I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. Honestly, this was kind of a lackluster thriller to me. It was slow and long. Many periods of not much happening, and a lot of the before seemed fairly irrelevant. I may be getting pickier, and also accustomed to more surprises, so I think I was waiting for some crazy reveal that didn't come.

What the author did well: the vivid descriptions of the insular and wealthy community. The character development was pretty decent also; we definitely get to know Nora and some of the supporting characters. On the other hand, some of the supporting characters seemed unnecessary (the rich lady who had an affair with the police officer, for instance).

Florida dramaaaaaaa! Even in books Florida is still Florida.

This story takes place in a very wealthy and small, tight-knot area of Florida (Winter Park) where a wealthy middle-aged lawyer goes missing.

This story mainly follows the trophy wife (not a gold-digger) of the missing lawyer as she tries to figure out what happened to her husband, following two different timelines. We see days leading up the him going missing and the days that follow.

This was a bit slowly-paced for a thriller, dragging at some point, especially when we meet new characters that I didn't find to be very important or fascinating.

The ending was satisfying, but I can see if being predictable for some readers. I know some people don't mind a super predictable ending, especially once you've read enough books in that genre (things can become predictable). It was a sensible ending, looking back at all the clues that lead to it, it was well done.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

3.5 stars This is a good quick read about a trophy wife and her new husband in ultra rich Winter Park Florida. After her husband goes followng a birthday party, the book splits into 2 timelines with the suspense building up in each one. Some of the characters were over the top but that makes it fun. I enjoyed the first half a lot. Some things didn't make sense but overall it keeps you reading to find out. Marcus and Este aren't really explained as characters, but just that they play major roles in Nora's life. Overall, great summer read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I honestly had ZERO idea of what was going to happen in this timeline...and I loved every minute of it. It is so rare to find a book that really hooks you into the timeline of things and get a perspective of what happens before and after the disappearance of Will. I loved the twisty tale of intrigue the authors weaved and it truly had be second guessing what Este, Marcus, and Fritz were up to. Not to mention the characters of Will's past who seemingly randomly showed up. Pair that with the super catty and beautiful wives of Winter Park and you have a hell of a story. Give this a read, you will NOT be disappointed!!

Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores, Happy Wife, was a page-turning debut that glimmered with juicy social dynamics, suspense, and a compelling exploration of the complexities of marriage.

It was clever.
It was intriguing.
It was subversive.

It was an addictive novel that was equally mysterious as it was entertaining. This psychological mystery thriller followed Nora, a young woman, who sought out to find her missing husband and prove her innocence. Only to discover a web of deceit, envy, and betrayal in the ultra-wealthy community they lived in.

I had the hardest time putting this book down. I devoured it in a couple days. This story was told by the main protagonist, Nora, and alternated between the present and past. The past told the backstory and provided enough red hearings to keep me guessing throughout. The dialogue moved at a fast paced. There was never a dull moment, it was that compelling. I also enjoyed the wealthy suburban community where Nora didn’t quite know where, or even if, she fit in. When other women in her community didn’t naturally accept Nora, Este befriended her and claimed Nora as her best friend. Este was a breath of fresh air. She had a sharp wit and always had Nora’s back. It goes without saying, the friendship between Este and Nora was a strong one; and I loved the humor and sarcasm they exuded in their relationship.

Overall, Happy Wife was a fast-paced, suspenseful tale of secrets and social intrigue. I relished in this unraveling mystery that was hinged on complex relationships and hidden motives. It was a twisted and unputdownable debut novel. I’m eager to see what the dynamic duo, Lavender & Shores, come out with next!

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Wife though not set on a beach, is the perfect beach read to add to your pile for the summer. You will be immersed in Nora's newly discovered world of wealth and glamour (though she remains down-to-earth) where she is relegated to the fringes and not accepted being the second wife of a prominent attorney. One of the aspects of Happy Wife that was most well developed, in my opinion, was Nora's friendship with Este. It seems to me that their was the true love story of this novel. Her relationship with her husband, however, was not quite as well developed though still believable. Lavender and Shores were deft in dropping their clues about the killer and it was quite a surprise to learn who the killer was. This is a light and quick read that will have you thinking you might know what happened until it's all revealed at the end.

3.9
Fun, if not particularly profound. There was a tonal shift toward the end that was a smidge off-putting, but it wasn't so dramatic as to be jarring.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores due to be published June 24, 2025.

Nora Davies meets and marries Will Somerset after a whirlwind romance. When Will disappears the morning after his birthday party, everyone wonders the same thing – where is Will?

