EXCERPT: Jenny - present

'I've spent thousands of hours working on these women. I've primped, waxed, cut, painted, spray-painted, powdered and massaged them. I know almost every inch of their bodies. But I also know their demons - their deepest, darkest secrets. The things we try to bury beneath the surface so as not to show the world the doppelganger lurking within us. So, am I surprised something like this happened? Not in the slightest . . . '

ABOUT 'ONE OF US IS DEAD': Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

MY THOUGHTS: Every now and then I like to read a novel about bitchy women, but One of Us is Dead takes this to a whole new level, and after the initial enjoyment, I'm afraid my enthusiasm began to wane to the point where I was toying with the idea of quitting this read. But then . . . something very unexpected happened that again, briefly, piqued my interest enough to carry me through to the end.

I think that if you are a fan of the 'Real Housewives' programmes you will probably love this. The women have all married wealthy men. They are mostly various degrees of spoiled, sculpted, plastic, back-stabbing bitches. They spend their time in the beauty salon, lunching, shopping, drinking, entertaining and organising charity fundraisers, which probably would have benefited more had they just donated their collection of Birkin bags. But murder? That's not what these ladies, and I use the term very loosely, do. Their weapons are usually their tongues, not baseball bats and Glocks.

There are a few things that annoyed me: the build up is very long compared to the rather quick resolution; and the very unexpected happening seems to get lost in the story until the very end and there doesn't seem to be any legal ramifications or investigation. This is a big issue!

I did love the cast of narrators in the audio version, each character having their own voice. I read/listened to One of Us is Dead and vastly preferred the audiobook.

There is a definite market for this book and I do wish I had enjoyed it more.

⭐⭐⭐.3

#OneofUsIsDead #NetGalley

I: @jenevaroseauthor

T: @jenevarosebooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Jeneva Rose is originally from Wisconsin but now calls Chicago home. She lives with her husband and stubborn English bulldog, Winston.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley for providing both a digital ARC and an audiobook ARC of One of Us is Dead written by Jeneva Rose and narrated by Elizabeth Evans, Hilary Huber, Cassandra Campbell, Brittany Pressley and Andy Arndt. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose #jaylammreads

Another hit by Jeneva Rose. That’s three for three baby!

Here are the details. Jenny owns the hottest spa/salon in town. She spends her days pampering the grossly rich ladies of Buckhead
These women spend their time gossiping and causing drama with each other.

What I loved about this was the fast paced story and full cast of characters. There’s Olivia, the ruthless self appointed queen of the group. Shannon, who’s husband recently left her for a younger woman. Karen, a very successful realtor, who’s marriage is on the rocks. And lastly, Crystal who is the new girl in town, and the one that married Shannon’s ex.

With so many characters I was concerned I would mix all these ladies up, but the way Rose writes, it is easy to follow along. This story really kept me guessing! The chapters were short and the story kept moving quickly. I had a hard time putting this down.

And the audio was fantastic. The chapters changed perspectives as well as narrators so it really brought the story alive!

And the ending was a delightful twist.

Keep writing @jenvarose!!

This is such a fun popcorn thriller. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I actually didn’t want it to end. The narrator is a great story teller and keeps you hanging off of every word. If you’re looking for a binge read then listen to this book

If you are looking for a catty, rich b!!ch, who’s sleeping with who, why are these women friends, no she did not actually say that, blackmailing, manipulative, who done it, murder mystery where the book starts with you knowing a murder was committed but none of the details, then this book is for you!

The book is from 5 different view points of the women of Buckhead, Georgia. Where cash is king and the women are faker than implants. You’ll like some of the characters and hate some of the characters, but be entertained by all of them.

The audiobook was fast paced and entertaining. Each characters chapters had their own narrators. That made it easier to follow and differentiate between each character.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a quick catty read that makes you feel better about your own friend circle.

Welcome to Buckhead, GA, home of the rich and catty!

Best frenemies Olivia, Karen, Jenny, Shannon, and Crystal are all keeping secrets to maintain their image, social status and reputation.

Beauty is only skin deep, but not according to these women! Jenny’s exclusive salon, Glow requires a membership…but all chairs are booked!

Gossip, backstabbing, and manipulation are the only ways these women know how to survive. And they always get what they want!

They better watch their backs, because one of them won’t survive!

