Quick synopsis: A re-imaging of the real housewives, but with a murder mystery subplot. A book “written” by Astrid Dahl, the MC in perfume and pain written by Anna Dorn.
Review: I’ll be honest, it took me about the first 18% of this book to care or get into it at all and I almost put it down. It always takes a while to get the hand of so many characters when there’s going to be a mystery at play. But then I really got invested. I decided to have fun and play out the whole thing in my head with actors I associated with the characters and I got hooked and flew through it. It was messy and fun and felt exactly how I think it intended to feel, like a messy reality tv show. I thought it was fun and interesting because I felt like I got insight to the behind the scenes as well as the front of the scenes. This is no super deep read but I didn’t expect that. It’s just fun. I will admit the story dragged a lot in some places and it was long for what it was; but I was having fun in this little world so I didn’t mind at all. The murder mystery is actually quite a small subplot and happens more in the second half, and I feel like the answer to who did it was pretty obvious from the get go but the fun was in follow in along the characters trying to figure it out. Lots of secrets and truths were being uncovered. There was a lot of story packed in this book and the sapphic side flings definitely are a plus. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the lesbian romances (aka more than one!!) All in all, super fun messy read. Don’t go into it expecting some great and deeply provoking story, go into it with the intention of a fun messy satirical story and you’ll love it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This was such a fun read, perfect for anyone who loves the drama reality tv brings with a touch of murder. I like how the book was split up into parts, and i loved the character development, especially the part of the storyline following eden. I appreciated the twists and how layered the story was, while still being decently easy to follow. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Astrid Dahl for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Four Stars- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Astrid Dahl for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“These bitches are so insular, so obsessed with family and loyalty and the right kind of cookies at Christmas”. (Nod to Sprinkle Cookie Gate)

As a huge fan of Bravo and all things Housewives, I was very excited to dive into The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. This book blends mystery with a satirical nod to reality TV. The author’s use of familiar references—$25,000 sunglasses, dramatic fights over rooms, a housewife’s prosthetic leg, and even the infamous table flip—keeps the reader engaged, especially those who adore the Housewives series.
The storyline itself was entertaining, though I found the pacing a bit slow at the start. While I initially struggled to fully invest in the characters, the plot picked up midway through. The mystery's resolution felt a little too predictable to me; I had a strong sense of who “did it” from the beginning, which took away some of the suspense.

One aspect I struggled with was keeping track of the characters, particularly in the early chapters. Dahl doesn’t provide much physical description, which makes it hard to visualize the characters and understand their relationships. I often found myself picturing the characters as actual Housewives, like Eden Sassoon or drawing parallels to figures like Sonia, Teresa, Dorit, and Melissa. A bit more detail in this area would have helped make the story clearer and more immersive.

Overall, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a fun, quick read that will delight fans of both mystery and reality TV. While it had its flaws, particularly with pacing and character development, it’s still an entertaining choice.

This was fun, salacious and campy—the equivalent of eating funnel cake at a fair while people-watching. This isn’t my typical genre, but I was highly entertained by all the characters in the book. The mystery was a bit weak but the idea was there. This was a fun one.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an uncorrected proof of this book to review. I believe this is a debut novel by Astrid Dahl and I hadn't heard of this title or author until NetGalley sent it to me.

This novel explores a number of women and their family members who are a part of a "Real Housewives" kind of show that we are used to seeing for a number of years. Just as those shows can create strong opinions about the real life characters, the book also showcases some people that are really hard to like. I have often wondered if unlikeable characters influence a reader's enjoyment of the novel overall. I'm grateful there were a few that I did like, and one that redeemed herself a bit over time.

Her writing was solid and there was good character development here. It was a bit slower paced for me than I anticipated it would be. I expected that something jaw dropping was going to happen early on, but the characters meandered through life and filming different episodes and experiences a bit longer than I would have liked. Some erratic and violent behavior occurred as well, which seemed unprovoked and a bit unrealistic to me. However, I am not a viewer of these types of series so it's possible that this is typical in housewife reality shows.

There are some content warnings that are subtle but important. One focuses on a cultish kind of religious experience with some of the characters. Addition, alcoholism and drug use is another warning to be aware of. What I think this author did best was the ending wrap up chapters. Without spoiling the plot and ending, I will just say that there was a lot of focus on mental health, well being and healing from past trauma. After what had progressed during the plot, I felt as though this was a very thoughtful and meaningful way for the author to wrap it up.

