The After Wife is a bittersweet novel about humanity, identity, love and grief - and I loved it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, as I hadn't actually read the blurb, but sometimes it's better to dive in without any preconceptions. It didn't take long to immerse myself into the lives of Rachel, Aidan and Chloe - ordinary lives that became so extraordinary when tragedy struck. I found myself whizzing through the pages, following the family's emotional journey as iRachel became part of the household.

This is a compelling and unique story with a modern twist - a well-crafted book that made me laugh, cry and think about the meaning of life. Despite being set in a slightly more technologically-advanced future, it all seemed very credible and believable, and the science was written seamlessly into the story. I was drawn to the contrast between iRachel, learning how to be independent, create memories and live as a human, and Aidan's mother, Sinead, whose dementia was slowly taking away her own memories, humanity and independence.

The After Wife is a thought-provoking read - a book that creates more questions than it answers. I've recently been watching the TV series Westworld, which also has humanoid robots at its heart and had already prompted so many questions. What makes us human? What gives us our unique identity? What makes us able to love those around us? Can we truly learn to experience emotion? How much do our memories and life experiences shape us?

I knew that however it ended, The After Wife would bring tears to my eyes. And it certainly did, along with a lump in my throat.

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I picked up this novel. I was little dubious that it might be too scientific but despite one of the main characters being a robot it wasn’t. This robot was called iRachel and she ended up breaking my heart.
Rachel, wife of Aiden, mother of Chloe and one of the creators of iRachel dies suddenly and Aiden and Chloe are left trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. But their new life takes an unusual turn when they have to accept iRachel into their lives and keep this fact secret. They do so, with trepidation and despite the outrage that Rachel’s colleague Luke feels. Luke is a bit of an outcast, very heavy-handed but he has met his match with iRachel who is determined not to let him bully anybody. Especially her.
As they all start to adapt to their new situation you get to know each of them very well. You see their outward image to friends and colleagues but you also see their inner thoughts. iRachel has been left with her creator’s memories and regrets and helps both Aiden and Chloe cope with their emotions.
Parts of the novel made me laugh, I’m still smiling now at a scene concerning an apron. But much of the novel, especially the last few chapters had me in tears. At one point I couldn’t see the words on the page and had to stop reading.
It is extremely sad but it also shows acceptance. Chloe, especially, has to put her friends at ease when they use everyday phrases that wouldn’t usually mean a thing but could cause hurt in the wrong circumstances.
I liked all three of the main characters but it is iRachel who I liked the most. Her description of feeling her wanting something and the basic human life that she could not experience is one that will stay with me for some time.
I read the epilogue twice. Mainly to see how to made me feel after a break. On the second read I could see the hope come through, that life cold be rebuilt but the memories from the old life will always be there.

The After Wife is an original  and emotional story of one families loss, and a book that took me through many different emotions.  Narrated by Rachel, Aiden, Chloe, Sinead and IRachel we see how different people deal with th loss of a family member.  Rachel was a talented scientist, wife, mother, work colleague and daughter in law, so to each character she means something different.  Rachel knew she may not see old age and was working on a humanoid robot that could live with her husband and daughter and hopefully help with their grief, and keep a little bit of her with them.

Aiden, Rachel's husband, is angry at loosing his wife, angry that she knew she may have a problem and not confide in him.  During their marriage he was the one who was there more for their daughter Chloe, whose career was second to the of his wife.  Throughout this book, his relationships change with his daughter, his mother, Sinead, and to his work.  Chloe is used to her dad being their for her and although loved her mother she hated that she was compared to her, that everyone knew who she was.  I thought Chloe was a wonderful character, such a mature girl for her age, and caring towards her family and friends.  She is horrified by IRachel but over the few weeks she begins to learn more about her mother, understand her more and become more connected to her.  Sinead, Chloe's Grandmother, is a woman of her time; she was a single mother who worked to bring up her children on her own, didn't have a lot of time for displays of emotion, and was fearlessly independent.  As it becomes clear that she is having memory problems she has to come to terms with the loss of her memory, her independence and her home.  And for Aiden and Chloe it is the partial loss off another family member. Through these characters we are part of their love, loss, sadness, triumphs and their future.

