I loved this book! I am a huge fan of everything Karma Brown writes and this may be her best yet.
Dual timelines in past and present combined with a hot topic for women, now and then, had me flying through the pages anxious to learn how it would end.
In the present day, Alice has moved to a fixer-upper in the suburbs, fresh out of a city she so deeply loves. She's newly married and babies are on the brain- of her husband, not so much herself...not yet. She struggles to find her place out of her city and away from the full-time career she loved, to be a housewife and want-to-be novelist (though she hides the fact she has not written anything) She emotionally struggles with where life has taken her, as well as with a secret she keeps from her husband. When she's in the basement of her new house, that never feels like home, Alice discovers a cookbook and letters of the previous homeowner, Nellie, from the 1950's. The letters and cookbook connect the two women as we learn how Nellie also struggled to belong, wanting so much more than staying home and cooking dinner and appeasing her terrible husband.
As we shift between the two women's lives, we realize that while time may pass, women's desires to find a place in the world were just as crucial back then as it is now.
Finding your place in this world, your place as a wife and possible mother, managing a career, tending for a home and above all, finding true happiness are timeless issues that the author beautifully brought to life.
I thought this book was fascinating, thought-provoking and engaging. I loved the recipes, made by Nellie that Alice tries to recreate, that were sprinkled throughout. The characters were incredibly developed as if you knew them personally and there are enough twists to keep you reading past your bedtime! I won't spoil the ending, but I never saw it coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC of this book to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been in a reading slump lately, so I was thrilled to find Recipe for a Perfect Wife. I think it would be an excellent book club pick. It's part chick-lit, part ghost story, part mystery.
About mothers and daughters, Karma Brown says a lot in very few words. I loved that insightful part of her writing. About marriage, she presents it as the mixed bag it tends to be. The 1950's husband is an entirely unsympathetic character, but the modern husband is, in many ways, to be pitied. The traditional roles of women, particularly cooking, are handled with respect. Yet the modern conflict for women - is "traditional" valuable enough? - rages in Alice.
And the ending leaves a lot of room for discussion. Enjoy!

I was provided an advance copy of this book by NetGalley.

#NetGalley
#RecipeforaPerfectWife

This was a great book! I really liked dual plot lines and thought the back and forth was wonderfully navigated. Both of the women were intricate and relatable.

The last 1/3 of the book was paced perfectly and I literally could not put the book down. The ending had a few loose ends though that made me wish there was was just another chapter or two.

Wow!! Recipe for a Perfect Wife was a surprise hit for me and I just enjoyed it so much. This was my first book by Karma Brown and it definitely won't be my last! I loved the format of the dual timelines and I became very immersed with both of the main characters.

Brown introduces us to Alice, who has recently moved out of the city to a fixer-upper with her husband. As her roles are shifting in her own home life, Alice discovers a cookbook and magazines from the previous homeowner. This discovery introduces us to the other main character in this book, Nellie.

The storyline then goes back and forth between present-day Alice and Nellie a "housewife" in the 1950s. I loved how Brown took us back to that era and really dove into what life was like for women and the expectations there was of Nellie as a wife in that time period.

The story shifts between Nellie's narrative, and Alice's discovery of Nellie's past while also learning more about her own marriage. Each chapter started with quotes from marital advice from the (not so distant) past and it really helped set the scene for how different life was in the early and mid-1900s.

Brown keeps you super involved in both storylines and I loved that while it was a completely engaging read, it took on some powerful and timely topics. The twists at the end were satisfying, clever and bold. Recipe For A Perfect Wife will definitely stick with me and it would make a wonderful book club discussion.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I really, really love Karma Brown's books, so I was very excited to get my hands on her new one early.

This one has a Julie/Julia vibe to it, though much more readable. The story in both timelines moves well. It was interesting having both Alice and Nellie having struggles that while not exactly the same, were similar enough that the two women felt linked beyond living in the same house.

The twist caught me by surprise (I had my money on something different happening). It was a bit eye popping, but I think those are the twists that Karma is best at delivering. The modern day timeline felt like it had a few subplots that were just left hanging there, and the story never seemed to resolve, but I guess that's life.

If you like Karma's other books, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Alice is at loose and ends and not telling her husband the whole truth when he pressures her to move to the suburbs. Alice is not looking forward to the the suburbs or the house and struggles to fill her days. Sally, Alice's neighbor, is a source of friendship and information and letters from Nellie, the former resident. Alice and Nellie live in the same house over 50 years apart and struggle with the expectations of their husbands. Their husbands expect a perfect wife, but what does it mean to be the perfect wife? Is being a perfect wife in the 1950's different from being a perfect wife in the 2010's? And can you be a 'perfect' wife and be true to yourself?

I really loved this book. I was captivated by both stories, the one of Alice in the present, and her counterpart in the past, Nellie. I thought that starting each chapter with a recipe was terrific! I've never read any of Ms. Brown's novels, but I will be looking up her backlist in the future!

I have been a longtime fan of Karma Brown's books and RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE did not disappoint! This is such a clever concept and I loved how she handled the dual timeline. Often with dual timeline stories, one story eclipses the other in terms of complexity or reader interest. However, in this case, I was equally interested and invested in the characters and found myself quickly turning the pages regardless of which timeline I was currently reading. Brown also explores the role of women, especially in a marriage, and how that has changed (or hasn't changed) over time. The contrast and lingering similarities between present-day and the 1950s is intriguing and makes for a delightful story. I also appreciated the character development and the nice quick pace of the story, especially with the hint of a mystery. Honestly, I think the only negative I'd share is that the cover design does not do a great job, in my opinion, of attracting potential readers. I'm so glad I recognized the author's name and requested it given my admiration of her work. RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE is a sure fire hit with book clubs.

I applaud this book due to it's subject matter and tainted lives of women regardless of its time period. I appreciated the richness of this story because there was a mix of humor, reality, and darkness women face no matter what era it is. This book will be applauded for book clubs and will beg discussion. I genuinely appreciated being able to read this one early because the story itself is timeless, the cover is alluring and it title is a story within itself. Karma Brown crafted characters that wove together seamlessly and you can appreciate the story both tell.

I really loved this book!
The dual timelines flowed so easily throughout the chapters from the present day back to the 1950's..
The intersect of Alice and Nellie so many years apart, now brought together; was clever.
It made for a wonderful, intriguing novel that was very hard to put down once I started it.
The descriptions of the many different recipes, the old home, and the styles of the days gone by, made me remember my own childhood and home.
It was truly a blast from the past!
This novel has mystery, suspense, historical fiction, family and friendship.
You will love Alice and Nellie!

I received a Netgalley ebook copy of this book. I’ve read most of Karma’s other book which I’ve really liked. This one one just ok for me. I enjoyed the two women and their stories and the dual timelines. I liked the history of the house. However, I was a little put off by the me too connection this book was wanting to make. I don’t care to read about politically charged books regardless of my feelings. I read to escape.

Recipe for a perfect wife was an alarming journey of a young woman rootless though married,so she agrees to move into a house full of secrets all garden related. The previous owner who lived during the frigid 50’s to a bully who she only married to escape her life and have children. Found herself early on frozen by convention in a home that she struggled to appear normal to the outside. A story of inner torment and a shared love of cigarettes these two parallel storylines at times mirrored the others torment. Infidelity shares the stage to both storylines only in the 2018 version her fears were unfounded and the hubby’s secret was a cross country move not a office tryst. In both story’s the Alice of today is as strong as the Nellie of yesteryear in that this house this place gave her comfort when needed and shelter against the future.

Karma Brown doesn't disappoint with her newest book. Told in a dual timeline from the perspective of two different women, Brown explores the intricacies of marital relationships, the oppression of women in marriage and the lengths each woman will resort to, to make her voice heard.

The ending, although not wrapped up nice and neat, provides a satisfying conclusion to the story and leaves the reader with a little curiosity about the main characters marriage in the future. Brown provides a great setting and a great set of characters to explore a different side of misogyny in marriage and the trade-offs and choices women feel they have to make in order to free themselves from societal norms and expectations.

I found myself disliking both women enough, but not so much that I didn't root for them throughout the novel. Even though each woman faces a stark example of white male privilege, many women will relate to the ways wives and daughters use to navigate these complex and overbearing relationships.

This book had me up late and awake early. A must read for book clubs.

A lovely book a book that drew me right in to the lives of these two women fifty years apart .Karma Brown has a wonderful style her characters come alive warm funny a wonderful read, #netgalley#duttonbooks

A little too much on the "romance," side for my usual taste. But i loved the dual narrative and perspectives of woman decades removes removed from one another.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Karma Brown's newest. I was an early beta reader for this book. You really feel the soul in this book - it is both funny and deep at the same time. Brown masterfully ties two women's lives together though they are 60 years apart. Great read!

Wow!! Recipe for a Perfect Wife was a surprise hit for me and I just enjoyed it so much. This was my first book by Karma Brown and it definitely won't be my last! I loved the format of the dual timelines and I became very immersed with both of the main characters.

Brown introduces us to Alice, who has recently moved out of the city to a fixer-upper with her husband. As her roles are shifting in her own home life, Alice discovers a cookbook and magazines from the previous homeowner. This discovery introduces us to the other main character in this book, Nellie.

The storyline then goes back and forth between present-day Alice and Nellie a "housewife" in the 1950s. I loved how Brown took us back to that era and really dove into what life was like for women and the expectations there was of Nellie as a wife in that time period.

The story shifts between Nellie's narrative, and Alice's discovery of Nellie's past while also learning more about her own marriage. Each chapter started with quotes from marital advice from the (not so distant) past and it really helped set the scene for how different life was in the early and mid-1900s.

Brown keeps you super involved in both storylines and I loved that while it was a completely engaging read, it took on some powerful and timely topics. The twists at the end were satisfying, clever and bold. Recipe For A Perfect Wife will definitely stick with me and it would make a wonderful book club discussion.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an advanced copy.

I loved this book! Alice and her husband move out of the city to a fixer upper. She discovers a cookbook and magazines from the 1950's in the basement and tried to figure out what the previous homeowner was like while she is trying to discover who she is. We also follow Nellie who owned the house before. This is a heartwarming book exploring two woman's lives in the same house at different times.

What role is a wife supposed to play in today’s expectations of feminism? This book highlights the drastic change in thought from 1950 to today in what a woman’s job is; but what does it mean for a 2019 woman to WANT to stay home? Interesting read.

This is a great novel to lose yourself in. Karma Brown has a writing style that transports you to a different time (1950’s) and immerses you in the story. You are experiencing what it was like to be a woman in that era and what was expected of you as a wife. The book has a second storyline which is involves a current marriage with all the trials and secrets between the husband and wife. The author keeps you involved in both stories dealing with what it means to be a woman in both. The author throws a few twists that keep you reading till the very end. A great read by a very talented writer! #RecipeforaPerfectWife #KarmaBrown #NetGalley