Warning: This book will make you wonder if you have accidentally partaken in cannibalism.

After reading and loving Delicate Condition, I was beyond excited to find out I was approved for an advanced copy of THE DEAD HUSBAND COOKBOOK. In this novel by Danielle Valentine, Thea Woods has been given the ultimatum of losing her job or editing infamous chef Maria Capello's, memoir. This memoir has the opportunity to make or break Thea's career, because not only is Maria a household name, but she will answer questions about the elusive death of her husband, Damien.

On one hand, I couldn't put this book down. The chapters were engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the little inclusions of Maria's recipes. I thought the formatting was innovative and vaguely reminiscent of Home Before Dark, where the narrative swaps between Thea's perspective and her reading Maria's writing.

On the other hand, I found the ending to be lackluster and justtttt open-ended enough that I had just as many questions as I did at the start of the book. Sometimes loose endings work, but not in the case of a cookbook memoir. For fans of mystery/thrillers looking for their next mind-boggling twist, you will not find it here. For fans of the "Good for Her" genre, you might find a bit of a hit here.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this, but it didn't satiate me like I wanted it to.

This was a good thriller/ mystery with a nice balance of suspense. I didn't care for the long recipes but understand the artistic choice of it and think some people will like it. I also guessed the twist pretty quick and nothing truly surprised me. Overall, it was solid!

while some of the "twists" and "reveals" were rather obvious from the get-go, there were others that caught me by surprise. and even then, it doesn't speak to the amazing writing of this book. just as our main character, i was so sat reading the memoir and the series of events happening in the house. in all, a great book

I genuinely enjoyed this book so much. I thought I knew where the story was going, but then it took a turn that I wasn't expecting. The idea of a book within a book, and including recipes within the book, was so clever that I could recommend this book highly.

This was a fun, suspenseful read that I kept thinking would make a good series. I enjoyed it! And now I’m thinking about trying out some of the recipes… but that secret ingredient…

3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

Trigger warnings: divorced parents, neglect of a child (due to divorce), animal slaughter (pigs for cooking purposes), suspected cannibalism

This is my first book by this author, and I loved it. In this book, we follow Thea Woods after a career ending faux pas...but miraculously she gets a chance to save her career in the biggest way possible. Queue Maria Capello, the household name celebrity chef who has been surrounded by cannibalism and murder conspiracies for 3 decades. Surprise, surprise, she wants to write a tell-all memoir and she wants none other than Thea to be the editor for it.

This book is full of twists and turns that you don't see coming and it kept me coming back for more. There are a few typos, but I figure they will be fixed before publishing. My only complaint with this book was that, while I was reading I managed to get to 20% without anything big happening.......but with that said, it didn't feel like a chore to read all that either.

The characters are well developed and enjoyable to read about. Even Maria's children are interesting, and her son Enzo acts like a "celebrity child". I couldn't ask for more when it comes to the characters. The setting of the book is well described and at times I felt like I could see the house in my mind!

Overall the book is well put together and flows nicely. I love how the recipes that are mentioned in the chapters are woven into the book. I was half tempted to skip over them, BUT, I was dying to know what Maria's secret ingredient is. (for real though, I might have to try some of these recipes...although maybe not the meatballs)

I did add a few trigger warnings at the top of my review, but nothing is over the top in your face, but figured I'd throw them out there just in case someone wants to avoid them all together.

I can't wait to see if there is a follow up to this book because although the book was wrapped up very nicely, I would love to know more about Thea's story following the events of The Dead Husband Cookbook. Afterall, family is SO important!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for allowing me to devour this book early. I can't wait to read more books from Danielle Valentine!

A darkly clever and twisted read! The Dead Husband Cookbook mixes suspense with sharp wit—fast-paced, eerie, and totally entertaining. That said, the cover seriously grossed me out!

Behind the scenes of reality TV with an Italian Martha Stewart type who's husband mysteriously disappeared years before. Thea is sent in secret to edit the memoir of a famous tv chef and hopefully learn the truth about the husbands decades long disappearance. I enjoyed this novel and the recipes thrown in throughout, it was entertaining and a quick read with some good twists. Giving this one 3/3.5 stars and will look for more from Danielle Valentine in the future. I want to thank NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Danielle Valentine, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

This was just. A spectacular force of a book. A knife thrust into my abdomen would have shocked me less. Levels of gaslighting up there with Gone Girl. My head was spinning with everything going on and I wasn't sure how it would end up all working together, but sure enough, it did.

