Thankful to have received an ARC for this book. This book was a hilarious mystery that was also about friendship and self discovery. This book was so ridiculous but in the best way. I loved the three friends and almost wish we could have read their pov too at times!

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

This book was so good with crazy twists and even crazier twists. Katheryn Hu is dating Tucker and one day he surprises her by bringing donuts to her lab at Harvard and decides to surprise him at his apartment and when she arrives she finds a note saying to go in and she finds Tucker proposing to another woman named Olivia who happens to be a lawyer. Both Katheryn and Olivia break up with him and when they go on a girls trip that Katheryn was originally going with Tucker to they find out about a third girl Elle. They are listening to a podcast and decide to get revenge on Tucker with some crazy methods (I was so shocked when I was reading this). Then as they are trashing the apartment they find Tucker dead. While Olivia and Elle go on a podcast to dish on their revenge Katheryn is discovered in Tuckers apartment cleaning things up with his dead body in another room with a frog. Katheryn thinks that things are going wrong because of her laws when really someone was orchestrating everything and the reveal was so good I enjoyed this book a lot. I’m glad that the girls were able to move on and gain something good from the experience. Also I love how they form the ex-girlfriend murder club to prove their innocence.

Cute, funny, extremely entertaining. Highly recommend if you are a fan of found friendships (under the most unusual of circumstances), murder mystery comedy, and self acceptance. I absolutely adored this from start to finish! To the point where I wasn't even looking for a plot twist so once it hit I was immediately like "WAIT, WHAT? HOW DID I MISS THAT?" Will definitely be recommending, can we get this made into a movie?!

This was a fun, fast-paced read from an author new to me! Admittedly, the book read very much as a particularly-childish YA novel at first — the pranks were so incredibly immature, as was the podcast host — but the writing did mature as the book progressed.

The characters, similarly, were extremely one-dimensional at first: Kathryn is the studious, socially-awkward chemist while Olivia is the glamorous, rich lawyer. However, their evolving friendship gradually gave the characters some much-needed depth and made the story much more palatable as it went on.

All in all, I almost gave up on the book about 30% of the way in, but am pleased that I stuck with it. I’d be interested to read more shenanigans of the Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why did I wait so long to finally read this book I had downloaded months ago? Mix together a trio of zany characters with a dead cheating boyfriend, through in some laugh out loud humor, and you have this funny mystery novel. The ending was a surprise too!

The premise of this book reminded me of the movie called 'The Other Women'. The cover was great and I was excited to read it. The beginning of the book was fine. It did a good job establishing the main character. However as soon as the revenge started I felt like the characters became more juvenile. While I understood why they decide to try to solve the crime themselves their decision making lacked any kind of sense. And to get distracted by the detective that is investigating said crime because he is attractive breaks the suspension of disbelief. It just slowly became more and more unrealistic. I felt like the continued addition of the podcast was unnecessary and contributed little to the plot. It was nice to see the characters become friends but that's about it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a chaotic, laugh-out-loud murder mystery I didn’t know I needed. Messy relationships, ride-or-die friendships, and a twisty plot make this one impossible to put down. If you love your whodunnits with a side of sarcasm and heart, add this to your TBR immediately!

Kathryn Hu is a smart, quirky and socially awkward chemist who has had a bad day at work and only wants to be comforted by her boyfriend, Tucker Jones. Instead, she walks into his bedroom to find him on his knees proposing to Olivia, a beautiful, confident lawyer. Everything Kathryn is not. Days later, Kat and Liv meet and decide to get over him together by spending the weekend at the AirBNB that Kat had planned (and paid for) as a romantic getaway for her and Tucker. They walk in to find Tucker there with a scantily clad Elle, a fun aspiring writer. Tucker runs and all three ladies decide to form an alliance to get revenge by pulling ridiculous pranks on him. Once inside his apartment they let loose…literally, only to discover Tucker’s body in the closet. With their DNA at the crime scene and plenty of motives, they must solve the murder and clear their names before Detective McHottie can arrest them.

