The Ex-Wives: Bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Product Information

So this was the sort of thing that I thought would be a good watch with my wife. We often struggle to find something that fits both our tastes but in the trailers it all seemed to be just the thing.... Natasha can't drive. An adult woman in London who can't drive? I don't think so. Natasha's mother drives and has a car.

What would you do if your soon to be husband's ex wife tells you he can't be trusted and not to marry him? Well, you chose love and marry him of course. She’s feeling unsettled. She did like the house, she did like that life. But it’s been corrupted and she can’t quite put her finger on why, so when she starts to feel uncomfortable she thinks it must be the house or it must be because she’s not working." Natasha’s life seems perfect, I said “seems” because she has everything, a handsome husband who’s rich, a beautiful home and a lovely baby girl. But she can’t enjoy all of them because of her husband’s ex-wife, Jen. She is everywhere, Jen is the wife that her husband’s family like and she is in all their family gathering, always in touch with the husband. It’s like Jen still is his wife, not Natasha. One day when Natasha comes home he couldn’t find her daughter and her husband. She searches everywhere and asks everyone but no one knows anything. And still, there is someone who has to ask, Jen. Can she trust Jen? Does Jen know anything at all? And if she doesn’t so what’s happened to the husband and the baby girl? I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Cannon and I thought she did an excellent job. She added to the tension felt in the story. I'm hoping more of Kernan's work is read by this narrator. Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jess Ryder) and the publisher (Bookouture) for a copy of the book.The first ¾ of the book moves at a fast clip and there were quite a few twists I didn’t see coming. My opinion seemed to change about where it was going with every chapter. But then, the book seemed to hit a speed bump. The pace of the book slowed and I felt like I could see exactly where it was going from then on. The ending was so obvious it was a real disappointment to me. And the climax was totally unbelievable. Although, I did guess one of the plot twists, the others were a pleasant surprise. Not all of the characters are likable in this book which worked perfectly for the plot. As I learned more and more about the secrets, lies and motivations of some of the characters, things did begin to make more sense. Part of the allure of it and part of the challenge for me was that there are moments when we want the audience on side and then there are moments when you want the audience to question whether they are on the right side or not."

This is the third book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Hunted Girls' and 'The Adoption' which I would also recommend.I’d describe [twists] as the deliberate misleading of the reader, encouraging them to make false assumptions and draw wrong conclusions about the narrator/s, the plot, the identity of the characters, their motivations and ambition, or how they are connected to each other. As the book progresses, the reader creates a fictional world in their own imagination and then, at a time of their choosing, the writer brings it crashing down.”

My issues with this book are plot-related more than style or topic, and I'm not sure how to discuss without spoiling. My biggest gripe? The main character, Elana, is an idiot. Just an absolute moron. She handles every single situation so ridiculously that I cannot fathom a real person would do this. (Spoilers, I'm sorry) I read this one over a couple of hot sunny (heat wave) evenings in the garden and really enjoyed the drama. I loved how this psychological thriller kept me asking myself, “What is going on?” and racing towards the end to find out. The twists were surprising and kept me on edge as they were revealed. I felt a shot of adrenaline as each chapter ended and compelled me to keep reading (which I did). Several times I literally sat straight up in bed and asked myself, “Did that just happen?” Who doesn’t love a “gotcha” moment! Céline adds: "Keeping the ex wife in the picture sounds quite bad. But breaking off a relationship in a conflicty way sounds really bad too. I can understand how a newer wife who’s younger and who’s quite in awe of this other sophisticated woman thinks, ‘Who am I to ban someone from seeing this person they’ve spent x amount of time with?’" When someone jumps into a new relationship before they're truly ready, it only sets both partners up for heartache. “You end up depriving your new partner of really getting to experience the real you,” Ponaman says. Meanwhile, the current partner will end up feeling a bit duped. Because of this, it’s worth figuring out where your partner stands with their ex.Narrated by Stephanie Cannon for 11 hours, easy to follow at 2x. Overall she did a fine job, but I could have went for more emotion at times, especially when she was in the sea and her life was on the line.