Raise your hand if you are a Bravo addict!


I was so excited when I got this book! If you were not a Brian Moylan fan before, be prepared to change your mind.

I am a HUGE real housewives fan. I mean I watch almost every city and I reference these women daily. If I send you a gif, there's a 50% chance it's Real Housewives related. Clearly, I was excited to jump into this book.

This book covered everything you could ever dream of and more. Brian interviewed housewives past and present, and producer he could get his hands on, and even got a few threats from Bravo for even trying to get this book off the ground. (That's how you know it's gonna be juicy!) Brian truly thought of it all, even down to the titles of each chapter, this book was GENIUS. He covered everything from the start of housewives, to behind the scenes, to the history of Bravo. (Did you know originally Bravo only ran Monday-Wednesday and then on the weekends it actually turned into a porn channel? Ramona would have died!!)

Moylan also covered the most iconic and well loved scenes, typing it out like a script for a television show and we are all at the table read. But luckily for us, there is not script and everything you see on housewives is the real thing. I loved being able to learn more, while going back in time to read about my favorite housewives. Think of this book as basically one long text chain with your BFF's recapping this weeks RHONY episode.

Overall, if you are a #bravoaddict, do not hesistate to pick this up!! You will not regret it!

A huge thank you to MacMillan Audio and #netgalley for the advanced copy!!

Love Love Love the Real Housewives and Bravo so this book was definitely exciting. The way Brian talked about the housewives franchise in every aspect possible, really made me love it even more. With its background history to its current events, Brian did not miss it. Hope to have more housewives books!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It started out really good, but seemed to drag on and talk about things I didn’t care about (soap operas?) so I DNF… it couldn’t keep my attention

I loved this one at first, but i expected more juicy tidbits and less of the way things work. The techincal aspects were interesting for a bit, but it becomes less exciting. I was expecting the same energy i saw on the show. Fast-paced drama. And it just wasnt that.

This was an interesting look into reality tv and Bravo's The Real Housewives reality series. As someone who has kept up with reality tv since the Laguna Hills days, I knew some of the tidbits and history that the author Brian Moylan shares in his book, but he makes the history of the housewives entertaining. It's a fun book if you are fans of the series or reality tv. I listened to it on audio. It's a short book but good to listen to while cleaning or purging a closet. Brian is the narrator of the audiobook, and it is just like having coffee with a friend.

I love all of the franchises of The Real Housewives and enjoyed hearing about the ins and outs of the show. I learned cool facts that I did not know. This is a great book for anyone that loves The Real Housewives...

Absolute gold for bravo and reality fans! Very well researched book...insightful and funny! The book has it all.

Wow~such a fun book to read for Bravo Real Housewives Fans! The Original RHONY barely even made it to it’s first episode. Then the Housewives Franchise became a cultural phenomenon. It has inside scoops and recaps of the early episodes of the show.

The author used to write for Vulture Magazine and give a weekly updates. A basic idea was made for an episode, but the crazy antics really just would happen. Who could forget, too. Theresa flipping the table, Kelly telling Bethany she’s up here and Bethany down there. Ramona with all her gusto and belief that she was the ultimate star. Lisa Vanderkamp stretching the truth....a lot and how that was dealt with. Then there was Erica Jane and deciding not to wear underwear, bringing on panty gate.

The author, Brian Moylan really worshipped the show and admires all the fans incredible loyalty. Vicky was on the road and doing speaking engagements. Even if you worked for Bravo, you were not guaranteed tickets! Fans waited for hours to get tickets and spend a weekend with a Housewife Favorite. So, definitely great to listen to all the stories and had nostalgia for the early shows.

Thank you NetGalley, Brian Moylan, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audio book.

This laugh-out-loud book is what every #RealHouseWives or #Bravo fans need this summer!! The book gives a fascinating (behind the scenes) analysis of the show, covering story line developments, history & analysis of the show it self & what moments in tv history set us up for this weekly delight.

I LOVED listening to this book. You hear the moments when the author begins to laugh - either at how funny or how ridiculous - a real housewives scenario is.

If you love the housewives you will love this. The overview and one-liners come to life in this audiobook. Expertly read with the right amount of sass and sarcasm it will have you laughing out loud in every chapter.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

I LOVED this. For any housewives/bravo fan this is a must read. It wasn’t trying to be anything that it wasn’t. It was a love letter to all the people, places and brawls that have made Housewives a part of household lexicon. I loved how while it relived iconic moments it also dropped interesting facts while still letting us believe the fantasy. Highly recommend. O

This is one of the first audiobooks that I've listened to and being a Real Housewives fanatic, I absolutely loved it. I loved that the author read it himself and you can tell he is a real expert on all things Real Housewives and truly all things Bravo.

I think there are parts that can get off Real Housewives at times and bleeds into other reality TV but honestly we needed those shows and events to happen in order for the Real Housewives to be who they are today. I do think that this book is probably best an an audiobook rather than read in a physical book. I think since I was listening to it I was able to have different scenes from various housewives episodes play out in my mind. Whereas if I read the book it may not have been the same.

