The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton

Marie Langham is devastated when her childhood friend, Nina, is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before Nina passes away, she asks Marie to look out for her family–her son, daughter, and husband, Stuart. Marie would do anything for Nina, so of course she agrees.

Following Nina’s death, Marie gradually finds herself drawn into her friend’s life–her family, her large house in the countryside. But when Camilla, a mutual friend from their old art-college days, suddenly reappears, Marie begins to suspect that she has a hidden agenda. And this hunch proves correct when Marie discovers that Nina had long-buried secrets–secrets about a holiday in Ibiza the women took ten years previously, when Marie’s then-boyfriend went missing after a tragic accident and was later found dead.

Marie used to envy Nina’s beautiful life, but now she feels increasingly trapped in its ever-shrinking world. As she becomes more and more isolated, Marie must uncover what is true, what isn’t, and who she can trust–before the consequences of Nina’s secrets destroy her.

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Available on July 7, 2020!

I really enjoyed The Perfect Girlfriend by Hamilton, so I was thrilled to sign up for her newest novel, The Last Wife. Both books were similar – they had unreliable, unlikable narrators – but I just couldn’t connect with our main character. Marie was just too much for me. She was creepy and I hated the first part of the novel when she jumped right into her dead friend’s life.

Once Camilla (old friend) comes into the picture, the novel does pick up and I was curious on what really happened on a trip 10 years earlier. I did feel that the novel was a bit too long and some pages could of been cut.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. Definitely check this novel out if you are a fan of unlikable/unreliable characters!

Thank you to Netgallery and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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