A review by life_full_ofbooks
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I first read this 12 years ago when it was first published and I decided to reread it (only listening this time) for two reasons: a) I couldn’t remember anything about it and b) I gave it 5 stars. 

Back then my rating system was really quite simple- if I liked a book I gave it 5 stars and if I hated a book it received 1 star. I wondered if this was truly a 5 star book for me. News Flash- it’s pretty close!

Alice Buckle is your typical suburban wife and mom. She’s 45 years old, a part time drama teacher at an elementary school, wife of 20 years to William, and Mom to 15 year old Zoe and 12 year old Peter. She’s also bored n her life. One day, after Googling how to have a happy marriage, she receives an email inviting her to join a survey for Marriage in the 21st Century. She’s assigned a pseudonym- Wife 22 and a case worker- Researcher 101. In answering the questions sent through email she finds herself developing feelings for Researcher 101 and as she begins falling for him she begins to pull farther and farther away from William. Throughout the year that this takes place Alice loses herself and finds herself while navigating the trials and tribulations of middle age. 

This is written so uniquely written with Facebook feeds, DM’s, and emails peppered throughout the narrative. My favorite thing about this book, though, is how perfectly imperfect Alice is. 

Melanie Gideon has created such a real character who is flawed in the most realistic ways. She is in no way the perfect wife, mother, or friend and yet she’s the perfect character. 

I am so happy I decided to reread this and I’m surprised I loved it as much as I did 12 years ago since I know I didn’t connect with Alice back then the way I do now.