Book Review - The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine

The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine was the first book I read as part of my online book club (first mentioned in April's favourites), so it’s not something I would have picked up on my own. It is described as a psychological thriller, and for the right reason. Amber has one goal only: become the wife of Jackson Parrish in whatever way she can. Amber is manipulative, destructive, and probably a psychopath, but she is also clever and resourceful. Although her plans seem quite delusional, you have to admire the way she meticulously executes her schemes. The woman she is trying to replace is Daphne – a philanthropising foil to Amber. What I love about Daphne is that she is the opposite of the rich person trope. The novel switches to her perspective at a pivotal moment, and we realize she is just as resourceful as Daphne is.

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My initial thoughts on the book were that it was cheesy and not my kind of book - at all. In fact, it was a pretty exciting read. Constantine skilfully hints at Amber’s past without revealing too much. She also gives us clues about Daphne’s past that make us question what has happened and who she really is. There is a character called Meredith that comes into the story as an anti-hero. I didn’t like her at first because I think Constantine used her to prove to us that Amber’s plan is working, but Meredith ended up being one of my favourite characters. The novel is fast-paced and exciting. It opens right in the middle of the action and sets us up to making readers judge high-society ladies without saying it outright.

To be honest, there was a lot to the writing of this book that I did not like. The story itself is intriguing, and I always love when the main character is the “bad guy.” There were a lot of “WTF” moments that kept me focused. It is easy to follow along, and the characters are great. As for the things I didn’t like, there was a lot of repetition. The sentence “Amber hoped this would happen” came up so many times by chapter 14 that I was sick of it. The chapters are so short that the events aren’t drawn out in some instances. I found that Constantine gave explanations that weren’t necessary – as if the readers couldn’t come to a certain conclusion on their own. Some language choices did not fit the narrative, and the storyline depended on the woman vs. woman narrative that isn’t great for society right now. The story made me uncomfortable, and it falls on stereotypes quite often. The worst part for me was the character switch. It seemed like it was a completely different style of writing, and it bothered me so much.*

There’s a lot I didn’t like, but the story itself was fascinating. This is not ground-breaking literature by any means, but I’ll give this a 2/5. I didn’t hate it, but the ending certainly infuriated me.

-Daniella

*Liv Constantine is a pen name for two sisters, so it’s possible that it was, in fact, different writers. Thanks to the person in my book club that pointed that out!