The Work Wives is my favourite Rachael John's novel. The plot is relateable and the characters are superbly crafted and so believable. I was glued to the pages all the way through and the ending was beautiful yet unexpected.

I have mixed feelings on this one and, therefore, had a little trouble rating it - probably a 3 1/2 for me, but Goodreads won't let me do halves, so have upped it to a 4. There were parts of this book that I loved and some parts that either dragged on too long or just weren't for me. I think, also, for those of us that have read Rachael's other work, we probably have higher than average expectations than someone reading this as their first book from the author.

For me, this was a good book rather than a great book. I feel that it had the potential to be a great book but there was just too much content to be fit into the available length/words by the publisher leaving the author without the opportunity to flesh out some of the content more. I would have liked to see a way to spread the story out over 2 books to allow the author to delve a little deeper into things.

Things I loved include the relationship between Quinn & Mrs D, the friendship between Quinn & Deb and how this grows throughout the book and the overall changing dynamics between Deb, Ramona & Quinn and I really enjoyed the whole Ramona, Elijah and Lucy storyline - this almost deserved its own book (or at least novella) IMHO.

There was somewhat of a reliance on coincidences for things to fall into place, but it can be a small world sometimes so it's not implausible that these connections could all occur and a few characters who were probably granted more words than needed for their relatively small contribution to the story (eg. Lucy's father, some of the workers at the workplace, etc.). Of all the characters, I probably, personally, found Deb the least relatable/likeable. Fortunately, Quinn made up for it with her likeability (she's a character who draws you in and makes you want to be on her team - go Quinn).

Overall, a good read from Rachael Johns, but my undisputed favourites remain "The Art of Keeping Secrets" and "How to Mend a Broken Heart".

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Am I glad I read it - yes
Was it a waste of my time - no
Would I sit down and read it all over again - maybe - there is so much going on in this story that it really does feel like the kind of book you would get more out of the second time around.
Would I read more by this author based on this book - yes, I remain a huge fan of Rachael Johns and look forward to reading her next work.

A great read full of fun, tears, family and friends. Rachael has again created some wonderful characters who you form bonds with after just a few chapters.

This book is fantastic!! I loved the modern aspect of the storyline and did not see the twist coming. An absolute five out of five star read!

‘… why am I wasting my Friday night with this nice but boring, tennis obsessed man, when I could be with my work wife? So here I am.’

The Work Wives is the latest offering by Aussie favourite Rachel Johns. A story of two friends, one with a daughter, and the impact of secrets. So, there are three first person narratives (one of them being a teen perspective) and this, along with the fact that I expected a story to be revolving around workplace situations, proved not to be quite the read I was expecting.

I have read and enjoyed many of Rachel’s books but I came away a little disappointed with this one. Whilst I appreciated the overall storyline - two working women and how their friendship provides support through life’s ups and downs - I felt there were a few things that I could not reconcile. There were many themes in this story (bullying, abuse, domestic violence, aging, alzhimers, teen peer pressure, single parenting, online dating, emotional manipulation …. the list goes on) most of which were dependent upon seemingly contrived coincidences. This was a long read and I would have preferred fewer themes dealt with in greater depth. For example, themes of school bullying and domestic violence need to be sensitively and adequately presented.

I am a long time supporter of Rachel, especially her rural romances, but I found this book did not quite hit the spot for me. Many of her fans are sure to love it, however, I felt too much was undertaken and, despite the book’s length, failed to be appropriately addressed. With a mixture of dark and light themes, The Work Wives is sure to speak to many readers.

‘That’s what friends are for.’ Deb lifted her glass. ‘Amen. To friendship.’ They clinked and Quinn added, ‘And many, many, many years of it to come.’







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Do you have a work wife?

It's not something I have ever really had as I don't get too close with anyone in particular at work, but have good relationships with everyone in the office, but in saying that, two of my closest friends outside of work are girls I used to work with

The Work Wives by @rachaeljohnsisanauthor was an enjoyable read based on the friendship formed between Deb and Quinn, work colleagues who essentially become "work wives".
Deb, a single mum to teenage daughter, Ramona and Quinn, a single, late twenty year old who is addicted to dating apps. Complete opposites but the perfect compliment to each other!

Enter a new male work colleague, Quinn becomes smitten while Deb feels sick at the sight of him! This is an interesting situation that had me wondering where it would end up!

Meanwhile Ramona has started at a new school known for its fashion course on a scholarship. She can't believe her luck when the "cool" kids adopt her into their group after being the subject of bullying at her previous school! Then she is paired with social outcast, Lucy the stutterer causing her social dilemmas that she will need to overcome.

While this was a fun read, there really was alot of deeper topics incorporated into this story and a twist that I never saw coming!

Debra and Quinn are work wives. While their lives outside of work may be vastly different - Debra, an early 40s single mother to 15 year year old Ramona; and Quinn, late 20s who spends her time on dating men she meets through dating apps - they share everything at work.

