Dear Anna: A creepy domestic thriller
Ohhhhh myyyyyy gooooodddnesssss!!! New-to-me author!! I only learned of this book when she sent me a review copy and sponsored one of our newsletters and of course with that cover, you know I was intrigued (my love of psych-thrillers knows no bounds). And I must now happily declare… I AM A FAN!!!!!
I knew right when I saw that cover (and got a serious blurb jolt) that this would be my next read, and I got exactly what I was hoping for. Strictly from the “wife’s POV”, and despite the creepy-stalker/revenge vibe of the story as a whole, this could very well be actually relatable on many levels (to a certain extent, of course 😉 ).
Kiki: LOVED this book so much. I devoured it in one setting. I couldn’t stop!
Sarah: This is amazing!! I loved this book so much. I really enjoyed seeing Medeia find her strength again.
Maryse: I’m SO into it!!!
Brittany: I’ve read this one and it’s definitely my favorite psych thriller that I’ve read! I highly recommend this book!
Lisa: Oh my – this is a definite add. I looooove the sound of this. Cheating, marital strife, psych thriller. That’s catnip for sure. I promised I wouldn’t let my TBR list get over 2,000 books. I hit that number yesterday. Luckily, I finished one today, so I made room for this beauty!!!
So what’s it about?
Medeia is married to John, an upper-class, wealthy husband, and she’s living her perfect life. He’s a hard worker, with frequent late nights at the office, but he provides for her. Having come from a poor family and a rough childhood of abuse and addictions, and a criminal father, Medeia welcomes her quite and secure life, and never wants to look back.
But look back… she is forced to do, as she is reminded of just how little she means in the grand scheme of her marriage and the wealthy lifestyle she has become accustomed to. Her new perfect world begins changing as John goes from a loving husband, both of them completely devoted and wrapped up in each other, to a distant and mentally abusive, controlling monster.
And la creme de la creme is when she accidentally happens upon him and his secretary wrapped up in each other at a restaurant (as she’s walking by… from running errands).
There before me is my worst fear. Even with my vision blurred by the weather, I still see my husband of ten years dining with a woman who looks like more than just a business associate as he smooths a stray hair away from her face.
My eyes betray me as I watch him kiss the lady on the lips after they place their order with the waitress. There’s familiarity in the curve of her face and the way she holds herself—the angle of her chin and the dip at the end of it. I’ve seen her before. She flicks her hair away, revealing her profile.
Anna.
ROARRRRR!!!!!!
They don’t see me because they’re too busy laughing and staring at each other like fresh new lovers with no problems. They took no notice of the paralyzed figure in the middle of the parking lot, staring after them. He never looked for my car to make sure the coast was clear. That’s even more terrifying than the act itself – the blatant disregard.
Devastated. After losing herself and becoming everything for him, she can let the downward spiral take her…
I have worked to remain the perfect image of a rich man’s wife: perfect manicure, expensive clothing, heels, hair maintained. It’s a strict grooming regimen to give me the bonus appearance of money. It’s tiresome, and I do let myself go at times when John isn’t home, but I have tried to take his comments into action. I am the perfect woman for John, straight from his design. So, why am I watching him smile at a blonde with spaghetti sauce on her chin? This whorish pig threatens the stability I have dedicated my life to maintain. I feel my shelter slipping through my fingers.
Or she can take her control back… but not without an incredible amount of strength, resilience and effort. But how, after he’s crushed her in so many ways?
At wits end, and not sure how to handle her cheating, abusive husband, she remembers the prenup she signed, and the fact that it pretty much locks her out of EVERYTHING if they divorce.
I’ve turned my whole life over to John’s rules. Why? Then it smacks me in the face like a puddle splashing up from a car. John has all of the money. I came into the marriage with nothing, and that’s why I never strayed from the straight line that I needed to walk to be the perfect wife. If I go in there now and let myself be known, I’ll put myself in a worse position.
I’ll be penniless. John has made it legal, thanks to the prenup, that I will never have any of his money to my name if I leave him. He knows it’s my weakness, coming from such a poor family.
What to dooooo…. What. To. Do?
Patience. She’s got plenty of it, and the story only gets better from here. As she learns about his mistress,
Anna plays to a different audience on each platform, making it hard to get a depiction of her true self. I can only judge on the part that she is willing to offer up to the world, and boy is it ugly.
untangles her mentally abused mind from his manipulating tactics,
F*ck him. That trick of acting worried would have sent me straight into submission before, but not now.
she begins to see clearly, and the past that haunts her might just serve her.
I wipe the tears off my face. He can’t get away with this. I will find a way out. In the quiet of my car, I promise myself that. It’s not time to confront him, not until I’ve come up with a plan.
I’ll be damned if I go back to the shack of my childhood without a fight.
Sounds awesome right?
This will be the hardest time of my life. I no longer find redeeming qualities in my husband; in fact, my stomach hardly tolerates being around him. But, I’m not an idiot; my corner is empty. And until I fill it, I need to play this game.
Ohhhhhhhhh yessssssss. And I will let you unravel the rest.
Is it believable? Yes. To an extent. That is… of course, limited only by what reality is to you… and what reality is to someone else. And how far some are willing to go. 😉
Is it entertaining? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!!!! And I loved the ending. Who’s the bad guy? Who’s the good guy? An HEA? Depends on who you’re rooting for. 😉 And even still… *my lips are sealed*
4.5 stars <— Completely absorbing, eerie, emotionally distressing (you will feel for her!!) and frightening on different levels. It just got better and better until the very end and once things got rolling, I couldn’t put it down!
