The Last Mrs. Parrish: A Novel

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine 4.5 /5 ⭐️

I re-read The Last Mrs. Parrish in preparation for The Next Mrs. Parrish. I first read this book back in 2018. Even the second time around, the book did not disappoint. There were plenty of twists that I had forgotten and did not see coming. The book is divided into three parts. In part one, Amber befriends Daphne and infiltrates the Parrish house and life. Part two is from Daphne’s point of view. Then in part three, the two perspectives come together. The change of narrators is crafted very well, filling in details as the mystery unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book and can’t wait to read the sequel.

Man I’m torn. Such a good, well written book but I really hated nearly every character in this book. Amber is truly awful. Selfish, entitled, manipulative. I didn’t think Jackson was a good guy by any means but I did not see part 2 and how horrible he was coming. He and Amber deserve each other. I’m glad daphne got away at the end. I was late to the party on this one but wanted to read it because I got an ARC of The Next Mrs. Parrish. I’m excited to start that one now and see where the story goes from here.

This book has been on my list since it came out in 2017. So when I received an advance copy for the The Next Mrs. Parrish, it had to read this one. Check one book off my TBR list, only 4,999 more to go.

What a fun, guilty pleasure! Told in two voices…Amber, a wannabe on the rich and famous scene and Daphne, the perfect wife, perfect life. We follow these two women and see how their lives come together. What starts as an orchestrated meeting evolves into a so-called friendship, and so much more. We are lulled into focusing on one woman’s obsession with fame and fortune and the other’s perfect husband, family, life. Be careful what you wish for! The man at the center, Daphne’s husband Jackson, is rich, smart, successful with movie star looks. But, under this perfect exterior, is the heart of a sociopath.

I did not see that coming! With Amber, I immediately took a strong dislike. She is a the picture of narcissist, a totally unlikable human. My heart is already empathizing for Daphne. A socialite with a heart of gold, although a little naive, or is she? Jackson, a character I loved/hated. The storyline was entertaining, and had me totally absorbed from the beginning. Over the top fun. I loved the character development, taking my assessment of each from one extreme to the another.

This book is full of twists and turns which makes it a perfect summer read. It sucked me in at a time when I needed an unputdownable read. As I finish this one, I’m jumping right into the sequel, The Next Mrs. Parrish.

Definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!

Amber Patterson wants the life that she thinks she deserves. She wants to be pampered and spoiled by a rich husband. To have beautiful lavish gifts bestowed upon her. To have the powerful, handsome, and rich, Jackson Parrish all to herself. Only problem, his wife Daphne is standing in her way.

She quickly devises a plan to befriend Daphne and it doesn’t take long for Amber to become her confidante. The more Amber learns, the greater her jealousy for Daphne grows, until she finds that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Things I Loved:

• This book definitely had lots of twists and turns. Towards the end I could not turn the pages fast enough and I did not want to put it down!
• The short chapters had me wanting more and more.
• The two different points of view! I loved hearing both sides recounting what was going on.
• The characters had so much depth. My favorites were of course the girls, Tallulah and Bella, Daphne, and the co-worker, Jenna.

Things I Didn’t love:

• I would have appreciated a trigger warning list. The fat-shaming, constant SA, DV, and substantial Emotional abuse caught me a little off guard at first.

Overall, it was a very captivating psychological thriller!

I did not enjoy the first part of the book as much as the second and third parts hence I gave the book four stars. However the second part was more like a thriller. I had a difficult time setting it aside even though there were some repetitions. The Last Mrs. Parrish is not the kind of book I would normally read but the reviews made me think I should read such a popular book. It is a kind of "revenge" story. It is basically, you made your bed now lie in it story. The three major characters are carefully chiseled out but are somewhat larger than life. This is a woman's story and a woman's book although men could learn a lot if they were to read it.

Pros:

• There is a good twist I did not anticipate
• The protagonist is likeable and the antagonists are hate-able. I wasn’t questioning my allegiances or finding it hard to like or dislike them
• It’s fun reading about the lives of the 99%

Cons:

• The writing feels disjointed at times (I later learned that Liv Constantine is the pen name for two sister authors and I’m wondering if that’s why)
• However, even though it felt disjointed or like different voices were writing, the first half of the book follows an identical pattern each chapter…you enter on a seemingly innocent scene, something secretly nefarious happens, the protagonist seems none the wiser, and the antagonist vows to herself that she will be XYZ one day
• The story was graphic at times, discussing SA, DV, emotional abuse + manipulation. You don’t realize until you do and while it’s not the most graphic of depictions, a trigger warning or heads up could be nice. None of us were expecting it and a little shocked.