Book review: The Missing Wife by Shelia O'Flanagan

 Well hello to you my reader chums! You know when you read a book and think this is so relatable to a character's feelings and I want to read more and more? This was how I felt about The Missing Wife. 

If you're looking for a light-hearted but slightly thriller stylebook for your holiday, this is one to pick up on your next book shop trip, and here is my full review.

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The Missing Wife by Shelia O'Flanagan book

Plotline

It looks like Imogen and Vince Naughton had a perfect and happy marriage, and were always on cloud nine together. However, when Imogen randomly disappears, everyone, she knows is in shock including her husband Vince. He treated her like a princess and she always tells everyone how lucky she is to have him.

But what goes on behind close is often different from what the outside world sees and Imogen surprises herself by taking the leap to get back to her old self. However, what she doesn't realise is that her past is right behind her, getting nearer by the day. The plot is all about whether that past catches up with her and Imogen on her journey of self-discovery and learning to love herself again.

Characters and relationships

The beauty of fictional books is reading about characters and watching their personalities and journey in a story unveil.  Imogen is a character that I loved from the off as I related to her in so many ways, but also really appreciated her courage, her organisation, and her desire to get back to the life she once has. The book really focuses on a whole look at her life and all the trauma she'd experienced before this point and the life events which shaped her existence into who she is now - and how those things made her choose to go back to France and get her life back. Imogen is one of those characters that seems down to earth, strong and loving, and that's apparent in every relationship she makes when departing to France.

Vince, Imogen's husband I disliked from the off. The way he spoke, the way he described his and Imogen's life actually made my skin crawl at times. He seemed like an entitled, selfish, and controlling man in every single sense, and even from the first few pages, I can understand why Imogen left him. But as the story unveils and Vince sets off to find Imogen, things become a lot clearer to what their relationship really was like.

The other characters I adored are all of the lovely people Imogen meets in France and become great friends of her including Celine and Rene and many other people that end up intertwining in her overall story. They bring an element of positivity into her life and for the first time in a while, give her the hope and courage that she needs.

Overall thoughts

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. The development of the plot, the growth of character development, and the setting descriptions were enough to hook me in. Plus, I also loved the slight thriller element as I couldn't tell what was going to happen next or how the story will pan out.

The way Imogen and Vince's relationship was written is genius and so apt in many ways. The writer nailed the plot to every little detail and I really enjoyed learning what was coming for Imogen and if she would get the happy ending she deserved. It's a long old read but I enjoyed every page; the author has this way of hooking you in with every page and that's how I know I've found a good book.

Ending`

I'm obviously not going to give away the ending, however, what I can say is it made me feel very content and uplifted. Everything was brought together so well and it made sense how the author panned for Imogen's story to end and for some good to come her way. In my opinion, it was the perfect ending for all of the characters in the book.

If you'd like to buy yourself a copy, you can do so here. I highly recommend this book!

I hope you enjoyed this review. What books are you loving at the minute?

Thank you for reading <3

39 comments

  1. Sounds like good summer reading! Thanks for sharing!
    http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com

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  2. This definitely sounds like something I would enjoy! When books take place in France, I am especially intrigued. :)

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  3. I love this! I think books that portray fantastic characters are the best x

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  4. oh wow, this sounds so interesting - I love a novel where the heroine gets out of a toxic relationship!xx

    mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/

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  5. This sounds like a great summer read for me -- I need something like this that will entertain and keep me interested. Thanks!

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  6. I haven’t heard of this author and book before. You have shared a well written review. It isn’t usually what I would read but sounds interesting. Thank you for sharing ☺️

    Lauren -bournemouthgirl.com

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  7. Sounds like an amazing book, love the covers and characters
    beautifully decribed..

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  8. MY cousin is currently reading this and she can't stop talking about it! I am defo stealing it from her as soon as she's done with it. Hopefully I'll get no spoilers!

    Rosie

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  9. This sounds like the perfect read for sipping a cocktail and getting stuck into! Love a good female lead.

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  10. I love an uplifting book it sounds great!

    Corinne x

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  11. This sounds like such a great book. I love it when you can really connect with characters.

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  12. This sounds like a great read and right up my street so thank you for the review. Although (and call me weird by all means) I usually prefer endings which are cliff-hangers or not so happy! x

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  13. I love books that I connect to and this one sounds like such an uplifting read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  14. Great review! I love that there's a strong focus on character development and the setting of France - I'll definitely be looking into this one more! Thanks for sharing x

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  15. What a great review for this book, Della! I really need to give this a shot - plus your picture was mesmerizing to me! xxx

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  16. This sounds like a fab summer read I'll have to give it a go

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  17. I just finished reading a book from my to-read pile and found my stack was really shrinking, so I loved reading your review of The Missing Wife. I do not think I have heard of this book, but the engaging story and relationship vibes of it are getting to me. I love that the characters are strong enough to make the emotions jump off the page.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  18. This sounds like such an interesting read - a good by the water cottage book for sure! Thanks for giving us enough tidbits to get interested without spoiling it! Thanks for sharing.

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  19. This sounds like a lovely book, Della! Vince sounds like an off character to say the least! This would be something I would read in on sitting on a 14 hr flight to Philippines! xx

    Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

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  20. This sounds like amazing book. I cant wait to read. It is just what I need on my next self care day. Thank you for sharing.

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  21. Oooh this sounds like such a good read! I have bookmarked this review as when I come to buy books I am always like 'hmm I seen a review of a book that sounded really good and I can't remember where I saw it or what it was called!' I have the worst memory ever!

    Sarah | www.aspoonfulofvanilla.co.uk

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  22. This sounds like a very interesting one, adding it to my list right now! Love books taht are centered on character growth x

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