I did not have my kindle address set up and could not figure out how to send it to my device. I have since resolved the issues.

I did finish this one, but at no point did it grip me and keep me hooked well into the night. Unlikable characters, lots of repetition. A forgettable read for me.

I received a free e-copy of The Last Wife by Nicola Marsh from NetGalley for my honest review.

A story of several different women in a family and their world that is threatened by an unknown source. Ria receives some disturbing emails with pictures of her sister-in-laws and the secrets they have been hiding. She doesn't know what do to so she keeps it to herself. Things don't go as she hoped and now someone is targeting all of them.

Although I appreciate the opportunity of reading this book, I struggled connecting with the characters and the book.

The Last Wife was not my favorite thriller I have read this year. I had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters. There were no redeeming qualities and they were just plain unlikeable. I was also having a hard time trying to figure out where this story was going. Rita is perfect in every way and can do no wrong except when she stands next to her husband's family. She can never live up to their standards and then her husband disappears. Rita gets an email that threatens to expose her ex-husband's family's secrets and then soon after accidents start happening to the family members.

Nothing was really happening until the end and unfortunately for me, it was too little too late. 2 stars.

This is a captivating story about a family embroiled in scandals, deceits, lies and feigned relationships. Ria is married into a very complicated family and her relationship with all of the members is dubious. After being left by her husband 5 years ago, Ria is shocked to receive scandalous intel about her sisters in law. Worried that someone is targetting the family, Ria does the unthinkable, contacts her ex for help with unearthing the conspiracy.

If this was not enough, her brother-in-law is getting bolder with his affections towards her. His wife is sure that they are hiding something from her. Everyone is lying, hiding slanderous secrets that will definitely destroy the family and the family business.

So who is behind this attack on the family ? Did her husband really leave her on his own will ? Is there someone who is micro-managing all the incidents happening around them ? What if the traitor is one amongst them ?

I won't say this story was thrilling, because it is a story about a screwed up family and internal fights between each member. The end was good, but not very suspenseful. The motive behind the conspiracy was not as impactful as I had expected. In the end, this story was very light on the mind. The story is well-paced, the characters have their distinguishing characteristics, but not much that makes this story memorable.

One time read.

PS : The title is ill-suited for the plot. There is nothing last wife about this plot.

The Last Wife is definitely a slow burn of a thriller, so be prepared for a long ride! The alternating POV does help the book move, and the suspense builds which will keep you going.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I just love a good "family drama" that has twists and turns along the way. Overall this was another enjoyable read by Nicola Marsh. While the story does drag a tad throughout the middle of the book, the ending is good and unpredictable!
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. I like a slow burning book in which the suspense has time to build. Throw in a dysfunctional family with many secrets, and I can’t put it down.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Last Wife is a suspenseful novel and the author pulled off some interesting twists. However, I found the protagonist’s character a bit flat. She seemed too perfect, as though she was simply there to fill the role of person experiencing the events. While I dot expect the author to jump on the trend of unlikeable female protagonists, this woman needed some depth or nuance. I also found the inner monologues distracting- they were too frequent and the writing in these sections was a bit over-the-top. Overall I do plan to read more by this author as her writing overall was solid and she had some highly original plot points, and I believe she can write a great novel, but this was was only ok.

Meh! Not so bad that I couldn't finish it, but boringly slow. Unfortunately, I didn't like a single character so I really could have cared less about them. The ending was not a surprise so that didn't help either.

It’s rare for me to write a review without even one positive to say but that’s what happened with this book.

Endless pages of people worried about who knows whose secrets while wrestling with their guilt issues surrounding their own secrets. None of these people are likable whatsoever, even a couple of the kids will piss you off. I figured out everyone’s secret (s) well before the reveals. The who was never a secret because their inner thoughts were the only ones that matched with the motive. The why was ridiculous. When you gratefully arrive at the end the story will reach its highest point of unbelievability.

I procrastinated writing this review for over a week because I truly don’t like leaving bad reviews. My apologies to the author but I cannot recommend this book. I wish Marsh the best in future endeavors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC. My apologies for my long delay in reading and reviewing.

'The Last Wife' is a thriller that follows the story of Ria Parker and her 10 year old daughter Shelley. 5 years previously, Ria's husband Grayson left the family home and never returned leaving Ria to raise Shelley alone. Ria has never felt a worthy member of the illustrious, glamorous and wealthy Parker family and was reluctant to rely on their financial support following Grayson's disappearance and stands on her own two feet working as a magazine reporter and keeping as much distance from the overbearing mother and sisters in law as she can whilst still ensuring Shelley has contact with her family. One fateful day Ria receives the first in a series of anonymous emails detailing the secrets of the Parker family members and threatening exposure prompting Ria to investigate the source and story behind this. It is not long before several family members fall victim to some strange 'accidents' leaving Ria to uncover the truth and protect her daughter.
I did enjoy this book and particular liked the short chapters told from various character's POV but I did feel that it was fairly repetitive and not quite a 'thrilling' as I expected.
Overall an easy and enjoyable read - 3.5 stars and thanks to Netgalley UK and publishers for the ARC.

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. The writing was a little too simplistic in nature and I really struggled to find a connection with any of the characters. It was such a shame I wanted so much to enjoy it.

It was an enjoyable read, certainly unpredictable. I had to reflect a bit before leaving the review as I liked the beginning, it dragged a bit in the middle and the ending was a shocker.

I really wanted to like this book and if you read other reviews there are clearly people that did love it. I was just not one of them. I did not like or relate to any of the characters. I would not gave cared if they all died. This book lost all plausibility and made me roll my eyes so much it made it hard to read.

Just a book full of toxic family relationships and they all need therapy to learn how to talk to each other.

There were so many unexpected twists in this fascinating book. Expect the unexpected thrill ride! I highly recommend it to anyone fans of thrillers!

This was a great read - I love that it had me going in different directions the whole time, each chapter felt like a different theory was being posited. It ended so quickly, which I hated, but the overall storyline was so good.

Full of intrigue, mystery and drama. Nicola Marsh always delivers a gut gripping read and this one is another in a long line. I always enjoy her books. I just couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture and Nicola Marsh for allowing me to read this Arc.

Started off with a bang and then turned into a really good slow-burn read. If you like rich people, scandal and drama this is for you!!

I really enjoy this authors books and i love her style of writing so i was really looking forward to reading The Last Wife.
Ria grew up in foster homes and all she ever wanted was a family of her own but 5 years previously her husband walked out on herself and he daughter Shelley. Now 5 years later she receives an email threatening to expose the Parker family’s secrets. Afterwards members of the Parker family start having accidents. Bring a journalist Ria doesn’t believe they are accidents and she sets out to discover the culprit.
I absolutely loved this book and i was hooked the whole way through, i really enjoyed all the inter family bitchiness, manipulation and drama and the outcome blew me away!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Nicola Marsh for the ARC of The Last Wife my review is honest and unbiased.