Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the latest book – The Wife by the fabulous Shalini Boland.

I jumped at the chance to join the #blogtour because Shalini Boland is one of my all time favourite authors. Thank you for the invite – Sarah!

Boland’s books never fail to entertain. NEVER. She writes characters I can relate to, characters I want to scream at and characters that I could be friends with – in other words I always get invested in her books.

I knew I was going to enjoy The Wife before I even started the first page – I had HIGH EXPECTATIONS and I wasn’t disappointed. I was drawn in from page one – I love a wedding but Zoe’s started off with a rather sinister undertone… It had a great beginning.

It also has a great middle but I haven’t quite finished the ending of the book, I haven’t had a very good few reading weeks – my head hasn’t had the space. But what I have read has been well written, well-paced and full of twists and turns and characters that make me want to read on.

I have come to expect no less than a well plotted rollercoaster of a story from Shalini Boland.

And I loved the dual time line and the short chapters that made me desperate to find out what was happening. I think The Wife might turn out to be my new favourite of hers. I doubt that the ending will be anything less than brilliant – although I do have an inclination as to what might happen.

Have you read any of Shalini Boland’s books? If not The Wife would be a great starting point.

I received a copy of the book for review from the publisher, which was all arranged by the blog tour organiser – Thank you!

Ten years ago, Zoe married the love of her life, Toby. It almost didn't happen. Zoe fainted right before the ceremony, hitting her head and knocking her for a loop. She kept saying she was okay when she came to .. but she lied. She was dizzy and she felt out of place. That's all a blank for her ... she remembers nothing of the fall.

She and Toby are planning a 10-year-anniversary party, inviting all their friends and family. But something is amiss.

All of a sudden, her sister in law and close female friends are avoiding her. And then she catches her husband lying about where he's been. Someone is spreading stories to stop the party from happening. She knows it has something to do with what happened at her wedding....

Did something happen in that missing time?

This page-turner begs the question ... how well do you know the people you surround yourself with? It's a steady fast pace with twists and turns and maybe a red herring or two. The characters are skillfully drawn, and not everyone is who you think they are. The ending came at a gallop, and was quite surprising.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Fabulous roller coaster of a read. Lies deceit and passion and a good mystery human thriller! I really enjoy this author I like contemporary fiction that I can relate to and characters that are believable.

A clever psychological thriller that carefully builds up the suspense. Zoe doesn't remember what happened on her wedding ay ten years ago and now as she plans their anniversary she keeps getting glimpses of that day which she can make no sense of. With an old school enemy back on the scene, fleeting glimpses of her estranged sister, and a sister-in-law who starts shunning her for no reason, Zoe is starting to get worried that something terrible must have happened. I half guessed the ending and then just as I was congratulating myself there was a brilliant twist that changed everything.

Compulsive and fast-paced. Addictive and twisted. This is one of Shalini Bolan’s best! The book starts off with Zoe fainting before her wedding ceremony. The story then jumps forward 10 years Zoe and Toby are happily married with two children planning their 10 year anniversary party. Zoe appears to have a perfect life, but there is still something that nags her about what happened all those years ago. The book bounces between past and present. as the story progresses and the layers are peeled away you learn that Zoe’s life is not as perfect as it seems. Her sister-in-law Madeline is giving her the cold shoulder, her husband Toby is not being completely truthful with her, she keeps thinking she’s glimpsing her long lost sister, and things start to spiral out of control.

This book was packed with secrets, lies, and misdirection. Zoe was a likable character although a bit naïve. There were multiple times in the story I was frustrated with her, I just wanted her to ask the damn questions that needed to be asked! This was a definite addictive page turner. I was completely invested in the story and needing Zoe to find out the truth. The ending was twisted, surprising, and plausible. Another well done thriller from this stellar author.

