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The Bad Wife
A married woman’s lust for a stranger compels her to risk everything, in this new suspense by the bestselling author of His Other Woman .
It’s just a small picture in the local paper—Katie can’t explain why it sets her heart racing. But hiding the photo of local GP Joe Harvey in her bag sets in motion a chain of events that will dramatically alter her life forever.
Driven by a unhealthy desire for a man she hardly knows, the mother of two begins to worm her way into Joe’s life, knowing it’s reckless but still unable to control herself. As her obsession intensifies, Katie’s world becomes increasingly stressful and she’s forced to cover her tracks by lying to everyone around her. Katie’s dancing with danger, and there will be consequences. And while she can’t live without him, Joe barely knows she exists . . . yet.
It’s just a small picture in the local paper—Katie can’t explain why it sets her heart racing. But hiding the photo of local GP Joe Harvey in her bag sets in motion a chain of events that will dramatically alter her life forever.
Driven by a unhealthy desire for a man she hardly knows, the mother of two begins to worm her way into Joe’s life, knowing it’s reckless but still unable to control herself. As her obsession intensifies, Katie’s world becomes increasingly stressful and she’s forced to cover her tracks by lying to everyone around her. Katie’s dancing with danger, and there will be consequences. And while she can’t live without him, Joe barely knows she exists . . . yet.
- GenresThriller
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2023
428 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
June 28, 2023
While the book started off okay, I found the whole story rather uninspiring and dragged out. So it's a no from me. The book just didn't do it for me and a few times I wanted to just give up. Maybe others will find it suspenseful, I did not
June 25, 2023
I really don’t like writing bad reviews but have to be honest. This book is pretty awful. Hard work and very unbelievable. It was an easy read in the sense of the story but it was very silly. Sorry
Thanks to bloodhound books for the arc in return for an honest review
Thanks to bloodhound books for the arc in return for an honest review
July 5, 2023
Katie is a wife and a mother in her early forties. She feels under appreciated by her husband, Pete, and their children, Suky and Anna. Despite working full-time, all the chores and day-to-day activities fall on her shoulders. Katie is also grieving for her mother, who recently died of cancer.
When Katie meets Dr Joe Harvey at her local GP surgery, she becomes fascinated by him. Slowly, she starts to think of him more and more often, but things soon escalate as she begins to follow him and his girlfriend around…
Her fascination quickly turns into an obsession.
I was gripped by this book from start to finish. I thought that Katie’s worsening obsession was fantastically written with a great build up of events surrounding her.
Her infatuation was almost like a teenage crush, although she wasn’t a teenager anymore. She had a family and children to support plus she was still grieving for her mother. However, saying that I could see the other side of the story: she didn’t have it easy at home, she had to all the cooking and cleaning, and put up with her daughters’ moods, while her husband was upstairs typing away on a computer.
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I definitely recommend it.
When Katie meets Dr Joe Harvey at her local GP surgery, she becomes fascinated by him. Slowly, she starts to think of him more and more often, but things soon escalate as she begins to follow him and his girlfriend around…
Her fascination quickly turns into an obsession.
I was gripped by this book from start to finish. I thought that Katie’s worsening obsession was fantastically written with a great build up of events surrounding her.
Her infatuation was almost like a teenage crush, although she wasn’t a teenager anymore. She had a family and children to support plus she was still grieving for her mother. However, saying that I could see the other side of the story: she didn’t have it easy at home, she had to all the cooking and cleaning, and put up with her daughters’ moods, while her husband was upstairs typing away on a computer.
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I definitely recommend it.
August 31, 2023
This book is literally one of the worse things I’ve EVER read. Terrible characters with no substance. Zero suspense, Story? What story? DIABOLICAL. I hated the lead character Katie - an absolutely awful human being - who hated her children, her husband, her job & her life. Oh and the explanation - hormones. Go fuck your self. How insulting to all the incredible women out there who juggle life and find positivity & blessings daily. Getting older and going through the menopause is part of life and does not define you. The author is clearly unaware of this fact. I can’t for the life of me understand how anyone could enjoy this book. PLEASE DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS TRIPE!
June 30, 2023
Katie is in the waiting room of her doctor's office to fill a prescription when an older woman faints without warning. She kneels to offer help when a doctor appears and orders an ambulance. While he is repositioning the woman to be more comfortable his hand brushes Katie's and the spark she feels ignites her imagination. He's perfect to her in that moment, and she just knows he feels it too. When the elderly woman is taken away, she leaves to go to work but she can't get him off her mind.
