This is such a mind twisting, head spinning romantic mystery/dark comedy that I really devoured!

I enjoyed the collage of characters! Women who were all up in everyone’s business, an evasive mouse, an over-worked cop, a sexy brother, a couple of opinionated children, and a dead cheating husband, a widow accused of murder...

Is it realistic…no, not really…it is a women’s fiction after all! There are so many laugh-out-loud moments, jaw dropping moments, and the twisted end. This was definitely a different sort of read for me…but one that I completely enjoyed! 4.5 stars!

A husband’s affair with the younger yoga instructor next door, followed by a murder in a wealthy suburban town is an attention grabber. This book focuses on Beth, the stay-at-home mother of two who discovers that her husband, Howard is having an affair with the much younger yoga instructor Gina who she not only thought was her friend but lives next door. Howard confesses to the affair and moves out only to be murdered two weeks later. Who did it? The scorned ex-wife? The mistress? The business partner? The personal assistant? It is the question that keeps readers engaged. This drama unfolds in a wealthy suburban town where the housewives take it upon themselves to do a little investigating into the murder outside the scope of the normal investigation.

The book is told from alternating character perspectives – Beth and Gina which kept the reader’s attention and helps understand the perspective of each character. Beth took us along on her path of self-discovery and struggles with teenage children in the aftermath of an affair and Gina told the affair and relationship with Howard from her perspective.

This book has a lot of attention-grabbing themes – love, lust, infidelity, murder, wealth, greed, self-worth, self-discovery, friendship, loyalty and rebirth. While there was significant potential, this book falls flat and fails in execution. The themes are not fully developed, and the author only scratches the surface leaving the readers wanting more. The characters lack depth and development causing them all to seem silly and lack any substance. The relationships, including friendships are insincere, lack depth and are sometimes inappropriate, particularly the male characters. The entire plot just seems entirely unrealistic. It was hard to take seriously the murder investigation, Beth’s children’s reactions to both the affair and death of their father and Gina’s involvement with the children after Howard’s death. As a reader, I did not feel emotionally invested in any of them, including Beth, who should have been the most sympathetic of all. Rather than cheer her on, I felt the plot and circumstances surrounding the entire situation just unbelievable.

The book attempts to focus on the housewives’ independent investigation to exonerate Beth and solve the murder. However, this was only a small and really underwhelming portion of the book. The entire investigation was silly and felt more like a page filler than anything else. The subject had such potential to be hilarious and captivating yet was not achieved. It was also abandoned mid-way. The author attempts to circle back to it in the closing chapter of the book, but it was too little too late. I had to think about the connection and references as opposed to the theme coming full circle. There was one chapter where the reader is let in on a little secret (which I won’t spoil) from Beth where it felt like the book was going to take off in a surprising direction and soar, but that was abandoned without any further development.

The pace moves quickly, and it is an easy read to get through despite the lack of character development and realistic premise. The book has a lot of potential. It just fails to get there, and the premise is better than the actual read itself.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The premise of this book is great: husband leaves wife for young yoga instructor next door but then dies suddenly. Did one of them murder him? The mystery side of this story is not very exciting. Not until the end are we left wondering a bit. As for the dynamics between the two women and among the suburban housewives, there isn't much depth or development. I was waiting for something more to happen. The relationships between the mistress and the wife's children were the most interesting aspects of the book. A lot more could have been done with all of the characters. But it's an entertaining read that's not too heavy or dark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Snow for the ARC of Housewife Chronicles. This is my personal review.
I really enjoyed reading how the lives of Beth and Gina were so connected. The husband was a total jerk but hey his part of the story made the book what was it all about.
Beth’s kids were a bit annoying to me at times but some of the things they did were very typical of teenagers. I was disgusted totally with the actions of Beth’s mother-in-law.
I really liked Beth and how she handled everything that happened to her.
Publication date is January 12th.

I was drawn in by the cover and the description. This book was a great departure from the normal books I read. It was a very nice read.

I've always had my suspicions about the pretty perky housewives and what goes on behind their closed doors, and this story does not disappoint. We get to go behind the doors and see for ourselves what being a widowed housewife living next door to the girl your husband was having an affair with is really like. This is a little more modern version of my typical 50s housewife image, and I really enjoyed it! Told from the widow and the mistress's point of view in alternating chapters, the story gets explained bit by bit. It was very intriguing and kept me reading by never truly divulging ALL of the info that we want. We are along for the ride while Beth and her gaggle of girlfriends try to take the investigation into their own hands. And we get to be with Gina as she deals with grieving her true love, even though he was still married and had two teenage kids in the mix as well. It makes me want to move into that suburb, that cul-de-sac, that uptight neighborhood, and do some sleuthing of my own!!

Housewife Chronicles by Jennifer Snow

Beth’s husband had an affair, moved in with his mistress and then died 2 weeks later. This leaves her in a bit of a mess. Especially when it turns out he died from poisoning and she seems to be the top suspect. Also his mistress happens to be her next door neighbour. Not a good time to be Beth.

At first I was worried this would be a little too predictable with the stressed out stay at home mom and a cheating husband story line. But Beth was just so likeable! She was sarcastic, funny and real. Gina, the next door neighbour, was naive but difficult to hate. Their group of girlfriends were entertaining and relatable.

I definitely recommend this one. Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy! Housewife Chronicles is out on January 12th.

Housewife Chronicles by Jennifer Snow. Domestic drama with a murderous twist and tidbits of humor. All in all an entertaining read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Not quite as compelling as I had hoped. Seemed to be a bit of broad-brush take on the suburban experience, without being gripping enough.

