I thought this book was a lot of fun and kept me guessing the whole time. It was like reading a reality tv show, with a thriller twist. The lies, the secrets, the gossip made this a very compelling book. This is a fantastic beach read and a total guilty pleasure book, which hit the spot for me.

We first meet Georgia laying in a hospital bed, after her husband Robert had died. It seems this is her third husband to meet an early demise and there is talk of an investigation. Just 6 days prior, Brooke and Jack Davies bought a home in Presidio Terrace, a prestigious highly secure neighborhood in San Francisco. Erin King and Georgia St. Claire run the homeowners association. Let’s just say it is a homeowner’s association from hell, take all the micromanaging a normal
Association does and multiple it by a hundred.
The wives are all so dark and twisty. Rich husbands, devious wives, affairs, and manipulation. This book has it all! Every time I thought I had a character understood, boom another twist. The story isn’t even really about who physically did it, the real story is why did they do it - and that didn’t come out until almost the very end. None of the narrators are reliable which is what makes it so twisty and fun to read.

THE SINFUL LIVES OF TROPHY WIVES By Kristin Miller
Thriller fiction
288 pages

In this delicious new novel by Kristin Miller we have a trio of "trophy wives" living in the same secluded neighborhood. Some would even call them friends. The eye can be deceiving when it comes to the rich though. We have Brooke, newly married to a successful man twenty-two years her senior. Brooke is an author who just wants to please her new husband in every way. Then we have Erin, married for five years to a successful man. Erin has her own career as a news anchor. Just like every marriage though Erin's is riddled with their own issues. Now we have Georgia, the one they call "The Black Widow". Georgia has buried two previous husband's and is engaged a third time. She claims to have found love this third time around. Then tragedy strikes and everyone wonders did The Black Widow strike again?????

This is my first book by Kristin Miller and I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is filled with drama and status symbol. I was not expecting this amazing story!!!!!!!!! This entertaining delicious novel is right up this reviewers alley!!!!!!!!!!!! If you enjoy Desperate Housewives or The Real Housewives tv shows you will love reading this one for sure. I highly recommend this book.

As a lover of thriller books, I had to read this one and I am so happy I got to! It was like watching an episode of real housewives with over the top wives who were so witty and hilarious!
Brooke, a mystery novelist, is the new wife to a tech multi-millionaire who is looking to start fresh with a new home, in the very secure neighborhood of Presidio Terrace. Her and her husband Jack are doing everything they can to keep up their perfect marriage image. Brooke befriends her neighbor, Erin who is a news anchor and president of the neighborhood board. Married to a plastic surgeon, she is self conscious and worried that her husband, Mason, is cheating on her. Erin introduces Brooke to her best friend, Georgia known simply as the “black widow” as two of her husbands have been found dead and she is set to marry again in the coming days. As Brooke gets tangled up with these women in their antics, she decides she’s going to use them as inspiration to finish her novel, but then another tragedy strikes and everyone is wondering if the black widow is at it again.
The end had my jaw on the floor! I could not believe the twist that I could never have seen coming! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up for a lighter thriller with some fun characters, that definitely caught my attention right away and had me staying up all night to finish!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

As usual I went into this thriller without reading the summary. I feel like the plot gets disclosed and ruins the story. So I was totally blind going in and loved it from the start! Each character was well described and clear, no mixing up those girls. 3 rich women living in an exclusive community.. The newest just moves in and they become fast besties! It just picks up from there and becomes a huge mess of a boulder running down hill! This book was so exciting and twisty that I really did not want to put it down. It was the fastest I've gotten through an ebook in a long time. So when this baby is available, run to the store and get it!
If you're thing is mystery thrillers you must add this one to your list, it will be a classic to not forget!

One Sentence Summary: Brooke is the new trophy wife in Presidio Terrace and uses her new neighbor who reportedly killed her two late husbands as inspiration for her next mystery novel.

Overall

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Lives, more or less, lives up to its title. Revolving around three women in an exclusive community, the lives of the wealthy are flaunted and the duality of perfect appearances and deep, dark secrets is explored. This is a fun and thrilling look into the darkness that lurks underneath money, the secrets people keep from each other, and what happens when they start to be exposed, when things reach a fever pitch. A fun thriller with lots of information seemingly coming out of left field, but that ties together very well.

