I loved the novelty of this and sign me up! I'd love to hire out most of my after-work chores! A lovely look at friendship dynamics, roles of women, and expectations. A great read!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
The three main female characters: Lauren, Sophie and Madeline are all very different people, but they are friends with something in common -- divorce! As each tries to muddle through the mayhem of singlehood while raising kids and dealing with ex-husbands, they realize they could use a wife so they come up with The Wife App to help others as well as themselves. This was a fun and sometimes deep read about improving our lives for ourselves and not for others.

The synopsis promised revenge on sleaze bag ex-husbands. I'm always up for a story of the powerless turning the tables on the powerful. Though that is really not the main drive here.

The substrate is more about gaining agency, as three ex-wives who are tight friends come up with an app that offloads all the cumbersome, and unpaid, jobs usually done by wives, onto paid wives. While they are doing that, they are coping with their own lives, and their relationships with their children, exes, parents, and other people.

I liked the diversity here, and even though our three heroines' road to success is total wish fulfillment, within the story verse they're worked hard to get that success. (Even if the app sounds like TaskRabbit for the rich. Which doesn't actually solve the problem for most of the rest of the world, in spite of some spirited stabs in that direction.)

Finished ✔️ The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: June 27th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

Every wife deserves a happy ending
Three best friends decide they’re finally done with their ex-husbands taking their work as wives and moms for granted.
They’re ready to monetize the mental load, stick it to their exes, and have a wild ride in the process
Very interesting story that’s interwoven beautifully
I enjoyed the characters
I enjoyed that one of the characters was a parent of twins
It held my attention thoroughly and it was engrossing
It was beautifully and brilliantly written
Yes, I’d recommend

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3.5 stars, rounded up

This was definitely a unique plot with a variety of fun characters. I did feel like the characters as a whole lacked depth, but it was also a fun quick read so that didn't fully deter me.

I will say, it was definitely slow to start, but not too slow that it was hard to get through. Once it picked up, it definitely got better! With that said though, I did feel like the ending was a little rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely a book that will get all wives thinking about what all they do and whether or not they are appreciated for it. Even now as I am retired and it is just my husband and I living in our home, so much of the "work" falls on me. Doctor's appointments, arranging for extra trash pickups etc. And it was much worse when the kids were at home. And it seems that these duties still fall on the wife even if she works full time outside the home. I would definitely recommend this book for all women. I only wish it were mandatory reading for men before they get married.

I quite enjoyed The Wife App, which follows three friends, Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie, in various stages of ended or ending marriages, each the primary care provider for their young children. Through their discussions about how they believed their husbands (and society) took their domestic and parenting duties for granted, they fantasize, later brainstorm, and eventually develop their Wife App, which matches people with a “spouse” to provide services to ease their own “mental load”. These services range from pet care, coordinating medical appointments, completing school or camp forms, arranging vacation travel and accommodations, to anything else non-sexual that typically falls to a wife to complete. The three main characters were sufficiently developed so that their abilities (such as the tech knowledge to develop an app, business savvy to found and fun a business venture), choices, and reactions seemed plausible and authentic. I appreciated that the author did not suggest that all men as selfish and narcissistic, though the ex husbands are, for the most part, not presented as likable characters.

I enjoyed spending time with Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie and I would recommend Mackler’s book, The Wife App.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an objective and honest review.

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC copy of The Wife App. I loved the premise of the book - three friends come together through a shared history of terrible ex husbands. As a result they decide to create an app where they finally are recognized and paid for all the services they perform that have always been underappreciated. Their journey to launch and monetize the app, heal from their experiences, and grow is quite compelling and the end result won't disappoint. That being said, there were parts that missed the mark and there is a crassness to the writing and characters at the beginning that I don't love and doesn't hold consistent to the character throughout. It felt like an easy hook for readers but that for me was a little off putting.

Thought this was an original plot line, variety of interesting characters, and was an easy read. Lacked depth, but think that fit! It was something fun and different and as a female, relatable!

