Hardcover, 352 pages
Published January 9th 2018 by St. Martin's Press
Rating: ★★★★
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I'll admit it, the twist halfway through pretty much got me. My mind had lighted upon the reveal in only the briefest and vaguest terms before then so when I got there I was nodding my head, totally into it, because the story was clearly just revving up.
Nellie is young and beautiful, a nursery school teacher about to be married to Richard, a rich, charming, handsome businessman. Everything seems perfect, except for the phone calls with no one on the other end and the creeping feeling that she's being watched.
Vanessa is Richard's ex-wife, the one being replaced by someone younger, fresher and with less baggage. She drinks to excess and fixates too much on Richard and her replacement.
The first half of the book alternates between these two viewpoints, setting the stage for the second half of the novel. I found the first half of the story to be frustrating; it felt as though it dragged, particularly because I couldn't understand why either perspective was so fixated on Richard when he was so crudely drawn. Having finished the book, this dreamy unfinished quality to his characterization was clearly an intentional choice on the part of the authors. I immediately disliked him as he came across as controlling and manipulative with very little actual personality and it was starting to become frustrating to read chapter after chapter of that.
Luckily, the drag of the first part was immediately forgotten, as parts two and three were fast-paced and had me just devouring it. A lot of questions were answered and a lot of 'blank' spaces were filled in. I don't want to give anything away but ultimately, The Wife Between Us is a satisfying read, hovering on the cusp between psychological thriller and a complex story of a marriage. I do wish that the authors had dug a little deeper into Vanessa though, I felt like there was slightly more there than we got and I also felt the ending was a little too pat but those are the only two criticisms that jump to mind.
I'll admit it, the twist halfway through pretty much got me. My mind had lighted upon the reveal in only the briefest and vaguest terms before then so when I got there I was nodding my head, totally into it, because the story was clearly just revving up.
Nellie is young and beautiful, a nursery school teacher about to be married to Richard, a rich, charming, handsome businessman. Everything seems perfect, except for the phone calls with no one on the other end and the creeping feeling that she's being watched.
Vanessa is Richard's ex-wife, the one being replaced by someone younger, fresher and with less baggage. She drinks to excess and fixates too much on Richard and her replacement.
The first half of the book alternates between these two viewpoints, setting the stage for the second half of the novel. I found the first half of the story to be frustrating; it felt as though it dragged, particularly because I couldn't understand why either perspective was so fixated on Richard when he was so crudely drawn. Having finished the book, this dreamy unfinished quality to his characterization was clearly an intentional choice on the part of the authors. I immediately disliked him as he came across as controlling and manipulative with very little actual personality and it was starting to become frustrating to read chapter after chapter of that.
Luckily, the drag of the first part was immediately forgotten, as parts two and three were fast-paced and had me just devouring it. A lot of questions were answered and a lot of 'blank' spaces were filled in. I don't want to give anything away but ultimately, The Wife Between Us is a satisfying read, hovering on the cusp between psychological thriller and a complex story of a marriage. I do wish that the authors had dug a little deeper into Vanessa though, I felt like there was slightly more there than we got and I also felt the ending was a little too pat but those are the only two criticisms that jump to mind.
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