Title: The Man She Married

Author: Cathy Lamb

Publisher: Kensington

Publication Date: October 30, 2018

Page Count: 480

My rating: 3 stars

About the book:

In Cathy Lamb’s gripping and thought-provoking novel, a woman whose memory is shattered must piece together her husband’s secrets—and reevaluate her life, love, and relationships . . .

When Natalie Shelton thinks back to how things were before the car accident, she remembers a great marriage. She and her husband, Zack, seem as strong and dependable together as the houses he builds. They live in Portland, Oregon, and Natalie is co-owner of a successful accounting firm. They’re happy, she’s almost sure of it.

Yet as Natalie lies trapped in a coma, unable to communicate though aware of everything around her, she realizes that her husband is hiding something. Zack has always been reticent about his past, which she attributed to an unhappy childhood. Now the strange calls he’s receiving, the apologies when he thinks she can’t hear him, and her fragmented memories from the morning of the accident suggest a deeper secret.

When she finally awakens, Natalie is determined to find out the truth. Sorting through clues as her brain heals, she realizes she has a rare opportunity—to reexamine the life she’s made and the man she’s made it with. But as answers come to light, she faces surprising, heartrending decisions, as well as a danger that could upend her world once again, as Zack’s past finally catches up with them . . .

The Man She Married was one of those books that I had a hard time deciding whether I even liked it or not. This one is a fictional story of a woman that finds out her husband’s lying only to then lose her memory in a severe crash that results in brain injuries.

As the story in this one began it seemed that Natalie and Zack were very much in love with one another when something happens that brings to light Zack’s deception. Just as the fight between the couple is happening Natalie leaves and has her accident. This leaves readers wondering what the whole truth was and what danger that brings building a bit of suspense.

Now, after a somewhat explosive beginning readers are tossed into a state of confusion as the story continues being told from Natalie’s POV while lying in a coma. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily but it stalls out finding out the reality and Natalie begins a lot of random musings that really don’t mean a lot to the story which also continue after she awakens. The pace really seemed to slow down from the beginning and it became hard to stay engaged at that point.

One could say the author is brilliant showing the scattered thoughts of a accident victim but on the other hand perhaps insane for dragging out the story for those less patient readers such as myself. Some of the ramblings are funny and parts entertaining though so that brought my struggle in is this likable or not leading me to rate down the middle. Perhaps a little shorter version would have been more to my taste but as is I can’t say I fell in love but only that it did have it’s moments.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon

About the author:

CATHY LAMB lives in Oregon. She is married with three children. She writes late at night when it’s just her and the moon and a few shooting stars.