I really enjoyed the book overall but it did seem to drag a bit in the late middle. It could have been just me though. Overall, it is definitely one I’m glad I read just probably wouldn’t read again.

3.25 ⭐️

This book was a jaw-dropper. There was a moment in the story when I completely forgot about the horror element, swept up in the romance. That said, I did expect more spookiness overall. Still, I found it to be intriguing and thought-provoking. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop toward the end, but I was satisfied with how it concluded. I’ve never read Rebecca, so I don’t have that comparison, but I still found this book to be interesting and definitely worth the quick read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery but prefers to keep their reading light.

Thanks to Colored Pages Tours for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chloe is a modern day retelling of “Rebecca” featuring Black characters. I haven’t read the original, so I’m not sure how it compares. I enjoyed my time reading this, but I wished there was more to the ending. Angel, our main character, was very naive! I also wished she stood up to her employer and her sister in law. Overall, I recommend if you like slow burn, domestic thrillers.

Angel is a sous chef at a renowned DC restaurant, but she spends every August working as a personal chef for the wealthy Harrison family on Nantucket.

One summer, she meets handsome billionaire widower Everett Bruce. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry and return to his Potomac estate, Riverwild.

As Angel tries to adjust to her new life, she sees traces of Everett’s first wife, Chloe, everywhere. Then there’s Ida, Everett’s sister and the property manager. Ida was devoted to Chloe.

Will Angel ever find out the truth behind Chloe’s death, or will secrets end her marriage as quickly as it began?

***

This is a re-imagining of one of my favorite books, Rebecca. I appreciated the aspects the author kept, as well as the new interpretations.

The plot stays basically the same. But the differences serve to illustrate how timeless the themes are.

Angel is an established, independent woman, whereas the main character in Rebecca was young, inexperienced and naive. Yet the two women find themselves in the same situation. The way they react to that situation stays true to their characters.

This was a quick, entertaining read. I did think the dialogue was a bit stilted and unnatural sounding in places. Also, the end seemed rushed. I wish the author had spent some time explaining Angel’s reasoning for the decision she made in the end. It seemed a bit too easy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to @netgalley and @amistadbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really, really wanted to love this book. It had so much promise. We have Angel, a black chef who is working for a wealthy family at Martha's Vineyard for one month during the summer. This is where Angel meets Everett, a recently widowed billionaire. The two fall for each other, marrying quickly. This is Everett's second marriage as his first wife, Chloe, died from what was ruled a suicide albeit under odd circumstances.

Angel ignored red flag after red flag. Everett is moody, angering easily. Nonetheless, the newlyweds move into the home that Everett once shared with Chloe and his sister, Ida. Ida still manages the lavish estate and gives Angel such a difficult time.

Nearly the first half of the book takes place in Martha's Vineyard. The Harrisons, the family Angel is working for, drives the first half. Then the book speeds through a couple major events. Angel and Everett spend weeks in Europe, but that time is quickly summarized. The wedding was a blip.

Once at the estate, things get strange. Very strange. Everett is even moodier. Ida is very controlling. Angel is spending an overwhelming amount of time alone. Not only that, Angel won't stop asking about Chloe. I found this portion of the book to be page-turning. However, the ending fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Amistad, for an advanced reader copy of this thriller!

Angel is a private chef for the Harrisons, one of the most powerful Black families on Martha’s Vineyard. Every August, Angel is in charge of the huge garden party that Jillian Harrison throws at their estate. But this party is different because Everette Bruce, an influential Black billionaire who is still mourning his first wife Chloe is invited. Soon, Angel and Everette begin a romance that leads to marriage. But Angel is not sure if her new life is as good as it seems. She moves into Everette’s estate called Riverwild. But Angel feels as if there are some secrets surrounding Chloe’s death.

Secrets and lies are the name of the game in Chloe by Connie Briscoe. Briscoe provides us with a good mix of romance & suspense with this story. Just when you think that you have this book figured out, Briscoe throws in a few curveballs that keeps the story moving. Chloe is a fast-paced novel for readers that love a book full of suspense and unexpected twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Wow! Yes wow! Love, love, love this book and will be recommending to everyone.

Yes, a must read!

Put it at the top if your to be read list like right now.

