An Ideal Wife

Jessica Wild #3

by Gemma Townley

How to ruin a perfectly good become an Ideal Wife! Married to the man she loves—sweet, sexy Max—Jessica Wild-Wainwright is blissfully happy . . . except for one tiny little She never confessed to an (almost) tryst with Max’s biggest rival right before their wedding. Eaten up with guilt and facing down threats of exposure, Jessica decides to give Max what he clearly still the Ideal Wife. With the help of her friends, she will become perfect in every doting, devoted, domestic—everything Max deserves. However, the path to perfection is fraught with peril, from culinary chaos to a boudoir disaster that puts Max in the hospital with a broken leg and a sexy nurse (who is certainly Ideal in every way that Jessica is not). When Jessica rallies to run Max’s company—and is met with overt hostility by an obsessive co-worker and by an auditor determined to uncover everyone’s secrets, things become decidedly less than Ideal. Toss in a semiretired Russian stripper turned stay-at-home mom and strange men watching her apartment, and Jessica fears Project Ideal Wife has backfired miserably. Can a less than perfect wife save the day?

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Gemma Townley launched her writing career at the age of sixteen with a book review in Harpers & Queen. At Reading University, unimpressed with the official university paper, Spark, she launched a satirical rival, Spank, which she edited for a year before taking over as deputy editor on Spark and features editor on South-East Student.

Gemma is currently head of communications at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is studying for an M.B.A. at Henley Management College.

She lives in West London with her husband, Mark and their son.

She is Sophie Kinsella's sister.

Reviews

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si conclude questa divertente e scoppiettante trilogia di Jessica Wild. Ora che si è sposata con il suo Max dovrebbe andare tutto bene, no?! E invece no! La nostra Jessica decide di complicarsi la vita nel tentativo di diventare davvero un esempio di moglie perfetta per Max; e davvero, le donne sono tutte più o meno multitasking, ma non possono certo avere il dono dell'ubiquità, mentre sia Max che la terribile madre di Jessica, per non parlare di Chester, il fidanzato della madre, nonché principale cliente dell'agenzia pubblicitaria di Max in cui lavora Jessica e di tantissime altre persone, pretendono che Jessica si occupi di tutto... Poi non dite che combina pasticci, perché la colpa è vostra, mica sua!

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something to pass the time.

I'll be very honest. This book was a bit of harmless distraction for me. I am a part of the reading challenge and I like to keep it going. The book I read previously was awfully heavy, so naturally it was necessary for the next read to be something lite. This was. It was lite. It was not always realistic or probable. I did not always believe in the story and it did not always hold my attention. Although I was curious enough to keep reading, I don't know that I blame this experience completely on the book. Some of this I pin on the fact that maybe it's not a good fit for me. I don't normally read this type of book but the types of books I normally read were too heavy for my mind at that moment. I assume I'm a glutton for punishment but if I'm not emotionally involved in a story in some way it's technically not worth it to me. This book was never going to do that. It's just a story. Something for a vacation read. Something to read on a flight. A quick one day read that if I wasn't distracted elsewhere could have finished in two days.
(I went and found my drama in a 4 season marathon of a HBO tv series.)

Jess is married to Max. She thinks she's not the ideal wife. She makes up this bogus plan to become it. Along with her friends, her mother, stepfather, coworkers and a few surprise guests.. I assume a mad cap adventure is supposed to ensue. 

Again this may be up someone's alley. I've read book buddy's reviews of similar books so you may like it. I've got to be true to my scale here so I say 2 stars. It was alright. I read it. 

Onward!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

An Ideal Wife by Gemma Townley is the third book in the hilarious Jessica Wild series. Jessica Wild is insanely in love with her husband Max, and Max is just as enamored with her. However, Jessica has a secret. A secret she knows she needs to confess to Max, but she doesn’t want to because Max believes that Jessica is the “perfect wife.”

So Jessica goes on a mission to discover what it means to be a perfect wife. She begins volunteering at a homeless shelter, takes a cooking class and attempts to be more romantic to keep Max happy. But all the while, she is still struggling with her secret. Just when she plans on filling Max in, he ends up in the hospital with broken bones, leaving Jessica to take care of his ad agency during a stressful economic time. Jessica is overwhelmed by her new responsibilities.

Honestly, it was a bit hard to write a summary for this book because nothing much happened. I loved the first two books in the Jessica Wild series, but I think it could have ended with the nice happy ending in book number two. This third installment didn’t really add anything to the series and in fact, made me look at it in a different light.

Jessica, the main character, who before was quirky, clumsy and adorable came across as straight up annoying in this book. All of her charm was gone.

