Author: Elena Wilkes
Narrator: Colleen Prendergast
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Publication Date: April 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible
Description: You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?
This is the story of Lucy and Paul.
They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married.
Lucy thought that she had everything she wanted.
Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide. Until she uncovered Paul’s darkest secrets.
Now Lucy realizes she doesn’t really know her husband. She doesn’t know if she can trust her own mind. She doesn’t know the lengths Paul would go to keep his perfect life.
And worst of all, she doesn’t know that she’s in danger...
A gripping, dark psychological thriller with an absolutely nail-biting ending that will keep you hooked - the perfect read for fans of Behind Closed Doors, Mark Edwards, and Lisa Jewell.
My Thoughts: First of all, the publisher’s description doesn’t really convey the actual gist of this twisty novel. There were so many red flags I noticed before they got married about Paul’s Jekyll and Hyde personality switching with the flick of an invisible switch, I lost count. It definitely wasn’t all daisies and sunshine until the moment Lucy found the photographs. Even after she finds photos and starts to unravel all the lies, she is still with him! She even goes so far to sneak out in the middle of the night to leave him, wrecks the car, ends up in the hospital and then returns home with him! Sorry, I just can’t abide a protagonist that is intelligent, but behaves so stupidly and cluelessly.
Secondly, this story moved too slowly in the buildup. Nearly two-thirds of the novel is this mundane back and forth between Paul and Lucy. His cruel, hurtful verbal attacks, her walking on eggshells, over and over. Get on with it already! By the time things started to get interesting and it appeared that Lucy had finally grown a backbone, the story is over and I’m sitting here wondering what happened. Did she get away? Did she dream the whole thing? Is she really in the psych ward or did she escape? I was so let down by the end. I was honestly expecting Lucy to open up a can of whoop-ass on Paul, but I can’t be sure who the real villain is here.
So, what did I like? I liked that the author creates a world where not everything is as it seems. Smart people can and are misled all the time. This story demonstrates so vividly what it is like to be gaslighted by someone you love and trust. This story is a good reminder that we all carry baggage from previous relationships and when the red flags start flying, it’s time to cut and run. I enjoyed the audio performance of Colleen Prendergast. The fear in Lucy’s voice and the cold and hurtful remarks from Paul were superbly played.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I am left scratching my head in bewilderment about this book. Fans of thrillers and suspense will enjoy the edge of your seat anticipation, but readers who need closure and connection to the characters may want to give this one a pass.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Man I Married from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment