(1)Recipe For A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Alice Hales and her husband, Nate, have recently left the hustle and bustle of New York City for the suburbs.  With Alice leaving her PR job, the only house they could afford was an older house that looked like it was stuck in the 1950s.  Alice is a little discombobulated by all the changes in her life and then she finds an old cookbook from the previous owner of the house, Nellie Murdoch. Between the cookbook and some old letters that a neighbor provides, Alice paints a picture of Nellie's life. Life in the 50's was different, and the pressures put on Nellie by her husband aren't all that different from the pressures that Alice is currently feeling from Nate. Alice keeps reading the letters looking for both inspirations for a book she is supposed to be writing and advice for how to deal with issues in her marriage.  Will Alice be able to use the recipes found to improve her life?

Recipe For A Perfect Wife is the story of two women; Alice and Nellie.  And the story is told in alternating timelines.  Alice's story in 2018 and Nellie's story in 1955. The women have a lot in common, but for different reasons. Let's talk about Alice first, her marriage is only two years old, and it is a hot mess.  Broken in ways that neither Alice nor her husband address and maybe the author doesn't even realize.  It all stems from their lack of communication. Nate buys ovulation testing kits without even talking to his wife?  Who does that?  Alice got fired from her job and didn't even tell her husband?  Who does that?  I mean seriously, who does that in 2018?  1955 is a different time and when Nellie realized that the man she had married wasn't very nice, her options were limited, but she did have options. And she executed those options more than once. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.  I am not all that pleased with the way the book ended.  It should have ended with Nate and Alice in marriage counseling, but it didn't.  

Bottom Line - Recipe For A Perfect Wife was really quite good, despite the shocking dysfunction. It was an interesting look at two different women in two different eras with similar issues in their lives. This book would make for a great book club read if you are looking for one that will generate some great conversations. 

Details:

• Recipe For A Perfect Life by Karma Brown
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• Pages: 336
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 12/31/2019
• Buy it Here!
• Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.