Ava “I really enjoyed reading the three differing perspectives within this book. Tova, Marcellus, and Cameron all have similar yet distinct qualities, illustrating that no one is ever too old, too lost, or too different to find meaning. I appreciate how the author depicts the aquarium as a representation for containment and isolation. If I could pick out my favorite part of this book, it would have to be the relationship between Tova and Marecllus. The parallels between the two as well as the sweet connection they shared truly did bring tears to my eyes. It was interesting for me to read Tova’s narrations, in a way that she reminds me a lot of my own grandmother. I thought it was cute because my grandma was the one to recommend this book to me in the first place. Overall, I am glad that this was our first read in our book club and I am so very happy that I got to read it with the person I love most! ”

Brandon “I found this book to offer a strong insight into the perspective of older, widowed women without children. Tova’s character beautifully represents a growing part of society facing aging without a partner or family, and the author captures her quiet grief with care. The intertwining storylines come together in a mostly cohesive way, creating an engaging read. At first, Cameron’s perspective felt designed to draw sympathy, but as his story unfolded, I found myself rooting for him and appreciating the author’s ability to build empathy. Marcellus’ point of view was instantly enjoyable—his witty, outsider take on humanity and captivity made his story both sweet and sad. Overall, it wasn’t life-changing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as our first book club pick and look forward to the Netflix adaptation next year.”

Ava "When I first stumbled across this book, I was very excited to read it. I enjoyed the initial concept and it drew me in. The first 75% of The Mad Wife was an easy and mostly entertaining read for me. However, towards the end of the book I found myself asking, just why. By no means am I saying this was a terrible novel, but there were a few questionable takes that the author had that I did not necessarily find awesome. I was expecting the conflict to be something huge, but it was all very predictable (besides the lupus).I also did not like how they tried to say that Henry was this loving nice dude of a husband because let’s be real, he was lacking good husband qualities. I felt bad for Lulu honestly and she deserved way better. I liked the idea of the neighbors and the mystery behind it until I actually found out it was not as interesting as I expected, womp womp. Ignoring my disappointment, I appreciated the way that the book was written and the concepts that it illustrated such as mental health and domestic expectations. Part 1 of this book was GOOD, part 2 of this book was HUH. It has good messages and has a good concept in the run but unfortunately was not as well executed as it could have been.""

Brandon "This is probably the fastest that I have ever read a 300 page book, as the pages went down pretty easily. A majority of the events within this book were mostly predictable before I even started the book, which was a little bit of a disappointment, but I'm still satisfied with the story. I enjoy the way it portrays the perspective of just how strongly something like postpartum depression and losing a child can have on a woman in ways that they don't understand. This is in a setting that takes place during a time that oppresses women and their self-autonomy. I think the "message" that is being displayed, if one was intended at all, becomes muddied towards the end of the book. Most of Part 2 feels like a struggle between self-autonomy and a strong reliance on Henry that was unexplored throughout the novel. While I find the ending very sweet and cute, it's hard to brush off Henry's actions as being "focused on work" and the other experiences that are shown in the final chapter, while he genuinely did some pretty terrible things to her. I think the message about grief is meant to play a stronger role here but I was hoping for a stronger ending that incorporated the greater idea of Lulu being an independent house wife."