The Wife and the Widow by Christian White (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?"

My Thoughts:

The Wife and the Widow was quite a thrilling ride - it had me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages late into the night!  This book is told from two different viewpoints (I'm sure you can see where the title comes into play here) with Kate and Abby being the two different storylines.  I actually was equally intrigued by both of their storylines which doesn't always happen with a book set up like this.  There was just a perfect blend to the two storylines where it felt inevitable that that they were eventually going to tie together but as the reader you didn't know how or when.  I don't feel like that's a spoiler especially if you have read the above summary.  Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the setting.  This book is set in this isolated, deserted town set on an island during the winter time.  In the summer, the island is a popular tourist type of destination but during the winter only the locals live on the island.  The setting gave this book this atmospheric and eerie feeling that I just couldn't get enough of!  It was honestly the perfect type of setting for a thriller and just added so much to the story in my opinion.  This book was also a real page turner!  I found myself unable to set this book down for long because I was just so curious to see what would happen next.  Without delving too far into spoiler territory here, the ending of this book was phenomenal.  I didn't see it coming even though I would have sworn that I had the book figured out.  When I finished this one, I was actually really excited to see what other readers think and discuss the ending.  If this is a sign of what my 2020 reading year is going to be like, I am certainly in for a treat!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so excited to have found this author!  I've had his previous book on my TBR list but just hadn't gotten to it yet.  I'm definitely going to have to make it a priority though in the new year after loving this one so much!  Books like this are why I have such a deep love for mysteries and thrillers.  The setting, the dual storylines, and the page turning suspense really made this book a standout for me!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A jaw-droppingly good read!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.