| Title | : | The End of Her |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1787632997 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781787632998 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published July 28, 2020 |
Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there’s one thing she knows for certain – she has everything she ever wanted.
Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a shocking accusation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident – but she says it was murder.
He insists he’s innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?
How will it end?
The End of Her Reviews
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Argghhhk! I ate my couch cushions, spitting out feathers from my mouth! What a tense, wtf I’m reading but I cannot stop, will not stop because I’m obsessed with the fast pacing, heart pounding, stomach churning novel!
I have a question to the readers of this book: did you fantasize six million ways of getting rid of shameless slut Erica by giving her slow and the most torturous death and keep thinking to hire John Wick for his impressive knife throwing skills? Well, I guess I did and I’m not ashamed of it. The author gave us one of the most hatable characters: A mashup of Maleficent- Baby Jane Hudson- Nurse Ratched-Wicked Witch of the West-Cersei Lannister.
After I destroyed our couch, a long and painful stomach pumping procedure later, i continued to read at the pillow-less hospital bed (actually I read aloud and all the nurses on my ward dropped their shifts, circled me to know what’s gonna happen, treating me with jelly trays. )
I summarized them the plot before I start my reading: which I’ll do the same for you:
Stephanie and Patrick are happily married with twins if you don’t count the babies’ heavy colic problem which turns to torturous nightmare with nonstop crying tournament, agitation and restlessness. Both of them suffer from sleep deprivation and their only problem was not adjusting to be new parents. A woman named Erica ( scumbag slut alert) from Patrick’s past appears out of nowhere, telling that she is Patrick’s ex wife’s best friend and she insists that first wife hasn’t died accidentally, she has been murdered by Patrick. And as last nail to the coffin: she tells that she and Patrick were in love and having affair behind his first wife’s back.
Erica blackmails them because she already did her homework and she knows about inheritance money of Stephanie and she wants her cut for her silence not to talk to the police for reopening the murder case.
Well, Erica is not only blackmailing this couple, she may ruin another two couple’s lives, too, with the powerful information she may use as her leverage.
And the worst thing is she already incepted suspicion seeds inside Stephanie sleep deprived, paranoid mind. What will happen? Could Patrick be cold blooded killer? Could pathologic liar Erica tell the truth? Could Patrick marry her for inheritance money?
As her reality slowly distorts, she has to gather the pieces of her life to find the truth to protect her family.
I liked twists, gripping, breathtaking writing and as my final decision I’m giving my fiery, nerve bending, shocking, jaw dropping five stars. I think this might be my favorite work of the author! ( And of course all hospital crew listened to my reading throughout my stomach pumping process agree with my decision! And I’m thankful to be featherless now which mean I can pour myself a glass of Chardonnay!)
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Enjoyed the beginning and was intrigued, but once again the ending fell flat for me.
I didn't feel like the characters played out well. They weren't true to their character build up. I can't say more without spoilers, but it was a quick read and you may enjoy it more than I did.
I will read this author's next, but this is my least favorite from her so far.
Thanks to EW for my review copy. -
"You're a liar! I'm going to tell on you!"
Ok, that's not actual dialogue from the book, but it might as well have been.
"I'm not the liar... you are! Liar liar, pants on fire!"
Patrick and Stephanie are enjoying life as new parents with their colicky twins, when some woman shows up and claims that Patrick killed his first wife. The shock! She demands money for her silence, of course. Instead of going to the police with this threat, the couple decides to fight back by engaging in a Who's the Bigger Liar contest with the blackmailer. After that, all hell breaks loose.
You guys, sometimes I don't even know what I'm reading anymore. Have domestic thrillers lost all sense of reality? Don't go to the police when randos threaten you; you should talk them out of it instead! Getting blackmailed over something minor or false? Best to freak out and give in! And accusing someone of murder? You just need evidence of an affair and a life insurance policy!
Where is the logic in here? No one behaves like this, I tell you! And yet, this book is full of these loonies, and we are forced to read about them overreacting to every little thing, having paranoid breakdowns, and making one bad decision after another. Nothing they did or said made any sense. My eyes rolled so hard I was seriously afraid of permanent damage.
