From the internationally bestselling author of The Perfect Girlfriend.Two women. A dying wish. And a web of lies that will bring their world crashing down.Two women. A dying wish. And a web of lies that will bring their world crashing down.Nina and Marie were best friends—until Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before she died, Nina asked Marie to fulfill her final wishes.But her … friends—until Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before she died, Nina asked Marie to fulfill her final wishes.
But her mistake was in thinking Marie was someone she could trust.
What Nina didn’t know was that Marie always wanted her beautiful life, and that Marie has an agenda of her own. She’ll do anything to get what she wants.
Marie thinks she can keep her promise to her friend’s family on her own terms. But what she doesn’t know is that Nina was hiding explosive secrets of her own…
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When I read Karen Hamilton’s last book – The Perfect Girlfriend, I was blown away by how utterly deceptive the main character was. From the moment I read the book I knew she was deceptive, it was a fact the author didn’t shy away from. Every chapter, every scene led me down a darker path and it was thrilling!
Which meant I couldn’t wait to read The Last Wife!
I was prepared to discover a character I couldn’t trust…in fact, I was ready for it, it was all I could think about when I wasn’t reading this book. What I didn’t expect was that not only could I not trust the main character, but every single character in this book was untrustworthy! Who was I to trust? What was the real story? I had no idea, which made me turn page after page after page.
Every character is deceptively flawed with a past that’s so dark and twisted, you’re not sure what to believe.
Book 25 towards my goal of 240! 3/5 stars for this adult mystery read. Loved the cover! However, the story never gripped me. It was okay, but not great. Narration was good. Can’t say I’d recommend this one.
3.5/5
I am so unsure on my feelings for The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton. I loved the author’s previous book The Perfect Girlfriend, but there was just something about this one that made it feel a little flat to me. It is a slow burn which is much like her previous novel and something I didn’t mind, and I did really like the end, but the middle of the book has me saying hmm. This is another story about obsession, and those are always hit or miss for me, but The Perfect Girlfriend had much of the same vibes and totally worked for me. I kind of wish Hamilton had done something different with this one which also probably affected my perspective of it.
I did love the unreliable narrator aspect and you really don’t know what Marie (or anyone) is capable of. No one is as they seem which is something I am always a huge fan of, and I think that is something that was done very well. I am a fan of Hamilton’s writing style and the way she writes her characters, and nothing changed with that in The Last Wife. This book is also full of unlikeable characters which seems to be a theme for me, and there isn’t anyone you can really like. So if you want a book where you can connect and feel for a character, this is not the one. It was pretty crazy, and while it wasn’t a huge win I did enjoy it. I recommend the audio for anyone interested, and thought the narrator, Michelle Ford, did a great job with it. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for Hamilton’s next book!
This isn’t really a thriller. The description is deceptive. I kept waiting for a twist…but there was no twist. It’s more a novel about a women who is obsessed with her best friend and then finds out the best friend’s life wasn’t all that great. The Last Mrs. Parrish is a better version of this.
I am really not sure what to say about this book. It was interesting but very confusing at least for me. I don’t mean confusing in the sense that you’re trying to figure out what happened but confusing in the way it read. But again that could be just me. I just didn’t care for the style it was written in, but others may like it.
#TheLastWife #NetGalley
My Review for
THE LAST WIFE
By Karen Hamilton
Published by Graydon House
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Karen Hamilton really packs a punch with this psychological thriller that has you feeling uneasy and wondering constantly what secrets are being hidden. She expertly is able to craft the story from one protagonist’s POV and keep you intrigued and desperate seeking more, turning page after page. I’m definitely a fan of her work now and will be looking forward to more.
This is the tale of three friends and secrets kept from a vacation they took years ago that no one speaks of.
Nina & Marie were the best of friends; or so Marie thought when Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness in which takes her life. Having been friends for so long, Marie’s life is basically intertwined with Nina’s and begins to take over the household, helping Nina’s grieving husband and children by running their household and trying to bring back some normalcy to their lives. But some think Marie is getting to close for comfort. This leaves Marie’s boyfriend to leave her and Marie ends up moving in with Nina’s family.
The threatening notes begin to arrive and out of the blue, Nina & Marie’s friend Camilla shows up. The last time she was seen was that night of their vacation so many years ago. With all the secrets and truths coming to light from that last night, Marie is sensing danger all around. And after discovering so much that Nina hid from her.
But Marie isn’t all that innocent. She has been wanting a family of her own and will go to just about any lengths to get what she wants.
It’s a page turner so flex your fingers because you won’t want to put this one down.
I am having trouble describing how I feel about this book. I expected a thriller, but it really isn’t a thriller, it is more of a drama with an obsessive character. Marie wants her friend Nina’s life. She is jealous of Nina’s family, her home, and her friends. This jealousy/obsession costs her a relationship with Ben. After name is death, Marie takes a more active role as the caregiver in Nina‘s family. She becomes very close with Stuart, Nina‘s husband. People warn Marie not to get too close, and to set some boundaries, but Marie doesn’t listen. Marie and Nina has been friends since childhood, and Nina was there when Marie lost her first boyfriend Charlie.Now Marie wants to understand what happened to Charlie. Someone knows the truth, and Marie is determined to find out what really happened years ago.
