I really enjoyed reading this book. There were so many things to love. As a society, we are collectively become more aware of female rage. This book embodies women deciding to no longer accept taking on unpaid labor so there spouse can play dumb or ignorant. Each character had their own unique storyline following their relationships with their ex husband's, their children, and their feelings towards the dissolution of their marriages.

Lauren was with a serial cheater. Madeline is the embodiment of fabulous and put together, she didn't want to be a wife, so when her husband got a job opportunity in London she welcomed the divorce. And Sophie, her ex is a real piece of free loading poop.

As each of these women find their own path beyond compulsory domestic labor, they discover themselves beyond the roles they once bore them down. They fought to release an app to revolutionize marriage equity.

Now here is my criticisms. There was a major lack of racial diversity in this novel. One could argue that BIPOC women likely experience a very intense mental workload to maintain a family while also managing a racist system in the workforce, personal life. I think the story could have greatly benefitted from including a diverse character explaining the issues they face as a wife, instead of the message being very white centered overall.

Often a lot of very cheesy (and very millennial cheugy) terms were used frequently that really took me out of the story at times. I know as a Gen Z reader I'm likely not the main audience for a book, especially given that the main characters are in their latest 30's going to early 40's. Clearly there would be a difference in word choice, however it didn't always feel like a genuine conversation a person in 2023 would have.

At times I found the commentary leaning too much towards girl boss feminism, which can sometimes be harmful. However, I think that for these characters it did work, as they felt previously as though they had few options. Going into running the Wife App allowed them much more autonomy over their life, and they frequently showed the management of a work life balance, which I appreciated.

Here is what I loved the most. The mothers became even better after finding their own voice. I have a tense relationship with my own mother, and seeing such healthy relationship building with acceptance at the forefront was very touching.

This was a very solid read for me, and I give it 4 stars. I would have rated it higher if I enjoyed the dialogue more between characters and if there was more racial diversity in the characters. I loved the representation of disability and LGBTQ+ identities. Those two aspects hit it out of the park.

I was very pleased that the story centered the growth and story of the women rather than romance, but when they did get happy endings romantic wise, I loved it for each and every mom.

The concept behind this book was so original! What if there was an app that you could use to “hire” a spouse to do all the work traditionally done by a wife? That is what this explores through the friendship of three divorced women all looking for a way to stick it to their exes. This was poignant and funny - lots of laugh out loud moments. A really great womens fiction book with death to the patriarchy vibes

All I can say is that I need this in real life! But, then again, I know I would feel so guilty using something like this. I am sure there are A LOT of women out there like me, when at the end of the day wonder to themselves.....what would they do without me?! NOTE: I know the same can be said for men in the same situation.

I swear, Carolyn MUST have been reading our minds when she came up with this book! What do you get when you have three best friends (techie, working mom and trust fund baby) go to dinner and "jokingly" suggest the creation of an app where you would hire individuals to help you do the day-to-day chores, running around and scheduling that we do.

Following these ladies through their business and personal journeys was definitely eye opening and even had me dreaming of hiring them...LOL!

#netgalley #thewifeapp #simonandschuster

Close friends and all three divorced, Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie realize that as wives they carried the entire “mental load” in their marriages. They were the ones responsible for the house, the children, their social lives, medical care….everything. Over a dinner out, they jokingly suggest that all these chores should be monetized and maybe there should be a “Wife App” to do just that. What seemed like a crazed idea became reality as techie Lauren worked with the two of them and other tech professionals to create such an app. An app where a “spouse” could hire a “wife”(who could be female or male) to carry out all those tasks that often fall on the woman to complete. As they traverse the pitfalls of their daily lives coping with ex husbands, children, and their needs, the app takes off, becoming hugely successful.

I loved this book (and I am recommending it to my husband!). It is fresh and contemporary, with snappy writing, humorous, painfully on target observations. I have already praised this to all my friends.

Thanks to #netgalley and #Simon&Schuster for the ARC.

Three divorced friends who unite and take on their different problems with ex's, children and life stressors; and create business in doing the mundane tasks of life for others. I was so pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this book was. The characters were authentic and relatable and the writing was excellent. I recommend this read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Simon and Schuster for allowing me the arc copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Fantastic, smart, just a total delight to read. I liked the characters, they were wonderful. Now I'll be craving more books just like this one. Highly recommended.

Three friends, Lauren, Madeline and Sophie, jokingly talk about a wife app to take care of the Mental Load wives feel, the overwhelming chores to do without any spousal support. Then, Bingo! Lauren works rto create the app and the three friends are the first wives. Told in rotating perspectives, it is a story of how they deal with stuff in their own lives and how the app affects them.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and could relate to some of the mental Load duties. The characters are different from each other and have their own unique problems which adds flavor to the story.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think this book will definitely appeal to women who have married and/or had children. Being in neither category, I struggled to relate to the lives of the main characters, and the ending felt a little too neatly tied up in a pretty bow.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
I liked this novel. I know it's fictional but I could never picture parts of this story happening in life. Nor did I relate to certain plots.
I did enjoy each character. Out of the three main women, Madeline is my favorite. The author did a wonderful job of bringing out the emotions of the women. I felt exhausted, angry and happy every time they did. I wish I had a friendship circle like this. I like how the characters take risk. I personally am a strategic planner. It was nice to live through their knee-jerk decisions for a couple of weeks.

