In the tradition of du Maurier’s Rebecca, the widow at the heart of The Wife’s House remains unnamed. She’s Mrs. Trujillo, a property of her husband. After losing him, she’s nothing. She owns a big, awesome house by the beach but she’s slowly killing herself with champagne (there are worse ways to go, I guess). She’s needy, paranoid and so morose that I honestly didn’t expect to care much about her. And yet, the author’s writing is so accomplished, that I couldn’t help getting sucked in. When she meets triplets who get too close to her, I kept yelling at her. When she keeps making bad decision after bad decision, I kept wanting to throw my kindle at the wall. The slow spiral into madness is like watching a train wreck, you know it won’t end well but you can’t look away. The twists were mostly unexpected and I kept suspecting the wrong people all the time. Don’t let the blue skies of California and the spectacular glass house fool you, this is a Gothic novel. A good one. Thank you, NetGalley/ Bookouture!

I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn’t. The premise of it was good but I couldn’t get into it. It seemed all over the place and a little too unrealistic. I didn’t find the widow likeable and her behavior at times made me laugh as did her thought process. The end of the book did hold my interest a little more than the rest of the book though.

It's rare that a thriller grips me from the first few pages, but this one did — and it admirably didn't loosen its hold until the end. I don't want to reveal too much, but the atmospheric setting, plentiful WTF moments, and numerous plot twists all made this one of my favorite recent reads. If you constantly chase good thrillers like I do, you'll want to pick this one up ASAP.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okie, I don't think synopsis told much about the story, there is more. Our un-named protagonist is living alone in her beautiful cliffside house. After the death of her husband, she feels alone and torn. (She doesn't even have a name after his husband's death, so yes she doesn't have any other identity -_- except a wife and widow). She is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. One day she found a drone stalking her and a few creepy messages. Someone must know about her secrets.

Let me say this, 75% of this book was so depressing and sad. I was continuously shouting on characters for being so dumb, I was so angry about making wrong choices and deliberately closing eyes. I was disgusted with characters being so cruel and unfair. The author smartly tricked the readers at many places, when I was expecting twists from the east they were coming the west. The last 25% of the story was a roller coaster ride, so many things were happening and so quickly. I'd be happier if this book was 230-250 pages. If characters weren't much blindfolded in 50% of the book. 

My favourite thing was the ending, everyone served right. All the ends were tied, everything made sense, which made me really feel better.

An interesting book though.

Definitely a "gripping psychological thriller" from beginning to end! Told by the main character, a recently widowed British woman, the story begins about six months after her dashing and wealthy husband, Juan, disappears, apparently killed in a horrendous car crash. She continues to reside in Cliffside, the glass and stone-sided house perched on the side of the cliffs at Big Sur. Juan had purchased it when they were married--she has never been more at home than in this place. It is a magical and majestic home, with sweeping views of the crashing Pacific. Though she is now alone, she is not lonely in her spectacular home. Mrs. Reed comes three days a week to clean. With her law training, she works part-time for Mr. Donner. Even when strange events involving drones and mysterious messages begin to arrive, she is not persuaded by her friend Pippa, or her mother in England, to move away to a less isolated place. Until one day, she happens to meet a set of young adult triplets, on a walk around her property. Dan, Kate, and Jen are friendly, helpful and all too willing to assist her with cooking and grocery shopping when she twists her ankle during their walk. As her relationship with the young people deepens, she becomes consumed by the tragedies of their lives, and reaches out to help them. The rest of the story becomes a roller coaster ride full of multiple betrayals and surprises amid literal earthquakes and mudslides.

This satisfying read is a must-have for public libraries--a definite 5-star rating!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read a pre-pub copy of this title.

#thewife'shouse#netgalley

I was fortunate to have Netgalley give me a copy of the book. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot line. Also, enjoyed the pace of the book because it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Though, one problem I had with the book is because of the ending.

This book was remarkable read! It had me hooked from the very first page!

