Member Reviews
I received this book as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. I thought this was a fun take on the digital age of dating apps and womanhood.
I usually read dark thriller books so I was excited to read this. This book isn't what I thought it would be. The book is about inequalities between the different sexes, divorce, gender identity and basically all of society's hot issues right now.
This book took me a while to get into. I struggled with the name of the app “the WIFE app”. To me “the MOM app” seemed more appropriate. A lot of couples don’t struggle with mental load until they have kids and it seemed like that was the bulk of the issues as to why a wife app was needed. Anyway, I am so glad I kept reading because it’s not really about being a wife or mom - it’s being able to offload mental load which is genius!
I found myself really loving the 3 characters and was rooting for the all to succeed. I love how it ended too but wanted to hear a little more about how their lives turned out.
This book was great!
I thought the concept of <i>The Wife App</i> was inventive and intriguing. I was interested in reading more. While the writing was good, there was too much trying to get accomplished. The characters and themes all tried to cover the hot topics of what's going on in society today. Gender identity, recognition for all that a wife/mom does in a day, divorce, cheating, female empowerment. It was overboard. To the point where I felt like this wasn't doing anyone any favors. Instead of recognizing red flags and drawing attention to them in a positive and productive way, I feel like this did the opposite.
I really want to give this book 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 3.
The Wife App follows a group of female friends as they find themselves single with kids and feeling unappreciated for the work they put into being parents, wives, and just people. The Wife App uses multiple POVs as each friend experiences the app and the adventures they take because of it. I loved the uplifting attitude throughout this read and the dynamic between the friends and the other characters.
"The Wife App" should be a real app. What a brilliant way to get things accomplished. Mackler shares some interesting insight into just how much responsibility for a family's well being falls to the "Mother Figure". Her characters are well written and believable. The kind of women I would love to have as friends.
If you're looking for an entertaining story with more friend time than boyfriend time check out this book.
A really fun book for the summer that was such an interesting concept . It was well written and will recommend to others !
It all begins as a joke at a divorce dinner. Lauren, Sophie and Madeline are best friends out to commemorate Lauren’s signing of the final papers. Even though she had a rough day, her girls truly understand and always manage to cheer her up. Going down the painful memory lane of what went wrong - the friends are reminded repeatedly how little appreciation they received for the “mental load” that comes with being a “good” wife. The unseen and unsung heroes that it takes to get the many jobs done. Children, career, house, parents and yes, taking care of their husbands as their jobs take precedence over the mundane every day chores of life. Together they conjure up the answer - women need a wife too. With Lauren’s tech background she takes the humor a step further and creates The Wife App, an online task application that pays “Wives” to do these jobs for a set fee. The days of undervalued free labor are over! As the three women put their business smarts and very pretty heads together what started on a whim becomes a huge sensation. Whether drowning in social media FOMO, raising children in this fast paced world of technology or uncoupling as only Gwyneth can do - is a happy modern marriage attainable? Love, friendship, and motherhood in the digital age sends these three women on the ride of their life.
I love a good multi POV and The Wife App had it! As a new(ish) mom myself who works full time I totally empathize and deal with the mental load of MOM. This book was stellar.
The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler was fun to read, The concept of an app where women could higher someone to help complete tasks that a lot of Mom's just can't get done because most duties fall on the shoulders of the wife. The three friends are so different from each other yet they work well together. The Wife App had great character development. It was nice to see how creating the Wife App changed all three characters in their private lives. I also loved how Carolyn handled a teenager struggle with her identity. Very well written.
Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved the girl power feel of this one. As a mom and wife, I could relate to feeling unappreciated over all the stuff a woman is expected to do. Who wouldn't want to get paid for all the invisible work a woman does in the house? The book really explores the complexities of divorce, motherhood, and friendship. It was fairly predictable, but I still liked how the ending tied everything up.
THE WIFE APP - CAROLYN MACKLER
4⭐
PLOT
3 best friends decide they are finally done with their ex husband and on a night out they come up and idea about wife app where they can monetize the mental and physical work load borne essential by a wife by providing other wives to do the job for them. The app grows interfering with their lives with consequences which are bigger than anything the 3 women could have imagined.
MY THOUGHTS -
I absolutely loved the concept. As a wife and parent there are so many small things which we have to take care of and not getting enough dues..this book highlights well. The personal lives their resolution of each towards the end was also nicely done.
Loved the revenge and redemption the wives get from their ex totally deserving.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review .
