Title: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives
Author: Kristin Miller
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: July 20, 2021
Genre: Thriller
Meet the trophy wives of Presidio Terrace, San Francisco’s most exclusive—and most deadly—neighborhood in this shrewd, darkly compelling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of In Her Shadow.
Mystery writer Brooke Davies is the new wife on the block. Her tech-billionaire husband, Jack, twenty-two years her senior, whisked her to the Bay Area via private jet and purchased a modest mansion on the same day. He demands perfection, and before now, Brooke has had no problem playing the role of a doting housewife. But as she befriends other wives on the street and spends considerable time away from Jack, he worries if he doesn’t control Brooke’s every move, she will reveal the truth behind their “perfect” marriage.
Erin King, famed news anchor and chair of the community board, is no stranger to maintaining an image—though being married to a plastic surgeon helps. But the skyrocketing success of her career has worn her love life thin, and her professional ambitions have pushed Mason away. Quitting her job is a Hail Mary attempt at keeping him interested, to steer him away from finding a young trophy wife. But is it enough, and is Mason truly the man she thought he was?
Georgia St. Claire allegedly cashed in on the deaths of her first two husbands, earning her the nickname “Black Widow”—and the stares and whispers of her curious neighbors. Rumored to have murdered both men for their fortunes, she claims to have found true love in her third marriage, yet her mysterious, captivating allure keeps everyone guessing. Then a tragic accident forces the residents of Presidio Terrace to ask: Has Georgia struck again? And what is she really capable of doing to protect her secrets?
Why This Book
The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives revolves around two wives of very wealthy men and a widow about to marry her next victim. Er, husband. When one of the wives, who also happens to be a mystery writer, moves into the exclusive community as a newlywed, she quickly becomes friends with the other two women. It’s a strange sort of friendship that made me feel tense the whole time. There’s talk of deaths and secrets, with no one telling the others the whole story. On the surface, it looks close and fun: three beautiful, wealthy women living lives of glamour. But the friendship in this book takes a twisted turn that shows just how tenuous and dishonest friendship can be.
Reviews
My review: “it wasn’t quite as catty and backstabbing as I had thought it would be. While Erin seemed jealous of Brooke, it really only came in snatches that became a little repetitive. Instead, the three women seemed to forge a strong bond, one based on shared secrets. If anything, I wish they had been a little more brutal towards each other, but I had fun getting tangled up in their lives”
Always With a Book said “I immediately got Desperate Housewives vibes, which was such a guilty pleasure for me, and I have to say, that’s exactly what I felt when reading this – a purely entertaining, thrilling read with a little mystery thrown in”
The Library Ladies remarked “It felt a bit like it was trying to be similar to “Big Little Lies”, but never really hit the emotional plot beats that that book did. The problem with gooey sudsy tales is that in the moment I really enjoy them, but without some solid foundation and substance to keep it up I look back and realize that there wasn’t really much to work with”
Owl Book world gave this 4 stars, saying “Most of the characters are super colorful and even the side characters stand out. The only thing that really bothered me is that I hated the changing point of view. There were times that it seemed a bit random and didn’t give any warning
Paw Prints in the Sink said “Trophy Wives struck just the right balance of suspenseful and whodunit, giving me secondhand adrenaline and being completely un-put-down-able without inducing nightmares in my over-thinking brain”
Tessa Talks Books gave this 4 stars, saying “You can imagine that when these three become involved in something, the readers get the pleasure of a complex and tantalizing story, the likes of which the Desperate Housewives could not even have imagined”
Roger’s Reads said “The three women become fast friends, and we soon learn that there’s a lot more to them than merely being “trophy wives.” Each of them has dark secrets that come to light as the novel progresses, and the author wastes no time plunging the reader into the middle of a scintillating mystery”
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The Lily Cafe 
This sounds like something I’ll love to read. Thanks for highlighting it!
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Ooo…I just read one where the women are more brutal to one another – Please Join Us. Thanks for including a blurb from my review 🥰
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