Not too long after, she sees in a newspaper article that he's scheduled to give a talk on heart health at the library and she decides to go just to see him again. Now that she knows his name from the article she can't resist using a search engine to find out more. Dr. Joe Harvey .. The man she just knows feels the same intense attraction to her. Talking to him after the lecture she realizes that spark that she felt is kindling into a flame inside her.
Suddenly he's gone from a chance encounter to the subject of her thoughts most of the time. His face. His kind-looking eyes. That perfect smile. The man of her dreams.
Things begin to get difficult at home. Her marriage to Pete becomes strained and she has recently lost her mother and is worried that she was neglected by her caregivers so she's under a lot of stress. All of this makes Joe Harvey seem more and more perfect. She wants to let him know she feels the attraction but knows she has to wait for the right time to tell him. Her job performance begins to suffer. If she could just have Joe, her whole life could be perfect, she's sure of it. She is desperate tell him how she feels.
I felt Katie's frustration with ordinary life and the tension of being desperate to be loved by Joe all throughout this book. It's paced perfectly as we see the great lengths she is willing to go to in order to pursue this man. The suspense builds as she becomes more and more desperate for his attention. Watching her go from a crush to an obsession is fascinating and very believable. This was a great read and Katie is a fascinating character.
I was given an advance copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions and impressions of this book are my own.
Not too long after, she sees in a newspaper article that he's scheduled to give a talk on heart health at the library and she decides to go just to see him again. Now that she knows his name from the article she can't resist using a search engine to find out more. Dr. Joe Harvey .. The man she just knows feels the same intense attraction to her. Talking to him after the lecture she realizes that spark that she felt is kindling into a flame inside her.
Suddenly he's gone from a chance encounter to the subject of her thoughts most of the time. His face. His kind-looking eyes. That perfect smile. The man of her dreams.
Things begin to get difficult at home. Her marriage to Pete becomes strained and she has recently lost her mother and is worried that she was neglected by her caregivers so she's under a lot of stress. All of this makes Joe Harvey seem more and more perfect. She wants to let him know she feels the attraction but knows she has to wait for the right time to tell him. Her job performance begins to suffer. If she could just have Joe, her whole life could be perfect, she's sure of it. She is desperate tell him how she feels.
I felt Katie's frustration with ordinary life and the tension of being desperate to be loved by Joe all throughout this book. It's paced perfectly as we see the great lengths she is willing to go to in order to pursue this man. The suspense builds as she becomes more and more desperate for his attention. Watching her go from a crush to an obsession is fascinating and very believable. This was a great read and Katie is a fascinating character.
I was given an advance copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions and impressions of this book are my own.
September 4, 2023
This book left a bitter taste in my mouth, which disappointed me as I’d had high hopes for this one.
The protagonist is presented as a very self centred and careless person (or a “bad wife”) but from what I read I found myself thinking- is it any wonder? She recently lost her mother and when she was sad about this she was told by her husband she was “milking it”. She was bullied at work, dumped on constantly by her in-laws, and her family couldn’t give two hoots about her either. Frankly, anyone could be forgiven for acting in the way she did, which ironically wasn’t as bad as the behaviour of her best friend of 20 years and husband.
It also annoyed me that in explanation for her behaviour the doctor attempted to blame the “perimenopause” *cue massive eye roll*. Yet again, whenever women go through a rough time (and quite rightly), our pesky hormones shoulder the blame. Heaven forbid us women feel something!
When I picked up this book I anticipated a psychological thriller, and hoped the ‘bad wife’ would be quite an insidious & dark character but I was quite wrong.
The protagonist is presented as a very self centred and careless person (or a “bad wife”) but from what I read I found myself thinking- is it any wonder? She recently lost her mother and when she was sad about this she was told by her husband she was “milking it”. She was bullied at work, dumped on constantly by her in-laws, and her family couldn’t give two hoots about her either. Frankly, anyone could be forgiven for acting in the way she did, which ironically wasn’t as bad as the behaviour of her best friend of 20 years and husband.
It also annoyed me that in explanation for her behaviour the doctor attempted to blame the “perimenopause” *cue massive eye roll*. Yet again, whenever women go through a rough time (and quite rightly), our pesky hormones shoulder the blame. Heaven forbid us women feel something!
When I picked up this book I anticipated a psychological thriller, and hoped the ‘bad wife’ would be quite an insidious & dark character but I was quite wrong.
