Reviews with content warning for Death - My Lovely Wife

This is a reread for me. I seem to enjoy it more the second time around. All characters are unlikable, but I think they are meant to be. The main characters the married couple, are just two monsters who one should not be together and two definitely shouldn't have chosen to procreate just for the sake of the mental health of those unlucky children.
This is a book that really took me out of my comfort zone. It's definitely unconventional, with some of the most disturbing characters I've ever encountered. I won't spoil much, but let's just say that the author doesn't shy away from exploring the dark corners of the human psyche. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but if you're looking for something that will challenge you and make you question your own assumptions about what's morally acceptable, then this is definitely worth checking out.

The twists in the book were executed brilliantly and the dark humor used to develop the characters was both unsettling and captivating. And yes, the conclusion definitely caught me off guard, you need to suspend your disbelief a bit otherwise it's very unrealistic, but that alone did not dampen my enjoyment. It's always refreshing to come across a book that defies expectations and keeps you on your toes until the very end.

Samantha Downing's debut novel was absolutely incredible and left me eagerly anticipating her next work. The way she crafted the story was truly masterful. As for her character development, I am not too sure, but she has a lot of promise and she can only get better, that alone is enticing enough. Can't wait to see where she takes us next!

Full review can be found at: https://bunkerofbooks05.wixsite.com/bunker-of-books/post/my-lovely-wife

Content Warnings

ireadinbed's review

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

So I saw 99.9% of the big twists coming a mile away. Which isn't what I like in a thriller tbh. I like to figure it out slowly.

Literally one line was all I didn't predict.

That said I enjoyed watching it slowly dawn on the extremely ridiculous main character that he had made big mistakes and was in serious danger. It felt like every chapter past a certain point was just another nail in the coffin. Fun to unravel.

He was really unlikable and not in a fun way so I didn't exactly feel bad for him, even if I couldn't root for this particular woman's wrongs.

His wife wasn't even really a person. She was a weird obvious murderer. Such a minimal personality beyond control freak. And I like control freaks!

That said he felt unbelievably dense.

Overall was hooked in and didn't want to stop reading but also just felt really disappointed in the end.

Content Warnings

ldruckreier's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

moonwaterotter's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I predicted the twists which took some of the fun out of it, but that’s my own fault for trying to solve the book as I read it. This is the second of Downing’s that I’ve read, and she writes from the perspective of the worst men i s2g.
All said, I did mostly enjoy it. I had an actually wtf moment halfway through the book and it was the biggest highlight for me.
And now here’s a list of my thoughts that is FULL of spoilers.

I almost DNF’d right off the bat when he first pretends to be “deaf Tobias” and ultimately realized that judging the moral compass of a serial killer is a stupid place to draw a line. But I still didn’t like that as an angle.
I immediately knew that Millicent was the “evil sister” growing up and waiting for the main character to realize that was absolutely agonizing.
I literally said “what the f-uck” out loud whenever they announced that Trista killed herself. Like at this point, I thought maybe she had helped Owen in the past (and maybe she did honestly who knows) but that’s not what I was expecting.
I also figured out Millicent was poisoning Jenna almost immediately. I thought the book was going to climax with Millicent saying she had kidnapped and killed all of the women because she was an Owen fan-girl and that she and Owen were going to murder Jenna together or something.
I thought Kekona was going to be the third victim and the cops were going to catch him at her house or something. I also thought the descriptions of Kekona were a bit strange and didn’t really sit right with me. (As well as the description of Trista’s sister at the funeral.)
I think it’s pretty fucked that the main character never tells Andy that he KNOWS WHY his wife killed herself.
The ending is cheeky but I wish they both died, not just Millicent.

Content Warnings

oliverreeds's review

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Millicent is a badass and she terrifies me. Wildin. I really enjoyed this book

Content Warnings

lottiemilne's review

Go to review page

challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

slow, very hard to get into but the ending was very good imo

Content Warnings

More...