The story of Henry VIII and his many wives is a fascinating piece of world history. "The Other Boleyn Girl" holds a special place in my heart and introduced me to the genius of Philippa Gregory. That is why I was drawn to this particular title. In this new novel, Olivia Hayfield attempts a formidable task. She brings the story of Henry and his wives into the 21st century along with modern equivalents for many of the other key players. It is my opinion that her attmept is quite successful in accomplishing what others have failed to do -- make Henry VIII relatable while maintaining his larger-than-life and at times ruthless persona. I found it to be a compelling read, although a bit longwinded. I have high hopes for the sequel.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book straddles the line between frothy and thematically complex, in that in some ways it's a very soapy melodrama, but in other ways it's a meditation on women's worth, relationships, gender power, etc. It's also successful as a faithful retelling of Tudor history while still feeling like a new story. I'm very familiar with the Tudor period and knew who every character was supposed to represent without referring to the character list, I knew what was going to happen (namely who was going to end up divorced or dead), but the anticipation of seeing how Hayfield would handle events (particularly beheadings) in a modern scenario kept me hooked. (The Anne of Cleves surrogate was particularly fun.)

As head of a media empire (with fingers in lots of other industries, it seems), Harry is the closest to a 16th century king a man can be in the 21st century. The issues Henry VIII had with his wives translate remarkably well to the modern world—fertility, power, fidelity... I was impressed by the creativity and thoughtfulness of Hayfield's "translation." It would have been easy to make it into a light chick lit beach read type book, but it actually has some teeth. It's easier to understand Harry's charisma and immaturity in the modern context, though I still don't like him! (Ditto his wives—I have way more sympathy for the historic wives. These fictional wives were all irritating in their own ways, and I didn't understand why any of them, except maybe Katie, would want to be with this modern incarnation.)

I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars because it's difficult to highly rate someone who lifted her plot straight from history, but then I realized that a) it's not any worse than what authors like Philippa Gregory do, and b) Hayfield created something new and strangely-thought provoking from a well-worn story, and that is something.

This book was delightful. I loved it. I did not expect to love it 10 pages in. I was a little irritated that I had requested an ARC and annoyed that I had to read it. But it got so good as it wound it’s way through the loose story telling of Henry VIII’s wives. It was hilarious but also really sad and serious in places. This was a great escape read!

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews "Wife After Wife" by Olivia Hayfield, Berkley Publishing, January 2020

Olivia Hayfield, Author of "Wife After Wife' has written a unique and witty contemporary re-take on "Henry VIII and his wives". The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Satire, Humor, and Romance. Instead of Henry VIII being the King of England, he is now a "Media King" in the 21st Century, who does appreciate women. Harry Rose is the head of Rose Corporation. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, and quirky. There are betrayals and tragic events.

Harry Rose is quite charismatic, charming, and seems to be a magnet to women. In this modern version, Harry is aggressive in business and love.  He justifies his actions, and if he can't, he makes excuses for his choices. Except as the story progresses in time we are in the "Me-too" movement. I found Harry Rose's wives interesting and unusual.  Harry's children also have unique personalities.

I appreciate the creativity and the way the author vividly describes the characters and events. This novel is witty, entertaining, and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend this appealing story for readers who enjoy a creative satire.

What would Henry VIII have been like if he lived in the modern era? Olivia Hayfield explores this question in her novel Wife After Wife. Henry becomes Harry Rose, the the heir of a mega-successful media empire. An orphan at a young age, he works his way up through the company until he is old enough to take over from his uncle. Handsome and charismatic, women find Harry as irresistible as he finds them. Katie Paragon, Ana Lyebon, Janette Morrissey, Anki from Cleveland, Caitlyn Howe, and Clare Barr are the ones lucky (or unlucky) enough to marry him.

Wife After Wife is a fun and thought-provoking exploration of the infamous six wives of Henry VIII, and their relationships with him. By placing these historical figures in a contemporary setting, they become more relatable and the reader can more easily imagine the struggles, motivations, joys, and grievances that led to the beginning and end of each marriage. Hayfield strikes a good balance between historical accuracy and a compelling narrative. For those familiar with history, it is entertaining to see how each figure is reimagined as a modern person, and for those who aren't it is still an interesting and enjoyable story. I hear there is to be a sequel, and I look forward to reading it!

