Overview

From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the suffocating grip of societal expectations that will leave you questioning the lives we build—and the lies we live.

They called it hysteria. She called it survival.

Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu’s carefully crafted life begins to unravel.

When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman’s constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life. The more she uncovers about Bitsy, the more she questions everything she thought she knew—and soon, others begin questioning her sanity. But is Lulu truly losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a reality too terrifying to accept?

In the vein of The Bell Jar and The Hours, The Mad Wifeweaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won’t want to put it down. 

Review

Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu’s carefully crafted life begins to unravel.

This is hard to read in places. I remember struggling to be the perfect mom and trying to live up to everyone’s expectations. Megan Church brings all this to light. So, the feelings of inadequacy all came back as I was reading this. But, y’all! The emotions I had for this woman ran rampant!

There is more to this novel than just postpartum depression and how hard it is to be a mom and a wife and a mother. It is also about the relationship between a husband and a wife. There’s a lot of times the husband doesn’t see or want to see what anyone is going through and in this novel…he just thinks a dishwasher will solve it all.

And that is not all…there is a huge twist that made me set the book down a minute and breathe. Then there came another twist! The struggles of fighting the male perceptions of a woman in the 1950s (don’t get me started on today!) will make you furious.

So, needless to say…this novel will give you an emotional overload…but worth every word!

Need a book you won’t stop thinking about…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Purchase Here

Amazon

Bookbub