Always Second Best to The Perfect Dead Wife
Book Review of First Wife’s Shadow by Adele Parks
Published: September 4th, 2024 by HQ Books
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Psychological Thriller
Disclaimer: Thank you, Adele Parks and HQ Books, for sending me this book. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.
CW/TW: mentions of drugs and drug use, alcoholism, home invasion, death, mental illness, toxic relationships, violence, medical content, grief, car accident, death of a parent, murder, gaslighting, injury description, stalking, cheating, age gap relationship (adults), sexual content and addiction.
Overview of First Wife’s Shadow
When Emma first meets Matthew, everything is perfect. She is at the top of her game in every aspect of her life. With a mutual attraction, they quickly fall into a serious relationship. Matthew is great.
But Matthew is a widower, and Emma finds herself in competition with the memory of his wife, and she’s coming second place. This frustration escalates as strange things start happening.
While these incidents start harmless, they slowly become more and more threatening until it’s clear that Emma’s life is in danger.
Matthew thinks she’s drinking too much. Emma’s friends think he’s gaslighting her. Emma thinks she’s being haunted.
Slowly Pulls You in Until You Can’t Escape
After the prologue that grips you by the collar, First Wife’s Shadow has a slower pace as it establishes Emma’s life before Matthew and the ‘honeymoon’ phase of their relationship. The pacing picks up and gradually increases as the story’s stakes get more dangerous and life-threatening. And then, just like Emma, it’s already too late to escape.
A Realistic Strong FMC
I loved Emma’s character. At the beginning of the book, we get a real in-depth look into her life and how she thinks. She’s a very focused and determined person who finds joy and happiness in her work and her found family. Adele Parks writes Emma as a fully formed character on her own. To put it simply, “she don’t need no man”.
As you’re reading, you slowly see Emma make small sacrifices that, at the time, don’t seem like much. It’s not until you finish that both the reader and Emma herself realise the stark difference between who she was before and after meeting Matthew. This was a great evolution of the character as it reflects any relationship. People change and grow, however, not always for the better, and it’s not always what they truly want.
Emma is a loving, generous and overall good person who has overcome a lot in life, and her resilience is incredible.
Alcoholic, Haunted or Crazy?
As the incidents in First Wife’s Shadow become increasingly dangerous, we get to see how this effects Emma. Until we find out what is really going on, we, as the readers, are just as confused as Emma.
We see the deterioration of her mental health caused by the stress and fear of everything going on. It’s understandable that she came to the conclusion of being haunted.
I enjoyed how Adele started the confusion with simple acts that Emma could explain away. It doesn’t start to get concerning until she confides in others for their perspective and she realises that these incidents aren’t as simple as she believed, and then the stakes rise.
It’s a Slippery Slope
Without giving too much away, I will say that this book showcases the slippery slope that desperate people take. Emma, who is an independent woman with everything going for her, finds herself making decisions that she usually wouldn’t in a desperate attempt to keep the love she’s found.
Characters in this book make small decisions and sacrifices that gradually get more intense with just as intense consequences.
Final Thoughts on First Wife’s Shadow
Overall, I really enjoyed First Wife’s Shadow. I will say I guessed parts of the twist, but even so, I still enjoyed the story. Compared to the rest of the book, I didn’t find the ending as impactful. The impact was more in the chapters before the ending, where the ending was more characters settling into a new normal.
If you enjoy twists and turns, psychological thrillers, and second-guessing yourself, then go pick up First Wife’s Shadow by Adele Parks.
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