Many thanks to Mulholland Books and Nina Laurin for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Starter Wife is both intriguing and mysterious. Based around the marriages of an Engkish professor, all is not what it seems. His second wife Claire has more than a healthy interest in his first wife who tragically took her own life. Is Claire all she appears to be and did Byron's first wife Collen really kill herself. A very good read that will keep you enthralled.

This had such incredible potential, but unfortunately, I was quite put off by how much I absolutely despised the main characters! There were some odd points that came up throughout the book, but everything did get resolved in the end, even if it seemed odd at times.

I don't know on this one. I enjoyed it to an extent, but I just rolled by eyes constantly at the main pair, and i couldn't wait to finish just to get away from them! But maybe thats a sign of good writing, to have created such unlikeable characters? Also, the ending was amazing. Shocking, and so fast paced! So hard to review, but a true mixed bag.

I enjoy a good psychological thriller – I read enough of them! – but there was something about The Starter Wife that didn’t really gel for me. It took me two attempts to get into the story proper and looking back I think it was because the main narrator Claire is such a completely unlikeable character.

Claire is married to Byron Westcott who is a successful university professor with dashing good looks and oodles of charm. There is a large age difference between them and she feels a little out of her depth at times. While Claire desperately wants to be the perfect wife and potentially a mother she is afraid that she will never live up to the memory of his first wife Colleen who committed suicide.

I’m afraid to say that the more I read of the story the less I cared about any of the characters. Everyone has something to hide but the main character Claire just really got on my nerves. I only really kept reading to the end because I wanted to find out what had really happened to Colleen. Apologies to Nina Laurin but this really wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s a twisty domestic thriller that makes you glad you don’t live next door!

Provided by Net Galley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Starter Wife is a domestic thriller that had a few flaws the biggest being that the two narrators were hugely unlikeable, it would have been better if one of them was likeable but as it was I couldn’t care less for the college student and and definately not the second wife.
The book is centred around Byron a college student married to second wife Claire, Claire thinks things are on the rocks as Byron doesn’t even barely look at her never mind anything else. Byron’s first wife committed suicide and Claire is immensely jealous of the previous relationship. Then we have the college student who sees herself as Byron’s guardian angel and is waiting in the wings to be his next wife. This is a fairly quick read that was enjoyable and is probably the only book I’ve ever said this about but I feel it would be better after another read as some things seemed blurred although most queries I had were answered by the end of the book. This is definately worth a read and started off quite slow it ended with everything flying around including hammers!!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder and Staughton, Mulholland Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Full of twists this is a great story that really keeps you on tenterhooks! Everything is not always as it seems and this will hook you right on in and then shock you in an awesome way!

Confusing...and then frightening!
Claire, the second wife, isn’t a very likeable character, so it’s hard to feel any connection or sympathy with her in the earlier stages of the book.
I did feel the whole story was a bit mixed up and difficult to follow, rather too many unnecessary characters.

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this ARC in exchange for and open and honest review.

Claire Westcott was married to college professor Byron Westcott. When they first met Byron was grieving after his first wife Colleen committed suicide. After Byron and Claire got married they remained in the house he shared with Colleen. Her paintings were still on the walls including a nude painting of Byron and Colleen in the bedroom.

Claire was a trophy wife, she didnt work but she was writing a novel which she was trying to get published. Although Claire loved Byron he had recently become cold and distant. One day out of the blue Claire was shocked to receive a text message from Colleen. Claire became paranoid and started to question her sanity

Meanwhile a struggling waitress become fixated with Byron when he visited her restaurant. She followed him home and managed to get a copy of Byron`s keys. Byron didnt know the waitress existed but she decides to get rid of his wife and make him hers.

The Starter Wife was not a bad book but I didn't feel like dropping everything to read it. The plot didnt become exciting for me until the 70% mark when the different storylines came together. I had an inkling of what the twist would be but I was only partly right. When the real story came out I was gobsmacked, the Linda storyline was brilliant. I definitely didn't see that coming.

The problem was Claire wasn't a sympathetic protagonist, although her marriage to Byron was crumbling I didn't feel sorry for her. She was definitely obsessive, especially when she tried to sell one of Colleen`s pictures to pay for IVF.

Overall the plot was well thought but it didnt grab me until the final pages.'. This book would of been three stars but the gripping ending gave it another star.

A creepy gripping thriller which I really enjoyed. Full of unexpected twists and turns and confusing at times which added to the story, I was kept guessing. I really enjoyed the red herrings. Well written, the tension builds as the book progresses. The twist was surprising. I couldn't put it down and raced through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good, kept you really engrossed in the book which I like as there is nothing better than forgetting everything and reading a good story. Characters were strong which they needed to be and it all worked so well. I wasn't expecting some things. Thank you for the chance to read and review this book.

The illusion of a perfect marriage is a popular trope for psychological thrillers. but this one has enough originality to make it addictive. Told from two points of view, Claire, Byron’s second wife, and an unknown younger woman, it uncovers a web of lies. Claire is an unreliable protagonist, she drinks and is obsessive. She is hard to empathise, even though she appears to be the victim. The other point of view is also obsessive and appears to present a threat to Byron and Claire’s marriage.

The pace and length of the story are perfect, no unnecessary detail, to detract from the character insights and the events, past and present that the plot reveals. This is a complex story, with many twists, the reader deviates between Claire, Byron and the mystery point of view, who is the victim and who is the antagonist?

