This post may contain affiliate links. For more info on this, visit my disclosure page. Thank you for your support in this way!
The Wive’s Back-of-Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Tarryn Fisher delivers a pulse-pounding, fast-paced suspense novel that will leave you breathless. A thriller you won’t be able to put down!
“You’ll have whiplash until the very end.”—New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover
Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.
But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married
What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.
You’ll have to grab a copy to find out why.
My Thoughts
The Wives was another one of my Book of The Month choices (not familiar with that? Check out my thoughts on BOTM here). I didn’t wait very long between picking it and reading it – it was my December book and I read it in January – so this time I knew exactly what I was picking up. A thriller.
Well, a phycological thriller, it turns out. Which was perfect because that’s exactly what I was in the mood for. As you can see above, The Wives‘ cover was short and simple, not giving very much away, which I suppose added to the allure.
It’s written in first person so every confusing thing that happens for the main character is also confusing for the reader. We only see and understand as much as her. This was exciting and intriguing for the majority of the book.
I say ‘a majority of the book’ because I really did not care for the ending. I feel like the author could have ended the story several pages before she did and it would have been fine – stronger even.
Besides that factor, I liked her writing. It was smooth, casual, and conversational (a stark contrast to the book I read before this). The action kept me interested and I breezed through it pretty quickly. I even chose the book over one of my Netflix shows a couple times! It was full of twists and turns and it really kept you wondering the whole time.
The settings varied and were detailed enough to easily picture them. The character descriptions were good, a little murky at times, but I feel like that may have been intentional, so that we could keep questioning what we really knew about all the other people in the main character’s life.
As much as I liked the writing and the overall story of The Wives, I do have to say…I don’t love the way she handles the topic of mental health. It feels a little derogatory and insensitive to people who might be struggling with it themselves. I’ve always tried to make sure my reviews are spoiler-free, so that’s all I will say on the matter.
Buy it Now!
Favorite Quotes From The Wives
“I had big plans to be anything but my mother… But the truth is that the heart’s desire is a mere current against the tide of nurture and nature.”
“Fighting was the sandpaper that smoothed out the first years of a relationship. Sure there was plenty of lifelong grit after that, but the fighting stripped everything down, let the other person know what was important to you.”
“Parishioners think they know their priests, aunts think they know their husbands, and meanwhile they’re molesting little boys behind closed doors. Can we really know anyone?”
“…women spend their lives changing. Our change can swing for you or against you depending on how fairly we’ve been treated.”
“We’re close without being close, if you know what I mean. We see each other often, but no one really knows what’s happening behind everyone’s eyes.”
“I feel better knowing that I’m not alone, that the whole world is as fragile and lonely as I am.”
In Conclusion
3.75 stars! I enjoyed The Wives – I red it in under 2 weeks, and it would have been faster if I hadn’t started another semester of grad school! My thoughts on her portrayal of mental heath and that last couple pages aside, she wrote a good book with a gripping story. It was my first book of her’s, but I see she’s written several others. Based off this experience I would read more of her stuff in the future.
I’d recommend this to people looking for a psychological thriller, especially anyone who likes to be kept in the dark along with their main characters.
Thank you for reading this review! Check out other book reviews here.
Feel free to share the review or some of these awesome quotes.
