This is a hard one to review as I don’t want to give anything away.
What seems to everyone else to be a normal family with Millicent as a real estate agent and her husband teaching tennis, and their two children is far from normal.
This couple are hiding a very dark secret which unfolds more and throughout the book.
This is the story of how they cope with what they do and how it affects those close to them.
It’s an addictive read and you really don’t know what will happen next.
Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

My Lovely Wife presents the reader with a seemingly normal couple. Married with two children, she works in real estate while he coaches tennis at a local health club. Money is sometimes a little tight, but they get by well enough most of the time, and they do have a lovely house in a gated community in Florida. It sounds normal, doesn’t it, and maybe even a little dull? As the reader gets to know the couple a little better, it becomes clear that they are anything other than normal, and their extra-curricular activities are not as you might expect from their pleasant façade. I don’t want to go into the plot in any detail – I really do think that the above blurb tells the reader as much as they need to know – but I was hooked from the first chapter, as their secrets – some of them, at least – are quickly revealed.

The novel is narrated by the husband, who I believe goes unnamed throughout. I found this to be quite refreshing, as I think it’s unusual to have a male point of view in a novel such as this – at least based upon the books that I’ve read. I thought that his narration of events worked brilliantly – the story is a compelling one, and as well as keeping the reader informed of current events, he also gives plenty of background on the family to provide additional insight and context. Both he and his wife, Millicent, are intriguing characters, and he is smitten with his wife, who is clearly the dominant figure in their household.

This is a fast-paced novel, and one where I thought I had it figured out early on – how wrong I was! This is a fantastically dark and original tale, and I was hooked from the first page. Highly recommended to fans of domestic and psychological thrillers who are looking for a novel that offers something a little unusual.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Millicent and her husband, who remains nameless, appear the perfect yet ordinary couple. He is a successful tennis coach while she works in real estate. They have two children (Rory and Jenna), a lovely home and a good circle of friends. But both husband and wife realise that their marriage and life are in danger of becoming dull. That doesn’t matter, though, as they have the perfect way to spice it up.

Years ago the town was tormented by a serial killer called Owen. Women were afraid to go out. And now it looks as if he’s begun to kill again. Women are going missing. Jenna isn’t alone in being very frightened indeed. She needs her parents to make her feel safe. And they will do almost anything to do that.

My Lovely Wife is a fabulous novel – witty, sharp, shocking and outrageous. In my opinion, it triumphs many of the most well-known, best-seller psychological thrillers. It’s not only very well-written but its portrait of this marriage, presented from the point of view of the husband, is utterly compelling and astonishing. The opening chapter sets the scene brilliantly with the first of the novel’s whole load of jaw-dropping moments. And amidst the descriptions of suburban normality are moments that, for me at least, are completely horrifying. Perceptions of what is right and wrong are about to get bludgeoned. It will not be pretty. But it will be fascinating and I could not put My Lovely Wife down.

This isn’t a particularly easy book to review as I think it’s best if you come to it knowing the bare minimum. So, suffice to say that, in my opinion, Samantha Downing does not put a foot wrong. This is psychological thriller writing at its best. You may well have an idea of how it could pan out, especially if you’re read the genre before, but that doesn’t stop the shocks. In some ways, I feel that the book takes some quite familiar themes and then stretches them that little bit further, extracting their maximum impact.

Above all else, My Lovely Wife is such an entertaining and fun pageturner. I admire its wit and cleverness, its chilling portrayal of evil. I’d love to say more but I can’t! I think it’s best if you read it for yourself.

Ok so I’m not really sure how this book made me feel 🤔

The idea was so fascinating that I had to read it, but despite the fact that it was an entertaining read, one that I didn’t want to put down, it left me feeling frustrated. Confusing right??

Millicent and her husband are a regular, respectable couple. They have normal jobs, a nice house and two teenage kids. But after 15 years of marriage they decide to spice up their lives with an unusual hobby. But with this hobby comes secrets and unexpected consequences that trigger a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

My Lovely Wife is a psychological thriller unlike any I’ve read before. The opening couple of chapters are strange and creepy but left me wanting more. The plot contains a number of twists, some were predictable and some I didn’t see coming. The characters are not likeable but then I guess they’re not meant to be. And the narrative was breathtakingly exciting at times, dull and slow at others.

This book is a total contradiction...and I love that! I love that I had to think so hard about my review, that it’s left me confused about my feelings towards the story, the characters and their actions. I love that it was full of dark humour and the fact that although the husband is not a nice guy, I was still made to feel some sympathy towards him. I’m frustrated that we didn’t get more gore (I’m weird I know) but like the fact that we were teased with it throughout. Am I happy with that ending, not really. Am I happy with the last line, abso-fricking-lutely I am!

See a total contradiction!

I feel like I’ve rambled on quite incoherently in this review but I will say this, any book that can illicit such a mix of emotions has to be worth a read - 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin UK - Michael Joseph) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

This book had me interested at the beginning, but there were times in the middle where I wished that hubby dearest would grow a backbone to his crazy wife but the ending was fantastic though quick.

