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jessicahcasey's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like this book was very well written. It pulled me right in to the world and character’s lives. I enjoyed both Alice’s and Nellie’s stories. I found the recipes and quotes at the beginning of each chapter interesting. I loved that the chapters were on the shorter side and switched between the two perspectives.
*some language and sex scenes (not explicit)
SPOILERS
*some language and sex scenes (not explicit)
SPOILERS
filemanager's review against another edition
3.0
MUCH less dramatic/exciting/interesting than I thought it would be, and very predictable. And anti-climatic. I did like the dual perspectives which somewhat compared the 1950s housewife to a 2018 housewife though.
kmkasiner's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know much about this book before it was selected for our Girly Book Club read, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story follows a modern day woman, Alice, and a houswife from the 1950s, Nellie. I was expecting a cute comedy based on the cover but this was a deeper story with some thriller vibes. It's fast paced and the short chapters keep you turning the pages.
The story deals with some heavy topics, showing that not everything is as perfect as it seems in the life of a housewife. Both women's secrets are gradually revealed and I found myself rooting for Nellie to get out of the situation she was in. This book will definitely put you in a "kill all men" kinda mood.
(Content warnings:.)
The story deals with some heavy topics, showing that not everything is as perfect as it seems in the life of a housewife. Both women's secrets are gradually revealed and I found myself rooting for Nellie to get out of the situation she was in. This book will definitely put you in a "kill all men" kinda mood.
(Content warnings:
Spoiler
Domestic abuse, miscarriage, abortion, sexual harassmentbeaglebooknerd's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
genthebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Wow!! Recipe for a Perfect Wife was a surprise hit for me and I just enjoyed it so much. This was my first book by Karma Brown and it definitely won't be my last! I loved the format of the dual timelines and I became very immersed with both of the main characters.
Brown introduces us to Alice, who has recently moved out of the city to a fixer-upper with her husband. As her roles are shifting in her own home life, Alice discovers a cookbook and magazines from the previous homeowner. This discovery introduces us to the other main character in this book, Nellie.
The storyline then goes back and forth between present-day Alice and Nellie a "housewife" in the 1950s. I loved how Brown took us back to that era and really dove into what life was like for women and the expectations there was of Nellie as a wife in that time period.
The story shifts between Nellie's narrative, and Alice's discovery of Nellie's past while also learning more about her own marriage. Each chapter started with quotes from marital advice from the (not so distant) past and it really helped set the scene for how different life was in the early and mid-1900s.
Brown keeps you super involved in both storylines and I loved that while it was a completely engaging read, it took on some powerful and timely topics. The twists at the end were satisfying, clever and bold. Recipe For A Perfect Wife will definitely stick with me and it would make a wonderful book club discussion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an advanced copy.
Brown introduces us to Alice, who has recently moved out of the city to a fixer-upper with her husband. As her roles are shifting in her own home life, Alice discovers a cookbook and magazines from the previous homeowner. This discovery introduces us to the other main character in this book, Nellie.
The storyline then goes back and forth between present-day Alice and Nellie a "housewife" in the 1950s. I loved how Brown took us back to that era and really dove into what life was like for women and the expectations there was of Nellie as a wife in that time period.
The story shifts between Nellie's narrative, and Alice's discovery of Nellie's past while also learning more about her own marriage. Each chapter started with quotes from marital advice from the (not so distant) past and it really helped set the scene for how different life was in the early and mid-1900s.
Brown keeps you super involved in both storylines and I loved that while it was a completely engaging read, it took on some powerful and timely topics. The twists at the end were satisfying, clever and bold. Recipe For A Perfect Wife will definitely stick with me and it would make a wonderful book club discussion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an advanced copy.
rainb0wreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Dude…this felt so disappointing. Maybe that’s my fault. I went into this thinking it was a thriller, but I guess I was wrong. I knew exactly what storyline was going to be told from the synopsis and while I’m not upset I was right I thought there was going to be more umph to the story. Alice’s plot line felt like it was being forced into connectivity with Nellie’s even though there was very little in common with them. Not to mention Alice and her husband were so annoying watch interact because they’re clearly having communication errors that Alice seems to deem as making her feel trapped (not to say that’s not valid, because yes he moved y’all to the suburbs without really asking you how you really felt about it but girl cmon you kept 2 VERY MASSIVE SECRETS FROM HIM and you think you’re not the problem?) I don’t know, this book did not go where I thought it would and it felt very anticlimactic by the end.
krusty_koolaid's review against another edition
2.0
The movement of the story was lazy and the book didn’t give me anything to think about?