The Exes’ Revenge

One man, three women. The three women (one ex-wife, one current-soon-to-be-ex-wife, and a mistress) all begin by hating each other as they strive to express their love for Phillip, the man they all share. The weird thing is, Phillip is a jerk! Why do any of them even want him around? They all trap him in one of the wives’ basement until they decide what to do! Don’t miss this one!

I do love dark thrillers, particularly where the wronged get their revenge!! This was a fun, quick read – there are twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and some of which I didn’t. As with many books like this, I found myself shaking my head in chagrin at many of the characters’ actions/decisions. To me this is actually a plus in a story, because it means I’ve connected with the characters such that I want to save them from their “mistakes” as much as *real* people! The three women are such different personalities, but their underlying commonalities (beyond the obvious in their relationship to Phillip/Phil/Pip) is developed nicely throughout the story, and I enjoyed seeing them come together over time. All in all this was a fun, darkly enjoyable read. The writing is engaging and quick to read and it made for a great summer book.

Thanks to Penguin First to Read for my review copy.

I won an advanced copy of this book from Berkley Pub.

The book deals with domestic violence. I am a survivor. Did reading this bring up memories? Yes but I choose to deal with them. I have come across so many things in life that bring up something I wish I could forget that, for me, riding it out and dealing with them is my personal best option. It may not be another’s so know that the story has the potential to take you back and make your reading decision with what is best for you. You may not want to read this review because I’m going to talk. It has taken ten years to be able to talk about it and, honestly, I still don’t talk about the really bad stuff.

If you go into reading this book thinking it is a mystery, you will be disappointed. The beginning of the book gives that away. Afterward you find out the how of everything. If you want the book to be solidly realistic, this may not be for you. There are parts that are more fantasy that reality but, in fairness, the book is fiction. Fiction. Not fact. I personally thought the unrealistic parts were interesting. Okay they had me daydreaming about my ex and making a few wishes. What I liked about this book is the three women who find out who they are. Survivors. Damaged yet survivors. They come a long way in a short time. Unrealistic maybe but it still made my heart full. Domestic violence steals so much from you. If you haven’t had the experience you may not realize just how much is taken.

Another thing I appreciated is that the author didn’t just leave it as physical. Actually more of it was mental/emotional. The stuff that crushes you. The things that play over and over in your head. I’m only speaking of my experience here. For me this was incredibly difficult. I can remember the times when I couldn’t take it anymore, the verbal assault, and I would be there asking God to just let him hit me. If you find that shocking, you have no idea how painful a verbal assault can be. My ex used his fists and feet. He also used what he could throw, he used knives, a guard dog, guns and the electrical cord with wires exposed, a wet washcloth thrown on them after the cord was plugged in. There were other, worse, things. I tell you this so you understand how deeply words can wound. The thing about verbal abuse is it can be done in a way that you don’t even understand that you are being abused. You might know to walk away if he, (or she – abusers come in both genders), punches you. But if they are just saying things, some that may have bits of truth being twisted, you might not realize that is domestic violence. You are abused and those words will stay with you long after the relationship ends. So when I read a book like this one and the author understands the pain from psychological abuse, I want to cheer. I want to write the author a thank you letter. I want to tell others to read it with a mind open to feeling the characters pain and their shame. Reading this book and seeing Imogen, Naomi and Ruby realize who they are and what they are worth, meant a lot to me. It was encouraging.

The book had me riveted. I picked it up to read every chance I had, reading far into the night. If you are looking for a psychological thriller, and don’t mind a fictional story being a mix of reality and fantasy, I would say read this book.

Great unusual but believable characters. The Plot was blah. Too much ‘babyitus’ with the main character. Not enough development on the nasty Ex Hubby. too much beat down on the main character not enough of the psychological warfare . I know I lived thru this as a child. Thank gods, I married one of the good ones. Even as F** up as I was , I would NEVER have fallen for the cancer story BS. H e wasn’t whining enough about his suffering , pain, and regrets. Milking it for all he could. The dumb Ex no. 1, I’ve known people like her. To be standing in front of someone you love, covered in your own blood begging for them to help , and they can’t believe that ‘such a good Christian man ‘ did this. Didn’t you just fall down or make this up because you were jealous of him? I’d would have had more anger , depression and discust for this dumb cow ! BUT she loves him, I never would trust her.The Last Kind of Ex I’d work with her some but I’d watch! Imogen’s Ex would ONLY have taken their son to hurt her AND if he wouldn’t get stuck caring for his boy. meaning He’d have some other idiot woman in place to dump him off on. He doesn’t want ANY Responsibility for anyone else or his own warped actions.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! IT WAS DEFINITELY A PAGE TURNER THAT I READ EVERY SINGLE WORD OF!!!!!!!!!! THE BASIS TO THE STORY WAS ABSOLUTELY ORIGINAL!!!!!!! I WILL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING OUT FOR MS. JAKEMAN’S NEXT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was certainly different. Unless you have lived with domestic abuse, there is no way to judge how you’d react to it. This was my disconnect with this book because I have not experienced physical abuse. Therefore, I found myself frustrated with the exes because they didn’t do this or didn’t do that. The ex-wife, the wife, and the girlfriend are all from different worlds and different times of their husband/boyfriend’s life. Each woman has such different personalities, yet they have so much in common now. The end comes first, and the book leads up to the end again. The real mystery and thrill is waiting to see how!!

The Exes’ Revenge is something I am sure we have all planned in our minds once or twice.

Imogen decides when asked by her ex husband for her and her son to leave her home , the plotting begins for some kind of revenge

Due to circumstances, Imogen is assisted by Philips current girl friend and his first wife.

You laugh when shouldn’t and you cheer on the ladies, even though you know this is not quite the thing to do.

A great read, very enjoyable

A deliciously dark and gripping debut.

A brilliant debut from an author with a sharp wit and a keen understanding of human nature. I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough.

A gem of a debut with its unique premise, tightly-crafted plot and believable characters who get under your skin from the start. Incredibly well-observed and sensitive in its handling of difficult subjects, it is, above all, thoroughly entertaining. Highly recommended!