Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure about this book and whether or not really like the authors style of writing. Must have taken me over a month to painfully read.

Thank you Netgalley for my review copy for an impartial review.

I have been slowly warming to the character of Emily all through the three books in this series and this book cemented my like of her, despite her harshness. This book gives you all the salaciousness of the suburbs and juicy gossip whilst dealing with women getting back on top, so to speak. Love a strong woman and this book gives you three. All the while there lots of laughs while they fight. Will recommend to all my friends.
(One note - do prefer the title of 'When life gives you lululemons' than 'The Wives')

I have never read anything else from this author but the book was great, funny in places and a compelling read. No spoilers as I hate having a book spoilt. Give this book a go ....you won't be disappointed

This book is the third book in the Devil Wears Prada series. I really love The Devil Wears Prada which I read a long time ago, but I wasn’t as keen on it’s sequel Revenge Wears Prada. And apparently I wasn’t the only one there as it only has 2.8 stars average on Goodreads. So I wasn’t sure what to make of this book, especially as it’s been five years since I read Revenge Wears Prada back in 2013.
But I knew I’d like it as soon as I started reading it. It took a moment and a bit of googling to catch up with who was who and remember the details about Emily (who is the central character from the other stories in this book instead of Andy), but I got there. The Wives also introduced us to two new characters too, who took turns narrating the story alongside Emily. We have Miriam, a mum who has just left her job and moved to the suburbs in able to spend more time with her kids. And there’s Karolina, my favourite of the three narrators, who is the wife of an influential senator who is pulled into a huge conspiracy by her scheming husband. Emily’s role in this book is great as well, she’s learning to move on from her days at Runway and learning to navigate true friendship and a career that’s really going downhill.
Each protagonist has their own individual quirks, their voices really do feel different and each of their stories is equally interesting. I also like how they tie together, and how all three women stick together, helping each other through the tough times they are experiencing; whether that’s career problems, a mid-life crisis, potential cheating husbands, school drama, children, or a huge social crisis. There’s enough in this plot to keep you addicted and wanting to know what happens next. There are plenty of moments that make you want to cry, or cheer. There are some funny points, and some frustrating (for the characters, not the readers to make that clear). And there are enough subplots that you are never left bored in the down-moments of the protagonist plots.
I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, but it was fun, it was entertaining and it was an easy read. It would be a perfect book to pack in your suitcase and take on holiday, or to curl up with on a sun lounger next to a pool or on a beach.

Lauren Weisberger is the author who penned The Devil Wears Prada, and sent a million girls into daydreams of working at a glamorous fashion magazine (even with an... ahem... difficult boss) and this book brings back ex-assistant Emily for another biting, glamorous read.

Emily is a stylist and image consultant to the biggest stars, but her career's under threat. So, when her old friend, Karolina, wife of would-be-president Graham Hartwell, ends up dumped and with a false DUI to her name, Emily moves into the New York suburbs to help her... and to kickstart her career again.

This is pure chick lit indulgence. Greenwich is reminiscent of Desperate Housewives, with image-obsessed, wealthy women falling over themselves to one-up the neighbours. Emily is delightfully catty as ever (although I could do without all the fat-shaming) and the story is pleasantly gossipy. It's pure escapism, and it was nice to revisit some old favourite characters - but one to avoid if rich people problems get your back up!

Revenge can be very sweet, especially when your friends have contacts in the right places.

Karolina is a former Victoria’s Secret model, now married to Senator Graham Hartwell. She knows he has his sights set on the Presidency. What she does not know is that he also has his sights set on a younger and more politically connected wife than her. Of course, a senator aiming to be president cannot afford to go through a messy divorce, so other means must be employed to get rid of the current wife. Senator Hartwell sets his wife up for a scandal but what he does not realise is that she has a very loyal friend, Miriam, who is a lawyer with an MBA and just itching to get her teeth stuck into something since she gave up her job to be home with her kids six months ago. Miriam also happens to know the number one “fixer” in the US – Emily Charlton. Between the three of them, these women give Senator Hartwell a proper comeuppance!

