This was a good thriller and perfect for summer/holiday reading.

I love Valerie Keogh’s books and this one was enjoyable. Felt it slow down a bit towards the end but still kept me entertained.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

An enjoyable thriller which is quite fast paced. This is told in multiple perspectives and kept me guessing on the various motivations. A light read for the holidays.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

This Christmas inspired flatlay features The Wives by Valerie Keogh a mystery-suspense novel set on a cruise!

This story follows four middle aged women, Natasha the FMC, and her three friends, Michele, Tracy Ann and Barbara, who head out on a cruise with their husbands. While the chapters alternate between characters, the narration does not change, so the story is quite easy to follow, you're not constantly trying to remember who is talking! The group of 4 couples head out on a cruise together on the coast of Africa, and have mixed feelings about spending the week together, specifically when it comes to Natasha's cocky and outgoing husband, Daniel. As the story progresses it becomes clear that all of the women (including Natasha) and their husbands are not the biggest fans of Daniel, in fact, there might be a few among the group who wouldn't mind if he happened to not make it until the end of the cruise....

It is a pretty easy and light read that is perfect for anyone heading off on a vacation this holiday break! It is not scary or super suspense-filled, more of a "who did it?" kind of slow reveal. There was a fair amount of storytelling in the last chapters and epilogue though, so it really does come down to the last bit to wrap things up. Overall, a decent book that falls somewhere between beach read and suspense/thriller. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher, Boldwood, for giving me a chance to read and review this book!

Thank you Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for the eARC of The Wives.

A group of friends take a boat trip and that can only mean one thing?! Secrets, jealousy and unlikeable characters! It took me a little while to engage in the narrative which was probably just me feeling distracted but once engaged, I really enjoyed The Wives.

In these psychological thrillers, you usually get a mixture of likeable and unlikeable characters, in this one. I didn't like any of them. They were so horrible to each other, you wonder what keeps them together. You definitely find out which makes for a compelling read.

3.75 stars for story graph, 4 stars for other reviewing sites.

I really enjoyed the prospect of this story. I love a plot with lots of interlinking secrets twists and turns. However I found this story lacking in the latter part of the novel. I found the set up in the first half really interesting but unfortunately I felt let down by the second half.
I think it could have been expanded on and the twists could of taken a little bit more to come out.

It was a ok paced book with an easy to read writing style overall.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed The Wives. It started a bit slow, but picked up throughout the story. The wives were hard to like, all of them with some un admirable quality in competition with each other. And all for the wrong reasons! But this is what made the story interesting and sucked me in. I had to know what secrets Daniel was hiding because he definitely was not the perfect man he portrayed himself to be. But as more and more twists came into play, the story became more interesting. And the ending was quite a surprise for me!

***Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

Well this was a very dark tale about jealously and betrayal and how sometimes if something seems too good to be true it is probably best to avoid. In the case of these friends no one is being completely honest with each other and as Tasha settles for the perfect man why are her friends so against the marriage and why is the dream holiday they are all going on a really bad idea. Can you trust those closest to you.

The plot was intense, and the stakes kept getting higher. Every twist felt earned and added to the story’s gripping tension, honestly could barely breathe through half of it, such a good book.

I found it difficult not to take a dislike to the wives in this story: they are all self-serving and I could not believe that they considered themselves as “friends” with one another. Heading off on an all-expenses-paid cruise, courtesy of Natasha’s husband, it’s an opportunity for the four couples to spend some times together. Except it is apparent that this group do not have the tight-knit friendship you would expect.

Keogh tells the story largely from Natasha’s perspective. We quickly learn that Natasha has fallen into a loveless marriage that she is determined to keep going for the sake of the pre-nup. I found her character the most interesting of all as Keogh explores how traumatised Natasha has become since working for the NHS during the helpless times of Covid. It is like she is suffering from PTSD and her marriage to Daniel is her way of escaping this reminder of all the people she could not help during the pandemic.

