This book was a solid 3 stars. It started out very promising - with Marie seemingly obsessed with her dead best friend and taking over her old life and discovering secrets the dead best friend was hiding. But then it turned more into a familial/domestic drama and not a thriller. I know multiple perspectives and switching narrators for chapters is a little over done right now, but I felt that this book would have been much better with that. I would have liked to read from Stuart''s, Camilla's, and even dead Nina's point of views as the ramblings of Marie were a little tiresome and left the book dragging, especially since she didn't seem to know much about anyone around her. This book had good promise - but not executed flawlessly.

The Last Wife was a DNF for me. Couldn't connect to the characters or story. I was bummed because I loved Karen Hamilton's debut! Here's hoping her next book is better.

Two women. One dying wish. A web of lies that will shatter the lives of many.

Nina and Marie met when they were young and have been inseparable since the day they first became friends. When Nina is diagnosed with a terminal illness their friendship will be put to the ultimate test. She entrusts her final wishes with Marie, who will stop at nothing to make sure they come true. What Nina didn’t realize was that Marie always wanted Nina’s life and she has an agenda of her own. Marie will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Karen Hamilton has an absolute gift for writing over the top characters who are beyond entertaining to watch. I fell in love with Hamilton’s talented writing with THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND and the instant I opened THE LAST WIFE I was transported to that same familiar world. Hamilton has created another high speed thrill ride within these pages!

From the start it is clear that our main character, Marie, knows no bounds to getting what she wants. She is willing to lie and deceive if it gets her closer to her goals. This is something we saw with Hamilton’s previous book and just like with that story, this one is nothing short of entertaining! I always love to see how far and how crazy a character is willing to go.

If you think Marie is going to be the only character who is devious, then hold tight because you’re about to be in for a treat! This book is filled with secrets and no one is honest about their true intentions. I thought after about the first third of the book that I had everything about the plot figured out. Wrong. There is so much more to this story than what’s on the first impression level.

I highly recommend THE LAST WIFE for fans of domestic thrillers who are looking for a fun, bingeworthy read! It’s important to go in this one expecting to find things that are a bit over the top and unbelievable.

A huge thank you to Harlequin for sending me a gifted copy!

I am a fan of Karen Hamilton but this book was a miss. I found myself simply not invested in the characters or caring too much about them. I was intrigued enough to follow through to the end but it fell flat for me. There were parts that I was completely confused about and thought I missed a page...for some reason things didn't always connect. I will read this author again but this was was not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book was billed as a thriller, but I found it more like a domestic drama. It was not gripping, but it was interesting. The main character, Marie, was not very likeable. When her best friend Nina dies, she promises to take care of the family and make sure that whoever her husband might get involved with was good enough for him, she has no problems with it. You see, she wants Nina's life and family. Marie becomes obsessed with Nina's family and will do whatever she needs to do to make it her own. The story is told from Marie's POV, with the reader let in on her most intimate thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, a bit much and I will admit to skimming some of it. There are other characters who also have secrets and add to the drama. There is a twist near the end, but it is a little too late for me. Overall, an okay read, but not as exciting or thrilling as I expected.

The Last Wife is the latest book by Karen Hamilton. Marie promises to take care of her dying friend Nina’s family - but takes things a bit too far.

This was a quick read. While none of the characters are particular likeable, it did keep us reading until the end to find out what would happen (and what secrets were being kept!

Last year, I read many raving reviews for The Perfect Girlfriend, the debut novel by Karen Hamilton, but somehow I never got around to read it. When I was offered the chance to read her new novel, The Last Wife (with just as many raving reviews), I thought I’d finally see what everyone is raving about and now I get it. I loved The Last Wife. It is a psychological thriller about obsession, lies, and secrets with unlikable characters and many twists and, even when I wasn’t reading it, I wasn’t thinking about it, eager to go back to read and see how it ended.

The story is told from the point of view of Marie. Marie made a promise to her best friend Nina: she would take care of her family. When Nina passes away, to everyone’s surprise and displeasure, Marie moves in to live with Nina’s husband and two children to help them out during this difficult time. But Marie has her own agenda and when she starts to find out things about Marie she didn’t know about, her loyalty to her best friend is tested.

