If you like any of the Real Housewives franchises, you’ll likely love this off-the-rails messy in the best way novel. Fans of Anna Dorn’s Perfume & Pain will recognize this as protagonist Astrid Dahl’s masterpiece—genius!

Astrid Dahl’s The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a deliciously over-the-top cocktail of dark humor, suspense, and drama that feels like your favorite guilty pleasure reality show with a body count. Set around the “Garden State Goddesses,” a group of glamorous, backstabbing women, the story begins with juicy drama and escalating tension between the well-known women on the show and Hope, a new arrival who shakes things up. The dynamic rivalries, secrets, and behind-the-scenes feuds build up to a shocking death that turns everything on its head.

What made this book such a standout for me was how entertaining it was. Dahl does not hold back, delivering campy fun and drama with every twist and turn. The confessionals sprinkled between chapters were such a great addition, giving us a behind-the-scenes peek at the characters' motives and making the whole thing feel like a binge-worthy TV show. Hope’s background added another layer of intrigue, giving the story unexpected depth and making it even more compelling.

If you love stories that combine satire, suspense, and absurdity, this one is for you. With its sharpness, outrageous moments, and an ensemble cast you love to hate, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is the ultimate page-turner.

This was fun! I really enjoyed being able to read a book by Astrid Dahl after reading Perfume & Pain later last year. I definitely can see where she was going with this - the angry Italian housewives always at odds with each other - and it was a unique story that I haven't seen before! I will say that although I did generally enjoy this, the pacing was a bit odd and it took me out of the story. It felt like some parts were dragging, then we jumped ahead and the mystery revelations came out of nowhere. This was a super fun read, I just don't know if i'll revisit in the future.

Anna Dorn is a fucking genius. Lemme give you some necessary background for those jumping into this book unfamiliar with the meta world she’s building here.
“Astrid Dahl” is the protagonist of Dorn’s previous novel Perfume & Pain, a lesbian novelist struggling to come up with ideas for her new book (Dahl is even a stand-in for Dorn in P&P with references to her previous books) and gets inspired to pivot to a trashy book about housewives. So this is THAT book, with Dorn writing under Dahl as a pseudonym, and Dorn assumes the character of Dahl even in interviews about this novel.

This is a bit of a departure from Dorn’s previous more literary work, and I kinda think it served as an excuse for her to just write something fun and trashy, although there are definitely still hints of Dorn’s style in there. It’s definitely a love letter to Real Housewives fans - I personally prefer her other stuff but Dead Wives is for sure a fun romp and very bingeable

First thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

Synopsis: Eden is the showrunner of the garden state goddesses a very popular reality tv show. Her cousin Hope is on it as the outsider. Things are going really well until it goes too far

What I liked: I’m a real housewives fan and this was super fun. It was the best parts of Jersey and getting the behind the scenes gossip too. Eden and Hope are cousins but very different. Eden is all about getting ahead. The first half seem to move a little slow but the second half moved very fast. I would have liked it to balance out a little. I could you see you not enjoying this if you were not a housewives fan.

I had such a great time reading this one! The story was engaging and I loved the reality tv vibe. It took a bit to learn each character, but once I did, I was totally invested. I felt like each character had depth and a distinctive personality, which made it feel even more like watching tv. I really loved the back and forth between “filming” and breaking the third wall, it kept it exciting. I thought the twists and turns were great and the ending has me salivating for me. I’ll definitely read book 2!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl was an interesting and quirky read, with a fun premise that blends mystery and dark humor. While the characters were lively and the story had its moments of intrigue, I felt it lacked a bit of depth and coherence at times. The pacing could have been tighter, and some plot points felt underdeveloped. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not one that fully captivated me.

In some ways, I feel like this story was turned into two books. The first half of the book somewhat made sense, while the second half did not.

Then again, isn't that how "reality TV" is? Nothing really makes sense and bizarre things happen all of the time to disjoint the plot that you originally thought you were getting.

I saw a LOT of similarities between the characters of the book to the "real housewives" of (insert show here, but mostly New Jersey).

That was fun and kept the story interesting. However, once the "killing" started, it just kind of went off the rails.

Still, the book was a campy romp and I think fans of the "Real Housewives" will get a kick out of this book.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for an e-copy of THE REALLY DEAD WIVES OF NEW JERSEY to review.

