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.

This book was a wonderfully fun and easy read for me. I loved reading and seeing the juxtaposition between Beth and Gina's perspectives throughout the story. The individual characters and their relationships were witty and endearing. Overall the book was charming, romantic, and a tad mysterious. An enjoyable read.

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

Beth and Gina are neighbors who happen to love the same man, Beth's husband. Beth thought she had a happy marriage and family with two teenagers until she discovered the affair. Two weeks later when Beth's husband is found dead, she, of course, is the number one suspect! Beth leans on her neighbors, including Gina, while trying to clear her name. This book has it all! Friendship, it is funny at time, and thrilling at others. I am already recommending friends pick it up as soon as it goes on sale, January 12, 2021.
Thank you NetGalley, and Jennifer Snow for the advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

A thoroughly enjoyable book with interesting characters and a mystery with a twist that is certain to surprise you. I struggled with the wife and mistress getting along quite as well as they did but if you can look past this you will enjoy this book.

Beth’s husband just died. Sad, except he was found on the kitchen floor of Gina, her next door neighbor and the woman he’s been having an affair with. When the verdict changes from heart attack to poison naturally Beth is first on the suspect list. Her female friends/neighbors, as well as Gina rally around her and decide to go on the offensive to find the real killer. Between these women, her snarky kids who seem to prefer Gina, and the handsome detective who think she’s guilty, what else could go wrong. Turns out, plenty.
With a huge twist near the end that makes this an interesting murder indeed, nothing is like it seems. Really enjoyable.

I finished "Housewife Chronicles", by Jennifer Snow this morning. It only took me about a day and a half to read. Now to be honest with you I really didn't know if I was going to like this book or not. It is not the usual type of books I read but I thought it sounded interesting so I figured I would give it a try. I am glad I did. I ended up enjoying it.
The book centers around 2 main characters Beth, a middle age housewife with 2 teenage children and a dead unfaithful husband, and Gina, the young 20 something neighbor next door with the perfect young body who stole Beth's husband. After being told of her husband's cheating by a group of women from the neighborhood who are Beth's friends, her husband moves out and into the house next door with Gina, only to end up dying within two weeks from an apparent heart attack. As Beth tries to deal with the betrayal and the death of her husband, with the gossipy support of the other housewives she is thrown another curve ball. A visit from a police detective leaves her shocked and stunned, her husband didn't die of natural causes but was apparently poisoned and the worst part of it all, Beth is the prime suspect of the investigation ! She is the only one it seems that had any motive to kill him. Trying to prove her innocence Beth and her housewife friends, along with Gina band together.
This book looks at relationships, at how the most unlikely bonds form through unusual circumstances. It is a book about friendships among a diverse group of women, and about the relationships between mothers and their children. It also looks at our relationships as wives and husbands and how some women lose themselves in their relationship, giving everything of themselves to their husbands and children and leaving nothing for themselves. It is about finding yourself again, about taking control of your life and learning to live independently focusing and depending on yourself. It is about seeing yourself as a separate person, worthy of success on your own for who you are, not dependent upon who your husband or others are or what they think.
I thought this book was going to be a fluff piece without much substance, i was pleased to see that I was wrong.
The writing flows and the characters are real and have substance. They are likable and believable. I would recommend this book to fans of women's fiction, and general fiction lovers
I give this book 4 out 5 stars and would like to thank #NetGalley and #Jennifersnow for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
#HousewifeChronicles
#NetGalley

Housewife Chronicles
Jennier Snow
January 12, 2021

Beth Cartwright lost her husband to an untimely death. No one had predicted it but she had thought about it happening for a while. No, she didn’t kill him except the news that he was having an affair with a woman in her neighborhood, her mind went to evil thoughts. Gina, Howard’s mistress, started inviting her two teens, Tyler and Alana to spend time at her house with them once Howard had moved in and made it official. Nasty thoughts flooded into her mind. It was just a few days ago that Howard was found dead in Gina’s bed. (She was probably off leading one of her yoga classes in the studio while he slept late.) Well, the world knows now. The police are doing the investigation and the coroner is doing the autopsy since the cause is unknown.
As far as Beth was concerned his death was not the problem. She was stuck with all of the expenses of a single mother. The house, the kids, the utilities, etc, etc, etc. Beth is an artist. She has a pottery studio in their home. It added to the finances but in no way met the budget. The neighbor ladies in the group decided it was time for a meeting. They hold regular gatherings when one of them needs guidance. The day came and Beth trudged over thinking the worst as the Detective in charge of Howard’s case had stopped by to ask more questions. His cause of death was due to rat killer. It had been added to his food and drinks. Little by little it killed him. Now, this was a murder investigation. As the impending irate ex-wife, she seemed to be first in line. The group started their own examination of locals who had grief with Howard.
This was a humorous study of what I came to realize was akin to Desperate Housewives, the TV show. That is not to say I did not enjoy it, just not what I expected when I chose a book by Jennifer Snow. I had read her Alaska Mystery series not long ago and thought this could be another suspense romance - almost but not so much. It is well worth picking up if you are a fan of fun mysteries. Housewife Chronicles by Jennifer Snow is published by Jennifer Snow and will be published on January 12, 2021. I appreciate her allowing me to read and review this novel via NetGalley.

This is women's fiction at it's best.
Two weeks after Beth learns of her husband's affair with the young, sexy yoga instructor living next door, he's dead. With an erection.
Beth is trying to keep it together- her kids are lying; her creativity is dead. Thank goodness for her coffee club- neighborhood women meeting weekly to gossip.
Gina is utterly devastated. As the other woman, obviously she lacks the community's support- she's adrift. Her twin brother, Gino, stays for a few weeks to lend support and guidance.
Then Howard's death is ruled a homicide.
Told from both Beth and Gina's point of view helped not only define both characters but also add suspense to the mystery of Howard's death. Women uplifting women, providing support and humor.
Great read. Highly recommend.

Beth, a recently widowed potter, has the unfortunate bad luck of living next to her husband’s mistress, yoga instructor, Gina. But the stakes are raised when Beth is suspected of murdering her estranged husband. Told using alternating point of views between Beth and Gina, Housewife Chronicles looks at the compassion necessary when there’s a seismic shift in family makeup. The prose is fast-paced and blunt at times with plot twists and turns at every corner. Fans of Big Little Lies and Not That I Could Tell will love this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

HOUSEWIFE CHRONICLES
BY JENNIFER SNOW

There are so many amazingly well written books out there waiting to be discovered. I feel extremely bad giving a bad review to an author's work but I must maintain my honesty and this book "Housewife Chronicles," written and self published by Jennifer Snow was very disappointing and I am sorry that I requested it because although some reviewers on here gave it five stars, I can't in good faith recommend this as anything different than a bad TV series written in the style of that show about The Real Housewives of (fill in the blank city). This work of fiction about a community of housewives reminded me so much of that senseless surface like women who don't use more than two brain cells in their interactions. It starts off talking about fake breasts and none of these women work or do anything but gather together to gossip about a very highly unrealistic scenario in which a man named Howard and who is responsible for killing him. He has been dead for two weeks and his wife Elizabeth who he had been married to for several years with teen aged daughter Alana and a son was caught cheating with his next door neighbor named Gina who can be seen giving yoga instructions in her home studio. She even babysits and being the homewrecker that she is has a relationship with Elizabeth and Howard's children so suddenly. AS IF...

All of the other airhead wives in the neighborhood gather to come up with a suspect most likely to have poisoned Howard with Thallia which is a slow acting poison that takes a while to build up in your system in order to have the lethal affects that killed Howard. Gina's twin brother named Gino (how imaginative) is an physically body sculpted male specimen drifter that aimlessly camps out in Gina's back yard by pitching a tent. Again, there are so many well written with rich characterizations and wiser plotted novels with which to choose from it is incredibly hard to believe that this example of superficial one dimensional character's is written by an author that has many other books under her belt. This is poorly written and I like to learn something new about a historic place or an important part of historical character that also incorporates some emotional truths that can also fill in the gaps as fictional dialogue recreated from extensive research or there are many, many more entertaining mysteries than this drivel is. I am sorry to sound harsh but this just wasn't for me and although I forced myself to slog through it and finish it--I have to say that the content was mindless and the vocabulary was course. I wouldn't even give this one star but that isn't an option. This was a complete waste of time and probably one of the worst published novels that I have ever read and reviewed. Thankful and grateful to be on to the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Jennifer Snow for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and HONEST review. All opinions are my own.

