The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives

In the words of Great British Bake Off’s one-time host Mary Berry:  

I love her, and I loved this book. It’s a delicious, over-the-top, soap opera lite, Real Housewives of … in this case, San Francisco, confection, and I ate every last bite with a smile on my face.  Oh, is that a crumb?  I’m eating that one too.

The trio of women at the heart of this book are trophy wives Georgia St. Claire, Erin King and Brooke Davies, all of whom are married, or in Georgia’s case, engaged to older, successful millionaires and residing in the prestigious gated community of Presidio Terrace.  

Georgia has a reputation as a Black Widow, since her previous two husbands died under suspicious circumstances, and now all eyes are on her husband-to-be, Robert, whose life I’m sure all the oddsmakers are setting bets on.

Erin is a well-known, prima donna anchor on a local news station, married to a prick of epic proportions, Mason.  She’s becoming increasingly aware of her aging appearance, especially when younger and seemingly perfect Brooke moves into the neighborhood.

Brooke is a mystery writer, married to almost fatherly tech mogul, Jack.  She’s always kind and supportive of her two new friends, but as a writer, she’s also got one eye out for her story at all times.

Suffice it to say, where these three are involved, you get a bizarre and tasty cocktail.  All of them have motivations and secrets, which Miller sprinkles glimpses of throughout, enticing you to follow the breadcrumbs she’s scattered to the yummy end.

The story itself, told in first person POV by each member of this transfixing trio, primarily explores the eventful days leading up to Georgia’s scheduled wedding, with a more brief examination of what follows after, but I’m going to leave any plot points vague, because this book really is so much better if you go into it blind. All I can say is the ending is the icing on this tasty wedding cake, and I’d love more.  Seconds, please?

★★★★★ 

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and author Kristin Miller for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. It will be published July 20,2021.