Synopsis:
In this retelling of Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life, Camille Pagán, best-selling author of This Won’t End Well and I’m Fine and Neither Are You, introduces us to Bailey, a dutiful yet sharp-witted 30-something who finds herself on the verge of a nervous breakdown as Christmas Eve approaches. As if it wasn’t enough that Bailey’s husband has just cheated on her, the family business she’s been running since her parents died, which employs most of her small town, is about to go under. But even as she’s questioning whether her life has any meaning, Bailey bumps into a handsome stranger who claims to know her – and through a series of strange events, sheds new light on what it means to make a difference in this messy, wonderful world.
Review:
I love coming across a short festive audiobook as they are perfect for this time of year when I try to get in as many as I can to find the best ones to share with you. Sadly, It’s a Wonderful Wife is not one of the good ones. This book is depressing for around 90% of it’s duration. Thankfully, it’s as short as it is because it would have been a DNF otherwise.
Now, I know It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t the happiest of films, but at least it has a feel-good vibe to it. It’s a Wonderful Wife does not. Not only does our main character’s parents die on Christmas Eve, she also finds out a family member has taken all of the money out of her business so she’s not able to pay her staff, and she finds her husband cheating on her with her bestfriend. Then you get your classic ‘this is what would happen if I was never born’ sequence and apparently Bailey, our main character, is the glue holding this whole town together as everyone has turned to drugs, abusing their kids and for some reason her little sister is now married to her husband. So weird.
Before the sequence, Bailey reconnects with a guy she kind of knew in high school and apparently they fall instantly in love with each other and he’s going to solve all of her problems. Oh, and that cheating husband I mentioned? Yeah, apparently she’s going to force him to give her $200,000 to save her company. Who the hell has that much money just lying around? Absolute madness.
Usually I can forgive festive books for being over the top, but that usually on the romance side. This book is not fun at all. For some reason I don’t find child abuse, cheating and drugs to be very festive and happy. Honestly, just watch the film and save yourself the hour and a half it takes to listen to It’s a Wonderful Wife. It’s not the festive romance it claims to be.
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