This is a book about a husband and wife who are serial killers. The plot idea was good but I could not connect with any of the characters. The characters are not likeable and I struggled in places to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Since there was a real buzz going on about this book, my expectations were high. I thought I was in for a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller. Unfortunately though, this story wasn't for me.

I recently noticed that I have a hard time connecting to unlikable characters. It was the same with this story. The two main characters are a hard working married couple who raises 2 teenage children and live in the suburbs.
So far so good, only there is something very wrong with this couple. Millicent and her husband, whose real name isn't mentioned once, have killed innocent women. Not by accident but intentionally. They enjoyed it, got away with it and now they are hooked and long for more victims.
The mere plot of the story is pretty bizarre and I had trouble wrapping my head around the question why this couple started and continued to select, abduct, torture and eventually kill women.
I often longed for the perspective of Millicent, who was the one in control. Where did her urge to hurt others come from and how come her husband is so submissive? Clearly both are damaged and disturbed and are in a dysfunctional relationship, but I longed for more of a psychological explanation for their behaviour and actions. Their motivation didn't really become clear to me. All in all I didn't warm up to this story, it was too far fetched for me. Nevertheless, this book received many enthusiastic reviews from other readers, so when in doubt, please check it out and decide yourself.

Meet Mr and Mrs Ordinary: married for fifteen years. Two kids, one of each, one of whom is smart, the other is a smart-arse. Ordinary people, ordinary lives, except....

Beautiful, gorgeous, sexy Millicent and her husband, who narrates the story, still love each other very much, but maybe their marriage lacks a little excitement and so they take on some little extra curricular activities. No, not pottery classes or dry-stone walling, just a little murder – just to liven things up. She does the planning, he researches, and then she goes in for the kill. When Dad goes out at night on his research missions, their son, thinking an affair is afoot, blackmails Dad, who obviously can't tell him the truth. The daughter, terrified a serial killer will come for her lets her school grades drop and sleeps with a knife under the mattress.

This really does have the “twist” we're often promised.

I enjoyed this, with its dark, tongue-in-cheek humour. There are a few holes, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. It's fun, it's twisted and you can't help but like the villains who, after all, just want to make life more interesting – don't we all.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

A really good first novel. A story written from the point of view of an unnamed man. A story about murder and madness. A story that really messes with your head. A story with many twists and turns, you know they are coming but cannot necessarily work out what they may be!

I’d like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘My Lovely Wife’ by Samantha Downing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A man picks up a woman, tells her his name is Tobias and that he’s deaf. But he has a comfortable life with a wife and two children, so why does he need to tell lies? This is unlike any novel I’ve ever read as the story is told by the man whose name is never revealed.

When I started reading I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy ‘My Lovely Wife’ as I thought the characters were quite unpleasant but as I got further into the book I couldn’t put it down as I desperately needed to find out what was going to happen. This is a very dark and chilling thriller that soon had me gripped. It's full of suspense and intrigue, twists and turns, and a final shocking twist in the final chapter that I wasn’t expecting. This is a thriller not to be missed!

I got invited to view this book and had to take a minute and rate it, because it’s an amazing thriller!! While, I read this book a while back, I couldn’t not take a second to mention just how riveting, creepy, twisted, and full of suspense & surprises it is! With a debut this amazing, I look forward to what Downing comes up with next!!!
Will be using in a challenging, showing both USA & UK versions, and highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!!

My Lovely Wife is a great page-turning thriller. I loved reading a book from the side of the psychotic serial killer, an unusual and really interesting perspective. The foreshadowing of the twists and turns was a bit heavy handed so nothing at all came as a surprise. This actually increased the tension for me as I knew what was coming and it made me feel like a helpless bystander who couldn't look away as a Juggernaut slides out of control. A lovely, light read of murder, madness and mind games.

I absolutely loved this book and have recommended it to everyone I know. Read it in a couple of days, totally gripping. My Lovely Wife surprised and shocked me, the author's writing flowed effortlessly.
This is a brilliant original read which I thoroughly recommend to all who like a good serial killer thriller.

A chilling thriller which gripped the reader from the beginning. A dark and disturbing story which took many twists and unexpected turns although slowed a little in the middle but that only added to the suspense with an unexpected ending which leaves the reader wondering. I didn't take to the main characters at all, living in a gated community in America as they seemed very disturbed, callous and devious couple. Well written book that will keep the reader guessing.