As I mentioned, I didn’t like the characters of the story, especially Marie. She is a very complex character to describe: multi-layered, intriguing, and dark, the more I read about her, the more I didn’t like her. However, the more I learned about her past, the better I understood her and, sometimes, I sympathized with her (but never liked her). Every other character in the story seems to hide a secret and, as they unravel, the twists just kept coming.

No love for the characters, but so much love for the story. Addictive, twisty, intense, The Last Wife completely captured my attention. I wanted to discover more about Nina. Is she really the perfect wife, mother, friend that everyone knew? I wanted to see how deep Marie could get entangled inside Nina’s family. Why is she so eager to move in with Nina’s family? What is she planning? Was their friendship as close as she described?

Would I recommend The Last Wife? 100% yes! It is the perfect read for all lovers of psychological thriller out there and, while I am already waiting for the author’s next novel, I am finally going to read her debut novel!

This one didn't do much for me. I didn't really find it to be a thriller or very suspenseful. I didn't find the main character particularly likeable or particularly evil. There just wasn't a protagonist to root for or an antagonist to hate. There are lots of secrets but none of them are particularly intriguing or unexpected. It ended up being kind of a flop for me.

Karen Hamilton writes haunting multi layered thrillers.When her best friend dies Nina follows her dying wish& installs herself in her friends family.She has always envied her friends life but as she learns things are not always what they seem.A story full of twists and turns.#netgalley#harlequinbooks

Marie is the epitome of the manipulative, unreliable narrator in Hamilton’s latest psychological suspense. In the guise of fulfilling her friend Nina’s dying wishes, she inserts herself into her Nina’s family and completely takes over to the dismay of loved ones. Marie’s character was sordidly brilliant and this was oh so fun to read in a deliciously wicked way. I look forward to more from Karen Hamilton.

This book wasn’t for me.

Nina is diagnosed with a terminal illness and asks her best-friend, Marie, to take care of her family after she passes. But Nina and Marie both have secrets. Those secrets take on a life of their own, as Marie “fulfills” Nina’s dying wishes.

I think the category of thriller is misleading because it was more a story about a woman who battles significant mental health concerns. At least that’s how I felt reading it. There was a suspense story woven throughout, but for me, Marie was the focus. I wanted to help her more than I wanted to continue reading about her. I know it was fiction and the story was fairly far fetched, but mental health is very important and the ongoing issues people deal with are very real.

I was happy when it was done and that’s never a good sign.

When Nina passes away, her best friend Marie is left to fulfill Nina's wishes, but Marie had always wanted Nina's life and she begins her ultimate plan only to find that nothing was as it seemed. The premise of The Last Wife is intriguing, but the story meandered like a drama, not a thriller, or barely even a mystery, as it became muddled what secret the reader was to discover. Unfortunately, I found The Last Wife lacking.

Sadly, this book was a huge disappointment to me. The way it was written made it seem like I was missing whole parts of the story. The main character would experience something and say (paraphrasing) "Well, that makes sense, given what I know and now that I think of it", but as a reader I didn't know what she knew, so the first couple of times it happened, I really thought I had missed something and had to go back and re-read parts, only to come up empty.

I really didn't like any of the characters in this book and found none of them (with the exception of the children) to have any redeeming qualities. I *get* sometimes characters are purposely written to be unlikeable but, in my experience, I still need to feel a connection to them. I didn't get that with this particular book.

This just didn’t hold my interest for some reason. It just seemed like many of the books I recently read, Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I never read The Perfect Girlfriend but heard great things so I was pumped to get this.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. The writing is too wordy and overly descriptive. I want some background and filler but I prefer a more simple approach. I garnered that just from the prologue so it wasn’t looking good.

The characters were pretty horrible as a whole. I’m starting to tire of the “woman who want to take over another woman’s life at any cost” genre. I understand envying others (who doesn’t) but when it gets out of perspective it just makes women (people really) look crazy and we shouldn’t be doing that.

This was sad and unbelievable and too long. I finished it but based on the writing style I wouldn’t be quick to search out the next. All that aside, this writer has a large and loyal fan base so please give it a try if it sounds interesting. Different strokes, different folks and all.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and HARLEQUIN-Trade Publishing for a copy in exchange for a review.

