Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Last Wife!
Thank you to Harlequin Books for inviting me on the blog tour!
Special thanks to Karen Hamilton, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of previewing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publish Date: July 7, 2020
“I wish lies had a shelf life.” – The Last Wife
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 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…
I loved Karen Hamilton’s previous book, The Perfect Girlfriend (my review here). 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.
The Last Wife is Marie’s story told from her perspective. Marie’s BFF Nina recently passed away from a terminal illness, and Marie steps in to help the grieving family move on with their lives. Marie’s commitment to “do everything she can” for Nina’s husband and kids is kicked up to a whole new level. She literally steps into Nina’s shoes by moving into her house, her place in the family…. and her bed.
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.
Marie’s world includes a Book Club full of unstable friends, and there are plenty of secrets, lies, betrayals, and backstabbing among the book club members. These members have also been good friends for a long time and keep many skeletons in their closets. With a Book Club like this, who needs enemies?
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.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“We can choose truth or happiness. I have always chosen the latter.“
“Lies work better when I go easy on the details, stick to my own tried and tested rules.”
“Forgiveness is a great idea in theory, harder in reality.”
“What goes around, comes around. You will get your comeuppance because bad luck will haunt you until your dying days.”
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.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars 
Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out my fellow bloggers on this book tour!
Read This, Not That 