This was much darker than previous books I’ve read by this author and that’s not a bad thing, in fact I found this an addictive read and finished it in a day. Very descriptive it’s a bit of a slow burner as we find out why Fiona and Neil left the mainland under a cloud to live on a remote island called Winters End, which only has around 100 inhabitants. Told mainly from Fiona’s POV and in two parts, the second of which is much faster paced and tense.

Briefly, having arrived at their new home Fiona and Neil are confident that they have left their troubles behind them and life will be good. They are soon disabused of that notion when the locals seem very unfriendly, particularly towards Fiona, and they are warned they should leave the island. But then Fiona realises there are very few women on the island. Why?

This was really quite dark and spooky and I found it difficult to work out just what was going on and why no one would tell them why they should leave. There were so many possible suspects and I didn’t guess the big reveal. I thought this was a very good and original story and I enjoyed it a lot.

Fiona and Neil have moved to the small offshore island of Winter's End. They are trying to make a new start after a life changing incident. Although cautious about this complete change, they are both willing to embrace a new way of life and get to know the locals. Unfortunately the majority of those on the island prove to be unfriendly and they also begin to receive notes warning that they should leave.

Well, this story, written from multiple viewpoints (although mainly from Fiona's) is definitely one which will keep the reader on track and turning pages. Although at times I found Fiona's narrative slowed things down slightly, it was more than compensated for by the sinister atmosphere created as events progressed. The islanders, with one or two exceptions, were a thoroughly nasty lot. Fiona is curious about the number of women buried in the local churchyard and that curiosity leads her into dangerous waters.
The Last Wife is a gripping and at times scary psychological tale and definitely one I would recommend to lovers of this genre.
My thanks to Netgalley, J A Baker and Boldwood Books for an ARC of The Last Wife in exchange for an honest review.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This crime thriller is set on a remote island off the north-east coast of England. It follows Fiona and Neil as they have just bought a cottage on the island looking for a new start.

They both have a past they are trying to escape but as they explore the island, Fiona feels as if they are not wanted.

Investigating further she also realises there are not many women on the island.

What are they running from? Will they survive their new life on the island?

I found this crime thriller a little creepy and mysterious, with how Fiona feeling she was not wanted, and how the island’s inhabitants were very distant with them.

Fiona is a strong woman character, as she tries to unravel the truths behind the secrets of the island. She is keen to start a new life, so nothing gets in her way.

It seems like it could be quite lonely in this kind of environment especially when the people around you are acting as cagey as these characters were.

Overall, a creepy, mysterious crime thriller where a woman realises, she may be the last wife on the island.

Winters end should have been the perfect place for me and my husband Neil to start again. To leave the terrible secrets and guilt of our pasts far behind us. But from the moment we arrived in the small, isolated community, it becomes clear to me that we are not welcome here. That someone wants us to leave. I'm certain everyone knows our secrets - knows who we really are. But how can that be? Perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me. Just like before.

It did take me a little while to get into this book, but once I was in, I was hooked. Fiona and Neil move for a fresh start to try and forget their pasts. But there aren't many women live on the secluded island called Winters End. Fiona soon starts to get letters advising her to leave the island before it's too late. The story has a creepy vibe to it. It's also told in two parts. Part on is told from Fiona's point of view. The second part is told from multiple points of view. My only criticism is that I wish that we had been told more about the townsfolks strange behaviour. That would probably have made this a 5 star read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #JABaker for my ARC of #TheLastWife on exchange for an honest review.

A mind-blowing dark thriller...

The married couple Fiona and Neil left their well-paid career and moved to an isolated island in North Sea called Winters End. Winters End should be their new page of life to leave their old, dark and secretive history. Sounds exciting, right? However, when this couple arrived to Winters End, Fiona felt something strange. She was trying to convince Neil but Neil did not show his interest but rather thought Fiona has been worrying too much.

Fiona noticed there were missing residents and visitors, mainly women. She did not feel welcome in this new place and she knew other residents were talking behind her. Until Fiona found out the monster...

I enjoyed the Fiona POV in Part 1. It had a slow start at the beginning but it picked up the pace in Part 2 which turned the thriller into a page-turner. If you are looking for a dark thriller to read, this should be stay on you TBR!

The Last Wife by J.A. Baker is a gripping and engrossing page turner. From start to finish, the atmosphere is eerie and danger's lurking around the corner. When Fiona realizes she's the only wife on the island and so many young women died in the past couple of years, her curiosity is piqued. Did they perish during the pandemic? Or, is there a sinister reason behind their deaths?

