successful and accomplished career woman. They hit it off immediately and their relationship is off to a running start, leaving her long-time friends a bit wary. Then, strange things start happening around Emma's home (which Matthew has also moved into) - is it Matthew we should be afraid of? A jealous friend? Or someone (or something) else altogether?

This was an excellent exercise in keeping the reader on the edge of their toes, making us unsure of who we should be rooting for and more importantly - trusting.

I was engaged throughout the read and then fully swept off my feet by the end! Strongly recommend.

As Bella tries to navigate her new role and build a life with Philip, she becomes increasingly unnerved by the pervasive presence of Freya. Small, unsettling incidents and Philip's almost obsessive idealization of his late wife begin to sow seeds of doubt and suspicion in Bella's mind. Was Freya truly the flawless woman Philip remembers, or is there a darker, more complex truth hidden beneath the surface?

Parks expertly crafts a narrative that explores Bella's growing unease and her desperate need to understand the woman who continues to cast such a long shadow over her marriage. As Bella delves deeper into Freya's past, she uncovers secrets and inconsistencies that challenge everything she thought she knew about Philip and his first wife. The novel skillfully plays with the reader's perceptions, blurring the lines between reality and Bella's increasingly anxious state of mind.

A very strong four stars for this psychological thriller from Adele Parks. Emma has it all -- money, success -- but no man. When she finally meets someone who interests her, he's almost too good to be true. But of course, Emma's girlfriends ask all the right questions about Matthew's past, and Emma brushes them off or worse. And when even more unexplainable things start happening, Emma doesn't know what to think! Is she going crazy? Were her friends suspicions valid? And even worse -- is her husband involved?

I did like this quite a bit, although I thought the first half was a bit slow. But when the other narrators come into play, things get really interesting and twisty. I did like that very much about this story. I started thinking I knew everything that was going on, but I didn't. Very enjoyable read.

First Wife’s Shadow is a domestic thriller. While I adore Adele Parks’ writing, this story wasn’t my favorite of hers. Emma and Matthew are an interesting pair. The premise of the book had me intrigued but the slow burn of the first half of the novel had me a trying hard to hold tight for the action to begin. Emma’s inner dialogue was interesting to a point. The twists were there however because the pace was slow they were easy to predict. This would be a great beach read.

This was a good "who do I believe" book. following the main characters marriage, you start to question what really happened prior to this marriage. I love a good popcorn thriller so I enjoyed this one.

4.5*
Emma is a successful woman, despite all the hardships she’s encountered in her life. She’s dedicated much of her life to a job that she finds fulfilling and never had the desire to marry - until she met Matthew, a handsome photographer who just so happens to be recently widowed. Emma jumps at the opportunity but finds the relationship moving very quickly and her friends’ concerns are growing. Emma hasn’t met any of his family, she’s never been to his house, and she continues to feel second to his first wife. Ignoring all the red flags, Emma and Mathew persist as a couple, but Emma begins to ponder… is Matthew in the relationship for the right reasons? Is Emma truly standing in his first wife’s shadow?

First Wife’s Shadow is a story of love, obsession, and revenge. It is a thrilling read and I loved every second of it! The characters (as unlikable as a few are) were written phenomenally. A truly incredible psychological thriller.