This was such a delightful, fast-paced and often humorous book with deeper themes of friendship and self-discovery. Although I had an inkling of who the killer was, the author had enough unexpected twists to keep me doubting myself.

My only complaint is that I would have loved an epilogue to see where all three ladies landed in the future but I understand this is book one of her new series so maybe their story will continue.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

It comes out on June 24th and I would highly recommend it. This was my first Gloria Chao novel but it will not be my last.

If you love:

❤️ John Tucker Must Die…but with murder
❤️ Finley Donovan Is Killing It
❤️. Found family
❤️. Revenge plot
❤️. Unlikely friendships

Genre/Type: Cozy Mystery
Format: Kindle E-book
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: None
Tears: None
Series or Standalone: A Hu Done It Mystery, Book One
Characters: Kathryn Hu, Olivia Valentina McCarthy, Elle Henderson, Tucker Jones, Detective Adrian Birch (McHottie)

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club had such a clever ending, which I always appreciate in a cozy mystery novel. Great Dial A for Aunties vibes too with hijinks, humor, and a ride-or-die ensemble cast!

A humorous mystery about a group of women who find out they have the same boyfriend. They start to plan revenge on him, only to find him dead, and one of them becomes the main suspect.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

First and foremost - this book is funny! And I don’t mean like little silent grins here and there, I’m talking full on LOUD belly laughs throughout the entire thing.

I loved the writing and although the actual premise of the book is not relatable, the characters were and I genuinely connected with the MC on so many levels when it came to her internal dialogue.

I could have done without the podcast bits although I understand why they were included. For me it wasn’t horrible they were there as they weren’t long but I just personally found them a bit over the top as the book progressed and just unnecessary for my reading journey.

I did enjoy the twist and tbh I had thought someone entirely different for the majority of the book but I also wish that we just got… more in some areas as well?

Overall, a fantastic read!

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Many thanks to The Hive, Atria Books, and Harlequin Books for the gifted copy of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club. All opinions are my own. This book kept me entertained with its mystery and dark humor. It gave off major John Tucker Must Die vibes with a dash of murder mystery. As a woman who has had not always the best luck in relationships I found this book so comical. Almost all of us have an ex that we would love to get back at but what happens when something actually terrible actually happens to them - like murder and you are framed for the crime? As a band of one man's exes come together you will go along with the women while they try prove their innocence throughout the book. All they wanted was a little bit of revenge and groveling but the universe had other plans. Even though this had murder mystery in it, it was comical and lighthearted. It kept me entertained and I even laughed out loud a couple of times.

📖 Book Review

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

Description:
Three girls seek revenge on a cheating ex with a series of outrageous pranks—until they find him dead. With a podcast, a hasty cleanup, and a suspiciously long list of people who wanted him gone, this murder mystery blends chaos with comedy as the girls try to uncover the truth (and stay out of jail).

My Thoughts:
This was such a fun, fast-paced read! The humor, especially the chemistry jokes, had me genuinely laughing. I loved the wild setup, the podcast twist, and the friendship between the girls. While the ending felt a bit predictable, the journey there was full of sharp writing and clever moments. A great mix of dark humor and mystery!

Genre:
Humorous Murder Mystery

Age Range: Adult

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This books out on June 23, 2025!!!

I will post my review this week on my instagram page.

This is undoubtedly one of the funniest murder mystery novels I have read! Each character had their quirks and it created a very interesting dynamic between the members of the Ex-boyfriend Murder Club (Kat, Olivia & Elle).

Chao did a great job portraying female friendship and showing how women support each other in even the toughest of times. The beginning of the story had my jaw-dropping at multiple points from both shock and hilarity.

That being said… that ending!! I personally did NOT see it coming. My brain was on a completely different path than that. The explanation was really well thought-out and written!

