I honestly waffled between a 1 and 2 star rating for this book, but from early on I didn't really enjoy it and was so tempted to DNF it multiple times, that I'm going with 1.

The Last Wife is told by Marie. A seemingly overbearing and protective friend who then takes it upon herself to assume the role of her best friend after her passing. Suddenly, she realizes that her best friend and their other childhood friend are not the people she thought they were.

The whole premise of this story is flimsy, ridiculous, and highly unbelievable. The characters are all mostly flat (except for Marie) and their motivations very unrealistic. I honestly thought Marie was going to be an unreliable narrator because of the jumbled stream-of-consciousness style in which this novel was written. (Random slang words. One word sentences all over the place. "Oh.My.God" inserted every time something supposedly shocking is happening, as if to remind the reader what they're supposed to be feeling). She's not. She's just truly that naive and seemingly innocent. The twists in this novel weren't surprising and the conclusion was just sad. This was not the clever suspense/thriller I was hoping for. It read more like a day time soap opera.

Wow. This book kept me guessing. After her best friend Nina dies, Marie fulfills a promise to her by making sure her family is taken care of. The problem is, Marie takes her job a little too seriously and inserts herself into Nina's life as if it was her own.
There was a lot going on in this book, a lot, so much that it was hard to keep track of all of the characters. Is the narrator reliable? What secret is everyone hiding? Was Nina the person that Marie thought she was? Is everyone in the book a little crazy? These were all of the questions I had floating through my mind as I read it.
You can see early that Marie is a bit of a headcase, that is for sure, but it is possible she isn't the only one. As the book goes on you can see things start to unravel for many of the characters and there were twists I did not see coming. I really enjoyed this thriller, but I wish it was not so all over the place at times. Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin and the author for an early copy of this book!

I loved Karen Hamilton's previous book, The Perfect Girlfriend. She specializes in writing about female characters that are not your average, run-of-the-mill girlfriend, wife, or friend. Her characters are the craziest, most unhinged ones that I've ever read about.

Marie's actions are definitely cringe-worthy, and the more you read, the more you squirm. It will make you want to break ties with all of your friends to protect your family. Just like in Karen Hamilton's previous book, I slowly realized that Marie's head is totally screwed up, and so are the rest of the characters in this book.

There were many plotlines and characters in this book, and every single one of them is an unreliable narrator. The book went in several directions and I didn't know what to expect. I gave up trying to figure out the story outcomes and just went along for the ride.

This book is about memories, perception, obsession, murder, family, stalking, betrayal, and friendship. It has many twists and kept me guessing until the very end. I liked The Perfect Girlfriend a little bit better, but this book is the perfect thing if you're looking to be entertained by a crazy plot and off-your-rocker characters.

Last year, I read Karen Hamilton's debut thriller, The Perfect Girlfriend, and I LOVED it. I thought it was so good and hard to put down, and it came at a time when I desperately needed a book to pull me out of a reading rut. I was so excited when I saw that Karen Hamilton had a new book coming out, that I immediately added it to my TBR and requested it on Netgalley without even reading the synopsis. I dislike writing negative book reviews, and I try to be constructive and not "scathing" in my reviews, but I did not like this book at all. It was a major disappoint for me. The story involves a handful of characters, mainly Nina, Stuart, and Marie. Nina and Marie were best friends, and when Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she made Marie promise to look after her children and her family. Those who knew Nina and Marie would agree that Marie spent much of her life in Nina's shadows, and always wanted what Nina had. This did not change as the two got older; in fact, it only became worse. Based on the premise, I thought this was going to be a completely different story than what it was. About 25% of the way through, I felt like nothing had really happened, and I debated on continuing to read or not. However, I enjoyed The Perfect Girlfriend so much, that I thought sure it would get better. Maybe I have read too many thrillers lately; maybe I've just read too many thrillers in general, but I thought the plot and characters were unoriginal. Best friends, secrets, a perfect life that wasn't so perfect after all. I didn't care for anything of the characters, which left me with an overall feeling of apathy towards the story as a whole. I just could not get into this one, and I won't be recommending it. I kept waiting for a big twist or major revelation to be revealed, and it just didn't happen. Every time I thought the story was going to ramp up, it quickly deflated and fell flat. If Karen Hamilton writes another book after this one, I will give it a try, but only because I loved The Perfect Girlfriend. Overall, this was a disappointing read, and I give it 2/5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy for review.

The Last Wife

Be careful what you wish for because it might just come true is the lesson learned in this dark, twisty story of picking up the pieces after the death of a loved one and coming to terms with the past.

What I Loved

The Last Wife is a gripping look into the mind of Marie, the main character, who tells her story in a way that is sometimes sympathetic and fluid and, at other times, is disjointed and suspect. I loved that it was hard to figure out what to believe and what to discount as lies.
There is not a great deal of action, but trying to figure out what to believe keeps the story full of suspense and the pages turning past when you need to stop.

