I loved Laura Pearson's debut Missing Pieces and was delighted for the opportunity to read and review her new book, Nobody's Wife.

Despite the fact that some of the characters behave badly, indeed very badly, I found this a riveting read and even better than Missing Pieces. Ms Pearson shows that human beings aren't perfect, no matter how hard we try, and that actions have consequences. 

Suffice it to say that there were no winners here. When Emily marries Michael she thinks he is the man for her until she is introduced to her sister, Josephine's, new boyfriend, Jack. What follows is heartbreaking for all concerned. 

I enjoy reading about situations that can happen in real life and how people react to them. Nobody's Wife is beautifully written and deserves to be widely read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Agora Books.

I read this book over two days, however I did struggle to continue reading as I didn't really like any of the four main characters. Therefore I didn't really care/sympathise with any of them and two of them created a situation that they could have avoided.  I just didn't agree with their actions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I couldn't put Nobody's Wife down. As ever Pearson's writing is lucid and lyrics - heartbreaking and tender at the same time. What I really enjoyed about this book though was the portrayal of female desire, that Emily has autonomy over her choices despite the betrayal she causes. I felt the characters were truth to life and walked off the page into my head. I really enjoyed Missing Pieces, Pearson's first novel, but this one is my favourite of the two. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Agora for this eARC

I thoroughly enjoyed the authors last book, missing pieces, and was desperate to read this one so was so pleased to receive an ARC, it went straight to the top of my list.

This is the story of two sisters who really only have each other; they have different dads and their mum moved to Australia leaving them the family home, and not a lot else. She isn’t really a part of their lives so they are closer than ever when Emily gets married to Micheal. The dynamics quickly shift; they go from the three of them flat sharing to becoming a married couple and a sister who now lives alone. Emily has doubts about her marriage, and if Micheal is in fact the big love of her life. I felt at this point a little angry toward Emily, although I’m sure it’s a situation many find themselves in without being 100% sure it’s the right thing for them. Micheal is besotted with Emily, which is part of his charm, and she is happy to marry him and have a nice, safe life, despite her reservations.
Josephine soon meets Jack, and becomes instantly attracted to him, his nerdy demeanor, and the fact he’s so different to all her past boyfriends. He’s somewhat vulnerable and she likes that, slowly falling in love with him. The trouble is, so is her sister....

This is a sad story of just exactly how far you would go for true love, and how many people could get hurt in the pursuit of happiness.

I liked all four central characters, although Emily did annoy me at times with her selfish blinded behaviour, Josephine needs her sister at a time where she’s feeling alone, yet she suffers the ultimate betrayal. Michael is nothing short of adorable and loving, almost to his detriment, and he knows this can only lead to heartache, as he acts like he truly doesn’t deserve the spoilt Emily.
When things eventually come crashing down, they do so emotionally and gut wrenchingly that I almost couldn’t read what was happening. It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. My only criticism is that I didn’t feel it ended the way it could have, it felt a bit rushed and I was left with questions, but perhaps that’s just because I didn’t want it to end... all in all a good read but I was left a little disappointed at how things ended up, or didn't end up....

A very interesting read from Laura Pearson. I didn't really like the central characters but at the same time I wasn't able to put the book down!

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Nobody's Wife.

I've never read a book by this author before so I went into Nobody's Wife with an open mind.

I wish I knew what the point of the book was. The flimsy plot sounds like it was ripped from a soap opera 30 years ago when stuff like this was considered shocking.

Emily and Josephine are as close as two sisters can be. When Emily and Michael are married, the sisters grow a little further apart but remain close.

But when Josephine meets Jack and introduces him to her sister, he and Emily discover if love is worth a terrible betrayal.

First, I hate <i>adultering</i> storylines. They are old and played out. But most of all, I hate disloyalty.

Emily's betrayal of Josephine is reprehensible, perhaps forgivable in the distant future but their relationship irrevocably damaged forever.

Second, I couldn't figure out what the author was trying to say; that love does not triumph? That love is not worth it if it causes incredible pain? That people are idiots?

