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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- releasing TODAY 8/5/25!

A thriller about an author who maybe murdered her husband? A book within a book? Female rage? Maybe cannibalism??? I really ate this up (pun intended). This had me hooked. I read this whole book in one day, I really desperately wanted to find out what happened. I loved the slow and spooky unfurling of the story from both the present day narrative and the book narrative. There were some really great twists and turns, even all the way into the last pages of the book. I loooove stories centering female perspectives, and enjoyed how this book navigated harsh and unlikeable characters. I really just enjoyed it soooo much. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to @sourcebooks and @netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

#books #bookreviewer #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #newrelease #advancedreadercopy #NetGalley

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4.5 stars!! This book has such a different premise than others and I loooveeeeeeed Maria’s memoir chapters. Honestly, if this book had more about Maria’s past it would have been 5 stars but still a solid 4-4.5 stars! The secrets of Maria’s family and the house they live in. There was some spooky house/kids vibes mixed in and lots of tangled webs of lies and deceit. The whole farm/slaughterhouse was eerie in itself and the ending was chefs kiss 😉

This is my third book by this author and all have absolutely entertained and intrigued me to keep picking more and I know it will always be a good thriller time!!!

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I don't know what I expected from the books. Maybe a little Sweeny Todd. It was really good and some parts unexpected. I enjoyed reading it.

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What a banger of a thriller.

Maria Capello is a celebrity chef, most famous for her meatballs. Until her husband goes missing, and the decades-long mystery remains unsolved.

Maria request Thea, a struggling editor, to edit her upcoming memoir. Thea also happens to be a massive fan of Maria, so its kismet.

ndling of the last book she worked on. That is until renowned chef and cookbook author, Maria Capello, asks for Thea, and Thea only, to be the editor of her upcoming memoir. She also asks that Thea come to her lavish estate.

Not only is Thea one of her biggest fans but the lucky timing couldn't have worked out better.

When Thea arrives, she is asked to turn over her phone. She hesitates...because, why? Why must she give up her lines of communication. Something smells fishy, and it isn't one of Maria's meals.

This is a PAGE-TURNER. I blew through this in one sitting because of the twists! It's scary, suspenseful and quite funny, just the right kind of book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Maria, a celebrity chef is rumored to have murdered her husband. So, Maria hires Thea to edit her memoir and set the record straight against the rumors of murder and the truth of their cooking empire. Thea edits from the remote farm where all the magic of Maria's home cooking was born. But, the longer Thea spends at the farm, the more out of the ordinary Maria's life appears to be.

This one was such a fast paced, thriller to read! Its gorey in parts so heed the trigger warning of a few scenes of blood and guts! But so worth the read!!! Highly recommend!!!

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The way my brain kept running back and forth between how I thought this would wrap up made me feel like I had run a mental marathon. I really enjoyed this, the plot was interesting, the house was eerily confusing and expressionless, the family was weird as all get out and what the hell happened to the husband?


I’ve only ever read Delicate Condition by Valentine but that set my bar soooo high because I really loved it, needless to say I was very excited for this one.

The book within the book and
and multiple POVs are easy to follow, the twists were fun, but I do wish we had more guts and gory-nastiness going on. All in all, it was an enjoyable read and I can’t complain. Thanks to Sourcebooks for my eARC!

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I was excited about this premise, but with the rough pacing, lack of likable characters, and honestly just an overly twisty ending, I didn't care for this one in the end. I have a hard time with books where the majority of the time the main character is just constantly like 'what could possibly be going on?!' and then it all just dumps out at the end with new situations, new characters, and the lack of sprinkling the suspense throughout the story to get you there. Unfortunately, that pretty much summed up this read for me.

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Hooked me from the first page. This book was such a fast and easy read despite making me lose my appetite and question why I was reading it 😅 thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

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A delicious read! The different perspectives in narrative kept me interested, because I had an idea of what might happen, but I got distracted with the other details (ahem, the recipes) in the story. Pretty interesting concept for a book, and the writing was well-done (puns absolutely intended).

If you've been thinking of checking out this book, please do so 😄

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Thank you NetGalley,
This book is so slow and unrealistic. What book editor lives in the same house as the author? Thea has a husband and daughter why would she put herself in danger like that? I enjoyed Danielle Valentine’s first book but this one is too slow for me.

