The Expat Wife by Courtney Hargrove #bookreview

Thank you to the author, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Expat Wife in exchange for my honest review. 

Publisher: One Moment Books

Published: July 11, 2023

 

Summary:

Welcome to Switzerland in winter: Snow upon snow, everywhere to disappear, nowhere to hide…

When newlyweds Rose and Wesley Blackwood move from New York City to Lucerne, Switzerland for his new job, they quickly take to expatriate life. What’s not to love about this safe, cozy country known for chocolate, cheese, and scenery to die for?

But when Rose’s new friend Jacqueline disappears, Rose begins to see an ugly side to this beautiful country-and to her new husband.

Muddled by jetlag and with no one to trust as her marriage deteriorates in an unfamiliar country where she doesn’t speak the language, Rose, who was an investigative journalist back in New York, sets out to solve the mystery-and discovers nothing in this bucolic town is what it seems as she uncovers a cascade of terrifying secrets leading to a twist that will leave readers chilled to the bone.

From #1 bestselling author Courtney Hargrove comes an atmospheric, twisty and suspenseful mystery set in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

 

My thoughts:

I am always thrilled when authors reach out to me with books that I just know will be a good fit and that is exactly how I felt when Courtney Hargrove asked if I was interested in reading and reviewing her latest book, The Expat Wife. I mean an atmospheric, twisty and mystery – that just screams my type of book and I loved every second of this one and was thrilled to see that it is the start of a new series!

There is nothing I love more than an atmospheric mystery and this one really kept me on edge all the way through. With the addition of the cult-like vibes and Swiss folklore, I was addicted to the story. I found myself not knowing who to trust, even wondering if our narrator, Rose, was unreliable a time or two. I’ve never read anything about the expat life and so that was quite an education, though I have a feeling the group we meet isn’t quite like your typical expats. These were more like a mix between The Stepford Wives and Desperate Housewives, which at times made it really hard to find anything redeeming about any of them!

While it starts off on the slow side, it does pick up pace and I totally appreciated this set-up. It was so crucial to the overall mystery, and ultimately the reveal, which let me just say totally took me by surprise! The twists and turns this one took really kept me guessing. I felt like there were many surprises throughout and that just kept me flipping the pages because I really needed to see how it was all going to play out. The suspense builds throughout and as I said, I really was quite shocked at the ending, which I loved! As someone who reads a ton of mysteries and thrillers, I love when I am completely surprised at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading more from this author!

 

Fun fact…did you know that Courtney writes under a pen name? Ever wonder why authors do that? Join Courtney and I on Thursday, July 20th on Instagram as we go LIVE to discuss this, the book, and a host of other things.