Book Review: The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Title: The Wife Stalker
Author: Liv Constantine
Pages: 400 pages
Published May 19th 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: Edelweiss

GoodReads Description: "Breezing into the tony seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.

Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.

Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.

Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?"

Far-fetched & soap-operatic!

I've seen mixed reviews for this book, so if you liked this author duo's other novels - totally disregard this review! Lots of other people liked it, especially those that enjoyed Liv Constantine's previous books.  This was my first by the pair that make up the pen name Constantine.  However, there are some, like me, who just couldn't play along and pretend that 2+2=22.

When I first picked the book up, I appreciated the short chapters that made this book a quick read.  Something about the style was a little off for me though - I kept thinking I had missed something for the characters' behavior to make sense or for certain moments to be brushed over. I also would have said that the book lacked originality, until the big twist at the end.

The twist at the end is probably what makes this book for people - because I didn't see it coming and it makes all the weird things up until then make sense.  But to me, the ending does not make up for the rest of the book just being OK.

I also think that the ending requires a lot of suspension of belief.  Like more than your typical thriller.  It was a stretch.  And it still left me with a ton of questions!

MY RATING:
Story: 2.5
Characters: 2
Overall: 2 stars

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

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