I loved this book and was hooked from the beginning. I liked the way it went back to when Will and Nora first met and became engaged and then back to the present as Nora tries to uncover who killed Will and keep the police away from suspecting her. Lots of other characters – Will’s ex, his daughter, Nora’s friends Beau and Este, and the restaurant owner, Marcus, made for an entertaining read! Looking forward to their next book!

#NetGalley #MeredithLavender #KendallShores #Happy Wife #RandomHousePublishingGroup

Nora is barely scraping by between her two jobs when fate puts her in the path of newly divorced and rich attorney Will. Although he's at least 20 years her senior, they recognize that sparks are flying between them and after a whirlwind courtship, they marry. The problem is that the rich, stuck-up women who inhabit Will's rich and powerful world see Nora as a gold digger and interloper and decide to freeze her out. With only one neighbor who will talk to her and Will constantly working, Nora's beginning to wonder if she made the right decision to enter Will's world. On the night of Will's 46th birthday party, Will disappears and is later found dead. The "old money" group does all they can to pin his murder on Nora, but although she's the young, beautiful and supposedly "dumb" second wife, Nora isn't about to lie down and take it. Doing some digging of her own, Nora is about to prove that the second wife has brains and isn't afraid to use them to solve her husband's murder.

The authors build a sympathetic character in Nora and paint the other women as likely devotees of Cruella DeVille. Allowing "outsiders" to experience through Nora life behind those secure gilded gates in one of the richest communities builds empathy for her situation. Money and power are the currency here. A mystery which moves along at a good pace with an ending that will surprise the readers.

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores, When 28 year-old swim teacher nora Mary’s millionaire lawyer Will she really did marry him because she loved him but when he went missing after his birthday party all fingers were pointed her way. When they first got married his law partner Fitch tried to intimidate her but when Will went missing he told her don’t speak to anyone unless you speak to me first. He even got a local policeman under his employee to start the investigation as to where he was. with her being 28 and him being 46 everyone called her a gold digger including his ex-wife Constance so Nora knew the only way she would be found not guilty was the find out why her husband vanished and who did it. The only friend she had was her next-door neighbor Este and the chef named Marcus in throughout her grief she will test their friendship more than once and they will prove to be loyal friends but will Nora proove her innocence? there were so many great characters in this book from Nora too Este, bow, Marcus and I absolutely loved Perry. I don’t wanna leave this review without saying what a great thing that was at the end in the locker room, I love a bad guy gets there come up. I think Miss Lavender and Miss Shores make a great riding duo as this book is absolutely superb. I absolutely enjoyed it it was twisty compelling and Nora is a great character to root for. if you love a twisty ride then you will absolutely adore this book is any thriller fan wood. #NetGalley, #RandomHousePublishing, #TheBlindReviewer, #MeredithLavender, #KindleShores, #HappyWife,

I enjoyed the plot of this domestic thriller/murder mystery but was irritated with the main character at times. The book was fast-paced and easy to read in the beginning, but then we bump into the dual timeline/Before chapters, which were slower with extraneous details and dialogue. Overall, an interesting book. I enjoyed the tropes of an ultra-wealthy small town, an interloper who is ill at ease, best girlfriends, trophy wife, a mansion on a lake, all wrapped up in a who-dun-it with a satisfying ending.

A younger second wife married to a high-power lawyer in fancy Winter Park - what could go wrong? I could not put this thriller down!

Loved this book about Nora and Will! Nora is a receptionist at a museum when she meets Will who is almost 20 years her senior. They fall in love quickly and Nora is amazed by his kindness and generosity--made possible by the millions he's made. But there's an ex-wife, a stepdaughter, and as she throws him a birthday party for his 46th, things start to fall apart as his partner, Fritz is acting oddly and then tragedy strikes! This one will likely keep you up all night!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Summary:
Nora is married to Will, a successful lawyer who is quite a bit older than her. She truly loves him, even though plenty of people assume she’s just a gold-digger because of this Nora is treated as an outsider. Her best friend and next-door neighbor, Este, is her saving grace. Este, whose husband made his fortune in tech, is also seen as an outsider in their fancy community, and her sarcasm and zero-filter attitude had me laughing out loud so many times. I adored their friendship and all the hilarious, sharp dialogue that came with it.

The real mystery kicks off when Will disappears during his 46th birthday party.

Where did he go?

Is it tied to one of his cases?

Or is something more sinister at play?

