The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

thewifebetweenuscoverTitle: The Wife Between Us
Series: No
Author(s): Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Format: ARC
Release Date: January 9th 2018
Pages: 346
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery
ISBN13: 9781250130921

In a blooming world of co-authorship, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen join together to unleash one of the most buzzed-about thriller in 2018. Seamlessly written, making it near impossible to distinguish both of their writing prowess, The Wife Between Us unveils the intricate and delicate complexity of marriage, as well as the art of assuming. If you think you know, think again.

The story follows a soon-to-be wife and an ex-wife who both share one thing in common: a love for the same man. Told in alternating point of views, each of their characters are explored in all of their flaws, desires and worries. What seemed like a love triangle with a sketchy and messy twist-to-come quickly turns into a whole new story as soon as part one comes to an end. It is this plot twist that recreates the whole story in the real direction envisioned by these authors, and it is at that moment that the focus wasn’t about the what’s anymore, but rather the why’s.

thewifebetweenusquote1

The Wife Between Us carries a lot of the staple elements that proliferates in psychological thrillers nowadays. From lies told and truths withheld to buried secrets and hidden pasts, there isn’t anything really new that is brought into this game. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen also explores marriage, the very archaic institution that binds two people together, in a light that continues to question its premise. What we get to see unravel is the pre- and post-marriage evolution of characters as they learn how their desires, dreams and perception of someone is bound to change, adapt and crystallize into a much more devastating persona over time.

The other big theme that pulses throughout this story is obsession. Yep. That behaviour that drowns a person into unfounded ideas and ultimately destroys anything sane in a person, and extends its impact upon those we fraternize with. In The Wife Between Us obsession is the driving force for our main characters. With it comes assumptions, and that is honestly the forte of this book as you will see the clear and twisted forms it can take, as well as the dark places that it can lead a person who embraces them with open arms. In fact, the one and only plot twist that comes fairly early in this story feeds on the readers natural tendency to assume, so beware.

Unfortunately, the story flounders after its initial big plot twist, unable to truly find its footing and deliver anything really worthwhile. The pacing is consistent, and definitely highlights the book’s addictive qualities, but the story doesn’t go into territories that would usually have me drooling for more. With a  heavy lack of a relatable male-cast, The Wife Between Us fails to blow my mind, but still proves itself as a solid slow-burn thriller that definitely has an audience for it. It has a lot of drama related to relationships to keep readers hooked, but all that isn’t what you’re looking for, this one might not fit the bill.

1
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending us a copy for review!

MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★☆☆

Have you read it yet? Do you plan to?

What do you think about The Wife Between Us?

Share your thoughts with me!

Till next time,

lashaansignature

Instagram – Facebook – Goodreads – Twitter

 

Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

63 thoughts on “The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen”

  4. Fab review! I read it at the end of last year and like you loved the twist at the end of part one which left me so confused. You are absolutely right about the lack of male characters something I hadn’t thought about before. The ending left me feeling quite flat and wondering what the hype was all about?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Nicki! I totally agree. The confusion was real. Took me a couple of minutes to digest what these authors did, but I totally loved it! The last 10 pages made me face-palm at how hard they tried to top their first plot twist. Nothing could’ve really saved this book for me by then. Then again, it isn’t the worse thing in the market! 😀

      Like

      Reply

  5. Wow I have read and watched many things on different kinds of love triangles. But I am really interested to read this! Also that mention of the archaic institution that binds two people-marriage. We all know how different things are post marriage. In most cases it never seems to be what we dreamt of before we married. But nevertheless, despite knowing full well, people still have those pre-wedding dreams and hopes. It’s a very strange cycle. It’d intensity differs from person to person. Anyway great review! I will definitely look into this one!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It’s a really nice twist on love triangles. It’ll make you go “eeuurrghh” at first, but when the first plot twist hits, you’ll do a nice “wooow”. Indeed. The moment two individuals decide to bind their lives together with vows and all, and finally start sharing a lot more of their peaceful times together, things aren’t as they thought they would be. And that cycle is definitely fascinating, but it’s also beautiful if you find that special someone that was really meant to be with you though. I’m glad that I got you interested in this book and hope that you’ll enjoy the ride when you get the chance to read it! Thank you so much for reading!

