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A review by bookrantreviews
The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin
4.0
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.
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.