July 7, 2023
The first book I have read by this author and its a riveting psychological thriller. The Bad Wife introduces us to Katie, an underappreciated wife and mother whose mother has recently passed away with cancer. She is still grieving for her mum while working full-time, doing all the housework and daily stuff every mum and wife do.
She meets Dr Joe Harvey at her gp surgery and becomes fascinated with him immediately. She can't get him out of her mind. As her fascination escalates, she starts following him and his girlfriend around. What was once fascination turned quickly into an obsession.
Sarah Edghill turns the usual male stalker 360 degrees, and it made a refreshing change to have the obsessed being female, for me anyway. The way she writes about Kate's spiralling made it so believable. The pressure she experiences in day to day life is immense. Working and trying to cope with daily life is bad enough. To know your husband is doing nothing to help just puts the cherry on the top. I could definitely empathise with her situation and could understand in a way why she goes off the rails, so to speak.
The twists are great! Along with the red herrings, I was guessing constantly, and every one of them were wrong. I do enjoy a book that keeps me in the dark. The chapters always made me want to go on reading! Most definitely , one more chapter read.
A very well written portrayal of the human psyche and how broken it can be. The characters seem so easy to know, but do you know them really? So deceptively simple at face value, but intrinsically multi layered and deep when the story develops. I will be on the lookout for more of Sarah Edghills books in the future, for sure.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Sarah Edghill for my gifted copy of the book to write this honest review.
She meets Dr Joe Harvey at her gp surgery and becomes fascinated with him immediately. She can't get him out of her mind. As her fascination escalates, she starts following him and his girlfriend around. What was once fascination turned quickly into an obsession.
Sarah Edghill turns the usual male stalker 360 degrees, and it made a refreshing change to have the obsessed being female, for me anyway. The way she writes about Kate's spiralling made it so believable. The pressure she experiences in day to day life is immense. Working and trying to cope with daily life is bad enough. To know your husband is doing nothing to help just puts the cherry on the top. I could definitely empathise with her situation and could understand in a way why she goes off the rails, so to speak.
The twists are great! Along with the red herrings, I was guessing constantly, and every one of them were wrong. I do enjoy a book that keeps me in the dark. The chapters always made me want to go on reading! Most definitely , one more chapter read.
A very well written portrayal of the human psyche and how broken it can be. The characters seem so easy to know, but do you know them really? So deceptively simple at face value, but intrinsically multi layered and deep when the story develops. I will be on the lookout for more of Sarah Edghills books in the future, for sure.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Sarah Edghill for my gifted copy of the book to write this honest review.
June 29, 2023
I loved this psychological thriller with a twist!
Katie is still grieving after losing her Mum and with the pressures of a dead-end job and a family that just keep taking, this sends her into a bit of a spiral mentally.
When she takes a shine to the new local Dr, it's easy to understand where her obsession starts - but will she take it too far?
I loved this unique pov. Looking at this wholly from Katie's perspective it was great to get such an in depth look at how her mind was working and what prompted her to do the things she did.
The more she obsessed over the Dr, the more crazy the plot became and it was clear that Katie needed some kind of help. I started of thinking that I wasn't keen on her because of her strange behaviour, but as the story progresses, I actually felt hugely sorry for her and wished someone would just give her a good shake up and take her under their wing and support her through getting help.
The writing style had me hooked from the start. With a nice fast pace and a great storyline, I couldn't put this down and had to know how things would play out.
I found this a really quick and easy read and enjoyed the unique style - will definitely be looking out for more by this author.
Katie is still grieving after losing her Mum and with the pressures of a dead-end job and a family that just keep taking, this sends her into a bit of a spiral mentally.
When she takes a shine to the new local Dr, it's easy to understand where her obsession starts - but will she take it too far?
I loved this unique pov. Looking at this wholly from Katie's perspective it was great to get such an in depth look at how her mind was working and what prompted her to do the things she did.
The more she obsessed over the Dr, the more crazy the plot became and it was clear that Katie needed some kind of help. I started of thinking that I wasn't keen on her because of her strange behaviour, but as the story progresses, I actually felt hugely sorry for her and wished someone would just give her a good shake up and take her under their wing and support her through getting help.
The writing style had me hooked from the start. With a nice fast pace and a great storyline, I couldn't put this down and had to know how things would play out.
I found this a really quick and easy read and enjoyed the unique style - will definitely be looking out for more by this author.
