The Secret Wife
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- Create Date：2021-12-13 21:21:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily Shiner
- ISBN：B09LR7D7Y9
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Summary
What happens when the perfect family trip becomes the perfect nightmare？
Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls。 She loves her hectic life， but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband， Michael， takes the kids on a camping trip。
But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken， deep in the forest。
One is returned safe。 But one is still missing。
As Cara and Michael frantically search for their little girl it becomes clear that this is no random abduction – her disappearance is linked to shocking secrets which are only now being revealed。
And Cara begins to wonder how well she really knows her husband。 Is the stress making her paranoid？ Or is she finally seeing him as he really is？
Time is running out。 How far will Cara go to find her daughter？
Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls。 She loves her hectic life， but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband， Michael， takes the kids on a camping trip。
But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken， deep in the forest。
One is returned safe。 But one is still missing。
As Cara and Michael frantically search for their little girl it becomes clear that this is no random abduction – her disappearance is linked to shocking secrets which are only now being revealed。
And Cara begins to wonder how well she really knows her husband。 Is the stress making her paranoid？ Or is she finally seeing him as he really is？
Time is running out。 How far will Cara go to find her daughter？
Reviews
Charlotte Baddeley
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What could make a better read？ Two little girls kidnapped whilst on a camping trip with their dad and only one is returned。 From the outset you know that something is just not right with Michael。 His obsession with getting his own way。 His manipulative personality。 On the outside Michael and Cara seem like the perfect couple with the perfect family but when things start to unravel how far will Cara go to get her little girl back？ Who and what is she prepared to sacrifice？ How far will Michael go What could make a better read？ Two little girls kidnapped whilst on a camping trip with their dad and only one is returned。 From the outset you know that something is just not right with Michael。 His obsession with getting his own way。 His manipulative personality。 On the outside Michael and Cara seem like the perfect couple with the perfect family but when things start to unravel how far will Cara go to get her little girl back？ Who and what is she prepared to sacrifice？ How far will Michael go to stop her finding out his secrets？ As things progress this is not the story I was expecting and as for the ending。 This was not the ending I was expecting。 Was it a great ending？ I’ll let you make your own mind up。 。。。more
Leighton
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Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner is an unputdownable， fast-paced domestic thriller that is perfect for fans of Kiersten Modglin and B。A。 Paris。 The plot is told from two first-person POV's: Cara and Michael。 From the outside， they look like the perfect couple。 They have two girls together。 Everything seems perfect。 One day， Michael takes their girls on a camping trip， and one of their daughter unexpectedly go Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner is an unputdownable， fast-paced domestic thriller that is perfect for fans of Kiersten Modglin and B。A。 Paris。 The plot is told from two first-person POV's: Cara and Michael。 From the outside， they look like the perfect couple。 They have two girls together。 Everything seems perfect。 One day， Michael takes their girls on a camping trip， and one of their daughter unexpectedly goes missing。 Who could have taken her？ What secrets is Cara hiding？ And what about Michael？Here is a gripping excerpt from the Prologue:"I'm in the middle of a small clearing， but the woods around me are so thick that it's hard to see more than a few feet in any direction。 That's why I'm so quiet， listening as I wait for any sign of movement。 I heard when the family got to the campsite， then heard them all rustling around looking for sticks for the fire。It wasn't until their father left the girls that I knew I'd finally get the chance to do what needed to be done。Standing， I creep through the woods， picking my way around a patch of brambles that pluck at my jeans， and step carefully over a rotten log that looks like it's been on the forest floor for years。"Overall， The Secret Wife is a domestic thriller full of twists and turns。 I could not put it down。 I had to keep reading to find out what happened next， and I ended up finishing the book in a day。 One highlight of this book are the many twists and turns in the plot。 I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists。 I did take off 1 star though， because I felt that there were too many twists， and the ending wasn't quite satisfying。 It reminded me of Kiersten Modglin's The Arrangement， because the plot just kept getting crazier until it went off the rails。 If you're intrigued by the excerpt above， or if you're a fan of domestic thrillers in general， you can check out this book when it comes out in December！ 。。。more