A typical teenager, Ramona starts pushing the boundaries, at the same time as the arrival of a new man at work has one woman lusting after him and the other fearful. The three are forced to make decisions and break out of their comfort zones.

I absolutely loved this book. I found the characters so likeable and couldn’t wait to sit down to read more about what they were doing. It also touches on some deeper issues but overall was such a lovely book. It made me think about and appreciate my own work wives!

Thanks to @harpercollinsaustralia @harlequinaus and @netgalley for the review copy.

This novel was quite good, with an interesting story line. I felt that it went in quite a different direction than I was expecting , which was pleasantly surprising, , making the novel much less formulaic. Deb is a hard working single mother of a 15 year old girl. Her friend Quinn is a younger single woman addicted to dating apps. She tries to get Deb interested in this as well. Deb has always told her daughter Ramona that she is the result of Deb’s decision to have a baby through donor sperm. But is this the truth? Yet another interesting read from Rachael Johns. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for an ARC of this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Even though it took a bit too get into this story, I really enjoyed it. Only complaint is that it is really long. Loved the main characters, Deb, Quinn and Ramona but the secondary charterers, Tristan, Elijah and Lucy really make this book.

Perhaps my expectations for this book were too high, but I cannot help feel a little disappointed with this book. In the past I have quite loved the books written by Rachel Johns and was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed the storyline and the premise of two working women providing each other friendship and moral support in the workplace. Deb is a single mum of teenage daughter Ramona, but she avoids all social media and seems to hold back with details of her past and Ramona's father. Quinn is in her late twenties and addicted to dating apps, determined to find Mr Right by a steady process of elimination.
Now, without wanting to spoil any plot or twist, there was a ploy used in this book to explain a mistaken identity that REALLY rankled with me! If you have read the book then I think you will understand what I mean pertaining to 'good and evil' - if not you will soon find out. Apart from this I think the story was probably too long and could go lighter on all of the detail.
Thanks you Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA, HQ Fiction and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Told from three perspectives, The Work Wives took me a little while to get into but once hooked, I couldn’t put this book down. Lies, secrets, trust, fear, anxiety, friendship and bullying all drive the plot. Single mother Debra Fast lives with a massive secret and the fear that a psychopathic ex-boyfriend will find her. She’s insular, cautious about making friends and very protective of her 15 year-old daughter Ramona. Deb’s best friend, 27 year-old Quinn, is almost her polar opposite. She’s bright, bubbly, and gregarious and spends much of her time on social dating sites swiping left and right. Deb’s daughter Ramona has just started a new school when the story opens and she’s anxious to be accepted and liked by her peers. Shes also desperate to find her father.This is a complex plot in which each of these women finds at least their happy for now, while also discovering their inner strengths. This book is a bit of a divergence from the usul for Rachael Johns, yet it makes for compelling reading. Five well-deserved stars.

Work Wives is Rachael Johns latest novel. It explores the lives of Deb and Quinn, two women who work at the same place. They are great mates, in spite of age difference, and can rely on each other.

Debra is the very responsible mother of Ramona, who at fifteen is negotiating friendships, school life with its challenges of girls who can be rather mean. Ramona finds though that good friends exist. She is also dealing with the fact she'd like to know who her father is.

But Debra has a few secrets, well one main one and it's about to disrupt all their lives. It didn't take long to work out what had happened and what might be going on.

I liked the characters on the whole, however for me this was just a little over the top and maybe a little too well all tied up.  It felt just too long to me as well.  I did want to know how it all worked out and found myself happy for the way it did.

The Work Wives is the twenty-sixth novel by Australian author, Rachael Johns. While it’s not her dream career, being payroll officer at The Energy Co keeps the bills paid and a tiny bit extra for single mother Debra Fast and her fifteen-year-old daughter. But now, thanks to a scholarship, a new exclusive eastern suburbs school, and the influence of new friends, Ramona seems to be transforming from sweet and compliant to rebellious and demanding.

What really worries Debra is Ramona’s foray into social media, necessary, she claims, to connect with her new friends. Debra has always been wary, worried that Ramona’s psycho father might track them down. Ramona is blissfully unaware, believing the donor-sperm story her mother told her, although she has wondered. A classmate’s suggestion of a DNA website is irresistible.

Due to numerous moves, Debra and Ramona have a close relationship which the girl is now finding a bit claustrophobic. Deb’s only real friend, apart from her daughter, is the woman she dubs her “work wife”, Quinn Paladino, whose addiction to dating apps does initially make her come across as a bit shallow, immature and flakey, although it’s soon clear her intentions are good.

In an unexpected turn-about, an old magazine prompts Quinn to take a break from the apps and try to find The One by more traditional methods; meanwhile, Deb is convinced, very reluctantly, to try her luck with a dating app, much to Ramona and Quinn’s enthusiastic approval and support. How will her first date with Tristan the vet turn out?

And then lives are turned upside down when a new Sales Manager starts at The Energy Co: someone Quinn, after an earlier chance encounter, would like very much to know better; someone Deb never wants to see again.

