The Last Wife starts with a promising premise: a whirlwind romance between Olivia, a struggling waitress, and Lachlan, a wealthy and enigmatic man offering her everything she’s ever dreamed of—love, luxury, and freedom. But soon, the cracks begin to show. Olivia’s idyllic new life in Rosford unravels as she uncovers dark secrets about her husband’s past and his disturbing control over her present.

While the setup teases a gripping psychological thriller, the execution falls short. The story treads familiar ground, echoing tropes and themes reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey, with a similar dynamic and writing style that feels dated and overly dramatized and oddly enough, is referenced within the book itself.. Olivia’s character, in particular, lacks depth—her childlike voice and repetitive inner dialogue make it hard to fully engage with her journey.

Though the suspense builds toward a chilling revelation, the predictability and reliance on cliché undermine its impact. The Last Wife offers a few tense moments but ultimately doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself in an already crowded genre.

Stayed up late to Read this in a night, I really enjoyed this book. I would read more books by this author

Thrilling, twisty, and skin crawling at points in the book.

The author has done an amazing job with this book, covering the topic of abuse in a sensitive way, whilst also using it to thicken the plot!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and I kept wanting to tjrn the page to see what happened next and where the story was going! I would reccommend this book to anybody wanting a fast paced, twisty turny, pyschological thriller!

I really enjoyed this book. Some parts were a little bit predictable but I still devoured it. Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchanged for my honest review.

The book kept me hooked. It's amazing storyline keeps you guessing, 'What's happening or what's gonna happen?'
The Story starts with Olivia, living a simple waitress life and an abusive one ( Coz of her Boyfriend ). One day, she is rescued by a man named Lachlan Gibson, just like any other Romance novel. He seems like a perfect Man, Husband, everything he does seems right, but all that glitters isn't gold. She realises it, but sooner or later?

The book is a total blast, the part where Olivia has to decide who is her friend and who is her enemy will make you feel scared, rage, and you will probably even put the book down and take a long walk for minutes. The best thing was how you can't decipher it either, the Author Matt has done a great job in keeping it hidden.

Couldn't put it down until I finished it and found out the mystery behind the weird behaviours of the people of Rosford.

In this thriller we meet Olivia a struggling individual trying to get by, while stuck in an abusive relationship. One day, she meets Lachlan, a man who's says and does the right things...who wouldn't fall in love with a guy like that..But soon Olivia realizes the grass isn't always greener, on the other side.

I love a good husband and wife thriller. I thought this book held a great pace. This book has kept me on my toes. Not knowing who was friend or foe was fun. When you're an avid reader, you can tell where the story is heading. I loved that this book kept me guessing

Thank you Netgalley and Matt McGregor for Arc 🫶🏾

OMG...

I recently received and read an ARC copy of The Last Wife by Matt McGregor from NetGalley.

Olivia, a waitress in New York, meets a charming and handsome Wall Street man named Lachlan.... He sweeps her off her feet, and before she knows it, they are married and living in Rosford. He wants to have a baby right away, but Olivia wants to pursue her art career, and soon things are not as perfect as she thought they were........

As Olivia begins to see, hear, and find out the dark secret her new husband and town are keeping from her, it may be too late.

This book was a total trip for me. I'm not much into thrillers, but I could not put this one down. I was in awe of how they fell in love so fast, but don't all romance books start like that? I soon read as fast as I could to find out what was happening, and I discovered all the secrets along with Olivia. I usually pride myself on being able to see a twist before it happens, but Matt kept it hidden until the very end: an amazing read and even better ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book.

I don't often feel as much hate for a fictional character as I felt for a few characters in this book. It shows how insane money can make people, but I was super happy with the ending, but wow the anger I felt for Lachlan. It was super impressive that the writing could make me feel that was so excellent job, this was a top-notch book.

This was a quick thriller and therefore a quick read!
We have Olivia, the FMC, who is stuck in an abusive relationship. She meets Lachlan, who is a charmer and wealthy. He immediately feels connected to Olivia and is on a mission to save her.
Olivia falls in love with Lachlan, of course, and they end up married.
Then things get twisted! There are turns and uncomfortable moments woven into the plot. I wanted to connect with Olivia, the FMC, but had a hard time connecting with her.
I did however, connect with the themes. There are some hard themes that Matt McGregor had to write in this plot, and I think he did a great job doing that throughout.
The plot was well structured, and the pace was great.
The characters were decently developed, and I was shocked because the two MCs were not exactly who I thought they were!
I think this is a good, quick thriller if you need something fast and a palette cleanser.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for a review.
Happy Reading!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
This books cover and name drew me in- it gave me Frida vibes and this book succeeded my expectations
Olivia I loved you but some of your choices really killed me but it was an enjoyable read.
I loved the short chapters it makes reading so much easier and enjoyable
The storyline was perfect, I didn’t think it dragged at all
I didn’t want to put this down
This is my first from this author and I’m eager to see what is next

4/5 Stars

<b>Minor Spoilers Ahead!</b>

This book, while embracing some familiar cliches and stereotypes, is a gripping read from start to finish. Once I began, I couldn't put it down!