Extended Thoughts

As the new trophy wife of Presidio Terrace, Brooke is just looking for a quiet, secure home in which to write her next mystery novel and to play the part of the perfect (second) wife to a tech billionaire, a man more than two decades her senior. She doesn't expect to be quickly befriended by Erin, the president of the HOA and new neighbor.

Erin is a successful news anchor married to a plastic surgeon. But their marriage is strained as he works to increase the success of his business and she is relentlessly ambitious in her career. Brooke's arrival, though upends her life, sparking her decision to take some time off work to groom herself into the perfect trophy wife to keep her husband from straying.

Georgia is Erin's friend and is swiftly introduced to Brooke, who becomes deeply entangled in both their lives. Georgia is known as the Black Widow as both of her husbands supposedly died from accidents. She's ready for the third husband, though, and everything is going swimmingly until he vanishes and her past suddenly catches up to her.

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Lives mostly lives up it's name, but it also felt a little hollow. Certainly, none of the women are pure and they all have their secrets, but it wasn't quite as sinful as I expected. I did really enjoy how they became inexplicably caught up in each other's orbits, tangling themselves deeper into a dark plot, though. But I just wanted more secrets to make their lives truly sinful.

My favorite was Erin. Her story had the most movement and the more interesting secrets. Erin is such a go-getter that she really felt like the brains of the three women. She's smart, but also self-obsessed. I loved watching her lose it, loved watching her twist the other two women around and be twisted herself. I loved when things got out of hand for her even as she tried to be the perfect trophy wife. It was fascinating the way she spun her personal life on social media so she looked absolutely perfect.

Brooke was, well, kind of adorable. She's the youngest of the three and comes off as innocent, though she, too, holds deep secrets. As a mystery writer, it's easy to see how Erin and Georgia appeal to her, but she's so wrapped up in their stories that, other than being a writer, it was hard to get to know her. It made her not quite interesting and I'm still puzzling over what the book description meant when it mentioned "the truth being their 'perfect' marriage." Her husband wasn't actually seen or mentioned much and she was often left on her own, so I'm still curious about the truth of their marriage.

Georgia, well, I felt she could have been more interesting. She's bursting with color and vitality and seems not at all what one might think of as a murderer, but there are also parts of her that seem a little too perfect, making the reader wonder a little about her. With the story mostly told by Brooke and Erin, the reader doesn't get much more beyond how they see her, which makes sense considering what really happened to her late husbands is part of the core of the story.

The part that bothered me was how alike all the men seemed. I often got them mixed up. They were all wealthy and worked hard so they were rarely home. But they were also demanding and had their own ways of controlling their wife. Georgia's fiance was actually something of a breath of fresh air, but all the other men seemed to be cut from the same cloth.

I liked that The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives made the women into more than simple housewives whose only job was to look pretty and be the perfect hostess. They had their own careers, their own minds, their own decisions to make. Put beside the men, it was easy to see why they did what they did.

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives moves at an excellent pace and revelations come as necessary. Not once did I want to try to figure out what was really going on and not once did I feel it was predictable. There were things I suspected, but I still really liked the twists and turns. This book definitely kept my interest and I felt caught up in the women's lives, though some bits of information and revelations just seemed to come out of nowhere. I think I might have appreciated at least a little foreshadowing, but these women really kept their secrets!

This novel is teeming with secrets, but it wasn't quite as catty and backstabbing as I had thought it would be. While Erin seemed jealous of Brooke, it really only came in snatches that became a little repetitive. Instead, the three women seemed to forge a strong bond, one based on shared secrets. If anything, I wish they had been a little more brutal towards each other, but I had fun getting tangled up in their lives.