This is a book that you need to take on a Friday night, along with a glass or two of good wine and before you know it, it will be Saturday morning; the wine will be gone, but you will still be reading. The author brings each of the women to life in a loving and humorous way, showing you that we are all human and have our good character traits as well as bad ones. She describes life in the suburbs, compares it to life in the city and shows just how much influence political figures have. I will definitely be reading the rest of Ms Weisberger’s books!

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Initially when I started to read this book, I wasn't too impressed as it seemed to be 3 different stories, but once they joined together to become one I really started to enjoy it. Not quite sure its at all LOL funny as the front page claims - I can't say I laughed once when reading the book!

I was really looking forward to reading this, and there were absolute moments of brilliance but at times it felt like the book was all about how you look and weight (I know, I know – what else did I expect?!) And I would have loved to have followed the character of Emily far more.

Three independent and very different women juggling work and social life. How can all theyre lives intertwine? By a scandal of course! We followw their so-called perfect lives to find out it’s not what it supposed to set out to be.

A lovely book written by the author of The Devil Wears Prada. Laura Weisberger has written this novel fantastically and emotionally tuned to the female perspective!

The Wives is the latest novel by Lauren Weisberger of The Devil Wears Prada fame.

This book continues the life of Emily Charlton, once assistant to Miranda Priestly at Runway Magazine and now a highly sought after stylist to the stars.
But all is not well…
Emily’s business is taking a hit from an up-and-coming social media whizz. At the same time Emily is avoiding Miranda Priestly who is persistently hounding her to plan a prestigious event. Emily sees an item on the news and escapes to help a friend in need.

Old friend and Model from the Runway days Karolina, now the wife of a US senator, is arrested for drunk driving while ferrying children home from a party. She is NOT drunk so why have the police ignored her plea for a breathalyser and put her in a cell overnight.

Is it a set up? Where is the Senator?

As the story unfolds Emily’s expertise in people management and with the help of their lawyer friend Miriam, they head off into the suburbs to piece together the awful truth.

This novel, although set in a glamorous world, is a tale of friendship, love and family. There are funny situations and heartfelt moments throughout and with the added mystery I found it a very good read.

Although there are some references to The Devil Wears Prada this is a totally stand alone novel, ideal for old & new Lauren Weisberger readers. I highly recommend it.

(USA title - When life gives you Lululemons)

I received a complementary copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Wives picks up the story of Emily Charlton, the infamous and insufferable Senior Assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, only it’s a good few years later. Emily now works for herself, helping celebrities out of crisis, and has completely left Runway behind. Unfortunately, her business is suffering, but when she meets Karolina Hartwell through a mutual friend, Miriam Kagan, Emily can sense that this is the job she needs to spark up her career again. Karolina’s life has gone to shambles after being wrongly accused of drunk driving and her husband (a very notorious US senator) dumped her on national TV. So, with Emily and Miriam’s help, she is preparing to take her revenge.
The first thing I have to say is that I usually never read chick lit, because it bores me to death. But considering this book was written by the author of The Devil Wears Prada (I’ve actually never read the book but loooved the film), I thought I would give it a try! And I was pleasantly surprised! I mean, it’s not a page-turner per say, but it’s very well written and the plot is intriguing.
The story is very glamorous. All three main characters are quite wealthy and because of that I almost felt at times like I was watching an episode of The Real Housewives. And the famous Miranda Priestly even makes an appearance!
I love Emily’s character, she is a very badass woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone (and accurately describes herself as ‘bitchy’). Miriam and Karolina are also very lovable as they are so relatable (especially Miriam who will regularly try to get into exercising then immediately ruins it by eating a stack of pancakes after a work out, which is something I know I would do.)
The three main characters are strong female characters, and even though their confidence will get knocked down every so often by their husbands, friends or colleagues, they get back up every single time and take back the reins of their life.
What struck me the most about this book is how well it depicts female friendship, and what women are capable of when they work together rather than against each other. It is a beautiful tale of three friends who will do whatever it takes to put things to right, all while having fun. The book might be presented as a story of three wives plotting revenge against their husbands, but I personally felt like the message inside it is more than just that: it is that women are unstoppable when they come together and that they can achieve anything.
I will admit that I did enjoy it (if anything, as a guilty pleasure type of reading) and it did make me want to invite my girl friends around for some wine and chit chat!
So, not my usual type of book but then again, I have said before that I don’t want to restrict myself to the same genre over and over. I’m lucky enough that NetGalley has plenty of amazing books so I want to make the most of the opportunity and read things that are different to what I am used to, and will make me step out of my comfort zone. Now I’m not saying I’m going to start reading chick lit all the time, but once in a while it’s good to change things up and give something else a chance.

