This was fun, breezy read made for Bravo super fans. (Advice: if you're not a hardcore Housewife fan, perhaps it isn't the book for you.) As a TV producer myself, I was impressed how Brian was able to distill down the process of 'making TV 101' for a general audience. All in all, a fun read -- not tooooo much new tea was spilled -- but I'm happy with the tea time overall.

Thank you to #netgalley for the copy!

I am a huge housewives fan (I watch them ALL), so I was excited for this book.

While the beginning of the book grabbed me and held my interest, I think parts of it were slow.

However, I think anyone that has ever enjoyed this series and reality tv would enjoy this book!

Well, receiving the e-ARC of Brian Moylan's The Housewives was probably the best birthday gift I could ask for! If you love the Real Housewives of any city, than this is the book for you! However, I do recommend you watch all the series before reading this. I've never seen Dallas or DC or any international ones, and I haven't finished Atlanta, so there were parts of the book I was a little lost in. I'd say OC, BH, and NY received the most attention, however.
Anyway, right off the bat, Moylan's sarcasm is tangible. He has no problem roasting the housewives, which can be seen in one of the first sentences regarding "a bar as open as NeNe Leakes would say Kim Zolciak's legs are to married men." It's this little tidbits that make it essential to know the series inside out. The minor jokes and subtle-to-not-so-subtle sarcasm leads to laugh out loud moments. (Trust me, I was reading this in the airport and couldn't have been more grateful for the mask.)
Moylan's deep-dive into the behind the scenes of The Real Housewives was fascinating to read about! It was a bit of a bummer that Bravo was so adamant to not give Moylan much to go off of. If you want to read about all the drama and tight-lipped culture of Bravo, then this is the book for you! I don't think Moylan holds back in that regard. Despite this setback, Moylan is able to get quite a bit of insider information. It's most fascinating to read about the start of OC and how it developed into what we know now.
Honestly, there was a lot of information I didn't know; however, a lot also focused on Moylan's own experience and his love for the series. I will admit that I was bored at times, but he always managed to draw me back in. I was most bored when Moylan was talking about his own Housewives convention/trip with Vicki. It was interesting at first, but I wanted to hear more about the show and less about his vacation.
My only other complaint is that Moylan is so close with Ericka Jayne that he was putting her on a pedestal. He didn't so much as utter the legal and financial trouble that's looming over her. Quite frankly, I think Ericka deserves what's coming and is absolutely disgusting if she was aware of her husband's dealings. I know the case isn't solved, so I think Moylan would have only been able to add a footnote, but even that would've been better than his clear love for Ericka. Of course, the book could have been edited long before these transgressions came to light.
Aside from these complaints, the book was absolutely wonderful! Moylan's recaps of popular episodes made me laugh because I could picture them so clearly. I don't follow the housewives outside the show (unless there's juicy legal trouble or something posted on Reddit), so a lot of this was new information to me. It sounds like if you enjoyed Bachelor Nation, you'll devour this read!

As a relatively recent convert to the ways of the Real Housewives, I was eager to read this book. Moylan's central theme is that the content of the Real Housewives franchise matters, and the time fans invest in it is worthwhile - this is not generally the opinion expressed by most people who don't watch reality TV. But Moylan's love for the franchise, the housewives, and especially the community that's formed around these shows shines through, and his appreciation makes the book so much fun to read.

Omg such a fun book! My first laugh was the dedication to Jill Zarin referencing her first season tagline.

This book is for the people - the Bravo housewives people. My kind of people! I laughed and truly learned things that I’ve always wondered - particularly loved the section on the Puerta Vallarta Vicki vacation...fascinating! Loved the inside scoop on the origin of each franchise as well as the memorable moments we have all cherished (yes, cherished) for years.

The author is hysterical and knows his stuff. This is a must read!!

Bravo, Brian Moylan! (Get it?)

Heartfelt thanks to Flatiron and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

This book is for fans of The Real Housewives franchise. As a committed student of all things Bravo, this book was like coming home. For so long, fandom of RH and other reality shows was a secret, guilty pleasure. Brian Moylan, in his signature funny and snarky style, lays out the history of the franchise, the arguments for why it is no longer guilty pleasure status (straight up pleasure, thank you), and all of the ways we come together as a community in the name of these outrageous women.

The book is a quick, fun read. Like our ladies of the Housewives (and ourselves as fans), the book manages to be both high brow and low brow. Moylan takes us through sociological analysis of the Housewives as a feminist medium, and he also gives us the top ten singles sung by our gals. (Feelin' Jovani was robbed!)

This is the definitive textbook from the founder of the Housewives Institute, where I am a lifelong learner, Dr. Moylan has given voice to our community with intelligence, humor, and love. In other words, he comes at "our sports" from a place of "yes". After reading, my love tank was, indeed, full.