Thriller

The Women

The Women

  • Downloads：8622
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-29 14:16:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：S.E. Lynes
  • ISBN：1786819066
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The night she moves in with Peter， she's so happy， so exhilarated， so in love。 Later， she will remember a much smaller feeling， a tiny one percent in her gut。 And she will remember pushing that feeling aside。。。

Samantha Frayn doesn't know why Peter Bridges picks her - a nobody with bitten fingernails and a troubled childhood behind her - but she falls quickly。 He's older， charming， likes fine wine and French films， and his beautiful home has real art on its walls。

Peter transforms Samantha's life in an instant。 He sees the better version of herself - the one she's always wanted to be。 It's only normal that there's a little friction， when she moves in， over domestic matters like where things are kept， or the proper times to eat， sleep and shower。 She's lucky to be with someone who can help her find a new job， move on from childish friends， and speak with greater sophistication。

But as Samantha notices， more and more， Peter's temper， she starts to wonder if there might be consequences to breaking the rules of the world he has so quickly built around her。

And then she receives an anonymous note that makes her ask: is she the first woman to feel trapped by Peter？ Is she being paranoid， manipulated， or could she be in danger？

You can tell the truth about your life， but someone needs to be listening。 Someone needs to trust you。 And someone needs to save you from the man you thought you loved。
Readers love The Women！


'Wow。。。 Devoured in one sitting！！！ Loved it。' Goodreads reviewer， 5 stars

'Had me reading this in one sitting， as there was no way I was going to stop until I had finishedit。 That to me is what makes a book great！ I really loved this book' Once Upon a Time Book Reviews， 5 stars

'I absolutely loved this page turner of a novel。。。 I cannot recommend it highly enough。' Goodreads reviewer， 5 stars

'This is a writer who just keeps getting better and better。 The Women is S。E Lynes' fifth book and for me it is the best yet。。。 a novel of exceptional skill。' Goodreads reviewer， 5 stars

'I literally could not stop reading this book。' Goodreads reviewer， 5 stars

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Reviews

Mrs。 L。M。 ，

Brilliant writing。 Kept me engrossed。 Can’t wait to read her next book The Housewarming。 Think I’ll start it tomorrow morning with a cup of tea。

Mayar El Mahdy ，

3。5/5This one was a bit of a slow-burn， but once it got going it was great。 I really liked how the protagonist got methodical at the end and managed to profit from her plight。

Ceecee ，

Read this over Christmas period and forgot to put my review in。 🤦🏼‍♀️🙄I don’t make new year resolutions as I never keep them but I resolve to read every book SE Lynes has written in 2021。 This is how you write a psychological thriller！ Peter Bridges is a forty year old professor who meets 21 year old Samantha Frayn and sweeps her off her feet。 I wish I could tell you this is a happy ever after but it soon becomes clear that Peter is not the charming Professor he claims to be， in fact he’s got an Read this over Christmas period and forgot to put my review in。 🤦🏼‍♀️🙄I don’t make new year resolutions as I never keep them but I resolve to read every book SE Lynes has written in 2021。 This is how you write a psychological thriller！ Peter Bridges is a forty year old professor who meets 21 year old Samantha Frayn and sweeps her off her feet。 I wish I could tell you this is a happy ever after but it soon becomes clear that Peter is not the charming Professor he claims to be， in fact he’s got an MA， possibly a PhD is control。 This is a well written and fast paced novel and one that’s hard to put down。 You want to yell at Samantha to wake up and smell the roses and eventually she sure does。 SE Lynes writes clever， smart， intense books with a soupçon of dark humour which I really like。 So as soon as the arcs allow I’m onto the next 。。。。。 。。。more

Lynn ，

Good book！ Descriptions and emotions were spot on！

Heather ，

Wow！ This book had me completely glued from the beginning。 Although it felt a little obvious and far-fetched in some places， I thought it was an amazing take on a psychological thriller。 I can’t waif to read more book by this author， and books in a similar genre。4/5 ⭐️

Maylin ，

I nearly gave up on this early on but as the protagonist started to grow a backbone it got more interesting。 It was a bit simplistic at times but illustrated well how women can become gradually caught in a relationship they wouldn't have chosen at the start but collude in everyday。 I nearly gave up on this early on but as the protagonist started to grow a backbone it got more interesting。 It was a bit simplistic at times but illustrated well how women can become gradually caught in a relationship they wouldn't have chosen at the start but collude in everyday。 。。。more