The story follows Olivia, a food runner trapped in an abusive relationship, who crosses paths with Lachlan, a charming and wealthy man who feels an immediate connection to her. As Olivia herself describes it, Lachlan has a sort of ‘savior complex,’ and he swoops in to rescue her - literally and figuratively - moving her away from her toxic boyfriend to keep her safe.

Their relationship blossoms as Lachlan helps Olivia grow into her best self, and she falls more in love with him each day. Before long, they're married. But the question of whether this is too good to be true is soon answered in one of the most chilling ways possible.

The plot takes a few unexpected turns, and while some moments made me uncomfortable (especially as a woman) that discomfort was intentional. Matt McGregor does an excellent job of making the reader feel the unease he intends to convey.

Beyond exploring the impact of physical abuse, McGregor also delves into the effects of mental abuse, whether familial or domestic, and how it can shape someone in ways they never expected.

4/5 stars - it's not perfect, but it's very close.

Thank you to NetGalley and Matt McGregor for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I literally could not put it down until I finished it.

Olivia, a struggling waitress meets Lachlan, a wealthy man who immediately wants to be her savior. He gets her out of an abusive relationship and things move fast between them. Literally, met him, moved in with him the very next day, got engaged and got married. At first it seems like her dream of being an artist is finally going to come true but once again things quickly start changing for the worse. Lachlan is not the perfect husband after all but a controlling husband with a dead ex wife 👀

The author does a great job making you feel what’s happening in the book. There were moments I actually caught myself tensing up. This book has some similarities to another thriller book I read that I also loved. This could easily be turned into movie.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED! First, I love the cover and the title. It peaked my interest from the beginning. The plot takes us to a newly wed couple, Olivia and Lachlan. After their nuptials, things take a turn. Lachlan isn't acting like the person Olivia thought she knew or was marrying. He has become controlling, manipulative, and unrecognizable to Olivia. Or has he? Could it be Olivia that has changed? You will just have to read it to find out! This book will leave you on the edge of your seat, unable to wait to turn the next page.

If psychological thriller's are your jam, this is the book for you. You will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley, Inkubator books, and Matt McGregor for the eARC.

When Olivia, a waitress, is unexpectedly wooed by and weds a wealthy man, she thinks that all her dreams have come true - not least after moving into Lachlan's luxurious home.

But it doesn't take long before things starts to come apart at the seams, and Olivia becomes increasingly suspicious about some of her new husband's behaviour. And there is nothing reassuring about the fact that his first wife also appears to have died in suspicious circumstances! But Olivia really has no idea just how complicated the real story is...

The writer does a good job of breathing life into an otherwise familiar trope and provides some unexpected twists. This one gets 3.5 stars, and is worth checking out for those who like thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator books and the author for this eARC of The Last Wife in exchange for my review.

The last wife is about a struggling artist, Olivia, who is a full time waitress, trying to make it for herself when she comes across Lachlan, a rich man looking for love. She is swooped by him immediately and they are married within 6 months, then Lachlan gets weird…. He seems like he’s a raging control freak, is this the man Olivia fell in love with?

I breezed through this book in a day, it is a very easy read, in saying this it has a very similar plot line to many thrillers and you can tell how the book is going to play out by a few chapters in.

A perfect thriller with a great plot and amazing twists. I read this in one sit as I just couldn’t stop and had to finish it

Oh my goodness what an amazing book. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing. Easily giving this five stars and will be recommending to everyone!

Olivia's life is stuck in a rut waitressing and trying to make ends meet but when she meets Lachlan are things about to change for the better for her. He is a wealthy man and likes to show Olivia, they move in together and get married. This is the life that Olivia always dreamed of until now when Lachlan starts acting strangely and making Olivia obey some weird rules he has for her. As Lachlan starts to drag Olivia down, will she be able to escape but what Olivia does not realise is things are about to get a lot worse. Overall I think it was a good story, I did feel in parts that it dragged a bit, but I was invested in the story as I wanted to know where it would lead. The characters really made this story come alive, especially Lachlan acting all lovely at the start and then showing his true colours later on. It made me feel on edge, suspicious and hope that Olivia would be ok. I could not believe the ending. It was a good read.

This was a quick read about a wife and a controlling and abusive husband. The plot was pretty basic but felt unrealistic, especially towards the end. There were a few things I had questions about that were never explained, and the ending felt rushed. Despite these issues, the book was well written and kept me entertained. I definitely recommend for a quick and entertaining read.

First, thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for this ARC!

It was one of those fairytale beginning we knew from romantic movies when waitress Olivia meets Lachlan Gibson. Followed by a fairytale weedding. It all is a dream coming true for Olivia.... untli she has to wake up. Because Lachlan is not who she thinks he is...

Another very great read! Like, sure, the idea of the story is no new one. But I still did enjoy this twisty ride from start to finish and do very much recommend it!