This book was a blast. Dark, ridiculous, and honestly just so much fun to read. It’s about a group of women who’ve had it with their deadbeat husbands—and when they find out there are million-dollar life insurance policies involved? Let’s just say “murder” starts to sound like a solid retirement strategy.

I was totally hooked by the premise and it did not disappoint. The wives are plotting, the husbands are scheming, and it all spirals into this hilarious mess of lies, secrets, and revenge. It gave me serious Dead to Me energy with a little bit of Good Girls thrown in.

Some parts were a little slow, and yeah, you have to suspend disbelief a bit, but I didn’t care—I was too busy enjoying the drama. The twists were fun, the tone was sharp, and it was just one of those books that’s easy to tear through.

This book was laugh out loud funny! Gripping, entertaining, and a little nerve wrecking. Easy to follow and I could spot the twists and turn but never the less it was a great time to read!

Three best friends, one big betrayal, and a whole lot of life insurance money. The Retirement Plan is a sharply funny, slightly murderous debut that dives into the chaos of long-term marriages, lifelong friendships, and the dreams we have for our golden years. When Pam and her friends Shalisa, Nancy, and Marlene find out their husbands have botched a retirement investment—and essentially sunk their future beach condo dreams—they’re left bitter and broke. But everything changes after one of the husbands dies in a freak accident and his widow pockets a massive life insurance payout…and moves to Florida.

That’s when the women learn their own husbands each have similar seven-figure policies, and the idea of retirement suddenly has a very deadly new meaning. They begin plotting with a hitman (yes, really), only to realize their husbands aren’t as clueless as they seem—they’ve got a secret plan of their own. Cue a suspenseful, darkly funny game of marital cat and mouse, where the line between villain and victim blurs fast.

This audiobook was such a fun and easy listen! It perfectly balances outrageous antics with surprisingly heartfelt moments. Yes, it’s totally over the top at times—there are plenty of “wait, what?!” moments—but that’s part of its charm. Underneath all the scheming and shenanigans is a thoughtful story about growing older, the complexities of marriage, and how even the most buried secrets can change everything.

Sure, it’s a bit ridiculous, but I had a blast with it. If you're looking for something twisty but light, and a little zany in all the right ways, The Retirement Plan is the perfect vacation read. Think The First Wives Club meets The Thursday Murder Club—just with more murder plots and margaritas.

The Retirement Plan is out now. Huge thank you to William Morrow and Mac Millan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
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Quick and entertaining read! The women in this novel go to great lengths to ensure they will be taken care of in retirement. There is a bit of a domino effect as one finds her dream home and soon everyone wants to join! At times silly and ridiculous...it works. This group of friends support each others "mission" which adds to the drama. This novel is full of humor, satire and a bit of adventure. Mixed in is a mystery that starts off the story. It made me think of Killers of a Certain age which I loved. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this novel. I hope to see more by the author.

A quick super funny book. Sometimes during the book I found I was lost. It seemed like the storylines just wondered around not where it was heading. The chapters were short and quick. The characters were also good.

3.75 star review of The Retirement Plan

Four wives, one outrageous idea, and a retirement plan no one saw coming. When a bad investment tanks their golden years, longtime friends Pam, Nancy, Shalisa, and Marlene start eyeing their husbands’ million-dollar life insurance policies—and Florida starts looking a lot more appealing. But with the husbands hiding secrets of their own, this turns into a wild, high-stakes comedy of errors filled with mishaps, double-crosses, and plenty of surprises.

This book is totally over-the-top in the best way. The premise is far-fetched, but it leans into the absurd and delivers a funny, fast-paced ride. I could definitely see this as a movie—think popcorn thriller meets suburban mayhem. It took a bit to sort out all the characters and remember who was married to whom, and I wish the character development had landed earlier. But once I was in, it was entertaining with a few solid twists and a satisfying, neatly tied-up ending.

If you’ve ever joked about offing your husband over dinner, this one’s for you 😆

4.5 Stars rounded up

This book was an absolute delight! A wildly entertaining blend of dark comedy, caper chaos, and heartfelt crime caper. What starts off with a sharp, darkly funny tone soon spirals into a laugh out loud comedy of errors before landing on surprisingly sincere emotional notes. It’s a rare kind of narrative rollercoaster that somehow manages to stick the landing.

The characters absolutely shine. Hincenbergs’ character work is pitch perfect, bringing a hilarious and heartwarming authenticity to a group of women navigating one absurd situation after another. I found myself grinning, laughing, and even kicking my feet at some of their banter and escapades. The chemistry between the friends is so natural and joyously chaotic, it felt like watching a brilliant ensemble cast in a movie you never want to end.

