I've read other, better books by Nina Laurin, but can still recommend this one. It wasn't my favorite and I had difficulty with the characters. The two main characters were just not people I could like. I found myself wanting to be rid of them....

But the ride you go on with The Starter Wife is a good one, keeping you guessing and hoping you know what will happen.

If you like unreliable narrators, a whodunit wrapped in psychological thriller clothing, then you will enjoy The Starter Wife.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for approving me for an ARC. The thoughts in my review, as always, are my own and freely given.

Fans of B. A. Paris, Clare Mackintosh, and Ruth Ware are likely to immediately catch the nuances of this psychological thriller. Though I could spot the outcome pretty early on, it was fun to see how it played out. It’s important to go into this book knowing as little as possible. I’ll try to share my feedback without giving too much detail about the plot!

A few personality flaws make Claire, our main character, rather unlikable. She seemed to be borderline alcoholic, and tended to internalize her emotions rather than express her feelings. I tried to excuse some of her behavior because she was quite young compared to her husband. Surely that meant that she might be out of her element, or at the very least, immature in comparison. After reading the book, though, I realized that my initial reaction almost made me stop reading. Claire got on my nerves until suddenly I couldn’t stop reading about her. So, if you find yourself setting down this book because it seems to move too slow, just push through.

Overall, The Starter Wife was a 4 star book for me. I liked the twistiness of the story, and really enjoyed the shock value of certain events. I hope to read more from Nina Laurin!

Colleen, the first wife of Claire's husband Byron, committed suicide years ago but the body was never found. Claire feels she's never been able to escape the shadow of Colleen and is always trying to live up to Byron's love of her. When Byron begins to act cold and distant from her Claire starts to dig deeper into what really happened to Colleen and how she can save her marriage.

This was a bit of a wild ride, for sure! The story grabbed me in from the beginning and I was eager to figure out what sort of secrets might be uncovered throughout the book. There were some times it felt a little predictable, though. About 1/3 to halfway through I was able to figure out the main twist -- not because the writing made it obvious but more due to the other thrillers that have had similar twists lately. That said, there were some interesting characters and overall I felt it was well-written and an enjoyable read!

3.5/5 stars

The bad: It seemed to take forever for me to warm up to this book. The good: It turned out to be one sick and twisted tale of obsession and murder. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Starter Wife is a refreshing new thriller that I finished in a few hours. Highly enjoyable, quick read. Also recommend this author’s other books.

I recently got married so I am all about these types of books! Honestly these thrillers have been so amazing that I want to read one everyday, sometimes I do :) Nina Laurin did a fantastic job at capturing the characters thoughts and feelings which is something that I love to read about. All in all great book, cannot wait to read more from her!

My Rating 3.5 Stars

For a moment, while reading The Starter Wife, I was reminded of Rebecca by Daphne DeMaurier. That feeling did not last too long in the book.

Was Claire Westcott, married two years to a man nearly twice her age, Byron, living in the shadow of his first wife, Colleen? Colleen, a successful painter, apparently committed suicide almost twenty years ago. Currently, the closing of the case of the suicide begins raising questions to Claire. While the police have finally vindicated Byron, rumors have not. Claire begins believing the rumors. Did Byron kill Colleen after all? Is Claire safe?

This entire story is relayed in two narrations, both in first-person. Quite naturally, we have Claire, with her everyday life and actions. Then we have someone unnamed, a person obsessed and who is stalking Byron. She is determined to save Byron. In dialog, she is quite clear that Byron's wife is not worthy of him. She will do anything she can to stop any harm from coming to Byron. Yes, she will go to any means necessary.

My connection to the classic that I alluded to at the beginning of this review? Claire is beset with jealousy and unease with any feelings Byron might have had towards Colleen, who was the starter wife. Claire is living in Colleen's house and enjoys the benefits from the the wealth that Colleen amassed due to her paintings, as well as her years as a college professor. Byron is also a professor, and seems oblivious to any feelings of uncertainty that Claire has.

With two unreliable narrators, and with a man like Byron, it was rather hard to feel drawn into the characters and their stories. However, I do think the story was done quite well, especially when a massive twist occurred in the story. I was absolutely riveted from that point on and my jaw simply dropped at the shocking conclusion.

I am glad to have read this book by Nina Laurin, even with the absolute crazy characters, and I definitely look forward to reading her books again in the future.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved the preview and can't wait to read the whole thing! Great tense thriller with an amazing start, I wish I had more and could keep going!

"Local police have announced that they're closing the investigation of the suspected drowning of 37-year-old painter Colleen Westcott. She disappeared on April 11, 2010, and her car was found parked near the waterfront in Cleveland two days later, but her body has never been found. The chief of police has stated that no concrete evidence of foul play has been discovered in the probe."

I close the online search window, annoyed. These articles never have enough detail. They think my husband's first wife disappeared or they think she is dead. There's a big difference.
My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it's an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static.

When the voice does finally come, it's female, low, muffled somehow. "Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is." A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She's not just in my head. A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It's Colleen.

I loved the preview of this book, I can't wait to to finish it soon! It really dug it's claws in me with just the first 5 chapters!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheStarterWife
Pub Date: 11 Jun 2019

I'm SO intrigued! I have so many theories floating around in my head and I can't wait to read the rest of the story. Thank you for the extended preview--I really love these to get a feel for the full story.

If you like snarky fun a nasty girls this one is for you. A good grip in the ruler that will keep you on the edge .

I hadn't realized that I selected the preview, but what an intense preview it was! I will definitely be coming back for the full story!!

Loved the preview. Needed to finish this one and saw the full book on here as well so I was approved for it. Can’t wait to read the full thing. Definitely hooked me!

First 5 chapters wow! I can't wait to read the rest of the book. I was sucked in from page 1. Colleen committed suicide and now is emailing the new wife. How is this possible?

This was only 5 chapters of this book, a sneak preview of this book. From the first 5 chapters, I can tell that this book from just five chapters is going to be a real page turner. Claire Wescott is married to Byron, who is about 20 years older then her and a professor at college. They live in a beautiful home. Is first wife committed suicide a number of years ago but they never found her body. Her name is Colleen. Now, Claire is getting emails from her with pictures of her engagement ring that she accidentally left in the bathroom. One doesn’t know why is supposedly dead wife is doing this and they also live in the home that he lived with Colleen which is beautiful and from her money. I can’t wait for the release of this book so I can finish it. I want to thank net galley for this sneak preview ARC for an honest review. Definitely a psychological thriller!!! (less)

This is just a preview of the book but if the rest of the book is anything like the first 5 chapters it will be a great read. I am looking forward to picking up where I left off when this book hits the shelves!

This is an interesting preview. I don’t know if I liked the way the author writes enough to want to read the full novel. I was intrigued by the title “The starter Wife”. I think I would like to know what really happened to the first wife and how the marriage of the the second wife will end.

OK - You've got me hooked! Claire and Byron are married - she is his second wife after his first wife died. A waitress is after Byron. Although she seems to WANT him, is there a deeper reason for her plan? And why does she keep taking things from Claire?

Cannot wait to read the rest of this novel!

Many Thanks to Grand Central publishing and NetGalley for a taste of what looks to be a fun read!

I didn’t realise when downloading this it was just a preview an was really starting to get into it when it ENDED... Raging but will have to wait for the real deal. Totally want to know what’s going on as not much given away but enough to have me really interested. Looking forward to the book coming out an getting stuck in... Giving it 3 stars due to the fact that obviously it’s just a snippet of the story so can’t give a proper review.

Wow.... what an amazing story build-up... there is a palpable smell of an impending crime lurking in the words... the preview has left me wanting for more. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full book.
Im giving 4 stars because it was a preview and I would want to read the full book before I give my final rating