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives was a fun thriller that had me questioning what was going on and what was going to happen next. I loved how everything was neatly tied together, how everything had been so meticulously planned. It did feel like some information came out of left field, but I still really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The sinful wives of trophy wives was a fast paced thriller. Grabbed me right from the start. The back and forth of the different characters keeps you guessing

This is a fun, quick read meant to be as entertaining and catty as the three women who come to life in the story. It’s got a dark side too, so don’t expect fuzzy kittens and pretty flowers.
Brooke Davies is your typical trophy wife and eye candy for her older extremely rich husband. She doesn’t say the quiet part out loud, but he’s a controlling and dangerous egotistical snob. He buys a house in a ritzy neighborhood, based solely on the image, but doesn’t realize in doing so, he gives Brooke the perfect out for her frustrations. She meets her neighbors, two other trophy wives, with whom she falls in almost immediately. It’s obvious they all need a break, a chance to let their hair down, get silly, and be honest and open with one another. As we learn more about these ladies, the more we realize not all the glitter you see is good. There are some deep and serious flaws behind these manicured mansions, and Kristin Miller takes us into the dark and wicked side of humanity.
Fun for a change of pace, easy to read, laugh out loud then gasp in surprise, this book is the perfect beach read!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is July 20, 2021.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so much fun and a great summer read. The characters are really well done. Each of the three main characters is well developed and interesting, clearly each having her own voice especially when the point of view changes depending on the chapter. They are the rich and fabulous, drinking mimosas every morning and delighting in gossip about their neighbors. They are the type of characters you love to hate. They are truly terrible people and yet, I couldn't get enough of them.

The story itself was good. The mystery kept my interest and kept me guessing. Multiple times I thought I had figured out all of the pieces only for the next twist to knock them all apart again. The twists and turns were expected but logical and well thought out. The end was such a good twist that I didn't see coming but I really like where it ended up (even if the epilogue wrapped everything up a little too nicely).

Overall, this was a very fun read. It's only 288 pages and was fast-paced making for a quick read. This would be a great one to read by the pool or on vacation but made for a fun Saturday afternoon reading on the couch too. 4 stars from me.

** I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, Kristin Miller, and Random House. **

Three and a half stars for this engaging quick read. Three women living in an exclusive gated community, each with their own secrets. None of them likeable or believable. Some of the plot twists, especially at the end, were far fetched and unbelievable. Still this book kept me engaged and reading voraciously to try to figure out the truth. This is a perfect beach/vacation read.

If you're looking for a dark, compelling, fast-paced, can't put it down read filled with drama, machinations, twists and turns, secrets, and surprises, this is the book for you!

The story is told through the POVs of three women who live in the exclusive Presidio Terrace neighborhood. The residents of Presidio Terrace all seem to have perfect lives, but things are not at all what they seem, and each of the characters works hard to keep that veneer of perfection in place.

Georgia St. Clair is known in the news and in the neighborhood as the Black Widow because her first two husbands died soon after marrying her. Georgia is preparing to marry her third husband, Robert Donnelly. While no one has been able to prove that she caused the deaths of her husbands, there is enough suspicion to keep people wondering. Will Robert be next? Are his days numbered?

Erin King is a TV newscaster married for five years to Mason, a plastic surgeon. Erin's success seems to be pushing Mason away and Erin fears he is having an affair. What will she do to get him back? Does she want him back?

Brooke Davies, 28, and her husband Jack, 50, are the new couple in the neighborhood. Brooke is a mystery writer, Jack a billionaire CEO and principal engineer of a major search engine company. They have an unconventional marriage, but it works for them. Jack is concerned about Brooke's growing friendships with Georgia and Erin, and begins to exert more and more control over Brooke. She's a pro at making things look perfect. No one would ever guess the truth.

All of these women are flawed, fierce in their own way, and vulnerable. Kristin Miller does a fantastic job of letting the reader get to know more about these complex characters bit by bit. The storyline grabbed me from the start and it becomes more intricate as the book progresses.

This is a wonderful read and I recommend it highly.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for permitting me access to an ARC of this book which is scheduled to be published on 7/20/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was an entertaining soap opera on paper. This was my expectation based on the description is written as such, trophy wives and dead husbands. This was a lighter mystery with deeply flawed characters without an ounce of depth, what one expects from a soap opera styled novel. My one complaint was the narrative from several characters, I'd prefer it had one narrator.
This review is for an ARC read from Net Galley.

