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vanessareadstoomuch's review
4.0
This book was such a page turner! Especially at the beginning I felt like I couldn't put this book down. I felt terrified for Elana as well as this sense of helplessness as she seemed trapped. This book reminded me a lot of The Last Mrs. Parrish and if you liked that book I feel like you will like this one. Make sure to check out the TWs for this one!!
tiffanyyfaith's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hermoonreads's review
4.0
Big thanks to netgalley, Jenna Kernan, and Bookouture for giving me an ARC to The Ex Wives!
I really enjoyed this one, too often with thrillers too much time is spent at the start introducing the characters and setting before we get to any actual plot. Not the case at all here, instead we just jump right in on the first page with the FBI turning up, and Elana being told of her husband's possible involvement in the two missing children of his exwives.
The first half is told in alternate chapters of past and present, giving us insight into how Elana and Jackson worked together as a couple during the start of their relationship, and their abusive, controlling reality present day. There are some especially strong chapters that were impossible to pause, and watching Elana be more and more resourceful was a treat.
There were times when some aspects were a little repetitive (ating which brother was the youngest and oldest in the family several chapters in a row became a little much for me) and towards the middle I found the pacing slower. But, that being said the ending more than made up for it, I won't spoil a thing, but let's just say it solidified my 4 star rating.
Interestingly, the description here on goodreads doesnt match up to the actual story, almost as if it was written for a very old draft of the book, so it may be updated in the future.
I really enjoyed this one, too often with thrillers too much time is spent at the start introducing the characters and setting before we get to any actual plot. Not the case at all here, instead we just jump right in on the first page with the FBI turning up, and Elana being told of her husband's possible involvement in the two missing children of his exwives.
The first half is told in alternate chapters of past and present, giving us insight into how Elana and Jackson worked together as a couple during the start of their relationship, and their abusive, controlling reality present day. There are some especially strong chapters that were impossible to pause, and watching Elana be more and more resourceful was a treat.
There were times when some aspects were a little repetitive (ating which brother was the youngest and oldest in the family several chapters in a row became a little much for me) and towards the middle I found the pacing slower. But, that being said the ending more than made up for it, I won't spoil a thing, but let's just say it solidified my 4 star rating.
Interestingly, the description here on goodreads doesnt match up to the actual story, almost as if it was written for a very old draft of the book, so it may be updated in the future.
mkswatson's review
5.0
Holy moly! It’s been a while since I’ve read a good thriller/mystery book. This checked all the boxes. While, I never met Jackson, his creepy-ness was pouring out of the book. And the determination and courage that Elana showed is nothing short of amazing. I can not wait to read more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
jillmlong's review
2.0
The entire story was to implausible for me. The main character makes the worst choices that I was getting mad at myself for reading it. I barely stuck this one out to the end.
mariasimson's review
4.0
4.5⭐️
What a wild journey! this was such a good read and I can't believe I thought about DNFing this very early on. I think if you continue reading, you'll find a great novel. I finished 75% of this book in one sitting because it was that good. I was obsessed with Elana and her predicament. this was an amazing psychological thriller. I think the first 25% needs a bit more work but after you make it through that, this is a great novel.
What a wild journey! this was such a good read and I can't believe I thought about DNFing this very early on. I think if you continue reading, you'll find a great novel. I finished 75% of this book in one sitting because it was that good. I was obsessed with Elana and her predicament. this was an amazing psychological thriller. I think the first 25% needs a bit more work but after you make it through that, this is a great novel.
kthornette's review
4.0
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
This may be just me, but even without the synopsis, this man is a walking red flag so red it might as well be the book cover. Still, though, this was captivating to read. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs, especially when dealing with the audacity of men.
And Jackson deserves every single hell storm coming his way.
Elana was an interesting protagonist. You’ll want to be screaming at her to just leave, especially in the Before timeline when her relationship with Jackson was still new. I was internally hitting my head against the wall at some of her choices but I also get why she would make them.Although, I'm still going to give her crap for not getting out sooner when she knew early on that things were sus. It was frustrating, which made reading the Present timeline much more compelling. Maybe something else I'm going to nitpick is that Jackson supposedly had all this power and influence, but I think more of that could've been explored. We could've ostracized Elana more so she could feel more helpless, vulnerable, and dependent, that all eyes are really on her.
