Such a great book. I couldn’t put it down!
The story is split into two different perspectives, Jade the new Mrs. Westmore and Sylvie, the first Mrs. Westmore who suffered a tragic accident.

The story is predictable but overall a great read. I didn’t want to put it down!

Minka Kent didn’t disappoint with this one.

This was a short and satisfying read. The premise is intriguing, and the dual timelines (and POVs) helps to build some suspense. That said, I wished the author had taken advantage of this a bit more. For the length of the book, we get a decently fleshed out story and characters, but I felt myself wanting more.
The story has a lot of elements that ended up feeling a tad irrelevant to the overall plot (the diary entries, the biography, etc) and I would have rather there been more focus on the 'past' plotline as this would have made me more invested in what was going on. While the flashback chapters do add a little context, they felt unnecessary as this was information we already inferred in the 'present' timeline. These chapters could have given even more context about Sylvie and Wells.
The supporting characters were definitely more interesting than the main (who was very frustrating at times) and I appreciated the focus on Marie Claire (though I once again, wanted more information on her behaviour and actions). towards the end, the plot starts to feel a bit rushed, and information is thrown at you rapidly. Although the conclusion was satisfying, I would have liked if these chapters were fleshed out more.
Regardless of nitpicks I had, I did enjoy reading the book. The author does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes, unsure of who is the 'big bad' and I read this in a single sitting.

Thanks to Netgalley, Minka Kent and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved the writing on this, it was very compelling and I was very curious to know more, so it was definitely a page turner.

I quite liked the characters and how they were all a bit sketchy through most of this book because it kept you wondering who did it, and if there was a plot twist coming.

Which is why this is a 3 star book for me, because it gave you everything until the very end. When I saw that I only had -10 pages to go, I knew there couldn't be a major plot twist which was a bit of a disappointment because the storyline had the potential for it.

I'm definitely curious about this author's writing and what she wrote after this one, might check it out after! I do believe this is worth the read, it was very entertaining at the very least!

This book was awesome. I loved the mystery of the old wife and the interesting storyline. Minka Kent writes great thrillers and I eat them up every time.

𝑴𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆'𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒚--𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒆.

Jade Westmore, a writer specializing in biographies, has found love with successful architect Wells. She is in the middle of her dream job, completing a biography of Wells' grandmother, Viviette Westmore. She's living in her Brentwood estate, Westhaven, and has access to her personal diaries; it's a writer's dream to have these precious source materials to keep her writing grounded in reality.

There's just one problem...something else comes with the house, and that's Sylvie, Wells' first wife, who lives in the pool house in the backyard. An accident three years ago left her brain damaged and unable to communicate. Since Wells and Sylvie made a pact to move on should something happen to either of them, he divorced Sylvie and married Jade, who is supportive of his decision to oversee Sylvie’s care. Jade is given strict instructions not to disturb or interact with Sylvie, but she decides to bring over some flowers when Wells is away one day. Turns out Sylvia has something for her too, a piece of paper with the scrawled message, "Run!"

Please save yourself the thoughts of, "Oh, this sounds just like Verity," because this book's plot is wholly original. There is a deep-dive into the family dynamics that very much has a Gothic vibe straight out of the early V.C. Andrews novels. I read this book in an afternoon and can't recommend it enough. I am glad to see it being republished by Thomas and Mercer with a fresh edit. Available July 15, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
This novel is a deliciously suspenseful novel about a woman who is married to the man she absolutely adores as much as he adores her ... or does he? His ex-wife lives in the same sumptuous property in a cabin where she is looked after by nurses night and day after a terrible accident that rendered her totally helpless.
I did hadve to suspend my belief a little bit, but couldn't put the book down,I loved it!

Jade has an unusual living arrangement in that her husband’s first wife, Sylvie, lives in a cottage on their estate, right outside their gorgeous family home. She had a terrible accident a few years back and needs around-the-clock care for the rest of her life. Jade’s husband, Wells, feels that keeping her nearby where he can check on her is best, rather than committing her to a facility, and Jade loves him for his compassion. But due to an emergency with her nurse, Jade has to watch over Sylvie for a short period of time, one day, when Wells is out of town. That visit changes everything when Sylvie slips her a note, even though she’s supposed to be unable to communicate. Now Jade has no idea what or who to believe. She needs to figure out her next steps before her idyllic life becomes a living nightmare.

It's the minor characters that make this story enjoyable, although Jade’s a likable protagonist, if not a bit naïve. Which clashes with her belief that she’s great at reading people and figuring out secrets they’d rather keep hidden. That’s why she’s a biographer and is currently writing about Wells’s grandmother, Viviette. So she could work on her self-awareness, but you can’t help but root for her because she’s also great at seeing the best in people. She doesn’t have a hard-edged, snarky personality that so many strong female characters seem to possess nowadays. It’s quite refreshing.

