a sweet low key somewhat predictable story of a woman's growth and true love. It felt more like a story from the 70's than currently

First time I have read a book of Emma's and what a beautifully written book this one is. It tells the story of Alys and Hugh, who appears to have control over Alys. She was married to Sam twenty years previous, but following an accident one New Years Eve, he tells her to go, that he doesn't want to be married to her any more. She meets Hugh whom she marries and he takes on the role of dad to Esme, who is Sam's child. We pick the story up where Esme is about to embark on her first job and Alys is about to be made redundant from her job by Hugh. Alys begins to start to think for herself, do things and have a life for herself. A totally engaging read and look forward to reading more by this author.

The Wife's Choice tells the story of Alys, a woman who has not had the chance to make many choices. She married Sam Walker, a chef who dreamed of opening his own restaurant. After a devastating car crash left him disfigured and with a permanent link, he ended their marriage. Alys abandoned her dream of becoming a textile conservator and took a dead end job at a department store, married the owner Hugh Robinson, and raised their daughter Esme.

Now, twenty years later, aspiring chef Esme is hired to work for famous restaurant The Green Room. The restaurant is owned by Nancy and she and Alys become friends. Then she introduces Alys to her husband Tom who is…Sam. And now, Alys’ carefully organized world turns upside down.

There’s a very fine line between secrets and lies” reads the first sentence in The Wife’s Choice. Alys, Hugh, Nancy and Sam are all hiding secrets and it is not until the very end of this book that all are revealed and Alys has made some interesting choices. Reading The Wife's Choice is a guilty pleasure. It’s full of love, drama, jealousy and ambition with yummy descriptions of food thrown in. I loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Emma Davies for this ARC.

This was one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. Long lost loves, coming back today, and bringing happiness to someone in today's hectic times, left me with such a heartwarming feeling that I will remember for a long time. Highly recommended.
TB

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Then: Twenty years ago, Alys' husband, Sam, was in a horrible car accident that left him fighting for his life. His recovery was slow. Just when Amy's began to hope that he was getting better, Sam sent her away, refusing to see her ever again. Alts could never understand his reasons for this.

Now: Alys is now married aga8n and she lives in a new town with her new family. She's just lost her job and her daughter is flying the nest. Her husband doesn't see the downward spiral she is in. But a chance encounter changes everything. Alys has to decide whether to reveal the lie she's been telling everyone for years.

The choices we make in life sometimes come back and haunt us. Alys husband is a control freak. They have a daughter, Esme. But Alys has always thought about her first l9ve, Sam. What we read is emotional and thought provoking. There were parts that were predictable but I still enjoyed the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Emma Davies for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You NetGalley & Publisher for this gifted e-ARC!

This was such a good drama filled book. I enjoyed every page of it.
This was a solid, emotionally engaging read.
Alys is a very relatable character, I really liked her character in the book
The twist and turns that unfold was really a great dynamic also.
But I love a good page turner.

Summary---
Tell your most devastating secret, or risk losing your only daughter…

Then: Twenty years ago, Alys’ husband, Sam, was in a terrible car accident that left him fighting for his life. His recovery was slow and painful and, just at the point when Alys began to hope, he sent her away, refusing to see her ever again for reasons she could never understand.

Now: Married again and living in a new town with a new family, Alys feels like she’s sleepwalking through life. She’s just lost her job, her grown-up daughter is flying the nest, and her new husband doesn’t see – or even seem to care about – the downward spiral she is in.

This book was a solid 4

Thank you Emma Davies, the publisher (Bookouture) and NetGalley for an early copy for my honest review.

What a roller coaster of a read....kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. This book was filled with emotion, especially about having an empty nest,

The author was great at holding me intrigued, entertained, and could complete relate to the main characters in the book.

I truly recommend this book to my friends and family, and now I have another new author to watch for.

An emotional roller-coaster family drama. Alys' daughter, Esme, starts her new job at The Green where she met Nancy, her boss and Theo. Never that they know that this will start and open Esme's parent's past life. I can sort of predict where the story will go, but with all the strong developed characters, I can't stop myself to give this story a solid 5 stars. It's such a beautiful ending as well, and it reminds us to never keep someone you love in a box, let them live their life and be extraordinary.

What do you do when you marry the love of your life and after an accident he sends you away? Never expecting to be without him, she finds away to move on and marry Hugh. Esme her beautiful daughter is just finishing college and interviewing for her dream job. As Esme’s life is getting started Alys life is blowing up. After 25 years in Retail she finds herself laid off from her job by her husband Hugh.

Nancy is Esmes boss at the restaurant. She works closely with Theo Nancy’s son. Everything is going well until she meets Theo’s dad, Sam. Imagine my surprise when face to face with Sam, I know he was once my ex husband Tom. He changed his name after the accident. Alys now understands why she never found him.

What will happen to Esmes job and career opportunity.? Will Alys get the answers to her questions? What will happen secrets are discovered?

What do you do when the love of your life returns to your life? Can her marriage survive?