“The Wife App” is Carolyn Mackler’s first adult novel. For a long time, I’ve jokingly told friends (male and female) that they need “a wife” when they’re overwhelmed by things related to their house/life - housekeeping, ferrying kids, cooking meals, organizing trips, dealing with aged parents, or organizing their houses. So, when I saw the summary for this book, I thought “let’s see where this goes.” This book goes into a lot of different directions. There’s the introduction to the characters, who were pretty easy to keep straight (though I’ll admit to even toward the end getting the kids mixed up). The chapters were short, which was really appreciated. I liked the idea of the app and the things discussed regarding the app (what was expected, rules, sliding scale, potential health care). I found some of the directions that the book went, however, a bit odd; I don’t mind an author “checking boxes,” but I also like when those directions are taken that they seem realistic. Also, I found a few of the sex scenes described rather crassly. While I liked the idea of this book, I cannot say that it was wonderfully executed for my taste. I’d give this book a 3.5 star rating, but I’ll round it up to 4 as it wasn’t a horrible read (I read it in about a day) and there is representation, which I think people will enjoy.

This is something I'd not normally read but thank you NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this ARC!

This is the perfect read for the beach or a day spent by the pool. It has humor, romance, tough subjects and overall a HEA! It's certainly not the HEA I had predicted for one of the characters but I adored her and was happy to see her find such happiness!

When I heard the premise for this book I was super excited. It had the potential to be hilarious while making some good points. Unfortunately, for me it really fell flat. I really couldn’t bring myself to like any of the characters (except maybe that one old man) and I didn’t find it funny. It was a little too preachy and complain-y. Overall, the idea was original and had a lot of potential but I don’t think it was executed as well as it could’ve been.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t for me. It was long and drawn out and took an awhile to get interesting. I couldn’t relate to the characters or their issues. I also felt the ending was rushed. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story took a while to get interesting, but around page 200, it was a fun read. I enjoyed reading about the lives of the three different friends. I feel the end of the story happened pretty fast. I wish the author had flushed out how each character’s life changed after their success. I was a bit disappointed that the story just seemed to stop.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Seeing women rise above challenges, mke names for themselves, find themselves, just, chef kiss! Where do I even start besides you need to give this book a chance. I think I really love woman's fiction.
3 friends make an app that women, wives, men, anyone can upload a "mental load" such as applying for daycares, scheduling trips, and women/men/anyone who normally does it for free gets paid to do those chores. I really do to want to spoil more of the book but it leaves me with such a happy feeling. You go Lauren, Sophie and Madeline! Earn that money and kick your lameo exs (ok maybe not you Mads) to the curb.

I'm sorry; I couldn't finish this. Writing a review, anyway, to warn potential readers of the graphic and fairly constant sex scenes. None of the reviews I had read mentioned this, or I wouldn't have downloaded it, in the first place.

I requested this book because it was such a one of a kind concept that I knew it would make me laugh. I am thankful to netgalley for accepting me to get the book. I love the characters and how realistic they are. I love their stories and their friendship. I love the app and how it gave them all they wanted yet took them down a road they never saw or expected. Such a great story

This is a great story! The characters are very well developed and the premise is so clever. Well written with a great ending. I couldn't put it down! I was up until midnight just to finish. Definitely recommend.

I would give this book by Carolyn Mackler more stars if I could—it is so fabulous I have told everyone I know to look for it when it comes out in June. The premise of being able to hire someone to take care of your “mental load” of tasks so you could focus on the necessary things or simply relinquish control to someone else is unique and makes for some interesting plot twists along the way. Lauren, Madeline and Sophia are realistically crafted and people you would love to have as friends. If the Wife App was real (why isn’t it?!?) I would surely be a Spouse as well as a Wife!! Thank you to #netgalley and #simonschuster for this arc of #thewifeapp to read and review ahead of publication, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with an eARC of The Wife App.m to review. All opinions are my own.

I will fully admit that I questioned myself about why I requested this title, but jumped in since the premise of “paid” mental load seemed so interesting.

I ended up falling in love with the characters and the story was so entertaining while you’re getting to know the main characters more and more. I ended up loving this book for the storyline, but also the underlying message of invisible labor.