It’s a story that demands concentration, you can’t dip in and out, the clues are there, and are more obvious as the story heads towards its conclusion, but they are easy to miss, or misconstrue.

The ending fits well with what has gone before and is a satisfactory conclusion of this cleverly plotted, page-turning psychological thriller.

I received a copy of this book from Hodder and Stoughton UK – Mulholland Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
I didn’t connect with or particularly like either of the two main characters. Byron is a college professor married to Claire, she is Byron’s second wife, his first wide Colleen committed suicide. The more I read about Claire the less I liked her, she constantly has nausea, drinks wine 24/7,
I found the story a little confusing at times but I kept reading as I wanted to know if Byron’s first wife Colleen actually did commit suicide as it seems that Claire has went to extreme lengths to get her man and will do absolutely anything to keep him.
The story picks up about 3/4 of the way through, and things start to unravel for Claire and there is a surprising twist at the end.

3.5 stars

Fabulous and great read.
Keeps you wanting more and it does deliver on every level
Highly recommended
Thank you to both NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

A fascinating story that keeps you hooked right up to the last page. Definitely recommended to those who enjoy reading this genre.

Interesting idea and fairly well done
First though got to say that the lead lady Claire gets nausea, about everything and anything, and barely a page goes past without her for one reason or another telling us!
That aside ( oh and her love of drink, somewhat a pre requisite of many books now, a lead lady who drinks 24/7 ) this is a domestic thriller thats more domestic than thriller but when it is thrilling it really is!!
Its a story, confusing at times, about ultimate class A stalking and the lengths one woman ( over decades ) will go to get what she wants and by whatever means get her her ‘prize’, the stalkers nonchalance at her actions are chilling and will induce a shudder in every reader!
The characters are strong, not particularly likeable but strong and my dislike grew as the story unfolded
The last 25% of the book suddenly leaps at you and the story ratchets up at speed until the inevitable shock and crux of the book
Scary, in parts, unpredictable in other parts and ultimately a goodish read
7/10 3 Stars

He loves her, he loves her not, he loves her he loves her not....

“True love only gives and asks for nothing in return.”

The Starter Wife, takes you down the aisle of marriage bliss and makes you realize what one will do to keep the spark of love alive - and just how far they’ll go to keep their mate by their side. After all, in love and marriage, it’s until death do you part, right? 4.5 stars

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton/Mulholland Books for an eARC via NetGalley of Nina Laurin’s ‘The Starter Wife’ in exchange for an honest review.

Domestic noir at its best! Claire is married to dishy university professor Byron Westcott and seeks to be the perfect wife though she constantly worries that she will not live up to the memory of his first wife, Colleen.

Colleen was a celebrated artist, who disappeared eight years previously. Her car had been found near the waterfront and her coat washed up nearby. While her body was never found, other evidence led to her death being ruled a suicide. And yet...

That’s all the teaser I will give as my practice is to not say much about the plots of thrillers to prevent giving accidental spoilers in my enthusiasm.

Still be assured that this isn’t just about a young second wife’s natural anxiety. No - this is a page-turning thriller and Laurin is very much on point bringing in current social issues such as the #MeToo movement and use/abuse of social media.

I found it dazzling with expert twists and turns (and yes red herrings). It does require close reading as those said twists can be a little dizzying. Yet I love a novel that only entertains but surprises me. I hope to read her earlier novels and will look forward to future projects.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Well! Confused? - you definitely will be by the end of this book. One of those stories that leave you with more questions than answers when you finish it! You wonder if you should just start at the beginning again to see if you misread or misunderstood what was happening. This is one of those books that you can't say too much without spoiling the plot - that is if you know for sure what just happened!
Suffice to say that Claire, from early on, is obviously a woman with mental health issues who will do anything to keep her husband, Byron.
The book finishes quite abruptly leaving the reader to decide just what happened. A good book group read I would think as there leaves a lot to talk about.
Three and a half stars, half a star off for the abrupt ending.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Nina Laurin/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Starter Wife is Nina Laurin's third thriller, but I have to say that I found it 8 parts tonnes fiction and only 2 parts resembling a thriller. It also has a premise that has been done to death and doesn't have anything new to add or offer over and above those books. I didn't find myself gripped at any stage and the characters certainly didn't help as they were bitchy, quite juvenile and infuriating. Most of the twists were quite obvious and the middle section dragged so much that I debated putting it down well over a dozen times but persevered in order to review it. Because the two main characters are two very similar females it's often difficult to tell who's talking as they sound exactly the same.

This is seriously lacking in originality and the requisite thrills to be called a thriller. There are also some humongous plot holes. I hope her next book might be better but would definitely wait to read reviews before I picked it up after this. Many thanks to Mulholland Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book.
Claire and Byron have been married for two years. Byron is twenty years older and his previous wife, Colleen, is said to have committed suicide.
Claire is surrounded by Colleen’s artwork and feels that she is living in her shadow. Cracks are starting to appear in the relationship but Byron doesn’t seem to care.
Claire begins to dig into the past and finds out more about Byron than she bargained for. When she starts to receive menacing phone calls and emails she starts to worry.
I don’t want to spoil it for you so will stop there but can say the book is full of secrets and lies and you never really know what’s coming next.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really struggled to get into this book, and almost gave up a few times during the first few chapters, but despite the very slow start I’m glad that I carried on reading it, although somewhat confusing at times it was overall an enjoyable book, with plenty of twists.