The story centers around Riley, a successful professional who finds herself navigating the intricate balance between her career and her increasingly complicated relationship with her colleague and "work wife," Jessica. The concept of the work spouse is intriguingly explored, and Hart delves into the challenges and emotional intricacies that come with such a relationship.

Hart’s writing is engaging and the dialogue sharp, capturing the pressures and politics of the modern workplace. The characters are well-defined, and the central conflict provides a solid foundation for the narrative. However, while the premise is strong, the execution felt somewhat uneven. The plot occasionally veers into predictability, and some of the character arcs seemed underdeveloped.

Riley and Jessica's relationship is the focal point of the story, and while it’s interesting, the depth of their connection didn’t fully resonate with me. The resolution of their conflicts, though satisfactory, felt a bit rushed, and I wished for more exploration of their emotional journeys. The pacing of the novel also fluctuated, with some sections feeling slow while others were more engaging.

Overall, The Work Wife is a compelling read with a unique premise and relatable themes. It’s a solid choice for readers interested in contemporary fiction that examines the dynamics of modern work life, but it may not leave a lasting impression for those seeking more depth and complexity in their characters and plot.

This novel is set all on one busy day in Hollywood, told from the alternating perspectives of three women, all of whom have connections to powerful director/producer Ted Stabler. Zanne is one of Ted’s many personal assistants, Holly is Ted’s wife, and Phoebe hasn’t seen Ted in many years but has returned to Hollywood to try to get a deal for her passion project movie. Zanne and Holly are busy preparing for a big fundraiser hobnobber party at the Stabler house which Phoebe hopes to attend, as they all are also grappling with secrets and controversies past and present.

This was a good one, taking on big issues like sexism, class, racism, and the me too movement, but with a somewhat light touch and while still also being very grounded in the characters. There’s an ever so slight satire in its portrayal of over the top Hollywood power couple Ted and Holly, but for the most part it unfolds seriously, not for laughs. I found it really interesting and a good read, and it’s too bad it didn’t get more attention when it came out two years ago. Even though I perhaps contributed to that since I got it from Netgalley and didn’t get around to reading it until now!

This story centers around Phoebe, Holly and Zanne in the span of one day. Phoebe is trying to get her movie distributed, Holly is a Hollywood mogul's wife hosting the party everyone's buzzing about and Zanne is a personal assistant trying to snag a promotion that she is sure will bring the stability she has been seeking most of her life.

I thought the story was well constructed, and very believable (at the end, the author explains why she wrote the book). I found myself empathizing with the 3 women. It also paints a picture of what power, money and ambition can skew your morals, perceptions and sense of entitlement.

What starts as a juicy Hollywood story becomes a thought-provoking book about the role others women play in covering up and even excusing assault. Sure, the characters may not be likeable, but they are realistic.

I loved this book. I felt it was very character driven and i was sucked into this story right away. Zanne and Phoebe’s stories were really well done. I feel like Holly’s story wasn’t as well done and skimmed the surface but that could very well have been purposeful?

A unique premise for a book that I found intriguing but it wasn't compelling enough for me and seemed to drag.

This is a heart-pounding novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. The author skillfully crafts a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns, ensuring an enthralling reading experience.

The story introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. As the plot unfolds, their lives become intertwined in a high-stakes game of danger and deceit. The author expertly maintains a sense of suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and unease. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail transport readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are right alongside the characters, experiencing the thrilling events firsthand.

I wasn’t very involved in this story. Pacing was off and and I found myself not interested the plot at all

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I could not get into the story. The characters did not captivate me and the setting did not feel right.

A unique read but one that was hard to get into. Three point of views was tough to connect to the main story and plot. It was good but not great.

The book had a good premise, but unfortunately this was a DNF for me. It was well written and I think others would enjoy.

Thank you, as always, to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this story, and thought the overall premise was one that I would enjoy. However, I had such a hard time getting into the story that I ended up DNFing around the 45% mark. It is well written, just not the book for me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get through this because the format for the arc made it tricky to read (bad eyes!).

I've only heard great things about this book, so I plan to buy the physical to read it through!

