Lindsay L's Reviews > Recipe for a Perfect Wife

3 stars.

A domestic drama with a vintage feel.

Alice and Nate move out of their apartment and into their first home. Nate is eager to settle into their house and neighborhood and start a family while Alice is hesitant and misses the busyness and noise of city life. Nate envisions all of the projects he will start on their dated house to get it ready for what he hopes will be their growing family. One day Alice stumbles upon an old recipe book hidden in the basement with notes from a housewife in the 1950’s who once resided in the house. Alice tries some of the recipes and grows attached to the book as she uncovers some of secrets from its past owner.

Each chapter begins with an old-fashioned quote from 1950’s housewife magazines and articles. I found these an interesting addition to the story as they gave perspective on exactly how women were viewed and treated during that time. I also enjoyed the retro recipes in each chapter.

The story unfolds through two timelines — 1950’s and present day. I didn’t quite “click” with any of the characters and I had an extra hard time with the present day storyline. This novel was very stereotypical for many reasons. I felt it had the potential to be much stronger and I didn’t enjoy the route the author chose to take with the storyline.

I have read all of this authors work and loved most of her books. Sadly this one will not be added to my “loved” pile. Please check out the several raving reviews before deciding on this.

Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy!