The Wives

I had high hopes for The Wives and it started off strong, but the second half fell flat, leaving me disappointed with the outcome. This psychological thriller revolves around a woman and her polygamist relationship with her husband and his two other wives. Being one of three, she always wonders about the other two and cannot help but compare herself to them. She lives in Seattle and the other two live in Portland, with the distance making her even more curious. By chance, she comes across one of the other wives names and does some sleuthing to uncover who she is. From there, she goes down the rabbit hole of learning everything she can about the other wives and uncovers things that do not add up. Does her husband abuse his other wife? Does he love them more than he loves her? Little by little, her reality unfolds around her as the truth reveals itself.

I loved the premises of this book and was drawn to it immediately. Sister wives turned thriller? Count me in! The pace started off strong and fast, but towards the end became drawn out and sluggish. I do not want to give any spoilers, but I felt the ending has been done before...many times over. It was not a twist that left me speechless. In fact, I had to take some time to reflect on this book before I could draft a review because I went from loving it to not caring for it. It felt high school romance. Everything is new and amazing at first, hot and heavy, but then you start to realize all of the annoying habits that person possesses, it starts to dilute the person you first fell in love with, and your mind starts to wander.

I have seen a handful of rave reviews, so like any I write about, this is my opinion and yours may differ. That is what makes discussing books so enjoyable. Books are subjective and I am a mood reader, so my mood can influence whether I love, like, or hate a book.

Overall, I gave The Wives by Tarryn Fischer ★★★. Not the best, but also not the worst. I am a big thriller reader, so for me, this story has been done before. If you are a thriller newbie, you might really love this one. In fact, if you are a thriller newbie, this might be a good one to dabble with.

If you have read this one, I would love to hear your thoughts (whether you agree or disagree with me.) Let's chat!