The bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—returns with a psychological thriller, filled with chilling serpentine twists, about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved—and how far she’ll go to preserve it.Named one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year by Goodreads, Bustle, SheReads, and Library Journal; A LibraryReads pick of … Bustle, SheReads, and Library Journal; A LibraryReads pick of the month
Breezing into the upscale seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.
Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.
Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?
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4.5 stars!
In The Wife Stalker, by Liv Constantine, Piper Reynard moves to the Connecticut seaside from the West Coast in order to start fresh. She’s got a new address, a new business, and even a new name. Although Piper has been somewhat, ahem…unlucky, in her previous marriages, when she meets Leo, an affluent, handsome, prominent lawyer, she immediately begins to envision their future together. Piper knows what she wants and how to get it, and she won’t let the wedding band on Leo’s finger stand in her way.
I’m going light on synopsis details because I don’t want to give the slightest little thing away. This book kept me up way too late the past few nights feverishly turning pages by the glow of my book light in bed. It was an easy, fast read, with gloriously short and digestible chapters. I felt like the pacing in some parts of the book was a bit rushed at times, and that some of the plot details unfolded in a way that was maybe not quite believable. But by the time I got to the end of the book, I was able to see how much of that actually made sense given what had been revealed throughout.
If you’re looking for a book that leaves you a bit…ok a lot…gobsmacked by the final page, I definitely recommend giving this one a read! And Lifetime TV, if you’re looking for a new screenplay, give Liv Constantine a call, because this right here is Lifetime movie gold.
Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Liv Constantine, and Harper Collins for including me on this tour and keeping me up past my bedtime.
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If you are in a “reading slump”, this one is a pure cure for everything you find boring in other books. The twists are unbelievable. I was shocked right down to the very last page. This one is a must read for anyone, especially those who like psychological thrillers! The story is told from the perspective of two very different women, but you love both and can’t decide who to root for. If you are looking for a good one, this one won’t disappoint.
Joanna loves Leo with all her heart. When he slips away from her, she is determined to get him back. It does not matter what it takes. She researches Leo’s new flame, Piper. She discovers quite a few discrepancies in Piper’s past. But, no one believes her when she points them out. But, don’t worry…Joanna is not going to give up!
I love a book that has me guessing! And this one is definitely that kind of book. And I am going to have to be very careful and not give away a spoiler. No fun in that!
Joanna is a character which has the reader in her pocket. I wanted her to have the life she expected. My heart went out to her and the children. Then there is Leo. He is a good father but something is not right. I could not put my finger on it. And finally, Piper. I despised her from the get go. She is exactly the character the authors intended her to be. She is money hungry and after someone else’s family. Until….
You must read this book just for the twisted ending! Need a guessing game…this is it folks! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the author for a honest review.
This psychological thriller is told from two points of view. Piper is new to Westport Connecticut with a past she wants to keep hidden. Joanna is excited that Leo is overcoming his depression and is happy again. When she realizes it is Piper who is making him happy, she stops at nothing to get Leo to realize Piper is not who she seems.
This writing duo never disappoints. A fast paced roller coaster ride with twists and turns that kept me turning the pages and staying up way to late! The ending is one I didn’t see coming.
This story had all the twists and creepy vibes that I love in thriller. Piper and Joanna both had unsettling qualities and I ping-ponged between them throughout the book. Are they both disturbed? Which one is sincere? Mom vs stepmom. I loved Piper’s awkward attempts to win over the children, especially Stelli’s responses to her. Kids can be amazingly insightful and adults can be incredibly obtuse at times.
Leo obviously loved his children, but seemed pretty clueless at times and unwilling to see or acknowledge that Piper had a past and Joanna may actually have discovered what was going on. But what was really going on?? You’re going to have to use the swipe up in my stories to get your own copy and see if you can figure it out! I didn’t.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bravo, Liv Constantine, you got me!
Although I was suspicious of the main character Joanna pretty early on in the story, the ending totally took me by surprise. What a twist!
Housewife Joanna is married to attorney Leo, and they have two children. Although Leo has been battling depression, the marriage is otherwise happy, so when Leo meets Piper, a twice-widowed woman who runs a wellness center, Joanna isn’t too concerned–until she has to leave for a little while to care for her mother who broke her leg. The next thing she knows Leo has shipped her possessions to her at her mother’s house, tells her it’s over, and he marries Piper.
When Joanna learns that Piper has created a fake identity, was married twice before, and both husbands died under suspicious circumstances, she begins to fear for her children’s lives. She begins stalking Piper, trying to get evidence to prove her assertion.
In the beginning, little things didn’t add up for me. Like, why Joanna didn’t fight for custody of her kids? How was it that she’d lost her parental rights so quickly and never even got visitation? And a lot of other things.
Now, it all makes sense! There are clues (as well as some red herrings) sprinkled throughout the story, but I won’t risk giving away the zinger of an ending by mentioning any of them.
Grab this book and settle in for a twisty tale of suspense.
Good twisty read. Kinda sad in how quickly she loses everything because of another woman.
As I was reading this book, I was confused as to why certain things were happening. But the ending tied it all together, and wow, although all the clues were there I did not see that coming!
The story is told by Joanna and Piper, two women in love with the same man, Leo. Leo is depressed, and while Joanna is helping him through it, he falls for Piper and moves quickly to develop a relationship with her. Joanna tried to make Leo see that he is blinded by Piper and tries to show him things from her past so he sees her character.
It all comes to a startling conclusion.
Thanks to Edelweiss for my copy, opinions are my own.
Well done!!
#TheWifeStalker #LivConstantine #Edelweiss
Surprise ending that I didn’t expect.
