3.5 rounded up.

A fun, quick, easy book that showcases the extremely wealthy people in Winter Park, Florida. I am always drawn to juicy stories about the obnoxiously rich.

Nora is living paycheck to paycheck when she meets Will, a divorced and very rich attorney. As he brings her into his world she realizes she will never be welcome there. And then he dies and she’s the main suspect.

I didn’t predict the ending and the authors did a nice job casting suspicion onto everyone, including Nora’s only friends there. I didn’t love the plot line with the chef, it felt too contrived.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I sped through this one. The pages fly by and the chapters are short, The twists would make for a good summer vacation read.

Once it picked up, this was a really fast paced read. And who doesn't love a good rich family drama? Nora meets a rich older man at the country club where she works. They have a whirlwind romance and marry. Then Will disappears and Nora is the prime suspect. I think everything wrapped up nicely in the end. I think people would like this as a quick, summer read.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. It is a side of Florida that you don't often see, and I'm a little biased since I lived there for a few years during my college years. It was so much fun reading about all of my favorite local hotspots (The Enzian!!!). This was a great summer mystery, perfect for anyone looking to see how the other half live while solving a mystery. Nora made me laugh out loud at times, she was so witty and I loved her smart comments. I wish she had more of a backbone throughout the story, because she took a lot of crap until the very end. I don't know that I would have done differently, though. That's my one complaint, otherwise, I love the setting, the story, and the characters.

This was a dual timeline mystery in the present and the past. We get a love story but also the grittier parts of marriage. I love how the backstory was woven in so we could get to know the characters better as things unfold. The chapters were quick enough to leave you wanting more. This is a perfect beach or poolside read. There is mystery, suspense, and who done it. You won’t regret diving into this glamorous world.

I absolutely loved this book! From a struggling young woman to meeting a rich lawyer things couldn't be better. I loved watching Nora find her place and stand her ground. You watch her whole world come crumbling down when her husband goes missing and then is found dead. She fights to clear her name and no longer be walked on by the elite members of her community. I absolutely did not see that ending come and I could not be more obsessed! I couldn't put the book down, I did not guess the culprit at all!
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers and authors for letting me have an arc copy for leaving an honest review. This will be the book of the summer!

As far as mysteries go this was fine. The pacing was a little slow to start but picked up significantly in the back half of the book. Then within the resolution there were some elements that just felt a little too convenient - there weren't rational explanations. Overall I enjoyed it. It was a fast easy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

DEBUT Collaborative writers Lavender and Shores introduce readers to Nora Davies, a 28-year-old woman who was still working at the country club in the elite town of Winter Park, Florida until she met and fell in love with 48-year-old lawyer, Will, who is recently divorced with a teen daughter. They quickly marry after their whirlwind romance, making heads turn in the community. However, when Will turns up missing the morning after his birthday party that Nora threw for him, everyone is quick to point the finger at the new, young wife as the prime suspect in his disappearance while she tries to figure out where he has gone. The authors explore the complexities of the couples’ relationship due to their social status, their age gap, and the influence of their community’s perception of them. Issues in marriage, friendships, and societal norms are examined while unraveling a mystery that includes a clever cast of characters appearing on the suspects list, some you will love to hate. VERDICT This modern mystery will appeal to readers who cannot pass up the latest juicy scandal in the headlines!

The main character in this book was fun. However the mystery was very predictable and a little repetitive. I also had issues with how slow this book started and found it hard to keep connected.

4.5 / 5 stars; What a fun read! Happy Wife is set in the beautiful Winter Park, Florida - a tropical playground for the rich. The book follows Nora - Will Somerset's young and beautiful second wife - as she goes from swim instructor at the club, to housewife, to person of interest in her husband's disappearance, to vigilantly detective. Will, or "Hot Mean Lawyer" as Nora calls him, is an extremely successful lawyer... but did he finally find the case that would cost him everything? One of my favorite parts of he book was the sisterhood and friendship between Nora and her best friend, Estes - every girl needs her b(Estes) friend.

Happy Wife is not only addictive, but fun reading about the elite, their exclusive clubs, opulent lifestyles, and their secrets. While reading, I found myself looking up pictures of Winter Park and Zillow-ing real estate in the area because the author does such a great job selling the town! I wouldn't mind living there myself and taking boat threw the canals. I would definitely recommend the book for a fun, quick, and light read!

5 stars! It's been a long time since I've read a 5-star thriller. Happy Wife captured me from the first few paragraphs and kept my interest throughout. Even though I guessed the killer within the first two chapters, I was still captivated until the very end. I liked the short chapters and dual timeline, and the setting of Winter Park, FL was fun! Definitely add Happy Wife to your summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine | Bantam for the advanced copy. Happy Wife is available on June 24, 2025.

Nora Davies is an outsider. At least to those who live in the overly-affluent community of Winter Park, Florida. Then she has the audacity to marry the Golden Boy—Will Somerset—handsome, successful lawyer, most-eligible batchelor, old money, you get the picture. But things get worse. Will disappears the night Nora throws an over-the-top party for his forty-sixth birthday. Nora is a little slow to involve the police, to avoid a messy and likely unnecessary scandal, which makes her the primary suspect. And kicks off the rumors and gossip and condemnations Winter Park has mastered. From there, things get even more muddy. A great cast of characters, a deep dive into the social hierarchy of the affluent, and a plot that will keep you guessing to the end make this story a true winner. Highly recommended.


DP Lyle, award-winning author (Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series), Lecturer, and Story Consultant and Co-creator of The Outliers Writing University
https://www.dplylemd.com/

Thank youNetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for honest review. Unfortunately I DNF'D this book halfway through due to the flat pacing and character development. I had really high hopes for this book as someone who is a thriller fan but I just couldn't seem to get into the plot.

Quick fast paced suspense. Wealthy man dies — the young new wife is to blame.. I liked the storyline but some of the characters (the wife’s bestie especially) annoyed me .
Cute summer read with a tad of suspense.

Happy Wife delivers a gripping domestic thriller that peels back the layers of privilege, marriage, and identity in a community where appearances are everything—and secrets are deadly.

Nora seems to have it all: a handsome, high-powered lawyer husband, Will; a stunning home in Winter Garden’s most exclusive neighborhood; and a life that many would envy. But Nora is far from accepted. As a younger woman and a relative outsider, she constantly battles the judgment of her husband’s peers and the frosty disapproval of his ex-wife, Constance—who clearly hasn’t moved on.

On the night of Will’s 46th birthday party, a seemingly minor errand—retrieving something from his boat—ends in his mysterious disappearance. As suspicion quickly turns toward Nora, she’s left reeling, desperate to uncover the truth behind her husband’s vanishing and the web of secrets surrounding their lives.

With twists and turns expertly woven throughout, Happy Wife is a compelling story of suspicion, loyalty, and the cost of keeping up appearances. The ending delivers a satisfying punch, tying up the mystery with finesse while still leaving room for reflection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the advanced reader copy.

Wow—this ended up being a 5-star read for me! It took about 50% of the book for me to be fully hooked, but once I was in, it became completely unputdownable. For perspective: I took about four days to get through the first half, and only a day and a half to devour the second half—and that was during a busy stretch of family events, so that’s really saying something. There came a point where I simply had to have my answers.

I really enjoyed the quick chapters and the dual timelines of past and present. Each timeline added depth and perspective to the other until they perfectly converged into a bittersweet, satisfying, and emotionally touching ending. I thought the plot was tight and clever—no filler, nothing that felt unnecessary. Every scene served a purpose, and I found the author’s writing style to be witty, readable, and incredibly balanced—sometimes funny or scathing, other times deeply emotional and heartfelt.

This book is classified as a mystery/thriller/suspense, which it absolutely is, but I want to highlight the other layers that were such a happy surprise. Underneath the murder mystery is a deeply relatable, incredibly human narrator: Nora. She’s 28, from a blue-collar background, and married to a wealthy, older, successful lawyer in a community full of, as Tay would say, “vipers dressed in empaths’ clothing.” She’s relatable because she’s flawed. Nora loves her husband—you feel that—but the relationship is written so realistically. It’s not all romance and happiness. They have issues. Her feelings are complicated. Their behavior is real: sometimes heartwarming, sometimes painful, sometimes funny, sometimes suspect. The full range of emotions is there, just like life, just like real people.

My heart broke for Nora, but my heart also soared for Nora.

