One of Us is Dead ~ Jeneva Rose

READ IF:
* Your salon doubles as a social club.
* You are a devoted Housewives franchise fan.
* You love a good mimosa!

SUMMARY: The women of Buckhead love to hate each other. Despite the fancy cars, designer wardrobes, and huge houses - the women that frequent Glow salon are not happy unless they’re delivering passive aggressive digs or one-upping each other.

But when is enough enough? These women will stop at nothing to top the other and eventually one of them will fall from grace, right to her death.

REVIEW: This is Bravo’s Housewives meets Big Little Lies all the way! Liked The Girl I Was so was excited to see what Jeneva Rose cooked up with this one and is did not disappoint. The characters are deplorable, the gossip is salacious, the digs are deep, and the happenings around town unfold like a season of whatever Housewives franchise you love to binge.

A total guilty pleasure - fast chapters and and even faster paced plot made this hard to put down. I usually have trouble when a lot of characters are introduced at the same time but with distinguishable personalities, these ladies were easy to peg. Mindless fun with a naughty twist. This one comes out end of April - it’s a must for your summer stack. A perfect beach read!

Read this if...you enjoyed Big Little Lies and/or have ever had a "frenemy."

This novel alternates between the POVs of five very different women who are all in the same social circle. Shannon used to be the "it" girl until her politician husband left her for Crystal, a younger, more naive version of herself. Shannon doesn't take her divorce lightly and is bent on revenge. Olivia has been biding her time, waiting for Shannon's fall from grace so she can take her place as the queen bee. Olivia has no conscience and is willing to backstab anyone who tries to stand in her way. Karen is a real estate mogul with a postcard perfect family, but she can't get over the feeling that she's missing something in her life. Finally, there is Jenny, the black sheep of the group when it comes to her wealth. Jenny had to work for every penny she earned and started the upscale salon the women frequent.

These women all have secrets, which equates to some huge drama! There's lying, cheating, stealing, backstabbing, trash talking, murder-you name it! All the reader is told at the beginning is that someone has died, but it's not clear who, how, or why until the very end.

I started reading this one on my Kindle, but then switched to the audiobook and couldn't go back. There was a full cast that included some of my favorite narrators, and it was done so well! If you've never read Jeneva Rose, do yourself a favor and pick this book up as soon as you can! It’s out April 26th!

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This was like desperate housewives on crack! I had to laugh when I read their book club read and discussed Vogue. Who does that? These ladies do!

These women did not save that drama for their mama, that is for sure! Oh, how deliciously devious and spoiled these women were.

Shannon-divorced when her husband met a younger woman. Of course, she is angry, hurt, and bitter. On top of that her ex-husband's new wife is in her social circle.

Crystal- the new young beautiful wife who married Shannon's ex-husband.

Olivia - is cruel, meal and hides behind “just kidding" when she is nasty to others. It is her mission to bring down Shannon.

Jenny - owns an exclusive spa and knows all of the ladies’ secrets.

Karen - is married with a child. Yet, she yearns for something else.

All these women have secrets. All want to protect their secrets. How far will anyone go to protect their secret. That is the question.

So juicy, so much fun, so full of petty backstabbing and cruel comments. I could not stop listening and reading. This was such a fun book/audio book. The narrators did such an amazing job. I didn't want to turn it off.

I highly recommend the book and the audiobook. I had the privilege of having both!. I was aghast at some of their antics. Others I felt for. I had some eye rolling moments! This was such a fun guilty pleasure! I have to say this was one of my favorite audiobooks so far this year!

Do yourself a favor and join in the fun by picking up this book.

Spoiled. Privileged. Devious. Deadly.

Highly Recommend.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! This was such a fun and wild ride! I did a mix of the ebook and audiobook. The audiobook was fantastic with several of my favorite narrators. It took me a little while for me to keep track of who was who, but then I was hooked. If you’re a fan of any of the real housewives, you will enjoy this! I loved the multiple perspectives from Jenny, Crystal, Shannon, Karen, and Olivia. I couldn’t stop listening and because I wanted to find out who was murdered. The twist/ending surprised me and I didn’t guess it. I’m two for two for enjoying Jeneva Rose books. I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Excellent book! This one had me interested from the beginning! It was well written and the characters I enjoyed! I loved the drama and the premise of this one!

A binge worthy read full of betrayal, sex and opulence.

One of Us is Dead is the perfect mix of pomp and circumstance with a select group of friends who each try to outdo the other in wealth and prestige in the community. They plot and scheme in the chairs at the local salon over mimosas.

The novel is read through multiple points of view from the women to the salon owner who recounts what led to murder. Add to these women are their equally pretentious husbands who encourage bad behavior. This novel truly reads like a thriller and a binge worthy TV show mixed into one.

We ALL enjoy diving into juicy rich-people drama. The pages simmer in catty behavior including the new “kinsult” - the compliment and insult mixed into one comment and delivered with a smile. From its beautiful cover to the spider web of lies and deceit, take the time to indulge in this addictive, fast-paced read.

