If you like campy thrillers like "Patricia Wants to Cuddle" by Samantha Leigh Allen or the TV show "Unreal," I think you would enjoy "The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey." I also love the meta-ness of Astrid Dahl being the author protagonist from my favorite "Perfume and Pain!" adding to the Anna Dorn literary universe...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Astrid Dahl’s "The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey" doesn’t just grab your attention—it sinks its meticulously manicured claws in and doesn’t let go. Dahl offers a satirical exploration of suburbia that’s equal parts macabre and hilarious, sending her readers on a wild ride through the gilded chaos of cul-de-sacs and wine nights, where facades hide secrets far darker than a bad Botox session.

The novel centers on a group of women whose lives seem to revolve around their picture-perfect, high-society existence in New Jersey. However, when a neighbor turns up dead—under bizarre and suspicious circumstances—their carefully constructed reality begins to crack. What unfolds is an outrageous yet sharp commentary on status, privilege, and the lengths people will go to protect their image. Dahl blends dark humor with gripping suspense, resulting in a plot that’s as unpredictable as it is engaging.

The characters are a highlight—exaggerated, larger-than-life personas who feel like they’ve leapt straight out of a reality TV show (or your darkest nightmares). From the queen bee who rules the neighborhood HOA to the eccentric newcomer with secrets of her own, each character brims with personality. Dahl masterfully peels back their layers, revealing depths that range from relatable insecurities to shocking depravity. And as their friendships are tested and alliances shift, readers are left wondering just how far these women will go to save themselves—or each other.

What makes "The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey" stand out is Dahl’s voice. Her sharp wit and razor-edged prose elevate the novel from being merely an entertaining whodunit to a trenchant satire of modern suburbia. She captures the absurdities of luxury living and social hierarchies with precision, weaving in moments of laugh-out-loud humor alongside genuinely chilling twists.

For those who enjoy murder mysteries with a healthy dose of sass, social commentary, and surprises at every turn, Dahl’s novel is a must-read. Imagine "Desperate Housewives" colliding with "Big Little Lies", but with a ghostly (and gloriously over-the-top) twist that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

With its biting humor, compelling characters, and unpredictable plot, "The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey" is an indulgent and thoroughly satisfying read that you won’t be able to put down. Dahl has carved out a niche in the world of dark comedy mysteries, and this book is a fabulous addition to her repertoire.

Whether you're craving laughs, chills, or just some delicious suburban drama, this novel delivers it all—with style.

This book nailed the feel of reality television. It is a little slow, and I think someone the pacing and shift in focuse might have been better handled but overall I really enjoyed it! It felt like watching a reality show and I started to become so compelled that I had to find out what happened. I was not expecting the turn of events that took place but it was fun to find out where we were going.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey🔪🍸

A big thank you to NetGalley, Astrid Dahl, Anna Dorn, and the publisher Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💫🧚

Reality tv fans, look no further - you’ve essentially arrived at The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but with dead bodies!

I dabble in watching reality tv but have never seen Real Housewives, which I think would’ve enhanced the reading experience here as there’s probably plenty of inside jokes that went over my head. Even so this was a fun, campy read that kept my attention throughout!

Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn was one of my favorite reads of 2024, which is about a character/ author named Astrid Dahl. This book was written by Anna Dorn AS Astrid Dahl, which was spot on knowing everything we know about Astrid’s character from P&P.

If you’re in the mood for fun, messy drama a la trashy tv shows, keep an eye out for this one when it’s published on January 14 🙂‍↕️✨

The book has a large cast, and the reader will likely guess a fair amount about what is going on. It’s relatively cute, even though there’s not much mystery to the mystery; it’s more a send up of the shows and how they are made.

This book seemed super promising but missed the mark for me. It’s marketed as a thriller/murder mystery but neither of those things were present.
The characters were all awful and shallow and I couldn’t develop any kind of connection with them. I did like the character reference sheet provided in the beginning and the confessional transcripts. What should’ve been a quick easy read took a month because I couldn’t get into it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this eARC.

One of the most popular shows, Garden State Goddesses, was in need of a refresh...more or less. Eden, who is the showrunner, decides she's going to take things in a certain direction...and thus, chaos ensues. Whenever I read this, I really and truly felt like I was in a reality tv show, it was quite comical actually. 😂 This focuses on the Fontana family, who currently live in New Jersey.

Hope and Hope's new SIL, Carmela, are both on the tv show. However, Carmela could be less than enthused that Hope is with her and tries to make her as uncomfortable as she possibly can. Eventually, someone ends up dead. Now everyone is acting suspicious and you're left with more questions than answers at this point! I was never sure who actually did it and loved guessing what was actually going on the entire book! She kept me engaged the ENTIRE TIME and it truly felt like a rollercoaster ride.

I wasn't too happy with how it ended, but that is just my personal opinion and overall really enjoyed the book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this digital ARC in exchange for my review.
All opinions are my own. ☺️

As soon as I heard this book revolved around a reality TV show - I jumped at a chance to read an advanced copy! I LOVE some good reality TV. This book did not disappoint either, I felt like not only did I get the sense of a reality TV show unfolding before me, but I loved getting to be a part of the behind-the-scenes action as well.

Compulsively readable, this felt like binging a season of a reality show. It was fun and silly and also rather dark and surprisingly sad. I loved how nasty the characters were. The one major fault, I think, is that this doesn’t really work as a mystery. Maybe it’s not intended to be one, but I did feel a little let down when the murderer was so glaringly obvious and also, kind of boring. Would read Astrid Dahl again though!

📚 SIMON BOOK BUDDY ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey
By Astrid Dahl
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 4⭐)

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this #gifted book through their #SimonBookBuddy program, and to NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey really piqued my interest, as I was excited about the prospect of a thriller/mystery with a reality TV flare. There was definitely a lot of salaciousness and over-the-top drama in this read, much like you'd find in any season of similar reality show housewife antics, which was fun.

Unfortunately, there were absolutely no thriller components to this book, and its mystery was pretty minimal and buried within the same reality show writing style contained in the rest of the book. Listed as humor/satire, mystery/thriller, and women's fiction, it's probably true that the book is a little bit of all three of those genres. In my opinion, it's primarily satire, with a whole lot of reality TV sort-of drama.

The book features alternating chapters told from multiple POVs, and there's a mixed media component with confessional transcripts interspersed throughout the story. I didn't really enjoy many of the characters in the book, and their unlikeability didn't contribute to a better plotline. There were occasional laughs and biting one-liners, but meh. For me overall, the characters were either one-dimensional or so far over-the-top that I wanted to just skim through their involvement and move on to the next page.

If you're a fan of the Real Housewives franchise, you're probably going to LOVE this read! If you're not a fan of that kind-of reality show and you're picking this book up because you're hoping for a thriller set within a reality show storyline, this may not be your jam. I think if you go into this one knowing this is a satirical book that reads as if you're watching an episode of your favorite reality show, you'll enjoy this over-the-top ride!

#TheReallyDeadWivesOfNewJersey #AstridDahl #SimonBookBuddies #partner #ARC #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #mysteryreads #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl.

This is a beautiful intersection where murder mysteries and trashy reality TV combine, so if you like both, you're in luck!

The Garden State Goddesses has everything, thick NJ accents, family loyalties, ties to the mafia, and murder. But who is at the bottom of these crimes? And why would anyone want such entertaining broads to die?

It's catty, it's fun, it's silly. Definitely not a bad way to burn through while doing laundry. I recommend the audiobook for all the accents!

For those Housewife of (name a city) fans, this book should be a must read! It is hilarious, dramatic, filled with hate, deceit, egos and murder. It is so very good! The housewives in the story are composites of some of the real housewives. The most fun I had was trying to piece together which real character each character was based on! The book will catapult the reader into the dizziness of the multiple story lines of these well-developed pretty narcissistic characters with an ending made for television!

Hope Bennett is the newest cast member of the Garden State Goddess cast set in New Jersey. She is also the cousin of the producer of the series. She has recently married another cast member's brother, Leo. Carmela, the sister of Leo who is an original cast member and known for causing trouble is not pleased with the casting and will make sure Hope knows it every chance she can get.

The saga starts immediately when one of the housewives is found dead. The reader has no idea which, but that sets the story to go back in time which leads up to who the late cast member is.

Thus begins the story of each housewife, their backstory, their secrets, their drinking and drug problems and much, much more! At the end of each chapter, you will get a taste of each member's "confessional" and what it takes to get something out of each of them.

The story itself is a wild ride you won't want to get off and the ending will make you feel as if you were in an actual season of Real Housewives where there is hairpulling and lying, shock and horror and make-up and hair and drunk women galore! It was a very fun read!

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuester #AstridDahl #TheReallyDeadWivesofNewJersey for the advanced copy.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey takes us behind the scenes of the hit reality show Garden State Goddesses. To boost ratings, showrunner Eden Bennett brings her naive cousin, Hope, into the spotlight by orchestrating her marriage to Leo Fontana, a member of the show’s central family. As Hope navigates the treacherous waters of reality TV fame, tensions rise among the cast, leading to a shocking murder that turns the show—and their lives—upside down.

MUST READ for:
🎥 hilarious satire of reality TV culture
🕵️‍♀️ murder mystery
👯‍♀️ messy characters

This one wasn't a five star for me because I think I'm just not as into reality TV culture as I thought I was. But a reality TV fan would probably love it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 😊

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl!

Reality TV can be deadly, you just have to know where to look.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey follows a murder while filming one of those trashy wives of wherever reality show, which immediately tells you that there will be over the top drama, characters, and situations, which is all you need for a fun and thrilling book.

The characters are queer, dramatic, and oh love wonderful to love/hate.

Okay, I was not expecting the content of this book. However, I was surprised at how refreshing the sattire and banter was! I would not say this is great but I am not going to lie because this definitely has potential! I am going to look out for more Astrid Dahl’s work. The Really Dead Wives are f New Jersey is my first from this writer and it was worth the read.

I uhhh mistakenly thought this was about zombie or vampire housewives, so I was a bit disappointed. I don't enjoy the Housewives franchise, so it wasn't really meant for me and that's okay. I did keep reading, just to see where it went but all in all it wasn't my cup of tea. The mystery was not very satisfying. I will tell my housewives loving friends about it and see if they enjoy it more.

It was entertaining from the beginning and a great story to tell. I did however find it kind of hard to keep with the characters at one point because it just felt like a lot going on. All in all I would recommend the book for those who like reality television because this felt like watching a show.

I went into this expecting more of a mystery, instead it focuses more on the reality TV aspect. This book had a lot of potential, I wish the mysteries would have been more prominent, they felt like more of an afterthought on the storyline. I think if you enjoy reality TV you'll like this over-the-top fictional show.

Are you ready to plunge headfirst into the glittering and tumultuous realm of reality TV? If you yearn for the glitz, the glam, and a whirlwind of delicious drama, get set for "The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey." This electrifying debut novel catapults you onto the pulsating set of the must-watch show Garden State Goddesses, where jaws drop, secrets slither, and entertainment is an unstoppable force.

Claws are out, cocktails are flowing, and a fierce group of women prepare to unleash chaos on and off the screen.

The story features a vibrant cast that can be challenging to keep track of! There’s a list of characters in the prologue to help you out. Here are some of the standouts:
**Eden**: The tough-as-nails showrunner who won't let anything stand in her way.
**Hope**: The wide-eyed outsider and talented singer-songwriter from California, who happens to be Eden’s cousin.
**Renee**: A fan favorite and relatable single mother embracing her bisexuality.
**Carmela**: The sizzling Italian diva, equal parts alluring and fierce—her temper matches the high stakes of reality TV!
**Valerie**: Carmela’s bubbly sister-in-law, grappling with her challenges—including a prosthetic foot—she often finds herself out of her depth.
**Birdie**: A wealthy widow with a flair for humor, she navigates life with delirious charm and captivating unpredictability.
**Ruby**: The spunky, hormonal teenager and aspiring pop star, she’s Renee's endearing daughter, ready to stir the pot.
**Leo**: Hope's devoted husband and Valerie's brother, he’s inevitably caught in the web of family drama and scandal.
**Pierre**: Birdie’s adult son and assistant, probably gay, brings intrigue and perhaps a secret or two that could ignite the powder keg of family tensions.

As Eden casts her unsuspecting cousin, Hope—fresh from a sheltered religious upbringing—it's clear that things are set to get wild. Naïve and unprepared, Hope is about to face the storm that is Carmela, but the fiery encounters promise to be hugely entertaining.

Hope’s internal battles and secrets are ones we can all relate to, making her struggle to survive in this environment both gripping and engaging.

I'm not a fan of reality TV myself, especially housewife dramas. I approached this book with zero expectations and found myself laughing and thoroughly enjoying the outrageous escapades. If this chaotic world intrigues you, grab your copy and maybe a bucket of popcorn! The author’s debut is a delightful ride, and I can’t wait to see where she takes us next!

Thanks to the author and Simon and Schuster for this ARC provided via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.
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