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Idk what the secret recipe is that the author out in this book but I devoured it in one day. I love that it included recipes to go along with the story (not that I cook, but they sound delicious!) This story is seriously disturbing and messed up but in the best way.
Celebrity chef Maria is famous for her meatballs, with their secret ingredient, and the mystery surrounding the death of her husband 30 years ago. The story blends yummy food, motherhood and of course, a hint of murder. It was suspenseful from the beginning and didn’t let up right up to the end. I wanted a domestic thrill ride and it sure did deliver. There’re so many unreliable characters that you question everything and everyone. And then there is the wit-you would think that with a story this dark that there wouldn’t be any but boy you’d be wrong. This was loaded with it, and dark humor too, which is my jam.
With layers of secrets and loads of betrayal this book should shoot to the top of your tbr.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

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Some stories don’t want to be told—but when they are, they force everyone involved to face uncomfortable truths. This book reaches into a family’s tangled past through the eyes of an editor handed a manuscript that holds more than just words. As she reads and investigates, the fractures beneath the surface start to show, revealing secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Family secrets and past wounds shape the lives of several characters, each carrying their own hidden truths. The editor uncovers the layers as she reads and researches, moving between past and present.

The narrative’s timeline shifts smoothly, revealing fractured relationships and personal growth with honesty and depth. Each chapter ends with an Italian recipe, grounding the emotional weight with warmth and tradition.

Reading this alongside my bestie Susan made the experience richer, as we explored themes of truth, healing, and fresh starts together.

If you appreciate stories that confront difficult family histories while offering hope, this one stays with you long after the last page.

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Loved this book! A fun dark take on a thriller, I loved the set up of the story with the added recipes too. I’m excited to try out a recipe or two. Had a great time with this and though I could see one of the twists coming, I had a great time anyway.

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4.5 stars. I enjoyed Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition quite a bit, but I liked The Dead Husband Cookbook even more. I had such a great time with this book.

Thea Woods is an editor who is barely hanging onto her job at a publishing house after a public disgrace, and the last thing she expects is for world-famous celebrity chef Maria Capello to walk into her office, insisting that she will only accept Thea as the editor of her long-awaited memoir. Twenty years ago, Maria’s husband, famous chef Damien Capello, disappeared from the family farm in upstate New York. Even after his disappearance was ruled a suicide, Maria couldn’t escape dark rumors that she murdered Damien, and she has never spoken publicly about that time in her life…until now. And Thea, a lifelong fan of Maria’s, gets to read the truth about Damien’s disappearance before anyone else alongside Maria herself – who insists that Thea travel to her farm in Woodstock, New York, to closely collaborate on the editing of the manuscript. It’s a prospect Thea can’t resist, and as she delves deeper into Maria’s memoir, she begins to realize the truth is more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is a perfectly-executed thriller, with elements of horror and a willingness to engage with salacious subject matter that made it incredibly difficult to put down. Valentine utilizes the book-within-a-book structure perfectly, even including mouthwatering recipes, while ratcheting up the tension in the narrative by deliberate degrees. There’s an unsettling quality that permeates the entire book; the atmosphere feels claustrophobic and slightly dangerous. I loved Thea as a protagonist – she’s incredibly relatable and easy to empathize with – and Maria is equally as fascinating. She feels like an amalgamation of our favorite female celebrity chefs, with Lidia’s recipes, Martha’s savvy, and Ina’s onscreen persona. Through both of these central characters, Valentine takes the opportunity to explore female agency, the performative nature of fame, and the complexities of marriage and motherhood, and it’s all just so interesting and well-done.

Sometimes you read a book that just completely nails the concept, that maximizes its potential to the fullest degree, and The Dead Husband Cookbook is one of those. This was completely satisfying, just like a really good meal. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the early reading opportunity.

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The Dead Husband Cookbook is a layered and genre blending novel of mystery, memoir, and culinary nostalgia into one unique recipe. Told through a dual timeline and alternating narrators, this story draws you in slowly but delivers on big twists.

The book is centered around Thea, a cautious but curious editor specifically requested to work on the long-awaited tell-all memoir written by elusive celebrity chef Maria Bianchi. It’s been thirty years since Maria’s husband disappeared under questionable circumstances. His disappearance triggered Maria’s rise to culinary fame and quite a lot of gossip around her family. Now, Maria is finally ready to release her version of events. But only on her terms.

