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A review by shari_russell
Such a Loving Couple by Haley Smith
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
My first thought was “Scandalous!” At first I was thinking this would be a “typical girl gets amnesia and led into a life she can’t remember “ story. However, I was so wrong. Every chapter introduces more and more layers to the story that keep you intrigued and on the edge of your seat. There are 3 parts in the book. Part one is told in first person narrative through Becka’s eyes. Focus is on Becka having amnesia with no memory of the past whatsoever. It begins with her in the hospital after a serious accident, and her introduction to her husband, Freddie, and going home with him to a home she can’t remember. The nurses had tried to assure her that she had a loving husband who had been there for days and days waiting for her to wake from an induced coma. For some reason she feels unsettled by him.
“‘Home.’ I don’t know why the word conveys such trepidation Am I being stupid? What woman wouldn’t want a gorgeous, kind and caring man like Freddie? I realize that I am just being irrational.” Becka’s thoughts
Once she’s home, she starts to learn who she is and about her past. She is 40 years old and she and Freddie were high school sweethearts. He even shows her pictures of them back then. Her name is Mrs. Rebecca Anthony. According to Freddie, they have been married for 17 years and never had children. She was not a maternal person. Strange things keep happening that make Becka question everything that Freddie is telling her about her life before the accident. She meets the neighbor, Grace, across the street who tells her things that don’t make sense with what she knows from Freddie.
“Sometimes it’s as if you’re keeping things back, as if you’re not telling me the proper story. Like there’s a whole layer of my life hidden, covered up, and you don’t want me to know about it. But… Well, I keep discovering things.” Becka to Freddie about what he’s telling her
With Becka uncovering secrets and lies it quickly becomes a cat- and- mouse game between Becka and Freddie when neither one of them knows what the other knows.
When part two starts, a total shift to what you had been reading happens. The plot thickens and the story is fast-paced and draws you in with the developments and twists that occur. New characters are introduced that play a big part in where things are now. You get a bigger picture as the points of view change from only one to several separate first person accounts. The timeline alternates between the past and now which makes for an exciting read because you are finally getting pieces of the puzzle.
By the time you get to part three a lot of things start to make sense so you are unprepared for the final twist that leaves you wondering.
I found the characters unlikeable and unreliable. Of course Becka is unreliable. She has amnesia and everything she knows is being fed to her from Freddie, a character that is full of red flags from the beginning. While I did think Grace, the neighbor, was a sweet elderly lady, she kept saying she had memory issues so you take what she says with a grain of salt. Additional important characters are deceitful and secretive so even though they are hard to like they make for an addictive plot that’s hard to put down.
I found the writing style perfectly skilled in creating suspense that hooks the reader from page one and keeps the momentum going to the end. A well developed plot and balanced pacing add to making this an unputdownable read.
I found this book easy to read with enough suspense and intriguing characters that I read it in a manner of hours. I give it 4 stars and hope the author releases more thrilling and suspenseful novels in the near future. I recommend this one to readers that enjoy the amnesia trope in a well-paced psychological and domestic thriller.
“‘Home.’ I don’t know why the word conveys such trepidation Am I being stupid? What woman wouldn’t want a gorgeous, kind and caring man like Freddie? I realize that I am just being irrational.” Becka’s thoughts
Once she’s home, she starts to learn who she is and about her past. She is 40 years old and she and Freddie were high school sweethearts. He even shows her pictures of them back then. Her name is Mrs. Rebecca Anthony. According to Freddie, they have been married for 17 years and never had children. She was not a maternal person. Strange things keep happening that make Becka question everything that Freddie is telling her about her life before the accident. She meets the neighbor, Grace, across the street who tells her things that don’t make sense with what she knows from Freddie.
“Sometimes it’s as if you’re keeping things back, as if you’re not telling me the proper story. Like there’s a whole layer of my life hidden, covered up, and you don’t want me to know about it. But… Well, I keep discovering things.” Becka to Freddie about what he’s telling her
With Becka uncovering secrets and lies it quickly becomes a cat- and- mouse game between Becka and Freddie when neither one of them knows what the other knows.
When part two starts, a total shift to what you had been reading happens. The plot thickens and the story is fast-paced and draws you in with the developments and twists that occur. New characters are introduced that play a big part in where things are now. You get a bigger picture as the points of view change from only one to several separate first person accounts. The timeline alternates between the past and now which makes for an exciting read because you are finally getting pieces of the puzzle.
By the time you get to part three a lot of things start to make sense so you are unprepared for the final twist that leaves you wondering.
I found the characters unlikeable and unreliable. Of course Becka is unreliable. She has amnesia and everything she knows is being fed to her from Freddie, a character that is full of red flags from the beginning. While I did think Grace, the neighbor, was a sweet elderly lady, she kept saying she had memory issues so you take what she says with a grain of salt. Additional important characters are deceitful and secretive so even though they are hard to like they make for an addictive plot that’s hard to put down.
I found the writing style perfectly skilled in creating suspense that hooks the reader from page one and keeps the momentum going to the end. A well developed plot and balanced pacing add to making this an unputdownable read.
I found this book easy to read with enough suspense and intriguing characters that I read it in a manner of hours. I give it 4 stars and hope the author releases more thrilling and suspenseful novels in the near future. I recommend this one to readers that enjoy the amnesia trope in a well-paced psychological and domestic thriller.