It’s time to put this series to bed; I loved the first two and I’m happy to say that I still think Gemma Townley is a great writer, but I’m ready to say goodbye to Jessica.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book is short in pages, it is long in reading. I felt the writing was trying too hard to be funny which made it take forever to get through and slightly exhausting.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per usual, I LOVE Jessica Wild and Max Wainwright. I wish we could have known more about them and the baby, but it's always more of an open ending when it comes to them two. I know they'd be fantastic parents. The only thing I don't like when it comes to Jessica, however, is how quickly she jumps to conclusions. As she did when she thought Max was cheating on her. In this book, it's that she isn't the Ideal Wife, that Max is disinterested, all that blabber. She also seems to think that Max would leave her if she said anything about Hugh when a) it was just a kiss, b) it happened before they were married, and c) HUGH IS GAY. Seriously. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a continuation of the last book, Jess and Max have been married
a year, Jess is hiding a secret but what? Max thinks she’s the perfect
wife but is she? Jess comes up with a project to make her “The Ideal
Wife” but can she succeed? I didn’t really enjoy this book as much as
the other 2 I have read in the past, not sure I would recommend.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed to the end of this series. I felt it was cluttered with characters and didn't feel true to her character.

[Casey Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't too impressed with this. It was an easy read but very predictable. Reading a book like this makes me feel like I could be an author.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

PRIMA RECENSIONE DI UNA PERFEZIONISTA PATENTATA

Premetto che si tratta della mia primissima recensione: il tutto è nato dalla mia decisione di intraprendere la facoltà di lettere e dal consiglio di un'amica di cominciare ad "allenarmi" a recensire (nonostante non abbia intenzione di seguire parametri particolari per scriverla).

"Una moglie ideale" è l'ultimo, spassosissimo libro della serie incentrata su Jessica Wild ed è il tipico romanzo che definirei "stupido", se messo a paragone con i grandi classici della letteratura. La verità è che anche i chick-lit (che io adoro) possono farci riflettere. Sono, come direbbe la mia amica di cui sopra, un po' come i Simpson: sembrano banali e finalizzati solo al divertimento, ma in realtà un messaggio c'è eccome. E infatti, nonostante i colpi di scena impensabili e gli eventi surreali - a partire dal "Progetto matrimonio" fino alla riunione generale di (quasi) tutti i personaggi -, la storia di Jessica Wild affronta i temi del rapporto genitori-figli, del supporto che può derivare dagli amici, della difficoltà di comunicare che è spesso causa di disastri e, ovviamente, quello dell'amore.
Jessica, a causa dell'influenza di sua nonna, non crede nell'amore né nel matrimonio (chissà chi mi ricorda...). Sì, è vero, il fatto che cambi idea è scontato e prevedibile, ma non il fatto che ciò avvenga nonostante attorno a lei non sia cambiato nulla: anche in questo libro leggiamo di relazioni basate sull'interesse o comunque su idee avventate, che però non sono capaci di scalfire la nuova concezione che Jessica ha dell'amore, in quanto è lei ad essere cambiata.
Come al solito, quando il problema non esiste, non esitiamo a crearlo da noi. E quindi Jessica è tormentata dalla sensazione della sua inadeguatezza e deve fare i conti con la "vera" se stessa (non quella costruita a tavolino in "L'importanza di essere sposata", Jessica Uaaiild): è la donna giusta per Max? Può dirsi una moglie perfetta?
In realtà la perfezione non esiste! Sì, anche questo è scontato... Ma ciò non toglie che sia vero: lo vediamo quando apprezziamo un romanzo non ritenuto all'altezza di tanti altri e che, al di là delle imperfezioni, ha avuto il potere di tenerci incollati alle sue pagine, distrarci, farci ridere a crepapelle, sospirare e, contemporaneamente, pensare alle nostre esperienze personali e rifletterci su (parola di perfezionista patentata!).

[Nurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring in some ways. I've learnt not to immerse myself into becoming a perfect person. We have flaws, we just have to embrace them. Also, I hate nurse Emily. I knew it from the start she would try to kiss Max. She actually almost did. Lol. A wife's instincts are always right. She's flirtatious, somehow. Good read. I enjoyed it.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesse tells how she wants to be the perfect wife for boss - husband Max, makes lists. Crazy circle includes newfound engaged mum, new mum ex-stripper, comittment-phobe gal, gay guy. Predictable. Typo:
3.6 she said IS you said.

[Robyn Choate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light read. Enjoyed the series.