The narrative structure is one of the novel’s strengths, in my opinion. It moves between Thea’s present-day editing (as the memoir chapters are sporadically released to her) and Maria’s past as she recounts it. I found it to be a unique format as it includes actual “recipes”that are much more telling than just instructions on creating a dish - considering memory and truth can be stirred and served in different ways.

If you are looking for a character-driven novel with unreliable perspectives, and a bit of culinary flair (regardless of your relationship with cooking, which honestly I avoid), this one deserves a spot on your TBR list. It’s a book that leaves you questioning what’s been left unsaid and what may still be hidden below the surface.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of The Dead Husband Cookbook published August 5th, 2025.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and am happy to rate it 4 out of 5 stars in my own personal opinion.

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If you’re hungry for a thriller that’s equal parts delicious and disturbing, The Dead Husband Cookbook serves it up with flair. This addictive page turner blends a cold case mystery, a twisted psychological undercurrent, and mouthwatering culinary details into one unforgettable read. Maria, a celebrity chef with a glossy public persona and a past full of secrets, finally agrees to write the memoir her fans, and the public, have been desperate for. But she’ll only work with one editor, Thea, setting the stage for a tense collaboration that peels back layers of both women’s pasts.

At the heart of the novel is Damien, Maria’s husband who vanished years ago without a trace. As Thea digs into the memoir process, it becomes clear that Maria’s cookbook is far more than a collection of recipes, it’s a breadcrumb trail of clues. The “book within a book” structure is brilliantly executed, with excerpts from Maria’s writing adding depth, intrigue, and a creeping sense of dread. Every chapter is laced with recipes and food descriptions so vivid you’ll crave a snack, and possibly question what’s in it.

Smart, suspenseful, and infused with shades of horror, this novel keeps the tension simmering until it boils over. Danielle Valentine delivers sharp twists, complex female leads, and a deliciously dark premise that’s both unsettling and impossible to look away from. The Dead Husband Cookbook is a feast for thriller lovers, just maybe don’t read it before dinner.

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3.75 stars rounded up.

Thea gets the opportunity of a lifetime - to edit the memoir of the infamous Maria Capello, whose famous chef husband disappeared one day without a trace. Many suspected Maria murdered him, and if Thea can get her to talk about what happened that night in her book, it could skyrocket Thea’s career. Thea gets the job and is asked to stay at Maria’s home to work on the book. She can’t have her phone, can’t interview locals, and can’t have access to the internet to research - per Maria’s rules. Thea starts to get a bad feeling as she waits for each chapter to be sent her way for review.

This book was very captivating from the beginning. I really loved how each of Maria’s chapters were given to the reader throughout the book and how it included real recipes along the way. I definitely want to try one when I get the motivation. Super cool idea (special ingredient aside). I think this book was a great slow burn and I appreciated some of the twists. Towards the end, it kinda lost me. I don’t want to share any spoilers, but I would’ve been happy if it ended one or two twists earlier. Otherwise, this was a great, quick read!

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HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY!!!! :)

I wanted to finish this book before everyone got their hands on this book and I've accomplished that mission!

I have had the pleasure to meet Danielle two years ago while she was on tour for Delicate Condition and I have read a majority of her books (I think there is 1 or 2 unread) but let me just say WOAH! Her writing has changed so much for the better. There wasn't anything wrong with her other books but this just had me gripping the book and dying to get answers.

If you are looking for a fast paced thriller that will have you stunned at the plot twist - look no further!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for this digital e-arc

🔪🥩

This is twisty, gory, and completely sucks you in beginning to end! I read this in a single sitting. Perfect for all thriller lovers. You're definitely going to want to add this one to your shelf.

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✌🏼for Tuesday
*
The dead husbands cookbook- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thank you @netgalley and @sourcelandmarks ! This book was spectacular. I went in with little expectation and basically blind after seeing some early bookstagram buzz. It didn’t disappoint at all! This one follows Thea who is offered a chance to edit her cooking idols memoir. Maria (the idol in question) has quite a wild past that includes her husbands disappearance/suicide and many joke that he is the special ingredient in her meatballs. This one was just SO clever and switches between the present time line, memoir, and recipes (one of which I’m definitely planning to try). I didn’t see the twists coming, the characters and premise totally hooked me. Loved love loved this one! This one is seriously so good, I’ll be thinking about it for a while !

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