Hope Fontana is a fish out of water. Newly married into the wealthy elite Fontana family (of New Jersey✨) and recently moved from California under suspicious circumstances, she's tossed into the unforgiving world of reality TV by her cousin (and the show's runner) Eden. Hope quickly realizes she doesn't fit into this world and the other women in the show aren't shy about making that known. But as her mysterious cultish past threatens to intrude on her new life, she finds there are bigger problems at hand. When Hope is offed suddenly just before the FBI come knocking at her door, the rest of the show's Garden State Goddesses race to find out what happened before they become the next victim.

If I watched more Real Housewives, I think this book would have hit a bit differently. There was plenty of tongue-in-cheek satire making fun of the reality TV show while also paying homage to it and I think regular viewers would find it cathartic. However, the main character of the book dies halfway through the story—off page, no less!—forcing the perspective and the overarching plot to be redefined multiple times. It was a strange choice after what seemed to be building to a slow-burn mystery. Furthermore, the deaths themselves were so instantaneous and the villains so obvious, I'm telling myself it was intentionally camp, with increasingly over-the-top reactions from nearly every character. One thing I did love was the almost-entirely queer take on what is usually a very cishet enterprise. Almost all of the main characters and relationships are bi or gay. I'd say, if you like Real Housewives or any reality TV and you're interested in a campy, satirical take on it without too much depth, this could be the book for you.

A twisty reality TV thriller with a murder mystery to be solved. There are secrets and suburban drama galore, revealing decades of buried rivalries, emotional manipulation, and sinister motives.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was intrigued by the premise of gossip and all the drama, but in the end this was just okay for me. It had so many characters to keep up with, and while it had all the promise of a juicy mystery but the plot was more drama-filled than anything.

*many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Thank you, netgalley, the author, and Simon and Schuster for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Whodunit, reality shows

I love reality tv so, I was excited for this book. It is so funny and entertaining. I loved the mystery to it. I highly recommend this.

I loved this book - such a fun spin off from Perfume & Pain. I will read anything Anna Dorn - or sorry, Astrid Dahl writes!

dnf p 10

I can't. Every other sentence starts with Hope.
Hope feels xyz.
Hope things xyz.

it's driving me nuts and I'm not going to be driven insane when the sun is shining so nice right now.

This one was fun! Felt like I was in the thick of a Bravo reality show! It was like trash tv meets murder mystery! So fun

𝕋ℍℝ𝕀𝕃𝕃𝔼ℝ 𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 𝔽𝔼𝔸𝕋𝕌ℝ𝔼

Special thanks to @simonandschuester @astriddahl & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.
Ok, who doesn't love reality tb filled with gossip, drama, and murder?! I mean sign.me.up.
This one gave me laughs and gasps, so what's better than that?

𝙎𝙔𝙉𝙊𝙋𝙎𝙄𝙎
On this season of Garden State Goddesses: Getting canceled means getting killed.

When Hope Bennett marries Carmela’s brother, Leo, she becomes not only a Fontana, but a Garden State Goddess—and not everyone is happy. Secrets will be revealed, decades-long rivalries will surface, and a sudden murder will lead to a reality reckoning no one is prepared for—least of all the show’s producer, Eden, who must race to catch a killer and save the most dramatic season of all time.

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
Jan 14, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Have you ever watched The Real Housewives? Which is your favorite city?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #thereallydeadwivesofnewjersey #astriddahl #netgalley #simonandschuester
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I won’t dive too deeply into the plot, character relationships, or the mystery itself, as revealing too much might spoil what few surprises the book holds. That said, this leans far more toward drama than mystery. The mystery element stays mostly in the background and never truly takes center stage.

One of the major challenges with this book is the sheer number of characters—especially given its relatively short length (under 300 pages). With so many women to keep track of, it quickly became confusing. Unfortunately, the characters lacked depth. While a few were somewhat distinct, most needed more development to leave a lasting impression.

The core concept has potential, but the execution falls short. The story had interesting ideas but didn’t fully deliver on them. I also found it hard to identify who the intended audience might be for this book.

I love a messy, over-the-top reality TV premise, and this one brings the drama: a Housewives-style cast and a murder. The behind-the-scenes reality TV chaos had me hooked, and I appreciated the layered setup—there’s plenty of dysfunction, secrets, and old grudges to go around. That said, it didn’t quite deliver the emotional depth or sharpness I wanted. The characters felt more like roles than real people at times, and some of the plot twists were more dramatic than earned. Still, it’s fast-paced, juicy, and fun in that popcorn thriller way. If you like your mysteries with a side of sequins, family drama, and media cynicism, this might hit the spot. Solid, but not my favorite.

Must read for fans of 'Pain and Perfume' (iykyk) and Real House Wives/reality tv fans.

A great mystery combined with the over the top fun you get with a Bravo show.

RECEIPTS PROOF TIMELINES!!!

I really wanted The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl to be good, but sadly it fell woefully short. The characters were annoying, the plot felt contrived, and the writing leaves a lot to be desired. I will not be recommending this one.

How to describe this masterpiece? I think Chappell Roan said it best

I want this like a cigarette. can we drag it out and never quit? you give me guilty, guilty PLEASURE

This book was somehow way more bonkers than I should've expected it to be based on the other two Anna Dorn books I've read lol. It was pretty simplistic but it read very quickly. I've never seen any of the Real Housewives shows (only Vanderpump Rules) but I didn't expect the similarities in this book to Unreal as well. Eden reminded me a lot of Shiri Appleby’s character in that, and I do love when women are messes. Was this book good? Not really, but given the conceit that it was written by Astrid from Perfume & Pain…it tracks with her character lmao.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

If you’re a fan of reality tv, you will love this book. And even if you’re not familiar with reality tv, this book is a fun and fictional look into what happens behind the scenes.

I thought this story was very fun. I felt bad for Hope as she tried to fit into her rich New Jersey lifestyle. And yet there was so much chaos that I just had to laugh at her expense sometimes.

The characters are unique and interesting. Part of me wonders if they’re based off any of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

If you enjoy thrillers/mysteries and enjoy the camp of reality tv, I would highly recommend this book.

As a reality show girlie, this was perfect for me! I could feel the inspiration that came from the housewives themselves. I loved the little references and nods to the real housewives.

3.5 stars
This book had some funny moments a parody of the housewives. A group of women who either hate each other or get along and a new woman joins the group which causes quite a stir. Does she have secrets that may impact the show or their lives?

As a lover of reality TV and mystery books,I could not wait to read this book! Lots of characters that took a little while to keep every one straight but enjoyed the development of each one. The book is more of a drama than a thriller but does revolve around the murder of a character. I loved the transcripts that read like confessionals at the end of each chapter. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

First off, I am a HUGE reality tv lover so I thought this concept was really fun and over the top(in a good way). It really felt like I was watching tv while reading this! It didn't feel too much like a thriller as its marketed as but honestly that's okay with me! It was fun and still held my attention! I loved Perfume and Pain so I thought it was super fun and meta to read the book written by Astrid Dahl. It was so messy just like her <3

I’ve loved all of Anna Dorn’s books but this one was too chaotic and unstructured for me. The choices of what to breeze past and what to focus on were odd to me.