The Wife App is a fun and snappy read about three friends who are tired. Tired of being taken for granted. Tired of their ex-husbands. Tired of being overlooked. After joking about building an app that offers to provide “wife” services like scheduling doctor’s appointments, filling out applications, picking up prescriptions, etc. for a fee, Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie think it might not be such an outlandish idea after all. Soon, they are surprised by the app’s success and the empowerment and autonomy they have in their own lives.

The story alternates between the points of view of the Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie (Wife App founders) and I enjoyed getting their respective perspectives. Despite the serious subject matter and questions posed about gender equity, socioeconomic status, mental load, etc. this was a lighthearted read with a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

So this book touches on an issue that is near and dear to my heart, and that is the mental load of a wife. This concept is not new and has been written about a bit, especially in the book Fair Play.

This novel approaches this issue with what it presents as a novel idea, The Wife App. Lots of set up and conversation around the idea and creation of this app.

I’m giving this book 3 stars, not because this isn’t a real issue, but because this book doesn’t feel like it’s breaking any new ground. A few weeks ago I was literally advertised an app on Instagram doing pretty much the same thing-this is something that already exists!

Being a wife and mother is a lot of work with very little to no pay. Madeline, Lauren, and Sophie, three best friends, decide they are done being taken for granted. As they are celebrating Lauren’s divorce from her cheating husband, they agree it’s time that the “mental load” they endure has a price. A little tipsy and a lot underappreciated, they dream of an app that will put a price on all the services they provide. Of course, this is just a joke -- to begin with.
Lauren decides she has the connections and the know how to create the app with a little bit of help from her friends. The trials and tribulations of life suddenly are out there on an app for anyone to hire a “Wife” to complete for a price. Each lady has a skillset that she brings to the app to help those who are struggling or just don’t want to put time into mundane tasks. The app takes off bigger than anyone expects, and Madeline, Lauren and Sophie are shocked and amazed. All the while they are dealing with their own lives, kids, and ex’s. There are valuable lessons learned and all three have life changing results because of the app.

If you are affected by the “mental load” that comes with being in a relationship, then this book is for you.

Lauren, Sophie, and Madeline navigate friendship, motherhood, and divorce and the guilt and expectations and pressure that come with being a mom and a wife.

Fed up, they create the Wife App, and app that pays wives for their labor.

The book addresses privilege and features LBGTQ characters.

Although I enjoyed the story and loved the women’s awakening to their full power, the book seems a mashup of different genres and it was disconcerting.

I liked the concept and the use of the three different women as the voices of the novel. I felt like their voices could have been written slightly more differently, I kept having to remind myself who was who for the first chunk of the book. But the idea of the app and sharing (or giving away) the mental load felt very timely.

This is a clever, well-written book. It tackles the modern, very difficult, question - can women have it all? The story is told from three friends’ perspectives. The characters are very likable and relatable. Recommended!

This book is…fine, It’s a quick read and I was invested enough to finish it but once I was done I felt very meh about it. I think I would have enjoyed a bit more realism as to how this experience would truly have been for these characters.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

One word - obsessed! I flew through this and really related to these characters. The mental load of being a mom/wife is REAL. The Wife App is a brilliant idea.

The multiple POV's was wonderful - three different women with three different circumstances kept the story interesting and moving along quickly. I really cheered them on as they moved through the chapters of their lives.

I also really enjoyed learning the makings of an App and how this smart group navigated issues and expansion.