*Thank you to Riverdale Books, Marc Shapiro and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I am not super well versed in the history and personal relationships of the Beatles, however I found the hook of this book to be intriguing as it gave insight into the lives of the women who loved the Beatles, rather than orienting the Beatles themselves as the primary interests as is usually done in pop culture lore.

However, as I was not really that invested and had no personal attachment to the figures explored in the book, I found my mind wandering in parts.

If you are a diehard Beatles fan, or grew up with them being prominent pop cultural figures, then I would definitely recommend this insightful and interesting book. You will come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of not only the Beatles, but their significant others and the impact that they each had.

Finally a book that gives voice to the lives of the women who loved John, Paul, Ringo and George. What I particularly love about this meticulously researched book is it centers the stories of the women who were an important part of each of the Fab Four's lives but until now have only been shown as one-dimensional figures in the background. There was so much more I learned about each of them as well as gaining their insights and experiences into the men they loved and married. Watching Peter Jackson's documentary "Get Back" recently had me look at Yoko Ono in a new light which is what brought me to this book. I highly recommend this book.

A very fast and enjoyable read, discussing the lives of the 9 Beatles wives, before, during and after they married to their respective Beatle. There is not a lot of new information here, and most of it is from secondary sources (and lots of blogs) b/c the author did not actually interview any of the surviving wives for this book. But for a solid summary of their lives, this was comprehensive and gives the reader a full picture of each woman's life and work, in particular the 'lesser known' and 'later' wives, e.g., Nancy Shevell and Maureen Starkey.

Very interesting and fast reading stories of the Beatle's wives. Full of insight into relationships and
keeps you interested right to the end, There is a very easy style of writing involved which makes the book even more enjoyable,.

Interesting read!

My thanks to Marc Shapiro, River Avondale books and Netgalley.
I'll be honest, I'm not a huge Beatles fan. They came before me, "slightly!" I have songs that I listen to. I was mostly a Paul McCartney and Wings fan, and George Harrison.
Still, I've never read anything about any of these men. Truth is, I don't care.
But, this book had me wondering. Why in the world would anyone marry someone famous? If course some didn't know what they were getting into.
For me? First time someone shoved a camera in my face, I'd have been invisible.
It was nice reading about these women. No judgement from me. They had it rough. I've always liked Linda McCartney. Heather Mills was just exactly how I remembered her! Ugh! I found a soft spot for Yoko. But, I will never like John Lennon. Harrison found a great woman. Ringo and Barbara? I just don't care.

A really interesting study of a different aspect of the Beatles phenomenon. This book gives insights into the influence of spouses on the Beatles while also being respectful of the life and experience of the women as individuals.

The Beatle Wives by Marc Shapiro is a biography book dedicated to the wives of The Beatles. It’s informative, reliable and unbiased. He gives special importance on what’s like to be the wife of a Beatle. At the same time, there are also glimpse of The Beatles Men on how their life had been with these women. He points factual information based on the interviews, documentaries and autobiographies. Each chapter of the book has engaged me to learn interesting facts by browsing the internet, listen to a particular song mentioned from the book and taking a quick look of videos like A Hard Day’s Night (1964 musical comedy film).

I’ve always get the impression of this “jealousy fan feeling” when a person get involved with a celebrity. The journey has never been easy just as I’ve read in this book. It isn’t about the glitz and glamour. Facing the ugly side of fame and success like the public attention, media exposures, temptations, complicated relationships, balancing career and private life, etc. These factors shall put them into test. The stories of Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Starkey and Nancy Shevell have an impact to me. It has brought me into tears after learning about their stories.

A huge thanks to Riverdale Avenue Books and @netgalley for this opportunity to see the glimpse of the lives of The Beatle Wives.

This book is recommendable to readers who are fans of The Beatles. Also a good reference for research about real people like them.

I love everything Beatles including this... and since May Pang is a friend, I was curious to hear what was mentioned about her... not much, but thats ok. An incredible band with an incredible group of women around them... a. great read for fellow Beatle lovers and interesting stories

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Riverdale Avenue Books, and Marc Shapiro for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I've always been a fan of The Beatles, but especially their wives. Pattie Boyd is one of my biggest inspirations and I've always found the other Beatle wives to be very interesting as well. I liked how this book was set up, with each chapter dedicated to a different woman, and I also liked that it was an unbiased account of their lives. There was some information included that I didn't already know, which was a treat! However, I thought that the author did include a lot of information from other sources, which is understandable but got tedious at times to read - but this may just be a personal issue. Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and learning more about all of these fascinating women. I recommend it to fans of The Beatles, their wives, or just people wanting to learn more about the 60's and 70's.