This book in emojis 👰🏼 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 💇🏻‍♀️ ⛵️ 🏨

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

3.5 stars! I have really enjoyed Shalini Boland’s books in the past and this one didn’t disappoint! Her books are always extremely fast-paced and filled with twists and turns. The Wife had me hooked from the very first chapter and I couldn’t wait to finish to find out what was going to happen. There were some minor plot twists that I saw coming and also a few things that weren’t fully explained but other than that this book was amazing!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Shalini Boland has done it again! Her books always have me on the edge of my seat, desperately seeking answers to the questions posed by her gripping storyline. The Wife starts off with a wedding-how lovely I hear you say! But there’s something a little off about what should be the happiest day of Zoe and Tobys life. Zoe has fainted and when she comes to, she feels very strange but thankfully the wedding goes ahead with no further incidents. Ten years and 2 children later, a party has been planned to celebrate their wedding anniversary at the same posh hotel but everything seems to be going wrong and the secrets of the past may just be about to resurface…

This is one of those books that will drive you completely mad as you try to work out what happened on that fateful day. Zoe was a rather “needy” character and I didn’t gel with her to begin with. Was it because I felt she was an unreliable narrator or because she seemed very naive? I know that I would have been asking fat more questions than she was and demanding those answers!!! It certainly made me suspect every single possibility as to why everyone seemed to be avoiding her and the wedding day incident and I was very nearly completely right but not quite! But it was so much fun getting to those shocking twists that I forgave all those red herrings and just settled in for a gripping plotline and untrustworthy characters who all seemed to have their own agendas…

This is a great psychological thriller, full of gasp-inducing twists and wonderfully wicked and deliciously gossipy developments that keep you turning those pages. I devoured it in a matter of hours. Fabulous!

On the day of her wedding, Zoe fainted. She doesn’t remember any of the circumstances, but she does remember that the rest of the day was fuzzy. Even throughout her two-week honeymoon she felt like she was moving through a fog. Now, ten years later, Zoe and her husband, Toby, are planning an anniversary party. They have much to celebrate. They have two beautiful children and their love is still strong and solid. But, why does Zoe feel apprehensive? She still can’t remember what happened ten years ago and as the party approaches she feels like she has to remember.

The Wife is another suspenseful and fast-paced book by Shalini Boland. The story is told in two timelines – then and now – which are easy to keep track of. There are enough unanswered questions to keep the reader’s interest and, needless to say, the twists are unexpected.

I have enjoyed many of Shalini Boland’s books, although The Wife isn’t one of my favorites. But it is a clever story that held my interest, even though some of the characters’ behaviors didn’t ring quite true for me. The epilogue seemed somewhat unusual as well and it almost sounded like a segue into another novel. Now that would be interesting.

Many thanks to NegGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

After ten years of marriage Zoe is in a good place: a loving husband, two lovely kids, a job she enjoys and a great relationship with her in-laws. To celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary she’s organising a party for family, friends and neighbours. But as the date approaches strange things begin to happen. Things which take her back to her wedding day when she fainted just before the service.
Poor Zoe really has some tough experiences as the story progresses. Frozen out by her normally friendly sister in law, avoided by other mums at the school gate are only two examples. And then someone from her past returns and stirs up trouble in the salon where she works. But these things are only the tip of the iceberg as on the day of the party she’s confronted with shocking news.
I was glued to this book. Couldn’t put it down. The characters were woven so well into the story that when the end came I really had to say ‘Well I didn’t see that coming.’ And am I mistaken, or did the Epilogue leave things open for a sequel? I’m hoping it did. Great read and worthy of every one of the five stars I have given it.

One of my best reads of 2020.. gripped from the first page and unable to put it down until the last page! Full of twists and turns with an ending you won't see coming!

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Told from Zoe's perspective in three timelines of then, now and eighteen years ago, this book had me constantly guessing, while slowly revealing plenty of twists and turns that had me shocked at every turn!
I absolutely love an unreliable narrator, and add in a few vague, questionable characters, and I honestly had no clue what was gonna happen next; and that reveal?!?! SHOCKING!
With realistic characters, slow-paced but intriguing plot, suspense throughout and a very unpredictable ending; Shalini Boland has delivered, yet another, excellent page-turner!