This was an okay read for me. There was a lot that I liked-the characters, the theme about mental load, and the overall story. That said, there were a few parts of the book that, to me, felt too contrived. Perfect happy endings for each of the characters-that almost felt just like a “snap your fingers and it’s okay” vs the work to get there. (Think a love interest suddenly appearing and being in love). Overall, I’m glad I read it but likely wouldn’t recommend to others.

“The Wife App” by Carolyn Mackler
Life’s Not Easy ! !
Life is not easy. But then change is … a world of possibilities. This story is loaded with twists and turns as the three friends band together for support and to support each other in their explorations of possibilities. I found the story interesting, fun, sometimes ever so sad yet always drawing me toward the next step in the story. I did not fall in love with the story but I did really like it. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC to read and enjoy.

What happens when three women decide enough is enough, and create an app to monetize the mental load so many women take on - whether by choice or by circumstance? A fast-paced read with three lovely main characters and their complicated and realistic lives. Some cringy unnecessary sex scenes for me, but found this quite enjoyable and an engaging social commentary.

The Wife App took me a bit to get in to, but once I did, that was it! Lauren, Madeline and Sophie each had their flaws and drove me crazy sometimes, but in a way that made them endearing to me. And honestly if the wife app was a thing, I'd hire one to help me with all of the things I can't get done while I'm at work!

How to alleviate the mental load and demands of being a wife, mother, and career woman? Heartfelt, hilarious, and relatable, The Wife App is a brilliant take on ending all the responsibilities and headaches women endure, managing family, job, and husband.

The Wife App is the brainchild of Lauren Zuckerman, who designs it with her two best friends for the weary wife after going through her own painful discovery. The novel showcases three different women’s lives who pull together to make this startup happen. It’s a story of juggling the pressures of motherhood, relationships, and job responsibilities in an ever-changing fluid world.

I loved the premise and the stories of the three main characters, Lauren, Sophie, and Madeline, three good friends with unique talents who share being divorced. The novel covers today’s relevant modern issues. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it. Also, the cover is a perfect portrayal of the novel. #NetGalley #The Wife App #Women’s Fiction

The Wife App
By Carolyn Mackler
Pub Date: June 2023
Simon & Schuster
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the story of best friends who monetize the invisible drudgery of everyday life that is mostly taken care of by wives and mothers.
The story fell apart for me when it came to the characters, they didn’t seem particularly real to me, I also didn’t like the sex scenes. Quick read it just didn’t hit the mark for me.
3 stars

Three best friends decide to make an app after divorcing their husbands who took them for granted.
What started off as a joke, blew up beyond their wildest dreams.

So i flew through the first..maybe 50 % of the book. I loved the exploration of the mental load and it was funny. But then it seemed to go all over the place and I couldn't keep up.

it seemed scattered and a few story lines seemed rushed at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the first 40% of the story because the concept of the app was just forming and we were getting to know each character. Although, after this I felt like too many issues were trying to be tackled and it felt all over the place. I couldn’t relate to the characters and the issues that were being brought up didn’t feel developed enough to make me feel connected or relatable.

It did have moments that I laughed but overall, it was a miss for me. I would rate this a 2.5 maybe 3 stars?

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Three best friends decide to make an app after divorcing there husbands who took them for granted. It started as a joke but took off like they never believed it would.

Unfortunately, this book did not grab me, despite the promising premise. I only read a couple chapters before putting it down, and didn't feel compelled to pick it up again.
Could be a case of a good book at the wrong time.

Any mother, wife, ex-wife, or overworked parent will totally relate to The Wife App! Three friends, Lauren, Sophie and Madeline are all divorced and sick of the mental load they are forced to carry with no appreciation or payment. What if there was an app that paid people to do all the things wives do for free?

The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler has a premise that anyone can get behind. The theme of this story and agelong question I also wondered was why it is always the "mom's job" to make sure all appointments are scheduled and paperwork is filled out? So one night when Lauren, Sophie, and Madeline are out they come up with an idea. They want to have an app that they can call on to do the things they don't want to do or have time to do.

Each woman is a mother who is going through a trying time. I loved getting to experience the growth of each character as they all found who they really wanted to be and accept themselves. Dealing with Exes isn't always the easiest, but they gals handled it with grace and patience.

The Wife App gives woman power vibes and has strong female characters. I was rooting for all three of these women. Their app was amazing and they were likable characters. This was a very upbeat, inspiring novel. I would highly recommend to anyone who like the movie The First Wives Club as it has similar vibes. I definitely think this is an author I will be keeping tabs on.

Thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the ARC. The Wife App publishes June 27, 2023.