I really enjoyed this story. Loved the twists and turns.
Thank you Netgalley for my complimentary copy. The thoughts and opinions are my own

Although I enjoyed this book - I HATED HUGH! He was a controlling jerkface and I didn't like him from the get go lol Sometimes the choices that we make (or are forced to make) come back to haunt us years later - especially for Alys. It took a bit for me to get into this novel, but ended up loving it - including the ending <3 Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife’s choice was a good read. The characters were well rounded and I felt invested in their stories from the start. At heart a romantic love story other themes are weaved in with this narrative making it an enjoyable book.

"... what defines us? Is it the lies we tell ...or the secrets we keep? "

"Maybe the question should be : which is worse?"

These quotes from the prologue had me hooked.

Its not just a book about secrets or lies, it is what we do with them.

The Wife's Choice is also about realizing the choices you make, always have consequences , its about realizing who you really are .

There was a lot of strong women in this book and I hope to be that wise one day.

It is the story of Alys , her daughter and husband. One secret will change their lives.

The Wife' Choice leaves you in a I can do this too , feel good mood.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

A slow burner, but it does pay off. I prefer a book with a bit more pace, but still the premise and characters intrigued me.

This was a great family drama novel. It was well written and had great subplots. I found it to be a bit predictable, but I did enjoy it quite alot.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

Alys has just lost her job, her daughter, Esme is starting a new job in a fancy restaurant and her husband, Hugh has seemingly forgotten she exists as a person in her own right. 

But a series of unconnected events result in an encounter with someone from Alys past - her first husband. 

The man who had a horrific car accident and as part of his recovery when it looked like there was some hope, he told Alys to go - to start her life again.

Now her past is very much hurtling towards her present and it seems that the future of her life as well as her daughter's is at stake. 

Is it time to tell the truth? Is it time to break free from the lie and start a new life again?

The characters in this book got under my skin straight away. The seemingly passive actions of Alys made we want to scream, as in equal measure Hugh's treatment and actions were controlling that you wondered where this book could possibly go and was Hugh going to get some sort of comeuppance and Alys a deserved justice.

But life is rarely that black and white, and Emma Davies give us a book full of family tensions and drama. It moves along at a good pace and kept me hooked and wanting to finish to see if perhaps there was a resolution that suited everyone. 

Of course there are no winners and losers in such games when it involves peoples feelings and emotions, but the conclusion left a legacy - that there is always time to pursue what ever you want to do and that you should never be kept in the shadow of anyone. You have a choice and it is not always the wife's choice - everyone in this book had a choice.

Emma Davies' writing is addictive and all her novels are strong reads. They all have depth and emotion and this latest one is no exception.

From the blurb I presumed Alys, the wife, was keeping a secret from everyone and of her own volition however the uncomfortable reality is that much of her life and choices have been controlled by her husband Hugh. Although this isn’t an overly upbeat story I really enjoyed the dawning realisations in Alys’s thoughts about the realities of her relationship and there is a positivity to it.

Emma Davies writes books that make you want to curl up on the sofa with a cuppa and read. This one is about discovery, relationships, love and family.
Alys is married to Hugh but their marriage is in a rut. Then suddenly she finds herself made redundant. Hard when your husband is the manager of the business and made the decision. Plus her daughter is ready to fly the nest when she gets her dream job.
However, Esme getting the job means that Alys first husband comes back on the scene. They were married until a devastating accident ruined his life and forced him to push Alys away and divorce her.
What secrets lie beneath the surface and what will happen when they bubble up.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.

LOVE THIS BOOK! Poor Alys is at a crossroad in her life. Tired of not being who she really is, not following her own dreams, letting her arsehole husband run her life. Can’t even choose how to wear her hair or what clothes she wears! How do we let men take total control over us? She slowly comes to her senses thank god and I know a lot of readers will learn from this. I love how close she is to her daughter, something I can relate to. All the characters (except the hubby) are great and I love the relationships/friendships that evolve. Didn’t take me long to devour this one!

Family Secrets and What If's... Great Read 🤓

Alys currently married to Hugh, with their daughter Esme, living a normal family life. Things are changing, Esme starts her dream job, and Alys has just been made redundant. Since losing her job, different truths start surfacing that have previously been swept under the carpet.

20 years earlier, Alys was married to Sam, a very different life until Sam was involved in a bad accident, after which he left Alys to move on with her life without him. Alys has never seen Sam since he left, until one day by chance, there he is... bringing insecurities, memories and what if's to the surface.

Another great read from Emma Davies. Family dramas, secrets and Reminiscing on how life could of been, and the path taken.

I really enjoyed this wonderful book, I totally empathised with Alys, Im a similar age and recently have started to wonder who I really am, children grown and one already left home, I have been feeling rather adrift and unanchored.
Alys's story of self discovery is beautifully written, I found myself thinking 'that's just how I feel' and the point where she inwardly groans when her husband is having a 'lets get things done - right now' moment made me smile, mine does that!
Strong female characters such as the wonderful Nancy and Tash, who empower and embrace other women make me happy!
I really enjoyed reading this, wonderfully warm writing style, I will seek out more books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review.