Caroline 'reading with Buddy'
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I really enjoyed this， did not know where it was going but knew it was going to go somewhere。 The two main characters were quite developed， not so sure about the ending but went with it。 Apart from that it all made sense so glad that I read it。 I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own。
lillian mcmillian
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GryWhat a twisted story that will capture you and keep you guessing til the end。 It is very easy to follow the storyline and you won't want to stop reading til the end。 Enjoy！ GryWhat a twisted story that will capture you and keep you guessing til the end。 It is very easy to follow the storyline and you won't want to stop reading til the end。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Jassica Sun
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Didn’t really like the book because the male lead character irritated me from the first few pages with how he described the wife and the marriage。 I knew something would be up with him from the get-go so there wasn’t much of a surprise。
Alex
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If you like thrillers that keep you guessing this is for you！ I really enjoyed The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner， that I read it in one sitting。 It had me hooked from the beginning trying to figure out what was really going on between Micheal and Cara， husband and wife of a blended family。 Michael is a widower and has a daughter Laura from his first marriage， who Cara considers her own as well as a daughter they share， Olivia。 Michael decides to take the girls camping for a daddy-daughter weekend， If you like thrillers that keep you guessing this is for you！ I really enjoyed The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner， that I read it in one sitting。 It had me hooked from the beginning trying to figure out what was really going on between Micheal and Cara， husband and wife of a blended family。 Michael is a widower and has a daughter Laura from his first marriage， who Cara considers her own as well as a daughter they share， Olivia。 Michael decides to take the girls camping for a daddy-daughter weekend， but one of the girls disappears durning the trip。 This is where things get interesting。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Billie
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This is a brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review。 This is a brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review。 。。。more
Barbara Behring
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The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner was an exciting， page turning， domestic thriller。 I really enjoyed the premise of the story and I loved Cara， one of the main characters。 I was a little disappointed with the ending， but all in all it was a very enjoyable read，
Jen
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This was a quick and action-packed read that only kind of hit the mark for me。 It centers on married couple Michael and Cara- Cara needs a break after raising their 2 young girls and Michael takes them camping for the weekend。 Almost as soon as they get there， the girls go missing。 The chapters alternate between Cara and Michael’s POV， which keeps the book moving at a fast clip， though neither character is super likable。 I felt like while there was action， there really weren’t that many twists， This was a quick and action-packed read that only kind of hit the mark for me。 It centers on married couple Michael and Cara- Cara needs a break after raising their 2 young girls and Michael takes them camping for the weekend。 Almost as soon as they get there， the girls go missing。 The chapters alternate between Cara and Michael’s POV， which keeps the book moving at a fast clip， though neither character is super likable。 I felt like while there was action， there really weren’t that many twists， though。 All in all， fun read that moved really fast even if the twists weren’t all that shocking。 Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Pat Pullum
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Cara and Michael have a good life with their two daughters。 Cara is going to have a relaxing weekend as her husband is taking the girls on a camping trip， but it turns into a nightmare weekend when her daughters are kidnapped。 The police are doing all they can， but Cara discovers that her husband is hiding something from her and she is convinced that it has something to do with her daughters being taken。I enjoyed this book until I came to the ending which I found to be rather tame。I do thank the Cara and Michael have a good life with their two daughters。 Cara is going to have a relaxing weekend as her husband is taking the girls on a camping trip， but it turns into a nightmare weekend when her daughters are kidnapped。 The police are doing all they can， but Cara discovers that her husband is hiding something from her and she is convinced that it has something to do with her daughters being taken。I enjoyed this book until I came to the ending which I found to be rather tame。I do thank the author， publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Cathylynn
