The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Liv Constantine is comprised of two sisters who write together: Lynne and Valerie Constantine, who published their first novel together, The Last Mrs. Parrish, back in 2017. It was chosen as Reese's Book Clubs pick for December of 2017 and became a national bestseller. They've recently released a sequel, The Next Mrs. Parrish, which came out in June of 2024. We have some difficult topics in this including body shaming and bullying, chronic illness, domestic abuse, misogyny, gun violence, emotional abuse, rape and sexual assault, fatphobia, misogyny and sexism, forced institutionalization, abortion, gaslighting, classism, a toxic relationship and a toxic friendship, and pregnancy.

Amber Patterson wants it all, just like Daphne Parrish seems to have. Beautiful, charming, successful in her own right and married to one of the richest men in the country, who happens to be incredibly handsome and devoted to her and their two lovely daughters. Amber weasels her way into Daphne's good graces and becomes her friend, almost like a sister, with the express intention of taking Daphne's life as her own. Why shouldn't Amber have everything that Daphne does? And she's willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

I've never read a novel by Liv Constantine and I have been looking forward to this one. I find that Reese's Book Club's picks have a good chance of catching my attention while some of the later picks fall flat, and this book is always checked out at my library. Imagine my disappointment when it started so slow, and a bit confusing. Don't get me wrong, Amber is incredibly unlikeable, the authors did a great job with that. But it wasn't until a third of the way through that I felt anything other than disbelief and annoyance that Daphne could be so naive. I did catch the twist rather quickly, I'm not sure how early others saw it coming, and I enjoyed the second half of the novel much more than the first, but overall I thought this book was underwhelming and slow.

I'm giving The First Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine a 3.5 out of 5. The second half was decent but I can't get over the monotony of the first half. I won't be reading the sequel, The Next Mrs. Parrish, partly because I did really like the ending and partly because I don't want to put myself through the struggle.

For more from Liv Constantine, check out their website at https://livconstantine.com/

Pairs well with cherries jubilee and a stay at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, or just a read through of the closest Eloise book.