*Thank you to Riverdale books, Marc Shapiro and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Beatles have always fascinated me, but after watching all 8 hours of the documentary "Get Back", I am obsessed. This book came at a perfect time, as I was mesmerized by the wives portrayal in the documentary, specifically Yoko, Maureen, and Linda. I wanted to know more about them and their marriages to these four famous men. This book was informative, raw, and so interesting. None of the wives had it easy, some worse than others. I loved the glimpse of the 60s and 70s that Shapiro gave us. We also learn more about John, George, Ringo and Paul and who they were. All of it is unbiased and backed up with references. Some of the marriages were sad (Patti Boyd and Maureen Starkey) and some were happy that had sad endings (Linda Eastman).

I finished this book quickly as it kept my interest. Beatles Wives is a book that I learned so much from!

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Excellent read! A must for any Beatles fan. Most of this information is not new but it was nice to see each wife get an expanded chapter like a mini bio. Recommend.

This is a well-written and unbiased account of the wives of the Fab Four. As it is ultimately a compilation of research, it doesn’t feel intrusive to read and the author does a great job of not being judgmental. While we learn about the lives and upbringings of the wives- mostly through past interviews with them or through books they have written-the real focus of the book, as expected, is on their relationships with their famous husbands. The Beatles have always been put on a pedestal, and while this book does not necessarily knock them off that pedestal, it shows them as ordinary men in relationships burdened by public scrutiny.
After finishing this book (which I did in just two sittings due to the interesting content and great writing), I think what I will remember most is that there is a high price to fame and stardom and everyone near has to pay that price.
I am a second generation Beatles fan- love the music but have a hard time understanding the hysteria. I do find it fascinating, though, and have read a lot on the topic of the Beatles- to figure out how and why the Beatlemania phenomenon happened. Honestly, I think this book solves that puzzle for me. These were ordinary men caught up in something they couldn’t control and their relationships brought others into that storm. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn a bit of history, including what life was like in the 60s and 70s, and to those who want to get a glance into the complicated lives of the women who were involved with these men.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC.

When I saw the title of this book I pounced on it immediately. After a deluge of books on The Beatles over many decades, this is the first time I saw a biography dedicated specifically to the wives of The Beatles. Clocking in at 237 pages, it's a fairly quick and very interesting read. This author's niche is writing celebrity biographies. I read a great one on Mary Tyler Moore from this same author, so I trusted this would be at least as good. He referenced many books which I already own and have read to cull his information, but was intrigued by how he employed and cited various websites for quotes of interview material. I was particularly keen on learning more about the Beatles wives the media hasn't elaborated much on: Ringo's 1st and 2nd wives Liverpool hairdresser Maureen Cox and actress/model Barbara Bach, Paul's 2nd and 3rd wives Heather Mills and Nancy Shevell, and George's 2nd wife Olivia Arias. I've already read a ton in the past on Paul's first wife photographer Linda McCartney and George's first wife actress/model Pattie Boyd who have their own biographies which I've read...and of course the notorious avant garde artist Yoko Ono Lennon who wooed John away from first Liverpudlian artist wife Cynthia Powell.

My only qualm with this book was a few errors like the date of John Lennon's death (it was December 8, 1980, not the 9th) and the year Stella McCartney was born (it was 1971, not 1977). As an avid Beatles fan, these mistakes hit me immediately.

On a personal note, I was lucky enough to meet Cynthia Lennon around 1981 at a NYC Beatlefest. I had entered a portrait of John Lennon into the art contest, and she smiled at me as we shook hands and encouraged me to keep painting. In 2008 I brought my 8 year old son (future Beatles fan, musician and band leader) to his first Beatlefest where we met Pattie Boyd. We were getting her autobiography "Wonderful Tonight" autographed. As we walked away with the book she kittenishly gave my son a special wave and smile he never forgot!

Thank you to the publisher Riverdale Avenue Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

This was an excellent book that tells the story of a subject that has been long ignored. I'm glad that, at last, the story has been told.