24 Oct The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher Blog Tour

Happy Friday, lovelies! Hope you’re having a brilliant day. Today I have the pleasure to take part in Kerry Fisher’s blog tour for her latest release, THE SILENT WIFE. The book is released today (Yay! Massive congrats Kerry!) and I’m honoured to be on of the bloggers to kick off her blog tour and post a special publication day review. I seriously recommend it as you can see from my review. So, just head to amazon and download a copy, I promise you’ll love it.

Cheerio, sweethearts!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher
Published byBookouture
Published on 24.2.2017
Genres:women’s fiction
Pages: 374
Format:e-book

Would you risk everything for the man you loved? Even if you knew he’d done something terrible?

‘A heart wrenching and gripping tale. I was hooked from the very first page.’ Write Escape

Lara’s life looks perfect on the surface. Gorgeous doting husband Massimo, sweet little son Sandro and the perfect home. Lara knows something about Massimo. Something she can’t tell anyone else or everything Massimo has worked so hard for will be destroyed: his job, their reputation, their son. This secret is keeping Lara a prisoner in her marriage.

Maggie is married to Massimo’s brother Nico and lives with him and her troubled stepdaughter. She knows all of Nico’s darkest secrets – or so she thinks. Then one day she discovers a letter in the attic which reveals a shocking secret about Nico’s first wife Caitlin. Will Maggie set the record straight or keep silent to protect those she loves?

For a family held together by lies, the truth will come at a devastating price.

A heart-wrenching, emotionally gripping read for fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

‘The Silent Wife’ is the latest book by Kerry Fisher and one I’ve been so excited about. Back in 2015 I read Kerry’s book ‘The Island Escape’ and immediately fell in love with her writing, the way she explores friendship and made me recognize parts of myself in both of her main characters. Needless to say then that I had such high hopes for ‘The Silent Wife’ and now after I’ve read it, I can say I wasn’t disappointed.

As I’m already mentioning Kerry’s books, unlike her previous ones this one has a more serious tone. It’s like Kerry wanted to go even deeper, exploring family and it’s dynamics and all the complex relationships as well as their secrets.

The beautiful thing about this book is that while it’s mostly focused on two characters, the sisters in law Lara and Maggie, we learn so much about both their families. The book opens with Maggie marrying Nico and entering this new Italian family where she feels all but wanted. Nico’s first wife died young due to cancer, so their daughter, Francesca is really not too crazy on the idea of her father marrying again. Especially not so shortly after her mother’s death. As so isn’t Nico’s Mother, the cruel matriarch, Anna. But despite all her fears, Maggie is so happy to finally have a real man by her side, a true gentleman who respects her and who is willing to take care of her 10 year old son, Sam. It was so heartbreaking to read these pages. Maggie comes from a broken home and is the only one in her family which comes even close to marrying. Three generations of single women without anyone to care for them made Maggie a strong women yet thirsty for love. But real problems start when she moves in with Nico and watches her stepdaughter and mother in law trying to sabotage her marriage on every step. No matter how hard she tries, she’s not appreciated. Out of this hard situation comes an unusual friendship though, the one with her sister in law, Lara. Lara is Massimo’s wife, also a second wife just like Maggie. Massimo’s first wife didn’t want any kids so she left him. Lara gives him the child he’s always wanted and yet Massimo seems never pleased. Their son isn’t anything like the sporty, masculine Massimo so naturally, Lara feels disappointed and unhappy. However different Lara and Maggie seem at first sight, they will become allies and discover some secrets carefully hidden from the family. In the attic, Maggie finds a a box which belonged to Nico’s first wife, a box full of secrets ready to shatter everyone’s lives.

Wow, good e? When I started reading, I have to say it took me a while to get into the story. It seemed there were loads of characters, stories intertwining and I admit I found it a bit too much. But once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. I already knew Kerry will create a wonderful and layered story, with characters so vividly portrayed, however I was totally surprised by the mystery element. I can’t say I really connected to or particularly liked any of the women, however their unusual friendship was what really kept me reading. They appear so different at the beginning so it was really intriguing to see their bond growing. While I liked Nico being the more sensitive one, Massimo was such a nasty guy. I didn’t like him at all, but his character definitely added to the story.

While some books are all about the pace and action, this book is all about the characters and their relationship. It’s clever, emotional and layered and I really enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of women’s fiction or family drama, this is definitely a book you mustn’t miss out. It’s also Kerry Fisher’s best yet and I’m already looking forward to her next one.

About Kerry Fisher

Born in Peterborough, Kerry Fisher studied French and Italian at Bath University, followed by several years working as an English teacher in Corsica and Spain before topping the dizzying heights of holiday rep and grape picker in Tuscany. She eventually succumbed to ‘getting a proper job’ and returned to England to study Periodical Journalism at City University. After two years working in the features department at Essentials magazine in London, love carried her off to the wilds of the West Pennine moors near Bolton. She now lives in Surrey with her husband (of whisking off to Bolton fame), two teenagers and a very naughty lab/schnauzer called Poppy. Kerry can often be seen trailing across the Surrey Hills whistling and waving pieces of chicken while the dog practises her ‘talk to the tail’.

Kerry has spent half her life talking about writing a novel, then several years at Candis magazine reviewing other people’s but it wasn’t until she took some online courses with the UCLA (University of California) that the dream started to morph into reality, culminating in the publishing of The Class Ceiling. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins picked it up and retitled it The School Gate Survival Guide, published summer 2014. Her second book, The Island Escape, came out in May 2015. It won first prize at the York Festival of Writing for the opening line: ‘I was wearing the wrong bra for sitting in a police cell’.

Best advice ever received: ‘This is fiction, we can skip the boring bits.’ Lynn Hightower, UCLA Writers’ Program.