Title:The Last Mrs. Parrish
Author:Liv Constantine
Published:October 2017, Harper
Format:ARC Paperback, 400 pages
Source:Publisher
A mesmerizing debut
psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly
manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden
couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.Amber
Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible
woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money
and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish
takes for granted. To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor,
Connecticut, Daphne and her husband, Jackson—the beautiful
philanthropist and the confident real estate mogul—are a golden couple
straight out of a fairytale, blessed with two lovely young daughters.Amber’s
envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn’t have a plan. Amber uses
Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s
life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before
long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the
Parrish family, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her
past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it
is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.
My thoughts:What a fun, twisted, crazy book!!! I picked this gem up at BookExpo this past Spring and have been looking forward to reading it, but never did I expect it to be as good as it was…and I did not realize it was written by two sisters who wrote it via Skype – how cool is that!
I think what comes to mind when summing up this story is the old adage – be careful what you wish for. At least that’s what I think of when I think of Amber…oh, she thought she was so clever and conniving, coming up with this great plan of hers…only to be basically outplayed in the end. But, I really don’t want to give too much away as I really think you need to experience all the thrills and twists of this book for yourself.
What I will say is that I loved the way the story was told…first from Amber’s point of view and then from Daphne’s point of view. It really shook up the whole story – almost turning it upside down. There is so much going on just underneath the surface that you really need to be paying attention to – it’s not so much what’s being said as what’s not being said.
You may think you know what’s going on and you may think you know who the villains are – but believe me when I say – you don’t. It’s so not a case of black and white. This book will turn you inside out and have you rethinking everything as you delve deeper and deeper into the story. It will get under your skin – and good thing it’s a fast read – I devoured it in an afternoon!
I so hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this writing duo…this was a fantastic debut novel and I can’t wait to see what comes next for them! They certainly have a knack for creating some deliciously devious characters and just the right amount of dark, twisty plots for them. Perfect reading on a chilly afternoon!
