You say lovely wife, I say psycho hose beast. To-may-to, to-mah-to.

I'm really torn on this one. Hand one: highly entertaining, first-person account from half of a murderous husband & wife, with a tricksy unreliable narrator. Hand two: really terrible people (including their awful children), twists that I saw coming from the very beginning.

This was one of my book club suggestions, along with [b:Once Upon a River|40130093|Once Upon a River|Diane Setterfield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526451355l/40130093._SY75_.jpg|58468313] and [b:The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|32620332|The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498169036l/32620332._SY75_.jpg|46885151], both of which I liked better, but this is the one more members chose. I'm looking forward to the discussion, though -- especially about the reliability of the narrator (whatever his name is) and that ending.

Read for book group, June 2019. ( )

"We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.
Ours just happens to be getting away with murder."

What a fun little story! The perfect family - the perfect husband and wife. They live in a wonderful home. She is a realtor and he is a tennis coach at the prestigious country club near them. One daughter, one son and they eat organic, eat dinner together every night and their kids are in all the right sports and activities. Perfect.

Except the parents aren't like your normal parents - they have some secrets. Like they like to kill together. As the story unfolds, you can't help but read enraptured but also repulsed by the couple. Their world and their planning is fascinating and awful and the twists and turns were fun. This is a unique story and I loved that about it!! ( )

Dark and disturbing, Exactly what I was looking for in a thriller , this was one thriller that finally (after quite a few duds) met my expectations.

Wasn’t sure I was going to read this one as it was ONE of those with WIFE in the title and having read quite a few in the past year I kinda had my fill of the WIFE and GIRL titles and yet my friends were loving this one and my friends on goodreads generally know what they talking about.

This is the story of a Husband and Wife, married for 15 years, 2 kids and a home on the right side of the tracks, Just your average suburban family doing ordinary family activities at the weekends or are they? What can appear as normal family life on the outside can be hiding dark and dangerous secrets on the inside.

Another book where the less said the better, well written debut and quite a page turner making this one hard to believe it is the author’s first novel. Cant wait to see what Samantha Downing next novel is about is this is just her debut.
Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. And if you looking for a nice cosy read with endearing characters you don't want to pick up this novel.
I think readers who enjoyed thrillers such as [b:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528120440s/36388243.jpg|58079049][bc:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528120440s/36388243.jpg|58079049] [bc:The Secrets She Keeps|33584818|The Secrets She Keeps|Michael Robotham|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486388451s/33584818.jpg|54397694][b:The Secrets She Keeps|33584818|The Secrets She Keeps|Michael Robotham|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486388451s/33584818.jpg|54397694] might well enjoy this novel.

I listened to this one on Audible and the narration by David Pittu was excellent.

This is one to pack for holidays.✈️✈️✈️🏖🏖 ( )

Somewhat disturbing, but also very entertaining! I can usually figure out what's going to happen in stories like this - not this time. I was totally surprised. Thought the way everything was wrapped up in the epilogue was kind of unbelievable, but I'm going to let it go because the rest of it was so good. This author is kind of off the rails, in a good way! ( )

Edge of my seat the whole time--I did NOT see it coming! I love books like this, where it's more thriller than outright mystery. Good stuff! ( )

Very slow build, but I love a good twist! ( )

I enjoyed this very much. Parts were super predictable but I liked the ride! ( )

I’m trying to process what the heck just happened, considering I binge read the last 40% of the book in one sitting. definitely gone girl vibes 10000%. not sure what the author was trying to do with the whole Tobias thing in the epilogue. but I did love the short chapters, and the even shorter sections within the chapter. the storyline was good. the plot twist was good too, but it wasn’t really unexpected. i wasn’t too surprised if that makes sense. this was the second book I’ve read by this author - I think I liked For Your Own Good better but I’ll definitely be picking up more by this author! ( )

i did like this book. it was good. ( )

Once I read the jacket blurb; I was hooked. This one grabbed me and pulled me in quickly. Although the author does skip back and forth in time with events quite often, it didn’t actually detract from the story. I will admit I did get lost once or twice, but I quickly was able to orient to the action. A good summer read. I will definitely read another book by this author. ( )

Samantha Downing just became a new fav author and David Pittu my narrator. I thought this book was brilliant with an amazing twist and he (Pittu) made the story come alive. **SPOILER** I wasn’t sure where Downings was going with the cheating husband, but wow, perfect revenge. Goes to show even when you’re a scorned lover be careful your revenge doesn’t become your own downfall. Love everything about this book.