I found this an ingenious and thought provoking story, that made me consider how we cope with different types of loss in our lives; not only from death, but also from having a busy career that can mean even when you are at home your mind could be elsewhere so you are not fully in the present.  There is also the loss memory and dementia, the loss of friends, the loss of identity and of relationships.  IRachel was an interesting concept in that it looked like Rachel, had her memories and spoke like her, but what was missing was that essential part of being human, emotion and feeling; she is very clinical and scientific as she shouldd be. However, I do think there is a lot of positive messages in this book that come from the concept of IRachel, and certainly gave me something to think about, and these difficult subjects matters were dealt with great empathy and sensitivity.

The After Wife is a book I may have passed over if I had seen in on a shelf as I stay away from books about robots, but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read and review as I found this a wonderful read.  I was swept up in the characters lives and emotions and how they moved forward with their lives.  For someone who doesn't read about robots and am not overly interested in science, I was fascinated by IRachel, and what she represented and how she fitted into the family.  This is a really engaging and compelling read and I urge you to give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

I don't understand a thing when it comes to AI (Artificial Intelligence). I know that 'they' claim it's the way of the future, but I stand my ground in maintaining that there will only be a handful of very clever individuals who will understand it, and know how to use it to the best of its ability to benefit mankind. Of course there will be those who choose to use it for negative purposes and there will be others who use it for personal gain.

But what if AI could be used for something completely the opposite of what everyone says it could ever be able to do? What if a Robot could learn how to love? 

Meet Aiden and Rachel, who absolutely adore each other. They've planned their 'forever together' lives, with their teenage daughter Chloe, and despite Rachel's obsessive work ethic, everything's going according to plan ... until the day when it doesn't and Aiden and Chloe are left floundering, wondering how to exist in a world with no more Rachel. But wait ... she even made sure that in the unforeseen event of her not being there, she could actually still be there! Enter ... iRachel!

This book is so unique, you'll have to read it to truly understand the depth and clarity of the characters, their feelings and the emotional roller-coaster ride that the entire story takes you on! I found it utterly moving, and it made me question so many things that we really do take for granted. 

I identified so closely with Chloe - she seemed so, so similar to my own 15-year-old daughter: headstrong, independent, determined ... but yet, vulnerable and unsure at the same time. She's 100% perfectly depicted as a modern teenager. They're so full of bravado in every situation, but really they're ready to run for the hills at any second.

Emotionally, I found much of this book quite gut-wrenching! Aidan and Rachel are so firmly welded together, that to witness them being wrenched apart felt like it had a physically draining impact on me that left me gasping for air! 

The After Wife gets 4 shiny, glittery stars from me! Cass Hunter, I think you've got quite a challenge on your hands writing your next book. After something like this, we're all expecting something equally, if not more, out of the ordinary. I know I can't wait! (And by the way, I adore the cover!)

There was so much to love about this amazing book! I didn’t read the blurb before starting it, so happily had absolutely no idea what to expect. And wow was I delighted I hadn’t. The story was totally unexpected and completely blew me away. What a wonderful treat for my first-ever blog tour. It was so different from anything else I’d ever read – and that doesn’t happen often. The story is enchanting and emotional – and hooked me from the very beginning. I’m determined not to include any spoilers in this review, as my enjoyment of the book was precisely because I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. At one level, The After Wife is all about relationships and what it means to be human. There’s tragedy and grace and love. Cass Hunter’s writing is gentle, captivating, sensitive and often humorous. I am so delighted that it ended the way it did as a less skilled writer could have turned to sensationalism, which would have been a serious mistake.

