The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

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The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. I have been making it a point to try and read more new to me authors this year, and try to branch out from my usual reading. Which meant that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a new author and see if I enjoyed it.

This is the first I’ve heard of author Stephanie DeCarolis and her writing, so I’m definitely going into The Wives of Hawthorne Lane blind. But that can be part of the fun. It is an adventure. She could become a favorite author of mine. Who knows?

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Being introduced to new authors can be something of a scavenger hunt, or similar to thrift store shopping. You never really know when you’ll find that diamond you weren’t expecting. Do you enjoy reading new authors, or do you generally stick to your favorites?

Have you read The Wives of Hawthorne Lane? Come on in and let me tell you about it!

About The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

In this twisty tale of domestic suspense, four neighbors become the prime suspects in a murder investigation that reveals the sinister underside of their picture-perfect community—from the bestselling author of The Guilty Husband.

Hawthorne Lane is the perfect place to live. Its tree-lined street and stately homes are the envy of the town. Every Halloween the residents of Hawthorne Lane come together to host their famous Fall Festival. But this year, someone won’t survive the night.

As a murder investigation ensues, it quickly becomes clear there’s more going on behind closed doors on Hawthorne Lane than meets the eye. And four women, each with secrets worth killing for, find themselves at the center of it all.

There’s Georgina, the perfectionist and reigning Queen Bee, who pays a high price for her elevated status. There’s Audrey, the bold and beautiful neighbor with the high-flying corporate career, but whose marriage is on the rocks. There’s Libby, the working mother who is struggling to come to terms with her recent divorce while parenting her teenage son. And finally, Hannah—the newcomer with a mysterious past that’s returning with a vengeance.

As the clock ticks down to Halloween, their lives will cross in the most unexpected ways. And soon only one question remains: Who will pay the ultimate price for the lies they all tried so hard to bury?

Thoughts on The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

Four women with very different lives are suddenly suspects in a murder? These women all live in an upscale cookie-cutter neighborhood where they barely even lock the doors. How? What secrets are they all hiding? Are these secrets actually worth killing for? I had to know! That is what drove me to start reading The Wives of Hawthorne Lane.

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane reminded me of Rock, Paper, Scissors from Alice Feeney, in that it was a slow and methodical burn all the way through, until the end smacked me in the face with brilliance, and everything was explained.

It also reminded me of The Last Time I Lied from Riley Sager, in that I had no clue what was going on through the novel, or who was guilty of what. Just that something had happened, and I wanted to find out the answers, which is what kept me reading.

The pace of the book was perfect, the chapters short but impactful. The character development was perfect. It really was a slow burn, but I loved that fact. I’ve been reading dark romance lately, and this was the perfect break for me from that, to go back to a thriller.

I love how each chapter focused on one specific woman, and gave just enough away to make me want to keep reading. Stephanie DeCarolis did an outstanding job in the way she paced The Wives of Hawthorne Lane. Sometimes an author will go over the exact same situations in multiple chapters, just from another point of view, and it can become tedious. Like the book is going nowhere, and stuck. This wasn’t the case here, and I appreciate that so much, and how I constantly wanted to keep reading.

At the fifty percent mark, I was pretty well hooked and knew it was going to be a novel I was invested in. At the eighty percent mark, I was mad that I had to stop and make dinner instead of binge reading the entire ending. Being an adult is frustrating at times. But that is the mark of a good author. I wanted to finish it all at once, yet I didn’t want it to end either.

I loved the ending of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane. It was so perfect, in my opinion. It made me happy, and it felt complete to me. This is part of what makes or breaks any story for me, is the ending, and if it is good or bad. Any author can write a decent story, but it all depends on the ending. Some are better than others, and this was a great one.

Final Thoughts on The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

I am calling The Wives of Hawthorne Lane a five star read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was amazing to me. I loved seeing each of these women finally start to speak their truth, to heal, and to become the best versions of themselves. I found myself feeling proud of all of them, and wanting exactly that for every single woman in the world.

This is the first book from author Stephanie DeCarolis that I’ve read, but trust me when I say that The Wives of Hawthorne Lane will not be the last. I am always excited when an introduction to an author makes me want to go and binge read everything else that they’ve written. I am more impressed than I expected to be, and I’m glad.

Joyce Carol Oates once said, don’t be afraid to confront dark and taboo subjects when writing, and that is exactly what Stephanie DeCarolis did here through The Wives of Hawthorne Lane, when talking about domestic violence. It sparks conversations, and I hope it does with everyone who reads it. These kinds of secrets shouldn’t be able to hide and thrive in the shadows anymore. Ann Marie Ruby did it as well when she wrote Shattered Wings, talking about child brides and the staggering statistics surrounding that. Let’s bring these things to light, and stop allowing them to hide and thrive in darkness behind closed doors.

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane is a book that will stick with me long after I’ve moved on to other novels. I think Stephanie DeCarolis knocked it out of the park with a homerun here. If you haven’t read any of her novels before, this is the perfect introduction for you, and I highly recommend it.

Discussion

Have you read The Wives of Hawthorne Lane or any other writing from author Stephanie DeCarolis? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane Discussion Questions

Which, if any, of the main characters did you relate to? Why? Did any of the characters remind you of someone in your life?

How do the different neighbors view one another? What misconceptions did they hold about each other, and how did these misconceptions play a role in the progression of the story?