You may have a few guesses at where the plot is heading, but there are some good little twists thrown in that keep it from becoming clichéd. It’s one of the reasons I love this author, she breathes fresh air into a genre that can too easily become stale.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I have been reading a lot of Freida McFadden as of late, so I was hoping for another book in that genre. In a way, it was. It was an exceptional thriller with multiple twists and turns along the way. But in another way, it tried way too hard to be something that it wasn't.
Upon reaching the middle, it had gotten a bit boring for my taste, but honestly, that could have just been me.
Another thing I did not entirely appreciate was the fact that Jade's name was practically plastered on the page of every chapter. I get it, though. Every chapter before part two was in Jade's point of view, but I don't think her name was needed on every page. I think it's only warranted if the chapters change point of view and whatnot.

All in all, I think this could've been a lot better.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I was excited to get this new ARC from Minka Lent and dived right in. I finished this book in two sittings!! Very suspenseful and the characters were great! Looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend

The Silent Woman is a chilling and twisty thriller that keeps the tension high and your mind racing the entire time. Minka Kent nails the creepy and claustrophobic vibe with this one. The story follows Jade, a newlywed who’s just moved into a dreamy estate with her husband, Wells. But his first wife, Sylvie, lives in a cottage on the property and hasn’t spoken a word since a mysterious accident three years ago. This book was full of psychological mind games, and I was constantly second guessing everyone’s motives.

I read it in one sitting, I really liked it. I wish it had more clues about how the twist was going to happen, but overall, it was great.

This was the third novel I’ve read by Minka Kent and I loved it as much as her other two.

The Silent Woman revolved around newlywed Jade Westmore's discovery of her husband Wells's secret past.

Despite the twists being a bit predictable, I was utterly entertained. I liked how Kent had me guessing throughout. The characters were intriguing and had varying levels of deceit and unreliability. I also liked how the themes of friendship, marriage, identity, betrayal and consequences of secrets were examined. Although the ending wasn’t a surprise to me, I was satisfied by the story overall. I recommend this book to those that like bingeable, edge of your seat thrillers.

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for my honest reviews.

Minka Kent delivers another gripping page-turner with The Silent Woman—a dark, suspenseful thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. The story is packed with deceit, secrets, and questions that kept me guessing: Was Sylvia's fall an accident, or did someone want her silenced for good? With chilling twists and a haunting atmosphere, this is a masterfully crafted whodunit that I couldn’t put down. I’m already looking forward to what Kent gives us next.

I read through this so quick! I loved the idea of our FMC writing a bio about her husbands grandmother! It was very reminiscent of verity for me but cleaner! So if you liked that one, I think this one will be right up your alley!

There are multiple POVs in this book and I have to say, I think both really added a good amount to this book! The only thing I would say is I wanted more of a specific pov! I was so intrigued by a certain character that I wanted to know more. I felt like there was a back story that I wanted to hear more of. I definitely will be reading more from this author!

Oh my gosh. So freaking good. I couldn't put this book down all day long. Stayed up way too late and devoured every twist and turn. Loved it so much. Binging all things minka kent now.

Thank you NetGalley! I love Minka Kent’s books and this one was great! They are short, sweet and intriguing. You’ll want to devour this book right up

This book really kept my interest and I thought the characters were well done. The plot was well paced and I was happy with the ending - it was a relatively happy ending compared to the rest of the plot.

This was a copy I got through Netgalley, but this came out in 2022. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this free copy for my review.

This is my second minka Kent book and I didn’t read any of the blurb or know what it was about I just loved the first one I read so much (the perfect roommate) that I knew I would love this!! This book is kind of giving verity vibes which is my favourite thriller book currently. Our FMC writes biographies on influential and famously admired women, And the MMC is some kind of developer that is away often on business trips. The FMC lives in the main house -while the MMC’s ex-wife lives in the small cottage on the property- she was told to never bother the ex wife but one day she needs to look after her for the morning and she is given a written warning from the ex-wife!! I will admit the whole who done it was easily guessed but the twists and turns and depth for why they did it and how deep the insanity run was something I never could have imagined. The plot was insane the characters were well written and I felt for such a short book we really learnt a lot about every single character mentioned. Minka’s books may be on the shorter side but they are full of so much detail, plot and character development you would never realise. 100% would recommend any of her books to thriller lovers.

very fast paced popcorn type thrlller. woman marries her dream guy. he's still taking care of his ex wife who is silent. Old wife hands his new wife a piece of paper that says "run." New wife tries to figure out what that means. i wished there was a bigger twist at the end, but good book overall.

Writer and newlywed Jade Westmore has finally found her forever in husband Wells, a charming, successful, and recently divorced architect. There’s just one caveat. Behind the gates of their elysian estate, hidden from street view in the caretaker’s cottage, lives Wells’s first wife, Sylvie. Three years ago, the original Mrs. Westmore suffered an unfortunate accident. Near catatonic, Sylvie hasn’t spoken since. Not a physician, psychologist, or world renowned specialist has been able to elicit so much as a sound from the silent woman. Until now! Great thriller! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! It had chilling suspense, murder, gaslighting, abuse, kidnapping, intriguing, and some jaw dropping twists! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!