∎ Read The Last Mrs Parrish A Novel Liv Constantine 9780062688163 Books

The Last Mrs Parrish A Novel Liv Constantine 9780062688163 Books

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The Last Mrs Parrish A Novel Liv Constantine 9780062688163 Books

Let's hear it for escapism! Not everything I read and enjoy has to be "literature", sometimes I need to follow a long literary tome with something frivolous and deliciously fun. "The Last Mrs. Parrish", by two sisters who write under the name, Liv Constantine, is exactly the transition novel I needed this week (it will make an excellent travel/holiday novel and eventually a film)!

"The Last Mrs. Parrish", is what I like to call "Wealth Porn". Part of its appeal derives from the meticulously detailed descriptions of the lives and luxuries of the Very Very Wealthy: private jets, opulent homes, designer clothes/shoes/handbags/lingerie, jewelry, et. Now, this might not appeal to every reader, but I'm happy with my Never-in-Business-Class lot in life, so I'm not crushed with envy, instead it's fun to imagine how the other 1% lives while eating my home-made lunch at my desk. Throw in a suspenseful and just-complicated-enough plot, plus a dash of twists, and I'm having a grand ole time.

Amber Patterson is a completely amoral young woman who has designed a detailed and diabolical plan to acquire wealthy entrepreneur, Jackson Parrish, via a fake-friendship with his wife, Daphne. You don't really need to know more than that! Who need Major Themes, Symbolism, and Life Lessons? Is the villain TOO villainous? Yep. Will you anticipate some of the twists? Sure! So what?! Just jump in and enjoy!


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The Last Mrs Parrish A Novel Liv Constantine 9780062688163 Books Reviews

I'm conflicted about this thriller. There were times I felt like I was barely reading a three star book and other times it almost reached a five. I decided to meet in the middle and settled on four stars. I'm still not sure that was the correct choice...

SUMMARY
The story, initially told from Amber's point of view, opens with Amber orchestrating an "accidental" meeting at the gym between herself and Daphne Parish. Daphne is the wife of Jackson Parrish, one of the most wealthy, influential (not to mention good-looking) men in a Connecticut town full of wealthy, influential people.

Daphne seems to have to perfect life; a handsome, very rich husband, two adorable girls and one of the most beautiful homes in town full of beautiful homes. The only downside seems to be that she desperately misses her sister who died from CF (Cystic Fibrosis) almost twenty years earlier. Aside from her husband and children, Daphne's passion is the not-for-profit, Julie's Smile, she started in her sisters honor.

Because she is a girl who does her homework, Amber knows to use a feigned CF connection to insinuate herself into Daphne's life. It works like a charm. Soon the two women become fast friends, bonding over the loss of their beloved sisters - pretend loss on Ambers part.

It becomes clear early on that Amber's end goal is to steal Jackson from Daphne, becoming the next Mrs. Parrish. It seems she will go to any lengths to get what she wants.

Part two is told from Daphne's point of view, and that's where the book gets interesting. Is there more to the story than there appears to be? Is Daphne more than an over privileged housewife with a staff of household help and a charmed life? Author, Liv Constantine (actually co-authoring sisters, Valerie and Lynne Constantine), slowly reveals the story behind the story and it's quite a tale!!!

WHAT I LOVED
Initially, I thought I was reading kind of a flat 'been there, done that' recycled plot. Not a bad one, but not very unique. I kept going because this book received positive reviews from some of my GR friends so I knew it had to be good. Glad I did!! Although there were a few clues dropped during Amber's narrative, letting the reader know there would be more to the story, the plot really picked up once Daphne's account began. I love that the story is told by two different characters. It was so much fun to hear what each was thinking about various events.

The main twist, which was revealed about halfway through the book, was AWESOME! I LOVED it so much!!! It was one of those five star moments.

I loved the parts of the book including Daphne and Jackson's girls, Bella and Tallulah. Bella brought some honest kid moments, expressing her opinion without a filter. It was amusing.