Well this book is certainly different to those I usually read - but in a very good way!.  The After Wife is a really moving and often thought-provoking story about love, grief, loss and Artificial Intelligence! (Never thought I would put those words together in a review).

Rachel is a hard working, respected scientist who specialises in AI (Artificial Intelligence).  She's happily married to Aidan and has one teenage daughter Chloe.  When Rachel dies suddenly and unexpectedly, she leaves behind her legacy in the form of a robot called iRachel.

It's really hard not to talk about this book without giving away spoilers so I will just say that this book covers all the emotions involved in losing a loved one; grief, anger, shock, disbelief and acceptance.  Each character brings so much depth to the story line and my heart broke for the teenage Chloe.

If you like your love stories with a slight twist of technology, then you will love this book.  This book really touched me and (gasp) I actually did shed a tear or two at the end.  A really beautiful story about what it means to be human.

I put off reading this because I was expecting a thriller from the cover. What a delight! I absolutely loved it!

I'm still not sure what I think about this one. An interesting storyline but, not being a particular keen SF fan, I found it all a bit unlikely.

I found this to be a very unusual book . Unlike any I have read before . I'm still not sure what I think about it .

An interesting take n love, loss and... Artificial Intelligence, my main problem with the book was Rachel’s insane request of her family and, whilst the book laboured to tell us how beneficial it really was, it was a bit of a sticking point for me. There were too many unlikely factors. One example: how could 2 highly paid scientists be getting paid and seemingly not reporting to anyone? But all this aside, it was an enjoyable read with some interesting thoughts posed, not just about the nature of AI but how we treat each other and cope with loss. I wonder what Elon Musk would make of it? Possibly a bit too sentimental but there we go...

What an original novel which made me laugh and made me cry. Rachel and Aiden have a surprising relationship - work comes before everything for Rachel but Aiden puts life and happiness first - their relationship is 'future-proof' - impossible - no-one's relationship can be that, sadly.
Of course the inevitable happens and Rachel is taken from her family leaving them to pick up the pieces on their own - or are they? enter iRachel.
This novel explores family and working relationships and so much more. How much can you rely on your friends to keep your secrets? How differently people deal with loss and then, more likely as the years go on, how robots could play a huge part in our lives.
A fascinating and well written read. I think the epilogue was one step too far, until that point I was happy to believe in the possibilities research can achieve.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Cass Hunter/Orion for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Despite finishing it at almost 1am... I still stayed up talking to my husband about it long after. It raised some interesting questions. I’m looking forward to being a part of the blog tour for you. 💕
The book left me with similar feelings to those I felt after watching Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. The questions being different of course, but the need to ask those questions just as intense. Those insane questions about reality and humanity.
My daughter has spent months telling me that when she is older, she wants to make a “mom bot” to help me... I’m honestly considering giving her your book to read so we can talk about it together.
I can tell Cass lived in the word she wrote, you can feel all the emotions so intensely, jumping from the page.
But I’ll shut up now... or you will have nothing to read in my review - full review to follow on The Glass House during the blog tour.

‘The After Wife’ is a difficult book to review without giving too much away. It’s a beautifully written story of grief and loss that explores exactly what it is that makes us human. I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. A heartachingly beautiful read. 4.5 stars.

Wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as the idea sounding quite unrealistic was surprised to find that once I got into it I couldn’t but it down. Brilliant read!

When I heard this book was about an irobot I thought I would find it hard to get into but surprisingly I really enjoyed it, it was a really good read

An interesting premise that started out a little slow but that was just scene setting. The story moves up a gear when iRachel appears on the scene and it continues to develop nicely just when you’re wondering where it is going to go from here.

An interesting set of characters with a real insight into Rachel and what makes her tick.
Some beautiful words too, especially those for her daughter Chloe.

Sadly my copy had lots of typos and erroneous letters with some missing all together and other diary entries were jumbled. Hopefully this is now rectified...

4.25*, lovely and interesting but not powerful enough to be a 5* read...

The After Wife has an intriguing, if not especially plausible, premise. AI expert Rachel (who is also a loving wife to Aidan and mother to fifteen year old Chloe) has been carrying out groundbreaking work with her colleague Luke. They have developed a prototype empathetic humanoid android: a robot, based - probably more for convenience than vanity - on Rachel herself, and named - of course - “iRachel”.

When Rachel dies suddenly of a brain aneurysm only she knew she had, she leaves instructions in order that her work can continue. Rachel’s wish is that Aidan and Chloe take iRachel into their home, so the robot can continue learning outside the confines of the lab. Naturally this has all sorts of repercussions, emotional and practical.

It took a while for me to get into the story, but once iRachel moves into the house, things really picked up and I was riveted from then on. The story is well told and frequently unpredictable - I rarely guessed where it was going and indeed was led down the garden path a few times...

Despite the AI element, this is rather more domestic drama than science fiction, as Aidan and Chloe deal with the loss of Rachel, and I suspect the majority of readers will not be SF diehards. However there are issues addressed here regarding the sentience, autonomy and social treatment of robots which SF has frequently grappled with. Personhood is a major theme, both in the AI aspect and in a moving portrayal, via one character, of the loss of self which comes with dementia.

Excellent read which I really enjoyed.

Rachel a scientist was happily married to Aidan for 18 years and they have a 15 year old daughter Chloe.

From the start you can see that they are very much in love and very supportive of each other, their love is the type that even death cannot extinguish.

After Rachel dies leaving Aidan bereft and clueless on how to carry on without her, he discovers what Rachel’s being working on and meets irachel, I knew at this point there is no way I’d be physically able to be separated from this book!!Anyone who watched and enjoyed the Netflix series Black Mirror will adore this book!

This book is beautifully written exploring the transition period after losing someone, it was a roller coaster of emotions from disbelieve, despair and eventually coming to terms with loss and the inevitability of life moving on.

I was very moved by this book, this family captures you’re heart and you can really feel their grief, I did have a tear in my eye at the end and would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to netgalley for my copy on exchange for a review.

I've wanted to read Cass Hunter's The After Wife ever since I heard its premise. Rachel is working on a secret AI project when she unexpectedly dies, leaving behind her grieving husband Aidan and daughter Chloe. However, Rachel anticipated the possibility of her early demise and, in a cross between Humans and the Black Mirror episode 'Be Right Back', has left her family a robot, iRachel, that contains her memories and looks exactly like her. Rachel's plans extend to practicalities: she writes a code into the robot that forces Aidan and Chloe to keep it in their house while they get used to it, and downloads various letters and messages to them that the robot can access at key moments. However, as iRachel learns more about human life, she begins to take on a life of her own.

While Hunter's writing is very simple - characters and their relationships tend to be rose-tinted sketches, especially the central relationship between Rachel and Aidan - there is something undeniably moving about The After Wife. Much of the plot development is predictable, especially iRachel's gradual education, but this leaves space for some nice interactions between the characters who are still alive. I liked the way that Chloe was written, the positive representation of her female friendships, and the way she was allowed to be a full, autonomous person rather than a stereotypical teenager. The juxtaposition of the declining faculties of Aidan's mother, who is suffering from dementia, with iRachel's perfect memory, is nothing new in this kind of speculative fiction, but it's done sweetly, with a genuine rapport building up between the grandmother and the robot. And iRachel's final decision is somewhat unexpected, adding a slight twist to an otherwise straightforward narrative. 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

3.5 stars

Mostly this book was great.... talking about families,friendship,grief,trust... and what it means to be human.
iRachel became more and more like a person as the weeks went on,and was treated as such,so it really was an interesting idea on what happened to her when the labs found out. . Did she have a right to be treated like a person?

Occasionally it felt lime a teen romance novel,that felt a bit odd,and I constantly wondered at the idea is sending your grieving family an android that looks and sounds like you...

Overall though,a lovely book.