My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Pages: 320
Synopsis:
“An upstanding political candidate. A determined stalker. A shattering lost weekend. Now, when his worst secret comes calling, how far will one man’s elegant, all-too-devoted wife go to uncover the truth . . . or bury it?
For Jolene “Jo” Baker, the least she can do for her adoring husband, Dominic, is give unwavering support for his North Carolina gubernatorial run. He is not only the love of her life, he’s also helping her prove that she’s far more than just a pampered trophy wife. With huge crowds showing up at Dominic’s speeches and the polls consistently in his favor, she’s never been happier to stand proudly by his side . . .
Until she and Dominic start seeing the same, strangely ominous woman turning up all along the campaign trail. Until their tour starts becoming a nightmare of botched events, crucial missed information, and increasingly dangerous “accidents.” Suddenly Jo can’t get any answers from Dominic—or understand why he is acting so paranoid and terrified . . .
What Jo can do is start digging into his past—one she’s never really questioned beyond his perfect image and dazzling accomplishments. What results is an alarming series of events that leave her Good friends turn into enemies, truths are revealed to be lies, and all clues lead back to one secret, shattering weekend that changes Jo’s entire life. With her world splintering into pieces, can Jo risk trying to set things right? Or will hiding the bitter truth by any means necessary destroy her as well?”
Review:
Yes!!! This was so good. I’ve read one other book by this author, The Perfect Ruin, but I definitely want to pick up her other two as well. I love this author’s writing style and ability to craft such compelling stories, so I knew this was an auto-buy for me. The title of this one is spot on, and I got chills when it was revealed in the story.
“We lie to ourselves and fabricate these stories in our heads so we can believe them. But eventually the story will crack, and the lies will spill out, and you’ll drown in the truth.”
I went in totally blind, didn’t even need to read the synopsis. In the beginning, I started to get a little nervous and unsure if it was going to be something I’d like. I don’t typically enjoy stories that center around politics and political schemes. But this one proved me wrong because I was absolutely hooked on this story the entire time.
“This is how it should be in the world: women helping women. People supporting each other.”
The prologue was jaw-dropping and immediately had me invested. The drama was so juicy and I was completely rooting for these conniving characters to get their justice. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines, getting to see all the pieces unfold, as well as the short chapters. It’s definitely binge-worthy.
“We’re all a little messed up. Every single human on this earth has endured a trauma or a tragedy that they want to heal from, but what happens when you don’t heal?”
There are also a lot of topics and questions raised that I could see making for a great book club discussion. There are some deep, emotional, traumatic and dark subjects, as well as commentary on wealth and abuse of power. The story really goes there and doesn’t hold back. It asks you to reflect on some of the darkest parts of humanity.
Highly recommend!
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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