Cari ，

I was kinda disappointed with this one。 I have loved the other SE Lyne's books I've read， and so it was no question whether to buy another。 Again I enjoyed the actual writing， but I didn't like this story。 It seemed。。。lazy？ It wasn't a thriller by any means， the story was a big feminist drag at some points， and I just overall found it subpar。 Now， mind you， the author set the bar themself so high！ This one just didn't do it for me。 I was kinda disappointed with this one。 I have loved the other SE Lyne's books I've read， and so it was no question whether to buy another。 Again I enjoyed the actual writing， but I didn't like this story。 It seemed。。。lazy？ It wasn't a thriller by any means， the story was a big feminist drag at some points， and I just overall found it subpar。 Now， mind you， the author set the bar themself so high！ This one just didn't do it for me。 。。。more

Susan Atkin ，

Highly original and clever thriller。 Well executed and written。 Not that keen on the man bashing in parts， although this particular man was deffo one that needed bashing！ And does dyeing your hair really take a decade off you？！ The second book I have read by this author of psychological suspense and can't wait to read her others。 Highly original and clever thriller。 Well executed and written。 Not that keen on the man bashing in parts， although this particular man was deffo one that needed bashing！ And does dyeing your hair really take a decade off you？！ The second book I have read by this author of psychological suspense and can't wait to read her others。 。。。more

Michael Scanlon ，

This is the kind of book I love， a beautifully written slow burner， satisfying like a fine meal。 Enough said。

Gary ，

This is a well paced book with good characters， good plot and full of tension that kept me turning the pages。 A story of lies， manipulation， and control making it an entertaining and fast-paced psychological thriller。Student Samantha falls in love with Peter who is quite a bit older than her and very quickly she is moving in with him and having a baby。 But unfortunately the happiness doesn't last and it is not long before Samantha realises Peter isn't the wonderful man she thought he was。 The bo This is a well paced book with good characters， good plot and full of tension that kept me turning the pages。 A story of lies， manipulation， and control making it an entertaining and fast-paced psychological thriller。Student Samantha falls in love with Peter who is quite a bit older than her and very quickly she is moving in with him and having a baby。 But unfortunately the happiness doesn't last and it is not long before Samantha realises Peter isn't the wonderful man she thought he was。 The book starts with the couple on honeymoon before going back in time to their meeting at university。Once they are both living in Peter's house he insists that Samantha takes a job teaching a creative writing class， something she is not easy with。 Once she starts the job it is not long before strange occurrences begin as well as receiving anonymous notes regarding Peter。 。。。more

Mitzi ，

I enjoyed this story。 It had lots of elements but all came together cleverly at the end。

Isabella M ，

I honestly think I read a different book than the one everyone is reviewing。 I found it incredibly slow and predictable。 A fair amount of the book I forgot as soon as I finished it。 However， it seems to be a favorite for some people， so maybe It's just not for me。 I honestly think I read a different book than the one everyone is reviewing。 I found it incredibly slow and predictable。 A fair amount of the book I forgot as soon as I finished it。 However， it seems to be a favorite for some people， so maybe It's just not for me。 。。。more

Elizabeth Hill ，

Great book！ I enjoyed this even though I thought parts were improbable。 That's the joy of great writing - you get sucked in。 Recommended。 Great book！ I enjoyed this even though I thought parts were improbable。 That's the joy of great writing - you get sucked in。 Recommended。 。。。more

ReBecca ，

This book was painful， from start to finish。 I wanted to give up so many times， but I kept hoping that things would turn around。 Sadly， it never did。 I would have rated it one star， but for the fact that Samantha FINALLY comes to her senses in the last 50 pages and gets revenge。 As for Samantha。。。 I wanted to slap her so many times。 I found her very naive and extremely annoying。 Throughout the book， Samantha brings up her dad and how he burned her and her mom， so I never once understood why she This book was painful， from start to finish。 I wanted to give up so many times， but I kept hoping that things would turn around。 Sadly， it never did。 I would have rated it one star， but for the fact that Samantha FINALLY comes to her senses in the last 50 pages and gets revenge。 As for Samantha。。。 I wanted to slap her so many times。 I found her very naive and extremely annoying。 Throughout the book， Samantha brings up her dad and how he burned her and her mom， so I never once understood why she jumped into a relationship with Peter， so quickly。 Every time Samantha would start to notice "another side" of Peter， I wanted to throw the book， mainly because as she would also point out SHE BARELY KNEW THE GUY！！！！ Who in their right mind jumps into something so quickly and then is shocked that he isn't who she thought he would be。。。 LIKE COME ON！！！ Then when other women come to her and address what an asshole Peter really is， she makes excuses for him and tells them that he's changed。 I'm like girl， he didn't change， you are just too naive to realize what's going on！ I was so thankful when it finally clicked for Samantha， and she realized that she was being played a fool。 Thankfully Peter was so used to her naiveness that he probably never imagined that Samantha would have the balls to do what she did。 As for Peter， he was just a gross old man， that couldn't face the reality that he is no longer a spring chicken！ He definitely got what he deserved。 ****Samantha falls quickly for Peter。 They move in together after knowing each other for only a few days and within two months Samantha finds out she is pregnant。 As their relationship grows， Peter begins to change。 The once caring man becomes more possessive， angry， and controlling。 Soon after giving birth to their daughter， Peter finds Samantha a teaching job。 Samantha finds herself enjoying the job， but when she starts to receive anonymous letters about Peter and threatening her relationship， Samantha becomes concerned。 Is there any truth to these letters？ Then two of her students come forward to let her know they had a past with Peter。 At this point， Samantha starts to second guess things but continues to brush them aside。 Are these women just jealous of what Samantha and Peter have？ Is there any truth to what they say？ Has Peter really changed？Samantha starts to dig more into Peter， hoping to find answers。 What she finds， leaves her shocked and seeking revenge。 。。。more

Michele Young ，

Another Susie Lynes book which I could NOT put down。 Exciting， scary， moments of unease and “Can’t you see what he’d doing to you？” A thoroughly recommended read。

Jo ，

Very cleverly narrated and plotted。I really enjoyed reading this and it stirred up some memories for me having experienced a controlling relationship。Well done S。E。Lynes once again。

Aleasha ，

I mean。。 you just KNOW that Peter is the worst man ever even at the start - and you really want to shake some sense into Samantha。。 but haven't we all been drawn into something we shouldn't have？ That's the real premise here， with some heavy twists and turns along the way， not knowing the real depth of Peter's evil doings until we get further along。 Manipulative men and twisty tales - do recommend。Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I mean。。 you just KNOW that Peter is the worst man ever even at the start - and you really want to shake some sense into Samantha。。 but haven't we all been drawn into something we shouldn't have？ That's the real premise here， with some heavy twists and turns along the way， not knowing the real depth of Peter's evil doings until we get further along。 Manipulative men and twisty tales - do recommend。Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Rachel ，

An exceptionally gripping read！ Fantastic plot， great use of tension and excellent pace。 I will certainly check out more from this author！

JanB。 ，

The more I got into this book， that eery feeling of my experiences being controlled。。。almost as if parts were taken from my real life。 My first marriage at turning 20 - way too young - but he was so sad being at home with his "abusive" family; I wanted to get him away from that。 Physical and emotional abuse by him escalated to the extent of attempted murder （threw a hammer at me） and I fled with my three year old daughter。 Second marriage。。。no better。 I fell right into another narcissist， contro The more I got into this book， that eery feeling of my experiences being controlled。。。almost as if parts were taken from my real life。 My first marriage at turning 20 - way too young - but he was so sad being at home with his "abusive" family; I wanted to get him away from that。 Physical and emotional abuse by him escalated to the extent of attempted murder （threw a hammer at me） and I fled with my three year old daughter。 Second marriage。。。no better。 I fell right into another narcissist， controlling man。 I highlighted notes as I read， ie; I knew sex was expected （very scary， abusive， degrading） and he could stop me in my tracks by making me feel guilty if I shared anything with friends， put me down every chance he got， flirted in front of me （he a doctor！）， always had something belittling to say about what I watched， read， ate， drove， my horse（s）， blah， blah，blah。 Threatened me with "you'll be sitting on the curb with your suitcase！" So。 When I finally caught one （of his many） affairs， I became the brave woman， controller。。。in a good way！ Kicked his sorry ass to the curb！ I'm free！！！ I cheered the characters on！ Thank you Ms。 Lynes， for writing true "fiction" 。。。 I'm a huge fan of your books。 。。。more

Sue Le-Heup ，

Loved this， now on the search for more by this author。 I was hooked from the start。

Andrea ，

I Think I would have happily given a higher review had the book ended sooner there was no need for at least the last 2 or 3 chapters and they just kind of bored me。 It does get dull towards the end and it's rather anti-climatic。 I Think I would have happily given a higher review had the book ended sooner there was no need for at least the last 2 or 3 chapters and they just kind of bored me。 It does get dull towards the end and it's rather anti-climatic。 。。。more

Kylie ，

LOVE this author and her writing style but this one missed the mark for me。 Main character was way too delusional and stupid and it made the whole plot unbelievable。

Suzanne ，

Quite enjoyable although predictions。

Hannah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Was really really tired when I read this but despite a slow start， wasn't bad！ The end was unexpected and I liked the unionship of the women。 Peter sounded like a right bugger from the start。 Was really really tired when I read this but despite a slow start， wasn't bad！ The end was unexpected and I liked the unionship of the women。 Peter sounded like a right bugger from the start。 。。。more

Bren ，

"Superstition's like suspicion， I suppose， in that sense。 A feeling you can't put into words。 A one percent of something you don't quite know。'The Women by S。E。 Lynes This book was a delicious read。 And utterly different from what I had thought I was getting。Basically， this story is about control。 Samantha and Peter meet and fall madly in love。 Peter is just what every intellectual girl thinks she wants: handsome， charming， educated， such a deep thinker。 He is all for Feminism and says he would "Superstition's like suspicion， I suppose， in that sense。 A feeling you can't put into words。 A one percent of something you don't quite know。'The Women by S。E。 Lynes This book was a delicious read。 And utterly different from what I had thought I was getting。Basically， this story is about control。 Samantha and Peter meet and fall madly in love。 Peter is just what every intellectual girl thinks she wants: handsome， charming， educated， such a deep thinker。 He is all for Feminism and says he would never ever objectify women。Samantha is lovely but awkward and insecure。 She has no idea what an older and charming man like Peter， with the looks of a Movie star and a Brain that would rival any Literature expert， would see in her。 She is high on life， high on Peter's love for her。 And then。。This is not a book on physical abuse。 Rather the focus of The Women is on Verbal shaming and indifference。 It is about control。 It is about a pervasive type of control that many have been victims of。。the control of another human being through both reward and punishment， done in such a seemingly innocent way that one may not。。is most likely not。。to even be aware it is happening。The Women started slow for me and several times I was tempted to DNF。 DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE I almost did！ It picks up speed in the middle half and you cannot turn the pages fast enough。The story was quite menacing in some aspects。 Samantha， at one point， is teaching a creative writing class when she starts getting ominous messages， in the form of Limericks and Poems。 These messages are always anonymous and though she knows they are coming from one of her students， she cannot figure out which one。Samantha also cannot figure out why some small part of her feels she is in danger。 Why when she snuggles close to Peter at night， does she have such misgivings？ Why is Peter calling her his soulmate one minute， proposing to her over and over and then virtually ignoring her the next minute？This book was made for people who enjoy complicated Literary thrillers。 It is like no book I have read this year and I'd really recommend any fan of this genre give The Women a try。 It's much different then your typical thriller and I mean that in a good way。 I'd highly recommend this darkly intense book which also celebrates the power of women and their friendships。 It is a timely and relevant read that no thriller fan should miss out on。 。。。more

Maxine ，

Wow！！！！Wow！！！！ I don’t usually give 5 stars but this book was unbelievable。 I think I read it in two days could not put it down 。 The twists and turns were insane and they keep going and the ending really leaves you in a daze。 Loved it！！！

Pattyh ，

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Women。 This is a late review as the book is almost a year old。 I will give this a 3 rating - it's a good book， but the main character's choices were ones that made me say to myself - WHY， WHY，I think this is a great author， but the book was just ok for me。 Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Women。 This is a late review as the book is almost a year old。 I will give this a 3 rating - it's a good book， but the main character's choices were ones that made me say to myself - WHY， WHY，I think this is a great author， but the book was just ok for me。 。。。more

