The suspense here is everything. It had me glued to the pages, each chapter more intense than the last. It’s a sharp, emotional, twisted look at marriage and the lies that can lurk in even the most picture-perfect lives. The twists and the tension are done so well, and by the end, I was left stunned. If you love a smart, suspenseful read with deep character dynamics and plenty of secrets, Happy Wife is one you won’t want to miss.

A super quick story that started off as a slow burn for me but ultimately had me racing to the end. I needed to know what the outcome was going to be. The writing in this book is excellent, so I'd suggest that to book clubs. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Nora Davies thought she had found her happily-ever-after when she married Will Somerset, a wealthy, established lawyer twenty years her senior. Plucked from a life of barely scraping by in Winter Park’s elite shadows, Nora seemed to have stepped into a fairytale—but fairytales have their villains. When Will mysteriously vanishes the morning after his birthday celebration, Nora is thrust into a nightmare: not only must she unravel the truth behind his disappearance, but she also has to defend herself against a community eager to see her as the guilty party.

On the surface, Happy Wife glimmers with the glamour and intrigue of a high-society thriller, exposing the sharp edges of wealth and privilege. Beneath the designer veneers and manicured lawns of Winter Park, secrets fester, and the façade of perfection crumbles. The story alternates between Nora’s whirlwind romance with Will and the present-day search for him, keeping the reader toggling between the allure of her newfound life and the growing tension of its unraveling.

While the premise is engaging, the execution doesn’t entirely hold up under scrutiny. The mystery aspect, though twisty, felt predictable at times, and the social commentary on wealth and status, while valid, came across as heavy-handed. The repetitive descriptions of Nora’s ostracization and the disdain of her affluent neighbors made certain sections drag, diminishing the suspense.

Nora herself is a mixed bag as a protagonist. Her vulnerability is compelling, and her determination to clear her name makes her someone you want to root for. Yet, her decisions often lack the depth you’d expect from someone in her precarious position. The supporting characters, particularly the snobbish Winter Park residents, veer dangerously close to caricatures, making it hard to fully invest in their interactions or motives.

The pacing starts slow, but the second half picks up momentum, delivering a series of revelations that, while not wholly surprising, are satisfying enough to keep you reading. The exploration of marriage as a complex institution, particularly when power dynamics and societal pressures are at play, adds some depth, but it’s not explored as deeply as it could have been.

Ultimately, Happy Wife is a decent, fast-paced mystery that shines more for its glittery setting and surface drama than for its deeper substance. While it won’t stand out among the greats in the genre, it provides an entertaining, if not entirely memorable, escape into a world where wealth and deception collide.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars! Ooh this was delicious and twisty. Loved every min of this one. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this type of book. I thought the mystery element worked with the overall feel of this plot. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the how realistic they were. Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores has a great writing style and am excited for more.

Ironically (seeing that the husband is missing in the first couple of chapters) this book had a slow start. It took a while for me to get into it, but it was a quick read with good twists. Overall enjoyable read.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

“A young woman must find her missing husband and prove her innocence in this twisty, unputdownable novel set in an ultrawealthy Florida community where looks can kill.”

Happy Wife is a mystery/thriller which follows Nora in her journey of finding out what happened to her missing husband. This book was a very quick and solid read that i enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Winter Park isn't a place to make noise or stick out. So when Nora Davies marries Will Somerset in a whirlwind romance - the gossip flies. Nora is quite a bit younger and doesn't necessary have a career or a calling or even a plan. But Will loves her and that's all that matters. This all comes to a screeching halt when Will disappears after his big birthday blow out.

At first Nora assumes he is working. But hours pass and she realizes she had better sound the alarm. A great thriller with plenty of twists and Pretty Woman kind of vibes! #randomhouse #Happywife #meredithlavender #kendallshores

(3.5 rounded up) I sped through this, a mystery about a woman whose husband goes missing and she becomes the prime suspect in his disappearance. Nora marries into wealth and is treated with suspicion and snobbery in the upscale community of Winter Park, Florida. Then, her decades-older husband disappears, and the mistreatment by the people around her is ratcheted up. This was a quick read with a lot of twists, and something to say about the ultra wealthy, even if the point feels a little forced at times. Social dynamics are a big part of this story and it just felt a little repetitive. I did the mystery aspect to this and I liked following Nora, the main character. This is good at being what it is a- a mystery with something to say.