All in all if you are a Housewives fan or even a reality TV/Bravo fan then you will enjoy this book. I enjoyed learning some of the behind the scenes secrets that took place and some of the tidbits that some Housewives (who it sounds like weren't supposed to) shared with the author.

Thanks to Macmillian audio for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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!

This book is ONLY for the diehard Housewives fan (like me!) I listened to the audiobook (at 1..25 speed) after struggling a bit to get used to Moylan’s voice and pace of narration. Overall, I’d liken listening to this like listening to a podcast on a topic you enjoy and are familiar with. There will be tidbits and revelations that surprise you, but mostly it’s familiar content that’s enjoyable to have keeping you company while you drive around or clean the house.
My favorite moments were the depictions of Bravo fan experiences, like Vacation with Viciki, or BravoCon, since all that is new to me. I also thought there were some interesting sociological perspectives about why we love these shows, and why others who don’t feel so free to knock it.

I am BIG fan of The Real Housewives - a global pandemic and a commitment to doing hard things means that I’ve consumed almost every episode of The Real Housewives. (I can’t make myself do OC because it’s so many seasons…one day!) So when I saw this audiobook on @NetGalley, I knew I had to have it because I was going to love it. AND I LOVED IT! I would highly recommend this to any Housewives fan or really in reality tv fan. (If you liked Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman, this is similar.) The audiobook is narrated by the author, and I would recommend the audiobook.

Thanks to @NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my ARC!

As a fan of Housewives since it started, this was such a fun read. I loved reading about how the franchise started and all the behind the scenes drama. "I do have a life... theirs", was ny favorite catch phrase of the time and still continues to be. For all Housewives and Bravo fans, this is the book for you. I will recommend it to all my friends for sure. By the way, Vicky is and will always be my favorite.

This is going to be short and sweet.
The book was very well written and the author was extremely knowledgeable on all things housewives, digging deeper into what is done for "reality" television.
The book itself was not overly interesting to me as I don't care a whole lot about the house wives but was interested in this book regardless. I think anyone who watches any of the Housewives shows should read this.

Brian Moylan knows a thing or two about being a Housewife, since he’s written more recaps about the franchise than there have been catfights, and he’s here to give us all the tea on the behind the scenes of the Real Housewives. As a pop culture writer and a fan of Bravo, he has a good handle on the women and their dramas, and he’s here to share all the joy, all the eye rolling, and all the schadenfreude with us in The Housewives.

Moylan takes us back to the very beginning, season one of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and on through all the iterations, even talking a little about the international ones (most of which did not fare well). He takes us through the development of each franchise, how the women are cast, how the seasons are shot, how the shows are edited, and how the producers occasionally manipulate the women to get the drama they want.

He also goes into the history of Bravo, of the production companies that got the franchise started, and even about both reality television and soap operas, since the Housewives shows are the perfect blend of both. Sprinkled liberally throughout these deep dives are stories about the women (and men) who we tune into each week, their struggles, their triumphs, and those outrageous moments that become the memes we spread all over social media.

With lists like their greatest dance hits, the hottest men, the biggest don’ts (do not go to a psychic!), and the all time-greatest episodes, Moylan cuts through the serious research with moments and memories that highlight all the best of the Housewives. And since you’re really here for the snark, the gossip, the secrets, and the catfights, he fills these pages with all of that too. Because he’s a fan and he’s here for it all, just like the rest of us.

The one thing that this book is missing is the voices of the Housewives themselves, but as you get deeper into the book you find out the reason behind that. Maybe despite that or maybe because of it, Moylan has done his research by reading what seems like every article ever written about Bravo, Andy Cohen, and the Housewives, as he frequently quotes from one of Cohen’s memoirs, various articles, or something from one of the Housewives’ blogs.

I got to listen to the audio version of this, where Moylan reads the book himself, injecting his own love of the franchise into every chapter. Although I will never watch any of the shows quite the same again, I was so happy to take this trip with Moylan through all his appreciation of the Housewives, their fellow fans, and the table-flipping times we love to watch, talk about, and watch again.

Do you have to already be a fan of the Housewives to enjoy the book? I don’t think so, but it does help to have some experience with the shows, as he references some of the women and their antics, and knowing even just some of the more famous wives makes it easier to follow along. Although he does offer a list of the most iconic episodes across the franchise if you need a place to get started.

Perfect for fans of the Housewives or anyone who loves a book about pop culture, The Housewives is the companion book we’ve been missing. This book will take Housewives novices and make them fans and wll take fans and make them superfans.

An early copy of the audiobook for The Housewives was provided by Macmillan audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Brian does a fairly deep dive into the behind-the-scenes aspects of The Real Housewives franchise. While a lot of the information was new, a lot was a sum-up of relatively well-known information already out in the pop culture space. However, Brian does give some personal perspective, and taps into aspects of the Bravo-verse where fans cross from being fans to being entrepreneurs, and back again. While I found this book fascinating, nothing really stood out to me as revolutionary. But I really enjoyed it anyway.