#allthebookreviews: The Winters by Lisa Gabriele @vikingbooks @lisagabrieletv
The Winters
by Lisa Gabriele
Thanks so much to Viking Books for these hauntingly beautiful review copies.
Jessica and I loved this one - see our thoughts below!
Publisher: Viking Books
Publish Date: October 16, 2018
Hardcover
320 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Thriller, Suspense
A spellbindingly suspenseful new novel set in the moneyed world of the Hamptons, about secrets that refuse to remain buried and consequences that cannot be escaped.
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter--a wealthy senator and recent widower--and a life of luxury she's never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max's beautiful first wife, Rebekah, who haunts the young woman's imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell. She soon realizes there is no clear place for her in this twisted little family: Max and Dani circle each other like cats, a dynamic that both repels and fascinates her, and he harbors political ambitions with which he will allow no woman--alive or dead--to interfere.
As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family's dark secrets--the kind of secrets that could kill her, too. The Winters is a riveting story about what happens when a family's ghosts resurface and threaten to upend everything.
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter--a wealthy senator and recent widower--and a life of luxury she's never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max's beautiful first wife, Rebekah, who haunts the young woman's imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell. She soon realizes there is no clear place for her in this twisted little family: Max and Dani circle each other like cats, a dynamic that both repels and fascinates her, and he harbors political ambitions with which he will allow no woman--alive or dead--to interfere.
As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family's dark secrets--the kind of secrets that could kill her, too. The Winters is a riveting story about what happens when a family's ghosts resurface and threaten to upend everything.
My Review:
A modern retelling of Daphne du Maurier's, Rebecca, set in the Hamptons of New York. I'll be up front and say that I've yet to read Rebecca (though I do have a copy on my shelf... why do I do this to myself?!). I now wish I had read the classic first just to see what had been changed to make this a more modern retelling.
This novel builds - starts off innocently enough and then slowly unravels as you turn each page. I was so intrigued and consumed by the story that I didn't even realize until just now that the narrator who is the incoming Mrs. Winters, never has a first name. Genius! I even just fanned through the book trying to find and it and thought "Wow, that's book amnesia at its finest - I JUST turned the last page!" I really did enjoy how she would play out a scenario in her head of how she thought something would play out. I do this ALL the time and it never plays out the way I imagine it!
Gabriele does such a fantastic job of weaving everything together and you really get the full on WTF just happened moments right at the end. I'm floored you guys. I mean, I had an inkling about one part but I definitely didn't see it going in this and that direction and I LOVE it when a book does that to me!
Secrets never stay buried... not forever anyways. Love can make you blind. Kids can be atrocious. Money doesn't solve anything. Just remember to trust your instincts... especially if your instinct tells you to pick up this amazing novel.
The hardest thing about reading review copies is not wanting to spoil anything for a reader... and not having anyone else to really discuss this with! So please, if you plan to read this, make a note and come back and speak with me!
Lovers of domestic suspense, psychological thrillers and an atmospheric (almost gothic type) read will absolutely fall in love with this book.
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
Jessica's Review:
Going into this I wasn't aware that this is considered a retelling of sorts of Daphne du Marier's REBECCA. Sadly, I haven't read this one yet, but I'm planning to this year! I'm anxious to see the parallels and similarities between REBECCA and THE WINTERS by Lisa Gabriele.
"Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again." Talk about an opening line to immediately grab your attention. Needless to say, this helped set the tone for the rest of the novel. Lots of twisty parts and plenty of moments to keep you on your toes! Much like my buddy reader, I had no idea our narrator, the soon-to-be Mrs. Winter, doesn't have a name. As soon as she mentioned that I had to go back and flip through to see if maybe we missed it, nope.
Our narrator meets, and quickly falls in love with, Max Winter. A well-known Senator from Long Island. She moves into his estate and is completely surrounded by the memories of his late wife, Rebekah. Not only is she constantly reminded of her, but her soon-to-be stepdaughter, Dani, has a striking resemblance to her as well. Our narrator is met with resistance and conflict at every turn with Dani. She quickly uncovers some deep buried family secrets, that do not want to come to light. Who can she trust?
This is a slower building suspense novel, so that's a good thing to keep in mind before starting! THE WINTERS is perfect for those that are fans of domestic and psychological suspense novels. The ending, I was not expecting at all. I loved how Gabriele tied everything together in the end and was captivated by the tale she wove for us.
Overall, if you want a solid psychological suspense novel, then THE WINTERS needs to be next on your TBR.
5/5 stars
No comments
Leave a Comment