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for this amazing ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my free digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Anchored on the side of a Big Sur cliff, clings “Cliffside” the dream home, of all dream homes. The floor to ceiling windows offer an unobstructed view out into the abyss of the sea and distant beach, and coincidently, offers a perfect view IN for any lurkers in the woods. Loneliness seeps in for widower Mrs. Trujillo after her husband suddenly dies, leaving her alone with her thoughts of what’s out there in the woods. Is she going crazy? Many would call this place paradise, but the widow can’t escape the feeling of being watched. She returns home from shopping to find odd scents in the house and anonymous notes in her inbox. Then one day a mysterious drone is spotted hovering over her property. It’s no surprise that it comes as a relief when Mrs. Trujillo stumbles onto some friendly faces; the triplets: Dan, Jen, and Kate who are only too happy to keep her company.

Laced with an underbelly of chilly foreshadowing, deceit, and coincidences, The Wife’s House delivers on suspenseful storytelling of one woman’s fight to keep her good spirits, sanity, and possibly, even her life.

I was most excited to read this book because of its setting. I grew up in the Big Sur area, and know the high stakes turns of Highway 1 and its sudden drops, very well. The beauty of the winding coastline, the redwood forests and neighboring cottages of Carmel-By-the-Sea are unmatched in beauty and author Arianne Richmonde got these details perfectly. Weather in Big Sur is also “so much bigger” (more dangerous) then in other locals so I was happy to see that play a large role in this story. The pacing was also great, and with every side glance or manipulation I was turning pages long into the night, to find out more.

So a few things I didn’t like. I found it very hard to concentrate on the story for the first 50 pages because I kept waiting for the main character’s name to be revealed. After a while I gave up and accepted that she was “the wife” but this delayed my sense of grounding with the main character. I also wasn’t a fan of the explosive ending or the final reveal on the beach -that led to a life changing choice. (I’m being super cryptic to avoid spoilers.) I was also hoping for something different for Jen, but that’s just my preference.

All in all it was a fun, psychologically thrilling read. I recommend this to anyone who has visited Highway 1 and knows of its impressive cliffs and most importantly of the creeping fog that always seems to loom just around the bend.
----------
I'll be sharing identical reviews on my Instagram Account: @EdibleReads, Goodreads account, and FB. Good luck and thank you again for the digital copy!

I was fortunate to get a Net Galley copy of this book. It is a great summer read, a book that is very hard to put down.

From the beginning I was drawn in to the tension of the story. There are many clues and teases and I spent the majority of the book not knowing who or what to believe

The characters are well written and the story line moves at a good pace. The ending was a bit too tidy for me to give it 5 stars but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The start of the story was interesting but then it just got so muddled and the villains' were easy to spot and the ending was just ridiculous.

The Wife's House by Arianne Richmonde is the first novel that I have read from this author. I was drawn to the story by the books cover and synopsis. The location of the Cliffhouse and the descriptions had me right in the middle of the action. I loved that this was set in California, and I knew some of the areas described. Plus, I love it when a dog is included in the story and is one of the characters!

A couple of times, I found myself sighing with frustration about the character's actions or inactions. There were definitely twists and turns in the book and some "oh, wow" moments that I did not see coming. The middle was a bit laborious to get through, and I didn't like the ending too much.

The Wife's House was a creepy read, and there were some heart-pounding moments in the story. Overall, I liked the story, the way the author told the story, and the plot. I would read more from this author.

#TheWifesHouse #NetGalley

This was an interesting premise and an overall creepy read. I didn't feel like the story exactly matched what the synopsis said, but was a fast paced read that went off in another direction. It centers on an unnamed widow whose husband dies in a traffic accident just weeks after moving into their dream home. She is trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life when she stumbles upon a group of triplets who ironically used to live in the house, and the 4 of them form a bond.

There were a couple things that bothered me about the book. Firstly, the fact that the protagonist is never named drove me crazy- I felt less connected to her without ever knowing her name. This was definitely unique but I didn't enjoy that piece. Secondly, the widow is so extremely gullible that I found it hard to believe that she had finished law school and managed grown-up decisions thus far in her life. She believed whatever she was told without question, and didn't look anything up on the internet until 40% through the book.

