The Other Wife

By: Claire McGowan

Narrated by: Karen Cass

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

She’s a total stranger. But she knows who you are...

Suzi did a bad thing. She’s paying for it now, pregnant, scared, and living in an isolated cottage with her jealous husband, Nick.

When Nora moves into the only house nearby, Suzi is delighted to have a friend. So much so that she’s almost tempted to tell Nora her terrible secret. But there’s more to Nora than meets the eye. It’s impossible - does she already know what Suzi did?

Meanwhile, Elle spends her days in her perfect home, fixated on keeping up appearances. But when her husband betrays her, it unravels a secret going all the way back to her childhood. She’ll do whatever it takes to hold on to him, even if that means murder. After all, she’s done it before...

Caught up in their own secrets and lies, these strangers will soon realise they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. When a shocking event brings them together, their lives will never be the same again.

©2019 Claire McGowan (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Rather disturbing

When I first listened, I almost stopped because there were so many characters and I was frustrated. Then something clicked and I listened to the end. Lots of twists and turns. Good ending but sometimes rather depressing.

starts off boring but get better

This one starts off boring and somewhat annoyingly repetitive. After a while as things are revealed it gets interesting and hard to stop listening. Although the voice of Susie I found vaguely annoying the narrator does a good job. In the end it's a really good book.

A bit verbose

This book was ok but could have been a lot shorter
It really drags on and on somewhat needlessly

It was ok. Predictable

Very, very predictable. Not a bad book but not great. Just an ok book. Would I recommend? Probably not if you are an avid reader.

4.5 Stars

Let me start by making it extremely clear that the ONLY reason this wasn't a full 5 star book for me was because it took a little while for me to really get into the groove of the book BUT once I did boy was I hooked! This was my first Claire McGowan book, and DAMN was I pleased!

I went in thinking I had it pegged from the title. Thought I was gonna be in for a simple story about a man with multiple wives who maybe became obsessed with the other. You know I conjured this from my non-existent background of thrillers. But what I got was a mouth watering, emotionally driven, domestic psychological ride filled with suspense, and angst. The book literally had me screaming at it by the end. It kept me guessing, incorrectly might I add, the whole time as I sopped up all the juicy details.

Over the course of the novel we follow multiple female POVs, the main ones being Suzi, Elle, and Nora, that this story revolved around. It took a while to get used to hearing from so many different voices, but as the story progressed I got the importance of hearing each woman's side of the story. You could easy relate to all of them, and though there were many times during the book I wanted to take them aside and give them a good talking to. They grew on me, and helped me connect to the story in a way I never thought possible.

The Other Wife is the complete anomaly providing a slow burn sensation in a fast paced novel. McGowan definitely knows her way around character development and a gripping story line. I am excited to read more of her work.

Outstanding!

I couldn’t put this down. It was a bit confusing as to who was who in the beginning, but you figure out and are kept on the edge of your seat!

PAY ATTENTION OR YOU WON'T KNOW WHO DID WHAT!!!

This is the 1st book by Claire McGowan that I've read. It has a complex storyline with many mischievous players. Add to that, the many interwoven twists&turns and it'd be easy to get lost in the maze of plots! But I enjoyed it none the less. Kudos Ms. McGowan!

A little weird

Narrator has a pleasant voice but some of the suspenseful scenes sounded like Bridget Jones' Diary, too light-hearted. Definitely no strong female characters in this book, which would be ok if the main theme wasn't distrust. Both female leads end up inexplicably trusting a relative stranger to save them after huge betrayals.

Nice change of pace

I have to disagree with other reviews regarding the narration. I had no trouble distinguishing the different characters. The story does jump around a bit, but that just keeps it interesting, making you pay attention. It all came together and made sense at the end, and with the few little loose ends left, makes you want to know more. Overall, I enjoyed it, and am purchasing another book by this author.

Enjoyed the twists and turns

At first I had some trouble keeping the two women straight as they switched back and forth, but as their story lines came together, it was easier. I enjoyed the journey and the ending, wishing for just a few more lines about any final exchange that might have happened but satisfied with it “as is” and allowing my mind to play through various options. Good listen!