At first I didn't like Daphne as a character, but she grew on me and by the end I loved her!!

There was a lot more to love, but those are the highlights.

WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE
Some parts were a bit predictable. I wasn't super impressed with some of the things Jackson did and said, he seemed like many male characters in books I've read before.

Most of the characters were pretty black and white. The 'good' characters were very good, probably wearing halo's but the bad characters were pretty irredeemable. I've prefer characters with a little more grey.

The end tied things up a little to nearly. I do like a clear, defined ending, but this was just a little too perfect and convenient. Don't get me wrong, I was happy it ended that way but it was just too neat of a bow on the package.

OVERALL
Addictively readable thriller which was more than I expected.
****SPOILERS AHEAD****

I can honestly say I didn't like The Last Mrs. Parrish, not one bit. I'm disappointed. It was on Reese's Book Club, and had raving reviews. But, I honestly can't say it had many redeeming qualities. My review can't be done without some spoilers. Please do NOT read this if you do not want to know what the twist of this book is.

I liked the idea of Amber; I thought she was cunning, manipulative, and deliciously evil. That is, until she called guacamole "green goo" and said she hated avocados. I mean, what kind of person...anyway. The thing that bothered me is that the author's didn't let Amber be all the way evil. She would do something horrible, unforgivable, and then admit she felt a "little guilty", and justify her behavior. In my opinion, if you're going to make a evil character, especially if you are taking the readers along by that character's perspective, really go for it.

Then, the "twist" was awfully predictable. Maybe because I had just read The Wife Between Us, which had a similar story line, but was executed much better, in my opinion. The tagline of The Last Mrs. Parrish is "Some women get everything. Some women get everything they deserve." Amber was a horrible person, yes. But, Daphne ended up taking the cake in my opinion. Amber went after her husband, lied about who she was, tricked her, deceived her. But, Daphne found out, and tricked Amber right back into seducing her abusive husband away from her. Please, explain to me how a woman could ever deserve a life filled with domestic abuse? I don't care how evil Amber is, she did not deserve to be married to a man as horrible as Jackson. To have the entire tagline of your book rely on the fact that a women deserves to be emotionally and physically abused the rest of her life just doesn't sit well with me. Women are supposed to lift each other up and stick together. Amber broke that, yes, but Daphne destroyed it as well.

I rated it more than one star because the writing was really good. I find it absolutely amazing that Liv Constantine is the pen name for two sisters that don't even live in the same state! How they managed to write a seamless book is beyond me!

Read more of my reviews at Amy Reads It, amypauline.com
Let's hear it for escapism! Not everything I read and enjoy has to be "literature", sometimes I need to follow a long literary tome with something frivolous and deliciously fun. "The Last Mrs. Parrish", by two sisters who write under the name, Liv Constantine, is exactly the transition novel I needed this week (it will make an excellent travel/holiday novel and eventually a film)!

"The Last Mrs. Parrish", is what I like to call "Wealth Porn". Part of its appeal derives from the meticulously detailed descriptions of the lives and luxuries of the Very Very Wealthy private jets, opulent homes, designer clothes/shoes/handbags/lingerie, jewelry, et. Now, this might not appeal to every reader, but I'm happy with my Never-in-Business-Class lot in life, so I'm not crushed with envy, instead it's fun to imagine how the other 1% lives while eating my home-made lunch at my desk. Throw in a suspenseful and just-complicated-enough plot, plus a dash of twists, and I'm having a grand ole time.

Amber Patterson is a completely amoral young woman who has designed a detailed and diabolical plan to acquire wealthy entrepreneur, Jackson Parrish, via a fake-friendship with his wife, Daphne. You don't really need to know more than that! Who need Major Themes, Symbolism, and Life Lessons? Is the villain TOO villainous? Yep. Will you anticipate some of the twists? Sure! So what?! Just jump in and enjoy!