This was an ok book but it was really hard to believe the plot. Some of the character's reactions were very weird (like for example the kids were ok with their dad's affair, weren't particularly sad for their dad's death, and were almost willing their mother was acused of murdering their dad). Beth was an ok character but I couldn't put up with Gina at all and didn't like reading her chapters, even if the reader is suposed to empathize with her.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. **

Easy read! One snow storm later and this book is complete! Suburban mama drama makes for a quick story! Characters aren’t too in-depth but it’s a fun read! If you liked “desperate housewives” than this if for you! Reminds me of Author Abby Drake! Thanks for the advance readers copy!

Triggers : Cheating Spouse, Lying, Poisen

What I thought : I gave this book 3.5 stars, rounded it up to 4 because it was an extremely easy read. Yes, it was enjoyable but it nagged to me! It was predictable most of the time and similar to almost every other cheating spouse storyline.

I did enjoy the way Snow made this into a dramatised storyline with housewives and how typical their lives were. It was a complete page turner so it was yet, a fast read! I also liked how she went back and forth between the POV of the widow and the mistress. I wanted to STRANGLE Gina (mistress) at times and her want to be accepted by the others and the actual wife of the husband (widow - Beth). Like NO, in what world would she EVER like you.

Characters : Widow - Beth, strong woman. Mistress - Gina, I hated her. I enjoyed the other housewives, maybe in an extended version or something, add more of their POV chapters as well?

Read if you like : Broken Romance, Fiction
Would I pick it up again? No

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating 4 stars
Housewife chronicles follows Beth Cartwright and her husband Howard along with their children Tyler and Alanna. Howards sudden death shocks her community as just two weeks before this Beth finds out he was cheating with the young, hot neighbor named Gina, who just happens to be the community yoga instructor so yes she knows Beth Cartwright.

I feel bad I can't give this book a more detailed review, but I really don't want to give anything away. Housewife Chronicles is full of humor, angst, sex and mystery all rolled into one very entertaining read!

Her husband's affair, with their next door neighbor, coming to light two weeks before his death should have been the worst thing to happen to Beth Cartwright that year.

This novel was very entertaining,, and sometime just plain hilarious, Choosing to tell the story from both the widow’s and mistress’s point of view was a great choice. I love Beth, and could identify with her struggles. Gina is incredible naive and I found my self saying, “seriously” out loud more than once. Her relationship with Beth’s teenagers was a little out there for my taste, but it did not take away from the story itself.

Engaging and entertaining read. Thank you Jennifer Snow and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

Beth finds out her husband is having an affair with their next door neighbor Gina ....two weeks later he is dead. Beth or Gina? Who did it??

I enjoyed the read but dear heavens no way the story was believable. I rolled my eyes a lot during this book and had a hard time liking any of the characters. I really thought it would be a little more serious than it was and the who done it just wasn’t shocking, funny and ironic but nothing to brag about. This one would be good for a book club that doesn’t really discuss the book .

4.25 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 30 December 2020.


Beth never expected to find out her husband was having an affair. After all, they had been together nearly forever. They have two kids and Beth is a devoted mom and wife. But there you have it. Her husband died with a smile on his face in his mistress’s house. Next door to Beth. Oh, and by the way, the mistress is also Beth’s yoga instructor.

If all that isn’t enough, things are definitely going to get worse for Beth and Gina, the mistress. Allies are found in unlikely places, though, and perhaps the chaos about to rain down on Beth will prove to be the change she needs to move on with her life. If Beth doesn’t kill Gina first.

This is an undeniably fun novel about adultery and love and friendship and family. There’s an old saying that everything happens for a reason, but when Beth’s life spins out of control, you almost have to question what the reason is. Jennifer Snow’s ability to write with humor and wit in a heartwarming way makes this novel special. It put a smile on my face even in the worst of the times for Beth and Gina. Though somewhat implausible, it is still quite an enjoyable read. Quick, fun, entertaining.

The premise was so good: recently widowed Beth is the prime suspect in her philandering husband's murder. The "other woman," gorgeous, much-younger Gina, lives right next door. Beth's best friends all live right there in the neighborhood and they are there to support her...but...they're also friends with Gina.

It's got that campy, Desperate Housewives vibe all primed up and ready to go, but this one fell flat for me. The "mystery" was predictable, the women incredibly shallow, and the handsome men floating around the perimeter of the story are too predictably gorgeous and available.

I so wanted to love this book, and to be fair, I read the entire thing. It wasn't terrible, but just very predictable and fell short of my expectations which I had perhaps set too high.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

The plot was without depth. The characters unbelievable with lightweight personalities. It was predictable throughout. There was not enough mystery/thriller to the book. For me the best part was about George the mouse!

Title: Housewife Chronicles
Author: Jennifer Snow
Genre: Mystery

Synopsis: Beths husband dies two weeks after she finds out he was having an affair with her yoga instructor next door neighbor. The autopsy shows he was poisoned and all suspicion turns towards Beth. Beth, along with her troupe of suburban housewife girlfriends (including her husbands mistress) begin their own investigation to clear Beth’s name.

What I liked:
-This story was breezy. You can legit finish it in one sitting. It was not a ‘thriller’ mystery. It was light hearted and just an easy ride. And sometimes (especially in 2020) you just need an easy read
-I’m going to be honest...I could t figure out the ending until the ending. I mean I called the ending of The Silent Patient halfway through. But this one- I wasn’t sure.
-the cover is cute as hell

What I disliked:
-the whole police investigation and Det. Banks whole character was laughably unrealistic
-would have like to dive deeper in the different housewives stories a bit more

Thank you so much to @netgalley for this ARC!

I sure wanted to like HOUSEWIFE CHRONICLES, billed as a “dark comedy with a hint of mystery.” But the crazy characters, preposterous plot and insipid mystery did not engage me. Got to 60% and DNF. Still grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

2 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 12 Jan 2021

#HousewifeChronicles #NetGalley