One of Us is Dead is wildly entertaining. Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the complimentary copy.

I wanted love this one, but I wasn’t too crazy about it. Did I like it? Yes. Was I blown away? Not so much. I really enjoyed the ending, I didn’t see it coming!

I definitely think I’m going to be the unpopular opinion with this one because the story gives you a good mix of scandal, mystery, and a touch of romance. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and didn’t find myself rooting for any of them, except maybe Keisha, Jenny, & Crystal I did like them!

I also liked how Jeneva Rose threw us for a loop right at the very end, that was clever and I love the route she went with that.

All in all, I this releases April 26th and I do encourage you to give it a try. I think it would make for a great quick pool/beach read!

(There may be some TW so I’d check them out first)

The only thing this book has going for it is that it's moderately entertaining.

I don't mind multiple POVs as long as the story is told well and this one certainly wasn't. All 5 women sounded the same, just in varying degrees of cattiness, and I often forgot whose chapter I was reading. Olivia was a very over-the-top caricature but also the only part I did enjoy, because at least she was funny and had some personality.

I like that it isn't revealed who's the victim until the very end, which kept me turning the pages. The first 90% of the book was actually an okay 3⭐ story for me, but then it just fell apart. There's also the dreaded tell-all monologue aka lazy storytelling.

This could have been potentially a great read about sisterhood and rallying together as I did enjoy what little feminist elements there were. Unfortunately, what happened in the last few chapters made it impossible and left me disappointed.

When I was reading this book, I learned about the term “popcorn thriller.” It’s basically a thriller that is simply an escapist, irresistible binge read, meant to be read in one sitting.

One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose is the ULTIMATE popcorn thriller. I read 70% of the book in one day and just could not. put. it. down. It was smart, sexy, and full of so much juicy gossip. Honestly, I hated the guts of so many of the characters, but it was like a train wreck: I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to! It reminded me a lot of The Hunting Wives that I read back in March, which was another one of my favorites. If you love The Real Housewives mixed in with Big Little Lies, you will adore this book!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a fun, drama packed, entertaining read. If you love reality tv shows - you’ll love this book!

What is it about rich women behaving badly that is so appealing? This book had me hooked from the start and I did not see any of the twists coming. I enjoyed it from start to finish and would definitely recommend this as a thriller on the light side. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫.

One of Us Is Dead is the second book I've read by Jeneva Rose. I enjoyed her other one, The Perfect Marriage, so I was excited to pick this one up.

Quick synopsis:

Jenny is the owner of Glow, a hotspot for the wealthy elite of Buckhead. Her clients come to her for everything, including to gossip. Shannon, one of the housewives, is recently divorced. Crystal was Shannon's ex-husband's mistress... and is now his wife. Karen is a successful realtor and is questioning her marriage. Olivia is the group's "queen bee" and is ruthless and self-centered. One of them ends up dead and someone in the group did it. How much does Jenny know?

Props to Jeneva for writing a book that was super easy and quick to read. If you are a Selling Sunset or Housewives fan, you will probably enjoy this one. I don't watch either, so it didn't suck me in like it has with others who have read it. I hated a lot of the characters, which was intentional, but turned me off at times. There was a crazy reveal that came out of nowhere, but made the ending interesting. I wasn't a huge fan, but I bet a lot of people will like this one!
⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the early copy! It comes out April 26th. ❤

This book follows the lives of a very dramatic and petty group of housewives in Buckhead, where money flows freely and secrets are a part of daily life. Olivia sees herself as the queen bee and will do whatever she can to control the group, but the rest of the women are sick of her manipulative ways.

This was such a fun book! I loved the audiobook and that each of the women had their own narrator. I love books with short chapters and multiple POVs so this one was right up my alley. The characters were over definitely exaggerated but even through the eye rolling I was here for the drama. Definitely recommend for a quick & fun page turner!

I think this one missed the mark for me a bit but was absolutely amusing.

As someone with extensive experience dealing with rich snobs, this was was almost TOO real which I guess is a good job on the authors part. The characters really did get me mad. I could feel my body cringing with every petty and awkward encounter.

I will say that it did keep my attention. The characters were over the top and everything you can imagine a house wife with too much money to be like. The story was fast moving and there were a good number of twists.

Overall, though, this just wasn’t a story for me. While I kept listening, I didn’t really care about what happened? I also predicted the ending once all our characters were introduced. I see that others said this was marketed as a Mean Girls suburban-wife edition, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I knew that was more of the focus than the mystery.

I think the authors writing is great nonetheless, and I’d be interested to read another from her that wasn’t centered around rich white ladies with nothing better to do than start drama for fun and be petty as hell.

Pub date: 4/26/22
Genre: thriller, women's fiction
In one sentence: Jenny's exclusive Buckhead salon is a playground for a group of wealthy women - but not everyone will survive the game.

