A review by joyangel143
First Wife's Shadow: A Novel by Adele Parks

dark mysterious tense slow-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

First book from Adele Parks and I enjoyed it. This is a slow burn thriller which is something I never really read usually they are fast paced. I enjoyed the slowness of the book after I realized where it was going. At first I was wondering where this book was going but half way through I got it and I started to enjoy it. I enjoyed the different perspectives of the book it gave me a different understanding on what is going on. Even though I did enjoy the slow burn of the book the book felt long even it was the average 300 something page book. I found myself against the main female character because of how dumb she was. Even though I didn’t know where this was going I knew the female main character wasn’t  smart. Usually I’m all for the protagonist but this time I got annoyed at her and wanted her friends to do a wake up call to her because dang she wasn’t smart even though she is high up in her career. Overall, it was a good book. It had good parts but it had moments when things felt unnecessary and was dragging. I did however enjoy it and glad I decided to read it. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me and allowing me to read this ARC that comes out on March 18, 2025.