First, I want to thank Shalini Boland, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this book.

WOWZERS!! The incredibly gifted psychological thriller author Shalini Boland yet again wrote a must read in The Wife! She keeps outdoing herself and upping her game with her incredibly twisted storylines. If you have not read her novels yet you have no idea what you are missing out on.

The Wife was one of those storylines that are incredibly fast paced! With the very unique cast of characters and the outside the box read this was one of her best ones. Shalini has a true gift for throwing you eye-opening curveballs in her books. However, in The Wife I was totally shell-shocked by an unexpected turn of events.

The mystery surrounding Dina was one storyline that really interested me.

In this book it goes from modern day to the past to tell the whole story. However, Shalini saved the last bombshell for last in the epilogue.

After reading and reviewing for Shalini and Bookouture for a while now I highly recommend anything that she has written! However, The Wife is one of my favorites.

A brilliant book. Lots of drama and intrigue.

Zoe is a great character who deserves my empathy.

A fantastic thriller with twists and turns aplenty.

An ending that shock me to the core.

Highly recommended 5 stars

A woman (Zoe) faints on her wedding day, has amnesia for over 10 years, eventually finds out the secrets being kept from her, and the truth finally comes out.

Mercifully, this was a very quick and short read that I finished in a single sitting over a couple of hours. It was easy to guess where this one was going and I really didn't find it suspenseful or twisty. Unfortunately, I find that I have no tolerance for this type of domestic drama and cared little for the main character so was unable to drum up any empathy for her plight or her angsty behavior.

Looking over the many glowing reviews, I see that I am definitely the odd one out so I'll just leave this here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this e-book ARC to read and review.

♥️ B L O G T O U R ♥️

The cover of this book introduces the main character perfectly – she is a suspicious & insecure wife.

Zoe’s wedding day wasn’t the perfect day she hoped for. She passed out and she struggles to remember what happened. When she discovers the truth, her life begins to unravel in front of her eyes. Can she save herself and her children before it’s too late?

This book is sophisticated yet simple, intricate yet easy to follow. I absolutely loved the two time frames and the way they were dealt with.

Boland builds perfectly believable yet evil or misled female characters, and writes in fabulous detail about the scenes she is trying to create. This made sure I was hooked from the start and I flew through this book as I had to know what happened!

The twists were crazy and so so clever. I really liked how at the beginning it seemed like a simple domestic story and she managed to make it so much darker without losing the realism of it!

A stunning five star read and Shalini Boland may be my new queen of psychological thrillers!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

remember reading early books from this author. I am pleased to say that the plotting, character development, and overall feel of the books have improved over time.

This one starts with a brief flashback from someone’s perspective, but we have no idea which character it belongs to. That’s followed by a scene in the past at Zoe and Toby’s wedding – and then we’re off on an intelligent and twisty plot.

The author effectively moves back and forth between “then” and “now” chapters, which are roughly 10 years apart. Through Zoe’s eyes, we experience strange events in the present time as she plans her 10th wedding anniversary party. These events may (or may not) have something to do with things that happened around her wedding.

I liked how the author tied the two together. It was interesting to try to figure out what past conversations and interactions had bearing on the present day. The author also did a good job of throwing in a few things that seemed to be inocuous, but only later were revealed to be pertinent.

I do think that there could have been a stronger tie with the behavior of the characters in current day. In hindsight, I would have liked a few more “clues” to have been dropped…things that would have either whetted my curiosity or made me think “Oh! So THAT’s what all of that meant.” I think it might have made the big reveal a little more impactful.

There was also one major plot point that wasn’t cleared up for me, and that had to do with Zoe’s memory. Given how the story turned out, I remain unsure as to whether or not others had a direct bearing on that over 10 years or if it was solely a defensive mechanism.

But I really enjoyed the book. I think this author keeps getting better and I look forward to the next one!