I listened to the audiobook of this and didn't read it. ( )

oh MAN. it was interesting the whole way through but that last hundred pages........and then those last FIVE pages........................bRUH. i am so glad this was my first foray into thrillers because wow how could i have picked a better one ( )

I knew this would get 5 stars within the first few chapters. Such an addicting book to read. ( )

This story had me drawn in and kept me reading to find out what happened. Yet it is also so unbelievable, especially in regards to what happens at the end of the novel. ( )

A bored suburban couple needs a new distraction. Then things get weird — real weird. ( )

Great thriller with lots of twists and turns. Dragged a little in the middle but ended with a great twist.
Still trying to figure out who started it. ( )

Millicent and her husband, the unnamed narrator, have two teen-aged children and, from the outside, lead a normal life. He is a country club tennis pro and she is a residential realtor. Their interests, which are far from normal, soon become apparent when young women disappear under the guise they’ve created that a former serial killer is active once again. Although the book does drag in parts and requires a considerable suspension of disbelief, the premise that two psychopathic people are married held my interest. The ultimate questions are which one is more capable of unspeakable evil and is the other equally culpable? ( )

What a fabulous (if a bit over the top) novel about an upwardly mobile middle-class family in a private development (enclave) in Central Florida... two parents and two teenage children -- but with such a deep, dark thread of murder and deception. Can't say more, but if you like dark characters and family drama, then this is the book for you,. ( )

This was so insane. I started out reading on my Kindle but, not far in, I decided it was something my partner would be entertained by and switched to audiobook. We liked the narrator, David Pittu. We thought he did a good job with staying in character.
The book opens with Tobias, our narrator, picking up a woman in a bar. He is deaf so he uses his phone to communicate. We goes home with her for a one night stand. As he is leaving we find out several things. He lied to her, and us. Tobias is not his name. He is not deaf. He is a serial killer and she dodged a death. “Tobias,” (we never find out his real name), goes home and we find out he has a wife and two children. Then comes another twist.
This book has funny timing for me. It is a bit slow, while we hear a lot about how he met his wife, about his life, her life, their children. It is, at the same time, a bit fast as I kept reading all the way until the end. There were several twists, (which since I don’t want to give away anything limits what I am writing), that were kind of crazy to us. Some things, with the kids, I was like, the parents are worried about this when these other things are happening? It was all a part of the insanity. I thought it all tied up, with some unexpected stuff, in a way that I was left with an understanding of all that. I did have a couple remaining questions that deal a bit with nature vs nurture type of things and responsibilities. I’m okay with that, though, as I like when a book leaves me exploring what it implies and doesn’t imply along with my opinions on things.
I had this one on my TBR since last year. My only regret was how long it took me to get around to reading it. If you like unbelievably twisty psychological tales, this might be one for you. ( )

This is an amusing, twisted little story. Highly unlikely but still fun. Lately whenever a contemporary (2018 or after) book has an "x years later" epilogue, I imagine what that epilogue would look like if the author had known covid was on the horizon. The reality of the pandemic kind of constrains my imaginings of any story past the back cover. Among other things. ( )

A tense thrill ride that keeps you hooked from the start with an ending you cant anticipate ( )

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

Our story starts when a man and woman, named Millicent, fall in love. They get married. They work hard to establish a life for themselves and their children. They have friends and careers. They go to parties and on dates. They have their problems like any couple. But they have a secret, a secret to help keep that spark alive. Murder.

So the original idea behind this story so was intriguing to me that I had to read it. Even though thrillers are not a genre I generally read. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping it to be. In fact, for most of the story, it was pretty boring. It had just enough interesting parts to keep me reading, but I did find I had to struggle with it. Luckily though it is not predictable. It has crazy twists throughout the book, emphasis no the CRAZY. And I found myself rooting for the narrator in parts, even though he is super crazy and evil. The ending was great but was short. When I say ending I mean the very end. ( )

Holy cow...the ending got me. That hardly ever happens! Love this book! ( )

This is a solid 3-star book for me. I thoroughly enjoy this genre, but this story was a basic run-of-the-mill thriller/mystery. I was captivated by the premise and really wanted to know how the heck this couple was going to get away with murder, and that need fueled me to continue reading.

The writing is pleasant and quick to get into the story and paced appropriately that it does not drag. I'm not as excited or shocked-induced as other reviewers of this book. As I said, I don't think it has anything that is shocking/wow-inducing.

The 'ah-ha' moment is interesting, but I wasn't overly surprised. I sort of suspected this conclusion in this domesticated serial killer story.

It very much checks off the boxes for a plot in this genre, and I would recommend this book for avid readers that enjoy this type of story who want a quick read in between their TBR stacks. ( )

I think I am speechless. 5 Huge ⚡️🌟💫✨⚡️ This book was amazing and creepy and scary and dark and funny and any other adjective you can think of all mixed up in a pretty intense thriller. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. There were times I suspected something else was going on other than the obvious but I was never sure.
Some of the couples interactions are just plain creepy and funny. How is that even possible? This is probably the best book I have read this year as far as thrillers go. I won’t be forgetting this one any time soon. ( )