I went into My Husband’s Wife expecting a twisty thriller, and Alice Feeney certainly delivered on that front, although not always in the ways I hoped. The story follows Eden Fox, an artist living what seems to be a peaceful life in Hope Falls with her husband Harrison. One morning she returns from a run to find her key no longer works. A woman who looks uncannily like her opens the door and claims to be Harrison’s wife. From that moment the book becomes a maze of shifting truths, buried secrets and characters who are never quite what they seem.
The plot moves quickly, helped along by short chapters and a structure that jumps between perspectives. I’ll admit it took me a moment to settle into the rhythm of the alternating viewpoints, but once I did, I found myself completely absorbed. Feeney has a talent for creating tension out of the smallest details, and the early chapters in particular hooked me straight away. I listened to most of this on audio and although the narrator sounded younger than I expected for characters in their thirties and forties, she still carried the story well enough that I stayed invested.
This is a book packed with twists. Some of them are clever, some are wild, and a few stretch believability to the point where I had to consciously suspend my scepticism. I usually prefer twists that feel inevitable in hindsight, the kind that have been hiding in plain sight all along. Feeney goes for something more chaotic here, especially in the final act where revelations come thick and fast. I enjoyed the ride, but I can’t pretend I didn’t occasionally feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of surprises being thrown at me.
What worked best for me was the setting and the atmosphere. Hope Falls feels both idyllic and unsettling, the perfect backdrop for a story where nothing is quite real. I also appreciated the existential threads running through the narrative, especially the questions around identity, fate and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Even when the plot veered into the unbelievable, those themes grounded the book.
The characters themselves are a mixed bag. They’re intentionally unreliable and often unlikeable, which I don’t mind, but at times their voices blurred together. I also struggled with the way some of them withheld information from their own internal thoughts, which made certain twists feel more engineered than earned.
Still, despite my quibbles, I tore through this book. It’s fast, entertaining and full of energy. Readers who love high‑octane thrillers with big reveals and a touch of melodrama will have a great time. If you prefer your twists subtle and meticulously foreshadowed, you may find the ending a bit much.
My Husband’s Wife left me entertained; slightly bewildered and glad I picked it up. Not my favourite Feeney, but absolutely a gripping read.
Also read:
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
