The Almost Wife

by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

If you almost had everything that you wanted, how hard would you fight to protect it?

Kira is engaged to the man of her he’s charming, handsome, wealthy, and a great dad to their baby, Evie, and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Olive. Having grown up with a troubled relationship with her mother and mostly estranged from her father, Kira craves a close family and secure home, and with Aaron, Evie and Olive, she almost has it. The only problem is Aaron’s ex-wife, Madison, who’s out of control and trying to get to Olive. When Kira takes the girls out of town to her childhood summer home and finds out that Madison has followed them, she panics.

Between the beach and the forest on Manitoulin Island, Kira fights to protect Olive, Evie and her fiancé, until a dark secret threatens to unravel the life that is almost hers. With the future she has built hanging in the balance, and her past haunting her at every turn, Kira must choose who to believe and who she wants to be.

 

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Canada, Mystery, Audiobook, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 6, 2021

About the author

Watch for Gail's new novel, The Almost Widow, a thriller, released May 2023.

GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller, The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and her most recent novel, The Almost Widow, is out in May 2023.

Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award.

She taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. Gail Anderson-Dargatz lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This was an unputdownable thriller! Many flawed characters who come together in the most propulsive way, making the reader want to strangle them in frustration but also wanting to give them all a hug. Brava Gail Anderson-Dargatz. You've hit it out of the ballpark with this one.

[Cheryl Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't usually write reviews, but I felt I had to with this one. My goodness...it was as if the author ( a very good writer usually) decided she was going to write a thriller and threw in every trite current trick available -- Frankly I found it silly beyond words.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this Canadian domestic suspense thriller set mainly on Manitoulin island. What better place to have to deal with "island time," shoddy cell reception and an overabundance of deer! As someone who has spent a lot of time on the island I loved all the references to different parts and couldn't get enough of that aspect of the story. I also really identified with Kira, a new mother engaged to a man waiting for a divorce, whose daughter she's trying to protect from her seemingly crazy stepmother. This is a taut story that keeps you on pins and needles waiting to see how it will all unfurl. Highly recommended for fans of The last thing he told me, The last Mrs Parrish or It ends with us. There were a few scenes that made me very uncomfortable (be warned if you can't handle threats to small children but know that no real harm does occur). Definitely a departure from what you may be used to from Gail Anderson-Dargatz but I loved every second - a great book to add to your summer reading list!

CW: domestic abuse, suicide, threats of harm to an infant

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would never have believed this book was written by Anderson-Dargatz. I loved all her previous novels, and it's like she was pressured to write a suspense novel for the masses. This book is so not her. Reads more like a Shari Lapena novel. Which is fine if that's the kind of author you are, but this is not Anderson-Dargatz. She is such a better writer than this. Very disappointing.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost liked this. Unfortunately, the missing-husband-she-didn't-really-know plot has been done to death (I just finished another one yesterday), and a few of the twists could be spotted very early on. There was only one real surprise for me and by that point in the book it didn't make any difference as the characters were so difficult to care about. I'm on the lookout for other books by this author since I think they're going to be rewarding and maybe redeem her writing for me. Yay Canadian writers! Great writing, unlikeable characters and a déja-vu plot. 2 1/2 stars.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could not put down this action packed thriller. Mostly because I needed to know that the baby was okay! While I couldn't put it down, I felt there was basically no character development and I'm pretty sure I'll mostly forget it. Good to read if you are looking for something that keeps you wanting to turn the page but that you will probably completely forget.

[Allana Shropshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read but a little predictable! Some parts though I wasn’t expecting.

[Jazz Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
Predictable story line, with some questionable plot point. How’d she get to the island as quickly as they did? Still a good, light read with a happy ending. Enjoyed that it was set in Ontario.

[Katie Grubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one! Quick read that I didn’t want to put down. Giving 4/5 stars because it was a little predictable for me!

[Emily-kasandra Cliche]

*arc from netgalley*

This book was intriguing, but pretty easy to guess. I knew the ending after 10 pages and I felt it was really redundant and the same mistakes were made over and over again. The whole situation was also pretty intense for nothing, I was curious to see where it went, but not interested? Anyways. It was good, but not that much.

[Carmen Volk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Tried until halfway through, but it was so painful to read. Totally predictable and no likeable characters whatsoever. Pass on it.

[Kaitlin Dosman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the start of the story line to be a bit dramatic, but as I continued reading it was hard to put the book down.

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller grabbed me from page one and doesn't let go until the end.
Kira, the main character annoyed me at first but her strength won me over. if you like thrillers you won't be disappointed by this twisted,crazy, fast paced ride. The setting is also in Ontario, Canada.

[Pauline Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great summer read...easy to read but not boring. I especially enjoyed the setting of Manitoulin Island. I could picture some of the locations, wondered about others and, having been at a writing camp with the author, many things brought me back to that time. As I understand it, that camp (her last visit to the island) was when she started this story. Gail's able to provide us with mystery, romance, and some lovely description along the way.

