Thank you NetGalleynfor the ARC for my review. This was my first book by these authors it is quite the psychological thriller. Poor Nora married into a crazy life and being an outsider among the wealthy. She married Will, a successful lawyer,, and the love of her life. Will ends up dead and she is under investigation for his death since she is the outsider, she takes it upon herself to do her own investigation and find out who killed Will and prove she is innocent. This book is quite the page turner and I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.

I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

This thrilling novel, told in dual timelines, finds Nora Davies in a desperate search to locate her husband, Will, who has disappeared after his birthday party. Nora and Will’s love story provides an excellent backdrop that builds tension to a nail biting conclusion.
I found myself rooting for them to triumph over their challenges including a community that shunned Nora, nefarious business dealings, and questions about what true love really is. Rife with interesting characters, some of whom are likeable and some who are not, this fast based story will keep you guessing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such a twisty read, I was definitely invested in the mysterious disappearance and every reveal had me second-guessing what I thought I knew.

Nora, 28 and Will, 46, Somerset are hosting a party at their lavish Winter Park, Florida home to celebrate his birthday. Will is a successful attorney partnering with Fritz Hall, a smug man who lives off his family money. This is the second marriage for Will who is divorced from Constance and they are the parents of Mia, 14. Constance hates Nora and does not like for Mia to stay with them. Her jealousy is insane.

The morning after the party Nora wakes to find Will not in bed with her. As they were about the retire the night before, he had received a call from Mia who said she left her jacket in her boat and wanted him to get it in case it rained. That’s the last time Mia saw him. Thinking that he might be holed up in the Ritz hotel working on a case which he often does, Nora figures that’s where he is but is frustrated because he will not take her calls. Will’s partner, Fritz, comes by and is angry at Nora for not calling the police and does so himself. Now, Nora is truly worried and wonders what has happened to her husband.

When Will is found dead floating in a lake, Nora is devastated. But Fritz and some of his snooty friends do what they can to make it appear that Nora killed Will. Thus begins a tough battle to prove her innocence. As she digs deeper, she undercover some really scary dealings and knows who she thinks is to blame.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The snooty people in their enclave were a bit of a hoot to me. It’s amazing how incredibly mean women can be to other women in an effort to make themselves appear superior. But downfalls can be spectacular. Come read this book and enjoy some of them.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

HAPPY WIFE, happy life? Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores would have to answer; maybe not.

Tongues are wagging in Winter Park, Florida when 46 year old personal injury attorney, Will Somerset courts and marries 28 year old, Nora Davies after a whirlwind romance. But when Will goes missing the day after a lavish birthday party thrown for him by Nora the good folks of Winter Park feel they were correct in their assessments of her. His law partner, Frederick.’Fritz’ Hall III, and his wife, Gianna are convinced that she has done away with him and make it obvious when dealing with detective Travis Ardell. Fritz is a pompous, blow hard who still needs to treat Nora with some acumen due to her being Will’s wife. Nora is convinced that Will has just gone underground for some reason. She is convinced that she is going to have to clear her own name and with the help of her best friend., Este and her husband, Beau, she sets out to do just that. But what of her growing attraction to restaurant owner and chef, Marcus? Could her marriage have been as solid as she believed if she is finding herself attracted to another man without even proof that her husband is dead?

I loved this book, the glitzy glam, the opulence and the backstabbing all made for a very enjoyable read. I love mysteries with rich people as I will never know how the one percent lives. Do I want to? The writing was clear and concise which will keep this duo at the top of my list of authors to watch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Happy Wife - Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores
Pub Date - 6/24/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this gifted advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I'm always up for a "rich people doing bad things" troupe and this one was good and definitely fast paced. Nora, a 28 year old swim instructor at a prominent club meets Will, a 46 year old rich, divorced lawyer meet at the club, have a quick romance, and get married within 6 months of meeting each other. After Will's 46th birthday party, he is found dead by the police and Nora is the prime suspect.

I thought the ending of this was predictable. It followed all the clues that the authors placed throughout leading to the person I thought did the crime. It was a good read for the summer - fast paced and easy.

“Happy Wife” is a thriller following Will & Nora Somerset & their whirlwind romance. One day Will goes missing & eventually turns up dead & Nora is, of course, the prime suspect. Nora must work to figure out who killed her husband & clear her name once & for all.