Then, as I'm getting towards the end of the book, a thought popped into my head: "You know what would totally cement the insanity? If this happened." And guess what... that was indeed the big twist of the story. So I didn't even get to enjoy the surprise after all that.
Honestly, what a completely silly, nonsensical, ridiculous story this turned out to be. -
The End of Her, by Shari Lapena, starts out with an already sleep deprived and frazzled set of parents because their twin baby daughters seem to be stuck in a colicy stage that lasts months. Stephanie and Patrick get about six hours of sleep tops, during the only time the babies will sleep. Patrick's job is suffering because of his sleep deprivation and Stephanie doesn't know how much longer she can go, never getting enough rest.
Into this mix enters Erica, dropping by Patrick's office to let him know she is back into his life, cozying up to Stephanie in a very threatening way, saying things to implicate Patrick in the death of his first wife, who died in a car accident. Erica's very insistent about what she reveals and she wants money to make her go away. Erica inserts herself in other people's lives, too, and these lives intertwine in ways the people she meets don't realize.
At first Stephanie backs her husband completely, until things she learns bring doubts to her mind. Once the police become involved, Stephanie is in full panic mode, more sleep deprived than ever, and trying to find a way to escape a living nightmare that won't go away. I enjoyed the story and wanted to see what happens next. Erica gives us someone we love to hate but there is a chance she is telling the truth and if she is, Stephanie and her babies are in grave danger.
The story is a quick read and there is always a sense of tension and danger, with Erica in the picture. I did not care at all for the short choppy sentences that made up the thoughts of every character. Those short sentences may have been used to imply a sense of urgency but, for me, they also made each person seem too much alike. But then, maybe most of the people are alike because this cast of characters all seem to have secrets that they are hiding.
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC. -
*SPOILERS* Honestly, I want a refund. Riddled with cliches and very little action, I thought there would be a point to it all, but nope. The big “twist” was a LOL moment for me because it was so unbelievable and out of character. You can’t just build up your main character the whole book to be this quiet, super boring, sleep-deprived mom and then on page 315 decide she’s gonna be a COLD BLOODED KILLER. It doesn’t make sense and I laughed out loud when that big ‘twist’ happened because it was so absurd and dumb. Then, as if that’s not bad enough the book ends with a cliffhanger. She legit just puts in the obituary of the other main character who was another nightmare of a character that everyone wanted her dead. SO YOU’RE JUST GONNA END THE BOOK WITH HER OBIT!?! I’M SORRY WHAT!?! I could go on, but save yourself the $25 and get this from the library, if you do indeed decide to read this.
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Probably I'd give 3.5 ⭐ if it was possible and the average for this book is 3.87.
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it by rating it on the lower side since this isn't a bad book.
I just can't find any qualities in it to inspire me to say anything more than 'Meh. It was okay.' -
4.0 stars —I have had a love-hate relationship with Shari Lapena’s books (rating them between 1 and 4 stars) but am always intrigued enough to read her next book. “The End of Her” definitely lands on the better books written by Ms. Lapena with a very good premise and good writing from start to finish. Lapena does an excellent job of not revealing everything about the characters at the first of the novel which caused me to enjoy the book more as I tried to figure out who was telling the truth about whether the death of Patrick’s previous wife was either an accident or murder. This becomes a key point in the book because Patrick’s new wife, Stephanie, becomes fearful she might have married and had twins with a murderer and wants to know the truth for her own safety. The plot is moved along by Erica, a woman who Patrick had an affair with at the time of his first wife’s death, that may or may not know more details about this death and Patrick whose arrival in town brings all of this to light. If it wasn’t for Erica “The End of Her “ would be definite 5 star material. She is so “extra” as my teen daughter would say it saps the reality and enjoyment from the parts of the novel she plays a major part in. But, this book is still a page turner and does a good job of keeping the reader in suspense from beginning to end.
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I really enjoyed Lapena's The Unwanted Guest and Someone We know, and she kind of became an auto-buy thriller author for me. I find her books entertaining, and thrilling to read.