There were a couple twists in this book- I figured out one very early but there was another one that totally caught me off guard. Even if you think you know what is going on, there will be surprises. The other thing I liked is the overall sense of foreboding the author was able to create even when things seem to be going well. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The end was a bit unrealistic and certainly changed the pace of the book from suspenseful to pure action, but it brought about surprises and overall, I think it worked. The widow also became stronger and smarter during this time and I liked her better.

Overall, a pretty good book- you get a few different types of stories all sewn up together. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this excellent thriller very much. The storyline was exciting and kept me entertained all the way. Highly recommended!

AI really enjoyed this book. I was constantly trying to figure out where the twists and turns were going to be, and I was wrong on lost of them! This book has a good pace that didn’t feel too long or drag in parts. The only thing I didn’t love was the main character’s nativity about the whole thing, but I understand that’s what was needed to drive the story.

The Wife's House by Arianne Richmonde is the first novel that I have read from this author, but it will certainly not be the last. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller that will have you fully invested from the very first page, and keep you guessing until the very last, then look no further.

When her husband is killed in a traffic accident, a widow is left with only their shared dream home, the mysterious and imposing Cliffside, aptly named as it perches perilously on top of a cliff in Big Sur. Grieving and alone, the widow meets three young people while walking along the cliffs near her home. Dan, Kate and Jen are triplets who are also struggling, and the four quickly form a bond of sorts, leading to the siblings being welcomed into the ominous Cliffside. A vulnerable widow who has secrets of her own, and a trio of strangers who share a suspect agenda quickly make for a deliciously volatile mix.

This story had me totally enthralled from the very first page. I appreciated that the author was able to craft Cliffside as an almost foreboding presence that seemed to be a character in and of itself, quite aptly given the novel's title. This was an altogether addictive read that I would highly recommend. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A good read overall, a bit of a slow starter for me personally but a well written interesting book that kept me involved in the story line with good characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

What does she love more- her marriage of her husband? She fell in love with the ultra modern glass and steel house in California known as Cliffside when her husband brought her home. Now he’s dead and while that may be sad, she’s not leaving the house that she loves, even when strange things begin to happen, and she hears whispers in the house, finds things rearranged, she’s not leaving. Not alive anyway

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I immediately got sucked into this book, I enjoyed the cast of characters and the plot line, so many twists and turns, some I didn’t even see coming! Can’t wait to read the next one.

Juan bought a beautiful cliffside house for his wife. Shortly after, he dies in a car crash. Now his lonely widow is trying to cope. Along come a set of friendly triplets who she befriends. As time passes warning signs appear but are ignored. Are the triplets what they seem or do they have an agenda. This book had so many twists and turns, some I saw coming but others caught me totally off guard. It was hard to tell who were the good guys, if there were any. I had suspected part of the twist at the end but another aspect caught me totally off guard. This is the 2nd book by this author I have read and I will definitely read her again. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

When Juan showed his wife Cliffside—a sleek and modern glass home perched on the edge of the jagged Big Sur clifftops , she fell in love with the house immediately and made a pact with herself to never leave that house.

But when Juan gets killed in an accident on the perilous roads leading up to the house, weeks after they moved in, his wife has to make a decision- leave the house and start a new life or stay and shut herself from the rest of the world.

She finds herself alone and lost. When she spots a drone near her house, she feels that some one is watching her. Someone who knows her past and the secrets that she has wanted to be buried.

As she decides what to do to ensure her protection, she meets the teenage triplets- Dan, Kate and Jen, who are homeless and dealing with a sick mother. She enjoys their company and feeling sorry for their situation invites them to stay with her. But soon she feels she is losing control over herself and finds that the triplets might not have been honest with her. Did she just invite more danger to her lonely life?

I was immediately attracted to this book because of it's cover and design. It was such a creepy read and at times I got goosebumps.

It was well written and fast paced and I just couldn't wait to reach the end. The twists were so amazing and the end was an additional highlight.

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!