Two aspects of the story that I did not feel were necessary to the plot was the budding romance for the main character and the podcast excerpts. It didn’t feel like either added too much, other than as an easy grab for a “gotcha” moment or to extend the investigation when it felt inevitably over.

I do believe the story could have done with an epilogue to wrap everything up. The ending felt a bit quick and I could have done with a bit more from Kat on what happened after.

Overall, this is a cute, hilarious and fast-paced murder mystery full of found family moments. Highly recommend if you are looking for a light read to brighten up your day!

This was a fun read. I anticipated it being a light, funny little book based on the cover, and I was not disappointed. I gave The Other Woman meets quirky revenge vibes. It will be a great beach read for the summer!

Like many ARCs, I chose this one for the cover and cute title. It was a good choice, because it turned out to be a fun read. I found it similar to Desai’s novel: To Have and To Heist. So if you enjoyed this one, I strongly recommend you check out the Simi Chopra series. Both have similar plot formulas and humor.

The story begins with a bang, and has a strong first half. We meet Kat, a grad school chemist at Harvard who has a too-perfect-to-be-true boyfriend, Tucker. He always seems to know the right things to say and do. Until she accidentally walks in on his proposal to another woman, Olivia. Chaos ensues, and they decide to ban together for support. Shortly after, they find Tucker with another woman, Elle, and the three woman quickly decide to plot revenge together. Except Tucker turns up dead and they need to scramble to clear their names. Thus, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is born. From there, parts dragged a bit, and the dialog was clunky at times. As a whole, I did enjoy the story and especially the friendships Kat makes with the other women.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So excited to have an opportunity from Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley to read this advanced copy of this hilarious murder mystery. I absolutely loved how easy it was to dive into this book and the quirky character chemistry. a definite recommendation for anyone who loves to smile when they read.

3/5 stars
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a cute and funny read with a charming premise and plenty of witty moments. Gloria Chao delivers humor and light suspense in a fresh, fast-paced style. However, the characters felt a bit flat and underdeveloped, which made it harder to fully connect with their journey. Fun for a quick escape, but not especially memorable.

This story of unlikely friends trying to solve a crime that they are accused of had me laughing out loud, screaming “no, no, don’t do it!” , and feeling for the main characters. Chemistry graduate student Kathryn (Kat) Hu, lawyer Olivia (Liv), and aspiring writer Elle should not be friends, the only thing they have in common is their boyfriend Tucker Jones. Inspired by a revenge podcast they decide to work together to exact a little revenge on Tucker Jones. But things don’t go as planned and now Kat is a suspect in Tucker’s murder. With the McHottie Detective watching her every move, can they figure out who really did it before it is too late? Kat is a character that I enjoyed. Socially awkward and living with parental expectations I liked the way she began to evolve and start to figure out the person she wants to be. Plus the gifts from her Mom, they made me giggle. Olivia is the perfect counterpart to Kat and appears to be everything Kat is not and watching them form a friendship was the heart of the book. Elle was Elle and added her own uniqueness to the Ex-Girlfriends Murder Club. I did not see the end coming and can’t wait to read the next one. I recommend the book to readers that enjoy mysteries with unlikely amateur detectives filled with outlandish situations.

This book delves into powerful themes of female friendship and empowerment, while also exploring deceit, manipulation, and emotional control. Each character challenges readers to reflect on their own fears and how they would react in similar situations. Their complex, flawed personalities drive the story forward with unexpected decisions and courageous actions.

The novel takes a close look at parenting and the lasting impact rejection can have on a child, carrying through into adulthood. It also skillfully unravels the traits of emotional manipulators and chronic liars, keeping readers on edge as they try to predict what will happen next. Chao shines with her unpredictability and clever use of humor, offering both comic relief and a way for her characters to process their grief. The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club: A Feminist Murder Mystery of Three Women Teaming Up to Solve a Crime and Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex is a powerful and empowering read, inspiring women to embrace their value and come together for a common cause.