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.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey

This book was just okay for me. While it had an interesting premise and moments of humor that made me chuckle, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The quirky dialogue and outrageous situations were fun, but the characters felt too cartoonish, and the pacing made it hard to stay engaged. Fans of satirical or offbeat stories will get a kick out of it.

I felt this was supremely ambitious. In the vein of a reality tv show with actual murders unfolding, it was interesting to see how Hope would unfold as a character only to get smacked in the face with the fact that Eden was actually very much an anti hero.

Much like the shows this is emulating, this book can be summed up as mindless fund. A fun "murder mystery" romp set against the backdrop of a Real Housewives style show. Fans of the housewives franchise will recognize familiar tropes within the characters of this one. A quick read - would be a great travel or vacation read. The various "reveals" were quite obvious, but I still had a good time with this one. I would recommend this to fans of the Real Housewives and Bravoverse shows or anyone looking for rather low-stakes rich people drama. Solid and fun, but ultimately forgettable.

Looks like I missed a memo and have not read Anna Dorn's Perfume & Pain (Astrid Dahl is a pen name for Dorn). It's on my list for next year and I've heard great things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with the eARC of this book to review. Its expected publication date is January 14, 2025.

It’s real housewives with a thrilling and hilarious dive into the chaotic world of reality TV.
We follow the lives of its colorful cast members, where secrets, intense rivalries, and a shocking murder make the story exciting
The story centers around Hope Bennett, who marries into the influential Fontana family and becomes a new star on the show.
Her arrival stirs up old grudges and unveils hidden secrets, leading to a dramatic and deadly turn of events
Weather your a real housewives fan or not his story blends humor with suspense which makes this a page-turner .

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. This one is a 2.5 for me, rounded it up to a 3.

If you're a Real Housewives fan you'll enjoy this book. This book is fun and like watching an episode of the show in book form with some added murder mystery.

The different POV kept the book interesting throughout.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster, Astrid Dahl and Anna Dorn for the NetGalley e-ARC!

This was deliciously campy and hard to put down. I’m an erstwhile fan of the Real Housewives franchise, but adore their undoubtedly iconic pop culture contributions. When I found out that Astrid Dahl was publishing the “book within a book” from Perfume and Pain, one of my most fun reads of the year, I knew I needed to read this, and I’m so tickled that I got to read it early.

You don’t need to be a Real Housewives die-hard to read this campy, queer thriller. Following the cast of Huzzah’s (lol) Garden State Goddesses, we watch dewy-eyed new castmate Hope transition into the glamorous, insular world of wealthy Italian American Jersey suburb Shady Pond, making her reality debut as a new housewife. But is Hope really on the run from something more sinister?

This was such a fun read, though sometimes there were a few moments where there was more telling than showing as plot points developed. I wished that a few moments had gotten to be elaborated on, though I can’t go into detail without spoiling the plot. That being said, I understand that that choice was likely for the sake of brevity.

My one note is that, if possible, it might be wise to change the person Birdie’s on a yacht party with at the beginning to someone other than P. Diddy given recent news, if possible.

The Really Dead Housewives of New Jersey is a fantastic vacation read, and I can’t wait to get copies for my friends - we already chose which Goddess we most identify with based on their signature taglines!

I don’t watch reality TV shows, I’ve never had the desire to, but this book was entertaining. At first it was tough to keep track of all the characters, but that’s often the case with mystery books and eventually you remember who’s who. Reading it in my kindle didn’t help to easily flip back to the character bios at the beginning. I loved that it was more than “the housewives” drama and we had Hope’s secret past to dig up as the story progressed. I wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much if it was more focused on the petty drama as you often find in the shows. Thanks for the advanced copy!

If you adored Anna Dorn’s Perfume & Pain this one is going to have a very obvious appeal. I was very amused to see this title by Astrid Dahl. I don’t watch a lot of reality tv but even with a vague awareness of the real housewives franchise, this one ended up being a very fun mystery. Dorn is great at creating hot messes you can’t look away from!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey.

If you're a Real Housewives fan you'll enjoy this book. I'm from New Jersey and watched the first few seasons of Real Housewives of NJ so I was laughing at a lot of this book.

This book is fun and like watching an episode of the show in book form. There are a lot of characters, but the cast of characters at the beginning of the book helps. I liked that we got different points of view and I loved the confessionals.

2.5 stars but rounding down to 2 -

This was a true middle of the road book for me. Perhaps I went in with my expectations a little high- I'm a big fan of the Housewives franchise and was really looking forward to a mystery book with the same amount of drama and mess that I get from watching the shows. Unfortunately, this missed the mark for me. I was very appreciative of the Housewives quotes and references laced throughout this (lots of fun easter eggs if you're a fan as well), and I think the way this was set up was promising, especially with the inclusion of the confessional transcripts. I thought the characters had some promise at first. From the beginning descriptions of them, we seemed to have a cast that would be as fun as a season of RHOBH (ex. Carmella, evil but adored like LVP; or Renee, the sweet fan favorite single mom like Kyle Richards), but I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters at all, even the ones that weren't one of the "housewives". While I know the point of some of the characters was that they were literal sociopaths (this is a murder mystery, so duh), it seemed that every single character had some sort of sociopathic/narcissistic personality, which made it very hard to feel for any of them, even as they went through their "character development". And coming back to the point that this is supposed to be a mystery/thriller, I kind of found it to be neither. All of the big reveals and plot twists were a bit predictable. Really wanted to love this, but I was just kind of left wanting so much more.