Spoiler: If I did have one very tiny, minor qualm, it would be that Damien wrote his goodbye note on a waiter's order pad, and Maria removed the middle page to make it seem like a suicide note. However, order pads are typically numbered, and a missing number in the pad would definitely be suspicious. It's not hard to believe that Maria simply rewrote the note (and was able to copy Damien's handwriting) or perhaps the pads didn't have numbers, but I could not stop thinking about it. Also, writing on an order pad would definitely make indents through the pages and that's another way people may have been able to tell there was more to the note. Not a huge deal, definitely not something that made the book worse because there are explanations, but I had to mention it.

I really enjoyed The Dead Husband Cookbook! The writing was sharp and immersive—I found myself feeling just as impatient and on edge as the main character, which speaks volumes to the author’s ability to build suspense. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the story would twist in another direction, keeping me guessing until the end. It was such a fun, twisty read, and I’ll definitely be recommending it to friends and book clubs alike.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy.

Thea Woods is hanging onto her job as an editor by the tips of her fingers (after making a big mistake) when she gets handed the opportunity of a lifetime: the famed culinary star Maria Capello has chosen Thea to be the editor for her memoir, where she will finally reveal what happened to her husband, chef Damien Capello, thirty years earlier. Traveling up to Woodstock, NY Thea finds that everything surrounding Maria and her family is "off" and nothing is as it seems. But in order to edit the book and save her job, Thea must stay at Maria's house and hope that she can come out the other side unscathed.

This book grabbed my attention from page one and didn't let go until the last page. I loved getting the chance to see Maria's actual chapters of her memoir as Thea is reading it. Valentine did a good job of suffusing tension and escalating paranoia into every moment for Thea. And when the secrets start getting revealed I found myself holding my breath until the end. This was such a fun ride that I wish I could read it again for the first time.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is out August 5, 2025

I read Danielle Valentine's Delicate Condition and enjoyed it, and when I saw the title and cover for The Dead Husband Cookbook, I had to request it. It just came through, and I am so excited to read it in advance of the publishing date in September!

Thea works as an editor at a small publishing house in New York City. Disgraced by a faux pas she made with an author, she's expecting her boss to fire her when she's summoned to her office. But surprisingly, she's informed that celebrity chef Maria Capello wants Thea to be the editor of her memoir. Maria is Thea's idol: Thea has been avidly following Maria's career since she was a child, reading every cookbook, making every recipe, and watching every episode of Maria's cooking show. Thea and her boss have no idea why the chef wants her to work with her on her memoir, and they also have no idea why she is breaking her silence after decades of keeping her personal life private. Significantly, they suspect that Maria may be finally ready to publicly share the story behind the death of her husband thirty years ago.

The bulk of the story is narrated by Thea, a sympathetic and likable protagonist. Interspersed in the narrative are Maria's recipes, some news articles spanning the length of her career, and chapters from her book. It all combines to create a very enjoyable and readable tale. This combination of thriller, mystery, and horror is sure to entertain lovers of this type of novel!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

If The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo took a dark, eerie turn and collided headfirst with the unsettling allure of A Certain Hunger, you’d get this twisted, unforgettable tale.

The story follows a woman who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to write a book about a celebrity chef she’s long admired. But what begins as a dream project quickly morphs into a nightmarish descent, as she finds herself trapped on a remote farm steeped in secrecy. The setting is atmospheric and haunting, keeping you on edge as she desperately tries to finish her book before her career, and perhaps her sanity, crumbles.

Danielle masterfully builds suspense, threading unease through every chapter. She keeps you teetering between fascination and dread, and the pacing keeps your heart in your throat. Just when you think you know where it's going, the ending throws curveballs that leave you reeling.

While the finale felt slightly rushed compared to the slow burn buildup, and I would’ve loved a bit more elaboration to fully flesh out the resolution, it still packed a punch.

If you're in the mood for a story that's eerie yet addictively fun, I highly recommend picking this one up. It lingers in the mind long after the last page.

★ ¾

The Dead Husband Cookbook, to me, was a story of the thriller setup fumbling right when it was meant to make the most impact. Sucked in by promises of feminist horror, the dangers lurking behind reality TV and homemade Italian food and grandmothers that look like they couldn't hurt a fly, this book felt like it was made for me and I was devastated it did not deliver.