#HousewifeChronicles #JenniferSnow #NetGalley

This book is enthralling! Written from both the wife and mistress’s point of view, It is filled with healing and unlikely friendship.

Beth is a stay at home mom of 2, insecure in her body and struggling to make ends meet after her cheating husband dies.

Gina lost the love of her life, her neighbor’s husband. She thinks well of Beth and is just trying to help her and the kids out.

Are they both crazy?

The reason this was not a 5 star read was because the wrap up at the end of the book felt a little too easy. Jennifer did a great job of keeping the reader on their toes and developing her plotline. I wish we’d seen a little more of that in the last couple chapters. However, I am still in love with this book and will be buying it when available

Beth's Cartwright 's husband is dead. But Howard wasn't just Beth's husband, he was their neighbor's lover. And Gina wasn't just Beth and Howard's neighbour, she was Beth's yoga instructor. So, when detective Banks walks into the scene, the whole neighborhood (at least the part most familiar with the involved characters) is on board and ready to jump into the investigation. If they are willing to have the situation cleared up or if they have different ulterior motives, that's still unclear.
I loved this book! The characters are very solid, and the writer uses their inner thoughts in the most spectacular way. They are witty but still innocent with the same intensity.
The pace is remarkable and the epilogue is without any doubt surprising. I didn't see it coming.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Say it with me, y'all...𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝙣𝙤𝙩 👏🏼 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 👏🏼 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚'𝙨 👏🏼 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚!

Oh, MAN. Let me start by saying I loved reading this book. But these characters...love to 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 them! Synopsis says "Housewife Chronicles is a dark comedy with a hint of mystery and a focus on unlikely female friendships." Well, it's definitely a dark comedy and there's a hint of mystery but female friendships?! More like frenemies! The story is told from the POV of Beth, recent widow, and Gina, her husband's mistress. Gina is abhorrent and my BP spiked while reading her chapters! You don't get to have an affair with a married man, take over raising his ex wife's children, and become one big happy family. This girl was so delusional it was almost unbelievable. We do see a friendship of sorts evolve between Beth and the other neighborhood wives, but it never seems genuine. Either way, this was a fun, engrossing read. I'm here for the drama, but so very thankful it's not 𝗺𝘆 life falling apart 😬 Thank you @netgalley and @jensnowauthor for this addictive read! Y'all can grab your copy January 12 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 5/5

I call this book “messy fabulous.” It brings out the messy parts of a marriage, yet the fabulous ways a life can turn out, even after tragedy.

There’s Beth - the devoted housewife who’s in a marriage she “never knew” was headed south. She’s at times a woman defeated, trying to revive the spark in herself. The author is good at expressing the feelings, both good and bad, a mother of a teenage daughter would have.

Then, there’s Gina - the stereotypical peace and love yoga instructor who thinks she’s done nothing wrong. Is she involving herself in others lives for good or for bad reasons?

The revelations in the book are somewhat predictable, but did not deter from my enjoyment of the book. It’s lighthearted with humorous parts, as well. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Snow.

Reading this book was a slow crash and burn for me. I wanted to like it but it is very reminiscent of "if I am ever murdered, I want suburban moms to solve my murder in their spare time" type of vibe. Much of this book involved Beth's friend meddling and concocting ways to insert themselves into the investigation because they had nothing better to do. The entire book could have been summed up by keeping Ch. 1-3 then the last 2 chapters, at least I would have said that was a fun read now onto the next. The whole mistress having a "conscience" by hiding evidence but playing the role of mother to Beth's kids because they don't want to stress Beth out even further was so ridiculous. The plot could have gone down a more sinister, yet insteresting story saving road with Gina's character but rather it is just clear Gina needs therapy and her own life. Thanks NetGalley for the preview.

I read Housewife Chronicles in ONE day, I LOVED it! After reading the summary, I assumed this was going to be a light, fluffy, “chic lit” type of read, but it was not what I expected at all! There was so much more substance to it than that, and though there were certainly some humorous scenes between the housewife friends, there was also some sophisticated mystery, romance, and drama to round it all out. Aside from the author’s talent with her writing prose, the characters are what truly made this a great book. They were so eclectic, unique, and enjoyable and I found myself entertained and intrigued page after page, especially by Beth. I love her! Great book!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!