The Fate She Sees

      

The Replacement Wife

by Allie Davies

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Publication Date: Mar 9, 2022
Publisher: Alison Glossop
Pages: 315
ISBN: 9781739727918
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Psychological
Source: ARC (ebook)

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Synopsis: Emily is struggling. She has been dealing with something traumatic while also trying to salvage her fractured marriage. She knows her husband is withdrawing more and more so she hires a private investigator to follow him and uncover his secrets. But then strange things start to happen to her. Late one night on the Tube, Emily encounters a man who claims to be psychic and asks to read her palm. At first, Emily is reluctant but then at the last minute, she changes her mind. The psychic predicts that within a month three people will betray her and that he mentions that he sees a gun pointed at her head. Emily originally doubts the man and his predictions, that is until they start coming true.

Emily starts trying to put the pieces together to figure out what her husband is really up to, who is the mysterious person that seems to be following her and hanging outside her house, and who is this psychic really?

Review: I'm shocked that this is Allie's debut novel. The writing is really good, what a fantastic debut novel. I ended up plowing through this book because every time I got to the end of one chapter, I had to keep going to see what the next chapter would bring.

I love when the narrator is unreliable. Especially when other factors come into play such as alcohol or in this case, going off anti-depressants cold-turkey. It makes it incredibly hard to trust the character and as a reader, you spend a lot of time wondering what is real and what isn't. I spent the entire time trying to figure out and guess what was happening, trying to put all the pieces of this puzzle back together to see the full picture. This is one of those books where you think you understand the connections and bigger picture, but when you get to the end you realize you had it very wrong. 

“They whisper in hard tones, probably hoping they cannot be heard over the thunderous rumble of the Tube. It's obvious they are in the midst of a heated discussion. He's staring into her eyes. I recognise the forced expression that appears on his face when he says, 'There's no one else.' Yes, I know that look.”
― Allie Davies, The Fate She Sees

I really enjoyed Emily's character. She was very relatable and it was easy to get sucked into her mind and experience her feelings. 

Overall I give this book 3.5 stars because I loved the plot, I enjoyed the character development, and the storyline was very engaging. I can't wait to see what Allie writes next.

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The Replacement Wife

    

The Replacement Wife

by Darby Kane

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Publication Date: Dec 28 2021
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780063119680
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Psychological
Source: Library

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Synopsis: Elisa is desperately trying to put her life back together after a horrific accident. She tries to avoid the past trauma and horrible memories by being a devoted wife and attentive mother. They live in a quiet idyllic town on the outskirts of the city and are well-known members of the community.

Not only is Elisa trying to put her life back together following the trauma of the past, but she is also desperate to find her missing friend, Abby, who also happens to be her brother-in-law's fiance. Abby has been missing for several months and the police have ruled her disappearance as a runaway and believe nothing sinister happened. Elisa won't let it go and begins snooping around trying to figure out where Abby went but as she unlocks clues about her family's past, she begins to realize that she doesn't like what she finds. All signs point to Josh being a murderer, after all, he has one dead wife and a missing fiance. Then enters Rachel, Josh's new girlfriend. Elisa is appalled that Josh would begin dating so quickly after Abby's disappearance and she decides that Rachel is really in danger and she will stop at nothing to protect her from Josh's womanizing/murderous ways. 

Review: This book is such a head trip. The entire time I kept saying out loud, "What is happening?!" because it's so hard to wrap your brain around what is going on. The narrator is unreliable so the entire story is told from her distorted view which makes your head spin.

This entire book is filled with manipulation, gaslighting, lies, and delusions. It's absolutely perfect at making you question everything. I can't even adequately describe the amount of gaslighting in this book - it made me stop multiple times and question whether the narrator was becoming unhinged or if she was being manipulated.

“That’s how grief works. Grief, depression, trauma. They overwhelm. They’re louder than the good things happening in your life. You can’t compartmentalize the darker aspects and put them in a box and think they won’t leach into the rest of your life.”
― Darby Kane, The Replacement Wife

Overall I give this book 4 stars because the story is the epitome of what a true psychological thriller is meant to be and it keeps you hooked until the very end.

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Review: The Wife Stalker

The Wife Stalker
by Liv Constantine

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Publication Date: May 19 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062967282
Genre: Adult Fiction | Thriller | Mystery
Source: Library

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Synopsis: Joanna seems to have everything she could ever want. A loving and handsome husband (Leo), two beautiful children (Evie and Stelli), and a middle-class lifestyle that allows her to spend all her time as the perfect housewife and mother. But Leo is suffering from severe depression and struggling at work with his law firm. Then Leo gets the opportunity of a lifetime, a high profile case. To help him win the case, Leo begins gathering information on his client. He decides to visit his client's therapist to get more information that could help him with his case. That's when Leo meets Piper.

Gorgeous, beautiful, charming Piper. Piper has just recently moved to Connecticut, looking for a fresh start after the death of her husband and stepdaughter. To help her move on, Piper changes her name (from Pamela) and takes over the local wellness center as the new owner and therapist. Piper seemingly has it all, and when she meets Leo she knows that she will stop at nothing to make him hers, even if he is already wearing a wedding ring.

