Dreamwives: A hilarious and moving mum-com for readers of Liane Moriarty, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes...

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Claire Novak

Dreamwives

A hilarious and moving mum-com for readers of Liane Moriarty, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes

Claire Novak

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

HARPER360
01 January 2026

A funny, moving and wise mumcom about reinvention with a vengeance and the power of friendship, for fans of Maggie Alderson, Marian Keyes and Jilly Cooper.

When two enterprising women hit the financial skids, they cook up a business to make money from the wife-work they've been doing for decades. But will their labour of love be too hot to handle?

Middle-aged housewife Katrina Webb, dumped by her husband and suddenly broke, meets her old friend Michelle Redlin-Wu, who looks after her elderly father and has just been laid off. Over a stolen bottle of champagne, they decide that people should pay for the domestic and emotional work women have largely shouldered for centuries, and their business is born.

Dreamwives aren't cleaners or nannies or housekeepers - they create warm and inviting homes by cooking dinner, leaving the bathroom clean (and just a little bit used), and listening to their clients unload. This is extreme customer service - no sex included.

It seems to be a winning formula, until Michelle starts falling for a client, and Katrina finds herself at the centre of a very public scandal. Can they really get paid for the work that so many women do for free, or are they flushing their lives away? This fast-paced romp will make you laugh, shout and cry ... And make you forget about your To-Do list for a while.

PRAISE

'Besties Katrina and Michelle will have you cheering them on and snort-laughing through their riotous misadventures. Dreamwives is fresh, frank and full of heart' TESS WOODS

'If you're not laughing and despairing with Dreamwives, then you are the Craig in your relationship. This funny, insightful story is for anyone who needs a laugh and a good dose of empowerment' KIMBERLEY ALLSOPP

'Money-spinning the mental load of wifery into dollars? Genius! Savvy Kat and Michelle cook up a hilarious scheme and are smart, funny, instantly loveable and totally relatable. Success really is the best revenge' MEREDITH JAFFE

'Clever and dry with an undercurrent of heartache, Dreamwives had me smiling and fuming, laughing and cheering. It also left me contemplating the many unpaid domestic tasks so often called women's work. For at the heart of this deceptively light read is an astute study of how a house becomes a home and just how we value those who make it happen' SUZANNE LEAL

'An entertaining ""mum-com"" that shines a light on women's invisible labour ... Honest and heartfelt. Perfect for readers of Marian Keyes, Tricia Stringer and Meg Bignell' BOOKS+PUBLISHING

By: Claire Novak
Imprint: HARPER360
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 428g
ISBN: 9781460768334
ISBN 10: 1460768337
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 01 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

CLAIRE NOVAK IS ... Catherine 'Claire' Jinks has published 53 books in a dozen countries. Her thriller Shepherd was shortlisted for the Colin Roderick Literary Award and the Historical Novel Association of Australia ARA Awards, and her thriller Shelter was shortlisted for the Danger Prize and the Davitt Award. Alexa 'Novak' Moses graduated with a Master's degree in screenwriting from the Australian Film Television and Radio school, thinking she wanted to write comedy, but got a job as a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald instead. In 2007, she won the Varuna HarperCollins fellowship for her first manuscript and now spends most of her time writing books for children.