Tell your most devastating secret, or risk losing your only daughter…Then: Twenty years ago, Alys’ husband, Sam, was in a terrible car accident that left him fighting for his life. His recovery was slow and painful and, just at the point when Alys began to hope, he sent her away, refusing to see her ever again for reasons she could never understand.Now: Married again and living in a new town with … with a new family, Alys feels like she’s sleepwalking through life. She’s just lost her job, her grown-up daughter is flying the nest, and her new husband doesn’t see – or even seem to care about – the downward spiral she is in.But a chance encounter changes everything. As the life she could have had crashes into the one she settled for, Alys must decide whether or not to reveal the lie she’s been telling everyone all these years. Will it tear apart the ones she loves, or could it set them free?An emotional, page-turning family drama about the difficult choices and sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. Perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Kerry Fisher and Jodi Picoult.Readers adore The Wife’s Choice:‘What. A. Book… such a perfect read… kept me glued from beginning to end. Even when I had to do my chores… A delightful book filled to the brim with suspense and emotions… a completely immersive read where I had to know how the book ended. Addictive and captivating.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘This was a beautiful and romantic novel that kept me engaged throughout the entire journey… Spot on. Highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘Loved… could not put the book down, a real page-turner… Definitely recommend it to all my friends.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘An emotional read… heart-breaking moments… completely life-affirming… fabulous… a story of secrets, families and relationships… A powerful, emotional read which I would definitely recommend!’ Stardust Book Reviews‘I was hooked from the first pages. I could totally relate to the main character and really enjoyed the story…a quick read for me and I cannot wait to recommend this book!’ NetGalley reviewer‘A fabulous book… I read it in less than 24 hours and experienced a whole rollercoaster of emotions whilst reading it!’ NetGalley reviewer‘Fantastic… Loved, loved, loved the characters and writing style. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put this book down. Read it in one sitting it was just that good.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘What a rollercoaster of a read…kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. This book was filled with emotion… holding me intrigued, entertained, and I could complete relate to the main characters in the book. I truly recommend.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
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First I want to thank Emma Davies, Bookouture and NetGalley for this book so I may bring you this review.
Emma Davies is back with another incredibly inspirational, emotional and beautifully written story in The Wife’s Choice. Emma shares some meaningful messages within so many of the storylines. It is one book that you will not forget.
This book is dedicated to all the dreamers out there.
This cover is perfect for this book. Not only is it beautiful yet simplistic it is very meaningful to the stories. Butterflies to me always had a special place in my heart. This butterfly symbolizes beauty in one’s transformation. There is a lot of that in this book. Plus, the tea cup-these characters sure love their tea. The graphic artists did an incredible job.
The prologue was unlike any others I have read-and-I have read 126 books this year. It was deep and made you think.
Personally, I connected with the Tom/Sam storyline and how he overcame great obstacles to get him where he was today. Not only on the outside did he change but his mentality too. His backstory to where he is today is extremely motivating! It was a story that I needed to hear.
The Wife’s Choice is filled with secrets with even more shocking revelations! Some that shocked me.
I was laughing when Emma mentioned there are two types of writers at Bookouture one set that writes for The Dark Side and those who write for The Sparkly Step! I read and review for both teams lol! However, I have never heard of the genres being called that though!
The right amount of mystery, angst, and repressed love, all wrapped up in family issues and impossible choices
Our thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.
The Wife’s Choice is a story of hard decisions and their dreadful consequences. It was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last.
Alys Robinson was forty-eight years old and lived a lukewarm life with her husband and daughter.
She went every day to her meaningless job and came back home feeling lonely and senile.
Her only source of happiness was her daughter Esme. Recently graduated, Esme was starting her career as a chef assistant. Alys wished her daughter all the professional success she once thought she would achieve herself.
There was a time in which happiness was within Alys’ reach, but a terrible accident took from her all hope. It had been more than twenty years, but Alys still caught herself talking to Sam like he was there.
The Wife’s Choice is very cleverly written. I loved Alys’ one-sided conversations with Sam, how well her emotions and frustrations were translated into the pages.
The side characters are well-rounded and intriguing, with a few surprises in stock.
There is the right amount of mystery, angst, and repressed love, all wrapped up in family issues and impossible choices.
Overall a great read! I recommend it!
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*For more reviews, book art, and book-related articles, please visit https://lureviewsbooks.com *
Highly engaging though morally relativistic fairytale
There is much to like about this book & I did enjoy it, despite a few weaknesses. It poses questions about the choices we make: keeping secrets, telling lies, their interdependency & which is worse? I found it intriguing as well as engaging. The author revealed things at a good pace. It’s a well written story.
Alys isn’t as passive as I thought she’d be from reading some of the other reviews. It’s simply that she’s usually the calm, rational one when others are following their emotions. She appeases others more than she should, but it’s most often like an indulgent mum who’s the only grownup in the room trying to placate the tantrumming (or threatening to be) emotionally childish. Which means I liked that she was usually in control of herself & tended to use reason before emotion, though I didn’t like how she coddled & enabled the wrong behaviors or choices of *others* at times. I also liked that she tried to be sensitive to timing, but didn’t inordinately put off telling things otherwise.