Joanna soon realizes that Leo's happiness is not because of her but because of Piper. Trying to stop Leo from leaving, Joanna begins to look into Piper's past but what she discovers makes her worry about the safety of her kids, especially when Leo doesn't believe her and brushes her thoughts aside. Now Joanna is living with her mother and no longer able to see her children as Piper begins to step into the role of adoring wife and dotting stepmother.

Review: I spent 95% of this book totally upset and mad. I ended up reading this over the course of two days because I couldn't put it down and I wound up hate reading the entire thing. That's not to say that I didn't like it, quite the opposite in fact! I was sucked in and needed to know what was going to happen. Would Joanna be able to save her marriage and the lives of her children? Or would she lose everything to Piper? This story was full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

“You know, it's what everyone needs, really -- a place where they can spill their insides and let it all out. It's like a cleansing of the soul. All of us have wounds we bury deep inside, and they affect us without our even realizing it.”
― Liv Constantine, The Wife Stalker

It's thrilling. The characters are all untrustworthy and being super shady. You want to root for the main character but it's impossible because she's really not at all that likable. Both narrators are unreliable and also a little bit terrifying. I wanted to know who was going to "win" but there really was no winner at all. As a mother I wanted to relate to Joanna, I couldn't comprehend the pain she was feeling losing her children and at the same time, I was shocked at how manipulative and conniving Piper was. I just kept thinking, "this seriously can't be happening" and also "this lady is bat shit crazy!" I definitely recommend this but at the same time, I feel like this book could cause some triggers for those that have experienced affairs and divorce.

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Review: A Good Marriage

 

A Good Marriage
by Kimberly McCreight

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Publication Date: May 5 2020
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062367686
Genre: Adult Fiction | Thriller | Mystery
Source: Library

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Synopsis: One night while working late at elite law firm Young & Crane, Lizzie Kitsakis receives a phone call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help. Lizzie wants nothing to do with the case even though her law school friend Zach Grayson is pleading with her to take it on. Zach's wife, Amanda, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Park Slope brownstone and Zach is the primary suspect.

Lizzie finds herself being drawn into the investigation and the close-knit parent group of the private school in Park Slope. The more she gets dragged in, the more she realizes that neither Zach nor his wife Amanda is quite what they seem.

Review: This is my first read of Kimberly McCreight, and she definitely didn't disappoint! I found it to be very comparable to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. A murder has taken place but who is the killer? It becomes evident that no one is quite like they seem and everyone is hiding their own secrets. I loved the alternating narrators and going along with the story, trying to figure out who really killed Amanda. Every character had their own secret and their lives were so intertwined with each other. I thought I had it all figured out and then realized I was completely wrong.

“That's the hardest part about marriage, isn't it?" Zach went on. "Somebody else's problems because your own. It doesn't always feel fair.”
― Kimberly McCreight, A Good Marriage

I definitely recommend this. It's a fast-paced thrilling read. I ended up reading the entire book in one day, it was that good and I couldn't put it down. I loved reading the different perspectives and learning the backstories of the characters. It's interesting to see into their past and the events that led them to be who they are and the choices they made. Fantastic writing and I can't wait to read more by this author.

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Review: You Are Not Alone

 

You Are Not Alone
by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

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Sarah: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: March 3 2020
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 343
ISBN: 9781250202031
Genre: Adult Fiction | Thriller | Mystery
Source: Library

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Synopsis: Shay Miller lives a mundane and ordinary life. Having recently been let go from her job, she finds herself bouncing around from temp job to temp job, in search of a new permanent position. She has no friends and no love life. She secretly pines for her roommate but he is dating someone else, much to Shay's dismay. One morning Shay finds herself a witness to a suicide. Rattled by the event, Shay can't get the woman out of her mind. She tracks down the woman's info online and finds herself delivering flowers to her apartment and attending her memorial service. That's where Shay meet's the Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane. The Moore sisters live a life of perfection and glamour and Shay finds herself being sucked into their circle.

Shay's friendship with the Moore sisters is everything she has always dreamed of. But what Shay doesn't know is that it's too good to be true and that her life may be in danger.

Review: This was such a dark and twisty read! I wanted so badly to like the characters, or at least one of the characters, and it was impossible. None of these characters are likable, I didn't trust any of them and I was trying the entire time to figure out what their motives were. I knew something would happen but I couldn't figure out what it was, and then I was completely blindsided by the twist. How did I not figure it out?!

Everything was a mind game, right from the first chapter until the very end. Before reading this, I really hoped it would live up to my expectations. I have read Greer & Sarah's other two co-authored books and really enjoyed them. This one definitely didn't disappoint at all! I also really enjoyed the short chapters of this book and the bouncing back and forth between narratives. I loved this book so much that I read it in two days because I couldn't put it down and I NEEDED to know what the heck was going on.

“Some people contend there are two primal fears. The first and most basic is the end of our existence. The second is isolation; we all have a deep need to belong to something greater than ourselves.”
― Greer Hendricks, You Are Not Alone

I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and mystery. It was exciting, with strong and smart female characters. The storyline is riveting and entertaining. Well worth the read!

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