I think my favorite part of this book was the protagonist, Thea. Appropriately terrified and hesitant and yet driven by her spirit as an editor pushing her to get a story at the cost of her own self-preservation, she easily drew me into the suspense of the book and kept me reading enough to finish it in one sitting sitting in my bed recovering from oral surgery. The side characters (and, of course, the enigmatic Maria Capello) also peppered the novel with a good chunk of flavor, and the horror imagery throughout was a nice backdrop for the book's suspense. I also found Thea's anecdotes mixed with Maria's memoir to be a nice touch that further immersed us into both women's internal struggles.

However, none of the twists really wowed me or felt appropriate for the suspense the novel set up. The climax felt very "Disney-villain"-y (complete with the long, gloating monologue), and the author chose to resolve the many plotlines in a way that felt narrated over organic, which was jarring and disappointing from the stellar tone the rest of the novel was written in, with prose that was simple but gave just as much attention to the atmosphere as it deserved. Without spoilers, the ending also bothered me severely—I see the comment about cycles of wrongdoing that fester in the family unit that the author was attempting to make, but I didn't feel there to be enough stock in it to really make it hit home. With all this said, thrillers (though I do enjoy them) are not a common genre for me: it may be worth, as a seasoned reader, seeing if this title is a better fit for you than it was me.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of The Dead Husband Cookbook.

If you're thinking about reading this book, BUCKLE UP because it was a wild ride (but also tons of fun). A lot of mystery with a helping of dark humor mixed in, as well as some powerful observations about what it means to be a woman, a wife and a mother. This definitely won't be the right fit for every reader but it was a great and memorable read for me!

4.5 stars

When I first read the title of this book I was expecting a gore filled thriller. Instead I felt like this book combined the interview story telling elements of a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel and the shock of one of your favorite thriller movies that feels uncomfortably possible. The different perspectives and flashbacks felt easy to understand and follow along with. I enjoyed this book and its lack of conformity to other thrillers/mysteries I’ve read.

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. I found the characters likeable, it was quite atmospheric, and the writing was well paced. The writing was not clunky or dense and the author kept things tense while at the same time also lighthearted. We were left in suspense through most of the book wondering what exactly was in the mysterious meatballs. I enjoyed the book within the book and I felt the author handled the back and forth between the two very well. I found some of the plot twists fairly predictable for a thriller and in that aspect it fell flat a bit. It almost felt as though the author was trying to hit plot twist after plot twist at the end which had me rolling my eyes at some parts. Overall it was a decent thriller and I would recommend it to others!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

5 Stars! I've never given 5 stars to a thriller. The twists and turns kept me on my toes; I wasn't expecting all the twists. Someone in my comments mentioned Sweeney Todd, but I think it's so different and a wonderful story!

This book hits a lot of my sweet spots - Mystery thriller? Check. Celebrity chef and food focused? Check. And while it might not have reached the heights I was hoping for, it was definitely a fun read. The whole "book within a book" concept can be hard to pull off if it's not made clear that there's a lot of text not "included" in what we're actually reading, but at least here the issue was lightly lamp-shaded and acknowledged. The plot gets 3.5 stars for some twists that I definitely saw coming, but as a whole the plot, the writing, and and the concept worked well together, so rounding up to 4. A good beach read.

Maria is an icon in the food scene, but is her squeaky clean exterior all that? When given the opportunity to edit Maria’s memoir with promises of salacious secrets that she’s never disclosed to anyone, Thea jumps in with both feet. After all, she’s looked up to Maria her entire life, so this is a dream job… until it’s not.

Maria was my favorite character. Her perspective was relatable and dare I say, it was delicious to live vicariously through her life as a female in a man’s kitchen and how she rises above to pave her own success, while dealing with an egotistical, selfish and cheating husband (not a spoiler), but it really rounded out the whole story and left me feeling satisfied.

Special shoutout to the spooky setting in Woodstock and a particular callout to Utica, NY! A very enjoyable and entertaining story that I gobbled up in a day, with recipes that I’m itching to try, but without that secret ingredient. Could have done without the butchering scenes (I skimmed), but plenty of surprise twists to keep you guessing with Maria’s unreliable perspective making me question facts vs fiction all the way through.