What an unpleasant story with unpleasant and unsympathetic characters. It was not in the least enjoyable to read, I only read to the end so that I could give a review on here. Unfortunately I had to give at least one star. It was reasonably well written with short chapters, which is always appealing. An interesting study in how our behaviour affects those closest to us. Also in selfishness. I sincerely hope there is no follow-up, the ending leads to believe there could be. I would not recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the first chapter about why our (unreliable?) narrator and protagonist would be pretending to be Tobias, a deaf man. We soon find out! He and his wife get their kicks from murder, but they are loving, caring parents whose children come first, or do they? Does the narrator's wife allow him to sleep with potential victime or has"Tobias" got a ot to hide?

We learn the history of the couple and their family through a series of flashbacks, The "twist" towards the end is pretty predictable, I think it is intended that you spot it early on but enjoy the ride to get there and see how it plays out. A good page turner when you want something "light", well, as light as murder can be.

Seemed good for the first few chapters but it failed to develop enough for me. The character were not at all likeable nor did I feel sympathy for the husband which I think I was supposed to do to a certain extent.
Difficult to learn much about anyone’s thought pattern as all written as if husband telling the story. That’s not in itself a deal breaker as I’ve read other books written like this but it didn’t work in this one.

So many twists kept me enthralled from start to finish. An excellent ending for an excellent book. This author is definitely someone to look out for in the future

Wow what a ride of a book this was. Hands down one of the best reads of the year so far. Fantastic! Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This book tells the story of a couple who have been married for 15 years and have two young children, they are financially well off and have a decent home, he is a tennis coach and she works in real estate. All a very run of the mill, normal relationship to anyone looking from the outside in you might say, but things aren't always what they seem and this couple are far from normal, they have a very unhealthy interest in young women.

This story totally messes with your head and by the end of it I was left questioning who was really telling the truth. It's a book that has more twists than a corkscrew and each chapter leaves you wanting more, I was intrigued and repulsed in equal measures by the antics of this couple. Their 'date nights' consist of meeting in their garage to discuss their next victim!! Completely insane I know, but I was hooked, as you will be when you read it and you HAVE to read it because I'm not going to divulge any more for fear of spoiling it.

I would like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

This a good debut novel that I really enjoyed.
Particularly liked the style of writing - seen through the eyes of the serial killer which is something rare and really well done in this book.

The book is very intriguing and keeps you hooked from the beginning. What turns out to be your average husband and wife is something you don’t expect.

Fab book!0

What an intriguing mystery! I was hooked from the first chapter and loved the twists and turns of the story. It keeps you hooked and you can’t wait to see how it ends. Thoroughly recommend. #NetGalley #MyLovelyWife

A great book that kept me entranced from start to finish.

Totally chilling I had guessed the end result but not how much more scary and twisted it would be.

Totally epic.

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Well... if you're looking for a book that will have you second guessing, open-mouthed and astounded at every few pages then this is just the book for you. They really are a normal couple, the parents of your kid's friend...the colleagues you work alongside... that is...until they aren't.

This book is exactly what I look for in a Thriller - Gone Girl meets Mr and Mrs Smith with a sprinkling of Dexter thrown into the mix...

Millicent and... what was his real name? I have scanned reviews and the book but I can't find it. Everyone who has reviewed this book has written Millicent and her husband. He has a fake name, we know that, it's Tobias - but do we actually get given his real name? Do we actually have time to notice until we sit down to write a review? Nope. That's because Samantha Downing has woven an absolute cracker of a debut novel that has had us not even noticing the name thing.

This book will be one that you talk about - one that you question why you're so hooked on something so vile and yet...so clever! This is "the" psychological thriller of 2019.

This is a story about not one, but a married power couple of serial killers.

I think it’s best to go in blind, so, I won’t discuss the plot too much. I really didn’t know what I was in for.

The story unfolds through the husband’s eyes for the entirety of the book. He’s just your everyday family man. He talks us through the ups and downs of modern married life, taking the kids to school, looking after them when they’re sick. We learn about how he met his soul mate, how they built a life together and their typical issues surrounding money. Oh, and there’s odd murder thrown in there too.

With every chapter, we learn more about the characters and begin to navigate our way around the complex web of secrets they’re keeping. Eventually, the action in their secretive lives spills into their personal ones and things get messy. Yes, I guessed a couple of the major twists. However, the narration was so well executed that it was gratifying to watch it all play out and lead towards a satisfying ending.

There’s something about seeing the story from the serial killer’s perspective that alters the whole reading experience. I was stuck at a crossroads between both being repulsed and routing for the husband. Overall, this was a fast, addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for sending me a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.