“Olive Anderson is dining alone at a hotel when a glamourous stranger joins her table, pretending to be her wife. What starts as a thrilling game quickly turns into something dangerous. But as much as the fake wife has her secrets, Olive just might have more . . .

The Fake Wife is an unputdownable thriller that will shock and surprise you like the best television boxsets. If you enjoyed Netflix shows like Behind Her Eyes, The Stranger and Obsession you will love The Fake Wife.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton. The Fake Wife is published by Orion Books today (that’s Thursday 9th November 2023) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free eARC of The Fake Wife but that has in no way influenced my review.

Olive Anderson, dining alone, gets an awkward surprise when she returns to her table to find a woman in her seat. Olive begins to address the situation, when the woman turns things on their head and tells the approaching waiter that she is, in fact, Olive’s wife. Unsure of the best way to proceed, Olive plays along but before long she’s telling the beautiful stranger things about herself that could get her into trouble. Who is this mysterious woman? Why is she playing this seductive game and exactly how much danger is Olive actually in…

This is a very difficult book to review as to say too much risks me sharing unwanted spoilers and I don’t want to do that. This book is best read with little to no knowledge of what it’s about. Look at the publisher’s blurb for example. It doesn’t say a lot about what happens after the other woman arrives at Olive’s table. I went in blind myself, having not even read the blurb, and I think that added to my overall enjoyment. So that would be my advice to you. Only read this review because it’s spoiler free (😂) and completely forget the blurb I just told you to read! 🤦

The Fake Wife is a thoroughly gripping, highly engaging thriller from an author who is fast becoming a favourite of mine. I devoured this book in under 24 hours, picking it up at every opportunity and doing everything I could in my power to keep reading and avoid ‘adulting’. The characters are believable and well-drawn, the tension was pitched perfectly and I have never been more keen to discover what the reasons behind events were. I was drawn hook, line and sinker into the story and I loved every single moment.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Fake Wife is sharp, packed full to the brim with suspense and a book where ‘one more chapter’ leads to two…three…ten, the early hours of the morning and a distinct lack of beauty sleep (it was flipping worth it though!). The Fake Wife has beautifully written twists and turns throughout and an engaging pace to keep the reader turning those pages (just as I did!). It’s a complex, multi-layered story with different timelines and points of view but it’s done so well that everything works and makes perfect sense. I did mention the characters earlier but I have to give a special shoutout to Garry Mizon who is my ‘character of the year’ without a doubt. In a story with dark overtones he made me chuckle and brought a lighter note to proceedings. I think I also fell a little bit in love with him. All in all, I loved The Fake Wife and would happily read this book again in the future, which from me is the ultimate compliment. A different take on a psychological thriller, hugely engaging and impossible to put down! A book hasn’t had a hold over me like this one did in a very long time. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Fake Wife. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton was published in the UK by Orion Books on 9th November 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Sharon J Bolton was born and brought up in Lancashire, the eldest of three daughters. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an actress and a dancer, studying ballet, tap and jazz from a young age and reading drama at Loughborough University.

She spent her early career in marketing and PR before returning to full-time education to study for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Warwick University, where she met her husband, Andrew. They moved to London and Sharon held a number of PR posts in the City. She left the City to work freelance, to start a family and to write.

She and Andrew now live in a village in the Chiltern Hills, not far from Oxford, with their son and the latest addition to the family: Lupe, the lop-eared lurcher. Her daily life revolves around the school run, walking the dog and those ever-looming publishing deadlines.