REVIEW – The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Expected publication: May 19th, 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers

 

An excellent summer read!

Joanna has devoted her life to eight-year-old Evie, six-year-old Stelli, and their father, Leo. Joanna’s been patiently waiting for Leo to come out of the depression that gripped him for months. Now it seems like her prayers have been answered. He’s coming back to them.

Leo is a successful lawyer and he’s just about to start a new high profile case. Joanna suggests he attend a meditation workshop at the Phoenix Recovery Center to help him get prepared emotionally.

It won’t be long before she regrets that suggestion.

“I was relieved that he was finally going to take a step toward health. Little did I know that it would be his first step out of my life and right into hers”.

Piper Reynard recently moved to Westport from San Diego. She wanted to start over without standing out. She found the perfect home and she loves running the Phoenix Recovery Center. She hopes things will be different in Westport. “She couldn’t keep starting over and finding new places to hide“. Piper promised herself that she wasn’t going to get involved with anyone for at least a year. Then she meets Leo Drakos. Piper is excited when he signs up for a meditation workshop at the center. Leo quickly realizes mediation isn’t for him and instead of finishing the workshop, he takes Piper for lunch where the conversation flows easily. Piper is very attracted to Leo and she thinks the feeling might be mutual.

Leo seems pretty relaxed when he gets home that evening so Joanna is surprised when he says he didn’t get anything out of the workshop.

When Joanna meets Piper at their annual Memorial Day Party, she’s far from impressed. After the party, she searches social media to see what she can find out about Piper. Joanna can’t find anything about Piper online. What is she hiding?

When Joanna’s mother hurts herself, Leo encourages Joanna to go and stay with her. The weeks go by. The children visit but it’s not the same. Then an unexpected visitor one morning turns Joanna’s life upside down.

Joanna’s devastated. She’s losing everything that matters to her. But she’s not going to go down without a fight. She’s going to get her life back. Her loved ones are in danger and she’s going to do what she has to do to prove it. Will she be able to do it in time?

 

Well done. You got me!

The story is told from both Joanna’s and Piper’s point of view. We learn a lot about their current lives as well as their childhood, and their complicated relationships with parents and previous partners.

This in-depth and well-developed story had me gripped. I definitely had to suspend my disbelief at times, but I was addicted to the story. And that ending?  I NEVER saw it coming.  At first, I was a bit confused. I was like…wait…what? Then I got it and my mouth dropped.

I thought this was an excellent domestic suspense novel with great characters that many will love to hate. I suggest you read this book in as few sittings as possible.

 

I’d like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.