Enjoyed the book, unexpected twist at the end.
3.5 stars rounded down
The Wife Stalker is so cliché but in the best way. Joanna was too needy and Piper was too manipulative. But any of us could be either woman. I can’t hate the book because of it. Then, Leo, he just never clicked with me. It is a page-turner you won’t want to stop reading. Even if it’s to see who you like less.
The first 30% of this book had my mind blown. What a page-turner. People’s lives were destroyed in 30% of a book! Whew. Then, it took a turn for me. I couldn’t put it down and then I didn’t want to pick it up. I kept thinking how is this happening. I didn’t like any of the characters too much, although they were all very well developed. There were quite a few plot lines I thought were going somewhere, but in the end, I just wasn’t sure how I felt and I wondered why there was so much information we didn’t get. Give it a read and let me know what you think!!!
This is my favorite style of writing. It had a wonderful story and the characters were so we’ll built. Plus I always love a great surprise. I can’t believe that Joanna wasn’t the kids mother and that she was mentally ill. Plus she killed their mother. Then there’s Piper, I thought all her evilness was just a figment of Joanna’s imagination until the last chapter. Such a wonderful book. Liv Constantine is probably my new favorite author.
Read this book and then read it again. Go into it blind, and you’ll get the most out of it. I did, and it really worked well! Don’t try to figure it out, just read it, and let it happen, and then it’ll all get figured out. It does make you think things, and it doesn’t always answer all your questions, but it doesn’t even have to. I had a question, too. Is the little son’s name the same as the grandpa’s? I have been enjoying the books that these two sisters have been writing, and I was super-excited when our consortium opened back up and I could check this one out curbside (yep, reading this during the coronavirus pandemic). It was good, although it wasn’t my absolute favorite of theirs.
This book is definitely in my top 2 of books I have read this year!! Constantine does not disappoint!
Just when you think you have this book figured out, you will keep guessing until the very end. This novel will enchant you, leave you wanting more. I found myself gasping several times while reading.
Who is guilty? Joanna, Celeste, or Piper?
I would give this book 100 stars if I could! Highly recommend!
“The Wife Stalker” is written with knot-like prowess! One woman’s desire to get her husband back evolves into an exquisitely tantalizing tale that won’t let you go until the very..last..word!
Did Leo fall vulnerable to Piper’s clutches? Did Joanna just have a gnawing desire to crush their relationship? Was there more to this addictive story that the Constantine Sisters brought to life?
The ending will blow your mind…like dynamite!!
I was given a copy of this book by the authors in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Way to throw in a twist towards the end Liv Constantine! I had to go back and read a few chapters to see if I missed that but no, I didn’t. So unexpected! A quick and entertaining read!
The writing duo that is Liv Constantine really hit it out of the park again for me with The Wife Stalker.
These authors never cease to surprise me with their endings, and The Wife Stalker was no exception. It is definitely a slower burn, but the alternating viewpoints and short chapters really speed things along, and this is a book you could read in just a few hours. I alternated between reading my physical copy and listening to the audio, and I loved both! The audiobook is amazing so if you are a fan of audio I would recommend it 100%. The narrators are Julia Whelan and Meghan Wolf, and they were both perfection as Joanna and Piper. I especially love Whelan, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators of all time.
The Wife Stalker kept me guessing and I didn’t see the end coming from a mile away, I mean WHAT? Overall this one was in the vein of The Last Mrs. Parrish which is a book I absolutely loved, and I really enjoyed that. The Wife Stalker is compulsively readable and definitely a book you don’t want to miss if you are a fan of the Constantine sisters!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
I’ve been a fan of this writing duo ever since reading their debut novel, The Last Mrs. Parrish, which I absolutely loved. And I feel that this book, their third one together, is definitely more in line with that one, which I loved!
This is a fast-paced thrilling psychological thriller that really keeps you on your toes. It’s told from two view points, alternating between Joanna and Piper, and really keeps you on the edge of your seat as you get the sense that something is not quite right, but you aren’t sure just what. I also loved that I didn’t necessarily love either character, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. But they are written in a way that you want to know more about them and understand their motivations.
I love a book where you think you know what’s going to happen, that you think you have all the information, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I knew there was a big twist coming, and maybe that upped my anxiety as I was reading it, but I just couldn’t figure out where this was heading and boy that did ending floor me! So much so that I actually had to reread it to make sure I read what I thought I had just read. It was just so good & clever and I totally did not see it coming!
This was one book that I just could not put down and the short chapters combined with all the drama that was unfolding kept me completely engaged with the book. Again, it wasn’t necessarily that I loved the characters, but I just NEEDED to know where everything was headed.
This is the perfect beach read – it’s fast-paced, thrilling and really keeps you guessing as to where things are headed. I’ve met these authors before and I don’t understand how such lovely ladies can be so twisted in their writing. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
unexpected TWIST!!
When I learned of another Liv Constantine book releasing, I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on it! I mean Liv Constantine is absolutely talented in the stories created! There is always thrilling twists, heart pounding turns, and endings that will leave you unexpectedly jaw dropped and ready for more instantly. That’s fantastic work, if you ask me.
I absolutely loved Piper and Joanna. Their characters both had so much depth and their stories were perfect told. I found myself on the edge of my seat with each page turn, staying up long into the early morning hours needing to know what was going to happen. When I can feel myself become the characters, like I did here, that’s amazing!
If you love books masterfully written, woven with roller coaster rides, gripping characters, and a conclusion that sucks the breath from you, then look no further than Liv Constantine. If you want a book that will absolutely envelope you into it’s spell, look no further than The Wife Stalker. This book is absolutely worthy of high praises and two thumbs up!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* Liv Constantine