Book Review: The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

An addictive thriller with dark twists!

Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Lynne and Valerie are national and international bestselling authors with over one million copies sold worldwide. Their books have been translated into 28 languages, are available in 33 countries, and are in development for both television and film. Their novels have been praised by USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Their debut novel, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection.

When an ex con sets her sights on a successful real estate mogul and his beautiful wife she gets more than she bargained for. I love a good suspense/psychological thriller and had heard positive reviews of this book so my hopes were high going in. It did not disappoint! It felt like The Wife Between Us meets Sleeping with the Enemy.

The first half of the book intrigued me, told from Amber’s perspective, as she quickly befriends Daphne Parrish—wife of Jackson Parrish—in an attempt to snake her way into their lives and tear them apart for her own benefit (and twisted amusement). One of my favorite suspense tools in the thriller genre is structure, especially dual character and/or timeline. This book uses dual characters to shift the narrative perspective and it really pulls the rug out by the time you reach the midpoint. Amber is meticulous, cunning, and calculative when she befriends Daphne and eventually seduces Jackson, slipping into the role she’s always felt entitled to. The language was vivid and immersive, transporting me into the lives of the super rich as Amber becomes more entwined. Daphne’s perspective shift was so different and shocking, I ended up binging the second half of the book in a few hours.

In terms of the characters, I couldn’t stand Amber or Daphne in the first half. The author(s) did an amazing job at creating a false first impression of Daphne Parrish, and I even felt sorry for Jackson at one point. By the second half my opinion shifted dramatically, and I found myself rooting for Daphne, hoping she’d eventually be free and reunited with her mother. The dialogue flowed and I loved learning about the characters’ backgrounds. My favorite scene was in the second to last chapter when Daphne finally visits Jackson at his office in Midtown and drops off a little gift for him as a final act of defiance.

The only thing I would have liked, and it’s completely personal, is a final twist on the last page or last line—even though I found everything technically satisfying—it’s always that bit darker when a final reveal leaves you hanging at the end. In saying that, every loose end was tied up and character arc complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

4.5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

For readers who enjoy domestic suspense, compelling female characters, and dark twists.

Published October 17th, 2017

Synopsis:

Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.

To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn’t have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.