I also love how deceptively flawed all the characters are. They are intricately designed to reflect various levels of mental health disorders, including Nina, who dies before the story begins. The lengths each goes through to protect the others is the biggest mystery of all in a story that contains secrets upon secrets and someone's need for the truth to come out.

Sometimes being deep inside one character's mind can be very trying to read. The density and misdirections can be confusing and tiresome. But, times like this are very few in this story. I found myself wanting Marie to stop being so fixated on the past, but this fixation pushed the story on and allowed a mystery to be solved.

Marie and Stuart's relationship felt off to me until I began looking closer at Stuart and considering his motivations. Add that to Marie's obvious motives makes the seemingly wrong relationship become, if not right, but in its way, understandable.

To Read or Not to Read

Psychological thrillers can be challenging to write non-spoiler reviews on, but if you enjoy in-depth looks into disturbed minds, this story will be a thrilling summer read for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a strange story of deception and control. A dying woman's friend wants her life, and goes for it after the woman passes on. But, like the saying, the grass is not always greener, and the friend finds threatening notes, suspicious relatives and others who would do her harm. She just has to figure out who's the real bad guy...

I can’t imaging having to watch your best friend die. Especially when your whole life, or as long as you’ve remembered, you were jealous of that friend and her life. This is the situation that Marie finds herself in. She’s always felt she is her best self around Nina and she spends all of her time wishing her life was more like Nina’s.
So when Nina is diagnosed with skin cancer and slowly starts fading, Marie is there. She is there to take care of her kids, cook meals, help Nina, offer comfort to her husband. She’s so available to help Nina in fact that she forgets to tend to her own partner and her job.
Fast forward six months, she’s basically living Nina’s life. And people aren’t happy. They are talking. And can you blame them? But Marie, so desperate to be Nina, keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for herself.
Ever heard the phrase, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?” The Last Wife acts as a cautionary tale of what happens when you actually get what you want.
Hamilton does an amazing job getting inside the head of what we might refer to as a “psycho” or a woman who is obsessed with love and having what she thinks other people have. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a domestic thriller with some subtle twists and turns. Because nothing is as it seems.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out July 7. This review will appear on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on July 5, 2020.

Wow!!!!!!!!!! The deceit and manipulation in this book is mind bogglingly!!!!!!!!!!! This is very twisty thriller will keep you guessing till the last page and blow your mind good!!!!!!! Marie promised her dying friend Nina that she would always protect her family & preserve her good memory to Nina's children. What Nina didn't know though is that Marie has always had her own hidden agenda. Marie finds out though that the grass isn't always greener on the other side as she thought. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for my honest review

Can't say I'm a fan of The Last Wife.

Let me start by saying...this isn't a suspense or a thriller. It's a domestic drama, with very little in the way of mystery or intrigue. It's filled with not-even-remotely pleasant characters who do nothing but lie and manipulate, yet even that somehow falls flat.

This being my first Karen Hamilton novel, I have nothing to compare this work to...but the writing to me felt incredibly clunky and disjointed, and the dialogue was just awful. It felt like a soap opera, where a character drops what's supposed to be a riveting line, and then the music loudly plays, "Dun, DUN, DUNNNNNN!" It's kind of eye-roll worthy, to be honest.

I can't recommend this one, but if, after reading this review and others, The Last Wife sounds like your jam, it's available for purchase on July 7, 2020.

My sincere appreciation to NetGalley and Harlequin for my review copy.

5/5 Stars - I had no idea what was going to come next!

This book gives off a great uneasy feeling from the very beginning - something’s not right here and each of the characters seem to confirm it. Most blame it on the narrator, Marie, but as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that no one is exactly on the “up-and-up.” It created a creepy atmosphere where anything could happen.

And wow did it!

As things went on, I had no idea what was coming, but I knew I had to keep turning pages to find out. Each revelation added to the complex mystery and it was a race to figure out who the “good guys” were and who wasn’t trustworthy.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, all of whom had secrets and each of whom creeped me out, in different ways. I don’t want to give away too much, but this is the type of book that will make you question everyone around you when you finish it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I will definitely be looking for more from this author!

