Review: The Next Wife keeps you guessing til the very end
Like a spider weaving a web, The Next Wife author Kaira Rouda draws readers in with what appears to be the story of an ex-wife and the new wife struggling for relevance. The ex-wife built the life and lifestyle that the new wife enjoys, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Rouda’s new book will keep you guessing until the very end in a mad-dash of a book that twists and turns like an angry rattlesnake.
John Nelson’s company is going public and everyone in his inner circles is now rich beyond their wildest dreams. With his new wife Tish by his side, it looks like he has it all.
His ex-wife Kate sits on the sidelines with their daughter Ashlyn watches as the company she helped her former husband build goes to the next level.
The Next Wife is so much more than the “next” Gone Girl
Kate and John have pledged to continue working together because they built the company together, but Tish won’t have it. And an angry wife means that there are some speed bumps ahead.
The Next Wife is a story of betrayal and deception, but it’s also a story full of regret. Kate and Tish will never see eye to eye, and John starts to realize that maybe his much-younger wife isn’t what he needed – or wanted – after all. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t always get back to greener pastures.
Rouda doesn’t hold back at any point in the book. From the very beginning she paints the picture of two troubled marriages – one past, one present. There are little signs that point to unhappiness all around, but when the story gets going it takes you on the most unexpected ride. You think you know what’s coming, but you don’t. You can’t. It’s way more sinister than you can imagine.
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I read The Next Wife in a matter of hours. I’d intended to read a few chapters before bed but I couldn’t stop. I thought I had the story all figured out only to arrive at the heart-stopping conclusion and find myself blown away. Rouda’s story, her rich characters and her fast-paced writing makes it easy to get lost in the book. (Don’t be surprised if the book ends up as a movie, it’s that good!)
The Next Wife is available on May 1.