This book is soapy fun - like Desperate Housewives in book form. I loved getting to know this group of women and their many, many secrets - the reader gets each of their perspectives here.

Like Big Little Lies, we get the build up to a big event, and I was definitely surprised by what took place. Pour yourself a glass of wine and read this one on a Friday night in!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 1/18/22, posted to Instagram 4/6/22.

This was such an entertaining read. The villain was a true villain you love to hate. The other characters were relatable and I found myself cheering for them. I loved the setting of the salon being the place of gossip, backstabbing and drama. I loved the twists and turns and the changing perspectives. I’m going to be thinking about this book and these characters for a long time! Loved it!!

Secrets, lies, betrayal. Everyone has a motive for revenge but who is the real killer behind Bucktooth's most notorious murder? This one was a little slow to start for me but the climactic ending built beautifully. Perfect for fans of Desperate Housewives type stories featuring wealthy, upper crust women and the cliquey/catty social circles they run in. If you loved The mother next door or The sinful lives of trophy wives you will want to pick this one up. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

One of Us Is Dead
By Jeneva Rose
Pub Date: April 26, 2022

⭐️: 3.5/5

Jenny owns a salon that caters to the upper crust of her town’s society women. There’s Olivia, Karen, and Shannon, the latter of whom has just been left by her politician husband for a younger woman. Enter Crystal, the younger woman. Each has her own agenda and secrets, and not everyone will survive.

This book had Desperate Housewives meets Shenae from Clayton’s season of The Bachelor vibes. A bunch of catty, rich women who define themselves and their social standing by how much money they have and who they’re married to, with a bunch of truly absurd rationalizing of decisions and no grip on reality. At around 60% I wasn’t sure if I’d end up liking this book, since I made the realization that I was more than halfway through and it still seemed like nothing had happened. The entire book flips back and forth between the lead-up to the murder that occurs, and Jenny’s police interview after the murder, so I knew action was going to happen, it just seemed like a lot of extra prose leading up to that point. Once we got to about 80% through, I was hooked, since I had theories about what was going to happen and why, and also really wanted to see some of the more infuriating characters get theirs. As far as character development, Rose does a good job of making you dislike and distrust a lot of characters, but in the same vein, she ascribes insightfulness to some other characters that their initial character development does not support. For instance, I find it unbelievable that a character can supposedly just tell from looking at someone else’s husband that he’s cheating on her, but still is stupid enough to fully contemplate sending an online date prospect an eggplant emoji in a serious capacity. The “Ocean’s 11”-esque description of the ending was a fun twist, and very satisfying to read. Overall, fun concept and interesting, if somewhat two dimensional characters, but took a long time to get to the meat of the story and read kind of like it’s trying to be made into a TV series or movie.

🔊Song Pairing: Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani

💭What I thought would happen:

In Jeneva Rose I trust. Honestly at this point, I’d read her grocery list.

📖What actually happens:

Drama is going down in Buckhead, a suburb with far too much wealth and free time. The women are cattier than ever when one of their own freshly divorced after her husband left her for a younger model. Of course the gossipy blame is placed on the women involved and never the man.

The wealthy ladies of Buckhead perform their daily ritual of grooming and gossiping and the prestigious salon where one can get pubes ripped from the vag and a healthy dose of what’s what going on the community.

Of course there is the meanest of rude bitches, Olivia, who leads the women in her own personal vendetta against everyone and everything.

There have been many crimes committed and now an investigation has ensued to unmask the dirt of this close-knit (and minded) hamlet.

🗯Thoughts:

Give me a book about catty women and I’ll devour is, eating up that gossip and decide like it’s my last meal on death row.

If you’re a fan of the real housewives, this book is for you! Ironically I cannot handle the drama of reality tv and avoid like the plague but live for it in literature.

Every single rich person in this book is an asshole. Ok except crystal the mistress; you’ll have a soft spot for that sweet doe-eyed gal. But was I fascinated by them? Absolutely.

Olivia is a sociopathic spider with the rest of the ladies tangled in her web. Some assistance in truly grasping the character of queen bee Olivia, her book club choice was the newest edition of Vogue

This gave me so many Real Housewives vibes and I was here for it! I love reading about rich bitch women, and Jeneva portrayed these women perfectly. I hated all of them, but I was also sucked right into their privileged lives, just like reality TV sucks me right in. I loved that the drama centered around the beauty bar in town, where all these wealthy women sat and gossiped while getting pampered. I loved that each chapter is told from each women's point of view, getting a glimpse into their minds. Not one woman could be trusted, hell, neither could the men. The women were caddy and deceitful, and the men were arrogant and proud of having their " trophy wives." I loved how it ended (who was killed, sorry not sorry) and I was still surprised with how it all played out. I haven't read anything from Jeneva before, but The Perfect Marriage is on my shelf and I can't wait to get to it now. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.