When I received a copy of My Lovely Wife I had no idea what to expect. The blurb was deliciously vague, only letting readers know that the couple had secrets.

I initially set out to read just a chapter or two before bed but instead found myself tearing through the pages. Over a hundred pages passed before I could bear to put the book down. This morning I finished it.

With a hint of Netflix sensation You, the opening chapters drew me straight in. A man who purposefully meets women at bars? Maybe a little seedy but nothing awful, right. But what if one of those women turns up dead? He's a little more suspicious now....

I'm going to avoid telling you any more about the plot, as I think that might spoil the adventure.

The characters weren't likeable. This isn't a book about good people doing bad things. It is a book about bad people doing bad things, at least in my opinion. There was something endearing about that though. There was no trying to hide from reality.

The husband, our narrator, is a tennis coach. His wife an estate agent. The story of their first meeting is adorable and their life seems pretty perfect at first glance. Two children, a gorgeous house in a gated community.

But what could possibly go wrong?

You'll have to read this for yourself to find out!

My Lovely Wife will be published in May 2019.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) and Samantha Downing for the opportunity to read My Lovely Wife in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis intrigued me... but I found My Lovely Wife to be a very slow read, that seemed to take sometime to deliver the story and read through the first half of the book.

This is sadly “A not for me, but I know others will love it”

This is a well written book however the story didn’t grab me like I expected. I was disappointed with how slow the story moved. It came across as though. Millicent was the driving force behind their secret but you only have the story from a very unmotivated POV. It’s almost as though he was participating with reluctance. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind to read this book but I found myself looking for excuses to not read.

Thank you! Before I settled down with this book I was beginning to think that I'd lost the ability to enjoy a book! So many of my recent reads have been disappointing, but, not this one!
Hold onto your seat though, this is a killer! I felt guilty enjoying it so much as it's soooo bad, but, soooo good.

This is a riveting, engrossing tale about a couple who have been married for 15 years and have 2 children, they also have a secret extracurricular activity that involves the husband luring young women...I don't want to say anymore as it would spoil what is an edge of your seat thriller and the intrigue and relationship between the wife and the husband is so absorbing. The kids are a bit odd too!

It's not perfect and there are some incredible coincidences, but, it kept me hooked and I read in one sitting. It's shocking, disquieting, mesmerising and more. A really, really good read.

Thanks so much to Netgally and the publishers, Penguin UK Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

First for me from this author. won't be the last.
Great book, kept me reading without putting it down.
Twist! loved it! A must read for any thriller lover!!

Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.

Brilliant plot, excellent main characters that you invest in. I read this book in one sitting and I would highly recommend it.

Samantha Downing has the type of mind that would scare and confuse any psychoanalyst.

There are really light, happy stretches; the perfect family meals, children supported through sports and school, loving times between husband and wife. A perfect setting for a light hearted romance.

Then the lights go out. The only way to move through the maze of dark, dank and scary stuff is to crawl and hope the projectiles go over your head and you manage to avoid the bear traps with their sharpened spikes.

The title did make me wary of Millicent from the start. She also seemed a wee bit like a Stepford wife, although she was always the one running the show.

The dead ends in this maze all have 'bet you didn't see that one coming' written in blood. And I didn't.

An excellent read. The stuff nightmares are made of.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book due to the far fetched plot. However the way in which this book was written made this so addictive and chilling. I was worried if this would be a book where the ending was rushed and ruined the book. That was not the case! My lovely wife far exceeded my expectations.

Utterly compelling and horrifying in equal measure. Shows how lives can be manipulated and how the perfect family image can be so deceptive!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book was very good, it's hard to believe its a Debut Novel and I will certainly be looking out for more from Samantha Downing. The story is told from the point of view of the husband. We follow him from when he fell in love with a cold and mysterious woman, Millicent on a flight. We see how their relationship developed and now in the present day they live the typical middle-class life she is a realtor and he is a tennis coach and they have 2 teenage children. However all is not as it seems, they have a very dark hobby. I won't say more as anything further will spoil the reading experience. If you like thrillers then definitely read this book its a solid 5* read.

This book started so good, one of the best starts I've seen lately and I must confess it wasn't bad. However the "twists" was a bit predictable.
Parts in the middle of the book, until the events "took a different turn" the story stalled a bit, but I think overall this was a good thriller and I am glad I read it.
It would have been excellent, 5 stars if Millicent was explored and developed a bit more. But this is a debut and I would be very interested to read a second book from Downing.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

* spoiler alert ** I might be the only person who didn't like this book.
I found it dull and repetitive... such a shame for what sounded like a great idea.
It picked up about three quarters of the way through,but I'd pretty much given up caring by then.
I know it's a pretty far out there idea anyway,to have a married couple as serial killers.... but everything just seemed unlikely.everything.