This was so cute. I received it as an arc from netgalley but went into the longest depressive episode of earth and could only finish it today because electricity was out and it was on my kindle. Finished it in one sitting. It was honestly very nice, my mom would literally kill for the wife app (would definitely be recommending this read to her). Premise was very nice, most of the characters were likable but it just felt like something was missing for it to hit for me i think. But overall, a beautiful book. 3.5 stars!
The Wife App is such a thought provoking read. I expected it to be light and fluffy (for lack of a better phrase) based on a few blurbs I read about. I was wrong and am glad I was. This story follows three friends, Lauren, Madeline and Sophie, on their individual journeys as well as how they come together to empower each other and show other women what they are worth. This story was so unique and I will definitely recommend to a lot of women in my life.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.
I'm glad I read this! I don't think I would have picked it up on my own, so thanks to simon&schuster for the e-book! This book was a lot of fun to read, I flew through it! It was a lighthearted read about three divorced women who come together to make The Wife App- which is designed to monetize the Mental Load that (disproportionately) wives take on. I really appreciate this book and think it brings up important issues. Plus i really loved Sophie's happy ending :)
Absolutely loved this one. Definitely a “wife’s” binge read, and Mackler certainly made this about every woman’s dream….a wife app. No, you don’t order a wife online, but you do order services on line that a wife normally is stuck doing (without payment). No, don’t go there, it’s NOT for sex - though husbands have no problem paying for that so….. ok, yeah, back on topic Gina.
Based around 3 middle aged friends in NYC with kids, divorces, and ex’s with new girlfriends, this one has all the drama. What started out as just a joke at a drunken girls night ends up being a full blown up-and- running project, and these three ladies are not only the founders but are the first “wives” out for hire.
There’s plenty of ridiculous requests these ladies have to work through, (dear god what the wealthy will buy - sheesh) on top of still being moms to their own kids AND dealing with their own family issues. This one could certainly be a Netflix series because it’s spot on in every aspect and Mackler certainly knows exactly how to make us everyday wives finally feel “seen”. It was an easy binge on a hot afternoon with quite the satisfying ending, with a little unexpected “tweak” you didn’t see coming (and the perfect unplanned revenge if you ask me).
Another great binge for that “quick day at the beach” trip. Grab this one now!
Thank you to Simon Books and Carolyn Mackler for the advanced copy of The Wife App!
This book precisely captures the Mental Load of marriage and motherhood! Three female main characters, Lauren, Sophie, and Madeline, have all been affected by divorce and find themselves overwhelmed with the work of carrying on a family and having careers. Over a meal one evening, they brainstorm having other "wives" take care of many of the numerous tasks they do on a regular basis: taking kids to school, filling out forms, planning for vacations, packing kids for camp, etc. The rest of the book is about how The Wife App comes to fruition and the ups and downs it creates for them and their families. This book is so relatable for wives and mamas!
The premise of the book had me instantly drawn in, but I couldn't get attached to the story. The idea of the "wife app" is clever, and the writing itself was lighthearted and descriptive but felt like something was lacking in order to move things along nicely. Plus, I couldn't really identify with any of the characters which also made it hard to be invested. I'd like to say that maybe I was just not the right audience for this, as I feel like the story itself has so much potential and could be enjoyable for others.
✨ Book Review ✨
A big thank you to @simonandschuster @carolynmacklerbooks @netgalley for this #gifted copy of #thewifeapp !!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler
Three best friends create an app to monetize on the mental load.
What to expect:
🗣️ Multi POV
💔 Divorce
🐶 Underdogs
💋 Romance
Quick thoughts:
✨ Absorbing.
✨ Loved the LGBTQIA’s+ representation.
✨ Tackles common marital issues.
✨ Reminded me of the movie The First Wives Club!
Overall thoughts:
Lauren, Sophie and Madeline have all been unlucky in marriage. All three divorced for different reasons but all three have one thing in common, the mental load that comes with being a wife. On a whim they decide to develop an app where people could work as a Wife but be compensated for it.
I really loved this book. The writing was terrific and perfectly paced. The flow of the story really sucked me in and I read it in one sitting. I loved the multiple perspectives of all three women; it really made the story feel well rounded.
Divorce is a focal point throughout and is depicted in its various forms. There is also cheating, hurtful put downs and custody issues laid bare on the table. I felt like it was an honest depiction of divorce overall.
The app itself was so interesting. The idea of being able to hire someone to do all the little tasks that add up over time sounded really appealing. I loved being able to watch it grow and really change their lives. There was so much growth on so many levels in this story.
There is a bit of romance laced throughout which I appreciated. I was happy that all three women got their HEA. I don’t want to forget about the LGBTQIA’s+ representation. I loved how those storylines developed and played out. If you enjoy women’s fiction you should really read this one!