But, this was such a disappointment. If I'm honest, even 2 stars is generous. I felt like someone else wrote it, or like she winged it in a few weeks.
There was nothing thrilling in the story. It felt like a domestic contemporary with a pinch of mystery for a very long time. There were so many details that added nothing to the story. I could skim read quite a lot of it. The characters were 2 dimensional with no depth, no real motivation, people took very important decisions out of nowhere.
It was a let down from beginning to end. I don't want to spoil it so, that's all I can say.
I'll still read her next book, but if you're thinking to read Lapena for the first time, maybe pick up another book. -
WOW....... I have no words for that ending. 3.5 Stars
I lied, I do. WTAF! This was a 4 - 4.5 stars psycho - domestic thriller. Lots of lies, secrets, blackmail, and cheating. Lots of fun. It kept me turning the pages and I needed to know who the villain was. I am surprised to guess it correctly, but the ending?! C'mon are you kidding me? 🤬😤
Thank you Goodreads Giveaway for my copy. -
4 stars
A pretty good thriller that may leave you with more questions than answers.
In case anyone hasn't coined the name of this genre, yet, I am thinking of calling it "relationship thriller". I am hoping that those of you who have read books like this one know what I am talking about. The story usually starts with what seems like a normal relationship, but it quickly becomes a tangled web of back-stabbing (literally and figuratively) and lies. The whole gist is that people who are really close to each other and think they know each other don't really know each other at all. When you read this book you might find yourself glancing suspiciously at your spouse.
And, on that note, I will mention the fact that this was another book I listened to with my wife. The glances we gave each other over the twists and turns may have been turning to glances of paranoia by the end . . . what sort of skeletons is she keeping in her closet??? 😉😉😉
If you understood completely what I was talking about when I explained this genre, this is a book worth checking out. A fast, easy, twisty, and turny read that will have you guessing even after it is over. -
Stephanie and Patrick have a good life together, happily married, with beautiful twin daughters and because this is a Lapena novel you know that things are about to go terribly for them.
What happens when a woman from Patrick's past comes back raising questions on the death of his first wife?
Erica is one character that you will love to hate. She's despicable but she kept me turning those pages.
The ending is where this fell a little flat for me. It's not a terrible ending by any means but I just couldn't quite buy how it all played out. The epilogue, however, was terrific. 4 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Pamela Dorman Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. -
Shari Lapena sure knows how to write unlikable characters, let me tell you!
Stephanie and Patrick are married, with new-born, colicky twins. Despite the sleep deprivation, they’re reasonably happy…
...until Erica pops back into Patrick’s life. She was friends with him and his first wife up until 10 years ago, when his first wife died. The death was ruled an accident, but that’s not what Erica is saying.
Is Patrick really innocent? Or is he a cold blooded killer?
This is a fast-paced read with short chapters and multiple POVs that will keep you hooked...like all of Lapena’s novels. I enjoyed it for the most part.
However, I abhorred the character of Stephanie, who may be the only one who’s supposed to be likable. She was idiotic and annoying, with bad dialogue...and reminded me of one of my least favorite characters in all the land (Amanda in David Bell’s The Request).
I also wasn’t particularly fond of the ending. It didn’t ring true, and I thought it could have taken a more clever route.
I have a bone to pick: There’s a scene where a character wants to know what’s in a mysterious safe deposit box. The bank teller checks for identification, has the character sign the access log, and lets her peruse the safe deposit box...despite her name NOT being listed as an owner. That would most likely NEVER happen in real life, and I’m not sure why the teller would even ask for an ID if she wasn’t going to check whose name was on the account.
But I digress. It’s still a fun and fast read, and I would recommend it to fans of the author. I’ve now read all of her domestic suspense books, and this is the only one I didn’t rate 5 stars. If you’re new to her work, I would recommend starting elsewhere.
3.5 stars rounded down. Now available.
Review also posted at:
https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com -
Stephanie and Patrick are the parents of colicky newborn twins, and experiencing all the things that go along with new parenthood, but x2. Namely, total exhaustion, stress, and lack of sleep. But they are happy. Until Erica arrives. Erica, the psycho temptress who leaves a trail of destruction wherever she goes.
