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Someone Else's Husband: A Novel
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20 copies available
U.S. only
New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight delivers a tour de force of character-driven the story of two women whose secrets and desires entrap them in a deadly love triangle.
You had to rely on the power of love. That he loved you enough not to do the thing that would break your heart.
It was paper-thin ice on which to stake your survival.
Gretchen Falk, a Park Avenue sophisticate born into great wealth and blessed with a storybook marriage, knows she lives a charmed life, and she’s not about to risk losing any part of it. That’s why she tried to convince Richard, her devoted husband and father to their three children, not to join his old college friends on an expedition almost eight thousand miles away, to the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did she know the beautiful artist climbing alongside him might prove the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan’s dream of artistic success is within reach, with her career-making exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery only weeks away. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent, free of the tainted money that ties her to a past—and a man—she’s desperate to escape. To mark the end of this chapter, she is going to climb Kilimanjaro. But when she learns she’s the sole female accompanying a group of male friends, Frankie realizes that nothing about the trip will be as she expected. She certainly hasn’t counted on meeting anyone like the very charismatic, very rich, very married Richard Falk. By the time the group descends—with one fewer than when they began—they have lost more than they ever could have imagined.
Now, just two weeks after returning to New York, Frankie is dead, her East Village loft a blood-soaked crime scene. When Richard is charged in Frankie’s death, it falls to Gretchen to piece together how the life she so carefully constructed could have imploded so completely. There are only two things Gretchen knows for she’s the only woman Richard has ever loved, and he would never hurt anyone.
Someone Else’s Husband is the sweeping and suspenseful story of two women on a collision course with love—and with each other—in which no one is right and everyone is very, very wrong.
You had to rely on the power of love. That he loved you enough not to do the thing that would break your heart.
It was paper-thin ice on which to stake your survival.
Gretchen Falk, a Park Avenue sophisticate born into great wealth and blessed with a storybook marriage, knows she lives a charmed life, and she’s not about to risk losing any part of it. That’s why she tried to convince Richard, her devoted husband and father to their three children, not to join his old college friends on an expedition almost eight thousand miles away, to the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did she know the beautiful artist climbing alongside him might prove the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan’s dream of artistic success is within reach, with her career-making exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery only weeks away. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent, free of the tainted money that ties her to a past—and a man—she’s desperate to escape. To mark the end of this chapter, she is going to climb Kilimanjaro. But when she learns she’s the sole female accompanying a group of male friends, Frankie realizes that nothing about the trip will be as she expected. She certainly hasn’t counted on meeting anyone like the very charismatic, very rich, very married Richard Falk. By the time the group descends—with one fewer than when they began—they have lost more than they ever could have imagined.
Now, just two weeks after returning to New York, Frankie is dead, her East Village loft a blood-soaked crime scene. When Richard is charged in Frankie’s death, it falls to Gretchen to piece together how the life she so carefully constructed could have imploded so completely. There are only two things Gretchen knows for she’s the only woman Richard has ever loved, and he would never hurt anyone.
Someone Else’s Husband is the sweeping and suspenseful story of two women on a collision course with love—and with each other—in which no one is right and everyone is very, very wrong.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 16, 2026
About the author
Kimberly McCreight
15 books4,847 followersKimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels including RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, A GOOD MARRIAGE and LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND is forthcoming from Knopf June 16, 2026. She has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Alex awards and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and optioned for film and television. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook and at kimberlymccreight.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
April 25, 2026
A fantastic character driven mystery that once got going was impossible to put down!
Gretchen’s husband, Richard, has just been arrested for another woman’s murder. Gretchen is completely blindsided and refuses to believe that her husband would have an affair, much less murder somebody. She begins to dig into Richard’s relationship with the victim. The victim, Frankie, had met Richard when they both were assigned to the same tour group to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The details of this trip are shown from Frankie‘s point of view.
The novel explores the relationship between Gretchen and her husband as well as Frankie and “someone else’s husband”. The crime itself, while prevalent, takes a backseat and focuses more on the character aspect.
This was a slow-burn, character-driven mystery. I think with so many books, there is a reliance upon jaw dropping twists and OTT endings. This did not rely on any of that and made for just a really good, realistic read. I didn’t realize I missed those kinds of novels until I read this one.
I have read the other previously and enjoyed her novels, and this one is no exception.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Gretchen’s husband, Richard, has just been arrested for another woman’s murder. Gretchen is completely blindsided and refuses to believe that her husband would have an affair, much less murder somebody. She begins to dig into Richard’s relationship with the victim. The victim, Frankie, had met Richard when they both were assigned to the same tour group to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The details of this trip are shown from Frankie‘s point of view.
The novel explores the relationship between Gretchen and her husband as well as Frankie and “someone else’s husband”. The crime itself, while prevalent, takes a backseat and focuses more on the character aspect.
This was a slow-burn, character-driven mystery. I think with so many books, there is a reliance upon jaw dropping twists and OTT endings. This did not rely on any of that and made for just a really good, realistic read. I didn’t realize I missed those kinds of novels until I read this one.
I have read the other previously and enjoyed her novels, and this one is no exception.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Solid 4 ⭐️
Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight is a slow-burn, twisty mystery that had me constantly shifting my suspicions.
The story revolves around two total opposites: Gretchen, a meticulously composed Park Avenue elite, and Frankie, a free-spirited artist. Their worlds collide when Frankie ends up as the only woman on a guys' trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Gretchen’s husband, Richard. When Frankie is later found murdered and Richard is arrested for the crime, both women's hidden secrets are forced into the light.
Because it's told through dual POVs, you get a closer look at both women. They are both deeply flawed, but McCreight makes them so easy to empathize with that it makes their messy drama incredibly compelling to read. Plus, with the story interspersed with police interviews, grand jury transcripts and anonymous journal entries you are constantly sorting through the puzzle pieces. Frankie is guarding plenty of her own past secrets, and this mixed-media structure ensures you never really know who to trust or what actually happened.
The tension builds perfectly, leading to a final showdown where all the secrets crash together flawlessly and watching all of those puzzle pieces finally click into place is incredibly satisfying. Anyone who loves messy domestic drama will definitely want to pick this up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight is a slow-burn, twisty mystery that had me constantly shifting my suspicions.
The story revolves around two total opposites: Gretchen, a meticulously composed Park Avenue elite, and Frankie, a free-spirited artist. Their worlds collide when Frankie ends up as the only woman on a guys' trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Gretchen’s husband, Richard. When Frankie is later found murdered and Richard is arrested for the crime, both women's hidden secrets are forced into the light.
Because it's told through dual POVs, you get a closer look at both women. They are both deeply flawed, but McCreight makes them so easy to empathize with that it makes their messy drama incredibly compelling to read. Plus, with the story interspersed with police interviews, grand jury transcripts and anonymous journal entries you are constantly sorting through the puzzle pieces. Frankie is guarding plenty of her own past secrets, and this mixed-media structure ensures you never really know who to trust or what actually happened.
The tension builds perfectly, leading to a final showdown where all the secrets crash together flawlessly and watching all of those puzzle pieces finally click into place is incredibly satisfying. Anyone who loves messy domestic drama will definitely want to pick this up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 4, 2026
I received this as an Arc because I liked another of her books. But this story did not catch my attention. It was so drawn out and so many unnecessary details. I feel like if the author just went with the Kilimanjaro story, it would have been much better. Way too long and the chapters were extremely long winded.
May 3, 2026
Lots of twists & turns and red herrings scatterred throughtout that kept me guessing. This was a slow burn character-driven story where you had a lot of characters to keep up with. When one of those characters is murdered, we get a whodunnit. It starts right off the bat with a knock on the door of Richard & Gretchen’s NYC apartment in the middle of the night with a warrant to search their home. Both are totally caught off-guard and have no clue as to what’s going on. Midway through the book, I found it to drag a bit, but it was overall an entertaining read. If you like whodunnits, wealthy people drama, then this one’s for you.
Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Want to Read
March 30, 2026I love this author! Can't wait to read this!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
March 30, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf publishing & Kimberly McCreight for this digital ARC.
Someone Else’s Husband is a smart, twisty thriller that kept me guessing from start to finish. Kimberly McCreight did an excellent job scattering red herrings throughout the story - just when I thought I had the killer figured out, another clue or character detail sent me in a completely different direction. I love when a book keeps me on my toes like that. The pacing is tight, the tension builds steadily, and the final twist was absolutely worth the ride. It landed in that perfect sweet spot of surprising yet believable, the kind of reveal that makes you rethink everything that came before it. Overall, this was a gripping, well‑crafted thriller with plenty of misdirection and a payoff that delivers.
Someone Else’s Husband is a smart, twisty thriller that kept me guessing from start to finish. Kimberly McCreight did an excellent job scattering red herrings throughout the story - just when I thought I had the killer figured out, another clue or character detail sent me in a completely different direction. I love when a book keeps me on my toes like that. The pacing is tight, the tension builds steadily, and the final twist was absolutely worth the ride. It landed in that perfect sweet spot of surprising yet believable, the kind of reveal that makes you rethink everything that came before it. Overall, this was a gripping, well‑crafted thriller with plenty of misdirection and a payoff that delivers.
March 28, 2026
Do you ever put on a movie while you’re doing other things, and it’s just playing in the background… until you realize you have no idea what’s going on and you actually need to sit down and pay attention? That’s exactly what happened to me with this book.
I was reading two books at the same time, and I quickly realized this one needed my full attention.
It’s told in dual POV and across multiple timelines, so you really have to keep up or you’ll get lost. Trust me.
The chapters were a little longer than what I usually prefer, but it wasn’t too bad. What I did struggle with was connecting to the characters, and I’m not entirely sure why.
The story itself was interesting. It follows Gretchen, who is married to Richard, a Goldman Sachs executive, and living that polished New York socialite life. Then there’s Frankie, the other woman. The story moves between Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives as Gretchen starts to realize her life may not be as perfect as she thought. With Richard’s arrest for the supposed murder of Frankie, we get court testimony, police interviews, and even diary entries woven into the story.
This really turns into a full-on whodunit. I want to say I was surprised by the outcome, but I wasn’t. I started to piece things together as I was reading.
Overall, this was a 3.5⭐ read for me. It was good, but not great.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for sending me an ARC to review.
I was reading two books at the same time, and I quickly realized this one needed my full attention.
It’s told in dual POV and across multiple timelines, so you really have to keep up or you’ll get lost. Trust me.
The chapters were a little longer than what I usually prefer, but it wasn’t too bad. What I did struggle with was connecting to the characters, and I’m not entirely sure why.
The story itself was interesting. It follows Gretchen, who is married to Richard, a Goldman Sachs executive, and living that polished New York socialite life. Then there’s Frankie, the other woman. The story moves between Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives as Gretchen starts to realize her life may not be as perfect as she thought. With Richard’s arrest for the supposed murder of Frankie, we get court testimony, police interviews, and even diary entries woven into the story.
This really turns into a full-on whodunit. I want to say I was surprised by the outcome, but I wasn’t. I started to piece things together as I was reading.
Overall, this was a 3.5⭐ read for me. It was good, but not great.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for sending me an ARC to review.
March 27, 2026
2.75 stars
This one didn’t suck me in and the subject matter didn't interest me like I thought it would. I also found the plot and "whodunnit" of it all to be predictable. The details of the ending seemed pretty far fetched… and I didn’t find myself caring about the characters at all (Gretchen was especially insufferable to me).
I think that Kimberly McCreight is a great author and her books are well written- this one just turned out to be a miss for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc!
This one didn’t suck me in and the subject matter didn't interest me like I thought it would. I also found the plot and "whodunnit" of it all to be predictable. The details of the ending seemed pretty far fetched… and I didn’t find myself caring about the characters at all (Gretchen was especially insufferable to me).
I think that Kimberly McCreight is a great author and her books are well written- this one just turned out to be a miss for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75 stars Thanks netgalley for the ARC read!
So this was very promising in the beginning but about midway we started dragging.. I definitely feel like it could've been shorter and not soo drawn out just to get to the point. The concept was great though!
So this was very promising in the beginning but about midway we started dragging.. I definitely feel like it could've been shorter and not soo drawn out just to get to the point. The concept was great though!
May 11, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. A back and forth timeline from dual points of view, the author had me staying up past my bedtime to see what happened next.
I like how there were breadcrumbs of the mystery throughout the whole book. It kept my interest the whole time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
I like how there were breadcrumbs of the mystery throughout the whole book. It kept my interest the whole time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
May 22, 2026
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGally for the ARC. I normally love Kimberly McCreight but this one fell short for me. I loved the beginning but then the whole thing kind of went off the rails. It does keep you turning pages though.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Renowned New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight artfully blends high-end literary fiction with the tense elements of a legal thriller in her gripping narrative in SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND.
Two women, each harboring hidden truths and fervent desires, whose lives become dangerously intertwined within a complex legal framework. As they navigate the repercussions of their pasts, they become ensnared in a perilous love triangle that challenges not only their ethical boundaries but also the very foundation of their identities.
Through intricate character development and a profound exploration of morality and justice, McCreight weaves a tale that unfolds with unexpected twists, ultimately revealing the delicate balance between ambition, betrayal, and the pursuit of truth.
PARALLEL LIVES COLLIDE IN A DEADLY PSYCHOLOGICAL LOVE TRIANGLE
When Meticulously Curated Worlds Smash into Reckless, Fatal Desires. Two Complex Women Entrapped in a Toxic Web of Wealth and Deception.
Elevator Pitch
When a wealthy Park Avenue socialite tries to stop her husband from joining his college friends on an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro, she cannot predict that the only woman on the trek—a striking, rising artist trying to outrun her own past—will alter their lives forever.
Intro: This exquisite literary thriller delivers a masterclass in domestic deception, mapping the collision course of two complex women entrapped in a toxic web of wealth, secrets, and a deadly love triangle.
Vibe:
High-end, slow-burn literary suspense that trades cheap shock value for razor-sharp social commentary and devastating emotional nuance.
The Vibe Check
~Dueling Narrators:
~Atmospheric Vertigo:
~Domestic Deception:
~Slow-Ramping Dread:
FROM THE KILIMANJARO PEAKS TO A BLOOD-SOAKED SOHO LOFT
"Where Savage Terrain Mirrors the Dangerous Unraveling of Manhattan’s Elite."
Setting: Shifting between the pristine, high-society drawing rooms of Park Avenue, Manhattan, the raw, claustrophobic vertigo of a treacherous expedition on Mount Kilimanjaro, and a blood-soaked East Village artist loft.
Genre: High-End Literary Suspense / Psychological & Legal Thriller
AN UNFLINCHING LOOK AT FAULTY TRUTHS AND FORBIDDEN LOYALTIES
"Discovering That True Safety is an Illusion When Your Life is Built on Lies. Where No One is Entirely Innocent, and Everyone Has Something to Hide."
Themes: Structural rot behind wealthy facades; the dangerous shapes of forbidden love; systemic female vulnerability vs. raw rage; the paralyzing weight of self-deception; and the transactional nature of high-society marriages.
Author Writing Standout: The legal background of author Kimberly McCreight shines through her incredibly disciplined, analytical prose. She handles complex multi-perspective pacing with extraordinary grace. Rather than relying on unreliable narrator gimmicks, she balances the human capacity for self-deception with an evocative atmosphere. McCreight constructs fully realized, flawed female protagonists whose raw rage and deep-seated vulnerabilities command center stage throughout the entire mystery.
Title Significance: Someone Else's Husband strips away the surface romanticism of infidelity to expose the grim, dangerous reality of loving someone who legally, socially, and emotionally belongs to another narrative—ultimately showing how ownership over people breeds destruction.
Why You Should Read: If you crave rich, character-driven mysteries like Reconstructing Amelia that completely bypass generic popcorn thriller tropes, favoring structural elegance, psychological depth, and meticulously earned plot twists instead.
Takeaway: True safety is an illusion when your entire life is constructed on a foundation of meticulously curated lies and unacknowledged betrayals
My Thoughts:
SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND is an absolute masterclass in character-driven psychological suspense. Published by Knopf, this book effortlessly elevates domestic thriller structures into the high-end literary fiction they are known for (and a favorite genre of mine).
The structural use of Kilimanjaro as an emotional and physical crucible is brilliant. It exposes the moral decay of its characters before bringing the reader back to the cold reality of a New York police station. The ending is both shocking and meticulously earned, cementing McCreight's status as a top-tier voice in legal and psychological thrillers. The author is known for constructing deeply flawed female protagonists whose raw vulnerabilities command center stage.
Verdict 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
An absolute tour de force! A definitive 5-Star for connoisseurs of top-tier psychological suspense.
Recs: Pair it with the meticulous legal tension of A Good Marriage or the complex domestic unravelling found in Like Mother, Like Daughter.
Audio Standout: I am looking forward to listening to the audiobooks narrated by an all-star cast and some of my favorites: Elena Rey, Annette Amelia Oliveira, Samantha Desz, Jonathan Todd Ross, Dan Bittner, Will Damron, Leanne Woodward, Chris Andrew Ciulla, George Newbern, Giordan Diaz, Max Meyers, Jane Oppenheimer, and Kristen DiMercurio.
Special thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 16, 2026
June 2026 Must-Read Books
Two women, each harboring hidden truths and fervent desires, whose lives become dangerously intertwined within a complex legal framework. As they navigate the repercussions of their pasts, they become ensnared in a perilous love triangle that challenges not only their ethical boundaries but also the very foundation of their identities.
Through intricate character development and a profound exploration of morality and justice, McCreight weaves a tale that unfolds with unexpected twists, ultimately revealing the delicate balance between ambition, betrayal, and the pursuit of truth.
PARALLEL LIVES COLLIDE IN A DEADLY PSYCHOLOGICAL LOVE TRIANGLE
When Meticulously Curated Worlds Smash into Reckless, Fatal Desires. Two Complex Women Entrapped in a Toxic Web of Wealth and Deception.
Elevator Pitch
When a wealthy Park Avenue socialite tries to stop her husband from joining his college friends on an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro, she cannot predict that the only woman on the trek—a striking, rising artist trying to outrun her own past—will alter their lives forever.
Intro: This exquisite literary thriller delivers a masterclass in domestic deception, mapping the collision course of two complex women entrapped in a toxic web of wealth, secrets, and a deadly love triangle.
Vibe:
High-end, slow-burn literary suspense that trades cheap shock value for razor-sharp social commentary and devastating emotional nuance.
The Vibe Check
~Dueling Narrators:
~Atmospheric Vertigo:
~Domestic Deception:
~Slow-Ramping Dread:
FROM THE KILIMANJARO PEAKS TO A BLOOD-SOAKED SOHO LOFT
"Where Savage Terrain Mirrors the Dangerous Unraveling of Manhattan’s Elite."
Setting: Shifting between the pristine, high-society drawing rooms of Park Avenue, Manhattan, the raw, claustrophobic vertigo of a treacherous expedition on Mount Kilimanjaro, and a blood-soaked East Village artist loft.
Genre: High-End Literary Suspense / Psychological & Legal Thriller
AN UNFLINCHING LOOK AT FAULTY TRUTHS AND FORBIDDEN LOYALTIES
"Discovering That True Safety is an Illusion When Your Life is Built on Lies. Where No One is Entirely Innocent, and Everyone Has Something to Hide."
Standout Characters:
~Gretchen Falk: A refined Park Avenue sophisticate born into great wealth, fiercely protective of her storybook marriage and pristine societal standing.
~Frankie: A striking, independent artist desperate to escape a tainted past, whose pursuit of financial freedom leads her into a fatal web of wealthy men.
~Richard Falk: Gretchen's charismatic, ultra-rich husband, whose hidden desires and reckless choices spark a catastrophic chain reaction.
Themes: Structural rot behind wealthy facades; the dangerous shapes of forbidden love; systemic female vulnerability vs. raw rage; the paralyzing weight of self-deception; and the transactional nature of high-society marriages.
Author Writing Standout: The legal background of author Kimberly McCreight shines through her incredibly disciplined, analytical prose. She handles complex multi-perspective pacing with extraordinary grace. Rather than relying on unreliable narrator gimmicks, she balances the human capacity for self-deception with an evocative atmosphere. McCreight constructs fully realized, flawed female protagonists whose raw rage and deep-seated vulnerabilities command center stage throughout the entire mystery.
Title Significance: Someone Else's Husband strips away the surface romanticism of infidelity to expose the grim, dangerous reality of loving someone who legally, socially, and emotionally belongs to another narrative—ultimately showing how ownership over people breeds destruction.
Why You Should Read: If you crave rich, character-driven mysteries like Reconstructing Amelia that completely bypass generic popcorn thriller tropes, favoring structural elegance, psychological depth, and meticulously earned plot twists instead.
Takeaway: True safety is an illusion when your entire life is constructed on a foundation of meticulously curated lies and unacknowledged betrayals
My Thoughts:
SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND is an absolute masterclass in character-driven psychological suspense. Published by Knopf, this book effortlessly elevates domestic thriller structures into the high-end literary fiction they are known for (and a favorite genre of mine).
The structural use of Kilimanjaro as an emotional and physical crucible is brilliant. It exposes the moral decay of its characters before bringing the reader back to the cold reality of a New York police station. The ending is both shocking and meticulously earned, cementing McCreight's status as a top-tier voice in legal and psychological thrillers. The author is known for constructing deeply flawed female protagonists whose raw vulnerabilities command center stage.
Verdict 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
An absolute tour de force! A definitive 5-Star for connoisseurs of top-tier psychological suspense.
Recs: Pair it with the meticulous legal tension of A Good Marriage or the complex domestic unravelling found in Like Mother, Like Daughter.
Audio Standout: I am looking forward to listening to the audiobooks narrated by an all-star cast and some of my favorites: Elena Rey, Annette Amelia Oliveira, Samantha Desz, Jonathan Todd Ross, Dan Bittner, Will Damron, Leanne Woodward, Chris Andrew Ciulla, George Newbern, Giordan Diaz, Max Meyers, Jane Oppenheimer, and Kristen DiMercurio.
Special thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 16, 2026
June 2026 Must-Read Books
May 19, 2026
If I had to summarize this book in one sentence:
Why live in the real world when you can be delulu?
This review is solely my opinion as a casual reader. This only reflects my experience at the given time of reading this book. Some people may disagree or find it better or worse than I did! Overall, I will say it’s a solid palate cleanser thriller. Don’t go into expecting a ton of character growth or necessarily surprising plot twists, but I will say it’s a perfect read for a day on the beach with the brain turned off.
The basis of the book is story that’s been told for a long time. Wife, husband, and a younger woman. The POV of Gretchen, Frankie, and transcripts from the trial are what really set up the narrative as well as a mysterious first point of view that helps wrap the story with intrigue. The chapters alternates not just from the different POV, but also goes into the present and past as it weaves the story together. Some readers may be able to piece these parts together early on, but little details will make you question yourself throughout. Even if the truth seems obvious you still go down the path of what if?
The present scenes revolve around Gretchen wishing to piece together what happened, while attempting to remain a supportive force to her three children (Becks, Cassandra, and Elizabeth) and husband. Gretchen POV is mostly centered around the days after the murder, with glimpses to her past with Richard to better understand their dynamic and how they came to be who they are. We get a better glimpse of who she is through her interaction with her family and friends, and her internal dialogue. I will say Gretchen POV was actually a bit more interesting to me. The conviction in some of her beliefs was astounding to see compared to what other characters would directly tell her. She had an idea of what life was suppose to be and she would twist and turn to make sure her choices reflected that idea, no matter if she had to rewrite history. Mind you this doesn’t mean she was any better than other characters, her voice was just slightly more solid to me.
Frankie POV revolves around the days before her murder, the climb, and glimpses of her own difficult past. We delve into her brain, which feels more poetic than Gretchen’s no nonsense chapters. Frankie is a complicated woman with a complicated past. While you do have sympathy for the life she has lived, I was rolling my eyes at her at some moments of hers. I wanted her to listen to her own convictions, and despite her seeming to want to focus on her healing, she would revert to ignoring her desire to have better relationships and friendship. Although the really real fear she was experiencing does explain her mindset after the climb, and she did end up deciding to make her life one she felt she deserved. I think the real issues was that her POV felt disjointed, and a bit flat? As if her voice wasn’t clear enough and she was simply supposed to be deep without any real depth. Almost felt like reading these thoughts and ideas who had a character instead of feeling like a character with thoughts if that makes sense.
Richard, Richard, Richard…Am I suppose to have ever liked him? I get it he’s suppose to be charming on both men and women! He’s so amazing! I think he’s just gross and performative! Though I do think it’s interesting we never outright got his POV, centering the story instead on the women’s experiences and the consequences of the men’s choices on their lives. I liked that bit.
The ending for me left some to be desired. It just felt unrealistic and wrapped up in a pretty bow? I don’t know it just worked out to be very neat when the story itself was messy. I will say I was determined to finish the story when I started but the last portion I felt like it lost momentum, but not in a satisfying way. More of a “Oh that’s what happened” way.
Arc received by Netgallery for a honest review.
Why live in the real world when you can be delulu?
This review is solely my opinion as a casual reader. This only reflects my experience at the given time of reading this book. Some people may disagree or find it better or worse than I did! Overall, I will say it’s a solid palate cleanser thriller. Don’t go into expecting a ton of character growth or necessarily surprising plot twists, but I will say it’s a perfect read for a day on the beach with the brain turned off.
The basis of the book is story that’s been told for a long time. Wife, husband, and a younger woman. The POV of Gretchen, Frankie, and transcripts from the trial are what really set up the narrative as well as a mysterious first point of view that helps wrap the story with intrigue. The chapters alternates not just from the different POV, but also goes into the present and past as it weaves the story together. Some readers may be able to piece these parts together early on, but little details will make you question yourself throughout. Even if the truth seems obvious you still go down the path of what if?
The present scenes revolve around Gretchen wishing to piece together what happened, while attempting to remain a supportive force to her three children (Becks, Cassandra, and Elizabeth) and husband. Gretchen POV is mostly centered around the days after the murder, with glimpses to her past with Richard to better understand their dynamic and how they came to be who they are. We get a better glimpse of who she is through her interaction with her family and friends, and her internal dialogue. I will say Gretchen POV was actually a bit more interesting to me. The conviction in some of her beliefs was astounding to see compared to what other characters would directly tell her. She had an idea of what life was suppose to be and she would twist and turn to make sure her choices reflected that idea, no matter if she had to rewrite history. Mind you this doesn’t mean she was any better than other characters, her voice was just slightly more solid to me.
Frankie POV revolves around the days before her murder, the climb, and glimpses of her own difficult past. We delve into her brain, which feels more poetic than Gretchen’s no nonsense chapters. Frankie is a complicated woman with a complicated past. While you do have sympathy for the life she has lived, I was rolling my eyes at her at some moments of hers. I wanted her to listen to her own convictions, and despite her seeming to want to focus on her healing, she would revert to ignoring her desire to have better relationships and friendship. Although the really real fear she was experiencing does explain her mindset after the climb, and she did end up deciding to make her life one she felt she deserved. I think the real issues was that her POV felt disjointed, and a bit flat? As if her voice wasn’t clear enough and she was simply supposed to be deep without any real depth. Almost felt like reading these thoughts and ideas who had a character instead of feeling like a character with thoughts if that makes sense.
Richard, Richard, Richard…Am I suppose to have ever liked him? I get it he’s suppose to be charming on both men and women! He’s so amazing! I think he’s just gross and performative! Though I do think it’s interesting we never outright got his POV, centering the story instead on the women’s experiences and the consequences of the men’s choices on their lives. I liked that bit.
The ending for me left some to be desired. It just felt unrealistic and wrapped up in a pretty bow? I don’t know it just worked out to be very neat when the story itself was messy. I will say I was determined to finish the story when I started but the last portion I felt like it lost momentum, but not in a satisfying way. More of a “Oh that’s what happened” way.
Arc received by Netgallery for a honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Gretchen Falk, wasn’t thrilled when Richard, her devoted husband and father to their three children, wanted to join his old college friends on an expedition almost eight thousand miles away. This year, on their annual “men’s trip” they planned to climb the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Little did she know that Frankie Callahan, the beautiful artist and only female climbing alongside the men, just might prove to be the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan is celebrating her upcoming exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery by climbing Kilimanjaro. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent, and hopefully free of the hush money she took from a man in her past-A powerful man who had her screaming silently the night he assaulted her and has kept her silently screaming ever since.
She had not counted on meeting anyone as charismatic as the very married Richard Falk….
And, she could have never imagined that by the time the group descends—that they would do so with one fewer than when they began—
Now, just two weeks after returning to New York, Frankie is also dead, and her East Village loft is a blood-soaked crime scene.
When Richard is charged in Frankie’s death, it falls to Gretchen to piece together what really happened-both on the Summit and in the loft- if she is to preserve the home life she has so carefully built over the years.
This multi-layered mystery began a bit slowly as it set up-probably because of the LONG CHAPTERS, as opposed to books with short, punchy chapters which always keep the pace of a story moving along more quickly-
BUT patience paid off, and I soon found myself HOOKED and unwilling to set the book down!
The story unfolds from the alternating POV’s of both women, with chapters from a STALKER- peppered throughout.
GRETCHEN’s chapters are told from the time period AFTER the death of Frankie often with Richard Falk’s Police Interview transcripts following her chapters.
FRANKIE’s chapters from BEFORE her death give us insight into what happened on the CLIMB, and in the days after she returned home and were occasionally followed by Grand Jury Transcripts.
If you are tired of twists that come out of left field and crave a more plausible mystery to keep you up at night-you can pick this book up on June 16, 2026.
Check out DeAnn’s review to see if she enjoyed it too!
Thank You to Knopf for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
Little did she know that Frankie Callahan, the beautiful artist and only female climbing alongside the men, just might prove to be the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan is celebrating her upcoming exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery by climbing Kilimanjaro. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent, and hopefully free of the hush money she took from a man in her past-A powerful man who had her screaming silently the night he assaulted her and has kept her silently screaming ever since.
She had not counted on meeting anyone as charismatic as the very married Richard Falk….
And, she could have never imagined that by the time the group descends—that they would do so with one fewer than when they began—
Now, just two weeks after returning to New York, Frankie is also dead, and her East Village loft is a blood-soaked crime scene.
When Richard is charged in Frankie’s death, it falls to Gretchen to piece together what really happened-both on the Summit and in the loft- if she is to preserve the home life she has so carefully built over the years.
This multi-layered mystery began a bit slowly as it set up-probably because of the LONG CHAPTERS, as opposed to books with short, punchy chapters which always keep the pace of a story moving along more quickly-
BUT patience paid off, and I soon found myself HOOKED and unwilling to set the book down!
The story unfolds from the alternating POV’s of both women, with chapters from a STALKER- peppered throughout.
GRETCHEN’s chapters are told from the time period AFTER the death of Frankie often with Richard Falk’s Police Interview transcripts following her chapters.
FRANKIE’s chapters from BEFORE her death give us insight into what happened on the CLIMB, and in the days after she returned home and were occasionally followed by Grand Jury Transcripts.
If you are tired of twists that come out of left field and crave a more plausible mystery to keep you up at night-you can pick this book up on June 16, 2026.
Check out DeAnn’s review to see if she enjoyed it too!
Thank You to Knopf for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight (June 2026) [reading in May]
306-page Digital Copy story pages 12-302
Uncorrected Proof ARC/ADC courtesy of Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor; and Penguin Random House
Genre: Literary Thriller, Psychological Domestic Thriller, Mystery Suspense, Women's Fiction
Rating as a movie: R
Featuring: Bibliography for Kimberly McCreight, Epigraph, Unnumbered Chapters, Marital Conflict, Infidelity, Love Triangle, Murder, Before & After, September, New York City, New York; Quadragenarians, Empty-nesters, Affluent People, Investigation, September, Multiple POVs, Artist, Mountain Climb Trip, Friendships, Acknowledgements - Inspiration
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½🧗♂️🧗♀️⛺️🗽👩🎨💔
My thoughts: 🔖Page 38 of 306 After Gretchen September 12 - I was told this was really good so I don't know if I hyped myself up or not, but I had to start over twice. I even read the blurb because I was a little bit confused about the opening, now I'm just waiting for something interesting to happen. I may have to double back to this later, it could be my mood.
🔖184 Before Frankie September 8 - Okay, I thought I had this one figure it out early on; but now I am nearly completely in the dark about what's going on and I'll have to wait for everything to be revealed.
So, I picked this book up because others have been raving about it. I would like to think that I did not have high expectations but that may have affected my experience with this novel. For me, it was better than okay. I will say that it was not predictable, I was not able to figure everything out, I had to wait for the author to reveal many components, I could definitely see a book club enjoying this story. If you are seeking a mystery thriller this one is more upscale but not quite fine dining. I think I just happened to be in the mood for fast food when I was reading it. I did not know Literary Thrillers were a thing, but now that I'm aware of them, I think this is the perfect genre for someone who loves classical mysteries but wants a more complex contemporary storytelling.
Recommend to others: Sure, its a nicely paced domestic thriller. I think it will be a hit with book groups just like Like Mother, Like Daughter.
Books and Authors mentioned: De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
306-page Digital Copy story pages 12-302
Uncorrected Proof ARC/ADC courtesy of Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor; and Penguin Random House
Genre: Literary Thriller, Psychological Domestic Thriller, Mystery Suspense, Women's Fiction
Rating as a movie: R
Featuring: Bibliography for Kimberly McCreight, Epigraph, Unnumbered Chapters, Marital Conflict, Infidelity, Love Triangle, Murder, Before & After, September, New York City, New York; Quadragenarians, Empty-nesters, Affluent People, Investigation, September, Multiple POVs, Artist, Mountain Climb Trip, Friendships, Acknowledgements - Inspiration
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½🧗♂️🧗♀️⛺️🗽👩🎨💔
My thoughts: 🔖Page 38 of 306 After Gretchen September 12 - I was told this was really good so I don't know if I hyped myself up or not, but I had to start over twice. I even read the blurb because I was a little bit confused about the opening, now I'm just waiting for something interesting to happen. I may have to double back to this later, it could be my mood.
🔖184 Before Frankie September 8 - Okay, I thought I had this one figure it out early on; but now I am nearly completely in the dark about what's going on and I'll have to wait for everything to be revealed.
So, I picked this book up because others have been raving about it. I would like to think that I did not have high expectations but that may have affected my experience with this novel. For me, it was better than okay. I will say that it was not predictable, I was not able to figure everything out, I had to wait for the author to reveal many components, I could definitely see a book club enjoying this story. If you are seeking a mystery thriller this one is more upscale but not quite fine dining. I think I just happened to be in the mood for fast food when I was reading it. I did not know Literary Thrillers were a thing, but now that I'm aware of them, I think this is the perfect genre for someone who loves classical mysteries but wants a more complex contemporary storytelling.
Recommend to others: Sure, its a nicely paced domestic thriller. I think it will be a hit with book groups just like Like Mother, Like Daughter.
Books and Authors mentioned: De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight
Gretchen Falk has it all, has always had it all. Born to wealth that she has no worries about losing, she went for the man she loved rather than a man that fit into the plans of her high society and judgmental parents. But, her husband, Richard, wanted to earn his keep so he worked hard to become a success in his own right. Likeable, easy going, a hard worker, a great father, Richard is a husband that Gretchen will do anything to keep so even when she notices things that make her question Richard's loyalty, she does her best to ignore what she sees so as not to rock the boat and press issues she might not want to face. Actually, she does this with their three children, too, allowing them to follow paths that aren't so good, thinking that is a kindness rather than making their lives even more difficult.
But now Gretchen is finding she can't just stand by and ignore the signs she is seeing. Richard had gone on an expedition to climb Kilimanjaro with his college friends and when she sees the light in his eyes on their video calls and finds out a woman, Frankie, was on the climb, too, Gretchen is sure that the woman is distracting Richard in ways that Gretchen fears. Feelings are complicated when one of Richard's long time friends dies on the climb so it's more difficult to discern where Richard's thoughts lie when he gets home.
The story opens about two weeks after the trip and with Richard being arrested for the very recent murder of Frankie. We then see events as the timeline goes back and forth between past and present and this way of showing us the past made the story even more intriguing to me. We also get to sit in on police investigations, attorney meetings, and read grand jury transcripts and learn more about everybody in bits and pieces. I love that I was surprised towards the end of the book because I read so many mystery/thrillers that I don't often get fooled by a story.
There are a lot of characters but I mostly kept track of them fairly easily. The main characters would have been better off making different choices in their lives but each of them have outside forces (often parents) that cause them to act or act out in ways that aren't in their best interests. It's easy to judge the characters and I think all of them might benefit from making fewer excuses and picking the harder choices in life (see, there I go judging again).
Expected publication June 16, 2026
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC
Gretchen Falk has it all, has always had it all. Born to wealth that she has no worries about losing, she went for the man she loved rather than a man that fit into the plans of her high society and judgmental parents. But, her husband, Richard, wanted to earn his keep so he worked hard to become a success in his own right. Likeable, easy going, a hard worker, a great father, Richard is a husband that Gretchen will do anything to keep so even when she notices things that make her question Richard's loyalty, she does her best to ignore what she sees so as not to rock the boat and press issues she might not want to face. Actually, she does this with their three children, too, allowing them to follow paths that aren't so good, thinking that is a kindness rather than making their lives even more difficult.
But now Gretchen is finding she can't just stand by and ignore the signs she is seeing. Richard had gone on an expedition to climb Kilimanjaro with his college friends and when she sees the light in his eyes on their video calls and finds out a woman, Frankie, was on the climb, too, Gretchen is sure that the woman is distracting Richard in ways that Gretchen fears. Feelings are complicated when one of Richard's long time friends dies on the climb so it's more difficult to discern where Richard's thoughts lie when he gets home.
The story opens about two weeks after the trip and with Richard being arrested for the very recent murder of Frankie. We then see events as the timeline goes back and forth between past and present and this way of showing us the past made the story even more intriguing to me. We also get to sit in on police investigations, attorney meetings, and read grand jury transcripts and learn more about everybody in bits and pieces. I love that I was surprised towards the end of the book because I read so many mystery/thrillers that I don't often get fooled by a story.
There are a lot of characters but I mostly kept track of them fairly easily. The main characters would have been better off making different choices in their lives but each of them have outside forces (often parents) that cause them to act or act out in ways that aren't in their best interests. It's easy to judge the characters and I think all of them might benefit from making fewer excuses and picking the harder choices in life (see, there I go judging again).
Expected publication June 16, 2026
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Someone Else’s Husband follows Gretchen, a New York City socialite whose seemingly perfect life unravels overnight when her husband Richard is arrested for the murder of another woman. As she starts digging into what really happened, especially during the Mount Kilimanjaro trip where he met Frankie (the victim), the story slowly reveals just how much she didn’t know.
This is definitely a slower burn, but in the best way. The mystery is there, but it takes a backseat to the characters and their relationships, which are what made this feel so compelling and real. It’s an insightful look at marriage and human relationships, especially in terms of what it means to truly know someone, how easily secrets can build over time, and how trauma informs the way we bond with others.
I loved how layered both Gretchen and Frankie were. No one is perfect, and the story purposefully makes sure we know that as it is told to us through their POVs. Watching them come to terms with the cracks in their lives and their own deficiencies was one of the most interesting parts, and how well done their internal struggles and introspection is really highlights how character-driven this novel is.
Mixed media in a book is always a win for me, so I loved the police interviews woven throughout. Trying to piece everything together alongside the investigation kept me hooked, and I’ll be honest, it’s not easy to trick me, but this one definitely did with some of the twists.
I really appreciated the contrast in settings. Moving between New York City and Mount Kilimanjaro added such a unique layer. The polished, high-society NYC life vs. the intensity of the climb made the stakes feel even more heightened.
I also loved reading the acknowledgements and finding out that Kimberly McCreight is not just an incredible author, but also a mountain climber! It makes the Kilimanjaro sections feel even more immersive knowing that real experience is behind them.
Overall, this is a smart, emotionally driven thriller that builds tension quietly but effectively and is truly stunning character work. If you love thrillers that feel grounded and character-focused, you will definitely enjoy this one!
This is definitely a slower burn, but in the best way. The mystery is there, but it takes a backseat to the characters and their relationships, which are what made this feel so compelling and real. It’s an insightful look at marriage and human relationships, especially in terms of what it means to truly know someone, how easily secrets can build over time, and how trauma informs the way we bond with others.
I loved how layered both Gretchen and Frankie were. No one is perfect, and the story purposefully makes sure we know that as it is told to us through their POVs. Watching them come to terms with the cracks in their lives and their own deficiencies was one of the most interesting parts, and how well done their internal struggles and introspection is really highlights how character-driven this novel is.
Mixed media in a book is always a win for me, so I loved the police interviews woven throughout. Trying to piece everything together alongside the investigation kept me hooked, and I’ll be honest, it’s not easy to trick me, but this one definitely did with some of the twists.
I really appreciated the contrast in settings. Moving between New York City and Mount Kilimanjaro added such a unique layer. The polished, high-society NYC life vs. the intensity of the climb made the stakes feel even more heightened.
I also loved reading the acknowledgements and finding out that Kimberly McCreight is not just an incredible author, but also a mountain climber! It makes the Kilimanjaro sections feel even more immersive knowing that real experience is behind them.
Overall, this is a smart, emotionally driven thriller that builds tension quietly but effectively and is truly stunning character work. If you love thrillers that feel grounded and character-focused, you will definitely enjoy this one!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Book review 📖
📜Someone Else’s Husband
✍️Kimberly McCreight
📠Knopf
📚Mystery/ Thriller Fiction
🗓️Pub date: June 16, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
✨Thank you @NetGalley and @aaknopf for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
Gretchen Falk, a Park Avenue sophisticate, knows she lives a charmed life, and she’s not about to risk losing any part of it. That’s why she tried to convince Richard, her devoted husband and the father to their three children, not to join his old college friends on an expedition to the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did she know that the beautiful artist climbing alongside him might prove the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan’s dream of artistic success is within reach, with her career-making exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent. To mark this new beginning, she is going to climb Kilimanjaro. But when she learns she’s the sole female accompanying a group of male friends, Frankie realizes that nothing about the trip will be as she expected. By the time they descend—with one fewer in their group than when they began—they have lost more than they ever could have imagined.
Now, less than two weeks after their return to New York, Frankie’s East Village loft is a blood-soaked crime scene, and Richard has been charged with her murder. There are only two things Gretchen knows for sure: she’s the only woman Richard has ever loved, and he would never hurt anyone.
Thoughts:
This was a unique and suspenseful thriller with differing timelines and told from multiple POVs. Things got a little dragged out in the middle parts, and I felt like the timelines were a little choppy and hard to follow, but I was invested and anticipating the smoking gun.
This is my second book by McCreight and I love her writing style and how she crafts her books to make them feel like a breath of fresh air.
This one will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
#netgalley #advancedreadercopy #someoneelseshusband #kimberlymccreight
📜Someone Else’s Husband
✍️Kimberly McCreight
📠Knopf
📚Mystery/ Thriller Fiction
🗓️Pub date: June 16, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
✨Thank you @NetGalley and @aaknopf for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
Gretchen Falk, a Park Avenue sophisticate, knows she lives a charmed life, and she’s not about to risk losing any part of it. That’s why she tried to convince Richard, her devoted husband and the father to their three children, not to join his old college friends on an expedition to the imposing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did she know that the beautiful artist climbing alongside him might prove the far greater danger.
Frankie Callahan’s dream of artistic success is within reach, with her career-making exhibition at a celebrated New York gallery. If all goes well, the show will leave her financially independent. To mark this new beginning, she is going to climb Kilimanjaro. But when she learns she’s the sole female accompanying a group of male friends, Frankie realizes that nothing about the trip will be as she expected. By the time they descend—with one fewer in their group than when they began—they have lost more than they ever could have imagined.
Now, less than two weeks after their return to New York, Frankie’s East Village loft is a blood-soaked crime scene, and Richard has been charged with her murder. There are only two things Gretchen knows for sure: she’s the only woman Richard has ever loved, and he would never hurt anyone.
Thoughts:
This was a unique and suspenseful thriller with differing timelines and told from multiple POVs. Things got a little dragged out in the middle parts, and I felt like the timelines were a little choppy and hard to follow, but I was invested and anticipating the smoking gun.
This is my second book by McCreight and I love her writing style and how she crafts her books to make them feel like a breath of fresh air.
This one will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
#netgalley #advancedreadercopy #someoneelseshusband #kimberlymccreight
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When you want what you really, really shouldn't want.
Yup. The Golden Apple that hangs within reach. Plucking it will only open the door to a world with more downsides than you ever bargained for.
'Tis the season of very unlikeable characters. Funny how authors are now making an effort to pony out people that are lined with irritating personalities. A few I can tolerate. A bastion of them....not so much.
Someone Else's Husband is an entertaining novel by Kimberly McCreight. McCreight introduces us to the well-established rich and the nouveau riche in her latest book. Gretchen and Richard seemed like all the stars were aligned when they met at college. Gretchen came from old money and Richard hardly had enough currency to keep the lights on. Nevertheless, they married. Gretchen left off her dream of becoming an attorney to have three children. Richard found his way to becoming a top investment banker at Goldman Sachs. And the money flowed.
We'll flip from New York City to a treacherous climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Richard and his college buddies have been planning this trip for years. What they didn't plan on was a sole female included in the climb. Frankie Callahan, an up-and-coming New York artist, set this challenge for herself. The challenge itself will have a lasting impact on her. It will set her on a course of her own demise.
Someone Else's Husband is written with dual happenings: the Mount Kilimanjaro climb alongside the aftermath back in New York City. McCreight does intensity with a heavy-handed blast of prose. She goes into mass detail of every interaction between these characters. There are long, long chapters filled with a sea of red herrings. The ending is focused on whiplash. Surprise. But it seemed to have stemmed from bad policing. Check it out. You be the judge.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and to Kimberly McCreight for the opportunity.
Yup. The Golden Apple that hangs within reach. Plucking it will only open the door to a world with more downsides than you ever bargained for.
'Tis the season of very unlikeable characters. Funny how authors are now making an effort to pony out people that are lined with irritating personalities. A few I can tolerate. A bastion of them....not so much.
Someone Else's Husband is an entertaining novel by Kimberly McCreight. McCreight introduces us to the well-established rich and the nouveau riche in her latest book. Gretchen and Richard seemed like all the stars were aligned when they met at college. Gretchen came from old money and Richard hardly had enough currency to keep the lights on. Nevertheless, they married. Gretchen left off her dream of becoming an attorney to have three children. Richard found his way to becoming a top investment banker at Goldman Sachs. And the money flowed.
We'll flip from New York City to a treacherous climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Richard and his college buddies have been planning this trip for years. What they didn't plan on was a sole female included in the climb. Frankie Callahan, an up-and-coming New York artist, set this challenge for herself. The challenge itself will have a lasting impact on her. It will set her on a course of her own demise.
Someone Else's Husband is written with dual happenings: the Mount Kilimanjaro climb alongside the aftermath back in New York City. McCreight does intensity with a heavy-handed blast of prose. She goes into mass detail of every interaction between these characters. There are long, long chapters filled with a sea of red herrings. The ending is focused on whiplash. Surprise. But it seemed to have stemmed from bad policing. Check it out. You be the judge.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and to Kimberly McCreight for the opportunity.
February 25, 2026
read if you like:
🤷♀️ whodunnits
💰 wealthy families
📍 africa
summary:
Kimberly McCreight is an incredible storyteller - if you haven’t read FRIENDS LIKE THESE or A GOOD MARRIAGE, I highly recommend! Her latest, SOMEONE ELSES HUSBAND, is a gripping story of a missing woman, a seemingly guilty man, and a family searching for answers.
It follows Gretchen Falk, a wealthy New York City socialite with a seemingly perfect life, who is married to Richard, an executive at Goldman Sachs. When Richard and his college friends head to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Gretchen thinks nothing of it — until after their return, the police show up at their house. One of their fellow hikers, a young woman named Frankie Callahan, has died under mysterious circumstances, and Richard has become the prime suspect. As she navigates the chaos around her husband’s arrest, Gretchen is forced to ask herself — what does she really know about Richard and his friends, and what truths has she avoided?
The book is told from both Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives, both before and after the murder, giving an intimate POV of their mindsets and their relationships with Richard. There are several complex character dynamics between the family and their friends that add to the tension between loyalty and suspicion of who you thought you knew. It explores themes of grief, resilience, and betrayal, and how women of different ages and social classes navigate their vulnerabilities. The suspense builds throughout the story in an authentic way, with several red herrings to throw you off course. While the ending wasn’t my favorite, it was satisfying and complete without feeling over the top.
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the advanced copy, and make sure you preorder this before it releases on June 15!
🤷♀️ whodunnits
💰 wealthy families
📍 africa
summary:
Kimberly McCreight is an incredible storyteller - if you haven’t read FRIENDS LIKE THESE or A GOOD MARRIAGE, I highly recommend! Her latest, SOMEONE ELSES HUSBAND, is a gripping story of a missing woman, a seemingly guilty man, and a family searching for answers.
It follows Gretchen Falk, a wealthy New York City socialite with a seemingly perfect life, who is married to Richard, an executive at Goldman Sachs. When Richard and his college friends head to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Gretchen thinks nothing of it — until after their return, the police show up at their house. One of their fellow hikers, a young woman named Frankie Callahan, has died under mysterious circumstances, and Richard has become the prime suspect. As she navigates the chaos around her husband’s arrest, Gretchen is forced to ask herself — what does she really know about Richard and his friends, and what truths has she avoided?
The book is told from both Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives, both before and after the murder, giving an intimate POV of their mindsets and their relationships with Richard. There are several complex character dynamics between the family and their friends that add to the tension between loyalty and suspicion of who you thought you knew. It explores themes of grief, resilience, and betrayal, and how women of different ages and social classes navigate their vulnerabilities. The suspense builds throughout the story in an authentic way, with several red herrings to throw you off course. While the ending wasn’t my favorite, it was satisfying and complete without feeling over the top.
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the advanced copy, and make sure you preorder this before it releases on June 15!
March 6, 2026
Addictive and mysterious, this dual POV and timeline from Kimberly McCreight will keep you (mostly) guessing until the last page.
“Someone Else’s Husband” follows Gretchen and Frankie, connected by their relationship with the titular “husband,” Richard, with the former married to him and the latter in a mysterious relationship with him. Gretchen is there when her husband is taken into custody for the murder of Frankie, who Richard befriended on an all-boys (and one girl) trip to Tanzania to climb Mount. Kilimanjaro. Over the course of the novel, Gretchen spirals trying to figure out what happened between the two. Elsewhere, we are in the past with Frankie, both on the mountain and days before her murder. This dual perspective and timeline works here, the tapestry becoming clearer as Frankie’s timeline inches closer to present day (and Gretchen works backwards as a cos play-detective.) I could feel how desperate these two women were, with Frankie not only struggling with her growing friendship (or something more) with Richard as well as the mysterious texts and stalker over her shoulder. There’s something similar happening with Gretchen but the stakes felt greater for Frankie.
It’s not perfect, though. Besides the lull in the middle, the over-explanation of Mount Kilimanjaro, the author also leaves one key element out of reach until very late in the game that lets the cat out of the bag, all but spoiling how this one ends. I won’t reveal it here but as soon as more details around the crime become more clear (or murky in this case), despite how firm detectives are in the beginning, you kind of know where you’re heading. I’m glad, ultimately, given the circumstances. But damn me and my thriller genre jadedness, though!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the ARC.
“Someone Else’s Husband” follows Gretchen and Frankie, connected by their relationship with the titular “husband,” Richard, with the former married to him and the latter in a mysterious relationship with him. Gretchen is there when her husband is taken into custody for the murder of Frankie, who Richard befriended on an all-boys (and one girl) trip to Tanzania to climb Mount. Kilimanjaro. Over the course of the novel, Gretchen spirals trying to figure out what happened between the two. Elsewhere, we are in the past with Frankie, both on the mountain and days before her murder. This dual perspective and timeline works here, the tapestry becoming clearer as Frankie’s timeline inches closer to present day (and Gretchen works backwards as a cos play-detective.) I could feel how desperate these two women were, with Frankie not only struggling with her growing friendship (or something more) with Richard as well as the mysterious texts and stalker over her shoulder. There’s something similar happening with Gretchen but the stakes felt greater for Frankie.
It’s not perfect, though. Besides the lull in the middle, the over-explanation of Mount Kilimanjaro, the author also leaves one key element out of reach until very late in the game that lets the cat out of the bag, all but spoiling how this one ends. I won’t reveal it here but as soon as more details around the crime become more clear (or murky in this case), despite how firm detectives are in the beginning, you kind of know where you’re heading. I’m glad, ultimately, given the circumstances. But damn me and my thriller genre jadedness, though!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Someone Else's Husband" was a unique and riveting read that kept me guessing throughout. Gretchen and Richard have been seemingly happily married for years. Their three children are now adults, and the married couple live a glamorous life full of wealth and privilege in NYC. Richard embarks on an annual "adventure trip" with a group of his college buddies, a hiking trip to summit Kilimanjaro. An unexpected addition to that group is Frankie, a beautiful and charismatic artist who also lives in the city. Frankie and Richard feel an instant connection on the trip, and when an unexpected tragedy occurs on the mountain, they cling to each other, bonded by the trauma.
Shortly after the group returns to NYC, tragedy strikes yet again. A violent attack occurs at Frankie's home, and Richard is arrested for the crime. Gretchen is struggling to understand what actually occurred, and how her husband could be responsible. She vacillates between wanting to support her husband, while also trying to figure out who else could have wanted to hurt Frankie.
Alternating between both Gretchen and Frankie's point-of-view, we see that Frankie herself has a lot of skeletons hidden in her closet. Skeletons that may have been about to start tumbling out. Eager to control the narrative, could Frankie herself have taken desperate measures in order to conceal her past?
A unique storyline that had me genuinely curious to figure out how it was all interwoven, this was a quick read for me. While some parts were a bit slower, it did not keep me from being surprised, and even a little shocked, when some of the reveals were ultimately made. Twisty, unpredictable, and engaging, McCreight's works always leave me satisfied in the end. Being released in June 2026, this would make a great summer read for you booklovers! Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.
Shortly after the group returns to NYC, tragedy strikes yet again. A violent attack occurs at Frankie's home, and Richard is arrested for the crime. Gretchen is struggling to understand what actually occurred, and how her husband could be responsible. She vacillates between wanting to support her husband, while also trying to figure out who else could have wanted to hurt Frankie.
Alternating between both Gretchen and Frankie's point-of-view, we see that Frankie herself has a lot of skeletons hidden in her closet. Skeletons that may have been about to start tumbling out. Eager to control the narrative, could Frankie herself have taken desperate measures in order to conceal her past?
A unique storyline that had me genuinely curious to figure out how it was all interwoven, this was a quick read for me. While some parts were a bit slower, it did not keep me from being surprised, and even a little shocked, when some of the reveals were ultimately made. Twisty, unpredictable, and engaging, McCreight's works always leave me satisfied in the end. Being released in June 2026, this would make a great summer read for you booklovers! Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 Boys’ Trip Stars
Richard Falk is going on his annual trip with his old friends, a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro. They are joined by a single woman on the trip, none of them knew before, artist Frankie Callahan. Richard’s wife, Gretchen, lives a charmed life with a Park Avenue address and the wealth to back it up. She tries to talk Richard out of the trip, but she’s unsuccessful.
We get to know the other men on the trip a bit, and we get alternating chapters of the Kilimanjaro trip while we are back in present-day New York. We soon learn that Frankie is dead, and much of the rest of the book is the hunt for the truth of what happened to her.
We get to know Frankie quite well as she recounts her time on the hike, and it's hard to realize that she didn’t have long to live. She’s drawn to Richard, and they develop a bond. There’s a tragedy on the hike to process as well.
Gretchen’s character is also explored, and she struggles with the possibility that something may have happened between Richard and Frankie during the hike. When Richard is shockingly arrested for the crime, the family pulls together and comes to Richard’s defense. Gretchen does her best to find out what happened.
There are also some brief sections by an unnamed character that add a sinister element to the story. I kept wondering who the author of these entries was and how that connected to the story. We also get transcripts from the grand jury trial and police interviews.
This storytelling style kept my interest throughout and kept me guessing! I enjoyed this one, my third read from this author.
Be sure to check out Jayme's review to see if she enjoyed it as well.
My thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to publish on 6.16.2026.
Richard Falk is going on his annual trip with his old friends, a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro. They are joined by a single woman on the trip, none of them knew before, artist Frankie Callahan. Richard’s wife, Gretchen, lives a charmed life with a Park Avenue address and the wealth to back it up. She tries to talk Richard out of the trip, but she’s unsuccessful.
We get to know the other men on the trip a bit, and we get alternating chapters of the Kilimanjaro trip while we are back in present-day New York. We soon learn that Frankie is dead, and much of the rest of the book is the hunt for the truth of what happened to her.
We get to know Frankie quite well as she recounts her time on the hike, and it's hard to realize that she didn’t have long to live. She’s drawn to Richard, and they develop a bond. There’s a tragedy on the hike to process as well.
Gretchen’s character is also explored, and she struggles with the possibility that something may have happened between Richard and Frankie during the hike. When Richard is shockingly arrested for the crime, the family pulls together and comes to Richard’s defense. Gretchen does her best to find out what happened.
There are also some brief sections by an unnamed character that add a sinister element to the story. I kept wondering who the author of these entries was and how that connected to the story. We also get transcripts from the grand jury trial and police interviews.
This storytelling style kept my interest throughout and kept me guessing! I enjoyed this one, my third read from this author.
Be sure to check out Jayme's review to see if she enjoyed it as well.
My thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to publish on 6.16.2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
SYNOPSIS
-Gretchen and Richard seem to have the perfect NYC life. Wealth, stability, long marriage, three kids.
-Richard goes on a guys trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Frankie, a beautiful & talented artist, ends up as the only woman in the group.
-Something happens on that mountain. When they come back, nothing feels the same.
-Days later, Richard gets arrested & charged with murdering Frankie when they all returned to New York.
-Gretchen is left trying to figure out who this woman is… and whether she ever really knew her husband at all.
⸻
MY THOUGHTS
-Kimberly McCreight is officially a favorite. I’ve read Like Mother, Like Daughter (5⭐️), Reconstructing Amelia (5⭐️), and now this. She just doesn’t miss.
-The structure here is so good. Multiple POVs (mainly Gretchen & Frankie), plus shifting timelines, plus grand jury transcripts, plus those anonymous journal entries.
-The Kilimanjaro chapters were great. They felt tense and atmospheric, like something bad was always just around the corner.
-This is a true character-driven thriller. The suspense builds through people and relationships, not just plot twists.
-The pacing is fast. I flew through this.
-I loved getting both Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives. Neither is perfect. Both feel real. You understand them even when they make questionable choices.
-The character development is strong across the board.
-The mystery was really intriguing & executed well.
-Satisfying ending.
⸻
TL;DR: 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rich people drama + mountain trip + murder. Loved the storytelling and execution.
⸻
THANKS:
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 16, 2026.
-Gretchen and Richard seem to have the perfect NYC life. Wealth, stability, long marriage, three kids.
-Richard goes on a guys trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Frankie, a beautiful & talented artist, ends up as the only woman in the group.
-Something happens on that mountain. When they come back, nothing feels the same.
-Days later, Richard gets arrested & charged with murdering Frankie when they all returned to New York.
-Gretchen is left trying to figure out who this woman is… and whether she ever really knew her husband at all.
⸻
MY THOUGHTS
-Kimberly McCreight is officially a favorite. I’ve read Like Mother, Like Daughter (5⭐️), Reconstructing Amelia (5⭐️), and now this. She just doesn’t miss.
-The structure here is so good. Multiple POVs (mainly Gretchen & Frankie), plus shifting timelines, plus grand jury transcripts, plus those anonymous journal entries.
-The Kilimanjaro chapters were great. They felt tense and atmospheric, like something bad was always just around the corner.
-This is a true character-driven thriller. The suspense builds through people and relationships, not just plot twists.
-The pacing is fast. I flew through this.
-I loved getting both Gretchen and Frankie’s perspectives. Neither is perfect. Both feel real. You understand them even when they make questionable choices.
-The character development is strong across the board.
-The mystery was really intriguing & executed well.
-Satisfying ending.
⸻
TL;DR: 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rich people drama + mountain trip + murder. Loved the storytelling and execution.
⸻
THANKS:
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 16, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A murder mystery with lots of intertwined, complex characters and secrets revealed slowly enough to keep readers interested. The life of the rich isn’t what it seems. Born into wealth, Gretchen strives to always maintain the air of having a perfect life. When her husband is arrested for murder of a woman he recently climbed Mt Kilimanjaro with, Gretchen defends him without a doubt, even when evidence shows otherwise.
Gretchen has never wanted to see the signs of her husband’s potential affairs or glaring evidence of her children’s problems, for fear she’d have to face them. Readers will relate to this “head in the sand” approach as well as Gretchen’s fear she has not really known her husband all along. I almost held my breath as Gretchen maintained her composure, despite her internal chaos. Their adult children are interesting minor characters with realistic banter and life issues.
Frankie, with secrets of her own coming back to haunt her, climbed to the summit with Richard and his friends. She does feel a connection to Richard and fights not to repeat her past mistakes. Threatening texts she receives before her murder build the tension.
Readers are presented with alternating chapters from Gretchen and Frankie’s point of view. Journal entries are sprinkled throughout, with the author’s identity remaining unclear. I thought maybe I’d missed something and found this a little confusing. That was the point, to keep the reader off balance. The climbing scenes were interesting and showed the physical and mental toll for climb takes on people. The ending was a little abrupt, but did provide closure.
Thanks to Netgalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Gretchen has never wanted to see the signs of her husband’s potential affairs or glaring evidence of her children’s problems, for fear she’d have to face them. Readers will relate to this “head in the sand” approach as well as Gretchen’s fear she has not really known her husband all along. I almost held my breath as Gretchen maintained her composure, despite her internal chaos. Their adult children are interesting minor characters with realistic banter and life issues.
Frankie, with secrets of her own coming back to haunt her, climbed to the summit with Richard and his friends. She does feel a connection to Richard and fights not to repeat her past mistakes. Threatening texts she receives before her murder build the tension.
Readers are presented with alternating chapters from Gretchen and Frankie’s point of view. Journal entries are sprinkled throughout, with the author’s identity remaining unclear. I thought maybe I’d missed something and found this a little confusing. That was the point, to keep the reader off balance. The climbing scenes were interesting and showed the physical and mental toll for climb takes on people. The ending was a little abrupt, but did provide closure.
Thanks to Netgalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an advanced copy of Someone Else’s Husband from NetGalley, and as someone who already enjoyed Like Mother, Like Daughter, I was excited to dive into Kimberly McCreight’s newest twisty domestic suspense. She has such a talent for peeling back the shiny layers of seemingly perfect lives, and this book leans all the way into that strength. The story centers on Gretchen Falk, a wealthy Park Avenue wife who believes she has the kind of charmed marriage people envy. When her husband Richard heads off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with old college friends, she worries but not for the reason she should. Enter Frankie Callahan, an artist on the brink of her big break, trying to free herself from a past that still has its claws in her. Their worlds collide on the mountain, and by the time the group descends being one person short everything has shifted. Two weeks later, Frankie is found murdered in her loft, and Richard is charged with the crime. From there, the story becomes a tense unraveling of marriage, loyalty, ambition, and the lies people tell themselves to survive. I loved how this author alternates between Gretchen and Frankie, letting us see how both women are caught in the same storm from very completely different angles. No one is fully innocent in this story, and no one is fully guilty, which makes the tension even sharper. The Kilimanjaro sections were especially gripping as they add a physical danger that mirrors the emotional danger waiting back home. Confession is that I love watching clips of folks climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and it's a goal of mine to do it ! #NETGALLEY #SOMEONEELSE'SHUSBAND
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘏𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 is a domestic thriller that begins with socialite Gretchen Falk sitting in a police precinct and waiting for the interview between investigators and her husband Richard to conclude. Their idyllic Upper East Side life—supported by his investment banking job and her old money connections—has been disrupted by a search warrant and suspicions. Five weeks ago, Richard went on a boys’ trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and one friend tragically lost his life. Now, another member of their party—young and beautiful artist Frankie Callahan, who was previously unknown to the men—has been brutally killed in her apartment. And Richard is the top suspect for her murder.
I have read and enjoyed other Kimberly McCreight novels before and found this premise intriguing, so I decided to give the book a shot. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I usually love multiple perspectives in storytelling, but POVs from Gretchen in the present, Frankie on the trip, Frankie in the days leading up to her death, and a mysterious unnamed figure as well as snippets from case files and court transcriptions was overkill for me—the plot just seemed disjointed and unnecessarily convoluted. Further, the characters appeared flat. None of them were all that interesting to me, especially not the group of wealthy males who appeared frequently throughout the novel and spent most of their scenes posturing and bickering with each other. As a result, I felt disconnected from the narrative and uninvested in the characters, so sadly this suspense novel was not particularly suspenseful for me.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have read and enjoyed other Kimberly McCreight novels before and found this premise intriguing, so I decided to give the book a shot. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I usually love multiple perspectives in storytelling, but POVs from Gretchen in the present, Frankie on the trip, Frankie in the days leading up to her death, and a mysterious unnamed figure as well as snippets from case files and court transcriptions was overkill for me—the plot just seemed disjointed and unnecessarily convoluted. Further, the characters appeared flat. None of them were all that interesting to me, especially not the group of wealthy males who appeared frequently throughout the novel and spent most of their scenes posturing and bickering with each other. As a result, I felt disconnected from the narrative and uninvested in the characters, so sadly this suspense novel was not particularly suspenseful for me.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight is basically what happens when a bougie group trip, questionable decisions, and a whole lot of secrets collide. It’s giving “wellness retreat but make it emotionally catastrophic.”
The premise is already messy in the best way. Love triangle, tragic accident, people lying like it’s cardio. You know from the jump this is not a group of individuals who should be making shared travel plans, let alone life choices. And yet here we are. McCreight leans all the way in, bouncing between timelines and perspectives so you’re constantly rethinking who’s shady. Spoiler alert: kind of everyone.
The relationships are where it really shines, if “shine” is the word for watching people make absolutely chaotic decisions. Marriages are strained, loyalties are flexible, and communication is… not their strength. At multiple points you’ll be like “this could have been solved with one honest conversation,” but then we wouldn’t have a book, so sure, spiral away.
Now, not everything lands perfectly. The timeline hopping can get a little confusing, like trying to follow a story someone’s telling you at a loud brunch in Los Angeles after two mimosas. And there are stretches where it drags just enough that you start side-eyeing the page count.
But overall, it’s a solid, entertaining thriller with enough twists, drama, and bad decisions to keep you hooked. Not a flawless masterpiece, but absolutely worth the read if you enjoy your suspense with a side of “wow, these people are a mess.” Strong 4 stars, and maybe a gentle reminder to trust your instincts… and possibly avoid group trips.
The premise is already messy in the best way. Love triangle, tragic accident, people lying like it’s cardio. You know from the jump this is not a group of individuals who should be making shared travel plans, let alone life choices. And yet here we are. McCreight leans all the way in, bouncing between timelines and perspectives so you’re constantly rethinking who’s shady. Spoiler alert: kind of everyone.
The relationships are where it really shines, if “shine” is the word for watching people make absolutely chaotic decisions. Marriages are strained, loyalties are flexible, and communication is… not their strength. At multiple points you’ll be like “this could have been solved with one honest conversation,” but then we wouldn’t have a book, so sure, spiral away.
Now, not everything lands perfectly. The timeline hopping can get a little confusing, like trying to follow a story someone’s telling you at a loud brunch in Los Angeles after two mimosas. And there are stretches where it drags just enough that you start side-eyeing the page count.
But overall, it’s a solid, entertaining thriller with enough twists, drama, and bad decisions to keep you hooked. Not a flawless masterpiece, but absolutely worth the read if you enjoy your suspense with a side of “wow, these people are a mess.” Strong 4 stars, and maybe a gentle reminder to trust your instincts… and possibly avoid group trips.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When the Truth Isn’t What It Seems
Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight is a gripping, twisty thriller that centers on two women who couldn’t be more different, yet whose lives become unexpectedly and devastatingly intertwined. Gretchen Falk is a Park Avenue wife and mother whose world is turned upside down when her husband returns from a Mount Kilimanjaro expedition and is soon charged with the murder of Frankie Callahan, an aspiring artist and fellow traveler on the trip.
What unfolds is a layered story of suspicion, loyalty, and shifting perceptions. Gretchen is forced to defend a man she believes she knows while also trying to protect her children from a reality she never imagined. At the same time, Frankie’s perspective adds depth and complexity, gradually revealing how the two women’s paths became so fatefully connected.
What made this book especially compelling was its structure. The dual timelines and alternating points of view kept me fully engaged, and the inclusion of investigation transcripts added an extra layer of tension and intrigue. Just when I thought I had figured out the truth, the story would shift and send me in a completely different direction.
I couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of thriller that constantly keeps you guessing while staying rooted in strong, character-driven storytelling. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers full of twists and moral complexity.
Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#SomeoneElsesHusband #NetGalley
Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight is a gripping, twisty thriller that centers on two women who couldn’t be more different, yet whose lives become unexpectedly and devastatingly intertwined. Gretchen Falk is a Park Avenue wife and mother whose world is turned upside down when her husband returns from a Mount Kilimanjaro expedition and is soon charged with the murder of Frankie Callahan, an aspiring artist and fellow traveler on the trip.
What unfolds is a layered story of suspicion, loyalty, and shifting perceptions. Gretchen is forced to defend a man she believes she knows while also trying to protect her children from a reality she never imagined. At the same time, Frankie’s perspective adds depth and complexity, gradually revealing how the two women’s paths became so fatefully connected.
What made this book especially compelling was its structure. The dual timelines and alternating points of view kept me fully engaged, and the inclusion of investigation transcripts added an extra layer of tension and intrigue. Just when I thought I had figured out the truth, the story would shift and send me in a completely different direction.
I couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of thriller that constantly keeps you guessing while staying rooted in strong, character-driven storytelling. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers full of twists and moral complexity.
Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#SomeoneElsesHusband #NetGalley
May 27, 2026
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC provided through NetGalley
I have mixed feelings about this one. I think the structure of the story is either going to be something people love or hate, with no in between.
Initially, I really enjoyed the flash backs and the way they were written in. As the story went on, it unfortunately just became a bit confusing and frustrating. I think the story telling was good, but it would’ve been so much better with a more well constructed timeline. I found myself immersed in a section just to be thrown back in time or shot forward and it took time to adjust to what period I was supposed to be in during that specific part of the book. It takes away from the story and the feeling I typically enjoy of being able to get lost in a book.
I think there was a lot of unnecessary parts to this book that caused it to drag on. In my opinion, a lot of the story involving the trek to Mt. Kilimanjaro could’ve been eliminated and this still would’ve been just as impactful as a thriller.
*Shout out to the author for drawing inspiration from her own climb. I did think this was a very cool discovery from her acknowledgments*
Overall, it was a good story. I did predict everything that was going to happen, but it didn’t take away from the book for me at all. I just like for my thrillers to be more gripping and fast paced. This one seemed to drag on and on and made it hard for me to care enough to stay immersed in what was happening. It also seemed like a lot of slow build up, just to get whiplash in the ending when everything seems to come to a quick resolution.
I have mixed feelings about this one. I think the structure of the story is either going to be something people love or hate, with no in between.
Initially, I really enjoyed the flash backs and the way they were written in. As the story went on, it unfortunately just became a bit confusing and frustrating. I think the story telling was good, but it would’ve been so much better with a more well constructed timeline. I found myself immersed in a section just to be thrown back in time or shot forward and it took time to adjust to what period I was supposed to be in during that specific part of the book. It takes away from the story and the feeling I typically enjoy of being able to get lost in a book.
I think there was a lot of unnecessary parts to this book that caused it to drag on. In my opinion, a lot of the story involving the trek to Mt. Kilimanjaro could’ve been eliminated and this still would’ve been just as impactful as a thriller.
*Shout out to the author for drawing inspiration from her own climb. I did think this was a very cool discovery from her acknowledgments*
Overall, it was a good story. I did predict everything that was going to happen, but it didn’t take away from the book for me at all. I just like for my thrillers to be more gripping and fast paced. This one seemed to drag on and on and made it hard for me to care enough to stay immersed in what was happening. It also seemed like a lot of slow build up, just to get whiplash in the ending when everything seems to come to a quick resolution.
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