I enjoyed this book all the way through until the end,.. it was a little too far fetched for my liking. A real page turner until the end though
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this

I enjoyed the suspense of this book but ultimately found the whole story too far fetched. I couldn’t really relate or empathise with any of the characters although could understand the new born baby tiredness!

Thank you to netgalley the publishers and the author for this ARC in exchanged for an unbiased review
fantastic thriller that keeps you guessing right till the end!

This book kept me on my toes. I almost felt as sleep deprived as Laura! If you liked Gone Girl, then this is one for you. A very well plotted, well written book that doesn’t disappoint.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

When Louisa has a baby, at almost 40 with a teenage daughter already, she thinks the worst of her problems is being a little sleep deprived. Until it’s a lot sleep deprived and she starts to wonder if she is losing it, if it’s happening again, like when she was in university, when a huge chuckle of time is missing from her memory. Is she just a sleep deprived mom or is something more sinister happening to her. Top that off, with an unwelcome surprise 40th where her ex, Oliver, from said missing time era shows up to the party and then his new wife goes missing, a woman that only she has seen, perhaps.

What is going on, is she missing, hiding, or has the still creepily charming Oliver done something to her? A good thriller with many twists; a great cast of characters and the ending kind of leaves you hanging, in a good way. Will demonic check out more books by this author.

There is something off with Louisa. I was not sure because of depression or post-partum syndrome. I hated and liked how her mind works.

When her best friend Tiff arranged a birthday party with people whom Louisa haven't seen or talk for a long time, something happened.

Louisa's ex-boyfriend, Oliver was there and his wife was missing but no one saw her except Louisa. Now, Oliver was coming to Louisa's life which was something fishy.

There was a revelation about Louisa's past and a twist on the plot. Did I like the ending? Yes but, I was a bit confused. I actually like it because it was not the typical ending that I was expecting.

Thank you for the ARC, Avon UK, and Netgalley!

This one was kind of boring for me. It seemed disjointed and I almost didn’t finish it. The storyline was obvious and not as interesting as others I’ve read. A quick read but wouldn’t recommend

Louisa is a new mum with a new baby and a teenager to keep her busy. Sheer lack of sleep has her at her wits end, when she is offered the chance of a night away with her best friend, to recharge her batteries.
Unknown to her, as a surprise for her upcoming 40th birthday, her husband and best friend have organised a party, inviting everyone on her Facebook profile!
This opens up the biggest can of worms possible, threatening to dislodge the very fabric of Louisa's life.
The phrase "page-turner" must have been coined with this book in mind!! From the very first chapter, I couldn't put it down. Its fast paced story with intriguing characters draws you in, hook, line and sinker!
I hesitate to say this, but I think this may well be the best book I've read in a while!

Talk about a page turner ! The Missing Wife is a mind blowing, suspenseful ,shocking psychological thriller . I absolutely could not put it down once I started. I just had to know what happend. The whole story was very well-written & interesting right until the very end.This author makes the whole story come alive ( it was as if i was living the story )The places and characters were all well developed. This was my first read by this author and will not be the last. I can absolutely see this book becoming a lifetime movie. I highly recommend this book. If you enjoy gripping psychological thrillers with some suspense and mystery then you definitely should read this one. I promise you will not be disappointed in this story. It was very well done. There are twists and turns right up to the end.
You can also read this review and all my other reviews on my fb page at Joyce Stewart Book Reviews , my fb Group Stewart Book Reviews Book Club , Good Reads at Joyce Stewart Reviews and instagram at Stewarts_bookreviews.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary.

Gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end. Lots of twists and turns, good characters and a dynamic storyline.

By the end of this book you will KNOW that Louisa is a VERY exhausted mother on maternity and her baby cries ALOT! Other stuff will happen, at the end. I did enjoy the story, but, it did feel very long.

I picked this book up and went in with a different expectation. I thought I knew where the story was going. Surprise! Surprise! I was wrong. The Missing Wife is a psychological thriller; a story of obsessive love, breath-taking deception, and masterful manipulation. By the end, I hated all the characters but liked the book! There were quite a few twists in here, most good, some predictable; nonetheless this was yet another book I found difficult to put down.

