Book Review: The Wife App - Carolyn Mackler

 

“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.