I have no idea what this book really was.

Ma lecture m’a déçue. Elle m’a laissée sur ma faim. Je trouvais le début un peu lent avec deux personnages qui étaient plus ou moins fiables. La fin m’a quand même surprise, mais m’a semblé précipitée. Sommes toute, à la fin de ma lecture, j’ai cette impression « meh » au sujet du roman.

This book was great! I gave it three stars because, as an avid thriller reader, I didn't feel like this book brought any new ideas to the table. However, I still definitely enjoyed this book and do recommend! This would be a great, quick & easy beach read for someone who enjoys thrillers!

HOW I RATE BOOKS (for reference):
5 stars: an amazing book. a book that will stay in my mind days, weeks, months later. typically an all-time favorite, although not always. Most likely to reread
4 stars: a great book, but is just missing that one thing to set it over the edge. would be somewhat likely to reread
3 stars: good, "meh" kind of book. was able to get through it and the story was okay, but not something I'd likely reread
2 stars: just no. a book I did not enjoy but was able to get through without DNFing
1 star: did not like it at all, was bored and couldn't get through it, DNF'd

Claire is married to Byron and is his second wife. Bryon’s first wife ,Collen committed suicide but her shadow hangs over their head as she feels Byron is still in love with her .When Bryon starts acting distant with Claire she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Collen and will stopping at nothing to find out the truth to save her marriage.

The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin is a definite page turner and an enjoyable domestic suspense.Though a little slow in the middle it picked pace later and kept me guessing till the end . Highly recommend !

I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

I only just finished this and while I should spend more time sitting on this, I say the tension I've felt throughout this reading experience to be more than I expected. The internal screaming I went through - let's just say, this book is a hell of a time.








Trigger warning: Stalking, alcohol abuse, drugs, sexual assault

The story follows Claire and Bryon. Byron is a college professor at the local university. Claire is an aspiring writer. Before they were married, Byron’s first wife Colleen, committed suicide. Now Claire is being harassed by a student. Not many of the characters are likable, and narrators are unreliable. I did enjoy the story, but there were some plot holes that were left hanging for me and I wished there were some answers. Overall, it was ok.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Suspenseful with a final twist that packs one heck of a punch, “The Starter Wife” by Nina Laurin is a well written story that, sadly, fell short for me. I’ve loved plenty of books with characters who were anything but likeable. However, the characters in “The Starter Wife” weren’t simply unlikeable. They were detestable right from the get-go, leaving me hoping for a murder-suicide less than halfway through the book. That’s never a good thing. Not for this reader anyway.

What made the characters so detestable for me was there was never anything to make them sympathetic or compelling. The main character, Claire, is angry from the very first page, but you’re unclear as to why at first. All you know is she’s unhappy with her marriage — and drunk. These seem to be her main traits throughout the book (in addition to being a liar). Her husband Byron is no better. Talk about a horse’s butt! She’s in love with him and wants to fix things, but he seems unable to be anything but critical. Cruel, even.

All of this is not to say “The Starter Wife” is a bad book or one you shouldn’t read. Author Nina Laurin is a talent. The story is well written and full of suspense. You never know what’s coming. The plot twists don’t simply keep you on your toes. They keep you glued to the page. I never once considered not finishing the book. It’s simply that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have if Claire and Byron weren’t such horrible, fictional people — or if I’d had a few glasses of wine while reading. As is, I drank water.

Please remember that my opinions of any book are just that. My opinions. “The Starter Wife” wasn’t my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be yours.