Louisa is an exhausted, sleep-deprived new mother and, approaching her fortieth birthday, the very last thing she wants to do is celebrate. But when her best friend Tiff organizes a surprise party, inviting the entire list of Lou’s Facebook friends, she’s faced with a new source of anxiety altogether: a room full of old college classmates who she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years. And one person, in particular, she never expected to see again is there – her ex-boyfriend from college, the handsome and charismatic Oliver Dunmore.
When Oliver’s wife Melissa goes missing after the party, everyone remembers what happened that night differently. It could be the alcohol, but it seems more than one person has something to hide. Louisa is determined to find the truth about what happened to Melissa. But just how far does she need to look…?

I liked how the characters were defined in this one. I like books where the protagonist is not deliberately made to run towards trouble and she can make logical decisions - albeit, in this case, one too many chapters late. Despite all her flaws, I liked Louise. The rest of the characters especially Tiff were annoying. But there were enough red herrings to cast suspicion on and that is probably what made this book good. The plot of the missing wife felt a bit clichéd. Thankfully, the focus was not on the police investigation, because that seemed like a very half-assed effort by whichever PD was doing the investigating. The twist at the end was shocking. I did not see that one coming!

Thank You NetGalley, Avon Books and Sam Carrington for an arc!

This book was quite frustrating to read, though I got through it relatively quickly since it does hook you in.

The main character was the main issue for me, she was so trusting throughout the whole book even with characters who have proven to be untrustworthy, and it was so annoying to read. The plot was actually not bad, there were twists which I didn't expect and the ending definitely saved the book for me.

A very interesting read!

Kept me turning the pages constantly! I love books like this and sometimes I think they're all going to be the same, but this one had a different premise. I loved it!

The story line is good but unfortunately the main character, Louisa, is quite weak. I found it hard to empathise as most of the time in wanted to shake her into action. Part of the basis of the story is that she is sleep deprived, and relying on anxiety tablets, but she is still exasperating! Perhaps someone more sympathetic than I am would enjoy this more.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

Louisa is a 40 year old with a teenage daughter and a fussy newborn. I could empathize with her. She is exhausted, no one seems to be helping her, the baby cries all the time, she can't focus or remember simple things, and now she suspects her husband and best friend are having an affair. When her husband books her a night out at a local hotel, all she wants is a complete night's sleep. Instead she is greeted with a surprise birthday party attended by all of her Facebook friends, none of whom are really Louisa's friends, and her first love Oliver whom she hasn't seen in twenty years. In her despair she drinks too much and remembers little of the evening. Oliver comes around to ask for her help in searching for his wife who went missing the night of the party. At this point I found the book going a little odd and unbelievable. Her husband welcomes Oliver and befriends him, even going out drinking with him. I can't imagine too many men would welcome their wife's ex into their lives so readily. Still, I read on to find answers for the questions I had. What caused Louisa's trauma induced amnesia from around the time she last saw Oliver? Why did he come back? Where is his missing wife? What is Tiff up to? Louisa's despair and postnatal depression are palpable. The book takes a surprising turn. I found the ending satisfying but out of character for the rather weak Louisa. Still, for the most part I enjoyed this book and the author's very readable style of writing. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for review. I hope to explore more of Sam Carrington's work.

I hate to admit it as I am a big fan of the author but I was slightly disappointed by this book. The plot was a good one with plenty of scope for twists and turns but I just couldn't warm to Louisa. She was the proverbial victim who seemed to go through life allowing things to happen as if she had no control over her life. Everyone from her husband to her friends were allowed to walk all over her. She didn't want a party in the first place and she certainly didn't want her ex boyfriend back in her life but she just went along with whatever other people wanted. It was therefore very hard to sympathise with her when things went wrong and it spoiled the book for me.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Like many psychological thrillers, this one has a strong family drama theme. Written in the third person from Louisa's point of view, it focuses almost exclusively on her emotions, motivations, observations and thoughts, This does mean that the other characters in the story fade into to the background, even though they are in many cases, the key to the storyline.

