This review of The Mad Wife by Meagan Church dives into a suspenseful and unsettling story set in the 1950s. It follows Lulu Mayfield, a woman determined to be the perfect housewife. Known for her molded gelatin salads and impeccable dinner parties, Lulu’s life revolves around caring for her young son, maintaining her home, and dreaming over Green Stamp catalogs.

When Lulu discovers she is pregnant again, she keeps it a secret, haunted by memories of exhaustion and feelings of failure after her first child. But her husband, Henry, reveals the news publicly at a New Year’s Eve party, stripping her of control. Soon after, Lulu becomes fixated on her new neighbor, Bitsy, convinced that Bitsy’s husband means her harm. As Lulu listens and watches more closely, she begins to fear that her own husband may be capable of the same darkness.

It’s hard to discuss The Mad Wife without giving too much away, and I highly recommend going in with as few expectations as possible. Some readers have said they struggled with the slow pace and the seemingly monotonous life of a housewife—but do not stop reading. That slow build is intentional, and it leads to a powerful and suspenseful payoff.

What I loved most was the nostalgia. Growing up in the 60s, I remember my own mother saving Green Stamps and flipping through catalogs. The details of domestic life, routines, and expectations felt incredibly real. As the story progresses, the tension becomes almost palpable. I genuinely could not tell who was the victim and who was the villain until the very end. The twist was unexpected and deeply satisfying, leaving me questioning whether the “good old days” were ever truly good.

One detail that stood out to me was the neighborhood moms gathering to play cards while their children napped at home—without monitors. It’s hard to imagine that today, but it also reflects the norms of the time, much like smoking and drinking during pregnancy.

What didn’t work as well for me was the pacing in certain sections. The story does move slowly at times, and Lulu’s obsession with Bitsy can feel uncomfortable, especially as she takes increasingly extreme steps. Still, these elements serve a purpose in showing her mental and emotional unraveling.

At its core, The Mad Wife by Megan Church is a powerful story about women’s mental health in an era when real struggles were dismissed as “nerves” or hysteria. Today, we would recognize Lulu’s experience as postpartum depression, making this novel both historically grounded and emotionally relevant.

Dang, this is such a good book!

About the Author

Meagan Church is the NY Times bestselling author of THE MAD WIFE, THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY, and THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL. She received a B.A. in English from Indiana University, and her work has appeared in various print and online publications. She is an adjunct for Drexel University’s MFA in creative writing program. A Midwesterner by birth, she now lives in North Carolina.