I rate THE REALLY DEAD WIVES OF NEW JERSEY three out of five stars.

This book was an experience. I watch some reality TV but have never ventured into the Housewives world, so this book wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I liked the idea of a murder mystery on a reality TV set, and I think there was a lot of potential there. Unfortunately, the mystery part of the story didn’t really start until more than 50% of the way into the book. The first half of the book was a lot of setup for the characters and the TV show. I feel like this setup could have been done while the mystery was being investigated instead of squishing the mystery plot into the end. Also, it seems like a lot of time was spent on things that really didn’t matter (the characters acting like typical Housewives) while larger plot points (fake pregnancies, affairs, etc.) were just casually mentioned and never expanded on. Also, for all of the time spent on setup in the beginning, there was not enough character development. By the end, I didn’t really care about or know any of the characters. Although I finished this one and it seems the plot has been left open for more in a series, I don’t think I will be continuing.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t finish this book. Reality TV is my guilty pleasure so I was really excited to read this book, however it didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with the story and characters and just wasn’t interested to continue. Some people may find it fun but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl was a highly anticipated read of mine.
I absolutely enjoyed this book!. The characters are amazing, The author did a great job of keeping me engaged and wanting more.
All the different personalities made this story even more engrossing.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out how the book would end.

Eden Bennett has worked her way up through the Huzzah network to finally achieve the position of showrunner. Sure, it’s just for Garden State Goddesses, the New Jersey franchise. But if she does well with this season, she may get moved up to New York. In the meantime, she has a lot of work to put this season’s episodes together. Especially with the new goddess, Hope.

The Garden State Goddesses revolve around Carmela. She is the top dog, married to a man rumored to have ties to the Mafia. Her sister-in-law, Valerie, is known for having a prosthetic foot and being Carmela’s puppet. Renee is a single mother and came out as bisexual, and her popularity is rising. Birdie is the matriarch, with money and stories for days. And then there’s Hope, the newest edition to the show. Hope is married to Leo, Valerie’s brother, who sells vintage cars. Hope just moved to New Jersey after Leo met her at a wedding and swept her off her feet. She had been living in northern California, working at a diner and sharing videos of her folk songs on the internet.

Eden arranges for Hope to go to Renee’s house, to help her teenage daughter Ruby, who wants to become a pop star. It’s Hope’s first introduction to reality television, so it takes her a minute to get used to the lights and the cameras and having a microphone attached to her. But Renee is kind to her, and Ruby is a fantastic singer, so the filming goes well. It doesn’t hurt that Eden slips some wine into a coffee cup and hands it to Hope before they start the cameras rolling.

As the episodes go on, things get crazy. Carmela comes for Hope like she’s jealous of the newest goddess and wants to put her in her place. Birdie seems to get increasingly drunk on every occasion. One woman gets pregnant. Another changes her will. And a troll Instagram account under the name Shady Di throws out dirt on them all, spreading rumors throughout the insular environment of the show and the to the world beyond, making them all a bit paranoid. But these women’s secrets are far darker than anyone imagined, and when one of the goddesses ends up dead, Eden has to figure out what happened if she has any hope of saving the show, her career, or herself.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a murder mystery spoof of the popular Housewives franchise and all the drama they have created through the years. It is told with love from an obvious fan, but author Astrid Dahl is not shy about throwing around the shade. Fans of reality television will recognize at least one famous moment, but you don’t have to be a fan of the Housewives to understand what’s going on here. There is enough drama to keep readers blazing through, and a solid murder mystery to solve for the crime readers.

As soon as I heard the remise of this book, I was ready to go all in. I am not a reality tv addict, but I’ve watched enough to want to read this and get the inside scoop on the popular Bravo franchise. For that, this book was super fun. I had a blast with that aspect. I was a little surprised at just how dark it got at times, but I think the way the characters reacted to the crimes helped the story from getting too dark. The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is not just a fluffy spoof on reality tv, it’s also a New Jersey-worthy crime story, and personally I thought it was a great ride.

Egalleys for The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey were provided by Simon & Schuster through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This is one for the lovers of queer messy fun! One of my top books last year was Perfume & Pain so it was fun to sneak back into that world a little. This book feels like a it is written in character which I loved for example the pacing felt different from Anna’s other works.
I was super excited when I heard this was going to be a thing and when I found out that Simon & Schuster had sent an Arc over on NetGally I couldn’t believe it! So thank you so much!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey read like an episode of The Real Housewives but from the behind the scenes point of view. There are several cast members to keep up with in addition to crew members. The story has drama, fighting, murder and even a prosthetic foot. The build up is fun and page turning however I feel like the climax and ending are a little rushed. It was a fun read for a fan of the reality television genre. Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for a digital arc to read and review.

Garden State Goddesses is the hit reality TV show of the moment packed with a cast full of intense rivalries and dark secrets that are just waiting to explode. What could possibly go wrong?

When Hope Bennett, the newbie from California, marries into the Fontana family, she finds herself moving across the country to New Jersey and thrust into the reality TV spotlight. No one is happy, least of all Carmela, the hot-headed star of the show. When secrets are revealed and rivalries come to a head, someone winds up dead. The show’s producer, Eden, must race to catch the killer before the season gets canned, but can she do it?

I went into this book excited for a light read along the lines of the Real Housewives show. What I got was a lot of that – table flipping, extravagant trips – but what I wasn’t expecting was how quickly things would change, and not always for the better. While I did find myself struggling at times to care because some parts were so over the top, it was a fast and entertaining read that ends on a note that sets us up to be part of a series. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next season!

Thank you to Astrid Dahl, Simon & Shuster, and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

First of all, I love reality television. And I love a good parody. I thought The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey would be like Unreal, a parody of The Batchelor type shows, but about the catty the real housewives shows instead. This book was attempting that feat but, unfortunately, falls short. It also has a mystery to solve that seemed like an afterthought.

Eden and Hope are cousins who grew up in a California religious cult. Both have since escaped to jobs in reality television. Eden is the showrunner, who will do anything to get ratings. Hope is the naive new housewife who is married to the son of a possible mafia made man. Carmela is his sister-in-law, Valerie is his ditsy sister, and so on into a Sopranos’esque web of family pride, secrets, and lies.

Both of these themes seem familiar, right? And that is my problem with The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. Like all parodies, it incorporates the plots of its source material. However, in this case, it takes outrageous, even shocking, shows and makes them less interesting. I find more laughs on The Real Housewives than anything written here. I so wanted this to work but regrettably, it just didn’t. 2 disappointed stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced review copy.

This one was so much fun! If reality TV is your guilty pleasure, then you'll love this book. It exceeded my expectations. Definitely a propulsive, escapist, addicting, page-turner. Would absolutely read more from this author in the future. I just had such a great time with my reading experience. Highly recommend!

Hope Bennett was meant to be a refreshing addition to Garden State Goddesses, a drama-saturated reality TV show centered on the wives of the Fontana family and their social circle. Hope's cousin Eden introduced her to Leo Fontana, leading to a marriage, followed by status as a Goddess. But this homegrown girl from Weed, California brings more to the table than a breath of fresh air: she brings scandal bigger than even this cast was prepared for.

As Hope attempts to navigate life with her fellow Goddesses—including the spite of Carmela and an affair with the openly bisexual Renee—she's also haunted by ghosts of her past. Her upbringing in her parents' cultish Brother God church led to tragedy in her early life, and a past love is haunting her now-active social media. The drama these different personalities stir up makes for good TV, which Eden is more than happy to exploit. But when real tragedy strikes and members of the cast begin dying around them, Eden and Renee must drop the theatrics and clear the names of the people they care about.

There is a lot going on in The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey, with the strongest storyline being the murder mystery that crops up two-thirds of the way through the book. For all its strengths, though, there's simply too much going on, and not enough thought given to making sure the book hangs together. Had it stuck to being a murder mystery doubling as a scathing (and deserved) takedown of reality TV culture, that would be one thing. But in trying to wrangle the latter, the former gets little room to breathe. There's also a Lady Whistledown-esque subplot in the form of "Shady Di," an Instagram gossip account, that feels like it doesn't get the handling it deserves. Overall, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is full of strong characters and has a compelling story underneath; but attempting to be so many things at once, rather than focusing on the one or two it does best, has led to it not quite sticking the landing it's aiming for.

A most dramatic cocktail of reality tv shenanigans and mystery. While entertaining from the start, be warned it does become a true page-turner shortly after the halfway mark. A good choice for those looking for a quick, campy read.

3 stars!
I read this book so fast! It definitely held my attention but I wish it was longer or gave more to the story. It ended up being a very average read for me unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC