I loved this cute read. Super funny, campy, and fun. It really needs to be turned into a movie or Netflix series. It made me laugh and I loved the characters and the plot. As a long married lady all the ups and downs of the four couple characters rang so true. I love that it had some backstabbing and double crossing but the plot was simple enough that I didn't get confused. I really loved the humorous side stories of what was going with each character and how they got figured out during the book. This book kept my attention and brought my mood up because of its campy nature - the author's writing style reminded me of a Carl Hiaasen book.

The Retirement Plan- Or the frustrations woman feel when in a marriage that can’t seem to break from the old habits and norm. But isn’t that relatable? For three friends in a marriage it was. Until one of the husbands is found dead and widowhood never looked so good.

Like a mystery, the red herrings begin and the secrets from our spouses start right out the gate. It’s fun watching these women converse. Being friends and married to the same men for 30 years, watching them catch the little out of ordinary things their counter parts do and the conversations seem to flow easily. This definitely follows the playbook of mystery/thriller stories, as the reader is introduced to a “who is who” early on but maybe too many intros at once, to try and keep track of all the players.

The full plot wasn’t obvious, which I enjoyed. I appreciated the parts the husbands played, as the writer didn’t try to force something to be subtle that wasn’t and just let it be obvious and direct as it should be. Felt like the author was giving credit to the intelligence of their reader. So getting the point of view from both husband and wife was a good choice. Although, the husband was starting to be quite a stretch, especially from a guy who couldn’t figure out to put away his shoes. It’s been a while since a book claimed to be funny had moments of me giggling, so I was happy to have a similar sense of humor as the author.

The first half of the book was stronger, as the story progressed, it unfortunately when into some predictable territory. And this is way too long; the story was definitely losing steam and wrapped way too easily, almost like it was glad to be done. In the end, I could have done without Padma’s point of view. Overall, a like-able and enjoyable funny mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I don't think I was/am the intended target audience for this book as I am in my twenties. It's too bad because the premise of this book sounded good. Oh well.

This delightfully funny story gives insight into how truly dangerous it is to ignore the age old adage, "happy wife, happy life." I laughed many times while reading this book at the absurdity and mad cap humor throughout. This book has many twists and turns and is surprisingly loving and sweet, well as loving and sweet as can be while plotting to off your husbands, and a realistic view into the thoughts of married life and what might lead you to such a decision e.g.,
"You don’t do that to someone you love. That’s when I knew he doesn’t love me anymore. When he ate my pad thai.”

Thank you to the author, @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for an ARC!

Loved the premise of this book but is so poorly written that it is an absolute struggle to finish. I don’t recommend it.

This book definitely wasn’t for me. I could not get into it as I could not relate to any of the characters. I appreciate the early read opportunity, but had a hard time staying focused on it.

This book is about three middle-aged friends who turned to murders in order to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies... but there husbands had an idea of their own. This book was such a turn pager!! My first book by this author thank you net galley!

The author did a very good job in telling this fast-paced and action-packed narrative that boasted an eclectic cast of characters and plenty of finger pointing that had me completely immersed in what was happening, quickly becoming a page-turner as I had to know how this was all going to end. In between the suspense and intrigue, there was humor that had me chuckling through this well-written and wickedly mischievous plot. I loved that the author changed directions multiple times, taking me to a variety of different scenarios that followed along with what the author intended, including plenty of twists and turns that enhanced my reading pleasure. Overall, this was an enjoyable and amusingly charming mystery.

A group of best friends decides it's in their best interests to kill their husbands so that they can enjoy their retirement. The husbands have been getting on their nerves, and the ladies think life will be easier without them. As they begin to plot their husband's demises, little do they know, their husbands have retirement plans of their own. What ensues is highly entertaining, suspenseful, heart-warming and funny. I loved this!!!! I felt like a was reading an episode of I Love Lucy at some points. This book hit all the boxes, and will be my staff recommendation for May!

Couldn’t get into it

This had too many characters and I just didn’t care about any of them. I tried reading it several times but could. Not get into it.