1 star rating simply reflects the poor format.

First of all, the cover drew me in big time! I love it and the synopsis made me think this was going to be a really juicy quick read full of drama and people you love to hate. It had some drama and definitely hate-able characters, but overall it was pretty slow paced. I wasn't invested right off the bat. I had to read slowly to really familiarize myself with who was who. I didn't dislike the book by any means - in fact I thought it was good. I just wanted more drama in the moment. I wanted some of the characters to burnnnnn for being so awful. But the ending left me a bit unsatisfied.

This is a very female-centric book - focusing on three women who are part of the inner circle of Ted Stabler, Hollywood mogul. Holly, his current wife; Phoebe, his first wife and Zanne who is his administrative assistant. The back story is one of misogyny in the movie industry and how that has affected each of these women. It's a slow moving story - I would have enjoyed it more if the story was half as long about the Ted story and more about the lives of the women picking up where this ends.

This story follows a day in the life of three women who are or were important key figures in Ted Stabler’s life. Ted Stabler is a Hollywood film mogul, who has produced some of the greatest films of our time. He’s a powerful key player in Hollywood and as such he needs a huge staff to take care of his and his family’s every whim, no matter how impossible the request seems. Part of his staff is Zanne, an alternative looking woman who is actually a people pleaser and does everything in her power to make her powerful boss happy. And why shouldn't she with the gigantic salary she recieves to do her job? Ted wants to make Zanne his chief of staff because she knows him so well, anticipates his every need or close to it, fixes all the problems no matter how big or small, and is always there with a “Happy to help!” for her employers and their children. We follow Zanne to see how she makes this job her identity because being there all the time, she doesn’t really get to have her own life. A fact we see driven home later on in the book.

The next woman we follow is Holly Stabler. Holly is Ted Stabler’s wife. We see her make requests that seem impossible but they get fulfilled anyway. Like when she wanted a live baby giraffe and elephant the day of the party, it seemed like an impossible task but it got done in time for the party, thanks to her amazing staff. That’s just one of the many things they do for her through the course of this book. Holly can be insecure and she needs a lot of reassurance but she has a staff member for that. Zanne is Ted’s personal assistant because she is more analytical and more about facts and figures so she doesn’t work well assisting Holly. That’s why Holly goes behind Ted’s back and puts up a job listing for chief of staff, a role that Ted has already asked Zanne if she wants. Because Zanne finds out about the posting, it makes her feel some type of way so she doesn’t mind helping Phoebe Lee. Plus it’s the right thing to do.

That brings us to Phoebe Lee, the third woman’s point of view that we get to read. Phoebe knew Ted before he was famous and she co produced his first two movies, even though she didn’t get the credit she deserved. Phoebe is not invited to the party but she shows up anyway because she needs to talk to Ted, things happened in the past and she needs answers from him. At one time, they were partners. What happened? How did they go from being so close to not talking anymore and having a bit of hatred for each other? What went so wrong between them two? And can Phoebe rise above everything and do the one thing she’s wanted to do since she was a young child, get her movie Warrior Bride produced?

This was an important book. I liked the story and how it was told. I identified with Zanne a bit, in the sense that I’m definitely a people pleaser but I know now that I would never want a ultra demanding and demeaning job like that. Their whole life is about catering to other people, people who aren’t that grateful because at the end of the day they know they pay you well to put up with all the crap they make you put up with. That money has to be nice, but if you have no time to spend or enjoy it, it loses a little bit of value. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book NetGalley and Alison B. Hart, I really enjoyed the story and reading it!

3.75 stars

This was a good book. It was interesting and dramatic, and it took a reasonably critical and nuanced look at some very relevant contemporary issues. The characters were complex and multifaceted, not always likeable but definitely believable. It was an engaging read, one I’m glad I was able to find time to explore. I’m looking forward to seeing what the writer comes out with next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I tried to get into it, and read about a quarter, but could not finish. The writing was choppy and the story did not grab me.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7128105947414727978?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

I enjoy books set in the entertainment industry so I was very intrigued by this one. This one kept my interest fairly well, but in the end it was just okay for me.