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This kept me on the edge of my seat。 It also seemed so real。 I have children and camp and if they went missing I would have done anything to get them back。 With that frame of mind I had to see what happened， and when one returned I found that intriguing， and really started to wonder why。 This just hooked me from the start and kept me wanting to know what happened。 I found this book to be a wonderful suspenseful thriller with secrets and emotional。 Loved this book。I received a free copy of this b This kept me on the edge of my seat。 It also seemed so real。 I have children and camp and if they went missing I would have done anything to get them back。 With that frame of mind I had to see what happened， and when one returned I found that intriguing， and really started to wonder why。 This just hooked me from the start and kept me wanting to know what happened。 I found this book to be a wonderful suspenseful thriller with secrets and emotional。 Loved this book。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Bookishdays
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I was hooked since the beginning and couldn't stop this intense thriller with a story that surprised me till the end。 Michael and Cara are the perfect couple with two beautiful and adorable daughters， but when Michael goes camping with the girls， leaving his wife to a weekend of indulgence and well deserve rest， the nightmare begins as someone kidnapped one of Michael's daughters Laura， the fruit of his first marriage， but loved and cared by Cara as her own。 From that moment， I was restless to k I was hooked since the beginning and couldn't stop this intense thriller with a story that surprised me till the end。 Michael and Cara are the perfect couple with two beautiful and adorable daughters， but when Michael goes camping with the girls， leaving his wife to a weekend of indulgence and well deserve rest， the nightmare begins as someone kidnapped one of Michael's daughters Laura， the fruit of his first marriage， but loved and cared by Cara as her own。 From that moment， I was restless to know what happened to Laura and I was involved in a web of lies。 If you like a fast paced thriller with a very surprising ending with a strong protagonist， this is the perfect reading for you。 This is a well written book and I found most enjoyable。 I highly recommend it。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Gayle Noble
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Cara is married to Michael & they have two little girls; Laura & Olivia。 Michael takes the girls on an overnight camping trip so that Cara can have some much needed alone time， but when he leaves the girls alone for a short time， when he returns they have disappeared。 The police are called & Cara remembers a couple of times when a strange man has tried to get Michael's attention & been loitering outside their home， but Michael claims it is all a coincidence & that he doesn't know the man。 Cara i Cara is married to Michael & they have two little girls; Laura & Olivia。 Michael takes the girls on an overnight camping trip so that Cara can have some much needed alone time， but when he leaves the girls alone for a short time， when he returns they have disappeared。 The police are called & Cara remembers a couple of times when a strange man has tried to get Michael's attention & been loitering outside their home， but Michael claims it is all a coincidence & that he doesn't know the man。 Cara is sure he is lying but why would he not tell the police all he knows？ When they find Olivia but not Laura， Cara is determined to find out what happened。I was looking forward to this one due to the synopsis， but it was a little disappointing。 The narration flips between Cara & Michael， but yet again， we have a unreliable female viewpoint due to mental illness which I think has been done to death over the recent years。 Neither Cara or Michael are particularly nice people， the more the reader sees from their viewpoints， you realise how selfish both of them are。 Most of the twist was pretty easy to work out too。 Overall， it isn't a bad read but it could have been better。 My thanks to NetGalley & publishers， Inkubator， for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more
STEPH
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I hate to be a party pooper but I’m gonna be one of those （few） people who didn’t like this book。 I apologise but the story turned out to be half-baked and downright lacking。 Like， I wanted more， I wanted to feel more。 First off， the characters were ridiculously annoying and shallow。 I was hoping that throughout the pages， I’d be able to see some major character developments， however， that didn’t happen。 I think the author threw in the mental illness narrative to kind of push the motivations of I hate to be a party pooper but I’m gonna be one of those （few） people who didn’t like this book。 I apologise but the story turned out to be half-baked and downright lacking。 Like， I wanted more， I wanted to feel more。 First off， the characters were ridiculously annoying and shallow。 I was hoping that throughout the pages， I’d be able to see some major character developments， however， that didn’t happen。 I think the author threw in the mental illness narrative to kind of push the motivations of one of the characters。 I thought it would make sense。 But sadly， it didn’t。 The plot twists were kind of meh and unexceptional。 Like， “OK， that was it？ Right。” The thing is， it started out so well。 The writing was simple and easy to understand， I was totally expecting to be caught off guard by the unexpected twists and turns but it failed— big time。 It was only a short read and I’m grateful for that because I’d probably have clawed my eyes out if it wasn’t。 Cheers to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC。 。。。more