CHLOE A Novel of Secrets and Lies by CONNIE BRISCOE
PUB DATE 3/18/25
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis:

Angel is a private chef for the Harrison’s, one of the most powerful Black families on Martha’s Vineyard. Impossibly supercilious Jillian Harrison often spends the entire summer on the island, while her husband Irvin and their twenty-nine-year-old daughter Norma commute from Washington, DC, on weekends. They always join Jillian for the month of August, when the family throws a lavish garden party on the expansive lawn that is attended by nearly one hundred guests. This year’s guests include Everette Bruce, an influential Black billionaire, still in mourning for his first wife, Chloe, who committed suicide.To the imperious Jillian’s surprise, Bruce ignores her and instead becomes enchanted with Angel. Eager to get away from the controlling Mrs. Harrison, Angel accepts Everett’s invitation to become the private chef at Riverwild, his massive mansion along the Potomac River. Her meals and company provide comfort Everett, and soon he and Angel begin a whirlwind romance that culminates in marriage.

💬When they say "Everything that glitter's ain't gold!!" Is a very true statement in this suspenseful intriguing tale of Angel being caught up by the enchanting Everette Bruce. But as her new husband's true character comes to light and his charming ways disappear added to a menacing sister to boot, the truth about Chloe's death comes to light!!! I enjoyed the story, though it took a while to pick up and when it did it went by a little too quickly. Still I will be reading more from this author.

Thanks again to @hearourvoicestours @amistadbooks @netgalley for the gifted copy of the physical book and the eArc.

#chloé #hearourvoices #hov

There is one thing that I can definitely agree with after reading this book: Love and jealousy can make people do crazy things!

'Chloe' by Connie Briscoe is a retelling of the Classic 'Rebecca' by Daphne De Maurier where a chef named Angel meets Black Billionaire Everett and they begin a world wind romance leading to marriage. During this time, Angel learns about Everett's first wife Chloe who supposedly took her own life even though Chloe's mother is quite adamant that this is not accurate.

This was a quick read with the suspension built in nicely. A bit more drama would have really taken this over the top.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

I've read Rebecca several times and seen the movie so I was eager to see what Briscoe would do with the story. There have been multiple reimaginings-because it's a good tale-some good, some bad, some right in the middle. This is toward the lesser end of things, in part, I think because the shadow of the original hangs so heavy. This lacks the atmospherics of the gloomy house. The characters. however, especially Angel are well drawn. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I suspect that those who have not read the original will enjoy this more than I did.

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
2.5 ☆
The premise of this story is what caught my attention. A tale of domestic suspense centered on a spirited woman named Angel who marries a Black billionaire, only to discover that he remains haunted by his first wife, who took her own life. Now, doesn't that sound amazing? Everyone is comparing it to Daphne du Maurier's classic *Rebecca*. I have never heard of or read that story, so I honestly can't compare them. But unfortunately, I DNF'd at 60% because, honestly, it wasn't keeping my attention, and I'm not interested in finding out what happened to the ex-wife, Chloe. Sorry!

Thank you, Netgellay, and Amistad for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thoughts

Listen, if it is a Rebecca retelling I'm going to love it. I don't know why I love that book so much or the retellings.

I ate this book up. I read it quickly and was hooked. I was so excited to see how this author would update it. And I really enjoyed it.

There are two things that I didn't love and that was the transitions, I just wish there were better traditions for the passage of time, even if it was a new chapter. But that is just a pet peeve of mine. The second thing is I wish the ending was updated a bit more. I LOVED the twist! But the ending ending I wish could have been updated too but I get that as a retelling you can't stray too far.

I finished it and wanted to read it again so I think that explains how I feel about it!

Bestselling author Connie Briscoe returns with a retelling of Daphne Du Maurier's classic Rebecca. This tale of domestic suspense centers around a whirlwind romance that culminates in a quick marriage between private chef Angel and a Black billionnaire named Everett. Once she moves into the massive mansion located along the Potomac River, Angel discovers he is haunted by his first wife's death and begins to question what really happened to Chloe. Things aren't adding up. Everett is not answering questions. And no one seems able to let Chloe go.