Erica, a girlfriend from Patrick’s past shows up with accusations that he murdered his first wife, a death that was ruled accidental. She claims she has proof it was murder and wants cash to keep quiet.
Told from multiple viewpoints, we are privy to what’s going on inside all of the character’s heads. I thought I had this one figured out, but to my delight I was totally wrong. More than once.
As each page is turned, we learn more about each of the characters. The plot thickens and I was riveted from beginning to end. I just deleted a paragraph from my review because anything I say from here on out will give too much away. It’s best to go in completely blind (aren’t you sick of hearing this? Sorry!)
This was a totally twisty and entertaining tale, and I loved every minute of it. There are differences of opinions among readers on the ending but after I picked my jaw up off the floor I decided I loved it. Who knows what any of us is capable of if pushed to the brink? Those of us who are fans of true crime know people can be unpredictable.
• Highly recommended on audio! -
"We don't always get to choose."
Accusations, blackmail, lies, and secrets!
Stephanie and Patrick are recently married parents with twin girls. They are sleep deprived; the girls have colic but otherwise they are happy. That is until, Erica arrives and makes a shocking accusation. One that turns Stephanie and Patrick's lives upside down. Patrick said his first wife's death was an accident, Erica claims it was murder. Who is telling the truth?
They are not the only characters in this book with secrets. There are two other subplots going on as well. Everyone has something to lose...and one hopes to gain!
The end of her proved to be a fast engrossing read full of 'interesting' characters. I enjoyed this as I kept trying to figure out what would happen in the end and have to say, I was surprised by some events in this book. This was pure escapism reading for me. This was a fun he said/she said that kept me on my toes and entertained.
An enjoyable domestic thriller which did not disappoint.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. -
The End of Her is the new domestic suspense novel from Shari Lapena. Having read
An Unwanted Guest by the same author, The End of Her is a totally new theme and an enjoyable thriller which does not disappoint.
Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to their life with their newborn twin babies. Soon Erica, from Patrick's past, drops in on them unexpectedly and raises questions about his late first wife. Stephanie supports her husband totally but when Erica and the police start probing, Stephanie's trust in her husband begins to falter and doubts in their relationship begin to crop up. So, what is the truth after all?
The story is a fast and engrossing read, full of curious characters. It keeps you on the edge mainly due to some unreliable characters and some unique twists that will keep you guessing throughout. What I thought was unique about this book explores humans and fragility of human relationships; how even the smallest suspicion can torment a human mind and destroy relationships. Lapena skillfully creates mysteries out of some real characters and some real-life situations. Throughout the book, you are not sure what the character’s motivations are and what he really intends to do, which keeps the plot unpredictable. The story was fact-paced to keep you engaged and the characters will keep you guessing.
The ending and some twists in the end, though shocking, didn’t feel totally convincing. Some of the side plots felt unresolved. The epilogue though thrilling, leaves you hanging. Part of the mystery is revealed quite early which took away some of the excitement for me.
Overall, it’s gripping domestic suspense with plenty of twists and turns. If you are a fan of domestic thrillers, you will enjoy this one.
Many thanks to the publisher Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC. -
2.5 stars
This was a pretty middle of the road thriller for me. I think my reason for not liking this book as much is a me thing, because I’m not a huge fan of thrillers where the main ‘thrilling’ thing happening is someone blackmailing someone else for money. I just find it very boring and I don’t usually care, and that’s exactly what was happening with this book.
I feel like the first 50 pages of this book were really good as it set up all the characters and little mysterious things, but then this story DRAGS for like 200 pages and the pacing sucks. I was so bored in the middle of this book I considered DNFing it. Luckily, the ending did pick up a little in the last 80 pages or so and I think the ending was the best part of the book (even though I did predict one of the plot twists, but there were other twists I didn’t see coming) but overall I have very meh feelings toward this one.
