This was a fun read with a lot of ridiculous actions and chaos with a good mix of humor and friendship thrown in. It was a little too much and over the top at times, which kind of became a little frustrating. This would make a great movie. I really liked the narration of this story.

This was an interesting take on the murder mystery! The book takes the listener on a journey through multiple POV and lots of questions as to what the end goal would be. I love the friendships that this book showcased!

This audio book was an easy listen and a decent debut novel!

Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC copy of the audio book!

Happy pub day to The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs! I’m so grateful to @williammorrowbooks for this gorgeous copy (scroll through my pictures to see the amazing end papers!) and to HarperAudio for an ALC of this twisty, dark comedy.

Pam, Nancy, Shalisa, and Marlene have dreamed of retiring together, but after their husbands make a bad investment, those plans might have to be put on hold indefinitely. Their financial situation puts a strain on all their marriages, and then a real tragedy occurs and the women discover their husbands have million-dollar life insurance policies. It only makes sense that they consider getting rid of the men to get that money and finally live out their retirement dreams. But their husbands have plans of their own the wives don’t know about and things go hysterically off the rails.

This was a funny book that had many plot twists I didn’t see coming. This year I’ve read some great books that feature older couples, and I really like the trend. It’s hard to say too much without giving anything away, but there were many times I laughed out loud reading, and there were specific moments (Pad Thai, for anyone who’s read it) that felt very true to being married to someone for decades. While this is a very different book, there’s something about it that I would put in the same category as Jane and Dan at the End of the World. Maybe older couple heist book? Is that a thing?

While I really enjoyed this one, in the interest of complete honesty, I did have trouble getting past the murder plot. Nothing the husbands did seemed to warrant that. I get that the book is a comedy, possibly even pushing into satire, but I can’t imagine wanting to have the father of my kids killed and nothing in the set up pushed me to be able to make that leap.

The audio book was really well done with a male and female narrator dividing the multiple POVs in the book. There were a lot of characters in the beginning, so I really appreciated having a hard copy, but it didn’t take long before I knew who everyone was. The narrators did a great job helping me to differentiate and I’d definitely recommend the audio.

This audiobook is madcap fun! Bravo to the narrators for bringing these many zany characters to life.

I will never again look at a take away container of pad Thai without thinking that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. Ridiculous situations had me laughing out loud several times.

And Elmer is the best boy ever!

Highly recommend if looking for something light, cozy and incredibly funny. Great debut by Sue Hincenbergs! Look forward to reading her next novel.

This was such a fun book! Loved the characters, the setting and the cozy feeling to it all. Looking forward to the next Hincenbergs book!

Audiobook received from NetGalley. Fun caper, with some unusual elements like Salvadoran gigolos and Indian matchmaking. Story is fun, but for an audiobook, my feelings are mixed. There wasn't the mix of regional accents I would have appreciated. The main characters are clearly from a Northeastern US casino town, and yet they all speak like (white) national broadcasters -- characters who are otherwise coded Black. And the Salvadoran character has picked up much of the same accent remarkably well for only having been 10 years in (Jersey?).

This was a wacky, laugh out loud debut that sees the husband and wife pairs of four older friend couples pitted against each other as they fight over who will survive and take the money the men have slowly been stealing from the casino where they work.

Twisty, full of laughs and just zany enough to keep readers flipping pages to the end as the tables constantly get turned. The story was also good on audio and is told from multiple POVs (including that of the hired hitman and his wife and the new Casino manager).

Recommended for fans of The Golden girls and the Oceans Eleven franchise. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It isn't my usual fare, but I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud several times.

"The Retirement Plan" is a tale of hijinks and hysteria when 4 couples are shocked to find out one of their group has been found dead under his garage door. Suspicious timing, given the husbands all just lost a pot of money in an investment gone wrong. When the newly widowed wife receives her husband's large life insurance payout, she decides to start the new life in Florida she always wanted, and thus begins a hilarious story caper of 3 married couples, on the cusp of senior living, ready to do whatever it takes to get what they want - but do they all want the same thing?

With their dreams of retiring to year-round warm weather and living an easy lifestyle now seeming almost impossible and their friend living the luxurious retired life, the 3 remaining wives scheme a plot to have their husbands murdered so they can join Marlene in Florida and finally be happy without their stale marriages. The 3 remaining husbands don't know if their friend's death was an accident, or the result of their investment scam, and they're not waiting to find out and suffer a similar fate. What could go wrong??

Sue Hincenbergs' "The Retirement Plan" was a fun ride. I feel like it lost some steam in the middle, but overall I enjoyed watching the two groups taking drastic measures and seeing how that all pans out. There were lots of twists and turns, all with a hint of humor that I think readers will enjoy. The story fast becomes husbands vs wives as they all work to different outcomes. A delightful romp of hijinks and deception.

Narrators Kiiri Sandy and John Pirhalla also did an excellent job of reading the wives' and husbands' perspectives. I always enjoy dual narrators to make the story even more engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for the advanced audio copy of this book! I will be recommending this one to my middle-aged to senior library patrons who enjoy a good, heartwarming story with a side of murder/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!!!! The narrator did a great job. I felt like a was reading an episode of I Love Lucy at some points. This book hit all the boxes!

This was a charming and delightful read. I loved the humor, the twists and the surprising level of emotion. The pacing was just right, and the characters were so fun. Quite an entertaining read.

The audiobook narration was very well done and really brought the story to life for me.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.