My Husband's Wife - by Jane Corry - Book Review

"My Husband's Wife" is one of the twisty, turniest books I have read in a long time! No joke, by the end of the book  I had completely lost count of all of the unexpected surprises along the way. "My Husband's Wife" is told from the perspective of several characters, including Lily and Carla. When the book begins, Lily is a new lawyer as well as a newlywed wife to her husband Ed. Carla, a nine year old girl who lives with her mother, lives down the hall from Lily and Ed. Sixteen years later when their paths cross again, Lily and Carla are challenged by their circumstances, lies, and loves - past and present. And just how will things end, well...




My Husband's Wife
by Jane Corry

When young lawyer Lily marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind. But then she takes on her first murder case and meets Joe. A convicted murderer whom Lily is strangely drawn to. For whom she will soon be willing to risk almost anything. But Lily is not the only one with secrets. Her next-door neighbor Carla may be only nine, but she has already learned that secrets are powerful things. That they can get her whatever she wants. When Lily finds Carla on her doorstep sixteen years later, a chain of events is set in motion that can end only one way.

  
Dynamic Relationships

Every relationship in this book is super duper complicated - and the huge toll this takes on the characters is a large part of the character development. These complications are perhaps most obvious, and damaging, for Carla's character. Carla lives with her mother as a young girl - and unfortunately, her mother is not particularly discerning in her choice of partner. Her current love, Larry, is married to another woman. And despite Carla's mother's desperate pleas and obedience, Larry has no intentions of leaving his wife. As a result, Carla learns at an early age how to be deceitful and manipulating - all of which ultimately makes her a terrible person, and a particularly unlikable character, especially in her later years. For much of the book, I enjoyed reading the dynamic between each of the relationships - however, at times the characters acted unpredictably - which I struggled with as a reader. As I said, this book is super twisty! And twists and turns can be really fun to read, but when the twists occur constantly and are so unpredictable to the point that the characters are unreadable- it's too much for me. "My Husband's Wife" definitely felt that way for me at times. If you enjoy a thrill ride, this is a great book for that - but keep in mind, that if you also enjoy deeply studying a character- these twists may make this a difficult read for you.

"There are times when you'll find yourself swearing that blue is black. You'll truly believe it yourself. We all do it. It's not that lawyers lie. It's that they twist the real facts to make another world that everyone else believes in, too. And who's to say that won't be a better world? - My Husband's Wife, pg 161

Fascinating Plot Lines

My favorite plot line in the book was between Lily and Joe. Joe is one of Lily's first clients as a criminal lawyer. Joe was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, and hires Lily for his appeal now that new evidence has been introduced. The dynamic between Joe and Lily is chilling, exciting, and absolutely page turning. The writer of "My Husband's Wife", Jane Corry, spent time working inside of a prison. I'm sure that these experiences influenced her writing, as the description of the prison setting, as well as the relationship between the lawyer and her client, are very well done.

" But that's the problem with lies. As I said at the beginning, they start small. And then they multiply. So that the white lies become as black as the real thing..." - My Husband's Wife, pg 363

Shifting Perspectives

"My Husband's Wife" is told from two different perspectives - Lilly's and Carla's, as well as a third italicized perspective of unknown origin ( twists! so many twists!). While reading, I definitely got a sense of the advantages and disadvantages of shifting the perspective. The shifts certainly kept the story moving and interesting. However, at times, the shifts were so quick ( 2-3 pages) that it was hard to really settle into one viewpoint. Also, because of these shifts, the writing became more telling than showing as descriptions and settings were rapidly changing and unreliable.

There are lots of exciting, chilling, and unexpected moments in "My Husband's Wife". I gave this book three out of five stars - I enjoyed reading it, but as someone who enjoys getting to know and exploring characters, I was ultimately too frustrated with the number of unpredictable twists in this one. Despite these frustrations, Jane Corry is an incredibly talented author and I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

Have you read "My Husband's Wife"? Let me know what you thought of it below! Which character did you struggle with/ dislike most? (Mine was definitely Carla! ) Thinking about reading this book? Click here to find a copy at your local library, or click below to view the book on Amazon through my affiliate link!

Many thanks to Viking & Peguin Random House books for allowing me to read this book prior to publication. As a "girl about library", where books are always free, you can be sure that all opinions expressed are my own. Happy reading!