A great line up of authors! This was fun, if not a little over the top 'Mob Wives" feels. Possibly that was the intention and why so many have loved it. I enjoyed it for the most part and if you're after an entertaining fast paced thriller where you might have to suspend belief for a while, then pick this up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-arc 🙏

I was so excited to read Young Rich Widows by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie! Especially when I saw the book took place in the 80s! YES PLEASE! Four partners in a law firm are killed in a crash and the widows are left behind to figure out what really happened. I love this premise and it vaguely reminded me of a book I read in the 1980s where a group was taken to a corporate retreat in the jungle and people began dying.

But I digress! This is an awesome premise and I feel like we need more books set in the 80s.

Here is the plot:

1985, Rhode Island.

A private jet carrying four partners of a Providence law firm crashes outside New York City, killing all aboard but leaving behind more questions than answers and setting the stage for four widows to find the truth.

Justine: a former fashion model adjusting to suburban life

Camille: a beautiful, young second wife whom some suspect is a gold digger

Meredith: a stripper who was in a relationship with the firm’s only female partner

Krystle: a founding partner’s wife committed to the firm being a legacy for her sons

While the crash is initially ruled a tragic accident, something’s not adding up: the team wasn’t supposed to be in New York that day, and it’s soon revealed there was a very large sum of cash that burned up with the plane.

The scene is as wild as ’80s neon, and the manic chase to uncover the Mafia-laced secrets gives this rip-roaring read a rad vibe that will linger long after the ’80s soundtrack fades and the hairspray fall.

This isn’t the most thought-provoking book in the world, but it sure was fun! Its out now!

Great concept. Loved that I have been intriduced to some new to me authors. Easy quick read. Three stars

Four storylines intertwined. 4 widows of a law firm…..discovering secrets that were hidden and trying to figure out why the airplane crash happened. Good, solid book. 4 authors each telling the story of one of the widows and combining the story together. Interesting concept and done very well.

I did not like this book at all. I thought it was very one sided and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I was expecting more out of it because I had heard good things but it just didn't do it for me.

I had high hopes for this one. Intriguing premise, attractive cover but, it fell a little flat for me. Many chapters I wasn't sure which character I was reading but, didn't figure it mattered as they all flew the same. Not necessarily a bad story but, lacking oomph and I found myself skimming through chapters.

"It sounds like the opening of a joke: Four lawyers die in a plane crash." But no one is laughing, least of all the four Widows they each have behind. Especially when they learn that their spouses were tangled up with the mob, leaving a mess behind for the Widows to clean up or die trying. The mystery was pretty predictable and though each of the women were written by different co-authors, most of the time I couldn't keep track of which character I was reading at that time and found their voices all pretty similar.

I enjoyed this so much more than I expected to! The 80's timeline was awesome. I could practically smell the aqua net and I could hear all the songs that were mentioned. I will definitely be on the look out for book two.

If you blended a Murder, She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes storyline, you’d have this book. A lot is going on with each widow’s personal and interpersonal struggles, mobsters and unveiling who is really behind all the accident, and all the troubles that occur for them afterward. You are taken on a trip of self-discovery and mystery. Very entertaining.

This four author group of women authors have a success on their talented hands with this one!!!!! I read this in one day & loved the drama and Scandal in this book. Eagerly awaiting the 2nd book in this genius new series.

When all their partners are killed in a freak plane accident, 4 women are thrown together to figure out what their partners were involved in and how it resulted in their deaths. The story is told in alternating perspectives of Justine, Camille, Meredith, and Krystle which I honestly found a bit hard to follow. While I enjoyed the story, I did not find any of the stories developed well enough that I really cared about any of the characters.

Four women lose their loved ones in a plane crash, and they come together to try and save their spouses’ law firm. However, what they discover is a massive debt to a mob boss, a shady construction project, and some unusual relationships.
Through the wiles of the four women, they plan and scheme to unravel their predicament.
This is an enjoyable book, fast paced and fun to read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. I’m pleased to write this review!

A fun and exciting mystery, I loved the dual unfolding of the events of the plane crash and the characters and relationships of these women.

Perfect use case for multiple narrators, and I’m curious as to how the 4 authors collaborated to make this book. Also sort of want to listen to the sequel, so see how it plays out on audio…

When a plane carrying four partners of a top law firm crashes with no survivors, it’s left to the 4 widows to pick up the pieces and figure out their next steps. There’s Krystle - wife of one of the founding partners who feels it’s her duty in order to save her son’s legacy, to sort out the mess and take charge, and being NJ born from a rough side of town, she’s not taking orders from any of the others. Camille is beautiful and knows it - and uses it to her advantage. Justine, a former model, is mother to a young son, and knows her Jack wouldn’t do anything wrong (other than having an affair with Camille…hmm). And finally there’s the surprise character of Meredith, a stripper who is partner to the lone female partner of the firm Robin; no one knew Robin even had a partner. What starts out as an 80’s cat fight (think big hair and Krystal and Alexis from Dynasty), turns into a cat and mouse, as they must stay a step ahead of the mob, who are out for the millions that supposedly went down with the plane. They realize they must band together to figure out where the money is, and further what really happened to cause the plan to go down. A quick page-turner and at times laugh out loud funny, I’m excited that this is the first in a series. And if you have audible it and the next one - Desperate Deadly Widows - is available now. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this one; all opinions are my own.

★★★★.5
Who would have thought a novel featuring strippers and wolves could be this thrilling?

This novel will undoubtedly be at the top of my list of the most striking covers of 2024! When I stumbled upon the authors' names, I was over the moon - Kimberly Belle is one of my all-time favorite authors, and the others are equally talented! I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw it, and boy, was it worth it!

The novel follows four widowed women - Camille, Meredith, Justine, and Krystle - after their partners die in a plane crash. Their husbands were partners in one of Providence, RI's most prominent law firms, but the widows discovered that the law firm was working with the mafia on their latest project, and they owed them a large sum of money due in just a few days. The widows take readers on a wild ride as they try to clean up the mess their partners left behind. It's filled with humor and other emotions as they uncover secrets and lies. Female friendships are formed where there was once animosity. Each widow has a distinct personality that will win your heart by the end.

But wait, there's more! The book also includes "A Conversation with the Authors & Widows" at the end, where the authors spill the beans on their fascinating writing process. It turns out that each author wrote a character - Kimberly/Camille, Layne/Meredith, Cate/Justine, and Vanessa/Krystle - which makes the next book even more exciting! I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a copy of this book through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#YoungRichWidows #KimberlyBelle #LayneFargo #CateHolahan #VanessaLillie #SourcebooksLandmard #NetGalley #ThrillerBookLovers #ARC #HonestReview #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMeTeam #lovetoread #bookworm #lovebooks #booknerd #readaholic #bookstagrammer #booktok #booktoker

It may have been a slow read in the beginning but I realized it was done intentionally for the readers to understand each widow carefully.

Without spoiling the majority of the book, I want to say that female friendship is beautiful and it is definitely something every woman needs.

I absolutely loved this book!!!! Please tell me that there will be more books!! I was not expecting such a beautiful found family in the midst of this plot. The mystery, suspense, and all of the personal stories were woven together beautifully.

Young Rich Widows starts off strong! Four partners of a prominent law firm are on a private jet that crashes outside of New York. Four women are left behind to mourn them and they couldn't be more different if they tried. The partners have left behind a massive amount of debt owned to a mobster an secrets and ... that's it!
For the first time ever, I had to take notes on who was who and who was with who! The characters while having different personalities didn't have unique voices. I didn't particularly like any of the characters but their snarky and snappy comebacks make me snicker.

The story is told via each of the characters point of view but the story falls flat. I found myself skimming sections in order to get to the point of the book. The predictability is quite high which added to making this an "ok" read.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about four lawyers who died unexpectedly due to their airplane crashing. The law firm gets left to their widows and these women discover a lot of secrets that are left behind. They must learn to overcome their differences and work together in order to remain alive.

This book was full of several twists and turns. It really represents how strong women can become even in the darkest of times. You read the story you’ll be able to hear about how these women are able to look past their own thoughts, grudges, and concerns in order to work together and accomplish their one same goal - to remain alive and safe.

While I really enjoyed getting to hear from each widow, I do think this approach had the downfall of not allowing the reader to really connect with any individual character. This was an easy read, but it wasn’t as polished as I would have liked. I was able to finish it in two days though. I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

This story is over the top in every way. The characters are larger than life and not relatable. It needs to be read for a moment of enjoyment.

It is easy to read, moves quickly and the multiple points of views give you a lot of information and move the story along.

It is a bit predictable, but if you are up for an easy, quick, not deep story - go for it. I did not realize while I was reading this - there is a second book. Not sure there is enough for me to want another round of these women.