June 18, 2023
I almost didn't finish this one but I forced myself through and I feel I wasted time. This book may be awesome for some but for me it was a snooze fest. The story has a good premise and potential tial to be exciting, this book just did not have any of that for me as it felt repetitive, drawn out, and one-sided.
June 9, 2023
Thank you for the advanced readers copy for an honest opinion
This is a book about Katie, who is the wife to Pete and two girls, Suky and Anna; whose mom recently passed away. She was at the doctor’s office when someone sitting beside her fainted and the doctor had come out to assist. Now it seems she can’t get him out of her mind.
I found the Katie’s character quite likeable. Good read
This is a book about Katie, who is the wife to Pete and two girls, Suky and Anna; whose mom recently passed away. She was at the doctor’s office when someone sitting beside her fainted and the doctor had come out to assist. Now it seems she can’t get him out of her mind.
I found the Katie’s character quite likeable. Good read
June 7, 2023
Katie has been having a tough time since the death of her Mum but things take a different turn when she gets an obsession with her GP. She goes to great extremes with her obsession to the detriment of her family. I kept waiting for a purpose to this story but it just rambled, a shame.
July 10, 2023
I don't think I've ever had an obsession with someone, have you?
Katie's chance meeting with GP Joe Harvey very quickly becomes a full blown addiction and she's obsessed with him, determined that she's going to be a part of his life, not caring about the trail of destruction she's leaving in her wake.
Katie was very much like Joe from TV series YOU wasn't she? It was like her persona completely changed and nothing else was even significant anymore.
The suspense and tension is palpable throughout the book as Katie's obsession with Joe becomes more desperate...she just wants him to love her like she does him.
Katie is a great character and is definitely realistic - you hear about these obsessions all the time in the media.
The Bad Wife is a page turning cracker and I absolutely loved it.
Katie's chance meeting with GP Joe Harvey very quickly becomes a full blown addiction and she's obsessed with him, determined that she's going to be a part of his life, not caring about the trail of destruction she's leaving in her wake.
Katie was very much like Joe from TV series YOU wasn't she? It was like her persona completely changed and nothing else was even significant anymore.
The suspense and tension is palpable throughout the book as Katie's obsession with Joe becomes more desperate...she just wants him to love her like she does him.
Katie is a great character and is definitely realistic - you hear about these obsessions all the time in the media.
The Bad Wife is a page turning cracker and I absolutely loved it.
June 29, 2023
This is a beautifully crafted novel. The author takes one right to the heart of an average everyday family and creates a beguiling story that shines a spotlight on a woman trapped by the pressures of running a home, working full-time, and picking up after her husband and two daughters.
This is an emotional roller-coaster to read. Katie may well be doing all the things she shouldn't do but I had nothing but empathy for her. At times I even had admiration. The writing is compulsive, gripping and immersive and I found it absolutely spellbinding from the first page to the last. There are moments that are dark and twisted, but the real strength of the storytelling comes in the characterization which made everything so utterly believable.
Sarah Edghill is an author to watch!
This is an emotional roller-coaster to read. Katie may well be doing all the things she shouldn't do but I had nothing but empathy for her. At times I even had admiration. The writing is compulsive, gripping and immersive and I found it absolutely spellbinding from the first page to the last. There are moments that are dark and twisted, but the real strength of the storytelling comes in the characterization which made everything so utterly believable.
Sarah Edghill is an author to watch!
November 29, 2023
I’m giving this 3 stars because I thought I had the plot worked out but luckily I was wrong in my assumptions. I do wish that mental illness had been addressed more here - the main character is not someone I’d want to be friends with. She’s not a good person and at the end, it seems that her mental health is passed down to her daughter and they laugh about it. Cringy. But makes you remember nasty people you’ve encountered in your life and realize they probably had a few screws loose too.
August 21, 2025
Even though I listened to this book and tend to struggle more when it is a British narrator, I still felt like this book was a bit inconsequential. I do believe it spoke more to the human experience of being unhappy and daydreaming of another life, but it was over-the-top in some places, and lackluster in others. I had trouble staying focused while listening or really connecting or caring about any of the characters.
July 17, 2023
A totally absorbing psychological suspense?
Not a psychological suspense at all. Unbelievable and unrealistic. I do realize it's fiction, but the story line was simply hard to swallow.
Not a psychological suspense at all. Unbelievable and unrealistic. I do realize it's fiction, but the story line was simply hard to swallow.
