Really loved this book this author is becoming a favourite of mine. Plenty twists, well thought out & fabulous ending. I would recommend to anyone.

When Zoe fainted on her wedding day, she assumed it was because she was pregnant at the time but something about that day has always felt off. It was supposed to be the happiest day but it's surrounded by a cloud of haze and doubt. Now, ten years later, she's about to find out the truth.

The plot of this book was interesting enough but the execution fell flat. The characters were okay but I didn't connect with any of them. I saw most of the twists and turns coming, which in a thriller isn't what I'm looking for. The middle of the book dragged out and we spent way too much time having the main character whine about why her sister-in-law was ignoring her and why her old best friend is now a jerk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

Zoe fainted on her wedding day, and she never knew why. She’s always felt sure something bad happened. Ten years later, she’s going to find out what. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband. Then, there was a blank. They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterwards. Did something happen in that missing time? Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married. But as the anniversary gets closer, it becomes clear not everyone is looking forward to celebrating. Zoe catches Toby lying about where he’s been. One of her best friends seems to be ignoring her. And someone is spreading stories that might stop the party from happening at all. Zoe is increasingly sure that she doesn’t have the full story. But does she want to know the truth, if it will destroy everything?

This is a good read but not a great one and why I could not rate it higher. Boland starts with Zoe's wedding day and the strange events that happen, fast forward ten years and Zoe is still unsure what happened and now strange events are occurring once more. As I have said this is a very engaging read, Zoe is very likeable and I was on her side as she tried to discover the truth. At the heart of this is a good old-fashioned mystery that always makes for good reading. However, the twists are obvious and the whole read was missing something extra that would have boosted the rating and made this more exciting.

Boland flits between past and present throughout, I much preferred the present day chapters however as the read progresses, the past chapters become more important. I do think it might have worked better just having the past chapters towards the end of the read when they serve a purpose. The pace really ramps up towards the end of the read but so do the obvious twists. Nothing that was revealed shocked me and this was a real shame.

'The Wife' is good but not great and suffers from a lack of thrills and excitement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

Starting a Shalini Boland book is a bit like opening a favourite tin of biscuits. You pretty much know what to expect — twists and turns, dark secrets, red herrings galore — but by the time you've scoffed the lot, you feel pretty satisfied.
Luckily, the author's books are calorie-free but a great way to pass the time. What I like the most about her writing style is its simplicity, which is not a criticism. She knows how to tell a tale without resorting to flowery phrases or complex language.
I won't go on about the plot. It's sufficient to say that something went wrong on Zoe's wedding day, something that starts to unravel ten years' later on her wedding anniversary. Yes, there were moments when I thought, 'Really?' and 'Hmm, not sure about that' but that didn't stop me from racing to the end. Another scratching the head moment, but still thoroughly entertaining. My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I wanted it badly enough that the dozen or so times I considered not finishing it I talked myself into giving it just one more try. While this did leave me with the satisfaction of finishing I never found enjoyment. The premise seemed promising - Zoe faints on her wedding day and doesn’t remember much of what was happening before. 10 years later for their anniversary they plan a party at the same hotel. Strange things start to happen that don’t seem particularly believable. Dialogue feels forced, and Zoe, the narrator, was a weak character that wasn’t enjoyable to read about. The twists were wildly predictable and the story was hard to get into, despite this being a rather short book. I did like the idea of lost memories and discovering what really happened, but unfortunately it did not deliver for me.

I enjoyed this story. It is told in the past/present tense. I didn't mind this as it kept it clear which part of the story we were in.

The mystery was interesting and the twists were very well done. I didn't see much of them coming and it is refreshing to be surprised in a thriller these days. The characters were interesting and I really wanted to know what had happened to Zoe and why she fainted on her wedding day. The story held my interest and I really wanted to know what was going on.

I would recommend this book if you like a good solid thriller.

Zoe fainted on her wedding day and she isn't sure why but she's ok to marry Toby and the ceremony goes ahead
10 years later they are planning a party for their anniversary .
Strange things start happening like her sister-in-law who she's close to is avoiding her and so are the mum's at school.
While this is going on she thinks she spots her sister twice but could she be back she disappeared years ago
This book is told in the present and also the past.
The are definitely some twists in This book.
Loved this book another five stars
Thanks NetGalley

Zoe fainted on her wedding day and doesn't remember what happened. 10 years later she wants to know why. She is still looking for her missing sister and that has led her on a goose hunt. But she starts seeing her in town but she is always missing her when she looks for her and the police are no help.
Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married.
All of sudden her sister in law is being cold to her and not returning phone calls. They had always been close. Other mom's at the children's school also seem to be giving her the cold shoulder and she can't figure out why.
Once everything starts coming together you are in for a surprise.
I always enjoy psychological thrillers and this was what I expected to get from it.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.
Shalini Boland has done it again. Zoe and Toby are married with two children. Seemingly the perfect life. But Zoe has wondered what happened ten years ago when she fainted before her wedding. Now at the cusp of their ten year anniversary she is trying to figure out what she is missing in her memory. Past and present combined throughout the book.

Zoe fainted on her wedding day. She bumped her head but managed to continue to marry Toby- the man of her dreams. She couldn't remember what had happened but, as life has a habit of doing, sent it to the back of her mind. Having lost her mother at a young age, been alienated from her sister & struggling with her father's difficulty in showing affection Toby's family are all she could wish for. Ten years on & while preparing for a big anniversary party things start to unravel. Why does she keep seeing the sister she hasn't seen for so long. Why has her sister-in -law suddenly started distancing herself from Zoe & her family?