For some reason, I am always attracted to this type of thriller, but books about rich catty women seem to rarely work for me. While the small number of characters is easy to keep track of, I found it difficult to really root for any of them because they were all despicable. The reveal was not as exciting as I had hoped and it was too over the top. This slow burn thriller dragged, despite the stellar all-star cast of narrators. I highly recommend the audiobook if this genre is your cup of tea. I really wanted to jump on the bandwagon, but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.

However, I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller and The Hunting Wives by May Cobb.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Available today!

Thank you to Blackstone publishing for the ARC of the audiobook of One of Us is Dead in exchange for an honest review.

A rich and chaotic group of frenemies and their hair dresser is followed leading up to a murder. With a new young wife, the bitter ex-wife, women cheating on their husbands, the drama is endless. A manipulative and ruthless main character means nothing is off the table, and everyone else has their own breaking point for her behavior. Jenny, the salon owner, helps detectives dissect the potential motives but everyone seems to have one.

🎭Fake and conniving characters mean anything could happen
👥Multiple POV on audiobook was so easy to follow
🔪 Murder Mystery for both the killer and the victim
🍿You will not want to put this down

I loved not knowing who did it OR who was murdered. The multiple point of views were the perfect way to give the reader just enough of everyone's story. You knew when characters were being wronged but were keeping quiet to play their hand. Overall an engrossing and stand out read.

If you love the watching the Real Housewives show this one is perfect for you! There is so much backstabbing, cattiness, gossiping, conniving, manipulative actions throughout the book that is accentuated by rich people problems. You do not want to be on any of the characters bad side!!!

There were a few characters that I just loathed, especially Olivia. So many times where it was Olivia’s POV, I just cringed and SMH 🤦.

The suspenseful build was great and the ending was phenomenal; so worth the read/listen! Such a twisty read that I was surprised by the major twists as I did anticipate the reveals. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrators were superb! With a different narrator for the different characters it added so much to the story and made it more clear who’s POV I was listening to.

***** Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing, Jeneva Rose, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

This is my second book by Jeneva Rose and she definitely did not disappoint! She does twists and drama better than anyone else and I cannot get enough. This story of 5 women in a rich town, the bitchy conceited rich one, the unhappy wife with kids, the ex wife, the mistress, and the owner of the exclusive spa. All of these women have secrets and their secrets are what get them into trouble! You don’t find out who was murdered until the very end, but this is what had me on the edge of my seat and flying through this book! If you loved desperate housewives or big little lies, this one’s for you! The different narrations in the audiobook also made this book come alive!

Jeneva has done it again. I absolutely loved this book and it had me hooked from the beginning. It’s full of twists and the ending was completely bizarre. I thought I had figured it out until the last few chapters proved how absolutely wrong I was. If you are into psychological thrillers this one is for you! It was a quick read and I couldn’t put it down.

4.5 stars! I loved the setting of this book, a high end salon featuring lots of entitled clients and gossip galore. I was hooked right from the start and it was a real page turner for me. It’s one of the best thriller I’ve read in a while! Highly recommend picking up this one. Both the ebook and audiobook were excellent!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This one has been on my TBR for months, and I was NOT disappointed. All the twists in this one made it impossible to stop listening, and I am completely obsessed!

Jeneva knows how to entice us with wicked women. Imagine a group of wealthy ladies who are used to getting everything they desire.

One recently divorced lady Shannon still pines for her ex husband Bryce. He quickly moved on and remarried a young Texas girl by the name of Crystal. Bryce has political aspirations and has no plans to reunite with Shannon.

Another lady thinks her marriage is lacking intimacy and finds that elsewhere in the most unexpected way. When one of the women discovers her secret she blackmails her “friend”.

Olivia wants to take Shannon’s place as the head of this group, but she is vindictive.

Jenny owns a salon and hears all the ladies secrets. This novel is full of betrayal and typical mean girls.
Divorce, secrets, affairs, revenge, murder this book has it all! Can these ladies keep it together and maintain friendships, or will all the drama be too much? Was the right persons charged in the Murders? #blackstonepublishing, #jenevarose, #netgalley, #bookreview, #audiobook, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #bookstagram

One of Us Is Dead is the first book EVER that I've read in physical copy and listened to on audio at a later date. dare I say, the audiobook experience is EVEN BETTER than reading it?! The narration is exceptional and on point. This book is packed with drama, betrayal, cheating and backstabbing, and I can't help but eat it up each and every time. Who will be clever enough to survive Buckhead, and who will end up dead?