4+⭐️
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Susan Hincenbergs and her publisher William Morrow. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the May 2025 release of THE RETIREMENT PLAN in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn’t at all what I expected but it was fun, quirky and exactly what I needed. You couldn’t help but laugh along the way.

It was a hoot, the shenanigans these women get into. Holy Moly! Think desperate housewives reboot. Oh the drama! Think total miscommunications & mischief! It’s got humor, twists and lots of devious behavior. Of course those husbands can’t be bested so it’s a who will outwit who! Suspenseful, yet light humor. Don’t want to wreck this one for spoilers cause it’s fun to experience it yourself.

It was super entertaining and a great palate cleanser and exactly what I was in the mood for. Hit the spot!

This would be a perfect book for a vacation read or just a relaxing afternoon decompressing!

This book is full of the most unlikeable selfish characters. I understand that it is supposed to have some kind of dark humor, but the only character I wanted to actually survive is the dog.

Mixed emotions on this one. On one hand, it was fairly fast paced and the plotting of the novel was interesting. However, there were a few too many POVs for my liking which led to me skimming some chapters (looking at you casino manager whose name I can't remember literally 5 days after finishing the book). Ultimately, it was a chaotic and fairly absurd book but that I think some will really enjoy but others could be put off by - for me, it was just okay.

I really don't know what to say about this book, but I will tell you this: It is not what I expected. This was not a cozy mystery. On one hand, it is a hate-filled book. It is a book about lies and misunderstandings. It is what happens when people don't talk to each other. On the other hand, things manage to work themselves out—how? Don't ask me. I'm still confused about all that happened in this novel.

I have to agree with another reviewer that said this book was absurd and that you are going to either love it or hate it. I recommend that you take it out from the library before you think about buying it.

The points of view are all over the place, nobody is really who they seem, and secondary and tertiary characters added nothing to the story.

Just remember this quote from the book - "Happy wife, happy life," and you will get through it.

I could see that there was supposed ot be a lot of humor in this, but it seemed to be weak humor to me.

Don't pass this book up just because a few of us were not enamored with it; after all, it is the author's first attempt, and my sense of humor may not be in tune with how this book was written.

*ARC supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley.

1/5 stars: This is Hincenbergs' Mystery Thriller stand-alone that follows three middle-aged best friends who turn to murder in order to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies… but are unaware that their husbands have a devious plan of their own. Written in dual POV, Hincenbergs' writing and character work are well done. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me; leading me to DNF it at 15%.

I received this eARC thanks to William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

The writing was solid in this fast-paced tale. I enjoyed the multiple POV's. There was a bit of a rom-com feel to it, and I found the ending a bit unsatisfying. However, there are enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged, Overall, this could make a good option for a quick beach read.

While being a married woman, this plot was a little hard for me to grasp at times. I can't imagine wanting my husband dead. But once I could set that aside, I started to really enjoy the story. It's full of unexpected twists. If you like dark humor this is sure to satisfy.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are a lot of ways this book could have gone wrong and the author avoids the worst of them. It's a darkly funny and weirdly heartfelt book. In a lot of ways it reminded me of The Thursday Murder Club if they were to go out and plan a crime instead of solving one. The relationship between the women is really great and really has a lot to say about friendship, marriage, and security.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy before its release. This grabbed me from the first page and I found myself laughing out loud at the shenanigans these couples did. I wasn’t sure where this was headed but I couldn’t put it down. I read it in a day.

If you love madcap comedies of errors, this book is definitely going to hit the sweet spot. Reminiscent of a number of movies I've seen over the years where there are plots within (and without) of plots, everyone seems to be trying (and failing) to kill one another with enough twists and turns to fill multiple books. I think a lot of it depends on how much you like the characters...and with the exception of one...I really didn't like any of them. That said - I'm not sure you're supposed to. In some ways, these are all awful people doing awful things (and failing) and there's definitely comedy in that. I wanted to love this book and instead...merely liked it. But I applaud the effort and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the author's future work. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and uncompensated. The Retirement Plan is out May 6th and can be preordered now.