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A Beautiful, Terrible Thing
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal | Jen Waite
What do you do when you discover that the person you've built your life around never existed? When "it could never happen to me" does happen to you? These are the questions facing Jen Waite when she begins to realize that her loving husbandthe father of her infant daughter, her best friend, the love of her lifefits the textbook definition of psychopath. In a raw, first-person account, Waite recounts each heartbreaking discovery, every life-destroying lie, and reveals what happens once the dust finally settles on her demolished marriage. After a disturbing email sparks Waite's suspicion that her husband is having an affair, she tries to uncover the truth and rebuild trust in her marriage. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment from the last five years that isn't part of the long-con of lies and manipulation. With a dual-timeline narrative structure, we see Waite's romance bud, bloom, and wither simultaneously, making the heartbreak and disbelief even more affecting.
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azulaco
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Pickpick

Overall good, but not quite the shocking story I was anticipating. Three and a half stars. #52bookclub2023

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Kris10H
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️
If you've ever been heartbroken, and found that the person you had loved was never truly who you thought they were, this book will make you cry from the memories and the empathy you have for Waite.

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Megabooks
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Mehso-so

This book was more terrible than beautiful to this unmarried reader.

Jen‘s husband is definitely a bad guy and probably a sociopath and caused me to ask my dad how cynical I am about relationships because none of Jen‘s husband‘s moves surprised me. Perhaps I do think the worst. 🤔 (Note: he said I‘m somewhat cynical.)

Overall, not a compelling or enthralling memoir but not the worst either. 😑

#YearOfMemoirs #audiobook #ChirpDeals

Megabooks Forgot to tag you @Cinfhen sorry!! 💕💕 3y
Cinfhen Hahaha!! I love that your dad gave you his most truthful response 😆I read this years ago and I remember NOT LIKING IT or the couple!!! I found myself having very little empathy for the author 3y
Librariana I like that even though it wasn't a terrific read, it still prompted a conversation with your dad 😊 3y
See All 8 Comments
Megabooks @Cinfhen very unlikable!! Just didn‘t evoke a lot of sympathy. Odd book. And yes, gotta love dad! 3y
Megabooks @Librariana yes, it was interesting to hear what he thinks! 3y
TheLudicReader Interesting. I actually really related to this book and saw a lot of my own experiences in it, but this is why books and reading are so much fun. Everyone has a different experience when they read. 😁 3y
Megabooks @TheLudicReader well, that‘s one reason that I said I‘m unmarried. I think there are things about being married/in a committed LTR that I don‘t get as an aromantic person. That being said, I‘ve read other books of this ilk, and this was not my favorite among them. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I‘m glad you enjoyed it! 3y
TheLudicReader I wish there was a function on Litsy that allowed you to like a comment, @Megabooks …then I could have just done that to acknowledge your response and say “yep, I get it”. 😍 3y
76 likes8 comments
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ClairesReads
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Mehso-so

Well that was outrageously dramatic. If you‘re out here looking for a book that seriously explores sociopathic or psychopathic behaviours, this probably isn‘t for you. It‘s a bit unfortunate really that‘s presents itself that way. What it does offer us all, is an INCREDIBLY drama-filled story of adultery. There are high emotions and a lot of scandal and outrage. Although it wasn‘t what I expected it was pretty compelling commute listening for me.

27 likes1 stack add
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DarkMina
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Mehso-so

36 of 2021. It was okay. ⭐️⭐️

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Kappadeemom
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Jen Waite marries her “soul mate” and they have an amazing marriage until she gets pregnant. The “true” side of her husband begins to come out. A non-fiction case of emotional abuse that is hard to read but fascinating.

37 likes1 stack add
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Lauri-B-Reading
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Within the pages of this beauty there is an ugly truth.
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I googled psychopath before Settling into Jen Waites true story. Fact -they can hide in plain sight.
Jen Waite's memoir is heartbreaking. The kind that shatters you into tiny pieces and slowly pulls you back together with indestructible fortitude , forever changed for the better.

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samjmitchell
Pickpick

This book is. So. Addictive. It‘s like a bad car accident and you can‘t turn away. Jen thinks she‘s found the love of her life with Marco - only to discover he‘s been leading another life on the side. So chilling. Some of her grief made me cry with her. I gave it four stars because I wanted more - and at some points I wanted her to just check his email already. Definitely a quick must read. 4/5.

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Mirandareads
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Mehso-so

This was just ok. It held my attention enough so that it was a quick read, but it wasn‘t as shocking as you‘re led to believe in the beginning.

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Amaryie
Panpan

This could have been something, but it turned out to be nothing.