However, I soon found that I struggled to keep the other three women separated. They all have some sort of vendetta against Natasha or Daniel and they are all linked in some way that remains a secret from each other. This was one of my biggest criticisms of the book: most of the wives felt too similar and I struggled to connect with their identities. It is like Keogh was playing on some sort of “desperate housewives” theme and this made the characterisation feel a bit tired and overused.

As the novel progressed, I started to experience cabin fever. I don’t think the novel was particularly pacey and I guessed the ending far too early on for my liking (with the exception of the surprising Epilogue). Consequently, I read the latter half of the novel quite impatiently, hoping the big reveal would come sooner rather than later. Instead, I was frustrated by the chatter, the digs between the wives and the slow amount of time it took to reveal the truth. I was hoping for a punchier story but I don’t think Keogh quite delivers it here.

In the end, I thought the story started to get a bit silly. I found Daniel’s demise to be incredibly intense – you need a pretty strong constitution at this point! – but I didn’t fully believe in the plot development. It was a rather slow story on the whole and none of the women are presented as particularly pleasant. In my opinion, they are all some sort of victim, but I think they could have worked harder at being a better friend.

I’ve read many, many books by this author and usually find her writing to be gripping and suspenseful. In this instance, it was not the case and this book was definitely not a more favourite read.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A friend group of four couples. Sprinkle in some secrets and lies. Then send them off on a cruise together - what could possibly go wrong?

This one was filled with so many twists and turns I felt a bit whiplashy! But loved it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Told in alternating points of view, this book tells the story of four wives reconnecting on a vacation cruise with their spouses. However, things take a turn when one of the husbands end up dead.

I didn't particularly like any of the Wives, which made reading this book difficult - it's hard to empathize with any character when you can't emotionally connect to them. So many pages were dedicated to the drama between The Wives - it read like an episode of Real Housewives, which for me is not a positive comparison.

If you love drama with a touch of mystery, this one is for you.

Personally I found this book to be a slow burn, and I need a book to keep me hooked right from the beginning, the story line and plot was good, I just needed it to be more fast paced

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange e fair and honest review.

The Wives was my first Valerie Keough book. It won’t be my last! I loved the concept and the mystery. It was fairly quick read and kept me interested from the jump.

Definitely worth the read!

Twists and turns galore and an ending I didnt see coming. Another great story from this talented author.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC

3.5*... A group of four British girlfriends, three married, one on the cusp...and lots of layers of mystery and intrigue. An African cruise could cause them all to draw close again, or it could flesh out the secrets bogging each of them down. A gathering of fairly unlikable characters, most intentional to the story, might cause you to wish for something bad to happen. You will not be let down.
I definitely did not expect the ending and the twists did not disappoint!
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

It a huge fan of the characters but enjoyed this book for the most part. I think some parts were a little dry but overall a decent read

Everyone has servers! I loved this twisty unpredictable thriller on an island. It was addictive and I could not put it down!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I could not finish it. It just moved so slow and reminded me of so many other "thriller" books with the same storyline.

Im a huge fan of destination thrillers so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately it didnt hit the mark for me. It lacked the suspense factor.

Natasha is a Practice Nurse at the local hospital, and she used to love her job but now she seems to be rushed off her feet. She meets the dashing and charismatic Daniel, who also happens to be wealthy too. She has something positive in her life to look forward too. She is now 36 and the only single person in her group of friends, which consists of Barbara, Tracy-Ann and Michele and herself. Her relationship with Daniel is supposed to be a fling. But she gets a surprise when he asks her to marry her, and she agrees.
After the wedding Daniel asks Natasha to go on a cruise and tells her to bring her friends with their other halves too. She is delighted but when she tells her friends the news, the reaction is not what she expected. But they agree to support their friend. But whilst on the cruise, Natasha finds out what Daniel is really like. He is not the Charming charismatic person they are all led to believe.
This is a gripping story with lots of twists and is told in several POV’s of each friend having secrets that are linked to Daniel and someone who wants he dead. But why? Like her other books. I enjoyed this tale, and I wasn’t expecting the ending. 4 stars from me.