The Writing Pulled Me In. The Twists Lost Me.

Opening Thoughts

I read the final sentence of My Husband’s Wife and thought, I knew it. I knew the ending was going to feel far-fetched and twisty.

This is the third Alice Feeney book I’ve read, and my experience has followed a familiar pattern. In the beginning, I’m immersed in her writing. The premise hooks me. The interiority is outstanding. The mystery engages me and keeps me guessing. And then the twisty resolution rolls in, and Feeney loses me.

Every single time.

What makes this frustrating is how much I enjoy getting there…at least until the revelations start piling up.

The Mystery and the Misdirection

The biggest reason My Husband’s Wife didn’t work for me was the number of coincidences required to make the plot come together. Pair those with unreliable narrators whose unreliability often amounts to outright lying, and the story ultimately felt like 300 pages of misdirection. By the end, I was questioning the point of following clues when so much of what I’d been given couldn’t be trusted.

The twists and revelations did wrap up the story, but the answers felt too contrived for me to find that resolution satisfying. By then, I was dizzy from the twisty ride and kept checking how many pages were left: the reader’s version of, “Are we there yet?”

I enjoy watching a mystery come together. Here, though, too many pieces seemed to fall into place through convenient coincidences, and that took much of the satisfaction out of the reveal.

The Writing—and Birdy—Kept Me Reading

Despite my mixed feelings about the story, there was quite a bit I enjoyed. From a style perspective, Feeney’s writing consistently works for me. Her prose is fluid, and my brain absorbs it eagerly. I love her interiority work, and her pacing keeps me engaged. Until the final stretch, I enjoyed watching my suspicions pinball around as the mystery unfolded.

And then there’s Birdy.

Her voice is so distinct: dry, sarcastic, darkly cynical, and humorously pessimistic. Feeney’s skill with interiority brings those qualities alive through Birdy’s candid thoughts, many of which made me laugh out loud.

That access to the characters’ inner lives is one of the things I appreciate most about Feeney’s writing, but Birdy is in a class of her own. Long after the details of the plot fade, I suspect I’ll still remember her.

Would I Read Alice Feeney Again?

Despite my recurring frustration with her endings, I would actually read Feeney again. Her writing pulls me in so fully and so immediately that I’m still willing to follow her into another story. I enjoy spending time inside her characters’ minds, and her books introduce me to people and places that are off the beaten path from what I normally read.

In that regard, they can be reliable palate cleansers for me, even if the resolutions don’t always land.

Final Thoughts

I’m torn on this one. My initial inclination was to give it 2.5 stars because so much of the plot didn’t work for me. But I’m rounding up to 3 stars because there was also a lot that did. Feeney’s fluid prose, strong interiority, and memorable characterization kept me reading, even when the coincidences and eventual answers tested my investment.

And, believe it or not, I would recommend My Husband’s Wife to thriller lovers who don’t mind a plot heavy on coincidences and culminating in several twists. The ending wasn’t for me, but I can definitely see other readers enjoying the ride.