Well, that was a sick, twisted,and terrific rollercoaster of a book. Obsession and delusion make this a dark, dark gripping story that stays in your stomach when you turn the last page.

An exciting and entertaining book I couldn't put down. I loved everything: the style of writing, the character, and the plot.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

What a fun ride! It's rare for me that I am so involved in a book that I think about reading it while I should be doing other things... like on my drive home, "I can't wait to get to my book!" or when I wake up, "I can't wait to read while sipping my coffee!" This story was a well-crafted page turner that kept me fully intrigued to the very end! It resolved well enough at the end, while still leaving me with a few unanswered questions that allow for my own interpretations. The story of Claire Westcott, a desperate young woman so deeply in love with her previously widowed husband... what lengths does she go to in order to keep him by her side? 4.5 stars for sheer enjoyment of the tale. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this tale!

A thrilling read- one that will certainly make you second guess everything! While the ending left me feeling a bit frazzled, the overall story and everything within it is phenomenal. I know this one is going to be a hit this summer and fall!

OK this one got me. Read this in one straight go and WOW was I surprised by the twist!! A great read with a lot of surprises.

That didn't play out as I thought it would.

I love a good thriller and The Starter Wife does not disappoint. In fact, it delivers a bigger punch than I expected. What starts as marital bliss ends up as... well, I don't want to give it away.

Claire Westcott has it all; the beautiful house, a writing career, and a doting husband. But something seems to be a bit off. Nothing too obvious, but little by little you begin to realize that there's more to the picture than first meets the eye. This is the set-up for many a successful thriller, but what sets this one apart is its duplicitous nature. As readers, we depend on red flags to help us discern what is going on that the narrator fails to tell us outright. Nina Laurin is a magician with red flags, and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and wonder how did she do that?

The novel is told from two points of view. The main voice belongs to Claire Westcott, who is always striving to live up to her husband's high standards. The other more sinister italicized voice belongs to an unnamed person who seems to know the whole story—a story involving a mysterious suicide. The alternating perspectives make for a heck of a read, and has you questioning everything you think is fact.

As far as characters go, I can safely say that I didn't like any of them. Claire Westcott, her literature professor husband Byron, even Colleen May, the deceased first wife—everyone seems to bring out the worst in each other. Laurin explores the limits of jealousy, obsession, and deceit in a way that seems like reasonable behavior. Byron Westcott may not be fully healed from the loss of his first wife, Colleen, and Claire maybe unfairly held to impossible standards by her husband. Does that mean the sneaking around and attempts to catch each other in a lie is warranted behavior? Sometimes, sacrifices are made for the good of a relationship. The question in The Starter Wife is how far is too far?

The Starter Wife is not a book you can put down and be done with. As I sat digesting the story, unresolved details would suddenly slip into place. It is satisfying to read something so deceptive as The Starter Wife and I recommend it to anyone who thinks they can't be fooled.

Absolutely loved this domestic thriller! Excellent character development, exciting dialogue and fascinating plot. What more can you ask for?
Highly recommended.

The Starter Wife is a good thriller. I did find it a little confusing at times, but overall I enjoyed it.

I received this book "The Starter Wife" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I liked the book. I found it confusing at times - what is really going on? I didn't find anything original in the story though. It was a quick read. I didn't care for the end but overall I liked it.

I was given an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book always had me thinking. I struggled with knowing who was being followed by whom.

While the end of the book tried to clarify things, I found myself scratching my head feeling the need to reread the book. I felt I must have missed something.

The characters were believable and the plot was interesting. I just struggled to have all the pieces tied together.

The Starter Wife is a book that keeps the reader on edge trying to figure out exactly what is going on. When I started this book I had so many questions that needed to be answered and found myself so irritated with Claire and her naïveté so much so I realized I was talking out loud one day while reading it and a co-worker ask good book ? Lol. I would say that any book that gets under ones skin is a good book but that is not always the case. But luckily it is for me with this one.

Claire Wescott is a fairly new wife who has found herself in a situation no married woman wants to be in, her and her significantly older husband Byron are not spending the time together that they used to. He is leaving the house in the mornings without saying goodbye and it has been a while since they have had sex. Claire believes his dead ex-wife plays a huge role in his disinterest, believing he has not really gotten over her.

The Starter Wife has you questioning Claire’s decision making skills to marry a man she seems to be clueless about and her agreement upon moving into the house he and his dead wife shared. You even begin to question your own sanity and wonder why you haven’t figured out much about the book. This is a well written book (although I would’ve preferred a better ending) that keeps you questioning what exactly is going on and which character should you really be siding with?

Wow! This was my first book by Nina Laurin, but not my last. I have her other two, and can’t wait to read them soon! What an amazingly twisted tale of love and how far people go for love!!! So many twists you may get dizzy, so much suspense you can feel it in the air! A perfect read for thriller lovers! Would give more stars if I could! A must read! Can’t praise this riveting read enough!
Will be using in a challenge and letting members of Chapter Chatter Pub know how amazing it is!

My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it's an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static.

When the voice does finally come, it's female, low, muffled somehow. "Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is."
A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She's not just in my head. A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It's Colleen.

While I found this book to be an interesting enough read to make me finish it, it wasn't very original. That being said, I do think it was well written and intriguing. Especially if you haven't read many thrillers in the past. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending but overall I'm glad I got a chance to read it and will be looking for the authors other books.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheStarterWife
Pub Date: 11 Jun 2019

This is my first read by this author. I honestly had a difficult time following it, but I think that had to do with the plot twists. Overall, an intriguing read but I feel like it's been done before -- and the end was very frustrating to me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are lots of plots within one book which keeps you as the reader stimulated and wanting to read it. Poor Claire at first you feel she is being controlled and mistreated by her husband. Throughout the book snippets have the past are delved into and a stalker is giving thoughts and actions.

Byron: a literature professor whose past is shrouded in his first wife's death.

Claire: a young aspiring write who married someone 20 years her senior.

Colleen: A famous artist and also Byron's first wife who went missing.

The story line is a good. It has drama and mystery. However, I find that the way the story was written was confusing. Present mesh with past mesh with a few different characters had my head spinning. I still wonder who was messing with Claire. Is it her or is it really someone else? Is it the past of what she did to Colleen or is it the present? It has many twists. I find Byron to be weak. How did he get to the point of hiring an investigator on his new wife? There are so many pieces missing to this story. It doesn't seem complete.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow.. The starter wife was an addicting read that I couldn't get enough of! This is my first Nina Laurin book and it really ended up being a good read that has gotten me out of my reading slump.

I have been totally obsessed with domestic thrillers and this really knocked it out of the park for me. It had everything I look for in a domestic thriller. It had so many lies, secrets, betrayal, multiple wives, obsession and murder!

The starter wife was well written with well thought out plot and characters and everything just flowed together perfectly. It was a little predictable for certain parts of the story but even so, it was still really enjoyable and kept me reading until all hours of the night until I was finished it. Once I did finish it I quite honestly didn't want it to end and the ending really has you left with unanswered questions and had me thinking of my own conclusions which is a fun part of reading.

Wow, I loved this book!! I didn't see the twists coming and can't wait to read more by the author. I know it's a cliche, but I couldn't put the book down and it was perfect for a curled up with a cozy blanket afternoon

The Starter Wife was just what I was looking for. It had me hooked from the first page. A great suspenseful , page turner that left me guessing what was going to happen next. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.