The premise of this sounded fun and I actually didn't know the connection to Anna Dorn until after reading it, but Perfume & Pain was one of my favorite reads this year.

When it comes to this book, I didn't feel very connected to most of the characters and already forgot the name of one of the main characters just 2 days after finishing. Some of the reveals were also predictable and the pacing of the "action" and mystery was off for me. I was expecting entertaining and trashy (like reality TV) and not anything groundbreaking, and it did deliver that! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

**Book Review: *The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey* by Nanci Rathbun**

*The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey* by Nanci Rathbun is a darkly comic and engaging mystery that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. Set in the gritty world of New Jersey, the novel follows widow and amateur detective, Tori, as she unravels the twisted secrets surrounding the mysterious deaths of her husband and other women in her community. The novel blends humor, suspense, and a touch of supernatural intrigue, creating a compelling and unique narrative.

One of the book's standout features is its vibrant cast of characters. Tori, our sharp-witted protagonist, is both relatable and endearing, balancing grief with a surprising knack for investigation. Her relationship with her late husband—complicated and not entirely what it seemed—adds depth to her personal journey. The ensemble of quirky, often over-the-top secondary characters injects much-needed humor and heart into the darker moments of the plot.

The mystery itself is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Rathbun does an excellent job of weaving in multiple plotlines, including a local conspiracy that Tori unearths, all while maintaining a tight focus on the core mystery. The supernatural elements add an interesting layer to the story, though at times they veer into the surreal, leaving a few moments that might feel disjointed or harder to believe.

While the pacing is generally strong, there are a few sections where the narrative slows down a bit, especially in the middle of the book. Some of the revelations feel predictable, and a few character arcs could have been fleshed out more, particularly those of secondary characters who contribute to the plot but aren’t given enough depth to feel fully realized. Nevertheless, these are minor critiques in an otherwise enjoyable read.

In conclusion, *The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey* is a cleverly written, entertaining mix of mystery, humor, and supernatural intrigue. Rathbun’s sharp prose and engaging story will appeal to fans of quirky mysteries with a touch of the fantastical.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book wasn't much of my cup of tea. Too many characters to try and follow along with. I may give this another chance at a different time before the published date and come back to update. I won't post any reviews publicly until I give this book another whirl.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey | Astrid Dahl
🖤🖤🖤/5

Firstly, a huge thanks to NetGalley and Astrid Dahl for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! 🤌🏽

Astrid Dahl's debut novel sets out to capture the guilty-pleasure appeal of reality TV in literary form, and since I've got plenty of popcorn, I'll gladly take another season, err, book. This contemporary murder-mystery follows naive sweetheart Hope Bennett as she marries into both the very Italian (and very Jersey) Fontana family and the cast of "Garden State Goddesses," Huzzah network’s hit housewife reality show where family drama meets bedazzled leopard print. 🐆

This story comes in hot with an intoxicating blend of reality TV satire and murder mystery. I felt like the execution faltered a bit due to the overwhelmingly large ensemble cast (while colorful, it was a little challenging to track), but standout characters like the deliciously quotable Birdie St. Clair inject genuine humor and charm into the narrative.

While the BTS reality TV show elements really gave me the Bravo treatment I was begging for, the twists telegraphed their turns a bit early for me. I did have a blast rooting around in Hope and Eden’s brains (the show's producer turned amateur sleuth) because they were both different ends of the "riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma" spectrum. Thankfully, between the cast and the crew, there are countless buried secrets, self loathing simmering at all times and an endless well of manipulation and martinis (marone!). 🍸

Author Astrid Dahl does a stellar job of capturing the heightened reality of reality TV, complete with sharp one-liners and charming fourth wall breaks. This novel works best when it leans into its campy elements rather than constructing a complex mystery. But if you secretly wished Teresa Giudice's table flip was a precursor to murder, you’ll have fun with this book. 📺

If you are a fan of Perfume and Pain, then I highly recommend reading this! It does not disappoint!


The story is about a reality show, “Garden State Goddesses” that needs a makeover. When the showrunner, Eden, decides on the way that will give the show its much-needed facelift, things will get more chaotic and out of control.

Thank you to NetGalley for this Arc! As a bravo and RHONJ super fan this was a must read but I’m dissapointed to say I didn’t absolutely love it. The premise was fun but flat and with so many characters and motives it was a flurry of confusion. I had fun but I can’t help but think about the potential there was. I also noticed many typos and misattributed dialogue

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This one was a tough start for me, I am not a fan of reality shows, the fighting, screaming, backstabbing. But I really liked this book, the characters were well developed, the big personas, the beautiful settings, the many twists!!! This was a really fun read, if you are looking for a lighter entertaining read, pick this one up!!!

Short and fast paced. If you’re a fan of the bravo show you’ll enjoy this, A few too many characters with no real
Character development. Otherwise a quick fun read.

This was sooooo fun! First off, I love the idea of Astrid Dahl being named as the author instead of Anna Dorn. The story is funny at times but also shows character development. A thrilling satire. Really compulsive read that wasn't too long. I'm Anna Dorn's biggest fan. I will be recommending this to my followers closer to the release date.

I love everything this author writes!! This book was no different. Perfect pacing and the storyline was soooo good! Thanks for the ARC!

This book had a lot of promise.
It’s a short and fast read, less than 300 pages.
The idea was great but I think it was executed correctly. There were so many characters for such a short book. The character development could have been much better.
I did enjoy The Real Housewife type setting. It was great drama and definitely kept the book moving.
Overall, it was entertaining but I think it could have better with more character development.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a fun, light and campy read. If you like watching the wealthy and overly dramatic housewives reality show, then you will enjoy this book. I wouldn’t say it’s a murder “mystery”, because it’s not too hard to figure out. The plot and characters are very surface-level, but not boring. I really liked this book for what it was - which, honestly, is a pretty good time. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

🎬 This is a fun book that very much includes, references and is a similar reality show as the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

🎬 We get to know all the stars of the Garden State Goddesses - Birdie, the never sober matriarch; Renee, the bisexual mom of 13 year old Ruby; Carmela, the mean one and resident table flipper; her cousin Valerie, the pink loving puppet of Carmela;

♥️ To add to the drama this season, Valerie’s brother, Leo (who Carmela calls “Leona” for his feminine beauty), has married a new girl, Hope, a blonde California singer-songwriter who also happens to be the showrunner’s (Eden’s) cousin. Hope is both “other” AND not Italian so she is in for a treat with Carmela and the others.

🎬 Eden’s motives and how she treats her cousin feel strange all along, almost as if she’s looking to humiliate or expose her.

🎬 Hope obviously has secrets she’s carrying with her, which is never a good idea when you’re in a reality show! The truth will come out!

🎬 I enjoyed that the book often includes transcripts from the 1:1 reality interviews.

🎬 The book seemed to be moving at one speed and timeline, but once certain things happened, I found it a little jarring where some parts (ie a character affair) felt really rushed and without detail after what was a non-rushed and very detailed first half of the book.

🎬 Then…a death (or more) happens! Hence, the title. It’s in the title and synopsis so I promise this is not a spoiler 😂. The plot really escalates from there!

🎬 I thought it was quite a predictable ending, but it was still fun and I’d recommend the read, especially if you’re a Jersey Shore or RHoNJ fan!

*Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
I will never get enough of Astrid Dahl. I'm hooked immediately. This is a story full of twists, turns, murder??!!! betrayal, love, television, house wives. And it's a story I loved. My biggest critique is there is a sudden plot twist I think about halfway through - I don't want to leave any spoilers, but I felt that it was too sudden and changed the book for me a bit more than I would've liked, but I did still enjoy it and finished it. For that reason I'm leaving four stars. And at the same time, I loved the writing, the excitement, and the different personalities of the characters. Whatever Astrid Dahl writes, I'll be back for.

As an absolute Bravo addicted fan I was honored to receive this book. I was ugly laughing when I saw that they put the opening lines for each character and that the characters are in fact based off of the almost current housewives (I would be careful because you know how nasty one of them can be when they see something not in their favor :) ). The fact that Andy, the host in the book is solving the mystery was even better. I 100% hope that they get to see this book! Definitely purchasing and hoping that Andy puts a copy in the Bravo Clubhouse!

I am a huge fangirl of anything Bravo, including all the housewives franchises. This book was made up of all the housewives past and current and all the most notable quotes, incidents, tantrums, and scandals of all the Bravo franchises. Even the author looks like a cast member from one of the shows (Maddie from Southern Hospitality)

As someone who watches all the shows it was really fun to sit and identify everything and from whom. I will say though book is organized poorly though. There are "parts" that start new chapters over. But they didn't section off the chapters of "Three years later". Also, it was so redundant at the end. It's mystery after mystery, and too much inner dialogue.

The book ends with a cliffhanger that is Monica from Salt Lake City with the social media accounts. I hope this author keeps going with more books. One from each franchise!

The opening reviews and praise of others can go. As a reader I have no interest in seeing someone's favorite reviews. Put bookart in the front and summaries on the back of the book. Reviews do nothing but waste paper.

I’m a huge Bravo fan, so I was excited to read this. It was a fun, light read, but ultimately a bit disappointing to me. It just seemed like I was waiting for it to get interesting, for something to happen. Maybe it’s just that the actual Real Housewives are so outrageously entertaining (for fans of the shows) that it’s hard to recreate or top it in a novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although this was a fun read, I think I am not the target audience. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC!

4 stars- this combines my two loves: reading and reality TV. inspired by the real housewive franchise, this is the perfect book to dive into. Hooked into the fictional world of Garden State Goddesses, this book is a fun one! Thanks netgally + the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey hit all the right notes for a fun, indulgent read that knows how to be delightfully over-the-top. Fans of The Real Housewives franchise—myself included—will recognize the familiar rhythm of drama, intrigue, and unforgettable personalities, served with a twist of murder mystery. This book fully embraces the franchise’s trademark glamour and high-stakes antics, while adding a suspenseful edge that kept me flipping the pages.

I’ve been struggling with a reading slump recently, and this novel gave me exactly the boost I needed. Its witty, fast-paced storytelling had me hooked, proving once again that sometimes a bit of “cheese” is the perfect cure to get back into the reading groove. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC, and I highly recommend this book for fans of suspenseful yet lighthearted fiction.

This is a fast-paced, punchy book. The characters in the cast are exaggerated and constantly surrounded by drama. It truly has everything a fan of reality TV could possibly want in a book. Add a little murder mystery, and you've got a quick and enjoyable read. The format of the confessionals was the cherry on top of this reality TV-themed cake. This book was punchy and fast-paced! loved it!