I absolutely loved this book by Amanda McKinney. I was hooked from the very first chapter and to the very end. I found that I was able to read this so easily and it flowed fanatically too. The twists and turns were great. I will be recommending this to my friends.
Thank you to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

Amanda McKinney’s The Wife’s Silence is a deeply atmospheric and tightly plotted psychological thriller that thrives on tension, deceit, and the quiet scream of repressed truth. If you’re a fan of twist-heavy, character-driven domestic suspense, this one delivers the goods—with icy precision.

At the center of the story is Lucy Greer, a woman down to her last thread of hope. Living in her car, haunted by past choices, she takes a job she desperately needs: caregiver to the mute, immobile Emilia Caine, the wife of reclusive millionaire Thomas Caine. What begins as a job quickly morphs into something much darker, as Lucy becomes entangled in a web of secrets, manipulation, and psychological warfare.

The novel unfolds in dual timelines and alternating points of view—Lucy in the present, Emilia in the past, and later others as well. This structure adds depth and urgency to the narrative. Emilia’s backstory is not just tragic—it’s suffocating. Her descent from ambitious young woman to silenced wife is both heart-wrenching and infuriating, especially as McKinney paints her relationship with Thomas in chilling detail. Thomas is the classic narcissist: magnetic on the surface, monstrous underneath. And yet, he’s never cartoonish. He’s disturbingly plausible, which makes him even more terrifying.

One of the novel’s biggest strengths is its pacing. Short, punchy chapters keep the tension high, and every scene feels like it’s pushing toward something bigger. Unlike many thrillers that rely on one big reveal, The Wife’s Silence offers multiple twists—some predictable, some totally blindsiding. One major mid-book reveal in particular turns everything on its head and reframes what you think you know about Lucy herself. And just when you think the book has played its last card, it pulls out one more.

If there’s a flaw, it lies in the third act. As the pace accelerates, some of the twists start to stack up a little too neatly. The ending, while satisfying, borders on over-explained in places and may feel slightly rushed for readers who prefer ambiguity or a lingering sense of unease. Still, the emotional payoff is real, and the core themes—abuse, gaslighting, revenge, redemption—are handled with more care and nuance than many thrillers in this genre.

This book succeeds because it doesn’t just tell a story of suspense—it tells a story of survival. Emilia’s silence isn’t just a symptom of her stroke; it’s a metaphor for the years she spent being erased, controlled, and broken. And Lucy, flawed as she is, becomes the key to uncovering the truth and restoring a voice to someone who was never really gone.

McKinney writes with sharpness and clarity, avoiding the kind of bloated prose or contrived plotting that weighs down many similar novels. Her characters are complex without being over-written, and she gives readers just enough misdirection to keep us guessing—never lost, but always on edge.

Bottom line: The Wife’s Silence is a gripping, high-stakes psychological thriller with real emotional depth. It’s dark but not gratuitous, fast-paced but not shallow, twisty but not incoherent. It’s about the masks we wear, the voices we lose, and what it takes to reclaim them.

Rating: 4.5/5 – A sharp, addictive thriller that leaves a bruise.

If you loved Verity, The Wife Upstairs or Jane Eyre, you need to read The Wife’s Silence by @amandamckinneyauthor when it comes out later this month! I absolutely loved the spin Amanda took on the story, and my jaw dropped at the first bombshell. I truly did not see that coming. Then the questions started piling up shortly after. I had to know what was going to happen. I am obsessed with this book. It’s such an easy read, and the chapters are short, so you’ll fly through it. I need to read more of Amanda’s books now!

This was a quick easy read that I flew through in a couple of hours. The story line gripped me right from the start and there was plenty of suspense and tension. I will definitely be recommending it to friends

I was hooked from the start and I flew by it. It was an easy read and I loved the plot twists along the way and which I did not see coming. All in all, this was a great thriller that keeps you hooked while you read it.

All the Pulse Points are raving about this! Thanks to @thrillerbookloversthepulse and @amandamckinneyauthor for a #gifted advance copy.
‌
This one had me hooked immediately. I had to know what was going on with Thomas, Emilia, and Lucy and I had to know now! This was the type of thriller that gets you so invested!
‌
And OMG that twist?! I did not see that coming at all! I love when a book can surprise me like this one did.
‌
Also loved the multiple narrators and dual timelines.
‌
Thriller perfection - dark, twisty and fast paced. Could not put it down.

What I love about Amanda McKinney's writing is that she always keeps you on your toes. Her domestic thrillers constantly keep you guessing about what everyone is up to and their motives. This book had me in its clutches. I couldn't put it down. This story is told in dual timelines. In the present, Lucy gets a job as a live-in nanny to help take care of Emilia, a stroke victim. But Lucy begins to have suspicions that things are off by the way Mr. Caine treats his wife. As we go back to the past, we learn about Emilia and Mr. Caine's marriage and what brought them to this point. Let me tell you, it's quite the doosy. This is full of twists and shocking revelations that you won't see coming. With short, fast-paced chapters, this is the perfect book to binge read in a day.

Lucy is living to make ends meet and lands a job as live in care taker for an older woman. she moves into this house and discovers there are many secrets living there as well.

this was a very easy read with short chapters. there are some parts that are a little out there (specifically the major twist, like come on???). at about 70%, the book sort of dragged on a little but then the ending felt sort of rushed? i also took a star away due to the fact that the bases of the story line was pretty unoriginal. Overall though this was a good easy read!!

