Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for The Life She Wants, a new psychological thriller by J.MHewitt.
The Life She Wants
You want to save your marriage. She wants to destroy it.
Paula worries that her marriage to Tommy is hanging by a thread. She loves how safe her husband makes her feel, but lately, it seems like he’s pulling away from her, and he keeps avoiding a much-needed conversation about finally having children.
When Tommy suggests a cruise getaway for the two of them, Paula is thrilled. He’s fighting for this marriage, and he’s even promised that they will talk about growing their family. It’s Paula’s dream come true. Until the couple meets beautiful Anna.
From the moment Anna appears in their lives, things start to go wrong for Paula. She finds herself trapped in a sauna. Her hair is destroyed at the salon. Money goes missing from her cabin. At first, Paula thinks she’s paranoid in suspecting Anna is turning her dream holiday into a nightmare. But soon, it becomes clear that Paula may not be the only woman fighting for Tommy’s affections.
How far will Anna go to get what she wants? What lines will Paula cross to protect her marriage? And whose dark past will return to destroy them first?
The Life She Wants is a suspenseful psychological thriller with a twist. Perfect for fans of Catherine Ryan Howard, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.
Purchase Links
ebook / paperback
The Life She Wants is an intense psychological thriller that starts as a slow-burn and then picks up the pace to turn into a story full of twists and turns.
Paula has been together with her husband Tommy for more than fifteen years. She appears to have it all-a good-looking husband who earns a lot of money and is able to afford every kind of comfort, a five bedroom house, cars, holidays, unlimited free time. On the other hand, she has never used her degree, she hasn’t got any real friends and her husband refuses to discuss the question of starting a family. Is her marriage in trouble? Is there anything she can do to save itandensureshe still has the life she wants?
When Tommy (unwiling as he is to discuss babies) shows their two tickets for a cruise, Paula is hopeful that maybe things aren’t as drastic as she thought. But then aboard the cruise liner, Tommy is back to his usual narcissistic behaviour and strange things begin to happen to Paula, including being locked in the sauna. Could their new aquaintance- dazzlingly beautiful Anna- have anything to do with it?
The story is told from three POVs- two of them are those of Paula and Anna and then there are also ‘Before’ flashbacks from the mysterious third person. Part of the fun of reading this book is trying to figure out who they are. I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters in the book (I did sympathise with them, though), but the book was very easy to read and it is clear that the author knows how to slowly build the suspense and then surprise the reader with an unexpected twist in the end. Bonus points for using very atmospheric settings that add to the darkness and mystery of the plotlines.
Entertaining, full of drama (especially towards the end), intense, The Life She Wants is the first book by J.M. Hewitt that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources, NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
J.M. Hewitt is the author of five crime fiction novels. Her work has also been published in three short story anthologies. Her books usually incorporate twentieth and twenty-first century events and far-flung locations, and her novels explore the darker side of human behaviour. In contrast to the sometimes dark content of her books, she lives a very nice life in a seaside town in Suffolk with her dog, Marley.
Social Media Links –
Website
www.jmhewitt.net
Twitter
@jmhewitt
Facebook Author Page
J.MHewittauthor
Instagram
j.mhewitt
Thank you for reading the post! Have a great Wednesday!
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I never though a psychological thriller can be entertaining. Great review!
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You’re right, It’s strange to use this word in the context 🙂 it was almost as if it was a whodunnit and I was trying to figure out the mystery, but without feeling too deeply about any of the characters.
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that makes sense. 🙂
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With some psychological thrillersit is better for our sanity to stay detached 🙂
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