What really stood out, though, was the representation of older characters. It’s refreshing and frankly too rare to see older women as the dynamic, funny, and capable leads in a story like this. Hincenbergs handles it beautifully, proving age is no barrier to mischief or thrill.

This was an incredibly fun and well written read that I’ll be recommending to anyone in need of a clever, feel good adventure with a twist of danger. More stories like this, please!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sue Hincenbergs, and Harper Collins Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Filled with heists and hijinks, THE RETIREMENT PLAN is perfect for poolside reading.

The story follows four longtime couples nearing retirement, each grappling with financial strain, marital tension, or both. After decades of friendship, the group is rocked when Dave—one of their own—dies in a freak accident. In the aftermath, the wives begin to ask themselves a bold question: Is their marriage worth the trouble or is a generous life insurance payout the better deal?

This is an entertaining, twisty tale with just the right mix of humor and heart. As the characters confront the realities of aging, lost dreams, and unpredictable futures, readers may find themselves both laughing and relating. The middle-aged cast brings a refreshing and often hilarious perspective on growing older, reevaluating relationships, and improvising when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Read this if you:
-believe offense is the best defense
-are fiercely protective of your leftovers
-have ever underestimated your spouse


Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pam, Nancy, Shalisa and Marlene were looking forward to retirement with drinks and back yard barbecues by he pool. Unfortunately, their husbands invested their retirement funds in an investment that failed. Their dreams were gone along with the big house and the pool. Marlene’s husband worked in a casino with Hank, Pam’s husband, maintaining the slot machines. A glitch in the slots allowed Dave to skim money from the machines. The four husbands devised a plan to recoup their losses and then some, while hiding their activities from their wives. When Dave is found dead with a casino chip on his chest they fear for their lives. The casino had recently been taken over by an Indian mob family and Hank was afraid that their scam had been discovered. Luckily, Hank’s barber is a problem solver. He hires Hector to find out who is trying to kill them and take them out first.

When Dave died, Marlene discovered that the four men each had a million dollar insurance policy. If the women want the retirement that they dreamed of the husbands have to die. Pam remembers that Hank talked about his barber Hector, who could take care of their problems. The women decide to hire Hector to kill their husbands. What ensues is a comedy of errors that kept me laughing as nothing goes right. A boat explosion, a visit from a mob enforcer, a discovery that the insurance policies had been cancelled and Hector’s double dipping will have you wondering how Sue Hincenbergs managed to juggle the events in her story and fill it with humor. She closes with the actual events that led to Dave’s death and it is just the cherry on the top of this hilarious story of murder gone wrong. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for providing this book.

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs is hilariously fun to read. How can a murder mystery be such fun to read! The retirement plans of the wives and also their husbands involve murder. Both plans are quite unique with surprising endings!

I was entertained by the intricate storyline and the escalating series of comical miscommunications between the characters. Hincenbergs expertly layers twist upon twist. What I particularly enjoyed was the development of the friendships, both between the initially unified wives and the surprisingly supportive (in their own misguided way) husbands. The shared adversity, despite its dark premise, forged some genuinely amusing bonds.

I recommend The Retirement Plan to readers who appreciate mysteries with a healthy dose of dark humor and enjoy being kept on their toes by twists and turns. If you enjoy authors who can blend suspense with laugh-out-loud moments, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you to William Morrow for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Hmmmmm...wild premise for a book. Entertaining but dark and somewhat sad. Communication is key but that is missing between these wives and their husbands. We know what happens when people don't communicate or jump to dangerous conclusions. It took me a while to get into this story. It wasn't a fit for me but could be for you if you like a dark comedic mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This comedy of errors was absolute gold. It’s as if The Golden Girls met Horrible Bosses and made and absolutely hilarious and ridiculous baby. When three women who are just over their husbands decided to hire a hitman and cash in on life insurance so they can all move to Boca Raton together - things go comedically sideways in all the best ways. Typically, I hate miscommunication tropes, but this was absolutely done right and had me LOLing throughout.

This book was not for me. I debated not finishing it, but that's not like me, so I powered through hoping it would get better.

It didn't. If anything, it got worse.

I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#ad mad love for my finished copy @williammorrowbooks #partner
& @libro.fm #partner for the ALC

Double Indemnity meets Desperate Housewives

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs is a humorous thriller that you won’t be able to put down. This book feels like too many cooks in the kitchen type of read, but in the most hilarious way.

These wives are tired of their husbands and decide to come up with a plan to eliminate all their problems all at the same time. Learning their husbands all have a 1 million dollar life insurance only propels these plans.