The blurb for My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing sounded interesting and promising however I found the actual book slow, uninteresting and very difficult to get into so unfortunately it is not one I would recommend

There’s no doubt that My Lovely Wife is a very clever novel and it feels slightly weird to say that I enjoyed a book about a married couple who have an extremely questionable hobby. It’s quite refreshing to read something that’s not just about the flawed detective searching for the killer. Instead it is told from the point of the Husband, who when out in bars calls himself Tobias. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked, although I did find the first and last quarters the most interesting and wasn’t sure where it was headed. A surprisingly good read.

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

The story has a kind of slow pace feel to it don't let that put you off. The husband, we don't know his real name, we only know him as Tobias. He lives with his wife and two children in Hidden Oaks, Florida. She's a real estate agent and he's a tennis coach. The story is told from the husbands point of view. These people could be living on any street, in any country in the world. They target the people they think they'd like to kill. It's premeditated. I can't say much more than this except go out and grab yourself a copy of this book when it's published on the 2nd May. Oh, I didn't see that ending!! A fantastic debut novel from an author I will be looking out for in future. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Samantha Downing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A real page turner loved the twists from as soon as you start reading they started. Ease to read and follow looking forward to more from Samantha Downing.

Read until late into the night and picked up again first thing in the morning. fast exciting and energetic with a brilliant storyline to follow.

What an unusual but griping storyline. It took me a little while to believe what I was reading, but found myself unable to put the book down. Well written, the narrator is not a good man but by the end of the book I was rooting for him and his youngsters. A really griping read that lovers of a good thriller should read

Wow!what a brilliant psychological thriller ,very different from other books I have read before .Millicent and her husband have two children and live in an upmarket area ,he is a Tennis Coach and she sells houses ,they seem to live normal lives but they have one big dark secret .I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story but this book will shock ,it is very cleverly written ,a real page turner very twisted and the ending well ...................... Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review

When I started this one, it almost went out the window, figuratively speaking, but I'm actually really glad I stuck with it. It had been slightly unbelievable in terms of plot and characterisation but it did end up drawing me it. Good twists throughout.

I felt very conflicted by this book. On one hand, it was well-written and kept me engaged. On the other, I felt zero empathy towards the main characters which ultimately impacted on my overall enjoyment.
On the surface, Millicent and her – nameless? – husband lead the perfect life. A beautiful suburban home, two children and … not much else, really. Apart from the fact that one of them has a murderous side, and the other appears to just go along with it.
The book twists and turns, bringing in subsidiary characters and sub-plots. Its final denouement wasn't unexpected to me, but again it left me feeling very little towards anyone involved.
Not entirely my cup of tea, but I would be interested to read something else by the author.

Didn’t enjoy this at all, in fact didn’t finish it. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

MIllicent is the lovely wife who lives with her husband and two children as a normal family -or so you think! As a couple they have a dark side which the reader is made aware of from the start. Unfortunately for me this dragged on for 75% of the book with no real insight or action until.the final part of the book when the conclusion came rapidly without many surprises at all as you could see where it was heading. Had the storyline been as fast paced throughout the book it would have been a gripping five star read, however I still found it a intriguing book with a quite different story line to most thrillers and very easy to read.

This is another twisted family drama. In this one Millicent and her husband have come up with a horrific way to add spice to their love-life. However, a large part of the story is more about the effects their actions have closer to home than the naughty behaviour itself.

The mundanity of family life is described in great detail but for me that simply made for a pretty mundane story and the narration by the husband/father is very dull. There wasn't enough excitement or suspense, and for a book that is supposed to be about sexy serial killings it all felt a little too safe. The action does pick up a bit in the last 15% or so, and the ending is quite good, but it is very predictable and too little too late.

Generally this book was a bit of a snooze-fest for me, unfortunately. Having said that I would recommend it to fans of domestic drama who don't like too much graphic detail. I'm sorry, but I can't be more positive about this book than that.

My Lovely Wife is a psychological murder story, played out by a husband (whose true name is never revealed) and his wife Millicent. They have two teenage children and live an unobtrusive life as a tennis coach and real estate agent. Until they decide to spice up their marriage in a most unusual manner.

I wasn't too sure of this book when I began it - the beginning with the deaf man picking up a woman who guessed he wasn't deaf didn't draw me in and I stopped reading. However, after checking some reviews I decided to give it another try and it is a clever idea with some great plotting. The main characters are unlikeable, but that didn't spoil anything, although I couldn't work out quite why they ended up as malevolent and manipulative as they did.

A great debut and I hope it is very successful. Many thanks to PenguinUK/Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review My Lovely Wife.

I thought I was going to be reading a book about a lovely lady who was happily married. How wrong was I?? There were some points in the book that I felt just chugged along and you just thought ‘what’s happening here?,the last 25% was excellent and I stayed up till 2am to finish it!

This is one FANTASTIC read! It moves along at a great pace and the writing is so good, you forget you're even reading.

I loved being in the husband's mind - it's a brilliant piece of storytelling, with so many shocks, which make you recalibrate your understanding of the situation as we start to understand the nature of Millicent and their family life. There are so many secrets and lies that gradually come to the surface - I loved the way it was all revealed a bit at a time.

Clever, dark and twisted!!! Loved it, loved it, loved it!