A plot you've read a million times...but with poor writing.

2 stars...probably a generous rating.

The Starter Wife is the ultimate in unreliable narrators. This story, however, has something that other books in this genre don't...not a single chapter without the coo-coo. I literally felt like I was reading page after page of confused, drunken rambling with no direction, no plot, and no sense of story. It exemplified the tedious, and held little anticipation. I already knew exactly how it was going to end. This story has been done so many times before, but far better. I was reading only to finish, and not out of any sense of enjoyment.

The characters were confusing and not well defined, the plot had gaping holes throughout, and at the end of the day, I simply can't recommend this book. Not to anyone. It was such a disappointment.

**While I wish I could have given a more positive review, I'd still like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with advance copy of this novel.

This book was great! I gave it three stars because, as an avid thriller reader, I didn't feel like this book brought any new ideas to the table. However, I still definitely enjoyed this book and do recommend! This would be a great, quick & easy beach read for someone who enjoys thrillers!

HOW I RATE BOOKS (for reference):
5 stars: an amazing book. a book that will stay in my mind days, weeks, months later. typically an all-time favorite, although not always. Most likely to reread
4 stars: a great book, but is just missing that one thing to set it over the edge. would be somewhat likely to reread
3 stars: good, "meh" kind of book. was able to get through it and the story was okay, but not something I'd likely reread
2 stars: just no. a book I did not enjoy but was able to get through without DNFing
1 star: did not like it at all, was bored and couldn't get through it, DNF'd

Claire is married to Byron, a college literary professor who is a number of years older than she is. Claire can't help but feel as though she's living in the shadow of Byron's first wife, Colleen (the "starter" wife). Colleen disappeared years ago and her death was ruled a suicide, but her body was never found. Claire and Byron's home, which is the same home he shared with Colleen, is filled with many reminder's of his first wife - her decor, her paintings, her art. This gets on Claire's nerves sometimes, but she loves Byron so much and doesn't want to cause any issues, especially due to the circumstances surrounding Colleen's death. Claire is somewhat obsessed with Colleen and her death, and frequently reads articles about her. When she seems to start getting messages from the grave and notices a change in Byron's behavior, Claire decides to do even more research on Colleen and Byron to get some questions answered. What happened to Colleen? Is she alive or dead? Did her beloved Byron have anything to do with her disappearance?

I had mixed feelings on this one. None of the characters were particularly likable, which I'm fine with - I've read plenty of books where I don't like the characters. I liked the build-up to the big reveal, but I felt the reveal was rushed and I ended the book with some questions. I've read some other reviews where the reviewer thought the book may be a little more enjoyable as a re-read, and I agree with that. Perhaps I'd have less questions/confusion if I re-read the entire book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of The Starter Wife. I hadn't read anything else by Nina Laurin and I'm interested in checking out more of her works.

I am happy to say that I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to. This book is full on crazy. If you are burnt out on the drunk unreliable narrator then steer clear but if you fancy a narrator that puts the cuckoo in cocoa puffs then you've come to the right place.

Claire is married to English professor Byron and while she is still head over heels in love with him it appears that his interest in her is beginning to wane. She can't have this. She will do anything to keep her man. Unfortunately the woman she is most jealous of is his first wife, his starter wife, his dead wife, Colleen. She tragically committed suicide and yet Claire is reminded of her every single day. First off, they live in her house surrounded by her paintings. It seems as if they will never be able to escape Colleens memory no matter how much Claire tries to make their life so perfectly perfect. Why doesn't Byron see just how hard Claire tries to keep him happy?

Claire is jealous, Claire is drunk, Claire is paranoid, and Claire is about to lose her ever loving mind and I couldn't tear my eyes away. A done-in-one-day book that I couldn't put down. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Canadian author Nina Laurin’s latest thriller, The Starter Wife, works hard to distinguish itself from other novels with similar plots. She’s got a lot of competition, swimming in the same pool as such notables as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. In Laurin’s telling, trophy wife Claire Westcott is the woman who suspects there’s something fishy about the suicide of her husband Byron’s first wife, painter Colleen May. Is Byron guilty, or is Claire losing her mind?

It’s difficult to be original with a plot that’s so familiar, so Laurin employs twists to keep readers guessing. For me, though, there were times I just ended up confused, wondering if the “I” was always Claire, or someone completely different.

Read the complete review by clicking the link below.

Can I just say how much I enjoyed The Starter Wife?!

This book is everything I love and look for in a domestic/psychological thriller. It felt like I read it in no time as I didn’t want to put it down and just wanted more.

Claire is married to Byron who is about 20 years her senior and is also a widower, his “starter” wife Colleen died under unusual circumstances which was ruled a suicide.
Clair also feel that she is living in the shadow of the late wife and as her relationship with Byron seems to be cooling off she begins to start digging around for answers.

This story was very fast paced and you never really knew which direction it was going to take you next. Very addictive!

Thank you @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for the opportunity to read and reviews this awesome thriller, which is out now.

Although currently one-third of the way through the story, I am having difficulty continuing. The plot is still murky at this point and Claire is unlikable, so much so, that makes it hard to be invested in the story. She is drawn as immature, entitled, manipulative, and clueless. I'm not interested in nor sympathetic to her plight. Personally, I would have preferred an omniscient POV, whereby Claire's thoughts could have been withheld. I'll abstain from publishing my review to the retailers' sites; in all fairness, it is doubtful that I will finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Nina Laurin for an Arc of 'The Starter Wife' in exchange for an honest review.

Captivating from the start, this was an enticing psychological thriller. I didn't want to put it down because there was something new to try and figure out every chapter. The only downside was that it got a little confusing in the middle but by the end it was right on track again. I enjoyed this book and I am grateful to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers with a bunch of twists and turns.

This is my first Nina Laurin. The Starter Wife isn't your run of the meal thriller. Past, present and future women all wanting this one man. It kept me guessing till the bitter in. It is not to be missed.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot just did not hold my interest. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I will not be posting any reviews to the websites due to the fact that I did not finish the book and would not be leaving a fair review.

The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin is my favorite type of mystery: a thriller that you want to re-read so you can pick up on some of the clues you might have missed the first time. Byron Westcott is a college professor whose wife Colleen disappeared years ago. The police suspect she committed suicide but have never recovered her body. Several years later, Byron marries Claire, a budding novelist, who idolizes her husband. Cracks begin to appear in this happy marriage and where this is going you will never guess. The tension builds until the very end. I highly recommend The Starter Wife to all mystery readers who like to be surprised. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pity that this was only the preview. It's shaping up to be a twisty thriller with fantastic depth of character. I'm really looking forward to reading the full book that delves into the complex nature of filial relationships.

Claire is dealing with a lot: writer's block, infertility, a potentially wandering husband, oh and his first wife might not actually be dead. So it is understandable that she is off kilter. The book provides two points of view. One is Claire as she deals with these problems and the other the reader isn't privy to until the end. Trying to figure this all out got a little more confusing for me than I think the story intended. The result was that I didn't quite engage with the story line. I didn't get to connect with any characters other than Claire and I never felt that I got to know her outside of her reactions to the events around her. These are things I would have liked. I was never sure who to cheer for! But underneath these issues was a good solid story.

Well that was a fun, roller coaster of a ride with lots of loop-the-loops, twists, turns, and breakneck speed. My intrigue was immediately piqued, and that interest only grew as the story progressed. Just a pure, fun little psychological thriller.

Claire Westcott, a struggling writer, is married to Byron Westcott, a college literature professor, and their relatively cushy life is all due to Byron’s first wife, Colleen;

Colleen, who was much loved.

Colleen, who was a gifted and successful artist.

Colleen, who committed suicide...or did she?

Someone is trying to ruin Claire’s and Byron’s marriage, but is Claire simply paranoid or losing her mind?

Guess you’ll find out if you read this entertaining thriller. Although I guessed some of the plot lines Nina Laurin created, I was still pleasantly surprised and satisfied as the last page was turned.

Thank you to Netgalley, Nina Laurin, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published June 11th, 2019.

Horrible story line. Hard to read as a narrative. Not entertaining. I did not finish this book. Hard to read with the 2 narrators

Claire is the second wife of Professor Westcott and lives a life of leisure writing a book that is not getting written and preparing meals to cater to her husband. Claire drinks a lot and lives surrounded by the first wive's things. When she tries to sell the first wife (Colleen's) painting she discovers things aren't what they seem. Strange things begin happening to her and she thinks her husband is having an affair. Her mind keeps telling her that it might be the first wife. After all, they never found the body, right? I literally could not put this book down and loved the suspense throughout. This is the first I have read by this author, but it will definitely not be the last. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

A well written psychological thriller, a dark one and I loved it!
Captivating from the start, keeps you wanting to turn the pages. Interesting likable characters, many twists, keeps you guessing, keeps you interested until the last page!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a complimentary copy from netgalley - thank you

Loved this

A slow start but then was absolutely gripped - so many twists - it kept me on the edge of my seat right to the end

I included this title in a feature and will provide the link directly to the publisher in the next round of this reviewing process.

I wasn’t crazy about this one. It was pretty dark and like many thrillers these days it seemed to get a little over the top as it went on. I really didn’t care for the characters (often the case for me in darker reads) which made it difficult to finish the book.