Tag Archives: Marriage

Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier

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Book summary below provided by the publisher:

I went into this knowing little about it, which I think is the best way to go into most thrillers. There are twists along the way, and many of the characters are unlikable. The beginning, when Marin’s son goes missing, was very climactic. But shortly after the abduction scene, the remainder of the story mostly focuses on love affairs rather than the kidnapping and it lost much of its suspense for me at that point.

All that to say, go into this knowing the foundation is laid for a child abduction mystery…but then quickly detours and centers around adult love affairs. Though it heavily focuses on Marin’s marriage, it is still a thriller because of the plot twists, tension between characters, and the anticipation that leads up to the ending.

It is definitely a quick and easy read. It didn’t take me long to finish, and I liked it. But it isn’t at the top of my list and is not one that I had to think hard about, nothing mind-blowing, or something I thought long about after. I can’t say that I was completely shocked by the big twist at the end of the story. It was a good book, but not the whole package. I found her other novels more enjoyable, but think readers will still find this one exciting.

Jennifer Hillier is a best selling author and is widely known for writing psychological thrillers. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for Little Secrets.

Follow Jennifer Hillier on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Wife and the Widow, by Christian White

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“If they didn’t talk about the monsters in this world, then they wouldn’t be ready for them when they jumped out from under the bed.”

Chapters alternate between The Widow, Kate, and The Wife, Abby.
Within the few first chapters, Kate’s husband goes missing without a trace. She finds out he quit his job months earlier without telling her and lied about the trip he was supposed to be on. Where is he? Why did he lie? What is he hiding?“…are some monsters better left hidden.”
Abby’s chapters start off slower in the beginning. But then a something happens on the island she lives on and she notices that her husband has began to act different. Does he have something to do with Kate’s husband’s disappearance? What is he hiding?

As a reader, I kept trying to piece the connection together between the two of them (Kate and Abby). I had so many guesses. But when it hits you, it hits you HARD! O-m-g.

“What now? she thought. What the fuck now?”

The suspense was incredible and I could not put it down. This is not your average mystery/thriller; there is a powerful message buried in the end that surpasses just a thriller ….and I recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Visit Affirm Press to read more.

Read Christian White’s top tips for authors and screenwriters.

Christian White is the co-creator for the thriller series on Netflix, Clickbait.

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The Other Mrs., by Mary Kubica

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“If it wasn’t for you, I said, leaning in to whisper the words in his ear, I’d be dead.”

A lot of twists and turns in The Other Mrs. takes readers on a thrilling ride. Within the first three chapters, Sadie and her family move into her husband’s sister’s house in Maine to take guardianship of her husband’s niece because his sister committed suicide. (Yes, they move into the house his sister killed herself in.) Sadie thinks about how her husband was having an affair back in Chicago and is grateful for the move, but then uneasiness creeps into her life as events begin to unfold. She wakes up in the morning to find the word “DIE” written on her car. They find out the neighbor has been murdered, a case is opened, and Sadie is on edge. ALL WITHIN THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS!

I kept trying to figure this one out, but there were so many twists it really made me keep guessing. Did Sadie just black out?! What is up with her son’s behavior? Did Sadie’s husband murder their neighbor Morgan? Did Camille? Was he cheating again or was it Morgan’s suspicious husband who killed her? Who the heck is Mouse…which girl is it?!?

Netflix has recently signed a film deal for The Other Mrs. Read more about this here!

Visit Mary Kubica’s website to learn more.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Puzzle of You, by Leah Mercer

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This is basically what the provided synopsis says it’s about, for the most part. Charlotte awakes from a crash losing the last 4 years of her memory. She forgot she had a daughter and struggles to accept the life she had been living the past four years. The first 2-4 chapters are Charlotte waking up in the hospital, thereafter the rest of the story is essentially Charlotte trying to decide if she wants to stay home with her daughter or go back to work while balancing an estranged relationship with her husband.

There is no mysterious element with her memory loss because flashbacks are added in throughout the story. Early on, starting with chapter 3, readers quickly know what her old life was like compared to her present life. After chapter 3, the chapters alternate between flashbacks and the present. Do not expect mystery with this.

The themes explored are family, marriage, and women in the workplace—explained below:

  • I love things that give women a voice and advocate for feminism, but this was not insightful towards either. The topic was touched on, albeit surface level, with Charlotte’s workplace and the treatment towards pregnant women, but it was not powerful enough; the story was too mundane.
  • Also, based on the synopsis provided I was expecting a story-line for mothers that was heartfelt and moving; something that was also emotionally family centered like the movie Click or The Family Man, but it was neither. I expected an emotional rekindling with her daughter or captivating connection, and it didn’t happen. The style was bland. We do see a marriage crumbling, and it is easy to relate to; however, it is isolated without intense depth.

The story progresses at a snail-moving pace. Even at 60% (marked on my Kindle) it was still dragging. At 60%, Charlotte is still holding onto remnants of her past (job) while trying to accept bits of her present (daughter); nothing else has happened, the story has stayed completely stagnant at this point. This is much of the story: Charlotte prioritizing and weighing her options. No twists, turns, emotional scenes, or drama. After 60%, it stays on this same path.

Most of the story was anticlimactic, as mentioned above. The climax, in my opinion, was chapter 47; before this chapter the characters experience no growth or change, and little to nothing happened prior to this chapter. Please note there are only 48 chapters.

All in all, this is a story lacking a stimulating plot-line about a mother deciding to go back to work in order to climb the corporate ladder or stay at home with her toddler daughter. While this is a great premise and easy to relate to, feeling like you must choose between your career and a child, it wasn’t executed well. It was very monotonous and simplistic, repeating the same ideas again and again.

*This was an Amazon First Reads pick for October 2019. I do not recommend it.*

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