I read Rebecca umpteen years ago but still remember the premise. There are multiple retellings and even a Netflix production for those that want a quick refresher of the story. Chloe is the first that I know of that features Black main characters. Love this for us!

Unfortunately that is where my love for this story stopped. It starts off rather boring and is too predictable. Angel ignored all the red flags making it harder to empathize and like her. The ending, to say the least, is unsatisfying and abrupt. It was a struggle to stay interested enough to finish, but I did on the strength of the author being thee Connie Briscoe. Fans of the author may want to skip this new release and re-read her earlier works instead. I, on the other hand, am going to re-read the original Rebecca.

Happy Early Pub Day, Connie Briscoe! Chloe will be available Tuesday, March 18.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Last night, I dreamt I ....didn't read this book.

Rebecca is one of my top three books of all time. I love it so deeply that I should have known a 'retelling' would be unsatisfying. Boy, was I correct.

Connie Briscoe has taken Daphne du Maurier's classic and moved it away from Manderley and into the American South. In modern times, Angel is a private chef for a powerful family on Martha's Vineyard. The family throws an annual summer party full of wealthy guests, including Everett Bruce, a powerful billionaire and recent widower.

As expected, Everett is taken with Angel and invites her to come to Riverwild (i.e., Manderley) to be his private chef. The two connect and quickly marry. The house is ruled by the head housekeeper, Ida (Mrs Danvers), who rules over Angel with an iron fist. She—and Everett—can not let Chloe, the former wife and Riverwild mistress, go. Her spirit and power remain long after her tragic suicide.

Angel starts to question Everett, who becomes more and more withdrawn. Angel is slowly learning that Everett is not the man that she thought she married...and Chloe may not have died by suicide.

--

Where to start?

There is a reason that Rebecca is a classic gothic novel. The setting and the mystery of the new Mrs. de Winter (and the lack of knowing her first name) and the former Mrs. de Winter. When you have a character like Mrs Danvers - and turn her into Ida, you are swimming in shark-infested waters, and...baby, those sharks are hungry. Mrs Danvers is one of the scariest characters in literature.

Maybe this is my own issue. Maybe I should just refuse to read retellings of books that are ingrained in my heart. Maybe Daphne du Maurier was a genius, and Rebecca is a perfect book, so anything that tries to retell it will always fall short for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unfortunately, this story was disappointing because I've loved the authors previous books. I wasn't able to connect with the characters or the plot. I read 75% of the book, prior to dnf.

This was meant to be a retelling of Rebeca set in the DMV area with black characters. The titular character was a socialite, married to a wealthy man and she died unexpectedly. I love Rebecca and it’s one of my favorite books so this was a fun and slightly reminiscent read. I loved the slightly spooky vibes from the description of the house. I do think it could have been a bit spookier with good old fashioned howling winds and windows left open with billowing curtains, evoking more of a haunting. I didn’t love the ending, I felt like it was wrapped up way too quickly and almost a bit simply. The ending also kind of made me not want to root for the main character as much as it kind of “blamed the victim.” I do think this could make an interesting movie or mini series and would be a fun book to read in the summer.

This book is written well, short and sweet but I found the ending unsatisfying and the FMC Angel frustrating. The summary of the book and even the first initial pages made me think I was diving into a thriller/suspenseful filled ride but what I got was a relationship moving too fast, a FMC who has a character shift too quickly and a ghost of an ex wife who wasn’t really a ghost with no real suspense or thrill. I appreciate being able to read this arc prior to its release but this book felt very bland for what I was expecting.

This was a strong concept for an updating novel of Rebecca, it had that element that I was hoping for in this type of book and had the spirit of the previous book. The characters were everything that I was looking for and worked well in this universe. Connie Briscoe has a strong writing style and the characters had that feel that I was expecting.

New York Times bestselling author Connie Briscoe updates Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca in this chilling tale of domestic suspense centered on a spirited woman named Angel who marries a Black billionaire, only to discover that he remains haunted by his first wife who took her own life—or did she?

This summary says it all. There are no true surprises and that is what makes the sense of foreboding all the more pronounced. The story is on the shorter side, which makes it perfect for reading in one sitting. I would recommend this book for a buddy read or a book club during a busy month, as it provides ample discussion material without requiring a significant time commitment. Overall, this was a solid addition to the suspense genre.