Shari Lapena is usually a hit or miss for me and I’m sad to say this one was mostly a miss. 🥴 -
3.5 Stars rounding up (though I considered rounding down)
Erica is a FEMME FATALE, through and through....(an attractive, and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her- as defined by the Oxford Languages dictionary)
She will cross paths with:
Patrick and Lindsey
Gary and Emily
Niall and Nancy
Patrick and new wife, Stephanie..
Yes, Patrick, for a second time....She is a Femme Fatale who keeps on giving!! 🤣
She arrives back into his life, accusing him of murdering his first wife, Lindsey and she is making Stephanie doubt her own husband's character..
Patrick claims he is innocent, and this is just a blackmail attempt.
Who is telling the truth?
I think that HOW much you enjoy this book will depend on HOW much you can BUY INTO the ending. ..
I thought the twists at the end were SURPRISING and FUN!
I did enjoy the book.
BUT, for ME, the BEST Psychological Suspense books are those which manage to surprise with characters who stay true to WHO they are, and those which remain plausible....
So, this one falls in the middle of this year's offerings for me!
A great diversion on a hot, summer afternoon...but not one that will make my top 10 list by the end of the year!
Grab your popcorn and enjoy! 🍿
Releases on July 28, 2020!
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!!
I would like to thank the publisher for the digital ARC provided through Edelweiss in exchange for a candid review! -
The End of Her by Shari Lapena is a 2020 Bantam Press publication.
Stephanie was aware that Patrick, her husband, and the father of her newborn twins, lost his first wife tragically, but she didn’t know all the grisly details- until a woman from Patrick’s past shows up claiming that his wife did not die by accident- that in fact- Patrick had murdered her...
The couple initially believes this is merely a blatant attempt at extortion, but the accusations go further than they ever imagined. As more details emerge, Stephanie begins to have her own doubts about Patrick’s innocence…
I’ve noticed my reading choices of late have been either contemporary women’s fiction or cozy mysteries with a smattering of other genres here and there- but no psychological thrillers for quite some time. So, finding myself in the mood for a good PT or Domestic thriller- however you want to categorize it- I turned to Shari Lapena. This is my fourth novel by this author, and I knew she would deliver just want I was craving…
Yes, of course, I guessed some big plot twists almost from the start, but part of the fun here is watching how everything is going to unfold. Seeing the best made plans go awry and watching the way the characters coped with the curveballs and revelations was absorbing and entertaining.
Overall, a solid, satisfying Lapena thriller.
4 stars -
Sleep is very much important, people! The lack of it can make you go crazy! Don’t mind me finishing this almost at 5 in the morning!
This is a good solid thriller even though involving tropes which are for me outdated and old. The cheating spouse trope. The secretive spouse trope. In 2020 really? But again I just have to give it to Shari Lapena because without a doubt she has done it again. This author has the way to weave the most ordinary premise to something engaging and fun. The End of Her is no exception. It follows quite a number of characters whom I was invested right from the beginning. When one of them said, ‘my husband is keeping something from me’ I just knew I’m in for a ride. With respect to the ending in my mind I always think of the worst thing that could possibly happen. And yes, the worst indeed happened in the end of the story. I wasn’t surprised but I’m still taking it. The whole story frustrated and gripped me all through out. Another win from Lapena! -
5 stars!
I loved this suspenseful, shocking, edge of my seat, fast paced, gripping, twisty and tangled web of secrets!
I inhaled this novel and loved every single moment! I immediately connected to the storyline — Stephanie and Patrick are new parents to twin girls. They are struggling through the babies’ colicky phase and feel like they are barely managing to survive. The sleepless nights and endless chaos of new parenthood was done so well. It brought me right back to when my kids were babies.
There are many hidden secrets and layers to this story. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a new twist (or two) was thrown into the mix. This book kept me on edge and in high anticipation of what was to come next.
I have read all of Shari Lapena’s books and I think this is her best yet! It’s an excellent book to escape into to simply enjoy the suspense and entertainment without having to think too much. I highly recommend! -
Cheating husband ☑️
Dead first wife ☑️
Suspicions of murder ☑️
He said/she said ☑️
A little bit of blackmail ☑️
Lots of characters hiding lots of secrets ☑️☑️☑️
How did Shari Lapena managed to pack all the tropes in one story and still manage to make it completely engrossing? I was completely in from minute one of the audiobook (the narrator did an excellent work, btw).
