My Lovely Wife

This is the craziest book I have ever read...

Just imagine. Everyone has their own secrets. And the thing is, everyone is pretty darn good at hiding them. The couple living next door could just very well be serial killers, and you'll never know it. This is a story about that: a couple, wanting to spice up their marriage life, find excitement in murdering people, and get away with it. The man is a tennis coach; the wife an estate agent. They have two children. A very normal-looking family, to say the least.

This book is written in the man's POV of his everyday life, his feelings about the murders, how it went about, how he found the thrill in being a part of their very sick little hobby, and his lovely wife. I thought I would hate him, but there was actually a little bit of fondness as the story went on. The first half is pretty slow and dull, a point that almost made me consider dropping the book, but the second half is pretty amazing. I wanted to know why this book got so popular, and I got my answer. It was worth it, but feeling all creeped out by the little details that murderers found delight in was quite unpleasant. It's more a thriller than a mystery, so I guess I was asking for it. You can be sure I'm never going to read a book like this again. *shudders*

Definitely expect twists and turns in this one! Reading the ending made me question everything that I have felt and understood (or was it misunderstood?) while reading the story. I'm still quite taken aback and confused. I would have preferred if it was more direct because I still can't decipher it? Call me dumb, but that's that. Still an interesting debut though! Very original (but nasty). A ride that is out of this world.

Love that this is set in Seminole County Florida, it makes for creepy fun. Definitely one of those books that makes you root for toxic characters, toxic relationships, and such. If you don't mind letting your mind sway that way, then I highly recommend this book!
Here is my full review over on The Lit Buzz!

I had really high hopes for this book. The whole idea behind it is brilliant and interesting and it was fast paced and not boring whatsoever, but it lost me the moment the main plot twist was revealed. From that point on, it turns into a mess with multiple plot holes. It pissed me off that the main character never questioned what his wife was actually doing with the victims, where she was hiding them… etc. it also annoyed me how when he was breaking into one of his client’s homes he kept talking about the locks and how he hopes the door’s lock was never changed. You are literally breaking in, why would you care if a lock has been changed or not?! In addition, what was the point of the woman from the beginning of the book asking him if he was actually deaf? This interaction kept lingering on in the character’s mind throughout the whole book but it led to nothing. And lastly, the final facedown with his wife. How did she know he was coming at this time, so she could wait in a corner of the room in darkness? Did she do that every night until he showed up? And it seemed completely out of the blue that this woman who was crazy about her children, always worrying about them, ended up repeatedly poisoning her daughter with eyedrops. But oh well she’s a psychopath so who knows. It’s just that things started getting so messy and confusing from the point where his wife turned on him. (Sorry I didn’t mention characters’ names. I forgot them because I read this a while ago)

I don't know exactly how to feel about this book. It was a lot less involved around the murders than I thought it would be, instead the story centers more around the marriage drama.
The twists in this story were pretty predictable, like the fact that Millicent was poisoning her daughter and that Owen was dead.
It was interesting enough to keep reading but I didn't really understand the motive for the couple to kill these women, like I could understand that Holly seemed like a threat and whatnot but the husband doesn't really explain what his motive is. Obviously Millicent just wants to kill because she is a psycho but why does the husband continue to kill at the end of the book if he came so close to getting caught and should be starting a new life?
The main characters were obviously supposed to be unlikable and so I would've liked the story to end with both of them in jail and getting the point of view of the kids but maybe that wouldn't have made much sense.
I guess I was expecting more action and less everyday family stuff, maybe it would've been better if the kids didn't exist and then the book could be centered in the couple and the murders.

My Lovely Wife, the debut novel from Samantha Downing, is uniquely compelling exploration of a marital relationship.

By all outward appearances, they seem perfectly average. A normal family unit. The story is told by the husband, a tennis instructor at a country club. He and his striking wife, Millicent, have been married for 15 years. She is a realtor and they have two children, Rory 14, and Jenna, 13. They support their children's school and sports activities, and have the occasional dinner with their friends, including his best friend, Andy Preston, and his wife, Trista, who takes tennis lessons at the club. But they are anything but normal, especially on "date night."

Downing weaves a tale about dark compulsions and the consequences of acting upon them. As the story opens, the body of a murdered young woman, Lindsay, has been found and the case is dominating the headlines. The news is shocking for several reasons. The body was never supposed to be found. But, more importantly, Lindsay supposedly died more than a year ago. Yet it is being reported that she was only dead for a few weeks before her body was discovered. That raises a plethora of questions about what has actually been going on for more than a year. And provides the first inkling that perhaps Millicent may not be trustworthy.

So begins a game of cat and mouse in which the stakes could not be higher. Eighteen years ago, Owen allegedly murdered nine women. But he was released from custody because the police failed to have the warrant signed by a judge before collecting critical evidence -- a DNA sample. He disappeared, but became known as the "local monster, boogeyman, serial killer. Eventually he became a myth, too large for life." So they set in motion a plan to make the public and police believe that Owen Riley, the Woodview Killer, has returned. It seems like the perfect distraction until it all goes wrong.

As the search for the killer proceeds, Downing ramps up the pace of the story. They failed to anticipate the ramifications of their subterfuge, and the fallout from their scheme is swift, far-reaching, and devastating. No one in their lives remains unscathed.

The unnamed narrator is wholly unreliable. Downing keeps readers guessing whether he is a loving husband who has been pulled into the dark psyche of his wife and goes along with her behavior for the sake of the marriage and children or if his nature is as malignant as Millicent's. Which of them is the true mastermind behind their actions? Downing injects shocking plot twists and revelations, and an action-packed race to a jaw-dropping conclusion.

Downing invokes extreme emotional reactions from readers. She deftly includes comedic moments, providing momentary relief from the story's unrelenting tension, but just as cleverly breaks readers' hearts. My Lovely Wife is a clever, inventive, and engrossing character study from a promising new writer of psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.