My Lovely Wife, a chilling thriller about a seemingly ordinary family hiding a dark secret, will grip you and never let go!!

Despite the far-fetched premise, I really enjoyed reading My Lovely Wife. Ms Downing definitely knows how to grab her reader's attention. I was hooked just after reading the first chapter, when a deaf guy meets a stranger in a bar...

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced and quick read.

Many thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

#My lovely Wife#Netgalley
oh my god you really can’t miss this book, after a read the first chapter and Jane really caught my attention, a dark twisted plot you will devour in one sitting. It’s not just about serial killer it’s about, neighbors family and friends. You really think you know people and true every marriage has its own secrets, this is just literally a unputtable down book. If you don’t read this book you will regret it. I believe it’s going to be one of the most talked about books this year. Superb book absolutely fantastic

A well written book which makes it a very easy to read psychological thriller. What I liked about this book is that the narrative is from the husband's perspective, which is different to many other thrillers. You think you're reading about a typical American family: husband, wife and two children, however that's the only typical thing about them. There are a few twists and turns to the plot which keeps your interest right up to the very end. An easy
read thriller perfect to those just getting into this genre of book.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for this advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

An unusual but addictive read this follows the story of a married couple with 2 teenagers living in suburban America. She is a real estate agent and he is a tennis pro at the local country club but beneath this façade of normality lies a sinister and twisted reality.
It's not an easy book to review as sharing any of the plot will inevitably lead to spoilers which would remove the absolute "shock value" of the story.
All I will say is read this phenomenal book which is thrilling, twisted and disturbing but oh so good!!
5 huge stars for this absolute beauty - an author to watch for me!
Thanks to Netgalley UK, publishers and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a cracker of a book! The initial premise is utterly unique. It’s laid out in the first chapter, grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t let go. The smooth writing delivers a wonderfully twisty, dark, well-paced plot. The characters are well developed and the denouement troubling and yet extremely well executed. It’s really hard to say more without spoilers, but I thought this book was a masterclass of a thriller and would wholeheartedly recommend. I picked it up on a particularly busy week and still couldn’t put it down. Many thanks to the author, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Ever wondered what drives someone to become a serial killer? This book will offer an unhealthy insight into this.

 

Unlike many other thrillers we are offered the premise at the start of the book. There is no guessing and expertly removing layers to find out the what/where/who but rather left with the why and when to ponder.The stage is set, and the curtain has risen, we are offered the guilty at the start but for duration of the book we search for the ‘why’ and it isn’t easily offered to us. At least that’s what I assumed until a shocking turn of events about 60% in turned the course of direction this book was taking around. 

 

I like books that keep the reader guessing and just when you think you are comfortable, they drop a bombshell and you have to retract your entire course of thinking. It was expertly done in my lovely wife and a great way to add a little more adrenaline and suspense. 

 

I liked the authors decision to use the male character as the weaker of the two. Usually it is the woman who is shown to follow and be the weaker counterpart, so this was a breath of fresh air and in my opinion made it that more sinister. The narrative is told from the husband’s perspective (again very rarely done) and it flowed with good consistency. 

 

A great slow burn of a thriller with just enough shock factors to keep your attention firmly grasped.

 

I would like to thank Netgalley, Michael Joseph at Penguin UK and author Samantha Downing for the copy of ‘My Lovely Wife’ in exchange for an honest review.

 

Publication date: 2 May 2019 

 

Zubs

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
I have to say straight off that although this book is well written, I'm afraid it just didn't grab and keep my attention. After trying to read it on and off for a while, I eventually gave up. It s not a bad book, but I just found it was too enclosed in the characters and not enough action. The story is told from the husband's point of view and he is definitely not a dynamic person. the pace is very slow and his voice seems to drone on. The premise of the story is intriguing but I just couldn't bring myself to read it to the end, when there are so many more books I would enjoy.

Sorry, Samantha Downing, but I think it needs more showing and less telling and definitely more action.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reviewing this book.

Wow, what an amazing book. It stands out against most of the other books that I’ve read in the last few years. The plot is dark, enthralling and will have you drawn in from page 1. The ending is amazing and very well written. It’s worthy of a big fat 5 stars and I can’t wait to read more books from this author in future.