Book ~ "The New Husband" (2020) D.J. Palmer

From Goodreads ~ What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?

- He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
- Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
- He anticipates her every need.
- He would never betray her like her first husband.

The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes.

The question is, why?

Nina Garrity learned the hard way that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But with Glen gone - presumably drowned while fishing on his boat - she couldn't confront him about the affair or find closure to the life he blew apart.

Now, a year and a half later, Nina has found love again and hopes she can put her shattered world back together. Simon, a widower still grieving the death of  his wife, thinks he has found his dream girl in Nina and his charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina's teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, while her friends see a different side to him and they aren't afraid to use the word obsession.

Nina works hard to bridge the divide that’s come between her daughter and Simon. She wants so badly to believe her life is finally getting back on track but she’ll soon discover that the greatest danger to herself and her children are the lies people tell themselves.

Nina’s husband, Glen, vanished two years ago without a trace. His boat turned up with some blood but no body. The police investigated but can't find out what happened to Glen ... did he drown or did he take off, leaving his family behind? Nina discovers Glen was cheating on her and left the family not very well off financially. 

A year and a half later, Nina has moved in with Simon,  a widower and a teacher at her daughter, Maggie's school. Connor, her teenage son, likes him but Maggie is waiting for her father to come back so doesn't accept Simon and thinks he is up to something. This causes friction within the family. Nina's friends think she has moved on too quickly but she disagrees and this puts distance between them. After all that Glen put her through, Simon seems perfect and wants to take care of her and her children.

This story was written in third person perspective from Nina's point of view and first person perspective in Maggie's voice. I was digging the story at first. Was Simon really scheming or not? Did Glen really abandon his family? Then everything started to be revealed and I found it unbelievable, which was disappointing. Nina was always taking Simon's side when Maggie made a fuss. She is a social worker and you'd think her first concern would have been (should have been!) her children, regardless of whether Simon was innocent or not. The ending was ridiculous.