Megan Houde
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Welp this was a fast paced， heart pounding read！ We have Michale and Cara， the picture perfect parents， or are they。 Michale has always wanted a big family and he’ll stop at nothing to get it。 And Cara who struggled to get pregnant isn’t sure she wants anymore kids。 This sets in motion Michale’s scheming and it’s not the first time it’s happened。 I love a good domestic thriller， and even though this was an easy to follow book， this story had me。 Obviously like the title states， we all know Mic Welp this was a fast paced， heart pounding read！ We have Michale and Cara， the picture perfect parents， or are they。 Michale has always wanted a big family and he’ll stop at nothing to get it。 And Cara who struggled to get pregnant isn’t sure she wants anymore kids。 This sets in motion Michale’s scheming and it’s not the first time it’s happened。 I love a good domestic thriller， and even though this was an easy to follow book， this story had me。 Obviously like the title states， we all know Michael’s going to have more than one wife， but how he goes about it is odd。 We start to learn more about Cara and honestly I think they’re so much a like as a couple that they don’t realize how perfect they are for each other。 The end goal is they both want the kids and nothings getting in the way。 And BAM！ Watch out for that ending… it’s twisty！ 。。。more
Jennifer Denneny
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Could not put this book down。 Such a quick read with a fast moving， very well developed plot。 The main characters are very relatable and thought out。 I was a little worried when I read some of the reviews but I am so happy I decided to read anyway。 Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy of this book！
Mary Ryan
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I quite enjoyed this。 Michael brings his 2 daughters on a camping trip one Saturday leaving his wife Cara at home to enjoy a relaxing child-free weekend。 She realises Laura has left her favourite toy behind so decides to travel to the campsite to give the toy to Laura。 When she gets there， and meets Michael， they realise that their kids are missing。 They find Olivia， but where is Laura？The story is told from 2 points of view， Cara and Michael。 I don't like either of them but as we see from Micha I quite enjoyed this。 Michael brings his 2 daughters on a camping trip one Saturday leaving his wife Cara at home to enjoy a relaxing child-free weekend。 She realises Laura has left her favourite toy behind so decides to travel to the campsite to give the toy to Laura。 When she gets there， and meets Michael， they realise that their kids are missing。 They find Olivia， but where is Laura？The story is told from 2 points of view， Cara and Michael。 I don't like either of them but as we see from Michael's side， it is clear that he is not the clean-cut guy as he likes to portray。 I like the points of view aspect but I felt that less is more when it came to Michael as there was no real big reveal at the end。 I found myself gripped by the story and kept wanting to read more。 The actual reveal at the end was somewhat disappointing。 One aspect was obvious although very far-fetched。 I was also expecting some more police involvement in the missing child investigation。 That seemed to be pushed into the background。 Despite that， it kept me hooked throughout。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Caitie Silvia
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I really wanted to like this one！ I usually don't love dual points of view but I think it really worked here。 The pacing was great， causing me to speed through the entire book in just a few hours！ I didn't love or connect with either of the main characters though， and the ending fell a bit flat。 I also thought the four year old acted and spoke way too maturely for her age， and it was yet another book with mental illness as a plot device。 It was a decent， quick read though and I'd definitely be i I really wanted to like this one！ I usually don't love dual points of view but I think it really worked here。 The pacing was great， causing me to speed through the entire book in just a few hours！ I didn't love or connect with either of the main characters though， and the ending fell a bit flat。 I also thought the four year old acted and spoke way too maturely for her age， and it was yet another book with mental illness as a plot device。 It was a decent， quick read though and I'd definitely be interested to see what the author puts out next。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC！ 。。。more
Samsbookspot
