Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This was published in 2021? Really? We're not past this nonsense yet? Sigh. Here's the short, spoiler free version of this review: The Next Wife has decent writing competency for the genre (this isn't an insult, by the way), acceptable plot... and really insulting stereo types. Now, abandon all hope of avoiding spoilers, ye who continue reading... Stereotype problem #1: The Women Apparently, women are the worst. They are conniving witches with a "b" who conspire to trap and/or murder poor, innocent, wildly wealthy men who are just trying to have their entitled midlife crisis in peace. I understand that suspense stories, by their very nature, feature bad people and unlikeable characters. That's a feature, not a bug. But the cliched pitting of all female characters against each other is tiresome. They don't all need to compete over the same rich man. It's dull. He is not that special. He's just some boring rich dude. Stereotype #2 (LOOK AWAY THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE): Abuse Victims Become Sociopathic Murderers This one really makes me want to smash something. Authors, do NOT do this. Do NOT make childhood abuse victims who defend themselves from their abusers into people who, later in life, basically commit murder just for fun and cash. This is lazy and insulting to abuse victims. You're creative; you can do better. Stereotype #3: The Poors Are Out to Kill You My lord, can everyone stop using this? Every non-rich person in this book is a conniving, lying, untrustworthy, and murderous piece of garbage. AND they're probably southern! Yikes! Sure, some of the Richie Rich types are murder-y, too, but at least they have taste and style and aren't disgustingly yucky and poor. Conclusion: I love suspense novels. I love unlikeable, bad-people characters. But I'm heartily sick of these lazy characterizations of women and poor people and abuse victims. Do better, authors and publishers. It's 2021.