Title: The Wife
Author: Shalini Boland
Pub Date: Sept 2020
No. Of pages: 262
Where I got it: NetGalley
Date finished: 1st January 2022
Genre: Thriller
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐.5 | 5
My NetGalley ratio is looking pretty poor, so my commitment for 2022 is to read more of my NetGalley shelf. Most of them are brilliant books and have gone on to be bookstagram favourites, so I’m unsure what the hold up is in reading them if I’m honest!
I kicked off my 2022 NetGalley reading by finishing this one in a day. I’m a fan of Boland for her pacey and easy to consume thrillers which are often ideal for dragging me out of a reading slump, or just breaking a slower reading pace in general.
What’s it about?
Zoe fainted on her wedding day, and she never knew why. She’s always felt sure something bad happened. Ten years later, she’s going to find out what…
It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband. Then, there was a blank.
They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterwards. Did something happen in that missing time?
Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married.
But as the anniversary gets closer, it becomes clear not everyone is looking forward to celebrating. Zoe catches Toby lying about where he’s been. One of her best friends seems to be ignoring her. And someone is spreading stories that might stop the party from happening at all.
Zoe is increasingly sure that she doesn’t have the full story. But does she want to know the truth, if it will destroy everything?
What did I think?
I really enjoyed this book – it has a great build up with pace and a dual chronology. At no point did I feel confused by where I was in the timeline – there was a distinct difference between the two, that flowed smoothly.
Zoe is a protagonist that you do feel invested in. You want everything to be ok for her and as events start to unfold you find yourself fearing for her safety.
It had great mystery throughout and I didn’t see the twist coming. Kind of unsurprising because it was a bit too far fetched for my liking. This kind of ending in a book can take it from a 4 or 5 star read down to a 3, but that is completely personal taste. The thrill of a thriller for me lies in ‘how likely is it that this could actually happen to me?’ And if it’s pretty out there, it’ll fall down a bit for me – but that absolutely should not put you off. As I’ve already said, Boland is the Queen of ‘read in one sitting’ thriller, so if that’s floats your boat, this is definitely one to pick up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture for the eARC in exchange for this review.
gimme books, joanna 