The Work Wives is an effective illustration of how the best-intentioned secrets may require lies and deception when there is a lack of trust; when the lies are exposed, is the relationship strong enough to withstand the sense of betrayal? Maybe honesty really is the best policy?

Johns populates her novel with quite a large cast, many of whose behaviour may see them appealing to under forties readers rather than those older. Ramona’s teenaged friends, Elijah and Lucy often showed more maturity that the “adults”.

She challenges the main protagonists with quite a number of issues: social isolation, peer group pressure, bullying, trust, domestic violence and coercive control, single parenting, online dating, and sexual discrimination. The story is, perhaps, longer than it needs to be, and the resolution relies heavily on a rather too well used trope. Johns can usually be relied on for an excellent read, but this is not her best work.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

The importance of female friendships cannot be underestimated, this book is a perfect reminder of that!
The main characters are all strong in their own ways, will their bonds survive secrets and mystery? Emotions take over as Debra’s relationship with best friend Quinn and her daughter Ramona starts to unravel!
Quinn is desperate to find love, for herself and Debra but questions their friendship as secrets are revealed. Ramona is a teenage girl with an overbearing mother, she seeks time to find herself and her father!
The characters are relatable, they fiercely guard their connection, even when mystery turns to hurt and change is inevitable.
Highly recommended!

Huge congratulations and thanks to Harlequin AU, NetGalley and the wonderful Rachael Johns for a fabulous read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Work Wives is the latest offering from Rachael Johns and it certainly didn’t disappoint. While this book was more chick-lit than her previous offerings it was an engaging story that I enjoyed. There was a lot of things going on, maybe a little too many topics for one book but they did all tie together in the end. I do believe it could have been a little shorter as it was quite a thumper but if big books are your thing, you will love it.
It had lots to like with an endearing story covering love, Loss, heartache and deception to name a few. The characters of Ramona, Lucy and Elijah were really well written and I warmed to them instantly, a few of the others not so much, but that is the whole idea to keep things interesting. If we loved everyone it would make for a boring book!
Overall a lovely read that I would definitely recommend. Thanks you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for this early reading copy.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. When I started reading this book, I had no idea that this was the same Rachael Johns and the Rachael Johns books I have seen almost everywhere I go! I haven't read any of her books before as the rural Australia aspect of her doesn't usually appeal to me, I am more of a thriller or what I think of as contemporary chicklit kind of books. I was drawn to this book as I have had many "work wives and work husbands" over the years and the title grabbed me. I really enjoyed this book and found myself very invested in all of the characters, especially Deb, Ramona and Quinn. Almost all of the characters are engaging and very likeable and I found myself caught up in their lives and how I wanted things to unfold for them. The Work Wives centres on the trials and tribulations of three woman, all who love each other very much. Single mum Deb. Overprotective, but understandably so, her daughter Ramona, fifteen going on 30 given her love of all things vintage and speaking in language not befitting her age. Last but not least we have Quinn, Deb’s colleague and work bestie. I loved the relationships between these characters and how they show up for each other and support each other in their pursuits. This book was a delight to read and left me treasuring my relationships even more, it definitely surprised me in the best of ways. #racheljohns #theworkwives #netgalley #goodreads #thestorygraph #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #amazonaustralia #bookqueen #bookstagram

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I loved this book, while the storyline had a few added twists and turns they only added to the story. The characters were relatable and all so completely different as we the various relationships. Deb and Quinn seem so different on a surface level, but as work wives they have a wonderful relationship that extends past the office doors. The impact each person and each relationship has on each other is great and shows just how life is with all the different relationships we generally have.

I really struggled to get into this book -it had three points of view and just seems kind of whiny. I felt very "meh" about it, and really struggled to get into it. I made the mistake of looking at some reviews, which did not give me any inspiration to read on.
because I read less than half of this book, I am only leaving a review here. it doesn't seem fiar to leave it in public places when i just couldn't with this book.

Rachael Johns is one of my favourite rural romance and contemporary women’s fiction writers and I was extremely excited to read her new novel The Work Wives.

Throughout this novel we follow the ups and downs of Debra and Quinn both in there work and non-work lives. Debra faces challenges with her teenage daughter who’s keen to find out more about who her father is and Quinn is looking for a man and goes to some rather old fashion lengths to find one.

This is a whopping big book but each page is definitely worth the read. I chuckled at the twist as I didn’t see it coming at all… and it got me laughing as it was almost a storyline out of Days of our Lives. Very unexpected indeed.

The Work Wives was a fabulous tale of friendship and relationships, fraught with tension and still with a sense of mystery. There were a couple of uh-oh moments that left me racking my brains on who this mystery man could be, and I have to say that it did take me a little by surprise.
I fell in love with all of the female leads in The Work Wives and they were all relatable for different reasons, and stages of my life.
I would love to see what happens next for them.
Rachael Johns always writes stories that keep me invested, and now that I have purchased a copy of this novel I am considering a re-read already.

Absolutely loved the book and would definitely recommend.