Thank you for allowing me to preview this title. I read 25% and just could not get engaged. I think the writer's style was just not my cup of tea. Best wishes.

This modernized retelling of the life of Henry VIII was a lot of fun to read and to try to remember my European history at the same time. Well researched, it’s amazing to see that Henry VIII would really fit in quite well in our modern times.

A modern retelling without being blah. History buffs will love this book. If you skipped over this in history class, you’ll still enjoy it.

The concept of this book was very intriguing and Hayfield delivers with dishy drama, heart-rending act of cruelty, and personable characters who crackle off the page. Harry is a narcissist with redeeming qualities. I could see myself being satisfied with either a redemptive or karmic end for him, but others may feel differently. Especially recommended for people with an interest in the Tudors because Hayfield cleverly updates historical events and peppers them in as Easter eggs for Tudor diehards.

While I don’t usually read books in this genre, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting retelling of a story with a modern twist. It was captivating and slightly suspenseful. I was invested in the characters and would definitely recommend.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

A book that chronicles the life of Harry Rose from a young man to a titan in an industry and the wives that came in and out of his life. Harry Rose could be compared to King Henry VIII and the women are cleverly renamed!

Taking King Henry VIII into the 80s is such a great concept. I loved how easily it was to take the ways of a King and convert them into a modern day and do just a few updates. There were a few things that made me shake my head but those were few and far in between. I also loved the nods to the past - with the name of a pub or a plaque honoring things from the past.

This book was a cross between a historical fiction reimagining and a #MeTOO work of art. I only knew the random bits of stories about King Henry VIII, so parts of this book may have flown right over my head, but without that knowledge the book was still an interesting read. I wouldn't mind reading this book again after reading some more historical fiction about his life and see what more I could pick up on. The bits I did, made me chuckle!

I would love for Olivia Hayfield to do more of these from prominent figures from the past - I would love it even more if it were a character that I knew more about.

A modern retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives? Sign me up! You may not know this about me, but I used to be obsessed with The Tudor family. After my book club read “The Other Boleyn Girl”, 10 years ago, we went to a Tudor history talk at a nearby castle (so fun!) and then became obsessed with watching The Tudors on HBO. Its been over 10 years but it wasn’t long until the history and “cast of characters” all flooded my fond memories.

I don’t read many retellings and honestly, I think the only one I’ve read recently was The Winters (based on Rebecca) last year. I think it helped that the retelling is a retelling of history and not of a book that I hold such high esteem to.

Wife After Wife’s modern spin was highly entertaining. I found myself giggling and googling throughout the book. I loved the setting (London), the 80’s pop and culture references, the spin on the wives’ fates (divorced, beheaded, died and divorced, beheaded, survived) and I was a huge fan of the character development for Katie aka Catherine of Aragon. She has always been my favorite of the wives.

I don’t think you need to know the history behind The Tudor family to enjoy this one. The index at the front for the cast of characters makes it easy to see the correlation. The book is over 400 pages and I do think it was too long. The pacing was off on this one and I think it would have been better suited if it was presented as a series rather than trying to cram all the wives into one book.

This was the perfect lighthearted read to settle into after reading American Dirt. I’m so glad I gave it a go.

3.75 stars

Wife After Wife is a modern retelling of Henry VIII. Unfortunately, no one was beheaded. I was hoping for a fun, witty, delightfully wicked read. It was overlong and I did not particularly connect with any of the characters. Still it was readable and I'm sure my patrons will enjoy more than I did. Great idea even though it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.

I love Henry VIII, and so when I discovered Olivia Hayfield was releasing a modern retelling of his famous story described as "Philippa Gregory meets Jackie Collins" I was sold. While the book wasn't QUITE what I wanted, and was a tad long, overall I enjoyed it and the innovations that Hayfield took to relocate this story from the 16th century to beginning in the 80s and ending in present day. 