Fabulous Emily Charlton, Miranda Priestly’s wonderfully bitchy personal assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, is back and this time she is in the hideous Connecticut super-suburb of Greenwich, a wealthy community with a disturbing Stepford Wives vibe about it. Emily is now a high powered Celebrity PR Consultant and she has taken on the task of re-branding Karolina, a disgraced ex-supermodel who has been well and truly stitched up by her devious US Senator husband.

If you loved Emily in DWP you will adore her in this book, because she is by far the best character and she naturally gets all the best lines – “Emily! You are a legend!” – “Are you calling me old?”

The Wives is a classic sun lounger read with all the necessary elements – glamour, sex, deadly betrayal and delicious revenge. It will keep you glued until the very end. Something of a guilty pleasure but all the better for it.

Many thanks to Harper Collins, to Ms Weisberger and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this excellent book; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When I started reading this I didn't know much about Lauren Weisberger except that she wrote The Devil Wears Prada but she appears to be something of an industry writing in the interstices between culture, media and fashion as operated by the super rich in Los Angeles and New York. The book revolves around the lives of three women: Emily, Miriam and Karolina as they maintain their positions on the greasy poles of employment and influence. Emily is a sort of PR consultant, Miriam is just busy being rich with children and Karolina is an ex supermodel with an ambitious husband who is trying to dump her for a new model.

The leading thread in the story is that Karolina has been done for drunk driving and needs an image job which Emily can provide. Along the way it transpires that her husband is more of a villain than anyone might imagine but, in the end, he gets his comeuppance. There are a fair few other villainous husbands scattered throughout the text and there is a long subplot about Miriam's husband who could be having an affair but turns out to be a sort of good guy. A sort of good guy because good guys are measured by the financial rewards they dish out to wives and partners. There's a lot of lusting after other people in between, in a city where all of the waiters have unbelievably tight butts and that's just the men! Emily, married to Miles, has a thing with a chap called Alistair who weaves in and out of her life. There is also a ready supply of available, super attractive, women for the men. Super attractive seems to be partly measured by the amount of silicone in your body and the quality of your fashion accessories. There's a whiff of product placement here!

Just to locate this in the real world, children are central. What Karolina is really worried about is access to a child called Harry whom she has been pivotal in raising and Emily is pregnant at the end though I'm not sure by whom while Miriam is set up to be a mum with a posh office. It is clear that a lot of nannies will be required!

In the end, if you like this sort of ride then you'll enjoy it. It is Jackie Collins on MDMA. If you have some kind of moral perspective then you will have to overlook the quite criminal immorality of Karolina's husband and the slightly dodgy behaviour of Emily and, personally, I wouldn't trust Miriam's husband for a minute! There again, if you can overlook all that you might enjoy it as a holiday read but it is also possible that if you buy your clothes in TK Maxx and a night out is a few drinks down the pub this might all seem a little bit alien!

Having enjoyed The Devil wears Prada I went on reading all the other novels but the author - ending up very disappointed. I was therefore a little skeptical about reading this book but I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This book is the perfect summer read: A fun , lighthearted delightful book, fun and smart and sexy. I really enjoyed it!

