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Book Review: The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A
Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that's published in 2020, A book with more than 20 letters in its title
TW: Sexual assault, suicide, abduction, stalking, misogyny, death
I've been a fan of Michele Campbell since her first novel a few years ago, It's Always the Husband. So, I knew I had to read The Wife Who Knew Too Much. Campbell's novels are usually pretty well hyped in the bookstagram community, and it was the same with this one. Either way, I'll typically want to pick up a Michele Campbell novel when it releases.
Tabitha grew up a poor girl in a country club town, where she fell in love with Connor Ford, a rich, young man and country club member. It's a summer fling and never meant to last. But several years later, when Tabitha and Connor reconnect - Connor's richer, and married to widowed tycoon Nina. But he's always loved Tabitha and married Nina for the money. So when Nina ends up dead, it leaves a spot open for Tabitha to rejoin Connor's life. But it all seems a bit convenient. Did Connor kill Nina?
Michele Campbell's crime/domestic thrillers are so enthralling, and I think a lot of that is due to her experience as an actual real-life lawyer. Her experience and knowledge makes her books so smart. I will say her books have been weirdly predictable in a totally twisty kind of way. But I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I didn't really see it coming until it got closer to the end of the book.
The story is told in a really interesting way too. Chapter one was giving me all the Gone Girl vibes, and the rest of the book felt very much like the show Revenge (which I loved, by the way). I'll say that I wasn't totally sure about what the book was about as I began reading it. I'm notorious for not reading synopses before diving in. But as I began reading, I expected a story much like The Wife Between Us, and was glad that the twist was unexpected by the time I got to the end.
The first chapter was a letter from the wife (Nina) full of fear that her husband is wanting to kill her for her money. The chapter is totally enthralling and pulled me in immediately. I had to know what was going to happen next. It also led me to believe that the book was mostly going to be from Nina's point of view. But it wasn't! Instead it was from Tabitha's point of view, the woman who was the husband's (Connor) first love. So it quickly switched what I was expecting, and the book continued to really keep me on my toes, though it was a bit of a slow burn too. The storytelling definitely takes it time, but in the end it speeds up very quickly.
In fact, my biggest complaint was that the ending wrapped up incredibly quickly. I definitely feel like I got everything I needed from it, and then it was over. I also found myself a bit annoyed by the epilogue. It was a bit too pretty and didn't really seem to connect with the rest of the story. I guess it honestly says a bit about how we, as humans, idolize folks after they die and make them out to be more perfect than they were while they were alive. But it still irked me a bit how pretty and perfect the epilogue was.
"If something's too good to be true, then is it true? Or is it just lies?" - The Wife Who Knew Too Much, Michele Campbell
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. While not perfect, it kept me on my toes and I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next. A really enjoyable read.
Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
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