Wives Like Us

A Novel

By: Plum Sykes

Narrated by: Annabel Mullion

“Wives Like Us made me laugh so hard I actually knocked over my lamp. Can a book be so wickedly smart, so effortless, so chic and hilarious that you would stumble through the night to find a new lightbulb just so you can keep reading way past your bedtime? In a word, yes."" —Kevin Kwan

Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcee, three rich wives, two tycoons, a pair of miniature sausage dogs and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny Wives Like Us, the new novel from the best-selling author of Bergdorf Blondes and Party Girls Die In Pearls, Plum Sykes.

If you think the English countryside is all green wellies, muddy Land Rovers and grey-haired ladies in tweed, then you’ve never visited ‘The Bottoms.’

Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire, and the tony Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.

Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to The Old Coach House to teach her husband Bryan a lesson.

But things don’t go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, is refusing Tata’s overtures at friendship; Tata’s best friends, Sophie Thompson and Fernanda Ovington-Williams, are distracted by their own heartache, and the posh Pennybacker-Hoare sisters are plotting to prevent Tata regaining her crown as Queen of the Bottoms. Worst of all, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.

Will Tata ever return to the comforts of the Manor? Will Selby find her Prince Charming? Will the Pennybacker-Hoares prevail? With the help of a pig farmer-ess moonlighting as a Personal Assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand and a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, can Ian restore harmony to The Bottoms?

©2023 Plum Sykes (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

A fun romp!

I should have read it, the narrator was annoying, her accents were awful. A little too much brand name dropping! I loved hearing about the Cotswolds since I had just been!!! All and all it was light and entertaining.

Perfect summer read

This story was exactly what I needed, silly, humorous, sweet, and full of whit. A perfect vacation read anyone who enjoys beautiful esthetics will get lost in the detailed descriptions about this fabulous group of friends. I enjoyed every minute.

Fun and Frothy

Was such a fun, frothy, easy listen. Great beach “read”, great for a car drive.

Not everything appears as it is

Fun story of the English high society with some twists and turns. Love the characters

Amusing farce

Beach read. Light light reading with an amusing array of characters of little depth. Too much money too much time

Such a fun read!

Had so much fun listening to this, it was fantastic from beginning to end, a must!

Humor

Light and smart read that understands the culture but treats it with humor and respect. Audio is well resd

interesting characters

Posh characters entertaining and funny, A nice summer read to keep your mind off of the real worlds woes.This book makes me want to inherit a castle and entertain.

Mostly aspirational of the Cottswald’s high life

Interesting to imagine, having been to that area. Seemed to focus on very surface relationships and fashion rather than substance. Struggled getting through it, but it was a book club choice.

silly

silly, not much substance, flat characters. Good break I guess? comedic? should've listened to the other reviews. if that's what you're looking for, it's very well done. but just nothing deep