"The Wife of Reilly"

When 36-year-old Prudence Malone attends her college reunion, she expects to catch up with her girlfriends and visit the campus she left in the eighties. Over the homecoming weekend, she runs into her college flame -- the one who got (okay, ran) away. The one she’s never forgotten. As they spend time together, both Prudence and Matt realize that their post-graduation break-up was a mistake. On Sunday afternoon, Matt impulsively proposes and the two plan to wed that summer. But before marrying Matt, Prudence has a problem to deal with -- her husband Reilly.

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Prudence could divorce Reilly like a normal person, but she’s far too wacky for that. Her solution is to secretly find a new wife for Reilly to replace herself after she and Matt marry. This shouldn’t be too difficult, she decides. After all, she lives in Manhattan where there are plenty of single women. And she can enlist the help of her three best friends: a costume-wearing advertising executive, a saucy single mother and a level-headed gay artist.

Though the newly engaged couple lives on opposite coasts, Prudence still finds herself in as series of near-misses trying to keep Matt and Reilly unaware of the other’s existence. Ever-fumbling Prudence gave her new boyfriend the idea that she is a widow. Her husband has no idea that his wife has a fiancé in California.

Through singles ads and a “Wife of Reilly” gallery exhibit, the gang of four meets New York’s nuttiest single women looking for love. Among the pack, Prudence crosses paths with a recovering lesbian who has just graduated from Straight Expectations rehabilitation center, a horrifying mirror image of herself, and an aspiring writer who lost interest in her own memoirs mid-draft. Along the way, Prudence is rejected by an insipid kindergarten teacher, pumped for investment tips by a demanding attorney, and swarmed by wannabe wives of Reilly. And she finds herself intensely jealous of a creative young playwright who declared Reilly “damaged goods” after learning that he is not actually Prudence’s brother (as she originally claimed).

Through her eight-month search, Prudence ultimately helps find the next wife of Reilly, though not at all in the way she had originally planned. Somewhere along the journey, she discovers something far more important to her, though – herself.

"I absolutely loved it. It's so funny and snappy, it was a total delight. The dialogue sparkled, her friends were so colorful, yet credible and the whole experience was a total pleasure. It's a riot from start to finish, but an intelligent, thoughtful one that says a lot about the nature of love and relationships. Stayed true to its hard-nosed, hip
sensibility throughout."
MARIAN KEYES
Lucy Sullivan’s Getting Married

"A wise and compelling fable for anyone who has ever thought the grass may be greener, and a compulsory read for those of us who spend the odd night thinking about the one who got away…"
JANE GREEN
Mr. Maybe

"A deftly funny, engaging and contemporary novel, redefines neurotic (in a great way!)"
JILL A. DAVIS
Girls’ Poker Night

"Wonderfully malicious fun. I enjoyed every catty, conniving page."
ROBERT RODI
The Bird Cage

"Move over Bridget Jones! You have just been replaced as the most neurotic woman on the planet by none other than Prudence Malone, the outrageous heroine of Jennifer Coburn's, The Wife of Reilly. Despite her flaws (and there are many...many many many), it's through the writing magic and comic genius of Coburn, that Prudence remains so damn likable. Coburn delivers with wit, humor (lots of humor!), and style. I loved, loved, loved this book!"
PATRICK SANCHEZ
Girlfriends

"Hilarious! Jennifer Coburn keeps you laughing until you cry along with Prudence, a character you’ll want to hang with long after the book ends. WIFE OF REILLY is comedy at its best – a walloping, cosmopolitan chick adventure with a huge heart."
ROZ BAILY
Partygirls

"Complete with sharp-edged humor, outrageous plot twists, a cast of colorful characters you’ll never forget, WIFE OF REILLY is a madcap, bicoastal romp through the always surprising landscape of modern love – and divorce."
HOLLY CHAMBERLIN
Living Single

"In her sparkling debut novel, Jennifer Coburn introduces an irresistible heroine--the ironically named Prudence-who's sure to engage both discerning chick lit fans and newcomers to the genre. Populated by a charmingly campy cast of characters and driven by a hoot of a premise, the tale unfolds in a series of laugh-out-loud scenes and a page-turner of a flashback during which we get to see just how our hapless heroine landed in her hilarious predicament in the first place.

"Coburn's nimble first person narrative is sprinkled with cleverly amusing similes and dead-on observations delivered in a voice so real and contemporary that reading the novel is the next best thing to a gossipy girls' night out."
WENDY MARKHAM
Slightly Single