I had a really hard time getting into this book because it was very slow. I have really bad ADHD so slower books tend to be a bit harder for me to pay attention to. I really liked the storyline, i just wish it was a bit faster.

This wasn’t my favorite domestic thriller, but I didn’t hate it either. Some parts of the story seemed unrealistic and far fetched. Keeping up double lives on opposite ends of the country? Seems like a lot of work. I felt the characters lacked real emotion over the whole ordeal too. I will say I was surprised at the end though!

The Double Wife has an intriguing premise: two women discovering they’re married to the same man and being forced to piece together the truth. I liked the dual perspectives of Elizabeth and Corinne, and the constant suspicion kept me curious about how things would play out.

However, the start of the book was quite confusing, and not in the tense, exciting way a thriller usually aims for. Instead, it felt a bit muddled and even boring at times, which made it harder to get invested right away. The pacing picked up later, but some sections still dragged, and a few twists stretched believability. The ending, in particular, wrapped things up too neatly after such a tense buildup.

Overall, this was a good read with a strong setup but uneven execution. Fans of domestic thrillers may still enjoy it, but for me, the confusing start and underwhelming payoff kept it from being as gripping as it could have been.

Elizabeth Bentley finds a letter from Don Bentley addressed to his wife,but the name on it is Corrine not Elizabeth.Before she can ask for explanation, her husband vanish.Uncovering by her self lie after lie,she's trying to find Don and what happened to him.

Will she find him?
Can she work with other wife?

I kind of like Elizabeth,she is trying to protect her children,which I understand,hated Don and Corrine,also the ending?They don't deserve it.

Book full of reveals,secrets and hidden agendas for thriller and suspense fans.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for ARC.

★★★☆☆

The Double Wife by Gina LaManna has an intriguing premise: Elizabeth Bentley has sacrificed everything to be the perfect wife to her successful husband, Don—until she finds a letter addressed to “his wife”… but it’s not her name on the envelope. Before she can even process the existence of this other woman, Don disappears on the eve of their anniversary. The police arrive to tell Elizabeth there’s been an accident—yet his body is missing. Soon, she becomes their prime suspect. But she knows she didn’t kill him… and so does the other wife.

The premise hooked me, but the execution fell short. I was torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars. The pacing dragged, the dialogue was often repetitive, and I found many of the interactions implausible—like the police relying on Elizabeth to do their work. Weird phrasing pulled me out of the story (“without further ado”?). Neither wife felt particularly likable or sympathetic, and the constant back-biting between them got old fast. Corrine’s anger over Elizabeth’s wealth didn’t make much sense, especially given much of it was hers to begin with. Sympathy for a two-timing husband was in short supply, and the lack of his perspective left a gaping hole—why did Don do it? Everyone claimed he was a good guy, yet nothing supported that.

The ending was anti-climactic and the epilogue offered little closure. I read quickly because I hoped for a big twist—my own theory (Nancy and Don faking his death) would’ve been far more satisfying—but instead it read like a Lifetime movie. In the end, this was an easy, fast read, but lacked the depth, shock, or emotional pull I was hoping for.

Thank you to the author, the publisher (LaManna Books), and NetGalley for the ARC.

Really loved how the book evoked a similar atmosphere to "The Housemaid." It's an amazing thriller, filled with suspense from beginning to end. The plot kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.

I did not enjoy this book at all. The premise seemed great but the execution left me wanting. It had all the ingredients to be intriguing but somehow the author completely missed the mark. I skim read the novel to see what happens and to be honest the ending was also disappointing. The epilogue was also strange and brought zero to the story

Twin Cities, Minnesota

Elizabeth Bentley is married to the very wealthy Don, CFO for a tech company. Tonight they will be celebrating their anniversary at home with a dinner prepared by their chef. Don doesn’t show and Elizabeth wonders if work has delayed him. Two detectives come to the door to say that Don’s ice hut was on a nearby lake today and sunk. Elizabeth insists that as it has been a warm spring, Don wouldn’t risk being on the ice. A big storm is approaching and the detectives cannot try to search for him until it passes. Their teenage children, Amanda and Ross are concerned about their father.

Searching through Don’s things, she comes across a pager and a letter addressed ”To My Wife” with a love note inside to Corinne.

Santa Barbara, California

Corinne Klein teaches yoga barely making enough money to keep herself and her teen daughter, Justine going. But she knows about Elizabeth and her husband’s other family. However, he goes by another name with her.

When Elizabeth learns about Corinne, she heads to California to confront her. That’s when the two women start to clash but both are interested in finding out what happened to Donald.

I grew tired of the back-biting dialogue between these two women that never seemed to get anywhere. I stayed with the story and found the ending to be rather implausible. The author has certainly written quite a number of books. This is the first one I have read by her. I look forward to trying another of her books sometime in the future and hope this one was just a one-off for me.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The novel plays with duality: love and lies, truth and invention, the versions of ourselves we bury to survive. Elizabeth’s pain is quietly devastating; the other wife’s silence, sharp as glass.