I loved the island part of the story - an isolated community and no women around, it certainly brought about an eerie feeling. What I didn't find convincing enough: Fiona's past -the reason she and her husband decided to make a fresh start. Well, given that this was a creepy thriller, I was under the impression Fiona and Neil got away with murder and were making a fresh start at Winters End. (Don't shoot me for expecting an evil protagonist.)

I loved the storytelling. The mystery behind the mysterious deaths of women on the island kept me guessing till the end. The book is divided into two parts. I loved Part II better than Part I because this is where the action and suspense is at an all-time high.

The ending was spine-chilling. Though we are given a gist of what made the perp a monster, their identity was a shocker. Also, they had some weird connection with the island and it's people. I didn't see it coming and I was pretty much shocked when their truth is finally out.

Though the book is divided into two equal parts (19 chapters each), I wish Part II was longer. A bit more about Fiona's struggle, perp's past and some more backstory on perp's previous victims would have made this a 5-starrer read.

Overall, this was a good and gripping thriller. Kept me hooked from start to finish. Excellent character portrayal and shocking turn of events at the end.

This is my first taste of this authors work and I have to admit I did enjoy it.

Fiona and Neil believe they have found the perfect place to make a fresh start, leaving behind the guilty secrets. They arrive at Winters End, a remote island and it is not long before they experience a frosty welcome from the locals. Someone in particular wants them to leave and Fiona senses that they are fully aware of their guilty secrets. Neil is not so sure and feels it is just Fiona’s mind playing tricks with her.

This is a good read that got better the more I read. Very atmospheric and good strong characters.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Boldwood Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Winters End should have been the perfect place for me and my husband Neil to start again. To leave the terrible secrets and guilt of our past far behind us.

But from the moment we arrived in the small, isolated community, it becomes clear to me that we are not welcome here. That someone wants us to leave…

I’m certain that everyone knows our secrets – knows who we really are. But how can that be?

This is my sort of thriller. I love J A Baker's writing, and devour the speed of her plots. I never work out until the end exactly what has happened, and this was no different. A great book, from start to finish

I really tried this one. It was exceptionally slow and did not scratch that thriller itch I was looking for. I DNF'd this book but made it through enough that I am able to give a semblance of a review. The story was slow and did not get to the point quickly. It was incredibly frustrating, too! I was really hoping for a slow-burn, but it just ended up being slow. This one was not for me, unfortunately.

Wow! That kind of left my head spinning. I could not for the life of me figure out why there seemed to be very few women on this island. I was scratching my brain, totally creeped out, until it finally all came into place. This kept me turning pages long into the night, trying to sleuth it all out. There isn't much new to discover in thrillers as they are out in droves right now, but I found this one was done very well!

Such a great thriller!! The concept was very unique which I loved. I’ve read a lot of thrillers and I really enjoyed how fresh and new this one felt.

I thought the pacing was really good and the story flowed really well. The writing was excellent and it felt like all of Baker’s writing decisions were very intentional and helped the story progress.

I enjoyed that the book was split into two parts. Part one only has Fiona’s POV. But then part 2 starts after Fiona is taken and has 3 different POV’s. You still get to see Fiona’s and what she is going through. But you also get her husband Neil’s POV of him searching for her and also the POV of the killer that takes place in the past to show his story as well.

The only thing I would change is more of an explanation of the villagers strange behaviors. It makes sense that they would be wary if all their wives were killed. But we only learned about Vince’s wife and now who all the other women were in relation to the villagers. Like we’re they just trying to scare her off because all wives are killed? Did they know more than they let on?

This was my first book by J.A. Baker and I cannot wait to read more of her books!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC book of The Last Wife.

I just reviewed The Last Wife by J A Baker. #TheLastWife #NetGalley

This book held a lot of promise. However, it really dragged. This couple essentially shuns themselves because she's "done something horrible" and when you find out what that is, you realize it's very vanilla for this type of book.

Then she notices things going on around the island, but it takes half the book to finally get to any action. And then it's glossed over.

I really wanted to like this one. I did.

Big thanks for the ARC!

I received an ARC copy through Netgalley of the Last Wife by J A Baker.

This book was suspenseful throughout! The mystery surrounding why no women remain at Winters End island had you wondering the entire read of what sinister thing could have been going on and who or what could have been behind it. The characters that were native to Winters Island were hostile to newcomers Neil and Fiona, who just wanted a new start. Will they unravel the mystery before it is too late, or will they succumb to whatever it is that does not want them on the island?!