Marie and Nina have been best friends since childhood. When Nina is diagnosed with a terminal illness, she encourages Marie to promise to take care of her family, consisting of her husband, Stuart, and her two children. Since Marie’s own partner has left her, and she’s been unable to become pregnant, she’s only too happy to adopt a ready made family of her own.

This story is all told from Marie’s viewpoint, and the reader slowly gets insight into her true character. Turns out she’s manipulative, a liar, and a schemer. Her obsessive need of Nina’s friendship over the years now has her working to fill Nina’s shoes, both literally and figuratively. It starts out harmlessly enough, some babysitting, then some help with the business, then moving into the spare room. Soon Marie is sleeping with Stuart, and, surprisingly, expecting the child she wanted so desperately.

While it would appear that Marie has achieved her goals, the reappearance of a former friend dredges up an unhappy incident from their past, stirring up a whirlwind of more secrets, lies, and tragedy. As Marie searches for the truth, she sets into motion an event that will change her life forever.

THE LAST WIFE has some surprising twists, and a decidedly creepy lead character. The major drawback for me was that there was simply no one in this book that I could truly like or feel sympathy for. Having said that, the writing is well done and the plot really kept my interest. Everyone has secrets, and everyone has an agenda. The culmination of past events leads to actions today that Marie could never have imagined. That old adage of being careful what you wish for rings especially true. Although there were some shocking turns to the story, I would recommend it more for readers who enjoy delving into the psychological aspect of the characters and their actions.

Favorite Quotes:

People think that envy is a bad thing, but in my opinion, envy is a positive emotion. It has always been the best indicator for me to realize what’s wrong with my life. People say, “Follow your dreams,” yet I’d say, “Follow what makes you sick with envy.”

…surely everyone fibs? It’s not just me. Lies make life palatable. It’s simply unavoidable at times. I do it to protect myself and others. Surely, it’s not a bad thing to tell people what they want to hear? Sometimes, there’s no choice.

It’s amazing how many noises can sound like police sirens if you have a guilty conscience.

I’ve never known a murderer before. I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, but it’s really quite morbidly exciting!

My Review:

This heralds my first experience reading this wily author and I am ever so impressed, her clever storylines were cunningly paced, well nuanced, and laced with brain-tickling intrigue while taut with tension. Her compelling characters were deliciously twisty, uniquely tainted, and curiously torqued. Written from the first-person POV of Marie, who was obviously emotionally and a bit mentally unstable as well as a compulsive liar, obsessively driven, paranoid, and riddled with anxiety, just to name a few of her most pesky symptoms. The insightfully written and profoundly shrewd use of inner musings and observations detailing Marie’s obsessive and deceptive traits and compulsions were spot on and brilliantly crafted. I was riveted to my Kindle and thoroughly entertained while I immersed myself in Marie’s troubled yet compelling gray matter and devious schemes. It was divinely twisty.

I was given this ARC by netgalley and publisher for honest review and opinion

Typically psychological thriller where two friends are jealous of each others lives.
Maria is jealous of Nina because she has everything she doesn't a loving husband and children. When Nina is dying she requests that Maria take care of her husband and children.
Lots of unreliable manipulative characters. Lots of twists and turns. One minute I thought i had it figured out only to have something else come up.

This was just another typical thriller. You knew what was going to happen. Nina is diagnosed with a terminal illness and asks Marie to watch out for her husband and children. Predictably, Marie decides that she wants Nina's life and then this reads like the typical thriller. It was well-written, just very predictable.

The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton is one of those books that reminds me of a car wreck you just can't take your eyes off of. A domestic suspense where every single character lies and commits heinous acts. The story is told by main character Marie who is completely psychotic and unlikable. The writing was a little disjointed but I almost felt like it was intentional because of Marie's nuttiness. It was honestly hard to go on because I just didn't care about her, but like I said it was like a car wreck! I had to finish to find out if she was going to get away with needling her way into her late friend's family. Overall, the story itself was shocking and twisty and at the end I was sort of rooting for Marie.
*Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy. All my opinions are my own.