The Exes: A GMA Book Club Pick
A Novel
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3.7 • 25 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
Who hasn’t wanted to murder an ex—figuratively, at least? In this explosive debut thriller, a woman’s seemingly perfect romantic life is on the verge of collapse as she uncovers a hidden history surfacing dark secrets that have deadly consequences.
Natalie has only ever wanted to find “the one.” The perfect man, the happy family she never had. But each time she thinks she is finally getting somewhere, she’s bitterly disappointed. Another red line through a list of exes. And that was before the night of the Big Fallout that left her even more alone.
Then along comes James—wonderful, handsome James—and Natalie thinks her luck has finally turned. Maybe he’s the one for her. Maybe he’s the one she’s been waiting for all along. Maybe he won’t wind up dead.
But the harder Natalie tries to be a “normal” wife, the more world-upending truths are brought to her door, leaving her unsure of who she really is, and much less what she’ll do . . . leaving her to question whether there is a monster within her or whether there is a villain toying with her from the outside.
What’s the secret story behind Natalie’s dead exes? Will she and James survive their marriage? And do either of them deserve to?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Slick and psychologically charged, this tale turns modern romance into a nerve-tight mystery about memory and trust. For years, Natalie has been searching for the right partner and the steady life she never had. When she meets James, she dares to believe security is finally within reach…until old relationships begin casting new shadows. As a hidden history surfaces, Natalie is forced to question what happened to the men in her past and what her marriage is built on. Balancing twisty plotting with sharp emotional logic, author Leodora Darlington lands every reveal with surprise and consequence. She moves briskly across timelines and clues without losing sight of her characters, digging into Natalie’s internal life so that every twist feels well-earned. All the while, observations about power, intimacy, and self-protection keep the suspense grounded in human stakes. Smart, fast, and unsettling in just the right ways, The Exes delivers a pageturner that lingers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Darlington's nail-biting debut, a woman faces the ghosts of her past relationships as her seemingly happy marriage fractures. Natalie believes that her recent union to brewery owner James is a significant improvement over failed romances with exes Marc, Luca, and George. But when James loans the money that Natalie had been saving for IVF to his brother, Will, she's furious. Then James tells her that Will blackmailed him, threatening to leak evidence that Natalie murdered Marc, Luca, and George. Withholding details about Natalie's precise involvement with each of those men's deaths, Darlington describes therapy sessions in which Natalie discusses the deaths and wrestles with an anger problem she hopes to keep at bay. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal the abuses Natalie suffered at the hands of each of her exes. In the present, Natalie gradually comes to suspect that James is hiding major secrets of his own. Darlington keeps the pace fleet and the twists flying as she perceptively explores the contradictory power dynamics of contemporary heterosexual romance. It's a promising first outing.