This may be just me, but even without the synopsis, this man is a walking red flag so red it might as well be the book cover. Still, though, this was captivating to read. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs, especially when dealing with the audacity of men.
And Jackson deserves every single hell storm coming his way.
Elana was an interesting protagonist. You’ll want to be screaming at her to just leave, especially in the Before timeline when her relationship with Jackson was still new. I was internally hitting my head against the wall at some of her choices but I also get why she would make them.
baileysbear's review
3.0
I found the pacing to be a bit too slow initially, so at first it was difficult to get into. Then the last quarter of the book suddenly ramped it up to super speed.
The characters aren't likeable (most aren't meant to be) and although you obviously feel awful for the wife - I felt equally frustrated by her.
I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either.
Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc ebook.
The characters aren't likeable (most aren't meant to be) and although you obviously feel awful for the wife - I felt equally frustrated by her.
I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either.
Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc ebook.
heatheradoresbooks's review
4.0
4⭐
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and then, young widow, manipulation, missing children
What would you do if your soon to be husband's ex wife tells you he can't be trusted and not to marry him? Well, you chose love and marry him of course.
Elena is widowed with a daughter, Phoebe, when she meets Jackson. He seems perfect until a few months into their marriage when she starts to see a darker side to him.
Jackson is the Mayor and another powerful, successful man that feels like he can manipulate people. He has people in his pocket that can make someone's life hell if you get on his bad side and don't follow his orders.
There were some times I wanted to knock some sense into Elana and tell her to get the heck outta dodge. I felt so bad for Phoebe's grandparents and how they were never allowed to see her.
Overall, a solid domestic thriller. I think the dual timeline was a good choice that gave us some edge of the seat moments.
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon for 11 hours, easy to follow at 2x. Overall she did a fine job, but I could have went for more emotion at times, especially when she was in the sea and her life was on the line.
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I switched back and forth between them and either way was perfectly fine.
*Thanks to Bookouture & Bookouture Audio, [a:Jenna Kernan|98783|Jenna Kernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1660161592p2/98783.jpg] and NetGalley for the ARC and advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and then, young widow, manipulation, missing children
What would you do if your soon to be husband's ex wife tells you he can't be trusted and not to marry him? Well, you chose love and marry him of course.
Elena is widowed with a daughter, Phoebe, when she meets Jackson. He seems perfect until a few months into their marriage when she starts to see a darker side to him.
Jackson is the Mayor and another powerful, successful man that feels like he can manipulate people. He has people in his pocket that can make someone's life hell if you get on his bad side and don't follow his orders.
There were some times I wanted to knock some sense into Elana and tell her to get the heck outta dodge. I felt so bad for Phoebe's grandparents and how they were never allowed to see her.
Overall, a solid domestic thriller. I think the dual timeline was a good choice that gave us some edge of the seat moments.
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon for 11 hours, easy to follow at 2x. Overall she did a fine job, but I could have went for more emotion at times, especially when she was in the sea and her life was on the line.
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I switched back and forth between them and either way was perfectly fine.
*Thanks to Bookouture & Bookouture Audio, [a:Jenna Kernan|98783|Jenna Kernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1660161592p2/98783.jpg] and NetGalley for the ARC and advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
byalexisrae's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! It was very twisty and I did not see many of the turns in the story coming, which is always good for a thriller!
What worked:
- Fast-paced
- Plot driven
- You rooted for Elana
What didn't work:
- The book started very abruptly
- There were some plot holes - ex: Elana said Zoey didn't tell her the FBI investigated the family for Shantel's daughter's abduction, but Zoey had literally told her on the previous page
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. You HATED Jackson so much and were really rooting for Elana to make it out. This was my first book by this author and I'd definitely read more!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What worked:
- Fast-paced
- Plot driven
- You rooted for Elana
What didn't work:
- The book started very abruptly
- There were some plot holes - ex: Elana said Zoey didn't tell her the FBI investigated the family for Shantel's daughter's abduction, but Zoey had literally told her on the previous page
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. You HATED Jackson so much and were really rooting for Elana to make it out. This was my first book by this author and I'd definitely read more!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.