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susanthebookbag's review against another edition
5.0
I have been a fan of Randy Susan Meyers ever since I read her debut novel, The Murderer's Daughters. She takes on social issues and makes them come to life with the stories she writes and the characters she creates.
The Widow of Wall Street is a deep love story, a love between two fifteen years olds who know they are meant to be together. Jake's ambition to not end up like his parents and to offer his wife and children so much more than he had, leads him astray as he finds himself working outside the law.
Phoebe stands by her man and trusts that he is an honest, law-abiding, and gentle man. As she learns more and more about this man she has known almost her whole life, she learns more about herself and discovers the strong woman that she has always been.
The Widow of Wall Street is another great story from a wonderful author. I really have loved all of her previous books and this is another one I can add to that list. Thanks for another great read, Randy!
The Widow of Wall Street is a deep love story, a love between two fifteen years olds who know they are meant to be together. Jake's ambition to not end up like his parents and to offer his wife and children so much more than he had, leads him astray as he finds himself working outside the law.
Phoebe stands by her man and trusts that he is an honest, law-abiding, and gentle man. As she learns more and more about this man she has known almost her whole life, she learns more about herself and discovers the strong woman that she has always been.
The Widow of Wall Street is another great story from a wonderful author. I really have loved all of her previous books and this is another one I can add to that list. Thanks for another great read, Randy!
heyitsyii's review against another edition
4.0
The Widow of Wall Street is a fictional retelling of the Bernie Madoff mess from his wife's point of view, starting from when she (Phoebe) first met Jake (Bernie) through around 2010. I'm not a fan of Wall Street and stocks, so I'm not an expert on his Ponzi scheme crap. However, reading this prompted me to do quite a bit of research into it all, and it made me realize how closely this novel mirrors what actually happened. Behind the scenes, in the home, who knows, but Jake's "business" model and how he ran his business? Nearly identical.
It was a sad read, because it was in mostly Phoebe's POV... who had no idea what was going on in her husband's life - his business, his extramarital dalliances, etc. But Jake gets what's coming to him - thanks, karma!
A sad story about a woman who hitched her ship to the crummiest of crummy. But, she eventually deals and heals, in a way.
I'm making this sound like the whole book is about the aftermath. It's not. It's segmented into four or five parts, in chronological order. So, it's a fairly comprehensive narrative of their life together.
This is a very haphazard review, but long story short, I enjoyed it.
*thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc!!
It was a sad read, because it was in mostly Phoebe's POV... who had no idea what was going on in her husband's life - his business, his extramarital dalliances, etc. But Jake gets what's coming to him - thanks, karma!
A sad story about a woman who hitched her ship to the crummiest of crummy. But, she eventually deals and heals, in a way.
I'm making this sound like the whole book is about the aftermath. It's not. It's segmented into four or five parts, in chronological order. So, it's a fairly comprehensive narrative of their life together.
This is a very haphazard review, but long story short, I enjoyed it.
*thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc!!
_askthebookbug's review
4.0
The widow of wall street :) .
.
“Make sure you choose work that makes you happy”- Randy Susan Meyers. .
.
Let’s talk about money. How much is really enough? Would you be happy with your average paycheque? If you’re not, would you try to think of something illegal to make millions? Many do, until they get caught. .
.
This is the story of a criminal who endangers his entire family because of his greed for money. Jake, handsome and every girl’s dream marries his perfect girlfriend Phoebe, already envisioning her to be his trophy wife when he starts making money. He dives into business and builds an empire preferring only the best things for his family. Phoebe, clueless about his affairs and illegal business worships him every minute. Jake gradually gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme and loses everyone’s money. He then goes under an investigation and eventually lands in prison. Will Phoebe stick around till the end with her husband whom she has loved all her life? Or will she cut him loose? This book was a gripping read and also emotionally draining. It talks about relationships between siblings, children and spouse. .
.
This was my first read by @randysusanmeyersauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It talks about real life problems like greed and illegal systems. A big thank you to the author and publisher for sending me this Kindle version so that I could enjoy and review the book. I’d rate it 4/5. #bookchallenge #56 #bangalorebookblogger #bookreview #wordporn #booknerd #randysusanmeyers #bibliophile
.
“Make sure you choose work that makes you happy”- Randy Susan Meyers. .
.