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Cara is the mother of two young girls。 Life is chaotic and when her husband Michael agrees to take the girls on a camping weekend to give Cara a break， she eagerly agrees。But the camping trip turns into a nightmare。 Both girls are snatched and after 24 hours one is returned safely but one is still missing。This was a quick read with no twists and turns。 I had this book figured out from the first chapter and that was ok as the writer had an intriguing way of writing that held my interest and kept Cara is the mother of two young girls。 Life is chaotic and when her husband Michael agrees to take the girls on a camping weekend to give Cara a break， she eagerly agrees。But the camping trip turns into a nightmare。 Both girls are snatched and after 24 hours one is returned safely but one is still missing。This was a quick read with no twists and turns。 I had this book figured out from the first chapter and that was ok as the writer had an intriguing way of writing that held my interest and kept me turning the pages。 I also loved how the chapters were short and told from Michael’s and Cara’s point of view。I did not love the ending as I felt that Cara made a poor choice and I wish she had been strong enough to make a better decision。Overall this was a good read and I will definitely read this author again。Thank you to Netgalley， Inkubator Books and the author for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review。 。。。more
Julie
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Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the arc of this book。 I enjoyed reading it， even though I didn't like or connect with any of the characters。 Reading his POV gave a ton of clues that something wasn't right， so the reveal was not shocking。 The writing was good and the book kept my attention。 The ending was a big disappointment to me and besides not making sense made the book seem like hundreds of books out there。 2。5 stars rounded up to 3。 Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the arc of this book。 I enjoyed reading it， even though I didn't like or connect with any of the characters。 Reading his POV gave a ton of clues that something wasn't right， so the reveal was not shocking。 The writing was good and the book kept my attention。 The ending was a big disappointment to me and besides not making sense made the book seem like hundreds of books out there。 2。5 stars rounded up to 3。 。。。more
The Book Booth
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I enjoyed The Secret Wife， it’s very fast paced and I finished it in one sitting。 I thought the plot was well done and definitely didn’t see that ending coming at all。 The book is well written and clever。 Great afternoon read！
Connie
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Michael and Cara are a blended family。 Michael was a widower and Laura is his daughter。 Now， he and Cara are married and have another daughter， Olivia。 Cara adores both girls and considers both of them her children。One weekend， Michael says he is taking the girls camping and Cara can stay home and relax。 She agrees that while she will miss them， she can do with some down time。 Michael has been wanting them to have another baby but Cara is skeptical。When Michael and the girls get to their campsit Michael and Cara are a blended family。 Michael was a widower and Laura is his daughter。 Now， he and Cara are married and have another daughter， Olivia。 Cara adores both girls and considers both of them her children。One weekend， Michael says he is taking the girls camping and Cara can stay home and relax。 She agrees that while she will miss them， she can do with some down time。 Michael has been wanting them to have another baby but Cara is skeptical。When Michael and the girls get to their campsite a little ways from the other campers， he sets up the tent and is ready to settle in。 That is until Laura starts crying for her teddy bear that goes with her everywhere。 Michael figures he must have left it in the car so he zips the girls inside the tent telling them to stay there and hurries back to the car。 Not finding the bear， he runs back to the tent only to find the girls gone。When Cara learns this， she starts to panic and both she and Michael are frantic。 The police get involved and Cara tells them that she saw an older man in their yard staring at the house and it frightened her。 Then Olivia shows back up and Laura is still missing。Now， the secrets are starting to emerge between Michael and Cara。 What could have been the reason for Laura to be taken？This is certainly a compelling story but in the end I found it a bit far-fetched。 However， I feel the author produced a great book and I look forward to reading more from her。Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Kimberly Kraus
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I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book。 It was a great book。 The two main characters have their own point of view between chapters。 They have two children。 Laura was from a previous marriage and Olivia they had together。 Michael the dad takes the two girls on an overnight camping trip while Cara stays home。 Cara realizes that Laura accidentally leaves her purple stuffed animal at the house so Cara packs herself a bag and goes to where Michael and the girls are staying。 The girls are kidna I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book。 It was a great book。 The two main characters have their own point of view between chapters。 They have two children。 Laura was from a previous marriage and Olivia they had together。 Michael the dad takes the two girls on an overnight camping trip while Cara stays home。 Cara realizes that Laura accidentally leaves her purple stuffed animal at the house so Cara packs herself a bag and goes to where Michael and the girls are staying。 The girls are kidnapped and one of the girls is found and the other one is still missing。 This book left me sitting at the end of my seat trying to figure out who kidnapped the girls。 。。。more