*Multiple POVs with short chapters
*DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA and spice, but also had me laughing
*The twist(s) though
*If you're a lover of town gossip and Big Little Lies & The Housewives shows, this one's for you!

I'll definitely revisit this book again and again. Well done Jeneva, I'm absolutely hooked.

I loved the audio. The narrator was fantastic. I loved the multiple POV and the drama.This gave me “hunting wives” vibes. If you like drama and the housewives shows than this book is for you!

I did find it hard at times to follow all the different POV since there were so many characters and backstories. I loved all the interwoven stories though.

The ending shocked me. I know a lot of people disagree but for me I was like (WHAT!) This is why I gave it 3.5 stars. It lost a half star for the random lulls that I just wanted to skim past and then it lost a star for lack of depth. I felt like all the depth and growth of the story came towards the very last few chapters. We got a lot of story but not a lot of “what happened, who done it” all in all I would totally read this author again.

Thank you to netgalley & black stone publishing for my gifted copy!

4.5 stars rounded off to 5.

WOW! What a ride!

Mean Girls meets Desperate Housewives, 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥, is a salacious, dark thriller that is sure to provide some sensational and dramatic entertainment.

Thanks Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ALC!

Welcome to juicy gossip and backstab central – the town of Buckhead.

Synopsis –

In the posh and high society of the town of Buckhead, we have five women -

Shannon - the chairwoman of the town committee, recently divorced by Bryce, her ex-husband.

Olivia -the power hungry opportunist.

Crystal - the naïve Texan girl, newly married to Bryce.

Karen - a successful real estate business owner and lastly Jenny, the owner of the most happening place of the town, the elite “Glow” salon.

To say that their friendship is complicated is an understatement.

Who is going to survive and who will not?

Review –

The narrative follows the POVs of each of the five women. Being privy to their most private thoughts, we get a sense of the seemingly different personalities, backgrounds and current status in their wealthy social circle.

Having listened to the audiobook, I thought the distinctive voices for each of them matched perfectly.
The narrators did a great job to convey the vibes of each of their personas & executed it flawlessly. I am so glad I listened to this!

The plot is essentially slow burn, but certainly keeps you coming back for more. At its core, lies the understanding of what makes these women tick, what they really care about and how their behavior plays out given the circumstances .

I loved the idea of how everything revolved around Jenny’s salon. As a beneficiary of her rich clientele, knowing their deepest desires and secrets isn’t really an advantage for her. Soon, she gets inevitably sucked into a complex game of sorts woven by these women, wearing her patience and tolerance thin, driving her to rethink about her “loyal” patrons and question her choices.

In my view, Olivia was the most fascinating character of them all. As a master of mind-games and manipulation, this drama queen is full of tricks up her sleeve. Her persona is a devious cocktail of sass, attitude and trickery of the highest level, that can suffocate you with disgust and disbelief. You will definitely add “kinsult/“clexy” to your vocab😉, thanks to her!

It’s when all the gossip mongering, double-crossing and deception cross their boundaries, that the point of no return is reached. The author makes all the revelations layer by layer and I enjoyed how the fiasco gets “tackled” in the end.

That ending will simply leave you blinking, yet with a wicked grin, even if you have to stretch your imagination.

Overall, a refreshing concoction of spice, scandal and drama, that I highly recommend!

Five friends in glitzy Buckhead appear to have it all. But something goes very wrong and one of them ends up dead. Who was murdered? Who is the killer?

Often compared to Bravo’s Real Housewives shows, One of Us Is Dead definitely has those vibes. However, this book reminded me more of Desperate Housewives. Either way, Jeneva Rose has given us a world that looks picture perfect from the outside but is anything but idyllic from the inside.

“Buckhead isn’t a place you lived. It was a place you survived.”

For the women of Buckhead, an exclusive ultra-rich enclave of Atlanta, friendship is a competitive sport. Shannon, Crystal, Olivia, Karen, and Jenny can trust no one in this group of gossipy and snarky friends. It’s almost no surprise that this glitzy, glamourous world of dysfunction devolves into murder.

I loved how you not only don’t know who committed murder, but you also don’t know who is dead for most of the book. The more the story unfolds, the more you can easily see each woman as the murder victim or the murderer. I was guessing until the end, and only got it partially right!

I’m so glad that I listened to One of Us Is Dead. There’s a full cast for the five women and these talented narrators make this world where friendship turns deadly come alive. Elizabeth Evans as Jenny is chef kiss as the help that often goes unseen but knows everyone’s deepest, darkest secret. Hillary Huber as Olivia conveys all of her haughtiness and manipulative nature. Huber delivers Olivia’s signature “kinsults” (insults masked as compliments) so convincingly. Brittany Pressley’s Crystal keeps you wondering whether this newcomer to the group is simply an innocent and naive Southern Belle or a gold digger. Andi Arndt plays the part of former Queen Bee Shannon and nails Shannon, who is equal parts desperate and cunning. Cassandra Campbell reads the part of Karen who tries, unsuccessfully, to stay out of the messiness of these Buckhead friendships. Together, this ensemble cast creates a very entertaining listening experience, one of my 2022 favorites.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the early listening copy.

𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚄𝚜 𝙸𝚜 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚢 @jenevaroseauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎: 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝙾𝚅, 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚓𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜

Confession time: I haven’t watched a single Real Housewives episode ever. 🙈 I don’t even have an idea of what the show is about but as I’m reading this, I think I now have a general idea. 😂

Long story short: if you love that show, you have to read this!! 𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬!

It follows the story of a circle of housewives living in Buckhead - a very wealthy community - as they live their daily life. They liked hanging out in Jenny’s salon for gossip, beauty treatment, and mimosas. (if you know of any salon that serves mimosas, please DM me😂) They lived a very routine life full of drama until one day, one of them got divorced by her husband. This is a big deal to these women as nobody in their group had ever been divorced...
**insert new wife and the resulting drama that comes with this new dynamic** then dead body.

I don’t want to discuss the plot any further because it might ruin it for you. I went into this blind. (Basically I picked it up because of the cover and I got approved for the audiobook on Netgalley 😅) But the story telling is sooo good. It’s so seamless and honestly you really couldn’t stop reading it once you start, I think it’s one of the reasons why I love murder mysteries so much. It’s so bingeworthy.

It’s told from multiple POV (hello short chapters) and each character is so well developed, it is not confusing when you read the different POVs.

I haven’t read Perfect Marriage yet but I’ve only heard good things! So I’m definitely picking that one up soon! I’m so impressed by this author and will for sure read more of her books!

Thank you to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the free audiobook in exchange for a review! ♥️

At first I thought this was a mix of “Big Little Lies,” and “The Real HouseWives” set in the beautiful state of Georgia.

This book is so much more and just so FUN!

We follow the women of Buckhead; Shannon, Crystal, Olivia, Jenny and Karen. Besides Jenny, the women live lavish lives thanks to their husbands, spending thousands of dollars every month in Jenny’s salon for haircuts, mani-pedis, facials, and endless alcohol.


This is a book you definitely need to go into blind, the less you know the better. There are multiple POVs as you follow each woman throughout the novel. You don’t know who’s murdered, who was the murderer, or why.

Very entertaining book to pick up and read in a sunny weekend.

I seriously never wanted to actual kill off a character more than Olivia in this storyline. She was obviously the juiciest thread to this web of lies going on in this book, but everytime she opened her mouth, I found myself rolling my eyes!

The multiple women narrating this audiobook did a FANTASTIC JOB. They portrayed the emotions just perfectly and I highly recommend listening to this one.

I enjoyed how the author kept leaving not so subtle tips in characters dialogue as to who might actually have been murdered in the story. It kept you guessing the whole time and even though the end wasn’t all surprising to me, it was still juicy and fantastic.

Thanks to black stone publishing, NetGalley & jeneva rose for the audiobook arc!

I gave this one 💇🏼‍♀️💇🏼‍♀️💇🏼‍♀️💇🏼‍♀️

One of Us Is Dead was the perfect domestic mystery topped with extravagance! The complexity of the women made this a truly twisted tail. Set in an upscale salon that has an absolutely chokehold on the women of Buckhead, this book will take you on a wild, drama-filled ride. Olivia, Karen, Shannon, and Crystals antics will keep you guessing until the very last chapter! I highly recommend this book for anyone who loved Big Little Lies, or anything by Liane Moriarty! The audiobook was unique with different characters, it felt like you were listening to show/movie.