The Other Mrs - Mary Kubica

Propulsive and addictive, The Other Mrs. is the twisty new psychological thriller from Mary Kubica, the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl

She tried to run, but she can’t escape the other Mrs.

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbour Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.
But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

My Review:

A dark, atmospheric mood which is emphasised by the writer’s description of their location. The reminder of how isolated they are just adding to the tension throughout.

I have not had the pleasure of reading anything from this author before, I didn’t know what to expect but I can’t wait to read more.

The Other Wife teases with the gradual release of information, teasers that at first read may seem of no relevance but at the end make total sense, nothing feels too rushed and this adds to the drama.

We are taken through the story from various points of view by Sadie, Camille, who had the affair with Will, and a young girl called Mouse. It is unclear at first who the Mouse character is and I was confused trying to figure things out. I wanted to know, and this is what had me reading on with such enthusiasm.

I think the action really takes place in the second half of the book, the more I read the more I wanted to find out. I was on the edge of my seat and loved the twists thrown in as it neared its conclusion.

I enjoyed the characters, they are well written and interesting, I wouldn’t say they are likeable although my alliances changed throughout.

Dealing with some deep issues; death, grief, suicide – The Other Mrs is quite the roller coaster and I recommend this read for thriller fans.  

Available to purchase - here!

Our House - Louise Candlish

Available to buy here

Goodread Blurb:

On a bright January morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought in Trinity Avenue.  Nothing strange about that. Except it is your house. And you didn’t sell it.

When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she's sure there's been a mistake.Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona's children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram's not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.

My Review:

This has been at the top of  my TBR pile for a while. I saw lots of goof things about this book and it always caught my attention when picking my next read but I think I knew I wanted to be "in the right mood" for it.  Let me tell you - it was worth the wait. 

Uniquely, this story is told through a podcast (Fi's point of view), a word document/letter (Bram's point of view) and via events as they happened. Although I had to check whose viewpoint I was reading from a couple of times, I generally found this style interesting  and very creative. I did enjoy having both perspectives  rather than that of 'just' the victims or guilty party.

Bram and Fi have spent their married lives building the dream home for their family. It is  Fi's prized possession, her pride and joy and knowing it's worth a great deal of money that will act as inheritance to her children is important to her. You can imagine then how Fi feels at the start of the book when she arrives home to find another family moving in.
 

What can I say about Fi? Obviously I feel sorry for her; having a cheating husband who has lied to her numerous times, albeit by omission. We discover that Fi really doesn't know her husband as well as she actually thinks she does throughout. He is able to hide things from her very easily.  Admittedly, I found Fi rather annoying - she's quite selfish and actually quite arrogant; she appears to be fairly rational and mature in how she deals with the fall out of Bram's cheating but she was rather unemotional in my opinion. Her blind faith in her new love interest also didn't surprise me; ignoring the warning signs that couldn't have been more obvious.

Bram. He was easy to dislike from the off - cheater, liar and then, well the *accident*. His spiral into the bleak, desperate state he finds himself in is written well; although he does only have himself to blame there was almost a spark of pity at times for him. I do not for one second condone what he did at all; but amongst the aftermath and the way other people manage to manipulate him for their own gain - well it was never going to end well.

The plot is well detailed, with twists and turns throughout. At some places I did want to just give them a shake and tell them to get on with it though.  I guessed a few of the twists but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of how things played out for each of the characters involved. The story really picks up pace towards the end and there are some surprises I did not anticipate. 

This book is a slow-burner at times but I read it in a couple of days - it'll be one of my memorable reads this month. I enjoyed how Louise Candlish gives hints throughout you only realise as the story is pieced together things fell into place - mirroring Fi's inability to see what is in front of her i.e. Brams lies/problems. I doubt I will be the first person to go back and 'check' things.  

Our House kept me interested, I was keen to discover how it would end. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend to readers who enjoy a bit of drama and suspense.  This was my first Louise Candlish read and I'm certain it will not be my last.

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍

The Break - Marian Keyes

Available on Amazon 

Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it. Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . .

However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge. For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then so is she . . . The Break is a story about the choices we make and how those choices help to make us. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.

My Review:

This one really took me on an emotion filled ride. I have been through every feeling, particularly for our female lead Amy.  If I'm being honest - even now I am still unsure if I actually LIKE her not. 

When Hugh decides he needs a break, some time for him to break away from everything and everyone on some kind of 'anything goes' trail around Asia, Amy and his kids are obviously devastated. Amy has trust issues, we find that out early on, from a previous marriage so this is a massive deal for her (as it would be for anyone I guess!) Hugh claims he loves her and WILL be back after six months, but realistically even before he has gone anywhere I didn't imagine for one second he'd be slotting back into place.

The story follows Amy through those next days, weeks and months of his absence. Yes, there is the sadness and she is obviously traumatised - I felt so sorry for her, I empathised and really quite disliked Hugh but rest assured it's not all gloom and doom. 

We journey through Amy making some shocking and - quite frankly - stupid life choices in my opinion. I began to quite dislike her at some points, and my sympathy towards her started to wain - we also get to see all was perhaps not what we originally thought and Hugh, well for me, he doesn't seem as such an idiot really - in fact I had more sympathy for him at some points. 

There are plenty of laughs in this story. There are so many wild and wonderful characters you are assured to find moments of true hilarity. The characters are fantastic, well written and even though there are quite a lot of them I didn't think this took anything away from the story only added some fun, interesting aspects. 

Marian's writing style is captivating, you get so engrossed in what you are reading. I read this in one sitting which is quite some feat! I love the relaxed and witty way Marian writes, makes the characters relatable too.  Though we have many lighthearted moments this story does also look at some serious, deeper issues that have need to be addressed. It's done in a brilliant way though, totally in-keeping with the tone of the book. 

As a big Marian Keyes fan, this book did not fail to live up to expectations. I highly recommend The Break. It's a keeper for me - I'll definitely re-read.