Book Review - He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan

 

He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan is about a woman who suspects her beloved husband is cheating on her. Liz Bennett knows that she is lucky to snag her husband, Arno. When they first met, Arno was wealthy, charismatic and attractive. He is a supportive husband to her and a devoted father to their daughter, Emma. He is an all-star employee and everyone loves him at the top banking firm he works at in Boston. He has a promising career and he is in line for a promotion.

In Liz’s mind, Arno is the perfect example of a great husband and he’s one of the reasons why she feels that she has the perfect life. Liz’s life comes crashing down when she sees a text on Arno’s phone with a kissy face emoji. Liz becomes anxious and her wildest imagination takes over. She is worried that her best days of her marriage are over and that her husband is cheating on her.

Liz’s anxiety and worries consume her thoughts and are affecting her sleep. She spends every waking moment thinking about the text and trying to decipher Arno’s behavior. Liz is trying to see if she can catch Arno in a lie. 

Liz tries to track down the mysterious woman that sent the text. Liz’s obsession with the text message has started taking over Liz’s life and infected all aspects of her sanity and mental wellbeing. She believes in her intuition and that she must find out the truth even if it means ending her “perfect” marriage.

 

The book was a thrilling roller coaster ride of answering the question of: is he cheating or not? As the story progresses, we see Liz unravel from a relatively sane person to someone who is consumed by anxiety, distress, and suspicion over her relationship with her husband. The reader is taken on a journey as we try to decide if Liz's instincts are incorrect or is there more to the text message that Arno received.

 

Liz was an interesting character. She was a flawed and relatable person. It was suspenseful reading about her inner turmoil. However, I wish there was more background information to her character and whether or not this is the life she really wanted. Liz went from a woman who was happy with her current life and then she became unbalanced and nothing brought her joy. At times, the story did get repetitive and didn’t progress much. I didn’t like that it ended abruptly and the reader was left to draw their own conclusion. I wish we could have known about the aftermath of what happened after Liz makes her discovery.