Alison Ivey ，

This is a rather silly book。 The heroine is silly， the plot’s twists don’t really add up， and the ending is lame。 There are some good patches and I finished it， hence my rating。 Some weird writing。 “ her life was a broken windshield” “ her head was mince” “ her bones felt like tombstones” and more。

Sam ，

I just need to get one thing clear first。 The four-star rating is only because I didn't quite feel able to give it a fifth one， for reasons that I will explain。 I just wish I could give it four-and-a-half。This was my third S E Lynes novel， and I felt I had a sort of inkling about what to expect。 Take a theme， introduce a fairly small number of splendidly drawn characters， and then intelligently and compassionately tell us their story whilst gently showing us how said chosen theme impacts on thei I just need to get one thing clear first。 The four-star rating is only because I didn't quite feel able to give it a fifth one， for reasons that I will explain。 I just wish I could give it four-and-a-half。This was my third S E Lynes novel， and I felt I had a sort of inkling about what to expect。 Take a theme， introduce a fairly small number of splendidly drawn characters， and then intelligently and compassionately tell us their story whilst gently showing us how said chosen theme impacts on their relationships and lives。The Women does just that。 The theme in this case is coercive control。 21-year-old， naive and impressionable student Samantha is thrilled when Professor Peter Bridges， whom she along with many other female students has been swooning over， buys her a drink and introduces himself。 She is astonished when he takes her to his home that same evening， and can scarcely believe her luck when he asks her to move in with him barely a day later。 Happy at feeling secure， and knowing， or at least believing herself to be in love， she is initially happy to put up with Peter's swings in temper and insistence that she does things his way。 Slowly， however， the acceptance turns to resentment。And then the first anonymous note arrives。 Then the second。 For the first time， Samantha starts to fear for herself and her baby daughter - a fear which the reader absolutely shares。 But it takes a meeting with two other women， and a letter from a third for her to realise what the readers want to tell her has been screaming in her face almost from the start: that she isn't the first。 Peter has coerced other women before …The thing is though - and I don't think this is what the author intended - I actually found myself sympathising with Peter a little bit。 Perhaps it's down to me being a man， who is closer to Peter's age than Samantha's， but it seemed to me that everything he did stemmed from a fear of loneliness， but at the same time a worry of responsibility and commitment。 Is that really so terrible？But this isn't why I couldn't quite give this book five stars。 And oh， dear。 Because now I've got to give the reason。 And that means saying something critical about the work of Susie Lynes， who has previously taken the time to chat to me about her books and whom I therefore know to be a lovely person as well as a more talented writer than I could ever dream of being。 But - deep breath - here goes。 And I promise you the criticisms are only small。Firstly， I didn't think the first chapter， in which Peter and Samantha are on honeymoon in Rome， and in which Peter refuses to put his hand in 'The Mouth of Truth' （which will supposedly clamp down and take your hand clean off if you're a liar） really needed to be included。 The rest of the story would have been just as compelling and suspenseful without it， and the only effect was for the reader to read the rest of the book knowing what the outcome was going to be。Secondly， I felt that for this book to really， really work， the reader had to connect emotionally to the character of Samantha， to will her to find a way out of the coercive relationship she had fallen into and to celebrate when she - not too much of a spoiler alert given the first chapter - manages。 But I'm afraid I didn't quite do that。 I read the ‘letter from SE Lynes’ at the end of the novel， in which Susie says that she didn’t want Samantha to “become a ghost of herself， no longer capable of fighting” and I get that。 But I found the change from submissive， accommodating and in love Samantha to revengeful Samantha， in which her relationship was nothing more than a charade， a bit abrupt。 But more than that， I really didn't like that she seemingly felt no guilt or remorse at all for her actions and even boasted about them to a friend。 I tried reminding myself that she was only 22 and immature， and that she had never been anything less than a loving and devoted mother despite being so young herself， but it wasn't enough。 It still seemed a bit distasteful to me。 But that's it。 And make no mistake， I thought The Women was a great novel by a fabulous author。 It's just that for me to feel in any way critical at one of her works， when I've previously felt nothing less than amazement， came as a bit of a shock to the system。 Sorry。 。。。more

Sophie Sheppard ，

The women was a good and easy read the first chapter captured me but then I found the rest of the first half of the book quite slow all the action seemed to start from half way。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Women

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Women&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Women&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0