Synopsis:

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.

When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?

As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

Rating:

Review:

This book came highly recommended. Several friends of mine read it recently and absolutely raved about it. The ending left them floored, they said. It was spectacular, they said. You’ll never guess the ending, they told me. They were right, I never would have guessed the ending. Because it was utterly nonsensical.

Everything about this book was great all the way up until the end. Louise was a little boring. I couldn’t understand what David saw in her because I found her very dull. But I was drawn into the story and the mystery. Was David an abuser? Was Adele mentally unstable? What exactly is going on with this couple?

Then we got to the ending. It came out of nowhere but not in a good way. All of a sudden this typical domestic thriller threw in a paranormal element that had never been hinted at previously. It was bizarre. While other people really loved it as a “twist”, I found it jarring. It made no sense in the context of the book. It made no sense in the context of this world. Don’t worry about missing this “hidden gem”, you’re not missing anything.