This is a twisted drama, but I never really felt interested in the characters, and I was a bit disappointed in the story.
#TheLastWife #KarenHamilton
Favorite Quotes:
People think that envy is a bad thing, but in my opinion, envy is a positive emotion. It has always been the best indicator for me to realize what’s wrong with my life. People say, “Follow your dreams,” yet I’d say, “Follow what makes you sick with envy.”
…surely everyone fibs? It’s not just me. Lies make life palatable. It’s simply unavoidable at times. I do it to protect myself and others. Surely, it’s not a bad thing to tell people what they want to hear? Sometimes, there’s no choice.
It’s amazing how many noises can sound like police sirens if you have a guilty conscience.
I’ve never known a murderer before. I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, but it’s really quite morbidly exciting!
My Review:
This heralds my first experience reading this wily author and I am ever so impressed, her clever storylines were cunningly paced, well nuanced, and laced with brain-tickling intrigue while taut with tension. Her compelling characters were deliciously twisty, uniquely tainted, and curiously torqued. Written from the first-person POV of Marie, who was obviously emotionally and a bit mentally unstable as well as a compulsive liar, obsessively driven, paranoid, and riddled with anxiety, just to name a few of her most pesky symptoms. The insightfully written and profoundly shrewd use of inner musings and observations detailing Marie’s obsessive and deceptive traits and compulsions were spot on and brilliantly crafted. I was riveted to my Kindle and thoroughly entertained while I immersed myself in Marie’s troubled yet compelling gray matter and devious schemes. It was divinely twisty.
Would you be able to carry out a dying friend’s wish to be sure to protect her family?
Marie takes Nina’s request to heart and perhaps to an extreme.
Marie moved into Nina’s home to get closer to Stuart, Nina’s husband, and assume care of the children.
Marie also found out some things that a best friend like Nina should definitely have told her and didn’t.
Then a mutual friend from many years ago appears on the scene and still rubs Marie the wrong way. Marie doesn’t know what Camille is up to in all of this.
The more Marie finds out about Nina, the more she is determined to find out who Nina really was, what Nina really thought of her, and why she really asked Nina to make that promise.
We could ask Marie the same questions and add a question about what she is up to now and was up to with her past relationship with Nina.
THE LAST WIFE has a tense, sinister undertone which makes it so good.
It will keep you on your toes because of the characters with questionable traits, secrets, and long-held lies.
THE LAST WIFE is for readers who like not knowing who to trust or who to believe and a story line that will keep you guessing and wondering how it will all turn out. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I want to start this review with a disclaimer. I read this book when a LOT was going on around me. I had to read it when I could catch a few minutes here and there. I was intrigued by the set-up. You can read the synopsis elsewhere, but let’s just say that Marie (the main character) finds out that she is not the only one with secrets. Frankly, I didn’t like her. I thought she was manipulative and an opportunist. There were some twists and curves, and the book did pick up after a while. I wish that I had been able to devote more attention to the book because I think I would have appreciated it a lot more. You may have a completely different experience. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a digital ARC of the book.
The premise for The Last Wife is certainly a good one – the story is more domestic drama than thriller in my opinion, but it still has a solid foundation. Marie is an intriguing character who kept me bouncing back and forth for a bit. I’d almost feel for her and then, not so much. As the story progresses, Marie became harder and harder to like. Fortunately, I don’t have to like a main character to enjoy the story. That said, I really would’ve liked to have seen a little more suspense, maybe a bit more danger for Marie, but the book is still an entertaining read, especially as things start to come together. I will caution that the story is more predictable than I prefer, which again, isn’t always a bad thing, and the writing style is good, as is the flow, so predictable or not, I enjoyed the read.
This is a domestic drama with some hints of psychological thriller and suspense, but the latter two elements never really got there for me. The domestic drama was well-written with a narrator who is self-centered and who tells the story from her own point of view, without noticing her own weaknesses. Marie, Camilla, Charlie and Nina go on vacation together and one of them dies there. That’s the beginning of the mystery, but it really isn’t one for long as Marie tells us quickly what she surmises had happened. Marie is extremely jealous of Nina and her life as a mom with a perfect family. That obsession is the foundation of the story. I really didn’t sympathize with any of the characters unless it was the children who had to put up with such nonsense from the adults. Nevertheless, the plot was cleverly written with just enough twists to keep me reading. Fans of domestic drama with a hint of mystery and thriller will enjoy this new book by Karen Hamilton.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
In The Last Wife, Karen Hamilton pulls you in with secrets galore, unhealthy obsessions, and an unreliable narrator whom you can’t help but follow down whichever path she leads you. Sharp twists coupled with an acute sense of foreboding will keep your fingers turning those pages to the deeply satisfying ending. If there ever was a story about being careful what you wish for, this is it. A phenomenal read!
This was a kind of painful read. The story wasn’t bad per se it just didn’t work for me. I really just felt like the author tried so hard to make it thrilling and complicated that the entire time you feel out of sorts. She is fulfilling a death bed promise and has absolutely no idea just how convoluted the entire promise and execution would be. She realizes too late that things are not as they appear and that she may have been played. But that’s not it. When the truth comes out she finds herself reeling and learns that true friends are hard to find.
The characters truly left me scratching my head throughout the book wondering why, on so many levels. It just didn’t work for me but that’s my opinion and mine alone.