Visit confessionsofareadinggeek.blogspot.com to check out the full review

Or on Goodreads

Read my 2-star review of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2459576688

13 likes1 stack add
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Wife
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Pickpick

If I ever get irritated with the Husband, all I need to do is remember Jen‘s story, and I will be reminded how lucky I am. She describes the progression of her relationship with her husband who exhibited sociopathic behaviors and the emotional trauma she endured. Also, she educates the reader about sociopaths (BTW they are everywhere and you probably know one or more). She was fortunate to have emotionally and financially supportive parents. 4/5🦋

Smartypants @Wife I am just getting out of a relationship with one. Not only is the relationship difficult, the recovery has been almost worse. Thanks for sharing and indeed, you are lucky. 6y
Wife @Smartypants Thank goodness that you know what you are dealing with and are making a break. It likely won‘t be easy, stay strong. 🌹 6y
Smartypants @Wife thank you for your kind words. I‘m currently listening to this book now. ❤️ 6y
Wife @smartypants I will be interested in hearing what you think about the book when you‘ve finished 🌹 6y
63 likes6 stack adds4 comments
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S3V3N
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Mehso-so

I read this book in two sittings. I was soooo mad at her for staying with her husband for so long, but I had to check myself because I wasn't in her shoes. This book wasn't groundbreaking. Most of us have been in a relationship that we should have walked away from for one reason or another. The situation in this case wasn't extreme. I don't understand the hype behind the book either because I was ready to bail after the first 50 pages.

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Reviewsbylola
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Pickpick

If you‘ve had a baby, you know what a mess your life is like those first few weeks. Now imagine you find out that your husband is having an affair. Jen Waite thought her marriage to “Marco” was the stuff dreams are made of. She was blown away to discover he had been leading a double life. Forced to start over and grieve her marriage while caring for a newborn is agonizing, but hers is also a story of redemption.

L_auren Wasn‘t this a juicy train wreck? Loved it 6y
emilyhaldi Khloe Kardashian could write a pertinent intro to this one (edited) 6y
Reviewsbylola It definitely was. I have a friend in a similar situation right now so I was glad I read it so I could recommend it to her! @L_auren 6y
Cinfhen Sounds so sad 6y
110 likes5 stack adds5 comments
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lisakoby
Mehso-so

Interesting structure but this didn‘t grab me the way I hoped. #memoir

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DanaManiac
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Mehso-so

I liked the format of the book- weaving together details from ‘before‘ and ‘after‘. Jen is very fortunate to have had such a supportive family in the aftermath of what happened...not everyone has the luxury of being able to take the time to fall apart after being devastated.

RaimeyGallant Nice review. :) And welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it. 7y
DanaManiac @RaimeyGallant Thanks! I‘ll definitely check it out! 😊 7y
RaimeyGallant Hope you find it helpful. :) 7y
4 likes3 comments
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Alpha
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Surprised that I like it so far

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Moonpa
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#TwoFaceTuesday
#SpookyOctober
A memoir of a marriage gone wrong and a wife's realization that her husband is the textbook definition of a psychopath.

30 likes1 stack add
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Megan_Roberts
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Mehso-so

Did anyone else notice how many times the author said the word "room?" Maybe I'm the only one because I listened to this book, but I could have made a drinking game out of it--and been quite successful. Otherwise, I thought the story was interesting but fell a little flat.

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Denisereads75
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Mehso-so

I was fascinated by this memoir of a woman finding out her husband is not who she thought he was. I found myself annoyed toward the end of the book by her internet psychoanalysis of him to try to understand why he did it. I have empathy for her because it must have been shocking to realize it was happening to her but also found her naive to not realize that this scenario is fairly common.

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jesslovestype
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something tells me i shouldn't be starting this right before trying to fall asleep. 🐦

17 likes1 stack add
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Skeebies05
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Mehso-so

I read this one quickly- took me about a day and a half. But but . . . But I don't know. I wasn't shocked or surprised. The flap implies its going to get wild!

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Skeebies05
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These arrived today. Well the wine ? I got for free from work! The GM at the restaurant said "oh we can't sell that. It's too sweet and cheap". Lucky for me that's exactly my taste!

Louise ???"sweet and cheap"??? 7y
18 likes1 comment
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guinsgirlreads
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟 I grabbed this from the new shelf on a limb because I thought it would be a good, solid read, and it was. Jen Waite not only gives good insights on sociopaths from a non-sociopaths point of view, but also details the ways in which women struggle with sick relationships and in turn, gives ways on how to overcome them in the end. 👍🏻💪🏻

25 likes3 stack adds
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guinsgirlreads
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I've decided to finish July and the #summerreadingprogram with this new memoir 👋🏻 #currentread

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catieohjoy
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I love listening to memoirs narrated by their authors. I'm a writer at work on a memoir manuscript and I often read aloud to myself as I write to test the sound of passages, so there's something extra satisfying about hearing an author telling her own story in a similar way! Gotta say, I struggled with picking this one up just because I'm terrified of butterflies—this cover truly makes me twitch. 🙅🏻 But the book and narration are great so far!

27 likes2 stack adds
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dixi_e
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Pickpick

Stayed up too late to finish this book. This is a non-fiction read I could have used four years ago. #currentlyreading

16 likes1 stack add
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dixi_e
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"Because if you're not on the same team, what's the point?"
#relationshipgoals #liveandlearn

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dixi_e
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Just starting this. At first I was intrigued to see how I might connect to this but now I'm actually scared. I feel like I might be left heartbroken. #currentlyreading