Following Dean’s death, in chapter 50, DeCarolis writes, “The four women look at one another, their eyes meeting in the dark, and it’s as if they’re seeing each other, really seeing each other, all the little ways in which their separate lives have become irrevocably intertwined, for the very first time.” Why do you think the women didn’t fully see each other previously? In what ways might the story have played out differently if they had?

Hannah and Georgina had more in common than it first appeared when Hannah moved to Hawthorne Lane. In what ways were their experiences the same? In what ways were they different? Do you think society would treat their situations differently? Why or why not?

How did each of the women’s childhood experiences affect them? In what ways did their pasts shape the decisions they made in the story?

Children who witness or experience violence in their homes are known to be at an elevated risk of developing long-term physical and psychological problems and may also be more likely to become victims or perpetrators of violence themselves. This is sometimes referred to as the intergenerational cycle of violence. Where did you see examples of this in the novel? In what ways did it influence the plot? How might that cycle have been broken here?

Each of the women makes the decision to participate in Georgina’s plan to frame Colin at the end of the book. What do you believe was each one’s motivation for doing so? Did you agree with their decision? Why or why not?

In chapter 51 Detective Olsen wonders “if justice and the truth must always be one and the same.” What do you think that means in the context of the story? Do you believe that truth and justice always mean the same thing? Do you think justice was served with the ending of this novel? Why or why not?

How do you feel about each of the women at the beginning of the novel? Did your view of them change as the story progressed?

What were your thoughts on where each of the main characters ended up at the conclusion of the story?

About the Author of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

Stephanie is the USA Today best-selling author of The Guilty Husband, The Perfect Sister, and Deadly Little Lies. She is a graduate of Binghamton University and St. John’s University School of Law, and she currently lives in New York with her husband, their two daughters, and their very spoiled cat.

A Note From the Author

To everyone who picked up this book, thank you. Because of you, ther reader, I get to continue doing what I love most. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This book was the most challenging I’ve written to date. I first thought of the idea a number of years ago, and after several false starts, I set it aside to work on other projects, one of which later became The Perfect Sister.

But I know there was something special about this idea, something that kept drawing me back to it, so I decided to pick it up once again and give it another try… This resulted in several more false starts and months of frantic phone calls to my endlessly patient agent, Melissa Edwards, who handled all of my near-breakdown moments with ease and encouraged me to keep going. (I appreciate you, Melissa!)

After I finally managed to pull together a complete first draft, my editor, Jenny Chen, and her assistant, Jean Slaughter, helped me refine and shape it into the book I always hoped it could be. Thank you both for your thoughtful insight, for sharing my vision, and for your enthusiasm for this story.

Thank you also to the rest of my team at Random House – Kathleen Quinlan, Vanessa Duque, and Sarah Breivogel – for all you have done and continue to do to make this book a success.

A huge thank you to all the libraries, booksellers, media supporters, and advance readers who love to talk about books, connect with authors, and spread the joy of reading. Your support means the world to me.

Thank you to my critique partners, Shelby Holt and Tanya Berzinski, for your feedback, patience, and encouragement throughout the writing process. I couldn’t have reached the finish line without you!

To my family and friends who are so wonderfully supportive, thank you for checking in on my writing progress, recommending my books, celebrating my wins, and helping me through my losses. Special thanks to my mom, Lori, who tells everyone she knows that her daughter is a writer; to my cousin Ali, who is always one of my first and most enthusiastic readers; to my husband, Giancarlo, who never complains when I talk about fictional people for hours on end; and to Lauren – this one is for you. Thank you for believing in this idea even on the days when I couldn’t.

Thank you also to my girls, Christina and Juliana, who are always so excited about my books, even though they aren’t allowed to read them until they’re adults. Christina, although a character in this book shares your name (as I promised you one someday would!), that’s where the similarities end. The character in this story was not in any way based on you (except, perhaps, for her love of reading) – your story will be your own to write.

And finally, I would like to thank my furry writing buddy, Dakota, who sadly, is no longer with us. Her snuggles and comforting presence are missed every day. Thank you for being by my side for so many wonderful years.

Another Note From the Author

Intimate-partner violence can be a difficult topic to talk or read about, so if you’ve made it this far, I thank you. As difficult a subject as it is, I felt it was an important one to write about. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women will be subjected to some form of physical violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetimes.

The reality of that statistic is staggering. This is a problem that affects all of us, a conversation we cannot shy away from. And it is one that is near to my heart.

Early in my legal career, I worked on a voluntary basis as an advocate for victims of abuse. I stood beside them in court and helped them plead their cases before a judge, seeking orders of protection, petitioning for supervised visitation of their children, and beginning custody proceedings. The women I met in this capacity came from all walks of life – different cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds – and every story I heard was different than the last. But they all had one thing in common: the strength they possessed to step forward, to try to break the cycle of abuse. Their stories inspired me to keep fighting, to keep having the difficult conversations.

I hope that’s what I’ve done here with The Wives of Hawthorne Lane. While the ending of this book is not the path forward, I hope I’ve started a discussion. I hope I’ve done their stories justice. I hope that, going forward, we, as a society, can do better.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Other resources may also be available in your area.

Purchasing The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

If you are interested in buying the paperback version of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane, click here.

Click here for the Kindle version.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

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