A review by thephdivabooks
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

5.0

I don’t even know how to prepare myself to talk about this book because it is THAT good! When I read My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, I not only had no idea what would happen next, but I couldn’t even decide what I wanted to have happen! A truly gripping thriller with a compelling writing style that was truly unputdownable!

If the teaser for this book seems light, it is absolutely by design. Really I had to put some thought into what I could say here because there is NO way I’m spoiling this book for readers.

The premise is straight forward—a deaf man named Tobias meets a woman in a bar. She’s beautiful, with swirly blue eyes. He types on his phone to her. He’s been deaf since birth. She is attracted to him and worries what it says about her if she turns down a man because he is deaf. So she sleeps with him. He gets up to leave. A normal night, right?

Only he isn’t actually deaf. And his name isn’t Tobias. And he heads home to his lovely wife, whom he was enchanted by since the moment he saw her.

Told in a compelling first person narrative, we never actually learn Tobias’s name—a fact I didn’t notice until towards the end of the story. And this is almost definitely by design! So for now, I’ll refer to him as not-Tobias for the purposes of this review. You’ll have to read the book to find out more about this un-named narrator.

Not-Tobias and Millicent met on a plane, and they have a wonderful life. They have two kids, Rory and Jenna, and a beautiful house in Hidden Oaks, a gated golf club community. Like many families, bills can be a bit tight at times. They worked for everything they have. Millicent is a fantastic mother and she keeps the family running smoothly. Breakfast and dinner together as a family every day, no matter what. No sugar in the house. No phones during family time. Movie night once per week.

Not-Tobias is a tennis coach at the club, and Millicent is a successful realtor in their pricey community. They have great sex. They love to spend time together. Millicent is a fantastic cook. Not-Tobias is a fantastic father. They rarely drink. And sometimes they murder people together…

What secrets lurk behind a closed door? Something here even their kids don’t know about! I was so fascinated by Millicent. Not-Tobias describes her as “enchanting” and that truly comes out through the book. She’s strong but vulnerable. She has it together and keeps it together for her family as well. She’s a great wife and mother. She and Not-Tobias may even have the sort of marriage you’d envy, if not for the murder. But you’ll have to learn more about THAT as you read!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy! Opinions are my own.