Sometimes I think a psych thriller is going to go one way, and it ends up completely going in a direction I didn’t expect. The New Wife by Amanda Brittany and Karen Clarke is a perfect example.
I’ll admit that I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed too “by the numbers.” New wife doesn’t get along with husband’s kids, there’s animosity; oh no, what will happen?
But stick with this one because it shortly becomes apparent that the relationship with the kids (who are really closer to adults) is the least of Nell’s problems.
The connections and relationships between all of the characters are sometimes complicated. Read carefully, and you shouldn’t have any problems.
And I do mean read carefully because there ends up being a lot going on. If you read too fast or skim, you’re likely to miss some important hints regarding the truth of what’s occurring.
I liked Nell’s job; it was cool and could see myself working in a place like it. And Nell is a good main character because she is down to earth and her reactions are natural.
Ruby and Poppy were not my favorites. Ruby was okay, but Poppy seemed immature for her age. I get that she’s trouble, but some of her choices are a bit too over the top.
I’m not going to mention a few other characters – because that might give something away. But there are a few things that may seem like they’re redundant or out of place. Especially when it comes to past and current relationships.
But I assure you, they’re very relevant. Even if the reader doesn’t know that until the end.
I also don’t know how I feel about all of the resolutions. I feel like one person in particular should have had a more fitting end than how it was written. At least, I wanted it to be more in the front of the story because the reader deserved to see the result.
However, I understand the authors’ choices.
The New Wife ended up being much better than I thought it would at first. I know that sounds like a backhanded compliment, but I prefer to think that Amanda Brittany and Karen Clarke pulled a good one on the reader.