I suspect fans of Real Housewives shows will enjoy this fictional account of a television series.

In the world of housewives, chaos is currency.

Enter Anna Dorn’s The Real Dead Wives of New Jersey, a wickedly clever satire that feels like a spectral spinoff of our beloved franchise—equal parts campy ghost story, murder mystery, and biting commentary on suburban opulence. Dorn (writing as her alter ego, Astrid Dahl, the fictional star of her Dead Wives series) doesn’t just mimic the Housewives’ world; she conjures it into a spectral afterlife, dripping with scandal, betrayal, and enough Bravo Easter eggs to keep any fan giddy.

Get your sprinkle cookies and dive in.

So glad I started 2025 with this book!

I’m not a big reality tv person, but the characters and format of the book (including confessional transcripts) were super compelling. Reading this book honestly felt like I was watching a TV show, and before I knew it I had finished 40% of it.

I will say it doesn’t really feel like a thriller. I was more engaged in the first portion of the book all the way up until the first incident (no spoilers). After that, I was more interested in how characters were responding to the event than the mystery itself. I also feel like Eden’s relationship with Hope could have used more air time. It felt like Eden didn’t care what happened to Hope and then all of a sudden she was super invested.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book! This is the first book I’ve finished in months, which is a testament to how engaging it is. Highly recommend!

This was a fun Easter egg of a book if you like Real housewives. I laughed and cringed and cringed some more. A true popcorn thriller

This book had me laughing. I am a sucker for reality tv and this book was basically a show on paper. The interesting piece that kept me reading was the murder mystery lingering in the background. The book begins with a murder and then flashes back to how the ladies met, and their lives and leading up to the murder.

This book has a lot of crazy women who think way too highly of themselves, but it just made me laugh. There is so much drama and these ladies are just a mess. This follows a TV show "Garden State Goddesses" and the showrunner Eden decided that it needed a change. She introduces her Cousin Hope to Leo who is one of the family members of one of the ladies in the show. Her Cousin is not liked and really treated poorly by the women in this book. She agreed to join the show to better her music career and leave behind her small town in Northern Cali.

With this book, it was a little hard to follow with all of the different characters. The POV is 3rd person but jumps around with the characters. There is a little interview at some of the ends of the chapters with Eden and a cast member and it sort of summarizes how they felt with whatever happened in the chapter. That sort of helped me follow along a little better.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so dramatic and messy but in such a fun way. Admittedly I was sure about this one because I'm not really a fan of reality TV but Astrid Dahl twisted a tale in that world that had me hooked. Definitely recommend The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey follows the cast of the reality TV show Garden State Goddesses, directed by showrunner Eden and starring a bunch of rich, (mostly) snobby Sicilian individuals. Eden invites her cousin Hope onto the show after she marries Leo, one of the stars, in hopes of boosting viewership and ratings. However, it seems like Hope is hiding some secrets, and tensions (of both kinds if you catch my drift) brew between Hope and her cast mates.

This is the first adult novel I read of interview format (other than that I've read only A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), and it is very evident how each person's personality shines through in the interviews. I understand that Dahl wanted to make it very clear exactly how snobbish and uptight the Garden State Goddesses were in comparison to Hope, but sometimes the dialogue was just too much even with that knowledge. I probably should have expected this as someone who dislikes reality TV shows for this reason but I still wanted to give the book a try. The plot felt rushed towards the end, and the conclusion did not really satisfy me (though I am happy for the lesbians). I didn't feel attached to any of the characters and so I just did not care what happened to any of them, which is a big reason why I wasn't a particular fan of the book. There was some enjoyable moments and some interesting relationships but overall I was just reading the book to get it over with towards the conclusion. If you like the drama of reality TV you'd probably enjoy this though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brew the tea, pop the popcorn, pour the wine... whatever it is that you enjoy while diving into messy drama reality TV show vibes... get it ready for this hilariously fun, dark, and wonderfully queer story that is all the things Jersey and reality show... chaotic reality show drama and NJ is just a classic pairing for a reason (I can say that, I am from NJ).. This is one to just have fun with, appreciate that it is written in a way that suggests the book is the start of a new series (and let's be honest, pilot episodes and starts to series have a lot of heavy lifting to do while also trying to hook you and offer a plot/forecast future themes), and enjoy the intentional over the top, satire/campy vibes; a book to not be taken seriously and one that should be paired with a drank you can throw in someone's face, right?

Thank you S&S for the review copy!

🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four-Star Review for The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

If you’ve ever thought The Real Housewives franchise needed a little murder mystery, you’re in for a treat with The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey! Astrid Dahl delivers a deliciously dramatic whodunit wrapped in reality TV's glittering, gossip-fueled chaos. It’s a murder mystery with catfights, cocktails, and enough twists to keep you on your toes.

What I loved most was the clever concept. Setting a murder mystery on the set of a Housewives-style show was genius—it had all the glitz and over-the-top drama you’d expect, plus a dark undercurrent of secrets and betrayal. Dahl perfectly captures reality TV's ridiculous (yet somehow mesmerizing) world, and watching the drama unfold while trying to piece together the clues was such fun. I also appreciated how the tension built with each new revelation, keeping me guessing until the end.

That said, I’ll admit I struggled to remember who was who. It was easy to get a little lost in the chaos between the cast of over-the-top characters and the drama coming at me from all angles. It made it hard to immerse myself in the story at times fully, but then again, isn’t that kind of the Housewives experience?

If you love reality TV, murder mysteries, or just want a book as outrageous as it is entertaining, this one is worth picking up. It’s like binge-watching your favorite guilty pleasure show with a sinister twist. Just ensure you bring a notebook for all the characters—trust me, it helps!

Perfect for Fans of Knives Out, Big Little Lies, and anyone who secretly loves a Housewives marathon.

Arguably better than the RHONY reboot.

Really fun, I liked this a lot. Itches my RH need between Christmas and NYE when there are no new episodes.

3.4

With the title like “The Really Dead Housewives of New Jersey”, who knows what to think. Chances are if you are this curious then you are probably okay with a quirky story.

The story starts out with the death of one of the “housewives“ in prologue. Since the title implies that multiple housewives will be dead, I didn’t know if this was just a story about multiple homicides or if there would be some sort of zombie undead plot line ahead. I’m not a sci-fi person by any means and I was relieved that it was not the latter. I should also temper my review by saying that I am not a reality show watcher beyond “The Voice” and the occasional HGTV show. Under duress, the only names related to the “Real Housewives” franchise that I could give are Bethany Frankel and Andy Coen.

No, I didn’t love love this book, but I got into it enough to care about some of the characters and knew going in that it was not going to be mainstream fiction. The back story for Hope was not executed optimally; not knowing what happened before she moved away from California and then some rushed “resolutions” and unanswered questions. There was more opportunity there. The book has a number of serious themes and real struggles for some of the women, but in a setting that makes it hard to take completely seriously. The mystery itself was a little weak in parts and its solving just sort of happened, but the story had enough going on that I almost forgot it was a true mystery. I don’t know that I fully suspected that culprit(s), but it was not necessarily a shock.

I would be willing to bet you’ve read nothing like it, nor do I think you’ll be worse off for taking a chance on it, given that the title didn’t send you running the opposite direction. The story does loosely open itself up for a sequel, so I am curious to see if that happens. The first book in the series is often the lowest rated, which gives room for improvement. I do commend the author for taking a chance with an unusual take on the “cozy” mystery.

Thank you to Astrid Dahl, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

I discovered the Real Housewives franchise this summer, and along with that, I have an unquenchable thirst for the housewives' level of delusion and mess, which drew me to this story instantly. And I really enjoyed it! It was a very light read, and part of that is because it does lack a bit of depth; in the plot, characters, and mystery. However, this is a great weekend or "beach" type of read.

Calling all Real Housewives lovers this one is for you! I think first and foremost you should know that this is not a typical voice of Anna Dorn. She is writing as her character from Perfume and Pain, Astrid Dahl. So remove the expectation that this is going to be witty litfic. This is more of a satirical thriller? Did I just make that subgenre up? That’s what it is though. I loved everything about the parallels to the housewives and bravo tv. Lol at the network being called Huzzah! Instead of Bravo! 😂 I also loved that I could imagine an actual housewife for every character of this. This is definitely a franchise that I’d watch. Thank you Simon and Schuster for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun read! Astrid Dahl’s debut follows the cast of a reality tv series about a mafia family who loves and hates each other equally. When an outsider marries into the family, it stirs up trouble and makes their show even more interesting. Tensions are high throughout the book, which makes for some laughable moments as well.

I CACKLED through this book. Campy, over-the-top, and absolutely hysterical to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

This book was more drama than mystery / thriller. There were too many characters to keep track of for a short book and many were underdeveloped. Although this book was entertaining at times, the mystery was lack luster, pacing was slow and the plot of the book fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.