The Double Wife by @ginalamanna was really good! It was full of twists and turns, and I was hooked from the beginning. Corinne’s chapters had me so confused at first, and she definitely wasn’t my favorite, but she had her moments. I was still suspicious of her in those few moments, but she was at least somewhat tolerable in those moments. I felt so bad for Elizabeth, though. I think she carried herself really well after finding out her husband was missing and had an entire second family, and I’m so proud of her for that. I had very minor suspicions about the twist, but I wanted hope I was wrong. I was still pretty happy with the ending. If you’re wanting a clean read from spice and no gore, this is a great option. Also, if you like Freida McFadden, you’ll probably really enjoy The Double Wife.

Gina LaManna’s The Double Wife is a gripping domestic thriller that masterfully unravels secrets, lies, and dual lives. With page-turning suspense and impeccable pacing, LaManna draws readers into a tangled web of deception and desire. The characters are richly developed, and the shifting perspectives keep you guessing who to trust. LaManna’s ability to build tension is unmatched—every chapter tightens the noose just a bit more. It’s a captivating exploration of betrayal and survival, perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Last Mrs. Parrish. A tense, stylish thriller that doesn’t let go until the final twist.

The Double Wife by Gina LaManna was highly suspenseful and cleverly written with excellent plot development, interesting characters and a mystery that kept me guessing.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is great. I was hooked after the first sentence.

Thank you NetGalley and LaManna Books for this ARC.

Elizabeth Bentley has perfected the role of being the perfect wife to her highly successful husband. They have it all - 2 kids, a beautiful estate, even a vacation home. The night that Elizabeth & her husband plan to celebrate their anniversary with a cozy dinner at home prepared by their chef, everything starts to unravel. Her husband never arrives home from work. Then she finds a letter from Don Bentley addressed to his wife… and it’s not Elizabeth’s name on the envelope. To cap it all off, the police turn up at Elizabeth’s door, telling her there has been an accident. However, there’s one big problem: Don Bentley’s body is nowhere to be found. As Elizabeth begins digging into who the person is that the letter was addressed to, she uncovers a web of lies. Don Bentley had a whole other family on the opposite side of the country. Now she needs to figure out if this wife knew about her, and if this wife was responsible for his disappearance (and possibly his death).

I love all of this author's books. This one was good, but I think I was expecting more suspense and a little more of a fast pace to it. This book had a slower pace, and it was as much about the two wives trying to manipulate/one-up/con/etc. each other, as it was about their husband's disappearance. Overall, the book was good, and definitely worth a read, just not my favorite book of this author's.

I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are pine.

What a twisty read that kept me fully engrossed from start to finish. The book follows Elizabeth who discovers on the night of their wedding anniversary that her husband has another wife. To top it off her man goes missing and in order to find out what happened she has to track and or work with the other wife.Don't walk but run to get yourself this book.

it’s gotta be a 3.5/3.75 stars. I can’t figure out how I feel about that ending, I will admit I didn’t see it coming, I suspected it but not in that certain way.

I read most of this book in one day and I was very intrigued, I did enjoy the process, for a murder/mystery book, I think it was great, I enjoyed the characters and following the relationships with them all throughout. Nothing was particularly show stopping, I usually like my mystery/thriller books with jaw dropping plot twists but it was a fascinating read. It did have all the cogs in my brain turning and I really enjoyed that.

I would definitely recommend this book to any murder/mystery fans, it’s a quick read and hits the spot

The Double Wife was such a wild ride! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist came out of nowhere and totally threw me. Gina LaManna knows how to keep you guessing—in the best way.

The characters felt so real, and I loved how the story unfolded from different points of view. It was super easy to get into, and the suspense kept building all the way to the end.

If you love thrillers with lots of secrets, drama, and surprises, this one’s for you. Definitely one of those books you finish and immediately want to talk about with someone

Thank you LaManna Books and NetGalley for an early copy of The Double Wife. Very fast read, got corny in places, kind of figured it out early on. Elizabeth was not a likable character at all, I enjoyed reading about Corinne. Good plot. Sometimes the dialogue was childish for grown women.

I had a hard time getting into this story. The slow pace and uninteresting characters made this drag on. There was no insight or perspective from the husband. I was hoping for a satisfying ending, but was left without closure.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the plot and the twists were well though out, but I found it to be somewhat mundane. It is the same premise...husband, cheater, mistresses. With that said, I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend this book if that is your type of read.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

“𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.”

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 8/1/25

🎧audiobook/📖 ebook dual read

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: On the eve of her 20th anniversary, Elizabeth’s husband Don doesn’t come home. Police arrive at her door suspecting an accident has taken his life. Elizabeth is not convinced, especially after she finds a pager and a letter to “My Wife” in Don’s bedside drawer. Problem is, the letter isn’t made out to her, it’s made out to Corrine. This novel is about two women, their husbands and the truth.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
💍 Third person POV/Dual Characters
✈️ Long con
💍 Family drama
✈️ Rivals working together

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: I love immersion reads, especially when I get to say I enjoyed the audiobook more than the ebook. Narrator Tegan Ashton Cohan was great and perfectly executed the different characters voices and inflections. The writing was easy to follow and usually caused a compulsive need to keep reading. There were some lulls during the middle that seemed to drag on. I was pleasantly satisfied with the resolution and ending of this story- I did find the epilogue to be completely unnecessary and took from the superb ending of the final chapter. Add this quick popcorn thriller to your TBR! It’s great on audio and text, so your choice!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


*Thank you @NetGalley, @Dreamscape_Media,and LaManna Books for sending this audiobook and ebook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

#TheDoubleWife