Louisa is an unreliable protagonist, sleep-deprived, looking after a young baby. She may also be suffering from postnatal depression, but because everything is seen from her point of view, and she has no insight into her mental health, this possibility is alluded to, but not explored. Diagnosed with dissociative amnesia, where the person cannot recall personal information, not explained by ordinary forgetting, usually triggered by trauma or extreme stress, she knows she has secrets. but cannot recall them.

The plot is for the most part believable, the pacing varies, but you are drawn into Lousia's story. How much of it is in her mind? Is her paranoia, justified, or a symptom of her mental state? Despite her unreliability, I did sympathise with Louisa. The remainder of the characters, could all be guilty of something, with the exception of her teenage daughter, who I also like, especially as she realises how fragile her mother is, as the story progresses, and supports her, the best she can.

The clues and the misinformation are integrated into the plot well, but they didn't surprise me. The final few chapters are bizarre, but not unimaginable, who knows what they would do in those circumstances?

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Missing Wife is a psychological thriller. Louisa is a new (unplanned) mum at 40. Emily her teenage daughter and behaves like one! Brian, her husband is busy with his work. With, tiredness and sleep deprivation engulfing Louisa feels she’s losing control over life. To make things better (or worse) Tiff (her best friend) and Brian throw a surprise fortieth birthday party. That night, that party changes everything for her. It brings a man from her past, Oliver and a dark secret along with it. The secret is so strong that might push her over the edge. What happens next is inconceivable by her. It throws her life in a complete spiral. 
Will she lose her sanity and her memories or will she lose it all?

My take on the book:

The theme of the book surrounds guilt, betrayal, and revenge. All of them mixed together can become a dangerous concoction.

I can divide the book into two halves, the time before the party and the time after the party. 

Before the party is not much and mostly story development and giving some kind of background to Louisa’s memory loss. The story moves from days in the weeks, sometimes in the mornings or in the evenings (am/pm style). There’s an air of suspense added in this to part of the story which it gives it a direction towards the party. This makes up around first 20-30% of the book, so you hold on to the suspense to build up.

After the party, the Louisa doesn’t much remember of it, so that’s one part of the mystery and but there’s another mystery that branches out from it. And starts intertwining as it progresses. The ending comes as a surprise and leaves the reader startled. 

This is my first book by Sam Carrington. I like the style and writing. There were details in the surroundings and in houses which helps in the imagination. I also admired the way the author wrapped up all the mysteries at the end. 

With the concept, the story and the ending getting nearly full marks, the characters did not sink in completely. I feel the characters didn’t get enough space to breathe. Louisa, Tiff, Oliver, and Brian are the major characters. But Brian and Oliver felt like support characters. They did not have enough depth or background to empathize with them. Emily and Brian are father and daughter but not much space is given to this relationship. I think there was a lot of scope for Oliver as well but somehow even that character did not get much space. The reason I feel this more because the book wasn’t from Louisa’s PoV, it was, in fact, it was a third-person narration. But while reading it would feel you are reading the book from her PoV. So Louisa and Tiff (somewhat) got space but none other characters. That’s like a downside of the book which had a huge potential. 

Having said that, I liked the author’s style and the mystery and has intrigued me enough to buy her other books. 

For this one though I will rate it 3 stars. 

Thanks, NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Louisa is an exhausted mom with a newborn and a teenager (!!!) - for her upcoming birthday, her best friend Tiff decides to throw her a surprise party - just the thing a tired, forgetful and stressed mother needs, right?? To throw icing on the cake, Tiff has invited her list of Facebook "friends", including her ex-boyfriend Oliver that broker her heart in college. He is coming to help celebrate Louisa's birthday and is bring his wife Melissa too - yay!!The only way to get through this awkward party is to drink, drink, drink!!!
Then Melissa disappears after the party and Louisa has no memory what happened. She starts to have unsettling visions of a dead woman - does this mean she is to blame? As Oliver pleads with her to help him find out what happened (and clear his name), Louisa struggles to maintain her sanity and determine what is real and what isn't.
This was a great read! It kept me up reading until way past my bedtime and I enjoyed the buildup. The ending was a little rushed but I enjoyed it overall.
Thanks to Sam Carrington, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!