I loved the author's previous works under her other name, so I was super excited to jump into this story of messy moms and horrible housewives. I thought that the story had great wit and knew its subject super well, sticking the landing on the tragedy that is reality television culture (a culture I hate how much I love!) Ultimately, I found this one a little more "critical" versus indulgent, tonally just a bit too above the story versus being as juicy as it can be. Witty and wise, but perhaps a little too knowing.

Reality show Garden State Goddesses is coming back with a new season and showrunner Eden needs some fresh talent. Eden enlists her cousin Hope to move all the way from California to escape her past and join the show. Little does Eden know Hope is hiding some big secrets that could make for good reality television or good motive for murder.
This was such a fun satirical take on reality TV. The characters fit the roles so well and I could see myself having watched this show.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I really, really wanted to love this book - the premise is fantastic and I was intrigued by the "Astrid Dahl" author (Astrid is the main character, a writer, from Anna Dorn's Perfume and Pain.) But the plot was all over the place and the story dragged too much for my taste. But please authors, more Real Housewives type novels in the future!!

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I were an avid Real Housewives fan, but this didn't work for me. There are some funny, campy moments, but the shallow characterization and strange pacing kept me from being invested in the story. Even though the culprit(s) are obvious, the murders are glossed over--as are some other seemingly pivotal events--and the book feels too long even at 288 pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Eden Bennett is quickly climbing the reality TV ladder and is hungry for more. As the main showrunner for ”Garden State Goddesses”, Eden knows what it takes to build a successful housewives franchise and will do anything it takes to make it bigger and better to advance her career. Enter Hope, Eden’s cousin who grew up with her in a glorified religious cult run by their family in California. Naive Hope is looking to escape her life in Weed, CA and falls right into Eden’s plan (ahem..trap) when she is introduced to Leo Fontana, Sicilian Jersey royalty and eligible bachelor. Leo and Hope quickly marry and Hope is whisked off to Jersey where she is thrown into the world of flashy cars and homes, cat fights, backstabbing, gossip and drama AKA the Garden State Goddesses. When one of the Goddesses suddenly turns up dead, everyone is a suspect and Eden is faced with a true reality she never saw coming.

Soapy, campy, dramatic and just plain fun, this was such an entertaining read! Taking all of the best parts of the Real Housewives franchises and funneling it into the fictitious “Garden State Goddesses” on the “Huzzah” network, the faux Jersey housewives and their storylines featured in this book were no slouch! As a fellow Jersey girl, I got a kick out of this and it was just the indulgent read I didn’t even know I needed!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a witty, darkly comedic thriller that keeps you laughing and guessing. Dahl’s unique plot and quirky characters make this a fun and engaging read.

If you need a break from reality but still want it to be a little morbid! Please read this. It's fun in the best way. It was a nice break between the Rooneys and Austens. It's truly just a laff in a half! I would love to see this become a show!

This felt like two different books to me – a reality show tell-all and a murder mystery – but they didn’t flow well. I’m not a huge TV watcher so I’ve never gotten hooked on the reality shows but this is the premise that got me interested in the book. I thought it would be a group of women trying to solve the murder. The lead up to it gave plenty of background on each woman but didn’t make it easy to connect to any of them; they all came off as shallow and vapid, which I guess was the point but ruined any chance of feeling anything for them. The mystery itself wasn’t well fleshed out and there were so many thrown at you that it was difficult to see which one should be the focus. In the end, it didn’t work for me.

I loved this book. It was a wild ride, loved having a peak behind the curtain of reality shows. Of course with a dark twist. Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

I wanted to love this so much because I’m a huge housewives fan! This was just so hit and miss. At times I was loving it and in deep and other times I thought it was corny and all over the place. It’s still an entertaining book, so I’d give it a chance especially if you love housewives, but I just wouldn’t go in with high expectations. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t the best fit for me - I went in expecting a thriller/mystery and while the second half does have a lot of people being killed off, it was very reality tv drama focused and had a campy vibe to it throughout. To be fair, I’m not a reality TV watcher and haven’t watched any of the Real Housewives shows. Therefore, I don’t believe I’m the ideal reader for this book. However, if you enjoy the over-the-top scripted drama, behind-the-scenes show runner and cast details, you will enjoy it.

The characters were all quite unlikeable, and I didn’t find myself particularly invested in any of their stories. The mystery aspect was predictable and should have been evident to anyone paying attention. At the beginning of the book, there was a list of characters, which I appreciated because I frequently forgot who was who and had to refer to it often.

This book definitely incorporates some cliches commonly found in reality shows and could be an enjoyable beach read if you enjoy over-the-top storylines and larger-than-life personalities. Although it’s not my preferred genre, I believe fans of such shows will find the drama captivating.

Thanks @simonbooks for the gifted copy!