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something new for Anderson-Dargatz - a full on thriller. She provides lots of insight - clues - into the final reckoning right off the bat, and while some of the action is predictable, there are enough twists to maintain the tension right up until the point of final reckoning.

But, even in its ‘newness’ this title sticks to what she writes best. Strong women - even if they don’t always appreciate that about themselves - and small communities... and the ties that bind, the memories and relationships that keep us grounded, and from which - ultimately, when needed - we draw that deep inner strength to see our way out of moments of crisis - of both the physical and emotional/psychological variety. It is about trauma, and how it reverberates through our lives - across generations. But it is also about healing and hope, and breaking those same cycles.

Add in the setting on Manitoulin Island (albeit taken licence with)... and you’ve got this reader sold. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to the island… perhaps it’s time to visit once again.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting access to an early digital review copy.

4.5 rounded to 5

[Melinda Worfolk · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, if you are expecting this to be anything like the author’s previous novels, be aware it’s nothing like them. The writing style and genre are completely different. I guess she felt like she wanted a change. As domestic thrillers go, it’s fine. I was intrigued enough by the plot to read most of it in one evening, even though I guessed where the plot was headed within the first few pages of the book (all the red flags start waving early for anyone who’s ever read this kind of book). I had pretty much guessed all the “twists” (Aaron is abusive and Madison was trying to warn Kira and save Olive and Evie; Olive’s mother wasn’t dead; the mysterious woman in the van was Olive’s bio mom; Evie was really biologically Nathan’s daughter) except for one: I didn’t predict that Kira’s father had died by suicide rather than homicide or accident.

Not the most original plot but still interesting and suspenseful. Anderson-Dargatz writes chase scenes well. And most of all, I really liked the description of Manitoulin Island—such an evocative setting, beautifully described.

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this became less predictable towards the end, I found too many plots, many that were predictable. Controlling man becomes possessive and abusive. Young woman drawn in by this man. Ex-wife stalking. Ex-boyfriend still very much involved. The plot surrounding her father was one plot too many.

[Rita Law · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept reading to the end, very stubbornly. Did not enjoy this book or the shallow characters at all.

[Faye Arcand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great title.

An easy and fast read.

Premise: Kira, a young mother in Toronto, lives with her baby Evie, almost husband Aaron, and Aaron’s daughter Olive.

Kira prides herself on her family unit but is pursued relentlessly by Aaron’s ex, who he has yet to divorce. There is tension there as the ex-wife, Madison, wants to visit and be with Olive, the 13 year old daughter. Aaron forbids it.

The title is apt in that Kira accepts an engagement ring and agrees to marry Aaron though he’s still married. So at that point she’s no longer the girlfriend and not yet the wife…she The Almost Wife.

The back and forth between Kira and Madison causes the greatest strife as everything else appears perfect… Until, a trip to the summer cabin… Guess who follows?

Overall, the story clipped along at a good pace. Sometimes things happened too easily and got fixed too predictably, but I’m sure that was to move the story forward. I enjoyed it. Kudos to the author for great writing.

Recommend as a suspense.

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. I even enjoyed it most of the way through it. What got me, in the end, was the almost formulaic confrontation in the end.

“Stay hidden until I come for you!” Comes out of hiding and gets caught.

Reveals gun still sitting in hunting cabin. Gun becomes a critical part of the final confrontation.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Showing just how deranged the bad guy is! Talk some more, now he’s completely unhinged.

Basically, the author took it too far with the crazy and made it unbelievable. I’ll stop abusing you as long as you don’t leave me. This all happened because you were going to leave me….. my god.

In the end, it was excruciating and eye rolling. The melodrama dragged out for more chapters than it could possibly need. Making FOUR female characters so unbearably feeble that together they couldn’t get out of this mess was also horrifically insulting.

The ONLY thing I liked about this was the complete 180 on the evil stepmom trope. Madison refers to Olive as her daughter and fights god in heaven to protect her. While it makes her out to be the high conflict ex in the beginning it does manage to show her in a proper light by the end. It’s not often that a stepmother is characterized in a flattering light so I did appreciate that and the eventual collaboration between step and bio moms.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual genre of book, and man it gave me the creeps, but it was well written and decently paced. Slow at first, but I became engrossed in the second half and couldn't put it down till I finished it.

[Troy Disabato · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst thriller I read in ages


The plot was too easy to predict with unlikable characters and over the top moments and written with so many eye rolling cliches that it made you regret opening up the first in the first place.

[Emily Van Schyndel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful to get through but had to see it through for the plot

[Wendelle]

a good depiction of toxic masculinity and the brutal turn it can take when male insecurity couples with entitlement to make domestic violence and victim blaming

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller by Gail Anderson-Dargatz grabs you from page one and doesn't let go until the end. I'll be honest that I wasn't crazy about the main character but she won me over by novel's end. This is a departure from the literary novels that Anderson-Dargatz usually writes, so know that going in if you are a fan of her other work (as I hugely am), but if you like thrillers you won't be disappointed by this fast paced ride.

[E.A. Briginshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written story that builds the suspense as it moves along, but I found I didn't like any of the characters, particularly the protagonist, Kira. I know she was supposed to be a flawed character, but she made so many bad decisions that it made her seem unbelievably stupid.

[Mackenzie RM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

It took me a long time to get into this book... I was probably 85-90% in before I was ‘hooked’, wanting to know what would happen.

How well do you truly know the man or woman you love? How far would you go to secure your dreams of a family? Kira grew up in a broken home, and now she searches for the security of a family with Aaron, Olive, and Evie. But there are things she doesn’t know about Aaron and his past relationships that could change everything.

The set-up for the story was slow. It’s only once we get to the tail end of the book that secrets and lies begin to be revealed...and then we go 0 to 100 with the drama. The story just rubbed me the wrong way I guess. I was never fully committed because I couldn’t really connect to the characters or the story. None of the characters are truly likable for me, yes, they are all flawed in some way... but they’re also frustrating and annoyingly shallow.

The climax of the story was suspenseful, which was what saved it for me. The ending was decent and neatly tied up the story.

I thought it was kind of cool that the plot was set in Ontario, Canada... setting it apart from most novels of this genre, which are typically set somewhere in the US.

I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the author’s previous books, especially The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees, but I was disappointed with this domestic thriller.

Kira is engaged to Aaron, an older, financially successful man. She has a good life with a daughter Evie and a nice house. Her only problems are an anxious teen step-daughter Olive and Madison, Aaron’s second wife who is stalking Kira and Olive. Madison’s erratic behaviour has the emotionally fragile Kira desperately trying to protect her family. She flees and takes Evie and Olive to Manitoulin Island where she spent her youth and owns a cottage.

A major problem is that events make little sense. After having a child, Kira is worried about announcing her engagement with the man who is presumed to be the child’s father? Olive’s behaviour in Little Current stretches credulity. And such an anxious teen would just run into the bush? Kira, who has lived in the city for years, has a basic outdoor survival kit with her? A mother would leave her infant alone in the truck, not once but several times?! Someone breaks a window to get into a building and then locks the door afterwards?

Being familiar with Manitoulin Island, I loved the setting. The dark and stormy night cliché, however, I could have done without. It is so obviously used to create suspense, but it is so contrived. The flashbacks to Kira’s childhood when her mother poisoned Kira’s relationship with her father are so obviously a parallel to what is happening to Olive – I can picture the storyboard here.

Imagery is also forced and unnatural: “Spiderwebs, covered in dew and catching the low sun, were suddenly visible in the long, uncut grass of the yard, hundreds of them, thousands of them. They shimmered, vibrating in the morning breeze. Until now, I’d had no idea they were there – these traps, all these fucking traps” and “the heavy birds lifted into the air, flying so low as they passed that I could not only hear the whistling of their wings, but feel the rush of air dislocated by their labored flight.” And why the American spelling?

The characters are difficult to like or care about. Kira, for instance, is so scattered and reckless. Everyone seems shallow. The fact that more than one person blames problems on a difficult childhood suggests a general lack of maturity. The motivation of the villain for all behaviour is fear of abandonment?

The author’s attempt to write a thriller is not successful. The result is trite, contrived, and predictable. This seems a degradation of her writing skills.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I would describe as a psychological novel--while there was a good amount of physical action (and I would see it as an action story), there was a large amount of internal character development throughout, with details about the childhoods of the adult characters, including their parents' damaging behaviors, PTSD, depression, addiction, control, gaslighting, and a lot of useful referrals to "why women stay" and the like.

Anderson-Dargatz is an excellent storyteller. Her use of dialogue-- including the narrator's internal dialogue-- kept me turning the pages. She had crafted the chapters to be short, pithy, full of suspense and action, and lots of dialogue.

I really enjoyed the pace of things, and the descriptions of the adult characters and the charming baby. Even a dog was deftly described and lovable.

The book is set in Canada's Manitoulin Island heading into the North of Ontario. The author herself grew up there and says in the Acknowledgements that she saw the book setting there as a way to pay tribute to her many friends and good memories from there.

Also in her acknowledgements she lists quite a good number of reference books that she read while writing this story, ones that I might read as well: "Divorce Poison: How To Protect Your Family from Badmouthing and Brainwashing" by Dr. Richard A. Warshak, "Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody" by Phyllis Chesler, "Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome" by Amy J. L. Baker, and "Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers" by Karyl McBride. The author skillfully uses the information she derives from her research to flesh out her stories in a most fascinating and suspenseful way.

[J. E. Hewitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do you give a 2.5? I wanted to love it but it wasn't very believable to me (like, why not just call 911?). Plus, I found the plot twist/turn happened too abruptly, so it wasn't terribly compelling or mysterious. Still, the set-up was good, the story moved well and I liked that more characters were thrown in as you went along. Easy Peasy vacation reading.