The Innocent Wife starts with a familiar setup — the perfect-seeming marriage with cracks forming just beneath the surface — and leans hard into secrets, tension, and a slow unraveling of the truth. Olivia appears to have the dream life, but it doesn’t take long to realize things aren’t quite what they seem, and when Natalie enters the picture, everything starts to spiral.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed. The pacing was steady, and I liked that Olivia wasn’t just a passive victim — she had more layers than I expected. The shifting dynamics between the characters kept things interesting, and the “not-so-innocent housewife” twist gave the story a little extra bite.

That said, the emotional stakes didn’t always hit as hard as they could have. Some of the twists felt predictable, and the supporting characters weren’t as fleshed out as I hoped. It kept my attention, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. A solid domestic suspense read for fans who enjoy slow burns, complex women, and messy truths behind glossy marriages.

This was my second book by this author. When people mention loving popcorn thrillers, this author should definitely be considered.

This was a fun, quick, and easy read. I enjoyed "The Forever Home" more than this one, but this was still enjoyable and I will continue reading more by her.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book!

This is a twisty read. Someone is acussing Natalie's husband of the same crime that was committed against her previously. She's been trying to get on with her life but this is dragging back up bad memories. Twisty, turned. Quite a good read.

Overall this is a great book. This was the first time I have read one of her books and I will definitely be reading more. There were many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Definitely jaw dropping at points.
Thank you for letting me read this book for a review

This book gives you everything. It covers so many topics, Narcissism, gas lighting, grooming with a hint of a thriller all thrown together in an interesting plot. Some characters you'll love and Lucas you with loath. Well paced but perhaps with a little corny ending to wrap it up.

This was a face pa ed boom that reaped me in from the get go. I thought I had figured it out but then another twist came along and blew my theory out of the water! Excellent book!

I loved this book for so many reasons. The true friendships you felt between the characters, the way the stalking scenes actually creeped me out, the red herrings and the twists! The epilogue was my favorite part! This is my first book by Sally Royer-Derr but she's now an auto-read for me!

I really enjoyed this book! It was not the first Sally Royer-Derr book I've read. I loved "The Secrets Next Door" so I had really high hopes for this book.

This one was really interesting because it contained a heavy topic of a teacher seducing underaged students and even marrying one. I was slightly hesitant with this book because I didn't know how the topic would be approached, but I thought the topic was handled well. Olivia, the student that marries Lucas, knows something is wrong in her marriage but can't accept it yet. Everyone loves her husband and she does too, right?

But when she befriends Natalie, a new teacher at Lucas's school, Olivia sees the hatred that is already in Natalie's eyes when around Lucas. Olivia is soon able to open up to Natalie who has a lot going on in her life too.

This book was incredibly fast-paced. I felt like by the time I thought I guessed who the person was I was then given more information that made me doubt myself. There were so may plot twists and so many different angles I was trying to look from to try to get to the bottom of both Olivia and Natalie's problems.

I really enjoyed this book, and will again read anything that Sally Royer-Derr puts out there, and recommend this book to anyone that wants a good fast-paced thriller.

A bit of an intriguing book this one trying to figure out what’s going on as you’re effectively seeing two different sides and unsure which one to believe. Lots of twists that you don’t see coming.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. Loved it!! The character development was top notch.

The book cover AND the title sucked me in! I was excited and thankful to have received this early to read. At times I was on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. My first from this author. Her writing style is easy to read. While there may be some triggers in this one, I enjoyed this quick thriller.

Right from the first sentence, you’re hooked. The plot blends thrills with thoughtful moments, while the characters, vivid and relatable—carry the story with infectious energy. Each chapter is a treat, and the resonant message makes it all the more compelling. This is one of those books you don’t want to put down.

A suspense-filled thrilling read, filled with horrible people and then some nice ones. And, it’s not for everyone, I can see it generating lots of hateful reviews in the future (grooming isn’t generally well-tolerated among most readers), but the story is so well-told and so thought-provoking, on top of it being horrible – I think I will be telling everyone around me to read it.

Great book! Kept me guessing and on my toes the entire time. Highly recommend! So many parts to the story, all connected from one man. Quick, fun read.

The Innocent Wife is a fantastic thriller. I absolutely loved this book! I didn't put it down! I think this is the second book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more. I am a big fan of Freida McFadden and IMO this gives major Freida vibes but also clearly the authors own special masterpiece. I would highly recommend adding this book to your TBR if you haven't read it yet.

The Innocent Wife is a page turner. Natalie is just starting as a teacher in a new school. Everyone loves Lucas, everyone but Natalie. She seems through him and his charming ways. He keeps Olivia, his wife, on a tight leash and doesn't like it when Natalie and Olivia become friends.

Natalie has secrets. Her past and present are filled with bad choices. One of them is haunting her, but which one? Someone is out to get Natalie and she's not sure who is responsible.

This was a good book; I liked the friendship dynamic between Natalie and Olivia and the drama that Natalie has had to work through. Definitely will want to read more by this author!

When Natalie meets Olivia, she soon realises that the young woman is walking the exact same path she once walked. But Olivia is still under his spell and cannot see reality clearly. As the rose-coloured glass slowly falls from Olivia's eyes with the appearance of Natalie, she realises more and more what has really happened. At first glance, Olivia's life seems perfect – her handsome husband is a popular teacher at the local school, and appearances suggest an idyllic family life. But Natalie knows exactly what dark secrets lie beneath the surface and is determined not to let any more young girls fall victim.

Sally Royer-Derr's suspenseful and gripping novel reveals, through the eyes of two women, the pain of realising that the person you trusted most was really just using you. The story is blunt and unvarnished, revealing how a manipulative, charismatic man can influence a naive young girl. The author accurately portrays the emotional and psychological games that define such a relationship.
The atmosphere of the book is tense throughout, sometimes even haunting, which fits perfectly with the story's heavy topic. The author is a master of feeding information, sometimes from the past, sometimes from the present, so that the reader feels as if he is trying to find their way through the web of uncertainty and fear with the two women.

"The Innocent Wife" goes far beyond the issue of domestic violence: it sheds light on a phenomenon that is most easily silenced by society - when a young girl does not understand what is happening to her and her environment does not or does not want to recognise the gravity of the situation. This makes the book particularly poignant and thought-provoking.

For me, one of the most moving moments in the novel was when Natalie expresses a truth that she herself had not realised for a long time: although she had wanted this relationship at the time, and even adored him, the real problem was that she had the opportunity to have it. After all, she was a teenager, while he was an adult who knew exactly what he was doing was neither morally nor legally right.

"The Innocent Wife" is a shocking, thought-provoking read that not only reveals individual fates, but also points to a much deeper social problem. It is a book that is hard to put down and will remain in the mind of the reader for a long time.

3.5 stars

The whole premise of this book is about a teacher/coach grooming teenage girls. I didn’t know this was going to be what the entire book was going to be about. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have read this book.

This book is very well written and you can really submerse yourself into it, but it does become very bothersome at times since I don’t enjoy reading about pedophiles and men grooming girls.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy!

This is the first book that I've read by Sally Royer-Derr and she will be an author that I will be looking out for in future.
A brilliant read hard to put down once I started.