Review: The Women by S.E. Lynes @bookouture

Samantha Frayn doesn’t know why Peter Bridges picks her – a nobody with bitten fingernails and a troubled childhood behind her – but she falls quickly. He’s older, charming, likes fine wine and French films, and his beautiful home has real art on its walls.

Peter transforms Samantha’s life in an instant. He sees the better version of herself – the one she’s always wanted to be. It’s only normal that there’s a little friction, when she moves in, over domestic matters like where things are kept, or the proper times to eat, sleep and shower. She’s lucky to be with someone who can help her find a new job, move on from childish friends, and speak with greater sophistication.

But as Samantha notices, more and more, Peter’s temper, she starts to wonder if there might be consequences to breaking the rules of the world he has so quickly built around her. And then she receives an anonymous note that makes her ask: is she the first woman to feel trapped by Peter? Is she being paranoid, manipulated, or could she be in danger?

You can tell the truth about your life, but someone needs to be listening. Someone needs to trust you. And someone needs to save you from the man you thought you loved.

Review

I am pleased to say that I have read and enjoyed every book by S. E. Lynes. The Women is another twisty, captivating read by the author which cements her place in my list of favorites.

Sam meets an older guy, Peter, who seems like a dream come true. He is charming, intelligent, sophisticated, drives a flashy sports car and lives in a huge house. She quickly falls for him but is Peter really the prince charming that he appears to be?

The story is narrated from Sam’s POV. We learn of her relationship with Peter and the nightmare that followed. As much as I don’t agree with all her decisions, I understood her actions even when they were unreasonable. I understood the decisions that she made especially at the initial stages of the relationship. Her character was very well crafted and she was relatable in many ways.

I enjoyed everything in this story even the little details such as the literature pieces mentioned. Without going into details, one of the characters taught an interesting writing class that I wished I could join. I was invested in the lessons and actually learned something new. This was quite a treat and it made me enjoy the story even more.

The Women is a story about secrets, lies, manipulation and vengeance. As always, Lynes’ writing is flawless and enthralling. I was pulled in right from the prologue to the last page. There were moments of frustration when certain characters didn’t behave like I wanted them to but that is just a testament of how well the story and characters were developed. The prologue created such suspense that I couldn’t wait to see how the story would unfold. What a captivating read!

Other titles by S.E. Lynes that I have read and enjoyed include: Valentina, Mother, The Proposal and The Pact.