[Elisa Schiorlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jess è sposata con Max e vuole diventare la moglie perfetta per rendere felice e fiero il marito

[Lennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fast, fun and enjoyable read, it was the last in the series. I preferred the first two books more, the plot on this one wasn’t as good as the two previous ones.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy I didn't listen to some of the other reviews on here about this book! Honestly, if you liked the other two books in the series, I can't understand why you wouldn't enjoy this one also - it's just more of the same. Sure, it's a little bit far fetched, silly and farcical, but no more so than the other two books, which were equally as improbable and light hearted! That's what I like about this series, anyway; I like reading series because I feel like meeting the characters again is a bit like catching up with old friends. Jess, Max, Ivana, Helen, Caroline, Esther, Giles....they're all back again, we catch up with them and they are just as entertaining as ever.

The basic plotline is that Jessica still feels guilty about not being totally honest with Max about kissing Hugh and telling him the company secret before they got married. In order to live up to Max's idea of her as perfect, Jessica decides to take a cookery class, help out at a resource centre (soup kitchen), and be an attentive, supportive wife in every way to Max and not burden him with her own problems. Unfortunately for poor Jess, nothing quite goes to plan, and Max ends up in hospital with a broken leg. Jessica vows to run the advertising business in his absence, and oversee the ethical audit they've had to agree to in order to retain their key client whose business basically keeps the agency afloat. Things go from bad to worse with Max's overly attentive nurse, a mysterious trunk from Ivana, and problems between Jess's mother and partner. You really feel for Jess, and yes, it is a bit over the top and slapstick, especially the last third, but that's what these kind of books are - quick, funny, easy reads.

I agree with another reviewer that this book had a bit more heart than the other two, and Jessica really worries that Max won't love her any more when he realises that she's less than perfect. I also think that it wasn't at all predictable; there's one or two quite big surprises that I definitely wasn't expecting, and quite a few things going on all at once. But of course, it all ties up happily in the end and it was all quite sweet and funny when everyone went round admitting their flaws - even the debt collector guys! The only bit I didn't like was the end pairing of Helen and Anthony - surely Helen deserves better than him? Apart from that, it's a very happy ending, with Jessica expecting her first child with Max, and him appreciating Jess more than ever.

I actually feel a little bit sad to hear that this is the end of the series; I would have loved to have read a book about them once the baby has arrived. I doubt there will be, though, because of the epilogue. I will definitely have to check out Gemma Townley's backlist instead.

[Nicole Aufderheide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lügen haben Eheringe ist der dritte Teil und damit das Finale der Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet- Reihe von Gemma Townley. Die Schwächen die es im zweiten Teil gibt, hat dieser dritte Teil wieder komplett herausgeholt. Ich muss sagen, ich habe schon lange nicht mehr so gelacht bei einem Buch. Es ist einfach herrlich. Dieser typische brittische Humor, ich liebe ihn. Wie schon gesagt, es in ein dritter Teil und man sollte die ersten beiden Teile unbedingt vorher gelesen haben, bevor man mit diesem hier anfängt. Ich finde es immer sehr schade, wenn Leute die ersten Teile nicht kennen und diesen Teil, dann schlecht bewerten, da sie gar nicht wissen können, warum Jessica genau so reagiert wie sie reagiert. Obwohl der zweite Teil ein wenig schwächer wie der erste und der dritte Teil ist, gibt es von mir eine 100 % Leseempfehlung für diese Reihe.



Jessica und Max sind endlich glücklich verheiratet, obwohl Jess überhaupt nicht verstehen kann warum Max sie für perfekt hält. Also nimmt Jessica das Projekt perfekte Ehefrau in Angriff. Sie bucht einen Kochkurs, möchte immer die Wahrheit sagen und endlich bügeln lernen. Doch Jess wäre nicht Jess wenn auch nur ein Punkt davon klappen würde. Als sie dann auch noch Max im eifer des Gefechts, sie wollte auch beim Sex die perfekte Ehefrau sein, das Bein bricht, bricht fast alles zusammen. Als Max dann auch noch eine flirtende, sexy Krankenschwester bekommt ist Jessica wirklich verzweifelt und es läuft alles aus dem Ruder.



Diese Reihe ist zwar die erste die ich von Gemma Townley gelesen habe, aber ich liebe ihren herrlichen Schreibstil. Ich war wirklich sofort in dem Buch und konnte es kaum aus der Hand legen. Ein paar mal musste ich einfach laut loslachen. Jessica ist aber auch herrlich tollpatschig beschrieben wurden. Diese Reihe macht wirklich einfach nur Spaß.



Dankeschön das ich es lesen durfte.

[Labelloprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normalerweise mag ich comichaft gezeichnete Cover nicht so besonders, dieses hier ist mir aber sehr positiv aufgefallen. Ich finde es durch die hellen Farben sehr fröhlich und es ist auch gar nicht kitschig.
Die ersten beiden Teile durfte ich auch schon lesen, deswegen kannte ich die Personen und vorherigen Stories schon. Leider wurden in dem letzten Band ein paar Dinge wiederholt z.B. das plötzliche Erscheinen von Jess Vater (im 2. das Auftauchen der Mutter), was das Buch dann eher langweilig machten.
Generell nervten mich die meisten Personen in diesem Band. Was mir auch nicht besonders gefallen hat, dass immer alles viel zu schnell geht und die meisten Handlungen viel zu übertrieben dargestellt werden. Wenn die Personen im Buch einfach miteinander geredet hätten, dann hätte es dieses Chaos auch nie gegeben. Mir war die Atmosphäre einfach zu hektisch. Von der Liebe zwischen Max und Jess habe ich auch in diesem Band nicht sehr viel gespürt. Über Chester, Esther und auch die Agentur wollte ich echt nichts mehr lesen, da sich das meiste nur mehr wiederholte und sehr langatmig war.
Ich finde das Buch wieder ein bisschen besser als Teil 2, bin aber dennoch froh, dass es keinen 4. Band mehr gibt. Ich vergebe dafür diesen Teil 3 von 5 Sternen.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third and final installment of Jessica Wild. In this book Jessica decides she needs to become "The Ideal Wife" for her hubby Max. After many misforutnes trying to become 'ideal' which lands her husband in the hospital, she then has to look after the business while Max is recuperating. Along the way many things happen that make Jessica question if she's right for Max at all. Wasn't the best book of the three...from the first book where Jessica lives on the straight and narrow and doesn't really know how to have fun and then by the third book Jessica has become a flighty, ditzy kind of girl...it was such a complete change in character. The novel was still enjoyable though and I found it more predictable then the first two.

[mandyfujita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Gemma Townley's "A Wild Affair" a long time ago, but you don't have to really read it to understand "An Ideal Wife". At the beginning, I didn't care for Jessica. She seemed to doubt herself especially when her husband, Max, refers to her as the perfect wife. She thinks by learning how to cook and iron will get her into a higher status as being the best wife she can be.

Things eventually get screwed up when an value audit happens at work, her busband breaks his leg and the mafia follows Jess. It starts to get funny in the middle of the book when things are getting out of hand, An easy read as you can see, I read it on the plane that I was on for 10 hours.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute, fun, escapist novel. Jessica is a very well written protagonist, but the plot felt a bit like whipped cream--delicious but with a lack of real substance. I'm not expecting the book to be anything but a light read, it's just that the plot seemed somewhat contrived and a leaned a little too heavily on the previous two books in the series (which were both quite engaging and fun to read). If you are a fan of Jessica Wild, it's a good read; if you're a newbie, try one of the previous Jessica Wild books instead.

[Cobie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not her best work. I honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. I liked the other books that contained the same characters but was not fussy on this one. I think maybe it's too bad that this will be the last book with these characters. I think the author was just lazy when writing them in this book bc there wasnt much of the same qualities in the characters as it was in the previous books.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one seemed like a bad romantic comedy. I enjoyed the first two books in the series but by the time the third book came around, the lead character Jess was just annoying. There were so many "big misunderstandings" that the entire last chapter was forced to bring them all together with everyone showing up at Jess's house at the same time. It didn't work for me this time.

[Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third and final in this series of Townley's, this was maybe my favorite of the three. There are all of the familiar characters but another surprise from Jessica's past to keep you guessing. This one has a bit more heart than the other two though. She does an excellent job writing funny and entertaining characters. Similar in style to Sophie Kinsella, but definitely her own style as well.

[Clare · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible premise for a book - a newlywed woman is being blackmailed by the man she slept with before her marriage but during her engagement. To rid herself of her feelings of guilt, she tries to be the ideal wife. I just felt icky over this so stopped reading - by the middle of the second chapter.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've liked this series less and less as it has gone on. Jessica Wild-Wainwright just gets dumber and dumber. It was also very predictable. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it was just corny and I'm glad it's over.

[Kit Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a cute quick read. i am a sucker for dramatic romantic comedies written by british female authors. and this book delivered in that i knew there would be a happy ending kind of way. loved it.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's mildly entertaining and apparently 3rd in a series. But not for those who like intricate plots, definitely a pool side read or something.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, light, fluffy read like the previous Jessica Wild Novels

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Would love to see a movie made from this one. Very witty and kept my attention. Didn't want to put it down!

[Lindsey Stromberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute easy or fluffy read. Like the charactor Helen : )