If you love a frothy housewives show but up the drama and murder, this is the book for you! It was an easy, low stakes read.

I really wanted to love this one since I love the Housewives and work in reality TV but it didn't work for me. The characters were shallow and they're all pretty awful, and the murder mystery takes forever to be introduced. It was a great concept but the execution was lacking.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the copy to review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5’s
Juicy, gossipy, and gloriously vicious, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a wildly entertaining murder mystery that reads like a love letter to the original Real Housewives era. If you’re a fan of the high drama, catfights, and chaotic glamour that made the franchise iconic, this book is a must-read.

Astrid Dahl brilliantly captures the over-the-top personalities and scandalous drama you’d expect from reality TV but layers it with a dark twist—a murder that needs solving. The narrative feels fresh and unique, leaning into the outrageous antics and pettiness of the characters while still delivering a solid whodunit. The nods to Real Housewives nostalgia are clever and hilarious, making it even more engrossing for fans of the shows.

While the main focus is the mystery and all the piping hot tea that comes with it, there’s also a sapphic romance added to the plot. I didn’t expect this relationship because it wasn’t brought up in any descriptions/tropes or warnings. I was happy I kept reading because it did add heart without stealing the spotlight … or did it… from the story’s delicious drama.

Overall, this book is a fun, unique read that feels like bingeing an entire season of Housewives—but with a murder to solve. A perfect guilty pleasure for fans of juicy gossip, sharp-tongued characters, and all things reality TV.

This was just not the book for me. I am a Bravo fan and love the different Real Housewives series which I kinda expected this book to be similar to but realized I am just not a fan of reading about it versus watching.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm solely rating The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey off of vibes alone. This book is exactly like watching an episode of The Real Housewives it is so messy. If you are looking for rich people acting insane and messy this is the read for you.

Each of the character were so interesting that you couldn't wait to see what kind of mess they were going to get themselves into. Most of the time they brought the drama on themselves with a little meddling from Eden their show runner who knew just what buttons to press in order to get an over the top reaction. While all of the characters are partially to blame for what happens to Hope and the other two murders.

I will say I knew exactly how the mystery aspects of the story were going to play out. It was a bit obvious about what was going on and how everything was going to play out but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story at all. That said I was a little shocked at the second and third murders.

One thing that really pulled me out of this book is I don't think the author has ever been to the Olive Garden. There is a whole scene with Eden and Renee eating pizza and cheesy bread at the Olive Garden which could never happen because thats not something that they serve.

If you crave a little messiness that only reality tv can bring this is the book for you.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an odd little ride, to say the least. While the title promises quirky fun, the story itself lacked a clear direction, often feeling scattered and unsure of its path. The premise had potential, but the execution left me wanting more in terms of plot cohesion and character development.

That said, there were flashes of wit and creativity that kept me turning the pages. The author’s style shows promise, and while this book didn’t fully deliver for me, I’d be open to reading more from them in the future. A decent read, but it fell short of its intriguing title.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a witty read! It is extremely rare that a book will both keep me intrigued and guessing at the same time, and this one did both!!! Being a huge fan of reality tv, combined with my loved for reading, this was an absolute perfect combo!!!

3.75 stars- I have been an OG housewives fan since the days of Vicki Gunvalson and Gena Keough took over Bravo while I was watch reruns of The West Wing…anyways, I digress. This is a great mystery palette cleanser for anyone who also loves watching any show in the Bravo universe. It’s campy, funny, and full of nods to the Bravo wives.
Other than that reason, I read Perfume & Pain last year and it was one of my favorite books of the year. When I got approved for this arc I literally was jumping up and down in full fan girl mode. I am here for anything Anna or Astrid writes.

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for my digital arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Where do I begin? This is supposed to be a takeoff on all the "Real Housewives" shows, and, in a way, it is. There are all the usual characters: the bully, the shy one, the dumb one, the drunk one, the one with all the money she can ever spend (and rumors about how she got it), the one who is poorer than the others, even the one with a prosthetic (this time a foot)! Oh, and of course, the mouthy one who loudly proclaims that the only things in life worth having are all Italian (but is she GREEK?).

When a new, young girl marries into the family of two of the Golden Goddesses, no one knows much about her and her sisters-in-law don't know what to think of her. She comes from California, but not the glamorous part, she sings and writes songs, but not the showy ones they like, and worst of all, she is NOT Italian!! But she is the new flavor of the month on THEIR reality show, so they want to find out everything.

When she is murdered, the race is on to find the killer. Then there are a couple more murders, and rumors of two more in the past, and who is this mysterious woman who shows up, presenting herself as a hometown friend of the murdered housewife? Add in a couple (or more?) lesbian love affairs, and you have a real mess.

I am not the target audience for this book, but I slogged through it just to finish and find out if there had been any point to it. There hadn't.