This was exactly what I expected - fluffy chick-lit, perfect for reading on a flight. It wasn't the best chick-lit I've ever read though, I have to admit. The characters were cliched, with rather problematic messaging behind them (the perfectly happy childless woman suddenly wants a child, the housewife is only happy when she loses weight and starts working again, etc) and the plot points were a bit questionable. That said, I read it quickly and it was exactly what I felt like at the time.

Everyone's favourite Emily Charlton (The Devil Wears Prada) has left Runway behind and is now an image consultant to Hollywood's royalty - smoothing over and often making those 'delicate' situations disappear! She starts to lose clients to a trendy and up and coming publicity manager and seeks solice and comfort from her friend and stay at home mum, Miriam. Through Miriam, Emily meets former supermodel Karolina Hartwell and seeks to out the truth about her bad press and restore Karolinas standing in the community and rescue her relationship with her beloved step son.

There are lots of laughs along the way - Emily is a great character, full of wit and charm and sassy with it - I'd definitely want her on my side! This is a great holiday read and I look forward to seeing more from this author. Many thanks to netgalley for an ARC in return for my honest review!

Although I had heard of author Lauren Weisberger I have never read any of her books. A twitter friend of mine was reading The Wives and was singing its praises but because I had not read The Devil Wears Prada I was unsure if I would be able to read The Wives but after her urging me to give it a try I decided to give it a go.

The storyline follows three strong and determined women, Emily Charlton who is an image consultant and her best friend Maureen who was a corporate Lawyer who is finding her feet in her new role as stay at home mummy. When Emily is at a loose end with the worry that her grip on her job is slipping she opts to stay with Maureen and it is here that the story begins when she meets Maureen’s friend Karolina who is a well-known model and the wife of a senator who has hit the media headlines in a very bad way with her life now crumbling down quickly around her. Can this be the job to get Emily’s name back in the game?
I found this book fine to read a stand alone as we are given the odd reference to Emily’s previous job with Miranda Priestly who also makes an appearance.
I loved all three of the women in this book, Emily was definitely the feisty, fashionable, no-nonsense kind of woman, Maureen seemed a little more grounded and little more relatable and as she is learning the ways of other stay at home mums and the things they do her eyes are opened at the same time as giving the reader something to chuckle about! Karolina was quite a soft natured character and was not the kind of personality I was expecting. I loved that her priority was not to get even but just to be able to see her son, I had so much respect for her and I was really routing for her the whole way through her impossible situation.
I really enjoyed this book and it has definitely made me want to read more books by this author. Her writing is fast paced and she has created a storyline with friendship, humour and scandal with such strong determined women who are unforgettable. A great modern glamorous read that I would definitely recommend.

A little bit vacuous but good fun. Cameo appearance by Miranda Priestly which reminded me just how much I enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada

With power, politics, relationships and celebrity at its core, this book is a frolic and a fun summer read.

3.5*, fun for the beach!

This is a beach read. Funny and light hearted. I requested this book as I had read The Devil Loves Prada and really enjoyed it. This book I feel is not as good but still enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Having spotted that this had been released I happily signed up to review it. Then, without warning I lost my reviewing abilities on Amazon and so had to find another way around being able to review it. This I did by buying it on Audible as well as Goodreads and some Facebook Groups I belong to. I couldn't start with this one though, as I hadn't yet read Revenge Wears Prada, so I did a binge listen double whammy. I'm a huge fan of the original and so was keen to discover what had been occurring through the years and was not at all disappointed. The narration was great as was the story. I found myself plugging in as much as I could. Not only when walking my dogs, which is usually when I listen to a book rather than read one, but also while shopping, cleaning, gardening or whatever I was doing, as I was hooked from start to finish. I never post spoilers, but if you are a fan of Lauren Weisberger or of Devil Wears Prada, this book does not disappoint. I did have a few odd looks on occasion due to my reactions while out in public listening, but it was most definitely worth it.