Third, there was something off about Jack. His childhood was dark and traumatic, a point the author liked to mention over and over, perhaps to explain his possessive and obsessive behavior and desperate need to have Emily. 

Jack was creepy as heck. Or maybe he's just a mama's boy. That would explain quite a lot.

He kept saying he loved Emily and wanted to be with her, beside her, living with her, but I saw no indication of how and why they were in love.

Were they sexually compatible? Sure. Sexual chemistry exists but does that make a relationship? Nope. Does that mean love? Definitely not.

There was not enough exposition on any of the characters, and the inclusion of Josephine's baby daddy was a cheesy plot device.

Everything was cliche; the sneaking around, the pregnancy (no one has heard of condoms, I guess), the obvious tells the spouse and girlfriend misses (or ignores) and that ending...sigh. 

I disliked everyone, including Michael, even though he was just too sensitive for his own good. 

I won't be reading the author's earlier books.

Emily and Josephine are sisters, close throughout their entire lives, and especially so after their mother left for Australia. Emily and Michael are married, and Josephine has Jack, but then Emily and Jack meet, and the attraction is shattering, and everything changes, with a catastrophic outcome.

Nobody’s Wife is a devastating story of family and marriage and betrayal, and just how far across the line people will go for love. 

Laura has such a way of drawing you in with her writing, like you’re ethereally floating in between the storylines and amongst the characters, and I soon felt as if I knew them. This isn’t a light, happy read, but it is a deeply moving and wonderfully observed one. Laura’s story twists and turns and kept me hanging on, desperate to read more, and I tore through it in no time.

I do not know I feel about this book. It is a quick read (I finished it in one day), but it was also a very unsatisfying read. The story line also seemed a bit unrealistic. I did not like the characters either. They were shallow and boring. This book also just ends, there is no closure. To be filled with so much deceit and drama for it to just end left a sour taste in my mouth.

Nobody’s wife is an honest and heartfelt story of two sisters, of marriage and of love. The author drew me into the story in such a way that I felt often as though I was right there with Emily, Michael, Jack and Josephine, watching their lives unfold in front of me. It was a raw and sometimes intrusive look into a relationship, a marriage and a family, as well as four individuals. 

I loved the way the story moved so seamlessly between one character to the next, building a tension in places that made my heart pound in my chest. 

It’s a beautifully crafted and deeply honest story of marriage and love. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Agora Books and the author for allowing me to read this story..

After reading Pearson's debut novel Missing Pieces, I couldn't wait to read Nobody's Wife. From the first few pages I couldn't tear my eyes away from the story and abandoned all of the other jobs I should have been doing.  Pearson has woven a story that combines love and betrayal to create a climatic tale in which no one can be a winner. Emily and Josephine are sisters with a strong bond, and although neither anticipates that one will betray the other, the plot is so strong that as a reader I found it easy to see just how easily a seemingly wonderful life can begin to unravel.

With four central characters, I felt that I knew each of them personally. I grew to like them all even when they made costly decisions that would later hurt others. I understood their intentions and desires, despite not wanting them to behave in the way they did. There were a number of twists and turns in the book, and I read each chapter with my heart in my mouth. I was desperate to see how the story might end as it seemed impossible that Pearson could create an ending that would be acceptable to a reader. However, with her strong understanding of human connection and emotion, Pearson brought all of the strands together to leave me feeling that the ending was both realistic and satisfying.

Nobody's Wife is a novel to get lost in and devour in one sitting. It is the sort of novel that stays with you long after you finish the last page, and leaves you hoping that even after tragedy, there is a chance of healing.

Holy cow! This book was chilling! There were so many jaw dropping moments that I just couldn’t put it down! The authors writing is phenomenal the way it sucks you in and then spits you back out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Oh, no! I'm gutted that I didn't like this book, as I really like the author and so enjoyed her previous book, 'Missing Pieces'. However, I'm so sorry, but this was such a hard slog to finish and I just couldn't gain any interest in any of the characters and found the storyline weak and uninteresting.

I won't post this review anywhere but here as I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to preview, I'm just so disappointed and sorry that I didn't enjoy it. I genuinely hope this finds it's audience, but, it's not me.