Let’s talk about money. How much is really enough? Would you be happy with your average paycheque? If you’re not, would you try to think of something illegal to make millions? Many do, until they get caught. .
.
This is the story of a criminal who endangers his entire family because of his greed for money. Jake, handsome and every girl’s dream marries his perfect girlfriend Phoebe, already envisioning her to be his trophy wife when he starts making money. He dives into business and builds an empire preferring only the best things for his family. Phoebe, clueless about his affairs and illegal business worships him every minute. Jake gradually gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme and loses everyone’s money. He then goes under an investigation and eventually lands in prison. Will Phoebe stick around till the end with her husband whom she has loved all her life? Or will she cut him loose? This book was a gripping read and also emotionally draining. It talks about relationships between siblings, children and spouse. .
.
This was my first read by @randysusanmeyersauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It talks about real life problems like greed and illegal systems. A big thank you to the author and publisher for sending me this Kindle version so that I could enjoy and review the book. I’d rate it 4/5. #bookchallenge #56 #bangalorebookblogger #bookreview #wordporn #booknerd #randysusanmeyers #bibliophile
exorcismofemilyreed's review against another edition
4.0
"When was enough enough? He didn't only want to consume, he needed to swallow the world whole."
I wasn't sure how I was going to end up feeling about The Widow of Wall Street - for some reason I thought it was going to be a mystery (nobody led me to think this & it was not marketed as this; it's just what I thought). It is definitely not a mystery. It's mainly a family drama with betrayal & secrets. I'm not always into those stories, but I enjoyed this one.
This book is a slow burn. It took me a bit to get into it, but I was totally hooked once it happened. There isn't a ton of action in the first half of the book, but all the build-up ends up weaving together, and I found the pay-off to be worth it.
Parts of the book were hard to read because the relationship between Phoebe & Jake is so damn toxic. Nothing really bad happens, but it was just stressful because money can blind someone to who their partner really is. Jake's dialogue is also really cheesy sometimes, and I rolled my eyes quite a few times. I think that was the point, though.
Sometimes I was irritated by how much attention Jake got in the book - he's an awful person, and it was a struggle to read his chapters sometimes. If I have to spend that much time with a villain, I want it to be someone I love to hate. I just hate Jake with no love. Most of the characters in the book were unlikeable, and I felt way more sympathy for the kids than for Phoebe.
I was worried about the financial stuff being too far over my head, but Randy Susan Meyers writes in an understandable way that isn't talking down to the reader, and I was grateful for that.
This is a fairly sad story, especially once you get invested in the family by the end of the book. I feel like everything wrapped up well, and I enjoyed the book as a whole. Thank you so much to GetRedPR & the author for sending me a copy to review!
I wasn't sure how I was going to end up feeling about The Widow of Wall Street - for some reason I thought it was going to be a mystery (nobody led me to think this & it was not marketed as this; it's just what I thought). It is definitely not a mystery. It's mainly a family drama with betrayal & secrets. I'm not always into those stories, but I enjoyed this one.
This book is a slow burn. It took me a bit to get into it, but I was totally hooked once it happened. There isn't a ton of action in the first half of the book, but all the build-up ends up weaving together, and I found the pay-off to be worth it.
Parts of the book were hard to read because the relationship between Phoebe & Jake is so damn toxic. Nothing really bad happens, but it was just stressful because money can blind someone to who their partner really is. Jake's dialogue is also really cheesy sometimes, and I rolled my eyes quite a few times. I think that was the point, though.
Sometimes I was irritated by how much attention Jake got in the book - he's an awful person, and it was a struggle to read his chapters sometimes. If I have to spend that much time with a villain, I want it to be someone I love to hate. I just hate Jake with no love. Most of the characters in the book were unlikeable, and I felt way more sympathy for the kids than for Phoebe.
I was worried about the financial stuff being too far over my head, but Randy Susan Meyers writes in an understandable way that isn't talking down to the reader, and I was grateful for that.
This is a fairly sad story, especially once you get invested in the family by the end of the book. I feel like everything wrapped up well, and I enjoyed the book as a whole. Thank you so much to GetRedPR & the author for sending me a copy to review!
jill_rey's review against another edition
4.0
The Wolf of Wall Street from the wife’s perspective is the purest way to describe this book. Author Randy Susan Meyers, does such an incredible job framing wife, Phoebe, from young childhood love as she falls for Jake Pierce, to the growth of his deceit and ultimate slide from glory.
