When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.
Review
The Wife between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen has to be one of the most hyped books this year. I feel like everyone has read this book already and all I have seen are amazing, positive reviews full of high praise. The hype got to me and I had to get a copy of the book.
The book begins with the story of Nellie and Vanessa. Nellie is the wife to be and Vanessa is the ex-wife. The two women are going through very different phases in their lives. One is barely standing and the other one is getting ready for a new exciting life. I won’t lie. I immediately picked a side because I assumed I knew what was happening. However, I should have taken heed of the warning in the blurb, assume nothing!
The first major twist messed with my mind big time! I was confused at first, wondering how I had missed all the signs. I had to fight the temptation to go back and look for the clues. In the end, I decided to move forward and find out what else the authors were going to unleash.
What I liked and also didn’t like about this book was the subtle twists. These are the little, unpredictable ways in which my assumptions were proven wrong. I liked this because I couldn’t guess anything. Honestly, the first twist literally smacked me in the face and left my head spinning. There were other twists and turns along the way that crept up on me.
So you may be wondering what I didn’t like about the book. Well, in this case, the rave reviews in a way set me up. I was reading the story looking out for huge twists. I expected shocking stuff to start happening from the first chapter. My expectations were so high and my focus was too much on the twists. I was practically reading the book to discover the twists that had thrilled so many other readers whose reviews I had read. In the end, this affected my enjoyment of the book because I couldn’t just sit back and enjoy the narrative.
Nevertheless, this book turned out to be a great thriller and I love how wrong my assumptions were. I just wish I had stayed away from all the hype and rave reviews until I read the book. Seriously, the lesser you know about the story, the better.
A Haven for Book Lovers 
I know that hyped books can be under-whelming when you read them because of high hopes. I remember a few books being ruined because of the big hype. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
Thanks Nikola. I was too eager to read this one because of the hype so my expectations were way too high. I am happy that I was still able to enjoy it though because of the great twists 🙂
I can really see how the hype and rave reviews have created too high expectations for you, I feel the same and don’t think this would live up so I’m not sure I’ll read it. I may wait until all the hype has died down and then give it a try. You do have me so curious about that first twist that left you so surprised!!
I think waiting a bit might be good Renee. It is a great read so I still recommend it though its definitely better to read it without expecting too much.
I really want to read this book, but I shall read it and try not to think of the hype. I’m very intrigued…
I definitely recommend it Chrissi. Its a great read but yeah, try not to think of the hype 🙂
I enjoyed this book, it’s different than anything I’ve read in a long time. I just finishing up “What Me” by Jody Gehrman and I think I like “The Wife Between Us” better. Both of these books have had a lot of hype and I have enjoyed them both.
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the two books. I also enjoyed this one better than Watch Me although I read Watch Me before seeing any of its reviews. This one was certainly quite hyped though I can see why 🙂
By the way, I tried to search for your blog but when I clicked on your name, it took me to a page written in Spanish I think and it didn’t have any posts. Do you have another blog? If so, please share your link. I would love to visit you 🙂
Fabulous review, Diana! That first major twist left me reeling, as well–only I did go back to try to find clues I’d missed. LOL
haha I was too curious about the other twists so I couln’d go back but I think this is one book that I would like to reread someday.
Thanks Betty 🙂
It’s hard to know how many reviews to read before reading a book sometimes. Especially when books are so hyped up. I know what you mean about looking for the twists. I was as surprised as you were by the first twist.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, it is tricky. I know I can’t stay away from reviews especially those written by my favorite bloggers. I think keeping expectations in check is what is important in the end.
That first twist was great 🙂 I think its the one thing that most of us agree about the book. I haven’t seen any reader saying that they were able to predict it.
Great review Diana! One of the reason I’m addicted to Netgalley is usually being one of the first to read there isn’t much hype or spoilers so you go in not knowing what to expect.
I hadn’t thought about it that way but yeah, that is definitely one of the advantages of Netgalley. I also like being able to discover the new titles for myself before all the hype.
Thanks Carrie.
That’s one of the main reason I love NetGalley as well. The hard part for me is writing the review without giving it all way.
That is always tricky. Especially when writing reviews for books where the entire plot sounds is part of twist so you can’t say anything about the story line.
Not everyone has read the book already but yes I will because I just want to find out too if I make the wrong assumption… I’ll try not expect too much or too many big twists nows though. Thanks for reviewing this one !
You’re welcome Inge and I do hope that you will enjoy the book. I will look out for your review 🙂
OK I’m picking this one up as one of my next reads, I just have to know what the fuss is about 🙂
haha, I can’t wait for your review. Happy reading.
Great post! I like your honesty and insights. I can see how the hype can affect a reader’s perspective on a book.
Thanks Abby. Yeah in this case the hype really did raise my expectations. This was a great read but I wish I had gone into it with fewer expectations.
I agree, it’s a good read, but I likely won’t re-read it!
Great review. I haven’t read the book and I am curious to read what he hype is all about
Thanks booksarge. I hope that you will enjoy the book. It is worth the hype:-)
I was offered this book after reading a few wonderful reviews but I think I managed to keep my expectations low so I’m hoping the read will be good! Great review!
I hope that you will enjoy it Meggy. Most readers have and I think I would have too if I had managed my expectations:-) Thanks and happy reading 🙂
I bought this book on my kindle the other day, this review has pretty much convinced me that I NEED to read this! ❤
Charlotte | https://charlotteidek.com
I hope that you will enjoy this one Charlotte. Thanks so much for visiting my blog 🙂
Love your thoughts Diana. This one seriously messed with my mind as well!
haha I totally get what you mean. That happened to me too especially with the first twist 🙂
Wonderful review Diana! I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t tear myself away. I gave it 4 1/2 Stars just because some of the things that happened defied reality, but otherwise I loved it. I can’t wait to see who they cast for the movie.😊
Mh, now I am trying to think back to the story and identify the one thing that you mentioned lol. I am glad that you enjoyed it Kim. I didn’t know there is a moving coming out. I can’t wait to watch it:-)
Excellent review Diana! I like your reaction to the first twist hahaha.. Me too! and I had to go back to see how I had missed it 🙂
haha that first twist was so crazy, it came out of nowhere. It certainly was good. I wasn’t able to go back and reread the section but I think I will reread the book someday:-)
Wow! This book sounds so intriguing! I love that every little twists challenged your assumptions. It’s going on my list for when I’m in the mood for a thriller!
The blurb is so right in warning readers not to make assumptions though its hard to follow that instruction. I hope that you will enjoy this one when you get a chance to read it 🙂
This was a 3.5-star read for me. And I think I was being a little generous.
I had to go read your review first. I get what you mean about the twists and the narrative style. Sorry this one ended up not being a great read for you 🙂
That’s okay. You win some, you lose some. 🤷🏽♀️
That first huge twist messed with my head too. I kept flipping back to see if I had missed something.
I think that twist got us all 🙂 I didn’t see it coming at all though never went back to see what i missed.