Wifehouse: A Novel

by Sonya Walger

Annie and Hector have been hosting their friends Candace, Edouard, and their son, Remy, in the guest house of their Connecticut home for many months while their friends’ home undergoes renovations. As a thank-you, Candace gifts Annie French lessons with twenty-six-year-old local French tutor, Thierry. Hector, an actor, goes to film on location, leaving Annie—newly bereaving her mother—to single-parent their two kids. As the lessons progress, she finds herself unexpectedly vulnerable to the charms of a man closer in age to her own teenage daughter than to her own. A new life for Annie emerges, one she could never have foreseen.
     Told over the course of one year, through the shifting perspectives of wife, husband, lover, best friend and children, Walger paints a contradictory, nuanced portrait of a woman who walks away from every role that tradition and society have expected of her.

Genres: Fiction, Adult Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 7, 2026

Reviews

[thebookybird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some wonderful lines throughout but rather dull.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of ‘Wifehouse’ by Sonya Walger, due to be published on 23 April 2026 by Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press.

Annie, juggling looking after her children, occasional jobs staging houses for sale, expected to get on with doing everything on her own when her husband leaves for months at a time for his next acting job and struggling to keep on top of everything. 

Enter Thierry, a young and enthusiastic French tutor, a Christmas gift from her friend Candace who thinks learning French will lift Annie’s spirits, unknowingly setting Annie on a journey that will tear everything she knows apart.

A story told over the course of a year, with the perspectives of Annie, Hector, their children Vita and Jackson, Candace and Thierry. 

Annie is relatable, feeling undervalued, put upon and uninteresting.  Hector is seemingly oblivious to the turmoil his wife is in, placing his work above all else.

A well written story, with well developed characters, its threads interwoven, the ending thought provoking, showing the impact it has on a family when someone decides to change the course of their life. A recommended read.

[SuzieQuzie7973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Union Square & Co. and Sonya Walger for sharing this ARC with me, in exchange for my honest review.

Wifehouse is a phenomenal debut for Ms. Sonya. I absolutely love that we get the 5 MC's perspective, very good concept. The character development and world building is perfect. Ms. Sonya's writing, in my opinion, is magical. I couldn't put this book down. I can't hardly wait for more of Ms. Sonya's writings, I'm here for everything.

I highly recommend that y'all get this book.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

We tell ourselves stories in order to live yas mama boots the house!

[Helen Wu ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn in by the premise and the bold question at the center of this story, and the writing is undeniably sharp with flashes of really beautiful insight. The exploration of motherhood, identity, and emotional depletion is thoughtful and at times unsettling in an honest way. However, I struggled to feel fully immersed. The pacing felt slow for me, and I kept wanting more nuance and depth in Annie’s internal evolution. While I admire the ambition and can see how this will resonate deeply with many readers, especially those who connect personally to its themes, it did not fully move me in the way I had hoped. Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square and Co. for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a captivating story. Annie and Hector are a relatable married couple navigating domestic life. Annie’s actions and feelings are so well described that I couldn’t stop reading. I felt so emotionally invested in her. It’s as if she is doing what many a housewife has daydreamed about. The little nuances of the stressors in her life are SO relatable that it almost feels like this book is a true story. From grief and parenting to affairs, this book has it all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chelsea Knowles]

DNF at 24%. I tried this from 20/12/25 to 31/12/25. Part of me did want to finish this but I just can’t do it. I’m just bored and I’m just not vibing with the story. It’s the end of the year and I just don’t want to carry on. It feels like something I’ve read before and it’s not standing out to me.


*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

[Janene Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the premise of this book, Annie, reevaluating her life, I didn't find myself unable to put the book down. I think the story was slow in a few places and I didn't relate much to Annie, overall. That being said, I enjoyed the overall themes, the resolution, and the growth Annie made over time, so I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it. A solid 3.5 stars for me!
Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and enjoyable, reminded me of Paper Palace.

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 **read the arc version**