This book caused me pause as I stopped to think of all that suffered during the heart of the stock market crash in 2008. But, the feelings of empathy and remorse I had for Phoebe, the wife of one of the very men running a Ponzi scheme, were confusing and uncomfortable. The breadth of those affected and the wide-reaching population fooled by Jake Pierce is artfully captured within The Widow of Wall Street. I found this book extremely interesting and especially attractive to myself, a woman in finance. The intricacies of Jake’s corruption are understandably laid out without losing the reader in confusion, while the design of the sale is deviously transmitted to each unsuspecting soul as they are ultimately left with nothing.
For the full review, visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/
*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book caused me pause as I stopped to think of all that suffered during the heart of the stock market crash in 2008. But, the feelings of empathy and remorse I had for Phoebe, the wife of one of the very men running a Ponzi scheme, were confusing and uncomfortable. The breadth of those affected and the wide-reaching population fooled by Jake Pierce is artfully captured within The Widow of Wall Street. I found this book extremely interesting and especially attractive to myself, a woman in finance. The intricacies of Jake’s corruption are understandably laid out without losing the reader in confusion, while the design of the sale is deviously transmitted to each unsuspecting soul as they are ultimately left with nothing.
For the full review, visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/
*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
blackbookishbabe89's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"The Widow of Wall Street" is the story of Phoebe, a woman married to one of the major players on Wall Street. She and Jake grew up together and she knew him well before the trappings of wealth surrounded them. Now Jake is in jail for defrauding many of his and Phoebe's friends, family, and others that they do not know of their savings in a Ponzi scheme that will shake their whole world down. Their marriage starts with a lie but eventually they carve out a fairly happy existence, at least one that feels fairly happy to Phoebe. She never questions the wealth and reaps the benefits of it. This book explores if she was really complicit, ignorant, or truly unknowing.
In this ripped-from-the-headlines story, we really get to know Phoebe. She was such a well-written character. She is very three dimensional character. She definitely isn't perfect. Although she came from humble beginnings, she shows us how easy it is to get used to luxury and to think nothing of dropping a few grand on a pair of shoes. She doesn't even realize that she's doing it and while it rubbed me the wrong way, you can easily see how that could happen.
Watching the news in the past couple years, I know that I have wondered a lot about the people who commit these grave financial crimes and their family. Specifically with regard to the family: could they really not see what their family member was doing. How did they feel about the crime? Would they stand by their family member? This book explores all of these topics and more. The author does a good job of making all of the complicated thoughts and feelings that someone in that situation would go through. This book really allows you to step into the shoes of someone whose life you could only ponder about.
This is a good book and made me feel ways that I did not think this subject matter would make me feel. I love when authors are able to take things that you wonder about and turn in on its head. This book does that and it does it well!
In this ripped-from-the-headlines story, we really get to know Phoebe. She was such a well-written character. She is very three dimensional character. She definitely isn't perfect. Although she came from humble beginnings, she shows us how easy it is to get used to luxury and to think nothing of dropping a few grand on a pair of shoes. She doesn't even realize that she's doing it and while it rubbed me the wrong way, you can easily see how that could happen.
Watching the news in the past couple years, I know that I have wondered a lot about the people who commit these grave financial crimes and their family. Specifically with regard to the family: could they really not see what their family member was doing. How did they feel about the crime? Would they stand by their family member? This book explores all of these topics and more. The author does a good job of making all of the complicated thoughts and feelings that someone in that situation would go through. This book really allows you to step into the shoes of someone whose life you could only ponder about.
This is a good book and made me feel ways that I did not think this subject matter would make me feel. I love when authors are able to take things that you wonder about and turn in on its head. This book does that and it does it well!
crystallyn's review
5.0
Who ARE those people? I have often thought when reading about Wall Street scandals. How do people become so mired down in the world of money that their morals go out the window? Did their wives know? Their friends, their kids? Randy Susan Meyers dives deep into the heart of this world bringing us along through the eyes of Phoebe, a woman blind (or who often turned a blind eye) to the extent of her husband's financial corruption. I've loved all of Meyers' books and Widow of Wall Street is no exception. I Could. Not. Put. It. Down.
cansail's review
4.0
One of the best first lines ever, and a constant dripping build-up of tension and small steps.