Much less engrossing and fun to read compared to books like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. The story was not compelling and there was little suspense. The chapters early on alternate between 1st person and third person in order to to unnecessarily confuse the reader. Revelations throughout and especially at the end were underwhelming and seemed forced. Characters were 2 dimensional at best (is she a victim or just paranoid?; is he a wonderful husband or abusive?). Information is withheld throughout in order to create interest but ends up being frustrating to the reader. In the end, it was mostly forgettable and not a book I would recommend.

Great read. I'm an avid reader and I have read a great many books. This story had me in the first chapter. Felt light, although some of the subject matter was heavy. Can't give anything away, but this was well thought out and very well written. Loved it. I highly recommend it!

4.5/5 starsI thoroughly enjoyed reading The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. It was a thrilling trip from the very first page. I love books that mess with my mind, so to discover all of Vanessa’s secrets was highly satisfying. I also enjoyed the mind play with the characters in Part 1… Just when I thought that I had the characters figured out in my mind, the authors threw a curveball at me. I had kind of sensed similarities between Nellie and Vanessa, but I really thought that they were more coincidental than anything else. I picked up early on that Vanessa’s ex-husband Richard was not as perfect as he appeared to be and boy was I right on the money about him. His “rich man” persona really irritated me and I really didn’t appreciate how he manipulated Vanessa into thinking that she was crazy just because her deceased mother had struggled with a mental illness. That was very devious and deceitful and did not sit with me very well. I really didn’t like Vanessa’s “replacement” Emma at all. Not even when I found out who she really was at the end of Part 3. Her character was just that unlikable to me, but I did enjoy the twist at the end of the book when the authors informed the readers what Emma’s true identity was. But I thoroughly enjoyed Vanessa’s scheme against Emma and Richard in order to “free herself”. That was wickedly good. If you are searching for an emotional, gripping, have you on the edge of your seat read, I suggest picking up a copy of this book. You won’t regret it.

First, it must be said that this book is not “Gone Girl” and the comparison mentioned on the book jacket is utterly ludicrous. This book is not written so much as it is constructed and orchestrated. It is heavily plot-driven, but the plot is not riveting or absorbing. The intrepid reader keeps turning pages in hopes that the book will gain momentum or that the writing quality will improve, but the promises of the novel never materialize. The characters seem trite, wooden, one-dimensional and Harlequin-romance-inspired. Nellie is flaky, flighty, ditzy and hesitant. It takes her over 200 pages to grow a backbone. Prior to that, she has subsumed her every thought and desire, in an effort to please and placate her wealthy, mercurial husband, whom she decides to get to know better “after” her marriage??? There is no discernible chemistry, compatibility or believable bond between them. Richard is the solicitous (read: controlling) spouse who alternately dotes on, and gradually terrorizes, his often-clueless wife. If the reader can tolerate this drivel, a mystery then ensues amid all the cheesy domestic drama. Conceivably, it is supposed to be a heart-stopping, twisty, page-turner with shocking revelations, but the book misses the mark on so many levels. It is not well-written. None of the characters are particularly likable, save for Samantha and Duke. The reader is told about the characters, but never shown. The characters lack depth and sufficient backstories. The pace moves swiftly enough, but the action is contrived and formulaic. Plot twists at the expense of actual content. This book is light, escapism that tries too hard to be more than it is. It jumps on the psychological thriller bandwagon like so many others, but the true accolades belong solely to its predecessors.

This is an escapist novel, with a mysterious tone which largely fails to captivate. The characters lacked depth, & a hinted nefarious act fails to materialize. The plot was repetitive, & the characters were stereotyped. If a reader wants a novel to,pass time, this might do,the trick, but it lacked "staying power," & the surprise ending seemed trite & motionless.