It took me a while to warm up to Stephanie cause at the beginning she came up a little bit whiny (I think I’ve never heard the word collic more times in my life!), but once she starts to wake up to what’s happening around her she became much more likable.
Erica was so despicable I just kept waiting for her to meet a horrible death (I’m that nice of a person 😊), but at the same time it was so fun to read all her antics.
All the back and forth between all the different characters made this such a quick listen and the fact that you don’t know who to believe for the most part made me want to keep on listening even though I had more pressing matters to do (what could be more pressing than finding out what happens next in your book, right? Apparently, work is).
Although the ending was satisfaying I’m a bit skeptical about Stephanie’s actions all of a sudden, as they don’t seem in character with what we’ve been told about her until then. Some secondary plots could have been better resolved and some forensic details were hard to ignore as IRL they would have changed the outcome of the investigation.
And that epilogue...👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Tremendously fun listen that confirms for me that Shari Lapena’s books are one of the things to anxiously expect each summer. -
Stephanie and Patrick have the ideal life raising their daughters. But someone from Patrick’s past has come knocking and Stephanie’s world is about to be knocked on its axis.
I listened to the audio and Karissa Vacker was amazing as always. But I don’t think this book will be one of my more memorable reads for the year.
Perhaps I’ve read (listened to) too many audios with very similar tropes in a short period of time.🤷🏻♀️
I still enjoy this author ne looking forward to more of her books in the future. I actually have another of her audios on my shelf right now!
3.5🌟 -
I love Shari Lapena and felt this was her best work yet!
A sleep deprived mother with twins to conquer, a successful husband with a lot of secrets, and the arrival of someone from her husband's past comes to destroy everything in her marriage. Does it sound like a familiar dovetail story....It's not.....????
With seeds of doubts planted, Erica puts her plan in motion if Patrick and his wife, Stephanie, do not pay up she will go to the police in his former town and let them know his wife did not die an accidental death, but planned. How does she know? Because she was his mistress, and she lives for the thrill of being a homewrecker and seeing them squirm to pay up to rid themselves of her.
This is only a small portion of the story line. You will not believe all the tricks Lapena has up her sleeve with well articulated characters weaved in and out of the story sending you down a psychological thrilling road to find out how this is all going to coincide.
You will never see this ending coming.... -
I've read all but one of Shari Lapena's thrillers and this book was definitely the biggest page turner of the bunch. The characters' lives were so messy that it was pretty entertaining to watch the drama unfold. And even though I wasn't completely satisfied with the last few chapters, I did have fun reading this one.
Stephanie has her hands full being a stay at home mom to colicky twin babies. Her husband, Patrick, helps out when he comes home from work, but the lack of sleep is getting to the both of them. As if life wasn't stressful enough, a woman from Patrick's past named Erica shows up in town. Erica claims Patrick's first wife didn't die in a tragic accident but instead Patrick was behind her murder. Erica is threatening to go to the police and Stephanie's faith in her husband will be tested.
The story alternates between the perspectives of quite a few characters with Stephanie and Patrick being featured the most. This method of storytelling was effective and led to a fairly quick pace. What held my interest was wondering just where the author was going to go with the story. Eventually I started losing hope that an awesome conclusion was in the works. I wouldn't say every single plot point was predictable but I did feel a teeny, tiny bit letdown when I finished the book. I think why this book didn't reach the 5 star level for me is nothing really blew my mind with the story.
A good read overall though and I definitely recommend reading it if you have enjoyed the author's other books. -
This is a domestic thriller that reads like an extremely twisted soap opera. It’s crazy, and a little absurd at times, but I was still glued to the pages!
Patrick was married to Lindsey, who died in a terrible accident, while Patrick was having an affair with her hot bestie, Erica....ugh, men! After Lindsey’s death, Patrick takes his insurance money and moves to NY for a fresh start, where he meets / marries Stephanie and they have twins. Then...Erica shows up in NY, spilling the beans about Patrick’s past, and blackmailing them!