I really enjoyed this one! It has short chapters & dual timelines, telling the story of how Will & Nora met & fell in love while simultaneously telling the story of what’s happening after his disappearance. It was an enjoyable read, although somewhat predictable. The twist wasn’t really shocking & I had it somewhat figured out but I would still recommend this book to any thriller fan.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

My first Meredith Lavendar/Kendall Shores book but definitely not my last! A fantastic cast of characters kept me flipping pages long into the night. Dark, twisty and totally captivating. Never a dull moment.
Thank you NetGalley, Meredith Lavendar, Kendall Shores and Bantam Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is not at all what was thinking this book would be when I started. The writing is snappy and fresh, the characters are great, most of them. I was expecting a ditzy twenty something marrying a 46 year old man for his money and lifestyle. That is not the case. Nora was mature beyond her age and didn’t take anything from anybody. This moved fast and the setting was fun. Winter Park Florida. It’s fun to see how the elite live but I would want to be involved in any of the shenanigans. I hope this will become a series. If not a series, I hope the authors continue to write. I look forward to reading more.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4⭐️

Happy Wive” by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores is fabulous! Well written with great dialogue and great characters.

Nora is working two jobs to get by when she meets Will, an older successful lawyer. Set in the wealthy enclave of Winter Park Florida. Old money rules the town. With the age difference and being the 2nd wife, the cards were stacked against Nora. Sadly, Will goes missing and the first place they go for answers is the new wife. What really happened to Will? This is a page turner. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for this advance read. Go order your copy now! Comes out July 1st

Happy Wife takes place in the wealthy and aristocratic area of Winter Park, Florida. Norah Davies is a struggling 20 year old who happens to meet local attorney Wil Somerset. He is a famous attorney who works with local high end Fritz. Norah marrying Wil feels like a dream come true. The Winter Park snobs are slow to welcome her but she can take it and makes good friends with her next door neighbor. Norah throws Wil a amazing 46th birthday party that Wil disappears from and no one knows where he is at. The book is a easy beach read with a good mystery. The detail on Winter Park is a lot. Overall, a good read.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. A fast paced domestic thriller that would be perfect for a vacation read on the beach. I loved the short chapters and the dual timelines. The plot kept me engaged and there were plenty of twists and turns. Will definitely recommend to friends.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Nora seems to have it all. Will, her handsome and wealthy husband, a house in the most exclusive neighborhood, and a luxurious life that many would envy. Being a younger woman and the second wife, Nora has not been completely accepted by their group of friend. It does not help that wife #1 is still around spreading her frosty judgements of Nora. On the night of Will’s 46th birthday party, Will runs to retrieve something from his boat and disappears. Of course suspicions immediately point to Nora. Nora is left reeling, desperate to uncover the truth behind her husband’s vanishing and the web of secrets surrounding their lives.

This is a fast paced, well written thriller that expertly weaves twists and turns throughout the story. I loved the satisfactory one two punch of the ending! Highly recommend!!

This was a quick read, which was great. I love short chapters and dual timelines and this book had both! I didn’t find the twists really surprising but that didn’t ruin the book for me. If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller, this is a great book to read!

Dual time lines, short chapters, and rich people behaving badly. Oh, and murder. Norah was barely keeping it together when she met the suave, wealthy much older Will., They marry and Norah thinks she's settling into the Winter Park community and getting along with her stepdaughter but then she throws Will a brirthday party, he disappears, and all those new friends desert her. She knows she didn't kill Will even if everyone else does so off she goes to investigate. This has some good twists as it barrels to the reveal. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good one for travel.

This was an enjoyable book for the most part. I liked the character of Nora and her tenacity to get justice done. I was not too surprised as to whom the killer of Will was which was a little disappointing. Also, it seemed to drag on awhile after the killer was identified. Almost to the point that I thought there might be a surprise suspect.

I love the cover of this book, I caught my attention immediately. I then read the synopsis and thought that the main character sounded very relatable. I was so excited to start this and really liked this one! I loved the short chapters, dual timelines, the setting and the main character. This is the perfect book everyone needs to read this summer!

What a wild ride. I thought I was reading just a normal story and didn't expect a twist. Not only did I not see the twist, I did not guess it. Interesting story that is a must read, especially if you enjoy reading about the dark side of social media!

This was not the quick fun read I expected. It moved very slowly in the beginning and felt like every other "rich people behaving badly" book I've ever picked up. There's nothing wrong with it, I just didn't fall into it as I'd hoped. I got irritated at the characters, which is predictable and not necessarily a problem - except for the fact that the pacing felt oddly slow for this type of story, especially in the beginning. It made my attention flag and that WAS a problem... This one wasn't a good fit for me.