Thoughts:


When I got approved for Happy Wife on NetGalley, I was SO excited. I had this book on my Amazon Book Wishlist just waiting for release day! I had really high expectations for this one and it completely delivered. I stayed up ALL night reading because I could not put it down.

The characters were so richly developed and I was fully invested in Nora’s journey from start to finish. I also absolutely LOVED Este. She’s hilarious, sarcastic, and had no filter in the best way possible. Her friendship with Nora added so much humor and heart to the story.

As for the mystery well it kept me guessing until the very end! Meredith Lavender & Kendall Shores did such an amazing job balancing suspense, emotion, and sharp dialogue. This will easily be one of my top domestic thrillers of the year!

If you love domestic suspense that’s smart, sharp, and impossible to put down, Happy Wife needs to be on your summer TBR!

Things I liked:
-The cover, hello?! PINK
-Title is cool
-Synopsis seemed really interesting!

Why I plan to purchase a physical version:
-I enjoyed the writing style
-Premise seems cool
-I really enjoyed the portion I read
-There are text messages in this book that I would like to experience in proper formatting for the full experience
-There is a bit of added complexity to this one that makes it better as a physical book I believe and I really want to have that

Why I would recommend:
-The writing style
-The cover
-I got immediately sucked into this one and struggled to put it down

I didn’t love the Botox reference in the beginning, but that might be a me thing, as it is very much still part of societal norms. I just can’t stand it. Just a heads up for readers!

I can’t wait to purchase this one and have it on my hands!!

Thank you for the approval for this eARC! I am grateful for the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

Fun book with some intrigue. Great descriptive characters and scenes. Awesome ending! I highly recommend this book.

I received a ARC of this upcoming novel, due out in June, through NetGalley.

This is a missing person mystery. The missing person is a very wealthy 46-year-old lawyer. He vanishes immediately after a big birthday bash. The principal character in this novel is Nora, the lawyer’s trophy wife. Nora is not perfect, but she is easily the most appealing character in this book. She is not the cunning gold digger a reader might expect.

The story goes back and forth on two timelines, the events preceding the birthday party and the days that pass after Nora’s husband disappears. Things move rather slowly in this book. numerous characters are introduced once it becomes apparent to the reader that foul play is involved. There was nothing especially interesting about any of these characters and the resolution of the mystery was rather ho hum, matter-of-fact.

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy.

This book just didn't do it for me. I found myself bored with almost all the characters and therefore was uninterested in what happened to Will and whether Nora was involved or not.

It all started with swimming lessons at the club. Nora is hardly making rent and food, as she trades her dreams of a non-profit marketing career for a part-time job at the children's museum and a weekend gig cleaning up poolside and teaching rich kids to swim. The club is in the ritzy Winter Park, Florida, home to over the top wealth and snotty homeowners. When 28 year old Nora cleans up the mess made by one of the teens who was sneaking alcoholic drinks, she has to call Mia's dad to come pick her up. She escorts Mia through the service entrance to the parking lot to find the flashiest sports car, holding Mia's divorced dad, who is gorgeous but nice, and she feels the tingle. So did Will, apparently, since he asks her out for dinner the next time he sees her, and they start "a thing." All too quickly, the thing turns into a marriage proposal.
Unfortunately, Nora does not fit in with the country club set, of which Will's partner is a prime example. Fritz lends class and old money to their law firm, while Will basically does all the work , and they are wildly successful. Constance, the first wife, dumped Will years ago, but you would never know it the way she tries to pull rank on Nora, every chance she gets. Her best friend, Gianna is Fritz's wife, and they led a very nasty group of wealthy women in a campaign to make Nora's life a horrible and sad one. The only ones keeping Nora afloat are her arriviste next-door neighbors who were California transplants and didn't buy into nasty games of one-upmanship. As Will starts showing Nora his workaholic side and gives up on demonstrating how much he loves her, she feels alone, and unloved. After a bad fight, Will realized that he might lose his new wife, and made up with her, and she decides to throw him a birthday party to celebrate their reconciliation and maybe figure out how to fit in better. The party was a success, and they were just about to begin their own after party, when Will gets a call from Mia to rescue her sweatshirt from their boat...she never sees him again.
The mystery of who murdered Will becomes the focus of the novel. Not only does Nora lose the love of her life, but all newspapers, television, and social media find an easy target in the young beautiful second wife who will inherit a large fortune. But she didn't do it...or did she? The authors paint a great picture of a life you might envy if you didn't have all the facts. Nora must grow up quickly to avoid being swept away by the folks with money and status while learning to stand on her own two feet and giving up being Will's pampered pet. Hope for the best, expect the worst.