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debtat2's review
4.0
His first wife drowned in a seemingly freak accident and now he has a new wife!
Told in two parts, past and present, past - Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and what someone people are really capable of.
What starts as two people coming together in shared grief, Nick who seems like a loving and caring man recovering from the tragic loss of his first wife Amelia, and Elena who is grieving for her mother, fall in love and live is now more bearable now they have each other. And then things start to change!
This is a brilliant twisty suspenseful thriller full of some truly surprising twists and turns. I was hooked from the start and literally kept reading ..... all day! Unable to stop reading it until the very end.
This genuinely is a "keep you on the edge of your seat" read! I loved it and I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to anyone!
Told in two parts, past and present, past - Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and what someone people are really capable of.
What starts as two people coming together in shared grief, Nick who seems like a loving and caring man recovering from the tragic loss of his first wife Amelia, and Elena who is grieving for her mother, fall in love and live is now more bearable now they have each other. And then things start to change!
This is a brilliant twisty suspenseful thriller full of some truly surprising twists and turns. I was hooked from the start and literally kept reading ..... all day! Unable to stop reading it until the very end.
This genuinely is a "keep you on the edge of your seat" read! I loved it and I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to anyone!
pages_and_cacti's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The Wife Before Me by Laura Elliot
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two women, Amelia apparently dies when her car slides off a pier, Elana meeting Nicholas two years later. Elana and Nicholas are both in mourning. Elana really never knows what happened to Amelia, but after finding a hidden letter, Elana realizes that she must find the writer if she is going to save herself.
The first half of this novel seemed to really drag on for me. Each chapter almost a repeat of the last. I know the author was building the story, but it was a bit too repetitive for me. Part Two was redeeming for the story as a whole and the ending was a bit of a surprise. Overall I enjoyed the story but it was just average for me.
ddrosche's review
4.0
To be honest, this book was a total 4 stars for me until about the middle when it dropped to 3 stars. However, the last bit of the book completely turned me around and bumped me back up to 4 stars.
The Wife Before Me has several personalities and I was truly surprised ad how many different facets it has. For me it began as a gothic style novel that reminded me very much of Rebecca. A newly-wed haunted by the previous wife, mysterious new husband, large house with hidden secrets. I was totally fine with this. Yet, without giving away too many details, it changed into a domestic abuse/psychological thriller. Then, just as I was coming to terms with that it changed again and introduced a supernatural element toward the end. For me, this subtle yet stark change kept me interested when the book (as it did at times) seemed to slow a bit. Overall the book did seem longer than it actually was, but this may also be seen as a slow-burn type element. For me though at times the action stalled, specifically during the middle.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the division of the book into two different parts, telling the story of two different narrators; again something I was not expecting. Add a few past/present time jumps into the mix and it was enough to keep you on your toes and paying attention. The ending, with a twist I did not see coming until it was upon me, won me over and the book redeemed itself. I enjoyed the ending and thought Elliot wrapped the story up nicely and quickly in a brief epilogue which, although predictable, was needed after the ending. A great read though and I am now interested in reading more of Laura Elliot's works. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy. Grab a copy once the book is published on 8/24/18!
The Wife Before Me has several personalities and I was truly surprised ad how many different facets it has. For me it began as a gothic style novel that reminded me very much of Rebecca. A newly-wed haunted by the previous wife, mysterious new husband, large house with hidden secrets. I was totally fine with this. Yet, without giving away too many details, it changed into a domestic abuse/psychological thriller. Then, just as I was coming to terms with that it changed again and introduced a supernatural element toward the end. For me, this subtle yet stark change kept me interested when the book (as it did at times) seemed to slow a bit. Overall the book did seem longer than it actually was, but this may also be seen as a slow-burn type element. For me though at times the action stalled, specifically during the middle.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the division of the book into two different parts, telling the story of two different narrators; again something I was not expecting. Add a few past/present time jumps into the mix and it was enough to keep you on your toes and paying attention. The ending, with a twist I did not see coming until it was upon me, won me over and the book redeemed itself. I enjoyed the ending and thought Elliot wrapped the story up nicely and quickly in a brief epilogue which, although predictable, was needed after the ending. A great read though and I am now interested in reading more of Laura Elliot's works. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy. Grab a copy once the book is published on 8/24/18!
theblackafrican's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
samabo802's review
2.0
I don't quit books, but if I did, this would've been one. I hated every single character for the majority of the book. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because the last 100 pages or so really hooked me. But the end was disappointing.
sababd23's review
4.0
That twist tho!! I thought I pictured what was gonna hapen but boy was I wrong. I had to take breaks reading this, it physically hurt me to read, it was just so dehumanizing and it scares me that this type of abuse happens in real life. The different flashback chapters and chapters form different perspectives was a little confusing just when I was trying to figure out who was narrating but once you understand the pattern it all comes togehter. I will definetly be thinking of this book a lot, more than I would like.
TW: physical abuse, emotional abuse
TW: physical abuse, emotional abuse
zooloo1983's review
4.0
I loved the way the book splits into the present day, to begin with, Elena meeting the mysterious and elusive Nicholas. A man who has been surrounded by scandal, as his first wife committed suicide by driving into a pier and drowning as she couldn’t swim. Instantly I was on edge, why would she kill her self when she has the perfect man? Elena too is intrigued and is portrayed as being “obsessed” with Amelia the first wife, trying to throw us the reader off.
Part two of the book was Amelia and her marriage to Nicholas providing an insight into what kind of man he was before Elena. Again, hold on to your hats for this one!
Finally part three, back to present day after a shocking confrontation in part one we continue with the lives of the Elena and Nicholas.
On a side note, I really had no time for Yvonne, Nicholas interfering mother. She was no good to Elena. Always thought she was right, subtle digs in the right places. I personally did not like her and would love to have jumped in the book and given her her marching orders!
This book was dark and intense due to the main storyline. I was screaming (quietly as everyone in the house asleep!) a lot at the into, wondering how these characters got themselves in the precarious positions. Making me take a step back and reevaluate how would anyone act. It’s very easy to say how you would act in the said situation when you aren’t in it. So it made it more heartbreaking watching events unfold knowing you couldn’t do anything to help.
I really did enjoy this book, it was intense yet heartbreaking and with a kick of retribution to boot!
Part two of the book was Amelia and her marriage to Nicholas providing an insight into what kind of man he was before Elena. Again, hold on to your hats for this one!
Finally part three, back to present day after a shocking confrontation in part one we continue with the lives of the Elena and Nicholas.
On a side note, I really had no time for Yvonne, Nicholas interfering mother. She was no good to Elena. Always thought she was right, subtle digs in the right places. I personally did not like her and would love to have jumped in the book and given her her marching orders!
This book was dark and intense due to the main storyline. I was screaming (quietly as everyone in the house asleep!) a lot at the into, wondering how these characters got themselves in the precarious positions. Making me take a step back and reevaluate how would anyone act. It’s very easy to say how you would act in the said situation when you aren’t in it. So it made it more heartbreaking watching events unfold knowing you couldn’t do anything to help.
I really did enjoy this book, it was intense yet heartbreaking and with a kick of retribution to boot!
minseigle's review
4.0
This book was dark and twisty ... I liked it! It was interesting off the bat and just got more exciting as it went on. I figured out some things about 50% of the way through, but I still wanted to read on to find out the whole truth. There’s a bit of “magic” (I don’t know what else to call it) and I didn’t like that aspect so much, hence the one star being taken away.