Whew 😅! That’s only the beginning. There are many more surprises along the way, but you’ll have to read them for yourself!!
A portion of the book takes place in Colorado and I’m about 40 miles away from one of the mentioned towns. It’s always fun to read about familiar settings.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Shari Lapena and Pamela Dorman Books for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
Another incredible group read with No Rules - Just Thrills!
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: July 28th 2020 by Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 335
Recommend: Yes
@sharilapena @PamelaDormanBks @weiss_squad
#psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #MustReadThriller #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished #BookReview #Edelweiss
#domesticthriller
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BN.com, BookBub -
Wow, what a treat this one was! I've really gotta say, this one had me entertained throughout and it may be my favorite Lapena novel!! I've never hated an antagonist more than Erica, and grew more and more frustrated as she tried to blackmail more and more not-so-innocent people she encountered through the years. I wanted her to get what was coming for her, to say the least! I won't say any more than that, but this one was incredibly hard to put down after I picked it up and was incredibly fast-paced from the first sentence on! Go out and get this one if you like yourself a good out blackmail story, you won't be disappointed!
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Remember that movie “Fatal Attraction” with Glenn Close? Well, this novel has that vibe of a crazy woman from a man’s past who wreaked havoc on that man’s marriage. Author Shari Lapena goes a bit further though with the crazy lady. Said crazy lady, aka Erica, has her sights on others as well.
“The End of Her” opens with a prologue of a young couple on a snowy night getting ready to visit the woman’s family. Nine years later in another state, in an idyllic neighborhood, a mother of infant twin girls (Stephanie) struggles with sleep deprivation and overall exhaustion. Her husband Patrick is an architect who is making a name for himself. Yet, the exhaustion is catching up with his work as well.
Enter Erica, posing as a candidate for a position in Patrick’s firm. Patrick is immediately on guard, wondering what she is doing there. Lapena can write tension into seemingly innocent scenes. That’s what makes her so good. The reader understands, through Patrick’s acts, that Erica is a menacing threat. Erica then steals her way into Stephanie’s life. Stephanie learns from Erica a bit of Patrick’s history that Patrick wasn’t as upfront with. Erica accuses Patrick of things that makes Stephanie question everything about her marriage and Patrick. Lack of sleep doesn’t help Stephanie’s reasoning skills.
Meanwhile, Erica infiltrates herself into Patrick’s business partner’s life. And then we learn she has ties to a couple who adopted a boy nine years earlier. In each situation, Erica is working on a grift. Lapena writes Erica so well, that the reader is as creeped out by her as we were while watching Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction”.
What makes this story special is that there are three grifts occurring simultaneously, each equally frustrating and appalling. Do people like Erica exist? Hopefully only in the minds of excellent authors. There is so much action in this beauty of a thriller that the suspense is corporal. My heartrate was elevated, as I’m guessing my blood pressure. I haven’t hated a character that much in a very long time. In fact, none of the main characters come out particularly well; which proves that you do not need likeable characters to make a readable book. In fact, in this case, it was the despicable characters that make this a page-turner.
And the ending??? Well, bravo! Well done Ms. Lapena, well done. -
When a woman shows up in Stephanie's life claiming her husband Patrick murdered his first wife, her life is thrown into turmoil. Of course Patrick denies the accusations, claiming her death was a tragic accident. Stephanie never would have thought her husband would be a murderer, but as more and more secrets come out, she can't help but question whether or not he's telling her the truth.
I really liked that the book was told through several POVs. We got to see chapters from Stephanie and Patrick, Patrick's business partner Niall, as well as several other characters. This gave us a well rounded picture of how this one newcomer in town threw several lives into turmoil.
I've been a big fan of Shari Lapena for several years, so I knew I'd enjoy this one too. I enjoyed that several of the characters were morally grey - some were good people who made bad choices, while others were just bad people, and then there were a few characters I was rooting for! Overall, I was very happy with the way this one ended, and I loved the epilogue!
I'd like to thank Pamela Dorman books for my copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review. -
Stephanie and Patrick are a married couple struggling with being new parents. A woman from Patrick's past appears, and starts raising questions about the death of Patrick's first wife. Patrick fears the questioning will raise doubts about him and destroy his family and his career. Stephanie believes Patrick when he says it was an accidental death, but she starts to suspect there is more to the story.
Told using multiple points of view. There are a lot of characters, but the main characters are Stephanie, Patrick, and Erica. Erica is the woman from Patrick's past. She says he killed his first wife. Patrick says it was a tragic accident. Stephanie believes her husband. In addition to these characters, there are several other characters and subplots. These include Niall (Patrick's business partner), Nancy (Niall's wife), Hanna (Stephanie and Patrick's neighbor), and Cheryl (mother of Devin). There are connections between the different people and events, but some things could have been left out. With so much going on, it did seem a little chaotic at times.
A gripping domestic suspense with secrets, betrayals, and unlikable characters. Fast and fun read with plenty of twists.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. -
Shari Lapena's new thriller focuses on an old, timeless, and unfailingly relevant question. Is it possible to really know the person you marry? or might they have different sides (faces): caring and tender because they love and adore you and your children, calculating and selfish or even worse, once you start doubting their intentions....
Stephanie and Patrick are extremely exhausted. People always underestimate how hard it is to cope with a new born baby, let alone twins. Add a never-ending colic and endless crying and you get barely functioning sleep deprived parents who are losing their mind. They don't know what is causing the colic or when it will stop or whether the industrial quantities of coffee they are consuming are helping or just making them even more tired. Patrick is a successful architect, but he's been unable to focus and give his full attention to his clients' projects, so understandably his work is suffering. Stephanie's lost all contact with her colleagues and acquantainces, apart from seeing their neighbour Hanna who has a baby of her own. It is Hanna who notices a young woman checking out properties in the area and looking curiously at Stephanie and Patrick's house. She is young and pretty, but something is off about her. Then the same woman appears in Patrick's office and interviews for a vacancy there.
And just like this Patrick's former lover Erica Voss is back in his life. Incidentally she is also Patrick's first wife Lindsey's best friend. Now Erica wants money in exchange for her silence about what happened to Lindsey. Patrick always maintained it was a tragic car accident, although Stephanie never knew the details. As he refuses to pay Erica, it is time to come clean and talk about his past with his unsuspecting second wife.
There are also two other couples who also feature in Erica's opportunistic schemes: Patrick's partner and his wife, and the couple who adopted Erica's child nine years ago and have been lovingly raising him. Erica is manipulative, greedy and ruthless. Still, is there a chance that she might be telling the truth and some people just set themselves to get blackmailed by somebody who is confident, observant, smart about human nature and motivations, and totally devoid of scruples?
What I like about Shari Lapena's novels is that they have a limited number of characters, but every single of them is shown to have their own agenda, motive and opportunity. She just keeps you guessing until the last chapter and sometimes even until the last paragraph. Nobody is entirely innocent (apart from the babies, colic isn't a crime, whatever the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation on their long-suffering parents might be), so there is a sense of urgency to solve the secrets before another disaster or another crime is committed. We don't really get the background story or an explanation why the villains behave the way they are, although we do get a glimpse into what was really happening and their cold detached feelings.
If you are a fan of domestic thrillers, this is a book for you. It is quick, tense, and dark. A perfect marriage turns into a crime scene, a friend turns into somebody who is only watching out for and trying to protect themselves, ordinary family life turns into a series of narrow escapes (did she leave that frying pan on fire or did she not?), even a much beloved childhood story takes on a very sinister meaning.
Shari Lapena is my auto-buy author and I know I can rely on her to write a compelling story with a complex plot. She knows how to tap into very common fears, exaggerate and turn them into a real page-turner. Her endings are spectacular and his one is just a point in case. It is quiet, almost too quiet after all the tension and relentless pace, but it does leave you with surprise.
Recommended? of course! It's Shari Lapena.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Pamela Dorman Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