What a twisted mind spinning this book was! A friend taking over a dying friend's life. That alone is messed up! I thought I knew how it would go, but I was wrong! This has alot of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

I would like to thank the author, publishing house, and NetGalley for allowing me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
I did not like it. Almost didn't finish it. In fact, I went online to read some reviews and see if I just wasn't getting something. I decided to finish it.
I think it could have been really dark and twisted but there were so many cliches and was too predictable. I have never read this author before. Hesitant to try another.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Hamilton and Harlequin for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be invited to read this novel as I really enjoyed Hamilton’s first novel! I was immersed into this story right away and I really enjoyed that we are already dropped right into something going on in the novel. I had so many thoughts about where the novel was going, and I was not even close to correct. There were a lot of twists and characters twisting up this story to keep you guessing. Quite honestly, I did hate almost all of the characters in this novel, but that kept me in the dark about who was behind all the craziness. It was definitely a page-turner for me and I read it cover to cover in one afternoon because I had to know how the story all came together! I would definitely recommend!

Out July 7th!

Well... I have heard amazing things about Karen Hamilton's first novel The Perfect Girlfriend. I haven't read that one yet but well...... where do I start with this one?

I felt that the novel was very disjointed. I loved the crazy obsessive stalker Marie character and I wanted to see more of her! I wanted to see more of her whacked out relationship with Nina. I thought the novel was going to pursue that avenue and it just took on a completely different plot line. I wish Hamilton would have chosen one of the plots and stuck with it. I feel like there was two stories in one here... it just completely through me off.

I found the pacing to be off and was more of a slow burn. I couldn't quite figure out what the point of this novel was and left me feeling frustrated and just lost haha.

Mmm... I might take a look at her previous novel but I can't really recommend this one.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 7/7/20
Published to GR: 6/16/20

Did not finish. I felt the book was all over the place and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I read about half of it but the whole time was thinking of all the other books on my tbr pile and finally gave up. Not for me

This is the first book I have ready by Karen Hamilton, and I am left feeling a bit ambivalent. The writing was solid, and I was drawn into the reasons that Marie wanted to take over her friend Nina’s life, including her husband and kids. After Nina died of a terminal illness, Marie is compelled to step into her role, but her reasons are seemingly sinister. As the story unfolds, the secrets surrounding Nina’s life unravel, but maybe a bit too slowly for me. And the plot twists take the story in a direction that didn’t draw me in. Probably just personal taste, but I found myself a bit bored in places as I found I didn’t care enough about the characters to maximize the suspense I crave. Not a bad book, just didn’t really hit the spot this time.

This was a weird story. By the end I kind of think that nearly all the characters are a bit crazy. It is twisty for sure, not sure who I'd recommend it to though.

Not quite sure where the author was going with this. The protagonist waffled from evil, to crazy, to sympathetic from chapter to chapter so you were never sure which personality was going to show up. The book would have benefitted from some editing. Why was the story of her missing boyfriend told over and over and over and over and over and over again? Yes, it was that repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Trade Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Marie's dying friend Nina asks her to watch over her husband, Stuart and children, Felix and Emily, she takes that vow seriously. When her own relationship falls through, Marie moves to "plan B' and decides that Nina's family will now be hers. But as Marie is about to discover, her best friend had secrets of her own. Will Marie be able to handle the truth?


This was one twisty obsessive train wreck that I won't soon forget! By the end of the story, it was impossible to say that one character was nuttier than another. Is Marie a hero? Victim? Villain? All I know is that she belongs to the one book club that I don't ever want to be asked to join.




Goodreads review 09/06/20
Expected Publication Date 07/07/20

#TheLastWife

Thank you to Justine Sha and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my advance copy of The Last Wife in exchange for my honest review!

The Last Wife is a tale which perfectly encapsulates the saying, "oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Marie and Nina are best friends and Marie promises Nina that she will take care of her family when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. When Marie starts to do this things fall apart and yet come together.

Marie ends up divorcing her husband when she finds out he's been having an affair and the other woman has fallen pregnant. It deeply hurts Marie as she has been trying for years to have a baby and failed. She takes this opportunity to move in on Stuart, Nina's widow, and take over her family.

I did not find this to be a thriller, yet there were a few suspenseful parts to this one. A big part of this book is a trip to Ibiza where Nina, Marie, and their old friend Camilla which took place 10 years prior. Marie's boyfriend, Charlie, died on that trip and she can't really get over it. She blames Nina and Camilla on the death of Charlie and won't stop until she hears what she wants to hear.

All the characters in this one are weird. There's something a little off with all of them. Just when you think maybe Marie is the one manipulating everything the other characters do things and you just think everyone is trying to control and manipulate the situation. It's really just a bit bizarre.

This book was not particularly for me and I thought the ending completely fell flat. I don't want to give too much away, but Marie made it out to seem like a different situation and then suddenly in the end all is well.

3 stars. I was engaged enough with the writing to plow through this one, but if I'm honest I didn't really care about this one. I could take it or leave it, yet I'm sure some of you out there will love this one and eat it up...it just wasn't my cup of tea. If you enjoyed Karen Hamilton's previous novel The Perfect Girlfriend you will absolutely enjoy this one as well!