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives is a twisty and fun story complete with rotating perspectives, a cliffhanger beginning, and the opulence of a gated community. When Brooke moves in and meets Georgia, also known as the Black Widow (for the suspicious death of her two previous husbands), she finds inspiration for her next murder mystery. What follows is a messy romp through kidnapping, ransom, murder, infidelity, and hidden identities. This book was great fun to read!

A fun pool read of rich women doing some bad things. It was a bit predictable, but I loved reading about these San Francisco wives.

This was ok but just ok. It isn't one I will remember ever detail but I don't regret reading it. It was entertaining while it lasted but that's about it.

Whoa! I expected a juicy bit of gossipy fiction about the rich and famous and their young, beautiful trophy wives but this novel goes far beyond that with an exciting, twisted plot.

Brooke and her husband Jack move into the prestigious Presidio Terrace neighborhood of San Francisco. She's a writer and he, a famous techie. There she meets Erin, a tv news anchor whose husband is a plastic surgeon, and Georgia, the woman known as The Black Widow because her first two wealthy husbands died unexpectedly and she's about to marry her third, Robert. Watch out, Robert!

The couple throw a fabulous pre-wedding party aboard Robert's yacht, but the next morning, Georgia wakes to find he has disappeared. Did he run away? Fall overboard? Was he kidnapped? With the wedding only days away, the three friends must try to figure out what has happened to him.

The characters are narcissistic and deeply flawed with dark secrets but, as one points out, they are 'trying' to be good people, lol. A quick, entertaining read.

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity.

I did not like this book. The first half was slowly building up and then all of a sudden it was a soap opera? I didn't get it. I felt like a lot of the "action" came totally out of left field. I kept saying, "what???" as I read. It just felt like it was trying too hard. I did enjoy the wrap-up though!

3.5 Stars

There isn't one likeable person in this book and it was awesome...it was like watching a soap opera with all the cat fighting, marriages, death and money. It is also a short book, but that isn't what made me able to read it in one sitting. The pages just flew by as I got sucked into the lives of Brooke, Georgia and Erin. I liked how chapters focused on one character's point of view, each of the women taking it in turn.

I loved the over-the-top characters and they were very well developed, we get some back story for each of the ladies and that goes a long way to feeling for them (good or bad). And even though the plot wasn't completely plausible...I was shocked and was totally satisfied by the ending...surprising twists anyone!? This is the perfect beach read by any definition and can be read in one sitting. I would call this a guilty pleasure and I enjoyed every minute of it and for that fact alone I am rounding up.

Brief summary:
After marrying a tech-billionaire, Brooke moves into a cush Bay area neighborhood and becomes ensnared in a dangerous friendship with two ‘trophy wives,’ one of whom is nicknamed the Black Widow” because she allegedly cashed in on the mysterious deaths of her first two husbands.

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This was an incredibly fun premise, and I expected - based on the title and description - a lot of juicy drama and camp, like THE HUNTING WIVES, which came out in May. It did deliver on that promise somewhat, although the story wasn’t told as tightly and the characters weren’t as specific.

The story started strong. I thought the relationship between Erin and Georgia, the two trophy wives, was interesting and fun, and I liked the character of Brooke well enough. But I didn’t think the execution made it seem realistic enough, and I just wasn’t able to get lost in the story.

This one didn’t deliver for me, but if you’re a fan of Kristin Miller, you’ll most likely love it!

This comes out July 20!

Lifestyles of the rich and scandalous! That was my overall thought about this book. Also, this would be an excellent adaptation to see on film or tv, and I have some thoughts on casting!

When Brooke moves into an ultra wealthy, uber-exclusive gated community with her much older billionaire husband, she isn't expecting much excitement. To her delight, she makes fast friends with tv anchor Erin, and Georgia, who is sometimes called the black widow, due to the deaths of her 2 previous husbands. Georgia is now engaged to husband-to-be number 3, and the events of the book happen in the span of a week. A very dramatic week.

I actually really liked this book. In real life this extreme wealth can be obscene, but in fiction it's super fun to explore. This book is cool, splashy, soapy, gossipy, and a perfect beach read.