I am quite a fan of Shanali Boland, having read a number of her books. However I found this one a bit of a disappointment. It took a long while to really get involved. Fortunately the last third had me gripped, so it moved this from three stars to four. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I couldn't get enough! Addictive and intense which is the secret to any good psychological thriller. The characters were detailed, they were definitely flawed and who could believe anything they said!?

My first book from Boland but it won't be my last.

Apologies. I forgot to leave feedback after I’d finished and hence probably can’t write a decent review. However, I know I really enjoyed it as I do all books by this author.

The Wife was a very easy read with a clever enough plot to keep you interested throughout the story. It did start off a little bit on the slow side and took awhile to ramp up, but it was never dull or boring.

Zoe, our protagonist, was not my favorite. She was so whiny and incapable of standing up for herself. She acted like a human doormat and I really wanted her to be a stronger character.

The writing itself was not my favorite style. It wasn't bad by any means - I know Shalini Boland, the author, is talented - but it was told in a long, repetitive monologue from the perspective of Zoe, and was 0% show and 100% tell. I wanted to see more action. I did, however, like the present day/flashback style.

The ending was a bit farfetched and unrealistic, but that's sort of par for the course with this genre. My bigger gripe is that I figured out the bulk of the mystery about halfway through, and feel like some more red herrings would have helped keep the suspense/intrigue going.

Overall, if you are a fan of suspense/thrillers/mysteries, you'll enjoy this book. It won't be the best one you've ever read, but it will be a quick, fun read that keeps you entertained through the last page.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this title via NetGalley. A solid 3 stars from me!

The story starts slowly but builds up increasingly as you read, so you feel just as confused and in the dark as Zoe herself. Then WOW! Things get going and it is a rollercoaster ride right to the end.
Another brilliant read by this author that I highly recommend.

I received an eArc of The Wife by Shalini Boland from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank You!
4 stars! I enjoyed this book! A wonderfully written thriller that kept me engrossed from start to finish.

As Rightly described, the book is really unputdownable.

The book revolves around Zoe. On her wedding day, Zoe hit her head, fainted and lost her her memory of that particular timeframe. Everyone said that she fainted because of emotions but deep down she knew it was something different…. something unusual. Now after 10 years, Zoe has a lovely family – a loving husband, two adorable kids, loving in-laws and her father. But how well do you know the people you surround yourself with? Is there a hidden agenda behind their ever-loving and friendly nature?

The characters in the book are skillfully drawn and they felt realistic. I personally felt there could have been more to the story of Dina (Zoe’s sister) and that her story was left open and unexplored without a proper ending.

One special aspect of the book is that this novel is split between the PAST and PRESENT. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed but it was quite surprising and shocking as well! Apart from that, I loved the storyline, it’s startling plots and revelations which I had not even imagined!! The story was unpredictable for me…And that’s what I loved about the book.

This is the first book that I have read of the author. And I am now super excited to read her previous books as this book has impressed me a lot!

The Wife is a very riveting and powerful and page-turner story filled with suspense, love, mystery, lies, crime. I loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to all the book-lovers who love to read page-turner thrillers/suspense stories. This book definitely won’t disappoint.

A fast thriller, completely embedded in suspense

I could barely hang on to the pages as author Shalini Boland brought wicked twists and turns to the story. It was obvious that it took immense talent as the author used events from daily life and cast suspicion on the most inane of things.

Zoé had fainted in her wedding day. Luckily, with the help of her in-laws, the day progressed smoothly. Now a party to celebrate 10 years of marriage with Toby was on the cards. Preparations had started well before. But people started behaving oddly with Zoé, her estranged sister was also sighted. Toby seemed to be hiding something. Was it a surprise or a shock waiting for her? Zoé needed to get to the truth ASAP.

Having read many books by the author, I knew it would be a wild ride. I liked the red herrings placed in the story. Zoé too waffled about quite a bit. I didn’t know if I had a genuine narrator or an unreliable one. I was envious of the massive support she had in her family. Until it stopped. Diversions were at its best when the author included various subplots. What was I to believe?

To get one up on the story, my mind started plotting various theories about what could have happened and what was going to happen. The author zipped, zapped, and zoomed faster than I could think. I think my jaw fell open when I was faced with the truth. I couldn’t believe it. It was far beyond all the amateur theories I had. Aww shucks. I needed to do better.

The thrill I felt was amazing; I felt alive. The book was read at one go. How could I have stopped before knowing the truth? A couple of niggles did hit me. A friendly subplot could have been linked better. The doc in me warred with the reader in me.

Nonetheless, I loved the adrenaline rush this book gave me. A great diversion from chores. Well recommended for thriller and mystery lovers. My breakfast quickie!!

The Wife is the incredible story of Zoe, who fainted on what’s supposed to be the best day of her life, her wedding. She has no idea how or why it happened but it definitely takes the shine off her day.
Life carries on and they begin their family.
The story veers between the present, when they are planning their 10th wedding anniversary party and the past.
There are more secrets and twists to come, and for some, life will never be the same again.
They say it’s always the wife that’s the last to know, and in this case it’s certainly true!
Excellent book!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is a new to me author that I was unsure about and while I enjoyed the story for the most part the main character, Zoe, drove me nuts. She was just so simple. Nice enough and all but so naive that I could picture her as a doormat.

There is a lot of suspense like why she fainted on her wedding day 10 years ago and why has her husband's family started ignoring her and what he is up to.

This is a very fast read. There are a number of great parts about it and some not so great parts about it. I just never connected to Zoe and her naivete.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I zipped through this thriller and whilst I didn't really engage with any of the characters, it was well plotted and pacy - a good read for a rainy afternoon