I do wish the book got a little more into the couple's past, as it seemed like an integral part of why they moved, but I feel like it was not explained or spoken about much .. and when it was revealed it didn't seem like too bad of a scandal.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and towards the end, I was reading so fast to figure out what the hell was going on on the island!

This story was set in to two parts. I felt part one was quite slow. Fiona has a lot of long inner dialogue which was at times a bit boring. I found myself thinking how long she would be stood in front of someone without speaking or just staring in to the ether.

I liked the setting of an island. The fog, the bad weather and the clicky locals. It made it more atmospheric. The residents of the island are all very rude and although a couple of them are explained, the rest are not. I don’t know why it was ignored. I would have liked more of an explanation.

The second part picked up and it became more of a thriller than a mystery. I liked that Neil became more supportive and assertive. It was a good climax and was overall an enjoyable read.

This book was slow at first. I had a hard time wanting to read it, as I kept getting annoyed at the author hinting at something happening, and then never giving more details. Once we started learning more about the move, why they were in the island, and some of the creepy things they started noticing, it did seem to pick up some, but I didn’t feel myself being pulled to it. I did like the overall story, and I was okay with the twists at the end.

In The Last Wife we follow Fiona and her husband Neil as they move to a secluded island (Winters End) needing a fresh start. Fiona starts to notice that there are hardly any women on the island… She then starts to receive messages telling her she should leave the island before it is too late. What is really going on here? Is Fiona safe or should she pack up and leave?

I found this book to be quite slow in the beginning. It only started to slightly hook me in chapter 4/5 and then about halfway it picked up. I found a lot of the characters inner dialogue was repetitive and it also left a few details unanswered. I also found the island in general hard to visualize, perhaps an accompany drawing to emphasize the layout would have been neat.

Overall, the story had a great plot and the twist was pretty good! Once you get to the big event it is hard to put down as you’ll want all the answers.

Thank you Boldwood Books & NetGalley for this advanced copy and for trusting me with an honest review.

What a thrilling book filled with tension, a deep and unsettling sense of foreboding accentuated by skillful foreshadowing and palpable , edge of the seat expectancy fueled by evocative descriptions of the harsh, inclement terrain of the secluded island Winters End. Fiona and Neil are desperate to fit in and to make the island - so unlike their previous home - their sanctuary. The combination of the harsh environs, Fiona and Neil increasing desperation and the overpowering sense of a very real, yet unidentified danger lurking just out of reach makes this a tense and compelling psychological thriller. - one which will grab you by the throat and keep you turning the pages well into the wee hours.

You will pick this book up thinking it is a straight forward thriller book about a woman moving to an island community with her husband. It is not that. It is weird. It is the weirdest book I have read all year.
I am a girl's girl so I would have left five minutes into noticing there were not a lot of other women but our girl doesn't get that option and it gets stranger and stranger.
Also Neil is great. It was refreshing to see a flawed husband who is not at all evil.
The ending was wonderful too.
Wonderful book.

The Last Wife:

Fiona and her husband Neil move to the small island of Winters End after a scandal. But what they both realise while there is that something is amiss. The population of women on the island is almost none, and the men on the island keep warning the couple to leave while they can. Fiona forms a friendship with the only other female on the island and after some time Fiona and Neil’s relationship is put to the test one more time. After Fiona goes searching for clues something unthinkable happens and Neil needs to try trace his wife’s steps as her life could depend on it.

I am really enjoying thriller and suspense books right now. I like trying to figure out the ending or how close I come to it. I found this story to be easy to follow and the struggles in the relationship were well represented and how the couple needed to overcome the past to move forward. The creepiness of the people of Winters End just added to the whole narrative and in the end, there was defiantly a part I did not expect. Towards the end I did put some clues together but the outcome did not fully register until the end of the book. There was also a missing element at the end that wasn’t explained which made me think what happened to certain people. I would recommend this to others who like to suspense and thriller type books.

As per usual thank you @ for supplying the ARC of this novel which is out today (SmileFACE). Follow @ for more books that are similar. Available on Kindle

The Last Wife by J A Baker kept me up all night, unable to put it down until the final heart-pounding twist.
The writing is suspenseful and engaging… Baker can open such a gripping, intriguing and exciting read.
I thought the characters were great, the plot was excellent and the style of writing was perfect.
I will defiantly pick up another book by Baker in the future.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!