The Wife is a fast paced, cleverly written thriller that I finished in a day.
The book bounces from then and now and does so with ease and works well as we find out about Zoe’s life. Zoe when we meet her is planning a ten year anniversary bash as she’s been married to Toby for that long but as it’s such a blissful marriage it only seems like a few years ago. On her wedding day Zoe fainted and hit her head leaving her feeling funny and with a constant headache. As we delve into the book it becomes apparent things aren’t quite what they seem and Zoe is determined to find out the truth.
I always look forward to a book by Shalini Boland and this one didn’t disappoint at all. It was a fairly fast paced thriller that had some good twists and turns along the way together with some red herrings.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife is certainly a novel where everyone seems to have a secret.

We begin with the mystery of Zoe's head injury on her wedding day. Everything spirals from there. When you can't remember a significant part of your wedding day, of course it will haunt you. Even ten years later, as Zoe prepares to celebrate her tenth anniversary, she still has questions.

I enjoyed how Shalini Boland characterises people from the mundane to the outrageous. There are some red herrings thrown in along the way with these characters too.

I worked out the "who" of this novel fairly early but that's no fault of the writing and didn't detract. The "why" was an interesting concept and partly believable although I have questions about how a certain character could have put on a kindly act for ten years and completely fool a person. I would have expected more than just the one slip they made in being a little tetchy.

Overall this is an enjoyable domestic thriller. The writing style is great and I didn't want to stop reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy.

The problem with fate is that it really enjoys messing up the lives of us meer mortals, doesn't it? One minute your life is rolling alone nice and smoothly and the next fate decides to stick out it's size 12 boot and cause you to trip over and fall flat on your face.On the surface our main character Zoe appears to have a perfect life. She has a handsome, loving husband, two adorable children, She is adored by her in laws and her sister in law is one of her closest friends. But despite her seemingly perfect life, our Zoe is a troubled soul, why does she start to feel unsettled everytime she thinks back to her wedding day? Then without any explanations her sister in law suddenly starts ghosting her. Her husband Toby and his mother Celia insist that she is imagining things.Is she just being paranoid, was the stress of organising a party to celebrate her and Toby's ten year anniversary messing with her head? Was it just a coincidence that since her ex best friend Cassie had returned to town Zoe's life had started to crumble to pieces? Zoe was also haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her sister and her feelings of guilt over their last telephone conversation. I felt a lot of empathy for Zoe when she started being ghosted, I have had that done to me by someone who I considered to be my best friend. I could fully understand how upset and confused she felt, it really does hurt your feelings especially when you have no idea what you have done wrong. Zoe was one of life's people pleasers, she didn't like confrontation or upsetting people and I wondered if that could possibly be traced back to her upbringing. She seemed desperate to feel liked and loved by the people around her or is that just something that is inbuilt into everyone's genetics. But there were people in her life who were concealing their true natures behind masks. Will Zoe realise that her life is in danger or are events from her past destined to repeat themselves?

Written in short, snappy chapters that flipped back and forth in time this is a intricately plotted, well written thriller that opens with a shocking prologue and culminates with a chilling twist. The characters were a mixed bag of relatable, realistic individuals and the plot contained all the elements that a reader wants to find in a psychological thriller. I love Shalini Boland's twisty thriller's and The Wife was no exception. A very enjoyable read and very highly recommended.

I am completely and utterly speechless, I’m going to attempt to review this book but I’m pretty sure I won’t do it justice as there are just no words to explain how amazing and gripping this book is, not to mention shocking.

Shalini has such a way with words that she just draws you in right from the beginning, keeps you enthralled throughout and leaves you with bated breath right to the very end. Which is exactly what she did with this amazing book.

I was completely captivated by the story and the characters, all of which was so very well written.

Come the very end of the book, I was starting to relax, thinking yeah I can see how this is going to end and I can now relax as I've figured it out, but then there is that ending, which literally just shot my nerves to pieces, literally had me on tender hooks to the point that I thought I was going to fall off my chair. It was so darn good, unexpected and completely utterly shocking.

So if you are looking for a book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation as to what will happen next then and be completely captivated throughout, then you really need to read this book