I almost didn't request this, I was so afraid it was going to be like all the other books out these days, and it was, there are so many books trying to follow the footsteps of the other authors doing the same thing, I had the thing predicted at the beginning. I was hoping for something new and original. It was still a decent book, a quick read, and not entirely too awful, but as someone who has read so many books lately that are similar to this one, I was hoping for something more.

This book was ok. The description sounds interesting, but not one of my favorite books. Didn’t owe my interest.

Well that was a crazy and wild ride! It was entertaining for sure but there were a few problems I had with it while reading. It was still enjoyable though and would make a darn good summer beach read.

Claire is married to Byron, a college professor. Byron's first wife aka the starter wife, Colleen, committed suicide while they were married, and Claire has always felt like she was in Colleen's shadow. It is probably hard to shake that feeling when they live in Colleen's nice home, spend money from her estate, and are surrounded with her artwork. Claire's relationship with her husband appears to be on the rocks as Byron has been acting cold and distant towards her lately. Claire might have to do some investigating to find out why Byron is acting this way.

This was definitely a page turner and ended up being a fairly quick read. At times I felt frustrated and confused by the motivations of certain characters. However, most of the questions I had about characters' behaviors were answered by the time I finished the book. This is one of the rare times I will say I think I might enjoy this book better on a reread. It's also the type of book I am looking forward to other people reading as I am dying to know what others have to say about it. Lots of interesting things to discuss!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I know that Laurin wanted to bury the lead in THE STARTER WIFE, but she buried it so deep that the entire book became confusing. While the confusion was intended, and the book certainly delivers a knock-out punch at the end, the confusion also detracted from my enjoyment of the book. When the narrator is so unreliable that you can't even tell who is telling the story, it's just frustrating. I really enjoyed GIRL LAST SEEN, one of Laurin's earlier books, and I will certainly try her again, this was not a favorite.

The Starter Wife by NIna Laurin was completely gripping from the start! In this psychological thriller, we follow along inside the mind of a complete sociopath who has an obsession that takes over her entire life. The novel is written in a way that keeps you as disoriented as it's unreliable narrator. Also, somehow, Nina Laurin sneaks wit into rather dark ideas. BRB - Going tell everyone to add this title to their TBR's!

WOW. his was an amazing book. The writing style is very intriguing as well. I finished one big read.
I will definitely recommend this book to others. I have yet to read this writer be I am so glad I did.
Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very interesting read. Although it follows a lot of the same cliches most suspense novels do. Younger woman, older husband, mysterious wife that has "killed herself"

However, the writing is almost poking fun at the genre but not in a "In your face" sort of way. Almost in a blink and you will miss it fashion. It is wonderfully written so I didn't mind the cliches. Let's be honest, every book in this genre has the same cliches. If I didn't like the cliche, I wouldn't read these types of books! Nina Laurin has taken a predictable genre and turned into to something fun and exciting. Let's not to forget quick read! I was able to stay focused on the story and characters and not get confused with all other things happening.

This is my first read by Nina and I can't wait to read more of her work!

The Starter Wife is a good read for someone who enjoys psychological thrillers. Told from two points of view this reader had a difficult time determining fact from fiction until the end, just as the author intended. The writing is good and the plot moves along nicely...even as the characters’ personalities begin to change or perhaps, deteriorate. I found this basically to be a story about deception, but who was the deceiver? I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.

Claire’s marriage to Byron is picture perfect, or at least it used to be. She’s always felt she was living in the shadow of Byron’s first wife, Colleen, who supposedly killed herself. But while Colleen’s car and suicide note were found, her body never was. Now, Byron seems moody and distant and Claire has been getting frightening phone calls from someone who is supposed to be dead. Be prepared to be gaslighted in this thriller where nothing is as it seems

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

A powerhouse of a thriller, everything about this book was superb . The characters, the narration, the twist, the plot. A very refreshing take on the female sociopath trope . One of those books where everyone is an asshole but you enjoy it anyhow.

Byron and his wife Claire have been married for 2 years. Byron is 47 and Claire is 27. Byron's first wife, Colleen, disappeared. The police believe it was a suicide after her car is found near a lake and a suicide note is found. Strangely women around Byron seem to disappear. There has been a lot of gossip at the college where Byron is a professor. When Byron starts acting differently toward Claire she becomes concerned and starts investigating his past.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
General Fiction (Adult)
Expected Release Date: July 9, 2019

I was due for a thriller. And genre going like it does, odds are it would be a female authored female driven one. And odds are it would feature split narrative, some sort of relationship drama and a female protagonist under duress. So yeah, Starter Wife checks all the boxes, it doesn’t aim to reinvent the wheel, in fact it seems cobbled together out of various LEGOs of genre building materials, but then…it works. And quite well. And does so mainly by hinging its plot on a narrator so hysterically unreliable and certifiably insane that it’s kind of amusing to behold. Claire is an ambitious young woman, albeit the sum of her ambition is to be a perfect wife to a much older sexy English professor and eventually a perfect mother to his babies. And she will pursue that goal with a maddening and terrifying determination. Professor’s first wife is gone by the way of mysterious suicide, but she didn’t count, Claire considered her just a starter wife, while Claire herself is the real deal. If only the world would cooperate, if only she got pregnant as expected, if only her temper stayed in check, if only her memory was more reliable and her drinking more under control and her dearly beloved more amorous…but alas, Claire’s world isn’t perfect so she will force it to be. At any cost. So it’s a sort of woman going off the rails suspense thriller, cheesy in a way, but very entertaining for what it is and plotted more intricately than you might initially think. No likeable characters really, no one to engage, no one you especially want to come out on top, but then again it isn’t that sort of a story. This is a tale of obsession gone wrong (as opposed to what, though, really…an obsession gone right?) and, ignoring the clichés, it was surprisingly fun. Not to mention a very quick read. Thanks Netgalley.

Picked this up to read a few pages was drawn in couldn’t put down,Nina Lauren is a new author to me her characters writing style is perfect for me and I look forward to reading more from her.#netgalley #Grandcentralpublishing,