The Innocent Wife follows Natalie and Olivia through their shared attempt to save an underage girl from Olivia's husband, Lucas.

From the description and the tagline, I expected this book to involve relationships between adults, so I was quite surprised that paedophilia was very prominent throughout. As such, I feel that there should be a warning of some kind in the blurb/ description so that readers can make an informed choice as to whether the book is suitable for them.

I initially quite liked Natalie and Olivia's characters. However, over time, I found they became flat and boring with very childish and naive characteristics.

I enjoyed the dual point of view used to depict the story from both Natalie's and Olivia's points of view. Once the point of view of Natalie's stakler was added in I found the switching less enjoyable as I didn't find his chapters added anything to the story, they just broke the flow of the main narrative.

There was nothing particularly good or awful about this book. It was just okay. I found it easy enough to read once I picked it up, but at the same time, I didn't find myself eager to pick it up.

If you’re into domestic thrillers with messy secrets and morally gray characters, The Innocent Wife delivers in spades. The story kicks off with Olivia, the picture-perfect housewife married to Lucas—a charming teacher who seems too good to be true. Spoiler: he is. Enter Natalie, a new colleague with a past that collides hard with Olivia’s present, and suddenly the cracks in Olivia’s marriage start to look more like fault lines.

There’s a lot packed into this one: grooming, gaslighting, revenge, and a few twists that genuinely made me pause and say “wait, WHAT?” It’s not a light read, but it’s fast-paced and emotionally charged, with just enough unpredictability to keep you flipping pages late into the night.

I received an ARC of this book, and this is my second book by this author. This story started off really interesting and grabbed my attention. However, it did become a little slow at times. I really enjoyed the three POVs, that kept you guessing throughout the entire story! However, in the end, what I thought was going to happen did end up happening, but there were still 2-3 twists and surprises I honestly wasn’t expecting! If you like psychological thrillers, I’d say give this one a try! It was good just not great or the best thing I’ve ever read. I’ve also read hundreds of thrillers, so this just felt like a good thriller to me, but still worth the read!

The Innocent Wife starts with a familiar setup — the perfect-seeming marriage with cracks forming just beneath the surface — and leans hard into secrets, tension, and a slow unraveling of the truth. Olivia appears to have the dream life, but it doesn’t take long to realize things aren’t quite what they seem, and when Natalie enters the picture, everything starts to spiral.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed. The pacing was steady, and I liked that Olivia wasn’t just a passive victim — she had more layers than I expected. The shifting dynamics between the characters kept things interesting, and the “not-so-innocent housewife” twist gave the story a little extra bite.

That said, the emotional stakes didn’t always hit as hard as they could have. Some of the twists felt predictable, and the supporting characters weren’t as fleshed out as I hoped. It kept my attention, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. A solid domestic suspense read for fans who enjoy slow burns, complex women, and messy truths behind glossy marriages.

This was my second book by this author. When people mention loving popcorn thrillers, this author should definitely be considered.

This was a fun, quick, and easy read. I enjoyed "The Forever Home" more than this one, but this was still enjoyable and I will continue reading more by her.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book!

This is a twisty read. Someone is acussing Natalie's husband of the same crime that was committed against her previously. She's been trying to get on with her life but this is dragging back up bad memories. Twisty, turned. Quite a good read.

Overall this is a great book. This was the first time I have read one of her books and I will definitely be reading more. There were many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Definitely jaw dropping at points.
Thank you for letting me read this book for a review

This book gives you everything. It covers so many topics, Narcissism, gas lighting, grooming with a hint of a thriller all thrown together in an interesting plot. Some characters you'll love and Lucas you with loath. Well paced but perhaps with a little corny ending to wrap it up.

This was a face pa ed boom that reaped me in from the get go. I thought I had figured it out but then another twist came along and blew my theory out of the water! Excellent book!

I loved this book for so many reasons. The true friendships you felt between the characters, the way the stalking scenes actually creeped me out, the red herrings and the twists! The epilogue was my favorite part! This is my first book by Sally Royer-Derr but she's now an auto-read for me!

I really enjoyed this book! It was not the first Sally Royer-Derr book I've read. I loved "The Secrets Next Door" so I had really high hopes for this book.

This one was really interesting because it contained a heavy topic of a teacher seducing underaged students and even marrying one. I was slightly hesitant with this book because I didn't know how the topic would be approached, but I thought the topic was handled well. Olivia, the student that marries Lucas, knows something is wrong in her marriage but can't accept it yet. Everyone loves her husband and she does too, right?

But when she befriends Natalie, a new teacher at Lucas's school, Olivia sees the hatred that is already in Natalie's eyes when around Lucas. Olivia is soon able to open up to Natalie who has a lot going on in her life too.

This book was incredibly fast-paced. I felt like by the time I thought I guessed who the person was I was then given more information that made me doubt myself. There were so may plot twists and so many different angles I was trying to look from to try to get to the bottom of both Olivia and Natalie's problems.

I really enjoyed this book, and will again read anything that Sally Royer-Derr puts out there, and recommend this book to anyone that wants a good fast-paced thriller.

A bit of an intriguing book this one trying to figure out what’s going on as you’re effectively seeing two different sides and unsure which one to believe. Lots of twists that you don’t see coming.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. Loved it!! The character development was top notch.

The book cover AND the title sucked me in! I was excited and thankful to have received this early to read. At times I was on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. My first from this author. Her writing style is easy to read. While there may be some triggers in this one, I enjoyed this quick thriller.

Right from the first sentence, you’re hooked. The plot blends thrills with thoughtful moments, while the characters, vivid and relatable—carry the story with infectious energy. Each chapter is a treat, and the resonant message makes it all the more compelling. This is one of those books you don’t want to put down.

A suspense-filled thrilling read, filled with horrible people and then some nice ones. And, it’s not for everyone, I can see it generating lots of hateful reviews in the future (grooming isn’t generally well-tolerated among most readers), but the story is so well-told and so thought-provoking, on top of it being horrible – I think I will be telling everyone around me to read it.

Great book! Kept me guessing and on my toes the entire time. Highly recommend! So many parts to the story, all connected from one man. Quick, fun read.

The Innocent Wife is a fantastic thriller. I absolutely loved this book! I didn't put it down! I think this is the second book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more. I am a big fan of Freida McFadden and IMO this gives major Freida vibes but also clearly the authors own special masterpiece. I would highly recommend adding this book to your TBR if you haven't read it yet.

The Innocent Wife is a page turner. Natalie is just starting as a teacher in a new school. Everyone loves Lucas, everyone but Natalie. She seems through him and his charming ways. He keeps Olivia, his wife, on a tight leash and doesn't like it when Natalie and Olivia become friends.

Natalie has secrets. Her past and present are filled with bad choices. One of them is haunting her, but which one? Someone is out to get Natalie and she's not sure who is responsible.

This was a good book; I liked the friendship dynamic between Natalie and Olivia and the drama that Natalie has had to work through. Definitely will want to read more by this author!