Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

It felt like ages since I had read a mystery/thriller novel, so when I was sent THE STARTER WIFE by Nina Laurin from HBG Canada, I thought that this one would be the perfect one to read now! And boy, am I glad I picked up this one!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Local police have announced that they’re closing the investigation of the suspected drowning of 37-year-old painter Colleen Westcott. She disappeared on April 11, 2010, and her car was found parked near the waterfront in Cleveland two days later, but her body has never been found. The chief of police has stated that no concrete evidence of foul play has been discovered in the probe.
I close the online search window, annoyed. These articles never have enough detail. They think my husband’s first wife disappeared or they think she is dead. There’s a big difference.
My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it’s an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static.
When the voice does finally come, it’s female, low, muffled somehow. “Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is.”
A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She’s not just in my head.
A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It’s Colleen.

Everything about this book blew me away. From the writing style, to the characters and the overall suspense of this story, this one will easily be remembered as one of my favourite domestic thrillers of all time.

The writing in this novel was by far some of the best I have ever read, period. It was fantastic and truly made this book seem so thrilling. In this novel, one of the main questions during the first two-thirds of the novel is “Who is the second perspective?”, as you only know one of the main perspectives in this book at the beginning of the story. I have NEVER read a book written like this, and couldn’t get enough of it! By the 150 page mark, I thought that the second perspective was one of three different people! And let me tell you – you will never guess the second perspective reveal! It was quite honestly one of the best plot twists I have ever read in a thriller!

This book contained SO many shocking twists and reveals that I never saw coming! After nearly every chapter, there is some sort of plot twist that throws you completely off guard, and those twists will make you sit on the edge of your seat. How Nina came up with some of these ideas is beyond me!

One of the most interesting parts of this novel is that practically every main theme in this novel is a spoiler. You really can’t talk about what really happens in this book without giving anything away, but I will tell you this. The quote “Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is.” which is found in the synopsis, is actually a huge spoiler, but you won’t have any clue why until you pass the 200 page mark in this book!

By the time I reached the end of the novel, I had predicted one of the main reveals, but the final twist/reveal was super interesting and unpredictable. It was interesting because you never really end up knowing what happens, even though it is not ended openly.

This is one of those books that you need to re-read while the story is still fresh in your mind. I noticed that all of the events connect so seemlessly with eachother, but you won’t notice that at all while reading this story. I cannot emphasize how spectacular the writing and plot building was in this novel, and you won’t understand it until you read it yourself!

Overall, I absolutely loved this brilliant novel and rated it 5/5 stars! Thanks to HBG Canada for the ARC!

Good Night Book Owls!