But things don’t always go the way you plan. What’s that saying, you make plans while God laughs - this feels like the perfect quote for this book.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, the scenarios were hilarious, but it also kept that air of suspense about it. It was the perfect blending of genres.

Memorable:
Not wanting to be Sofia because carrying her bag everywhere
Happiest people are widows

I listened to the audio while following along and enjoyed the narrator. It was a perfect performance and I have no complaints. Recommend either eye ball reading or the audio.

#theretirementplan #williammorrow

I enjoyed the first 60% of the book, but then it just felt like it dragged on. It was interesting to see how these older couples viewed their marriage after so many years and how they thought about the death of their spouse. The whole plan was quite entertaining, and I had been looking forward to seeing how it would be executed before things got complicated and the whole plan was derailed.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

Four couples, all best friends. One husband dead, but the wives of the three still living husbands have an idea. After seeing the insurance payout received, they plan to kill their husbands. Meanwhile their husbands have some secrets of their own…

Oh man this was such a fun and twisted story! You love and hate these characters at the same time, and you find yourself rooting for their success and failure? I love a book that makes me question how I feel about characters and what they are doing, and this one hit the nail on the head! This one has all the unexpected twists, with a side of comedic gold!

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy of this book!

Have you ever ran a red light (accidentally, of course, lol) and are certain you're getting a ticket when a police officer pulls behind you miles later?
Have you ever said something unkind about someone and the next time you see them, they appear to be upset with you?
Or have you ever taken a pen, pencil, or sticky note from work and the very next day you and your coworkers get an email from the boss giving a reminder that office products are bought with office funds?

Well those kinds of scenarios are what happens in The Retirement Plan. A bumbling group of four couples, who have known one another for over 30 years, are harboring secrets. Secrets that could get them killed if exposed.
Everyone the couples interact with seem to know what they've done and seem out to get them. And that assertion seems valid when one of them is found dead with very clear clues of "whodunit" left behind- they know it's a message, a sign, a warning that they are being watched; and they're next!

What a darkly humorous, delightful, and addictive read! I am shocked to see this is the first book penned by Sue Hincenbergs! Whenever I find an enjoyable "new-to-me" author, I frequently binge several of their books and/or add a lot more books to my already impressive TBR list.

This was a four star, "I wish I could have been a fly on the wall" read! I'm very excited to see what Sue Hincenbergs has in store for readers next. I would LOVE to see a sequel, following up with the characters and the mischief they'd inevitably find themselves in.

Once again, the talented voice actress and voice actor did a phenomenal job keeping me engaged and listening longer than I should have.

Thank you NetGalley, Sue Hincenbergs, William Morrow, and Harper Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this darkly and deliciously humorous read in exchange for a review.

Thank you so much to William Morrow for the gifted book!

I was so excited for this one- I'm a huge cozy mystery fan and this sounds right up my alley!

Unfortunately, it ended up not being for me. While the plot itself was so fun, the writing really caused me to struggle with wanting to continue reading.

I still think this will be a hit for many!

✧ thank you netgalley & william morrow for the arc ✧

after watching their friend suddenly become rich after becoming a widow, the group of wives form their own plan to hire a hitman to kill their incompetent husbands. little did they know that their husbands were running their own scheme on the side that cause them fearing for the lives and unintentionally involving the wives.

rating: 2.75/5 ⭐️ | spice: 0.5/5 🌶️

not gonna lie, the cover was what originally caught my eye. and then the description of the three wives wanting to kill their husbands, but the husbands also have their own side scheme going on just sounded so fun. so i had to pick it up.

i was quite confused in the beginning because we were just thrown in to meet the four couples, so it took me a little bit to finally figure out who was who's spouse. but once i finally got the hang of it, i enjoyed the story a bit more. especially after learning about how incompetent the husbands were and how they were treating their wives !! like wow like good job author for making me hate the husbands too. may a love like that never find me.

i actually wasn't expecting the direction that the story went in either. like the additional characters playing such a big part and basically also becoming main characters. so honestly i was quite engrossed trying to figure out what was going to happen next and how the wive's and husband's separate plans were going to play out. so that was fun and kept me flipping the pages, but if you asked if i actually liked what i was reading... i'm still not really sure if i liked this book.

after a while i just felt like there were so many different pieces that was moving around, which i understand was probably intentional for the plot. i just couldn't help but feel like everything was such a big miscommunication !!! like omg pleaseeeeeeeeeee just thinkkkkkk and stop asssumingggggggg. so yeah it got me frustrated, but it was still pretty fun watching everything finally play out.

i love a happy ending, but honestly this ending also just wasn't that convincing for me? i feel like there was so much build-up to the ending and then everything just got resolved too easily. so when i finished i was really left feeling like 'wow i read all this just for this?'