Trisha Hamilton
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Unrealistic with several inconsistencies。 Disappointing。
J_Mc 251
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Every once in a while， I get a psych thriller that leaves me thinking “what the heck did I just read？” This is that psych thriller。 It is an uneven story， and some of the author’s choices do not ring true。 The writing is simplistic。 There are incidents that seemingly do not connect to each other。 In short， the author doesn’t seem to have focus， as plot points come and go and the story meanders。 But there are enough clues that hint at an undercurrent – something more is going on in this story tha Every once in a while， I get a psych thriller that leaves me thinking “what the heck did I just read？” This is that psych thriller。 It is an uneven story， and some of the author’s choices do not ring true。 The writing is simplistic。 There are incidents that seemingly do not connect to each other。 In short， the author doesn’t seem to have focus， as plot points come and go and the story meanders。 But there are enough clues that hint at an undercurrent – something more is going on in this story than meets the eye。 And that is exactly why I actually recommend it。 You will probably spend a large portion of it wondering what the heck is going on。 This is especially true as Cara suddenly proves herself to be a completely unreliable narrator。 And suddenly， what seems like a simple kidnapping case （no spoiler， it’s literally in the blurb） takes on a more sinister turn。 Once that is established， there’s enough to keep a reader interested in spite of the shortcomings。 For more details， please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks。 This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Inkubator Books。 。。。more
Michaela Syson
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An interesting thriller。 Short snappy chapters written from both Michael and Cara’s point of view。 It wasn’t that shocking。 I did guess what was happening a short way into the book。 However the depth of Michael’s deception was a shock。 I would have enjoyed a more detailed ending。 It seemed quite sharp and short。 I would have liked to know what happened and whether they stayed together。 Overall a good thriller - it’s not too long and is easy to read。
M。 Reads Books and Fics
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Mental illness isn’t a plot twist。 Stop doing that
Diane Dachota
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Thriller about a missing child and alternate husband/wife narrators provided a quick read and an interesting plot。 Tara and Michael are a married couple with two daughters; Laura， a seven year old who is Michael's daughter with his previous wife， and Olivia who is preschool age。 Michael works at a bank and Tara is a stay at home mom。 Michael decides to give his wife a break and take the kids camping for the weekend so Tara can read， relax and not be on mom duty。 Once he leaves， Tara realizes Lau Thriller about a missing child and alternate husband/wife narrators provided a quick read and an interesting plot。 Tara and Michael are a married couple with two daughters; Laura， a seven year old who is Michael's daughter with his previous wife， and Olivia who is preschool age。 Michael works at a bank and Tara is a stay at home mom。 Michael decides to give his wife a break and take the kids camping for the weekend so Tara can read， relax and not be on mom duty。 Once he leaves， Tara realizes Laura's precious stuffed bear was left behind and Laura won't be able to sleep without it。 So she drives to the campground only to find Michael left the girls alone in the tent to walk back to his car and the girls are now missing。 The author does a good job of showing Tara as a devoted mother and I always felt something was off with Michael but we don't find out what that it until later in the book。 With the help of the police， the couple try to find their missing girls and in the process， family secrets come out which could help lead to the answers Tara seeks。 I couldn't rate this higher than three stars for a couple of reasons: the sentence structure seemed kind of simple and almost like you would find in a young adult book。 And various little things didn't make sense。 At one point Michael is wondering why Tara is looking out of the window as they drive on a freeway because you can't see out of the windows on a freeway？ What？ Also the couple sometimes talk to their preschool aged daughter as if she is much older and she also acts much older than her age at times。 Also didn't like the portrayal of mental illness in the book and the constant references made to it。 I did want to read to the end to find out what happened。 Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator publishing for a free book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Joyce Stewart Reviews
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The Secret WifeAuthor : Emily ShinerPublisher: Inkubator Books Publication date: December 5， 20215 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠Description: What happens when the perfect family trip becomes the perfect nightmare？ Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls。 She loves her hectic life， but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband， Michael， takes the kids on a camping trip。 But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken， deep in the forest。 One is returned safe。 But one The Secret WifeAuthor : Emily ShinerPublisher: Inkubator Books Publication date: December 5， 20215 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠Description: What happens when the perfect family trip becomes the perfect nightmare？ Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls。 She loves her hectic life， but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband， Michael， takes the kids on a camping trip。 But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken， deep in the forest。 One is returned safe。 But one is still missing。 As Cara and Michael frantically search for their little girl it becomes clear that this is no random abduction – her disappearance is linked to shocking secrets which are only now being revealed。 And Cara begins to wonder how well she really knows her husband。 Is the stress making her paranoid？ Or is she finally seeing him as he really is？ Time is running out。 How far will Cara go to find her daughter？ ⭐📘📗MY REVIEW📘📗⭐This book has been impossible to put down， it engulfs you and drags you deep into the characters lives。 The characters are all realistic and described so well I really felt that I got to know them all。 Emily Shiner does a great job of putting us in the head of her characters。 The plot is told from two points of view Cara and Michael and really makes you wonder how well do we REALLY know the person to whom we are married？ 。。。Do we ever REALLY know what they are REALLY thinking and feeling？ The storyline was easy to read and packed full of mystery， suspense， and lies 。 Just when you think the story is going in one direction， another sudden unexpected twist jerks it in another。 There was plenty of twists and turns which built up to a brilliant unexpected ending。 I must say this was an excellent psychological thriller。 The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read。 The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the descriptions took me on a journey。 I just want to say Thank you to author， publisher， and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this 5 star story 。 I truly appreciate it！*******Disclosure*******I received a free E -ARC copy of this book from netgalley prior to release。 Many thanks to NetGalley ，the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review a copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review。 I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors。 Therefore， I am under no obligation to write a positive review， only an honest one。 All opinions I have expressed are my own。 As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon。 It does not have to be long。 Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do。 Authors really appreciate every review they get ！#joycestewartreviews #bookstagrammers #NetGalley #bookwormlife #books #bookreviewblogger #TheSecretWife#EmilyShiner 。。。more
Sambooka23
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Woah。 What did I just read？ I literally binged this book in 6 hours - I could not put it down at all。 I even thought I knew what was going to happen （I guessed to an extent） but then Emily threw in another twist right as I thought I’d guessed correctly。 Cara is a strong-willed character and I adored Michael but my opinion did change at the end。 I thought it was quite eventful， it was a fast-paced thriller that kept the reader on their toes and even when you think you’ve pegged the kidnapper， Emi Woah。 What did I just read？ I literally binged this book in 6 hours - I could not put it down at all。 I even thought I knew what was going to happen （I guessed to an extent） but then Emily threw in another twist right as I thought I’d guessed correctly。 Cara is a strong-willed character and I adored Michael but my opinion did change at the end。 I thought it was quite eventful， it was a fast-paced thriller that kept the reader on their toes and even when you think you’ve pegged the kidnapper， Emily throws another curveball。 At first I thought it was because it was obvious so she wanted to keep the reader but actually， it’s actually quite upsetting。 I cannot imagine ever having a child kidnapped and trying to find out who done。 I am sure Michael was feeling helpless when one of his kids was kidnapped and the other returned。 However， I think the readers opinion of Michael will change at the end of the book… No spoilers！！ A great book that made me want to read as fast as I could to get to the end to see who kidnapped their daughter and why。 Thank you to @zooloosbooktour for allowing me on your book tour and to @authoremilyshiner for allowing me a copy of this ARC！ This is my first book from you and it won’t be my last！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Secret Wife
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Secret Wife&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Secret Wife&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0