I enjoyed this. The market is very oversaturated with these kind of stories so it’s hard to get something different. It definitely brought something new to the plate!

This was not the book for me and I was not a fan. The description made the book sound interesting, but it was not.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

The Dream wife was a well written offering by a very talented author. Annie's husband is a really horrible man, and I struggled to not get upset when I read scenes featuring him. The book had a lot of twists and turns, and was done very well. Recommended.

Wow. What a brilliant modern thriller. Annie looks like the perfect happy wife. However she is a prisoner and controlled by her husband David. I couldn't put the book down.

This was a strange book, very strange but addictive too. A sham marriage, controlling and cruel husband, an absolutely horrible mother-in-law turns the previous independent Annie into a “yes dear/no dear” type of wife, where she does everything she can to keep the peace for the sake of her toddler son. The only time she gets any peace is when she’s asleep, dreaming, but which is real? It’s a pity Annie didn’t have more of a backbone because her constant subservience was irritating. Loved the style of writing and the description of a Sunday lunch at the mother-in-law’s was heart rending. First book I’ve read by this author and will definitely read more.

I was enjoying this book until the dreams started and that just spoilt it all for me. I couldn't wait to finish it

Absolutely raced through this book, couldn't put it down! The twists and turns are brilliant and at times, left me reeling. My only drawback is the dream sequences dotted throughout. I didn't enjoy these much and they confused the actual plot, although I did understand why they were included. On the whole I really enjoyed it and devoured it into two sittings over a weekend. I gather this is the author's first book, in which case I can't wait to read more and I hope it's as thrilling and addictive as this one.

The dream wife is different. A good physcholgical read with an unexpected twist, keeps you hooked until the end. A Great read.

Klare Sprache zeichnet dieses Buch aus und eine tolle story. Prima Ende, hätte man nicht besser erfinden können. Dies ist ein richtig guter Debütroman und ich bin schon sehr gespannt auf weitere Bücher dieses Autors. Für mich eine der besten Entdeckungen in 2018.

My Review: 5/5

This book had me from the first page. It is a fast-paced book that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Annie is in a loveless marriage with David. David is an egotistical jerk whose selfish needs are his only concern. Even though they have a two-year-old son, all hopes for their future with each other is based on David and his plans.

Annie’s life revolves around David and her son, Johnny. Waking up each morning, she enters into the same routine: cooking, cleaning, taking care of the baby. She begins to feel stuck when she starts to have strange, lucid dreams. In her dreams she can do anything…and she takes it to the next level.

I have to admit, I was in complete shock with how this book turned out. It had twist and turns I was not expecting. The book was suspenseful and in parts were a little emotional. Annie is in an abusive relationship, but she is actually a very strong, likeable character.

As a fair warning, there are some scenes that involve the baby that are disturbing. As a mother myself, I found myself almost in tears.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a really good thriller that kept me guessing until the end. If you’re looking for the same thing, stop searching and pick up The Dream Wife!

I loved The Dream Wife. I read this book in a day because I could not put it down. Twist after twist it held my attention, have a read you will not be disappointed.

I was enjoying this book until the dreams started and that just spoilt it all for me. I couldn't wait to finish it

I suspect I'm in the minority here. I thought the book sounded so interesting and I was enthralled for the first 35% until Annie escaped into her dream world. Fantasy is my biggest hate even though I understand why it was used in that way. I rarely put a book down, but this one prompted me when the dreams were prolonged. David and Annie were starting to irritate me with their sham marriage. I perceived David as living in a time warp. His behaviour is reminiscent of men in the 1950's and earlier. Dinner on the table. The home run by the wife on oiled wheels. She caters for his every need. Mum at home caring for the children. A son and heir a huge bonus as it is an extension of his virility and ego. Children seen but not heard. A possession. This was the norm. It was called pleasing the man you loved. Now the scales have tipped, and it's called control. Where does the old model of husbandry turn into a husband who is a control freak? I think with Annie she was a damaged soul, timid, unsure of herself and with galloping OCD which made her vulnerable to bullying. David had found someone he could control, he got steadily worse and he made her a victim. It was as though he wanted her to conform to HIS life and abandon her own individuality. There's the fine line. He started to tell her what she should do, say and wear because he could, and she let him. A sign of an insecure society. It's rampant nowadays and very worrying. To quote - "Everyone has an agenda. Everyone wants to tell you what to do. To be in control." I reflect on the situation and wonder why people have children if they don't want the bother of looking after them and find it boring and why they get married without a defined idea of what they want from the marriage and whether it's workable. Not if he wears a suit, wealthy and handsome. Annie was swept away by the wrong motives. Marriage is about compromise, and there should be equality and space for individuality. A food for thought book. Please note I am only commenting on the first 35% I read. A pity about the fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley and Orion.

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. The Dream Wife is a difficult book to review. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it took a turn that was totally unexpected and left me lost for words. And it’s difficult to review it without spoilers.
There is no doubt that Annie is suffering at the hands of her husband David who doesn’t allow her any freedom, give her any respect and is abusive mentally and physically. His mother is little better, her husband who died before the reader is introduced to the family is the only one who has any decency. Her relationship with her son was completely different and she stood up to both of them every time they tried to change the way she was with him.
As the novel progressed so did the abuse and at times I was cringing as I read. At the same time the dreams started and with that part of the novel I got increasingly confused.
Strangely, because the parts of the novel that involved dreams were unusual I preferred the parts that I felt were reality. I understood that her dreams were where she went to cope but then I struggled to separate them from reality. I think I got it right but everybody will probably read it differently.
There is no doubt that it is very clever and I would definitely read it again to see of I have the same thoughts.