Huge thank you to Storm publishing, Netgalley and Amanda Mckinney for an ARC of this!

This is a great thriller that keeps you guessing.
Lucy is down on her luck and needs a new job. She responds to a want-ad to provide in-home care for an older woman who had a stroke.
The story alternates between then, now, and multiple character POV. Thomas is the controlling husband who keeps Elise under his thumb. His ex-wife is all sorts of trouble, and the housekeeper also has something to hide.
I read this in one sitting and thought it was the perfect domestic thriller.
Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to this eARC.

The Plot: Lucy is hired to care for the wife, Emilia, of a wealthy man, Thomas, who has had a stroke. However, while living in the home, not all is as it seems. Something is definitely wrong. You can feel the tension and sense of danger from the beginning. But what secrets are being hidden? Is Lucy in danger?

Thoughts; Overall, I loved this book so much. It was an easy and quick read. It gripped me right from the start. The tension building, the twist and the turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The transitions between the different perspectives was smooth and always important in a read.

Being published on May 23rd, 2025, do not wait to get your copy. Pre-order now. You will want to read this twisty and fast paced thriller.

Thank you NetGalley, Amanda McKinney, and Storm Publishing for the eARC opportunity!

Dark and terrifying, largely because it was all to believable. This is a terrific thriller with many different strands, including a deeply upsetting underlying back story which adds a layer of complexity to the plot and makes the various motivations more credible. I found this book hard to put down as I got very invested in plot and characters from the first chapter,

This was a Jaw dropping, thrill packed, nail biter! It was full of twist and turns and I could not keep my head straight before another curve ball was thrown my way! I took this in with one sitting and I did not move until it was over!

I read this book until I couldn't keep my eyes open! Such a good read. The husband is so vickers! I had several theoriesbut didn't see that twist! Love this author!!

Oh, my! This book was an entertaining joy ride. The character developement was pretty good with the main characters. The backstory was good but a bit jarring at times with the flipping back and forth. I was left guessing at just the right spots! I would recommend this book to friends. Thank you for the advance copy for my review.

An Addictive Domestic Thriller Packed with Deception and Vengeance!

The Wife’s Silence by Amanda McKinney truly delivers as a captivating domestic thriller. However, I would recommend checking the trigger warnings beforehand, as the story explores some dark and potentially sensitive themes.

From the very beginning, I was drawn into the narrative. The alternating timelines between past and present piqued my curiosity, keeping me eager to uncover the truth about the characters and their secrets.
The use of multiple POVs and a dual timeline was a fantastic choice, allowing readers to witness events from varying perspectives and adding depth to the story.

As the climax approached, the twists and revelations left me genuinely surprised!
While some moments felt slightly far-fetched, the ending tied everything together nicely, leaving no loose ends.

Overall, this was an incredibly entertaining read!
The short chapters and engaging writing style had me glued to my Kindle from start to finish. I’m excited to explore more of Amanda McKinney’s work in the future.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: domestic abuse, emotional abuse, murder, death, suicide attempt

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

I'm torn on how I feel about this one. It was a very quick read—and I absolutely flew through the first half! I couldn’t put it down. At first, I worried it might follow the same path as Verity by Colleen Hoover or The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it took its own direction. The early twists were perfectly timed and made me feel silly for assuming it would be like other books. I was so glad to be wrong!

The story follows Lucy Greer, who's down on her luck and lands a job caring for Emilia, the wife of Thomas Caine. Emilia suffered a stroke a few years back, and Thomas—your classic narcissistic male main character—needs help with her care. Lucy, however, is more (or maybe less) than she appears.

I was thoroughly engrossed... until about the halfway point. That’s when the twists started to pile up. One major twist had me scratching my head and thinking, "Wait, what?"—and not necessarily in a good way. It stretched believability too far for me. As the book wrapped up, the remaining reveals felt rushed and not fully fleshed out.

I wanted to love this. It had such a strong start and set itself apart from others in the genre, but the later plot turns made it feel a bit too implausible. Still, it's an entertaining, fast-paced read with an intriguing setup.

I received this copy from the author and Storm Publishing in exchange to a honest review.
LOVED THIS! I would have devoured this in a day if I didn’t have to adult lol
I felt this story resembled Verity but so much better in my opinion. Verity was so messed up but this book? Flowed so much better, had a better twist and the back story was better in my opinion.
I also loved the short chapters, makes the book read faster somehow.
Read trigger warnings

A super easy read. I got through this within a few nights. I was engaged throughout and there was a nice mix of good and bad characters. I definitely didn't see the twist coming. Very clever. I would be interested in reading more stories from this author.

Another amazing roller coaster ride of a novel from one of my favorite suspenseful thriller authors. A fast paced book with a ton of twists and turns I never saw coming.

Lucy: a down on her luck 40 year old single woman with no children, hired by the rich and illusive Thomas Caine to care for his bedridden wife Emilia who has suffered a stroke years prior. I don't want to give away any more information and it's best to go in blind. I'm just completely flabbergasted with how amazing this story was. I literally gasped out loud during some parts and left reeling in others. I give this all the stars and then some! A very amazing job well done, Amand

THAT twist I didn't see coming - I was expecting different scenarios but not that. Difficult to review trying not to give too much away but It was keeping me up and it was super easy to read.

Thank you Netgalley.