The Starter Wife

The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Do you ever feel sorry for those poor, poor wives of rich men? You know, the ones who have so many awful appointments every day for getting their hair done and meeting with their personal trainers and decorators. It's so incredibly stressfull to have to look beautiful all the time. what responsibility they shoulder!



Okay, so it's pretty obvious that I don't have a lot of sympathy for their plight, and I think you kind of have to in order to read this book without rolling your eyes. The poor heroine gets dumped. And for Britney Spears no less! Yes, really, this author is all about the name dropping, which makes this book severely out of date to read just a few years after publication. The celeb couples mentioned aren't together any more, and no one thinks of Mel Gibson as a silent brooder any more. I kept reading because I thought it had to get better. There had to be an ah-hah moment where she realizes that real life is okay. But no. The "homeless" fella she falls for turns out to be a billionaire, of course.



Maybe you're better at suspending disbelief than I am, and maybe you do truly think that rich women have a tough lifestyle. If so, you'll probably relate to the intrepid former children's book author and current Wife-Of who leads this story. Or maybe you'll just cringe when she has to move out of her McMansion and stay at her best friend's Malibu vacation home when her marriage ends. Maybe you'll think indulging in pink diamond earrings is what you'd do right after a divorce. Maybe your ex would also date a famous pop star.



Maybe I would have liked this better if it was more recent. Or if I found it remotely relatable. Or if the author wasn't a cliche dropping wife-of herself (being married to producer Brian Grazer). Heck, maybe he left her once for a pop star and this is her own work of agony, who knows? But I'd skip it if I were you. Spend the time reading about people who mean something. Anything.



Or, if you want a book with a wealthy protagonist that *does* get to you, is relatable and is fascinating to read about, try "The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives" by Josie Brown - one of my favourite reads this year.



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