Wow, this is quite a book! Never in my wildest dreams (see what I did there?) could I have predicted the turn it would take.

Annie is married to David. Her life before she met him wasn't always plain sailing but she was leading a pretty ordinary sort of life. David took an interest in her and made her happy until they were married and she had baby Johnny, whereupon David became controlling, overbearing and thoroughly unpleasant. Annie's world gets smaller and smaller until it comes down to doing all the little things that make David happy and nothing that makes her happy, unless you count looking after her son who is the light of her life.

So far, so fairly textbook psychological thriller. But then Annie discovers something that means she can do something to change her life in a pretty amazing and incredible way. And from now on I can't tell you anything else about it - you absolutely have to find out for yourself. A spoiler would be disastrous!

I read fairly steadily up to the 50-60% mark and after that I just couldn't put it down. It completely pulled me in to Annie's life, her plight, and her way of dealing with it. Her life with David shocked me to the core. What a horrible, nasty little man! But things started to change and I was totally rooting for Annie and Johnny to have a better life.

Just when I thought I had a handle on all that was going on, the author threw me a curveball that left me reeling. I'm still thinking about it and recalibrating all that I thought I knew. In terms of twists it's fantastic.

The Dream Wife is such an impressive debut. If you want a book that takes everything you know and turns it on its head then this is it. If you want a book with a thoroughly cruel and vicious character for you to hate then this is it. And if you want a book that leaves you with your mouth hanging open at the end then this is it. It's brilliant.

The Dream Wife was a fast, pacy, intriguing read that moves in unexpected directions and is highly addictive.
Annie lives under the rule of her Husband, an age old story – but Louise De Lange has taken that premise and breathed new life into it with her rather quirky, actually quite creepy and genuinely absorbing narrative where Annie takes control of her life in unimaginable ways.

If you are expecting a straightforward psychological thriller then you won’t get that – but you will get some relevant and emotive themes explored in a very different way. The unexpectedness comes through the genesis of the characters, through the very well worn story of a woman supressed by a man, but done with a flair for dramatic consequence and examining the theme of power in a thought provoking way.
I was really taken with it – especially the cleverly placed ending that makes you rethink a lot of what you have read – and the realistically flawed central character, Annie, who treads the path of resistance and revenge in a divisive yet really compelling way.

It’s nice to see some boundaries being pushed – whilst The Dream Wife won’t be for everyone, for me it was a highly entertaining read that also gives pause for thought.

Recommended.

A current topic issue of controlling relationship. Poor mum feels controlled so much by her husband but wants the family title for her family.
It is often misunderstood but this topical book raises awareness of how hard it can be to breakfree.

Ok, so it’s hard to know where to start with this review and there are two reasons for that. Firstly I do not want to give any spoilers away and I think that could be easy with this book, and secondly because I’m slightly confused about the book and the ending.

That probably doesn’t sound very good, but that’s not the case. So many psychological thrillers are hyped up about the clever twist and it becomes a little bit boring, how can every book have the most amazing twist of any book this year? But here we have a book that says that it has a clever twist and, amazingly, it really does.

The Dream Wife was, for me, a bit slow to get going and I did wonder where on earth it was going, especially when Annie started having these strange dreams. I had a look at other reviews and came to the conclusion that the book is a little bit like marmite, but the reviews sounded intriguing and so I carried on.

Annie’s husband David is a truly horrible person, there is absolutely nothing likeable about the man and some readers might find some of the scenes with him difficult to read. A total opposite are the scenes with Annie and her little boy Jonnie, he sounds so adorable and the love that Annie has for him shines through every page.

And then we have the ending. I got to the end and thought that I had got it and I knew what was going on, but then I thought about it a little bit and the questions started to come and in the end, I’m not really sure about any of it. I think that I have it right but it’s an ending that probably needs rereading, or a long discussion with a friend who has also read the book. It is so unexpected, very clever and makes for a very impressive debut. Although writing this I’m still a bit confused.

Well, what the holy f-…frogs I was going to say frogs! This was a debut book and it blew my mind! Just as you think you know something an author comes along and changes the world as we know it, and in this case the author has blown it up.

Now, this review will be really vague on the plot because you have to read this book, and you have to go in blind. Head has been blown!

Annie and David, the dream couple of the story, have the most beautiful little boy Johnny! But it’s for show, behind closed doors it’s a different story. David is one of the most disgusting, degrading human beings. The hatred I have for that man is astounding. He is controlling of Annie, the things he expects from a “wife”, all encouraged by his mother, were shocking! I kept asking my husband if he agreed with the behaviour. He then jokingly said he expects it from me, well he best be joking! Annie has been isolated by David, no support and she has no family but she has Johnny. The hours she has with that boy are precious, but only once she has done all her chores.

Some parts of this book made for a difficult and uncomfortable read, but dare I say it, it made it that much more riveting because you can not believe what you are reading!

I would love to talk more about the story but I really can’t. What Ms De Lange has done will have you thinking for ages after you have finished the last page, dissecting everything. Her words are powerful and twisty. You really do not see the ending coming…and I LOVED IT!

I will definitely be keeping my eye for more by Louisa for sure, her imagination has no bounds. Everyone once in a while you find little gems of a book like this, where it just excites you to see what is in store for us next. Every page turned I really did not know where we were going or what would happen, and it was that anticipation that drives you through this book. It is a book that starts off as one thing and ends being something completely different! EPIC