August 27, 2023
Awful 😞 the main character was a complete tw*t & I just couldn’t empathise with the ridiculous situations she engineered herself into. Yes the menopause is difficult, yes you forget stuff & maybe make questionable choices but this book exhausted all my empathy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2023
Underwhelming
This was not a psychological suspense. The lead in and summary were misleading. Overall it was boring, no actual suspense or anything thrilling. Glad it wasn't one I purchased.
This was not a psychological suspense. The lead in and summary were misleading. Overall it was boring, no actual suspense or anything thrilling. Glad it wasn't one I purchased.
October 22, 2023
This was slow, boring, seemed to drift with no clear direction and had cardboard cutout characters who were not unlikeable but also not likeable. Just didn't understand the point of this mystery and will admit I skimmed through much of the last part of it. Disappointing, for sure.
February 3, 2024
Quick read
I was disappointed in the ending, I was sure Katie was being drugged by her husband and best friend or had a medical condition, possibly a tumor to explain her irrational behavior. It was a quick and easy read🙂
I was disappointed in the ending, I was sure Katie was being drugged by her husband and best friend or had a medical condition, possibly a tumor to explain her irrational behavior. It was a quick and easy read🙂
June 9, 2023
Received this as an ARC. This book was just ok for me. Not really any suspense. I think it carried on to long, it could have gotten to the point sooner.
June 29, 2023
I received this book for free from Bloodhound Books.
Katie's obsession with Joe riveted me.
I really enjoyed this book.
Katie's obsession with Joe riveted me.
I really enjoyed this book.
July 31, 2023
Okay
A little strange, but a story a lot of women could relate to. All women have to deal with coming to a head.
A little strange, but a story a lot of women could relate to. All women have to deal with coming to a head.
August 13, 2023
NOT a psychological thriller
This is just a story about an extremely menopausal woman. Kept waiting for it to get going but it never happened
This is just a story about an extremely menopausal woman. Kept waiting for it to get going but it never happened
September 4, 2023
I didn’t enjoy it. I also wouldn’t call it a psychological thriller. And a lot of poor behavior was excused/justified.
February 24, 2024
I’m not certain I understood what this book was about when I selected it. I kept waiting for the plot to start. I read it until the end of the story and appreciated the epilogue.
July 8, 2025
This book didnt do it for me. Fairly ludicrous plot. Just boring. Dnf
December 16, 2025
Not a bad book just quite forgettable for me
July 7, 2023
MY THOUGHTS -
There was something about this book that drew me in right away. This was creepy, but in a subtle way. In a way that makes you want to keep reading.
Katie was a very real and kind of likable, actually. Yes, she went too far, she got carried away, let one thing lead to another. But, can't we all relate a little bit? We all have had crushes. And how many of you have FB or IG stalked someone? Don't we all sometimes let things get carried away? Can you see how easily one lie leads to another until we've dug ourselves a hole that we can't get out of? Kind of in a domino effect.
Katie didn't have a great life. She just wanted the perfect life with the perfect man... with someone she couldn't have. This book is about obsession and how one little white lie can turn into something illegal and eventually grow into something uncontrollable, even though you know it's wrong.
Yes, Katie was wrong. She made a lot of bad choices. And, she seemed a little demented at times. But then other times seemed totally sane. It was those times that made me really like her. I felt for her and wanted things to just be OK.
The timing is funny because I just started watching Cruel Summer, which is kind of the same thing!
A quick read and a great psychological thriller!
I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Rachel's Random Resources - Thank You!!
There was something about this book that drew me in right away. This was creepy, but in a subtle way. In a way that makes you want to keep reading.
Katie was a very real and kind of likable, actually. Yes, she went too far, she got carried away, let one thing lead to another. But, can't we all relate a little bit? We all have had crushes. And how many of you have FB or IG stalked someone? Don't we all sometimes let things get carried away? Can you see how easily one lie leads to another until we've dug ourselves a hole that we can't get out of? Kind of in a domino effect.
Katie didn't have a great life. She just wanted the perfect life with the perfect man... with someone she couldn't have. This book is about obsession and how one little white lie can turn into something illegal and eventually grow into something uncontrollable, even though you know it's wrong.
Yes, Katie was wrong. She made a lot of bad choices. And, she seemed a little demented at times. But then other times seemed totally sane. It was those times that made me really like her. I felt for her and wanted things to just be OK.
The timing is funny because I just started watching Cruel Summer, which is kind of the same thing!
A quick read and a great psychological thriller!
I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Rachel's Random Resources - Thank You!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews