Book Review: The Good Wife

By Sara Steven

Appearances can be deceiving… After a whirlwind romance and three years of marriage, I’d tried to be a good wife.

My husband Tom is always watching, controlling my every move. He chooses my clothes, my hairstyle, even instructing what and how much I’m allowed to eat – just ten mouthfuls.

I’ve become isolated from those I love, forbidden to work and stuck at home to fulfill his every whim. My identity along with my life is long gone. I am slowly suffocating but I know Tom will never, ever let me leave alive.

But a chance encounter with Savanah changes everything. Tom just couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. I hoped she might be my savior. What if I asked for her help? Paid her to steal my husband away? Could my husband’s desire for another woman be the answer to my prayers, to my freedom? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Another hit by Gemma Rogers! 

The Good Wife is a crazy psychological thriller of a rollercoaster ride that really brought out the best and worst of my emotions. For much of the book, I felt so much tension towards the relationship between Tom and Chloe. I wanted to somehow launch myself inside and become a guard or shield for Chloe, and tell Tom where to go! He was the best villain, portrayed well through not only Chloe’s perspective, but his own as well. He justifies much of his attitude and actions, despite what it does to Chloe. And despite how terrible Chloe feels, she lets it happen because she feels like she has no other choice but to allow Tom to degrade her at every turn.

I kept thinking, how? How could she not see the red flags, and how could she continue to allow him to control her. But, through her own words, the reader gains a better understanding of how it could be that she’s found herself to be a prisoner for three years.  The situation with Savanah feels totally out of the box, but it makes perfect sense. Maybe there’s a chance that Chloe can gain freedom by use of Savanah. Suddenly, it becomes a very bizarre lust triangle and a literal fight to the finish–will Tom be the winner? Or will Chloe find a way to outwit Tom at his own games? 

I wish I could say that so much of the storyline and what we find within The Good Wife is complete acts of fiction, but having watched a lot of reality television highlighting the depravity of some individuals–the show Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? comes to mind–I can tell you that some people do think the way Tom does. I felt like the author did an impeccable job with that. He’s sinister, with just a touch of a superiority complex that kept me wanting to find out more about him, and try to figure out the root behind his actions. And I never knew for sure what would happen next. With the story told from three different perspectives–Chloe, Tom, and Savanah–where one viewpoint ended the next viewpoint would pop in and it felt like the potential for all hell to break loose was always on the horizon.  

This was a thrilling experience, from start to finish. A definite five-star read!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links: 
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Apple * Barnes & Noble

Gemma Rogers lives in West Sussex with her husband, two daughters and a bouncy French Bulldog called Boycie. Her love of writing began in her early teenage years, inspired by hours spent buried in Point Horror, Richard Laymon and Christopher Pike with the occasional Judy Blume thrown in for good measure. Other passions include movies - horrors especially (who doesn't love a good scare), country walks, swimming and anything involving cake.

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