      Like

      Reply

  6. Great review Lashaan! I do love a woman obsessed so it’s no wonder I absolutely loved this one :-). I personally didn’t mind not hearing the male POV, I really didn’t need to hear his excuses for being so dominant and behaving this way, and for me it was quite clear he didn’t change after the wedding but he was always like that, he only felt more secure after being married to be completely who he was. Let’s just agree to disagree on this one but I do enjoy reading your opinion! PS Don’t read The Perfect Girlfriend then, it’s a book in the same genre and also from the woman’s POV ;-).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Inge! It’s not that I wanted to hear more of that jerk’s POV, it’s just that when you look at the story as a whole, every male character was portrayed as douchebags… And even that dude’s perspective on things, which was sort of a plot twist too when you find out about his past, wasn’t developed that well since.. after all.. it was meant to be a plot twist. In the end, male characters were just portrayed in a light that wasn’t so cool to read about for me; I mean, I ain’t no fan of that type of guy who can buy anything he wants, get anything he wants and dominate a woman in all of their relationships hahah. Thanks again for reading though, and I’m glad that I didn’t outrage with my opinion! I’ll definitely make a mental note about that thriller too then. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Ah I get your point. Yes there could have been a bit more development there, I agree there wasn’t much of it, although personally I didn’t really miss it as I was so focused on the wife :-). Nah I don’t mind another opinion, ever… I do like to compare thoughts :-).

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Interesting review – I haven’t read this one but your review is one of few that isn’t absolutely raving about it. I don’t think there needs to be a male POV (or vice versa) for a book to be relatable though – if the author can’t make the character relatable, no matter what gender, then it’s an issue with the writing!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Zuky! Yep, I’ve ONLY read raving reviews for this one before I got the chance to finally read it myself. Sort of stunning to find out that I wasn’t as blown away as some were for this one. True, true! I just felt completely disconnected from the world in this story. There were maybe 2 male characters, one of them was the husband, and they were both portrayed in an ugly light, and then you got these women who were all sorts of crazy, making it that much less believable. I do however know that there are peeps who will adore this for what it is, and I hope they get the chance to try it out themselves! 😀 Thank you again for reading!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much! Yep. If only everything that came after the first plot twist was much more interesting! Then again, I’m sure there will always be an audience for this that will end up adoring it and I hope they get the chance to try it out! 😀

      Like

      Reply

  9. Great review Lashaan. I had such high expectations before reading this book. I loved the first twist because it was totally unpredictable. However, the rest of the book didn’t quite meet my expectations either.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Diana! 100% agree with you. I felt the exact same way about the book, and that was what was more stunning about a book for which I’ve only seen so much love going around for it hahah

      Like

      Reply

  10. I have mixed feelings about co-authored books. I’ve read some fantastic ones (anything where one half is David Levithan, I will pick up without even reading the blurb), but I’ve also made my way through a good few flounderers. It’s a really skill that not every author has, I think.

    It’s a shame this one missed the mark! It is very frustrating when thrillers lose their way and deny you the moment of resolution and catharsis you started reading for.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Same. I find that the writing process for co-authored books must be so odd. The first one I’ve read and enjoyed was Illuminae, but I can’t say if co-authored books is something that can be always successful. You just need to find the perfect partner, I guess hahah

      Indeed. It had a nice initial twist, but with something that huge, readers would probably expect an even bigger and better second half… which wasn’t really the case here unfortunately.

      Thanks for reading, Lydia! I appreciate it a lot!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I would be intrigued to know how co-authored books even work. I think I would be way too much of a control-freak to let someone else take the reigns of my story.