Harry Rose is the young tycoon set to take over his father's media conglomerate, and when we first meet him, it's the late 80s, his family is dead, and he's married to a nice Catholic girl named Katie who's struggling with fertility. You know the story from there, right? No spoilers here. There's Ana, the upstart fashion icon who meets her demise in a quite...ridiculous way, if I do say so myself.Janette, the secretary turned wife who seems to "know" Harry. Anki, a nice girl from Ohio he meets on Alt-Life, and then Caitlyn, Ana's distant relation and a young girl with a troubled past. Then, Clare, nurse turned wife. None of this is a spoiler, because it's a tale as old as time, something we all learned in elementary school, but it's interesting to see the way Hayfield tells a story. The modern innovations are interesting, the storytelling takes you on a journey and is a bit longer than I thought it needed to be, but overall, I was pleased. I hope this inspires more Henry VIII retellings. I loved Dead Queens Club back in February 2019, for example. 

The writing is good, the pacing is alright, and I liked trying to tie each modern character to the historical character as I read. Give it a read if you like juicy society stories, troubled marriages, and a fresh take that gives the wives some agency. This is a great read leading into SIX on Broadway.

Wife After Wife is a modern take on Henry VIII and his six wives. While it certainly places Henry and his wives squarely in modern day, it fails to deliver its promise of a juicy, gossipy retelling. Henry VIII is a fascinating historical figure, and I was eager to see how Hayfield was going to update him to fit into the 20/21st centuries. I was disappointed to find that the writing, characters, and plot were flat and unexciting. I especially had trouble connecting to any of the characters, even the sympathetic Katie. I can understand all the comparisons to Jackie Collins, but this felt watered down and lacked that spark that made me excited to pick the story back up whenever I set it down. Great premise, but overall poor execution.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love a good historical retelling, so I was champing at the bit to get my hands on this one. I thought it seemed a bit unbalanced with the emphasis put so much on the first wives till I read the author’s note and then I understood the dichotomy. I’m looking forward to the follow up from the kids’ perspectives!

A creative chick lit retelling of Henry VIII in a contemporary British setting. Although the novel takes some liberties with historical facts, it still seems too tied to the obligation to check certain boxes and that gets in the way of good storytelling. I enjoyed the reimagining of characters to contemporary standards and wish the author had taken even more liberties, making the historical framework simply bare bones. The cutesy reworking of names gets a bit tiresome (Anne=Ana, Mary =Maria, etc.). Perhaps only 1 or 3 character names should have been signifiers in this way. The author interview that follows indicates that a sequel is forthcoming. I was surprised to feel interested in reading more, so I guess this was a successful effort. For that reason, four stars instead of three.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute and quirky tale mirroring the life and wives of King Henry VIII. Fun read.

I love historical fiction so I was excited to get a copy of this book. Although it was well-written, I cannot say that I enjoyed it. For the first 2/3rds of the book, I hated all the characters, there wasn't one for whom I wanted to root. Katie, Harry's first wife, was meant to be sympathetic, and by the end of the book, she was, but at the beginning she was just a doormat and that frustrated me to no end.

Harry is, obviously, a womanizing misogynist who judged every woman he encountered by her looks. He supposedly loved each of his wives, but he couldn't keep it in his pants. Ugh. I have no patience or sympathy with such a person. There's a Q&A with the author at the end of the book and she discusses her intention to write King Henry more sympathetically and make the reader like him by the end. She also discusses how, if we judge him by the standards of the time in which he lived, then he really wasn't that bad. This may be true, but the story in the book, that of the character of Harry Rose, takes place from the mid-1980s through to 2019. So, there's not nearly as much of an excuse for the character in the book as their might have been in true history.

The last third of the book was better, and I did like the ending. But, I was bored and annoyed by everyone for the first two-thirds. If I hadn't committed to reading the book and writing a review, I may have given up. The story is well-written and I will read the author again, but sadly, I didn't enjoy the characters in this one.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley #WifeAfterWife

Henry VIII in all his glory is played out in this modern retelling. Harry is good looking, charming and very rich so he has his pick of all the beautiful women in London. He is already married to one of them but sadly just can't seem to stop himself from sampling the other delights, young and old. While we follow Harry's escapades the watch the women line up and then fall we can't help but see the parallels to the former King of all England. And, like that overactive monarch before him, we wonder if he will ever be content and learn true happiness before it is too late. His children are the ones who really need him and are most affected by his childish revolving door of wives but when you don't care about the king, you don't care what happens to his kingdom. The author proves once again that there is no excuse for male bad behavior no matter the time or place. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.