You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
THE WIFE APP by Carolyn Mackler
PUB DATE: June 29 (thanks to @Simon.Books & @netgalley for the ARC!)
👰♀️📲👩💻💖
3.75 STARS
✨ FOR FANS OF: #girlbosses, Sex and the City, tech startup lore like The Social Network or Silicon Valley
⭐️WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Three NYC 40-something friends decide to build an app to monetize the mental load they carry as women of their households, stick it to their exes, & have a wild ride in the process.
WHAT I LIKED:
🌟the three perspectives & characters were all nicely distinct from each other! I enjoyed Lauren’s point of view the most but found myself looking forward to the other two’s sections as well, which doesn’t always happen!
🌟 the premise of a Wife App intrigued me— I actually liked the details around fundraising & the processes of startup tech.
🌟 I found myself liking the humor & dialogue in this novel more than I was expecting! I don’t think it’s the best-written dialogue in terms of length, but I did like the way it helped the story flow.
WHAT I DIDN’T:
☁️ discussions of privilege, gender, & class in this book felt a little Feminism Lite, like a Princess Diaries version of The Social Network.
☁️ all of the men in this story were ghastly in a way that almost trivialized the importance of the book’s premise, like caricatures of patriarchy? Like all three of you have the most idiotic ex-husbands ever? How did that happen?
☁️The ending was a little too buttoned-up for me, but I feel like some would categorize this as a romance? Just a little too improbable for me to suspend disbelief.
⭐️OVERALL: sometimes I feel like I can only recommend some things to specific people, but this would be a good beach read for pretty much anyone!
‼️ Check trigger warnings, as always.
PUB DATE: June 29 (thanks to @Simon.Books & @netgalley for the ARC!)
👰♀️📲👩💻💖
3.75 STARS
✨ FOR FANS OF: #girlbosses, Sex and the City, tech startup lore like The Social Network or Silicon Valley
⭐️WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Three NYC 40-something friends decide to build an app to monetize the mental load they carry as women of their households, stick it to their exes, & have a wild ride in the process.
WHAT I LIKED:
🌟the three perspectives & characters were all nicely distinct from each other! I enjoyed Lauren’s point of view the most but found myself looking forward to the other two’s sections as well, which doesn’t always happen!
🌟 the premise of a Wife App intrigued me— I actually liked the details around fundraising & the processes of startup tech.
🌟 I found myself liking the humor & dialogue in this novel more than I was expecting! I don’t think it’s the best-written dialogue in terms of length, but I did like the way it helped the story flow.
WHAT I DIDN’T:
☁️ discussions of privilege, gender, & class in this book felt a little Feminism Lite, like a Princess Diaries version of The Social Network.
☁️ all of the men in this story were ghastly in a way that almost trivialized the importance of the book’s premise, like caricatures of patriarchy? Like all three of you have the most idiotic ex-husbands ever? How did that happen?
☁️The ending was a little too buttoned-up for me, but I feel like some would categorize this as a romance? Just a little too improbable for me to suspend disbelief.
⭐️OVERALL: sometimes I feel like I can only recommend some things to specific people, but this would be a good beach read for pretty much anyone!
‼️ Check trigger warnings, as always.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Timely, satisfying story taking on the mental load that’s often unfairly pushed on women.
During a chat about how their ex husband’s took the unpaid work they did for granted friends, Lauren, Sophie and Madeline, hatch a plan for an app that monetizes the mental load.
While this delves into how invisible this load is to men, the many ways relationships (familial and romantic) can be fraught this is ultimately a romance with an edge.
During a chat about how their ex husband’s took the unpaid work they did for granted friends, Lauren, Sophie and Madeline, hatch a plan for an app that monetizes the mental load.
While this delves into how invisible this load is to men, the many ways relationships (familial and romantic) can be fraught this is ultimately a romance with an edge.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book!! An amazing, entertaining story with lots of drama. Full of boss women and women empowerment. I loved all 3 of the main characters, they were so different yet all so relatable
slow-paced
3.5 - 4 rounded up.
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.
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.
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?
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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?
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another ARC, another perfectly fine but no more than that, just... fine. The characters were fine, but not terribly compelling. The premise was compelling - an app that monetizes the mental load that often falls to woman - but the execution was middling and I didn't find there was not all the depth of the characters relationships with each other explored; I certainly would have liked to see more of their friendship up a little more room, though I did appreciate that each character had personal growth on their own as well. Anyone who loved the movie The First Wives Club might be a fan of reading this as well.