I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery at the core of this book! The trophy wives aren't always likable, and I was thinking that would affect my ability to connect with the characters and story. But really, I was interested in their relationships and was kept guessing throughout!

The book is about three women who are significantly younger than their husbands – like 30 years younger. They are “eye candy, the trophy on his arm.” One of the women, Georgia, has had two older husbands die and is preparing to marry a third. She’s known as “The Black Widow.” The other two women play a role in the entire saga. There is some suspense in the book as to whodunit for a murder. There were some things in the book that didn’t click for me, such as one of these extremely wealthy husbands is going to trim the tree of one of the wives. This was just an “okay” book for me because things didn’t always seem to jive.

Thank you to Netgalley and the book’s publisher, Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, for an advanced reader’s copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Whew. What a ride. I really enjoyed this story and the mystery kept me guessing. I couldn’t put it down.

Love. Love. Love. What a fun and saucy read! I will not be able to forget this book for quite awhile. So much spice, and mystery. Absolutely recommend.

Now this one was intense! Books that spill juicy details right smack in the middle always intrigue me and this one did just that. I couldn't believe what I was reading and couldn't quit!

I don't even know how to start this review, mainly because I'm still thinking about this book. And it's been three weeks since I read it. And I plan on reading it again. And again. An absolute favorite for 2021 in my TBR pile.

From the very beginning the "rich people drama" is on point and exactly what I expected from the blurb, like The Real Housewives of Orange County had a book baby with Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives. Each heroine was magnetic, secretive, and alluring on their own, but get them together? It was a recipe for a complete page turner. There were several times where I shushed my husband because he was trying to get my opinion and ruining my reading vibe.

The plot twists kept me guessing and what could have been a typical suburbia secrets thriller unfurled into something so much more for me. Each turn in the chapter and character's lives left me begging for more, trying to get ahead of the author to see what was going to happen in the end.

There's no way you'll see it coming, I promise you. This book delivers. While I guessed part of the plot in one of the women's lives, I hardly guessed the exact ending that left me audibly gasping and staring at my book pages trying to make sense of everything. Once the pieces connected, it was magical. This author is magical.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was so fun!! Like Finlay Donovan meets Desperate Housewives!

Super soapy and deliciously twisty - The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives was what soap opera villain dreams are made of.

The lives of the rich and shameless wives who live on Presidio Terrace are about to get really complicated. When Brooke moves into this gated community for the notoriously famous - she befriends HOA president and television news anchor Erin, and her best friend Georgia a.k.a The Black Widow - who may or may not have killed her past husbands. Is Brookes new husband thrilled about her new buddies? Not so much.

When these three get going - it's all you could wish for in a story of women behaving badly. It's silly, and you love to hate them and hate to love them. The ending is so satisfying and wickedly fun.

Murder, Mystery, and Mimosas are in your future. Sit back and enjoy!

I went into this story expecting a Jackie Collins type book, but was pleasantly surprised. Although the lives of the wives is an integral part of the story, there is also mystery and intrigue. My first book by this author, but definitely NOT THE LAST!
Thank you Kristin Miller, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I initially picked up The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives, but it proved to be so much more! It was a super-fast, fun read that I totally sped through. Each chapter was only about 5-10 minutes long (on the kindle e-book version) which made it so easy to devour the short chapters.

Throughout the novel, each chapter switched perspective between the three main characters – Brooke, Erin and Georgia – all rich wives in a prestigious gated community. I had anticipated a bit more of a fluffy, chick-lit type book when I picked this one up and I was so pleasantly surprised at the twists and turns in this thriller! Everyone was a suspect and had a secret past, so it definitely kept me guessing until the very end.

Georgia was known as the “Black Widow” in the media because her husbands kept turning up dead, but there was no actual proof that she had killed them and a lot of speculation. Erin is Georgia’s best friend. Living across the street, Erin had her own marital problems she was working through and trying to balance a career while still appearing to be the perfect housewife. Brooke, new to the neighborhood, quickly made friends with the ladies and hid her curiosity behind the pretense of writing her next mystery novel.

I didn’t think I would relate to each of these women so intensely (being neither rich nor a housewife), but I loved that they owned their flaws. They were each trying to do right and be a good person while playing along with the roles thrown upon them by their husbands, neighbors and society in general. Their spunk and humor was infectious and made me want to join their girl gang to sip mimosas and gossip at the café!

While friendship was definitely a big theme in this book, domestic abuse was the underlying theme throughout the entire novel. Stemming from Brooke’s past all the way through the present-day murder mystery the women find themselves in, the reality hidden behind too many closed doors is what elevated this book well above just fun chick-lit and made it a must-read for me.

I absolutely loved The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives and think most readers who pick up the same kind of books I do would enjoy it! It was also reminiscent of a few of my other recent reads: The Therapist by B. A. Paris and The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book! Unfortunately it has been out for months now, and I've just now gotten around to reading it.

This was a very quick read for me. I started and finished the book in a single day. The Sinful Lives of Trophy wives is the story of three friends. Georgia is a two time widow set to be married in a week. Erin is a woman in her thirties who feels as though her age is holding her back from where she wants to be in her career while also dealing with the unraveling of her marriage. Lastly there's Brooke, a young author new to street these ladies live on who seems quiet and obedient to her billionaire husband. Will their secrets be the connection that binds their friendship together or be the thing that tears them apart?