In terms of the thriller element—this fully delivered. I was never 100% sure who my main suspect should be. I felt guilty for suspecting some characters, while others seemed too obvious to actually be guilty. I was kept guessing, doubting, theorizing, and suspicious of everyone until the very end.
This was a great mystery with a nuanced, well-crafted plot and a satisfying ending—but it was also more than that. It was a reflection on marriage, grief, wealth, and the quiet tragedies we all carry. I recommend it to any reader, regardless of genre preferences.
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SPOILERS BELOW
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“I’ll miss you forever, hot lawyer man” sent me spiraling. Like, full sobbing. Will deserved so much better. It was so hard to read about how he and Nora had finally made it through such a rough patch, reconciling with this hopeful, loving outlook for the future—only for that to happen to him that same night. Heartbreaking. Nora had just been wondering where life would take them next on that last boat ride, and now she’ll never know. Now she has to find herself alone. I felt her grief through the pages.

Some quotes I loved:
“God, I remember when I first learned ‘bimini’ meant ‘boat awning.’ The glossary of terms I have had to download just to keep up in this town. Rich people are crazy. So is DNA evidence, it turns out.”
🔥 BURN!

“The club wasn’t my favorite place to eat. It was teeming with a little Lily Pulitzer mafia of women who all disapproved of me.”
A literal nightmare. And I passionately hate Lily Pulitzer, so this really hit for me.

“Are you in this? Did something happen? Are we talking about a murder weapon buried somewhere that we need to go make disappear? Maybe it was all just an accident. Something went too far in a heated moment? Just tell me and I’ll get a shovel and a convertible and we’ll ride off into the sunset and no one has to know.”
This is one of many moments where I felt so guilty for suspecting Este!! And can I just say: the best friend being named Este has got to be a nod to “No Body, No Crime” by Taylor Swift. Especially with all the boating references in this book. I’m choosing to believe the parallels were intentional. Este? Boats? Murder? Cheating husbands? Hello!

Fritz – what an asshole. Easily hated from the start.

Final thoughts: That epilogue wrecked me. Nora realizing that Will pretended the phone call was about Mia’s hoodie—rather than Gianna and the real danger—in order to avoid spoiling their night and risking a fight? And doing it just to keep the peace because they had finally made it to a good place, because he wanted a “happy wife, happy life”? Absolutely gut-wrenching. We know he meant well, but it ultimately cost him his life and left Nora to pick up the pieces. The way she aches, wishing he’d told her—wishing she could’ve gone with him, had one last fight, changed something—is devastating. Those “if onlys” of life will haunt you. And I loved Nora’s theory that Will planted evidence on his own body so justice would be served. I’m choosing to believe that’s exactly what he did—and I will not be taking alternate interpretations at this time.

Nora is working as a swim instructor at a Florida country club when she meets Will, a hot lawyer dad who is newly divorced. In a whirlwind romance, they elope and she’s thrown into the rich, elite suburbs as a second wife. With his ex-wife still running in the same circles, she’s not making it easy for Nora to assimilate. When Will goes missing, Nora is a suspect as she and a few friends try their hardest to find out what really happened.

This book was so fun! Crime thriller meets country club suburbia, you’ll hold your breath with Nora as she fights to find Will and fight to save herself from the country club mean girls determined to run her out.
Things aren’t always what they seem.

Happy Wife is the perfect beach read! When a rich lawyer goes missing who else could be suspected, but the young second wife? This story takes place in a one percent town where everyone is connected and has a motive. One part mystery and one part love story I love how it jumped around!

What a wonderful debut. HAPPY WIFE is a fast paced story that kept me engaged and entertained. There are some great twists which surprised me. I would recommend this book.


Many thanks for my gifted copy.

This was a fast-paced book, centered on Nora, who is hoping to increase her standing in the community after marrying a much older and wealthy man named Will. She is under pressure to gain some respect from Will's inner circle by throwing him a birthday party, which goes well until Will seemingly disappears after. While the entire book is told from Nora's POV, it alternates between the present timeline and various times within their romance that led up to this point.

Nora is a believable character, though the whole romance might make you suspend your disbelief a bit. I liked the way we got to know her better through the events of the past, though I do wish we could have gotten to know Will a bit better too from those flashback chapters. There was also something about them only having been together for a year that didn't quite sit right with me- it felt like it should have been longer. The mystery in the book moves quickly, though there were definitely things that came up at the end that I thought could have been solved earlier. I appreciated the authors giving us a choice of red herrings as we tried to figure out what was going on with Will. The end of the book was a little abrupt, but I thought it worked with the rest of the story.

Overall, fast read with a decent mystery, though not sure how much it will stand out after I move on to other books. Worth a read, though. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.