        I don’t read many thrillers for the exact reason that it’s pretty difficult to write a really great one. If I am going to go through all that edge-of-my-seat anxiety then I want the pay-off!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yep, the partnership has to be pretty amazing for it to work. 😱 No lies, I have picked up a fair number of them so far and can’t seem to give any of them a 5 stars. They always miss something that would “wow” me. Recently decided to cut down on them significantly to enjoy SFF. Definitely became a go-to for me! 😂

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Sorry this didn’t work out for you, Lashaan. I read this last year and loved it! It wasn’t until someone pointed out to me later that I realized Richard’s character wasn’t really developed and there was a lack of male characters. The plot and its twists held me so captivated that I never even noticed! But I can definitely see how that might put other readers off. Anyway, this was a great, thoughtful, honest review and I enjoyed reading it!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Nicole! And Richard wasn’t exactly the coolest guy in the hood either. I found myself reading a book filled with crazies in the end and that played with my ability to believe and be invested in their lives hahah I’m super happy that you took the time to read and appreciate my review too! Thank you again!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Great review for this book Lashaan. 🙂 I’m not a big reader of the thriller genre but even I’ve heard of this book and seen the cover floating around which I guess just shows how buzzed about this book actually is. It’s a shame there wasn’t anything outstanding about this one though, it seems like it was an enjoyable read for you overall but I guess sometimes we want more uniqueness from our books right? Still it sounds like it had enough to keep you hooked which is something. 🙂
    Again great review! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Beth! Indeed. It has grown to be quite popular (and I even think they already plan on turning it into a movie). If it weren’t for that first big twist, this could’ve turned out to be a typical psychological thriller, and even something that could have maybe bordered the mediocre or something hahah Hopefully other readers will find more joy in reading this one though!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. Pingback: Links I’ve Enjoyed this Week – Secret Library Book Blog

  19. This sounds like it explores some interesting themes, like marriage and obsession, it’s just such a shame the story floundered after the first plot twist and that that this ultimately fell short for you (though it sounds fair enough!) Great review though!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. Pingback: Links I Loved This Week – 04/08/2018 – Novels And Nonfiction

  22. I had this on the list as a possibility to buy for me sister but for some reason I keep balking. This is not the only 3 star review I have seen for this. A lot of those seemed to think the ending was subpar. So I may pass on this one and find something else. Very thought provoking review.
    x The Captain

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I sort of believe that there might be better options for your sis. It’s odd but before I read it, I only saw raving reviews, and upon finally reading it, I see that I’m not the only one who wasn’t wow’ed by it. Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading, Captain! Means the world to me. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. I thought it was going to be a game changer myself! At least it wasn’t a complete flop. It has everything that a lot of thrillers have today, so there’s surely a fanbase for it who will enjoy the ride! Thank you so, so much for reading Ruzaika!! 😀

      Like

      Reply

  24. I kept thinking that I had read this review before but I think maybe I read Trang’s?! Or maybe someone else’s… I do love how you focused down on the theme… talking about marriage and exploring ideas of romance. It’s sounds definitely written for the female audience, doesn’t it?! Twists seem to be the big draw nowadays… I have a hard time if I can’t root for a character. ♥️ Beautiful review!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Nah, she didn’t read it. In fact, she request this book for herself and since she didn’t have time for it, she passed it to me to read and review. 🤣 Themes definitely saves this one too, and that first plot twist. But yeh.. psychological thrillers ALL aim for plot twists, but I feel like I’ve seen them all already hahah And totally on that female audience. In fact, I feel all psychological thrillers are 88% aimed for a female audience hhaha Thanks for reading, Dani. 😀

      Like

      Reply

  25. I have this on on my TBR but it’s a book I have on there because I don’t think it will be amazing but I think it will be a good read and very entertaining. Probably something I will take out from the library. Great review !!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hahaah 100% concur with you! I feel like psychological thrillers nowadays all aim for women and always have a woman as a protagonist. I’m definitely going to reduce the number of these I’m going to consume and prioritize crime novels instead.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  27. Pingback: Monthly Wrap-Up | April 2018 – BOOKIDOTE

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s