I enjoyed this story, I suppose. In all honesty, it was just rather unremarkable. I feel like I enjoyed the lead up in the first half of the book more than the action that occurred in the second half. I found the women interesting, but the drama and how the story played out lacking. I didn't feel invested and when the twists came, I didn't feel shocked OR blindsided- I simply didn't care. I was just reading to finish the book and see what happened.

All in all, I feel like if you're someone looking for a fun, quick read about woman that (aside from Brooke in the beginning) are witty, in your face and have big personalities with a bit of a murder mystery twist, this could definitely be for you.

Fast paced, twisty and wickedly entertaining perfectly describe this scandalous story of wealth, friendship and murder. It’s told from the point of view of three women that appear to have it all. It’s soon revealed that appearances are deceiving and all is not as it seems. This book gave me “Real Housewives” vibes with a sharp, cutting edge. The final twist was shocking and unexpected. This is the perfect cure for any reading slump. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my copy.

I know the role my husband wants me to play, the parade he wants me to put on. That's the thing about coming from a home with an alcoholic father: I know how to gauge people, how to read the energy in the room; I know what's expected of me, and I play my role well. My husband expects perfection. That's all. No more, no less. But only the façade of perfection, which I can handle. Because if people are envious of my nails and my hair and thinking about how our marriage is perfect, they're not asking about my childhood, about the way my father died, and I learned to survive on my own for so many years. If they're staring at my smile and my figure, they're not probing to see the worthless soul lurking beneath.


A change of pace for me. I like to dive into lives that are completely different than mine. Rich lifestyle, women that I normally would not have anything in common with and this pretty much fit the bill. With characters that you love to hate and a train wreck that you can't keep your eyes away, it will become a fast read.

Book author Brooke Davies along with her husband Jack have moved into the prestigious, well guarded neighbor hood in the San Francisco area. She and her husband are informed of the strict by-laws of the neighborhood like keeping your garage door closed, and the notorious neighbors they have. Erin King, news anchor and on the board of Homeowners Association. She is married to Mason a successful plastic surgeon. Then there is Georgia St. Claire a woman who is accused of killing two of her husbands and is now in the works to marry a third.

A friendship is struck and Brooke is led into their lives. She is looking for ideals on her book and takes advantage of the drama both women are facing. Erin wants out of her job and can't handle how she is aging and Georgia is being stalked and left threatening notes. Their friendship takes a turn when a tragedy occurs with Georgia's fiancé and the plot thickens.

It is fast paced in the unraveling of each of these women's lives. They all of their own secrets and the ending is a merging of those secrets. I enjoyed it. A plot driven by those that you love to hate until you know what drives them.

A special thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
1 like

Absolutely delicious is what this was, and it was right up my alley. These kinds of books are always fun and I love to read them in between thrillers for a bit of a break. The audiobook was just as good as watching my real housewives, and just like the show I was not ready for it to be over, because I was having so much fun. These ladies are not likeable but they are not meant to be, and really, the title should let you know as much. Just sit back and enjoy the ride with this one, I promise it is a bloody good time!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the free digital copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. Filled with twists and turns, this one will keep you guessing. Very enjoyable read!

‘Georgia St. Claire allegedly cashed in on the deaths of her first two husbands, earning her the nickname “Black Widow”—and the stares and whispers of her curious neighbors. Rumored to have murdered both men for their fortunes, she claims to have found true love in her third marriage, yet her mysterious, captivating allure keeps everyone guessing.’

THE SINFUL LIVES OF TROPHY WIVES is a Domestic Thriller that centers around three women you love, and at times, may love to hate.

A little predictable in parts and unpredictable in others—an ending that didn’t play out as I expected, though it genuinely satisfies my little dark heart. ;)

Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for loaning me an eGalley of THE SINFUL LIVES OF TROPHY WIVES in the request of an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC copy of this book. I picked this up hoping for it to be a mindless read and I was quite pleased with the twists and turns the book took. I thought the characters were fun yet flawed and were entertaining throughout. I knew they all had something to hide and it was exciting to see what we would learn next. I can't wait to read more by this author.

BOOK: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives
AUTHOR: Kristin Miller
GENRE: Thriller/Mystery
RATING: 7/10
3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you so much Ballantine books and netgalley for the gifted copy of this book! Published July 20, 2021.

MY THOUGHTS

I enjoyed this witty little thriller! It kind of reminded me of The Wife Upstairs in the sense that it was a domestic thriller that let us peak into the inner workings of the elite upper class. It was a quick read and felt similar to reading a reality TV show. The characters were not particularly likable in my eyes, but I think that aided to the overall story, so it did not deter me. I recommend this one as a quick, refreshing mystery/thriller for those looking to dip their toes into the thriller waters!

This book was enjoyable, but chaotic - there was a lot going on, some of which felt fairly implausible - but I still enjoyed the read nonetheless. Every character was unlikeable (including the men!), but they all kept me guessing about what their intentions were. I enjoyed the final twist and didn't see it coming!

This was an entertaining and twisted book set in a beautiful area of San Francisco. This neighborhood has some scary lady living there, like Georgia, called Black Widow because her previous two husbands are missing. Where did they go? Then there’s Erin, a famous anchorwoman who’s husband is a plastic surgeon and has done a lot of work on his wife. Brooke moves in, her husband is a tech billionaire, and she’s got something to prove to the neighborhood.
This was the perfect beach read, funny, catty and a little shocking. A little like Real Housewives on the page! Lots of twists and turns kept me engaged, 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own