Though the story is well written, my biggest criticism is that the stereotyping of characters & situations meant that things happened in such a way & so much as I expected, that I never really lost sight of the fact that it was fiction. There were a few times when characters reacted in ways where it didn’t seem psychologically true but was how the author wanted them to react.
The end of Alys’s marriage with Tom is romanticized by some of the secondary characters, but romanticism in its negative, critical sense. I was glad that she wasn’t buying into it as “so romantic”. I really appreciated that Alys was determined to try to make her marriage to Hugh work – that was refreshing in a secular book – yet I couldn’t help wondering why she would. It seemed like gratitude & a sort of loyalty based on that + time served were her only motivations.
Despite his ego, Hugh is very controlling & insecure – fearful that he’s not enough in himself.
Nancy is the opposite of Hugh. She’s a free spirit who takes life as it comes. She’s confident, fun and serves as the quasi-omniscient, enlightened “guru” or sort of spiritual guide to Alys. So of course she’s gay. (which isn’t a spoiler because it’s not a big deal, and again, the book’s trajectories are pretty obvious)
The message of female “empowerment” is really just part of the human search for truth & embracing & living that truth. Looking at the development of the male characters helps illustrate that – for example, Sam’s empowerment was in finding the truth of his post-accident limitations, as well as learning the results of what actually happened vs what he had intended. & Hugh was a mess till he recognized & accepted the truth of what he was doing to Alys.
I especially appreciated that the author didn’t portray Alys as a helpless victim here, but had her recognize & accept responsibility for the decisions she had made throughout it all.
So it’s a likeable story with some worthwhile things to say, but there are a few things that you’ll need to wade thru in getting there.
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*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic, a stereotyped depiction of a secondary gay couple
*Language: very minor – half dozen uses of d–n & b—–d, 3 uses of h–l & sh-t
*Religion: a few mentions of prayer but not specific about to Who or consistent in why, beliefs that are mentioned are rooted in moral relativism & secular humanistic psychology – and the pop psychology is a trifle preachy at times
I was intrigued by, and enjoyed, this book, but felt like I was missing something. I could identify with Alys’ outlook on just about everything, especially that feeling of what might have been. I think every woman who has reached a certain age totally gets that one. While I related to most of the situations Alys was dealing with, I found the writing style to be a little bit jarring. And I especially appreciated the strong female friendship between Alys and Nancy. Between 3 and 4 stars for some strong female characters and relatable situations. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
Alys is married to Hugh. She has worked for many years in a department store for many years where Hugh is the manager. Today, she has received a redundancy notice from HR. She is angry with Hugh for not letting her know this was coming. Alys is also a very talented seamstress.
Esme is the daughter of Alys and Hugh. She has finished university and wants to cook in a restaurant. There is a new place opening in town called The Green Room. It is part of a restaurant in London that is very posh. After interviewing with Nancy, she is told she has the job. She will be working with Nancy’s son and she is thrilled.
When Alys drops Esme off at the restaurant, she meets Nancy and finds her to be very outgoing and she knows they will be great friends. After chatting, she learns that Nancy had been married to Sam and they are divorced. Alys is shocked because Sam was once Tom and Alys had been married to him. He had a terrible car accident leaving him severely injured. He told her he wanted a divorce which broke her heart. Not long after, she married Hugh who had also known Tom, now Sam.
Hugh is a domineering man who has squelched Alys’s desire to work with conserving antique fabrics. When Alys uncovers a big secret he has been keeping from her, she is furious and ready to strike back.
Alys meets Sam again as he is in town for the opening of The Green Room. He has been left with many scars and walks with a cane. He sees that she is hungry to finally be able to do what she wants and learn to bloom. They have some nice chats to heal old wounds. There is one last secret that she tells him that shatters him.
This is such a good story. The characters are beautifully written. I really liked Nancy above all. What a wonderful woman who knows who she is and where she is going in life. There is angst and some heartbreak, but it all comes together.
Copy provided by NetGalley and Goodreads in exchange for a fair and honest review.
“… what defines us? Is it the lies we tell …or the secrets we keep? ”
“Maybe the question should be : which is worse?”
These quotes from the prologue had me hooked.
Its not just a book about secrets or lies, it is what we do with them.
The Wife’s Choice is also about realizing the choices you make, always have consequences , its about realizing who you really are .
There was a lot of strong women in this book and I hope to be that wise one day.
It is the story of Alys , her daughter and husband. One secret will change their lives.
The Wife’ Choice leaves you in a I can do this too , feel good mood.
Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. Reading what the book was about, it was different and I thought about it and decided to read it. I am glad I did because the story was good but there is so much to see while reading.
It is about life, the choices one makes but sometimes the choices are made by someone else and there is nothing you can do about it. You have to go through in your journey and this is what is happening. Alys thought she had moved on and had created a wonderful life for herself. But the day came, that people associated with her past appeared in her life once again but she didn’t realize it at the time. She had a woman who saw her worth and saw the amazing dress she had made for her sister-in-law for her engagement party but hadn’t taken any credit for it. The woman was encouraging her to see her value.
I know the blurb doesn’t tell you this and I might of read it for the way it was meant for me to read it, but it was nice to read about a woman encouraging other women, I also see by reading the book why my husband does some of the things he says and does. My honest review is, this wasn’t the book I was expecting to read, it was so much more.